Whether you’re designing web pages, web-based applications (e.g., SaaS), or native mobile apps, one of the basic building blocks is the humble text-input field: a box where the user can enter some text. Uses of this widget are plenty and not the topic of this article. We should point out that there are many issues in application design relating to workflow and other big-picture questions that are important for good application user experience. (These topics are discussed in our full-day Application Design course.)
In this article, we focus on the nitty-gritty of input fields. Each of these issues may seem minor, but we repeatedly see these usability guidelines violated —...
Power of suggestion (Good): Selecting is directive. Some things to watch out for though are being presumptuous, pushy, offensive, or alienating. Consider the content and the default selection, how users will react to it, and the effect the selection will have on the user and the organization in
BBC.com: This illustration on the likelihood of automation for different professions is an infographic according to our definition. The chart in the lower left, on the other hand, is a data visualization and could have been used as such if it had been shown by itself, without the explanatory
As a matter of fact, errors frequently do occur when using direct manipulation systems but in many cases the error messages are pretty poor, maybe because the designers have believed the "no errors" claim. As an example, users of the Macintosh Finder file system interface very often get the error
FinTech is Transforming the Finance Industry
The FinTech field shows great promise for providing access to financial services to underserved consumers and small businesses. It can reduce the costs associated with loan processing and underwriting. As such, it may serve as a solution that will allow financial service providers to offer smaller
10 Things Teaching Us About Running Successful Crowdfunding Campaigns
The mammoth network of influencers ensures that any brand they are accelerating carries out a successful crowdfunded campaign all the time focusing on the here and now. The game changer is to outsource to the best hands around instead of depending on the internal source. Or, trying to engage
A 60-Second Trailer of the 60-Day Report on Cybersecurity
Melissa Hathaway came across our radar recently when President Obama tasked the former Bush administration aide with leading a 60-day review of Bush’s Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative; a largely classified, purported $30 billion, multi phase plan to address cybersecurity issues
Usability 101: Introduction to Usability
If you run at least one user study per week, it's worth building a dedicated usability laboratory. For most companies, however, it's fine to conduct tests in a conference room or an office — as long as you can close the door to keep out distractions. What matters is that you get hold of real
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Branding an Intranet
Most Intranets are created and owned by IT, HR, Corporate Communications, or a combination of these departments. While these teams have the necessary skills to create and maintain great intranets, they don’t usually include experts in branding. Thus, intranets frequently lack a brand identity. A
Brand Is Experience in the Digital Age
While “branding” products with an identifying mark (definition #1) has been around since people first began trading and selling goods, the use of brands to differentiate products — to truly attempt to influence consumers’ perceptions and choices within a market (definition #2) — is a
How Community Can Drive Commerce: A Lesson from China’s Little Redbook
Redbook users can not only discover new products from user-generated posts, but they can easily purchase the product being discussed. The integration between community reviews and transactions facilitates impulse buying and saves user effort: users don’t have to remember products they found on
The Distribution of Users’ Computer Skills: Worse Than You Think
For sure, anybody who works on a design project will have a more accurate and detailed mental model of the user interface than an outsider. If you target a broad consumer audience, you will also have a higher IQ than your average user, higher literacy levels, and, most likely, you’ll be younger
Typography Terms Cheat Sheet
Typography is a key component in almost every digital experience. However, its complexity and industry-specific language makes it a common source of misalignment and confusion. You don’t have to be a typography expert to design digital interfaces, but it’s important to know some of these terms
Better Link Labels: 4Ss for Encouraging Clicks
Learn more is the new Click here. Some of its popularity is likely due to a misunderstanding about how people read online. Mailchimp might justify using a vague link (Learn more) because it follows a very specific and well-written tagline (Make your life easier with automation). However
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The Two UX Gulfs: Evaluation and Execution
When multiple switches are visible together and some are off, some are on, it’s easy to understand that the labels refer to the current selected state rather than to one specific position of the switch. (Additionally, in this screen, the fact that the Hide notifications switch is Off causes
Dropdowns: Design Guidelines
A while back, as part of a presentation on web-usability methods, we ran a small user test for the audience. When completing a registration page, our test participant had to enter her address on a form with a text field for the name of the street but a dropdown menu for the type of street (Avenue
Customer Updates to WordPress 5.0
The process of disabling the 5.0 editor should not be a hassle. In the coming days, we will be rolling out an admin notice that will display on the Dashboard page* of your site(s). This notice will have information about adopting the new editor and will provide buttons to install/activate the
WP Engine Sales and Customer Service Teams Recognized at The Stevie Awards
The Stevie Awards are a set of hundreds of business awards given annually by the American Business Awards organization. They were created in 2002 to recognize the accomplishments and contributions of companies and business people worldwide. Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Awards are given to
WP Engine Named a Great Place to Work in Ireland
I had never experienced a work culture as wonderful as the WP Engine culture before,” said Darren O’Dwyer, a Senior Talent Advisor at WP Engine’s Limerick office. “I love it here, the people genuinely enjoy working here, which makes the work environment a great place to be, and we have
RW Q&A: Monisha Perkash, founder of Lumo Bodytech
Perkash came up with the idea for Lumo seeing her co-founder and CTO, Andrew Chang, suffering from debilitating back pain. Perkash is married to a spine and sports physician, so she could understand how important posture really was. Perkash advised Andrew to attend a posture class and as a result
Security Teams Need to Be Prepared With an Incident Response Plan
A true security incident refers to something that could negatively impact information security objectives like confidentiality, integrity, or availability. When something in the system triggers an alert or looks unusual, security teams need to have a protocol in place to diagnose, act on, and
Are AI and Big Data the Economic Levelers We’ve Been Looking for?
At least publicly, colleges aren’t using AI algorithms to make admissions decisions — yet. But according to Kevin Kelly, WIRED founder and author of “The Inevitable,” the use of AI in college admissions is an inevitability. For years, colleges have used algorithms to sort applicants by
7 Critical Time Management Skills to Boost Your Productivity
Successful time management starts with goal setting. We can’t control how quickly time passes, but we can decide how we’ll spend the 24 hours in each day. The most productive people are simply those who know how to make every second count towards their objectives. What are you trying to
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4 Ways Early Stage CTOs Can Learn to Roll With the Punches
In some instances, the CTO is a chief engineer who takes a hands-on approach to product development; other times; a CTO is a VP of engineering who is charged with hiring a team and designing the processes and culture necessary to turn business needs into deployed products. And then there are
5 Real Life Blockchain Implementations Outside of Cryptocurrency
Healthcare needs a kick in the butt. Not only is cost staggeringly high, but the industry suffers from improper diagnosis, terrible user experience, and continual patient safety concerns. Much of this can be fixed through improved data usage. Medicalchain aims to use blockchain technology to
A Checklist for Designing Mobile Input Fields | Web Page Footers 101: Design Patterns and When to Use Each
Web Page Footers 101: Design Patterns and When to Use Each
Many of our study participants described being motivated to pick a site based on the awards and testimonials received by that site. Highlighting accolades in the footer can be a good tactic when building authority and credibility. However, showing too many testimonials and awards could also raise a
We recently ran a usability study in the U.K. where one user was attempting the following task: "Does Siemens have any special deals on washing machines?" Without much trouble, the user arrived at this homepage for Siemens Appliances in the U.K.: User task: "Does Siemens have any special deals on
UX Guidelines for Ecommerce Homepages, Category Pages, and Product Listing Pages
People who browse ecommerce websites need to get a clear understanding of the options available to them, with a minimum expense of time or effort. A good presentation of the breadth of products available both on the homepage and within the category pages, as well as clear, descriptive product
