I’ve done a re-design of my Radio weblog, using CSS. Look ma, no tables! Yes, it’s now a tableless design. I’m doing my bit for the web standards cause, although I haven’t yet achieved 100% XHTML validation. For my re-design I used a CSS Zen Garden design by Michael Landis, who kindly gave me permission to use it. I figured the best way to get into CSS design is to learn from the masters, then later when I have more confidence I’ll attempt an original design. This re-design exercise has been an excellent lesson for me on CSS and XHTML. You can’t beat the motto ‘learn by doing’ in the...
Finally, Hathaway sees this as a unique opportunity for the United States to work with countries around the world, and with organizations on an extremely local level. “We cannot succeed if our government works in isolation,” she added. It requires “leading from the top” from
Healthcare organizations are already seeing benefits of enabling a large set of stakeholders to have permissioned access to data on the blockchain. The status quo in medical records is an unwieldy and redundant system where patient data is shared manually among providers, physicians, nurses
Medicalchain aims to use blockchain technology to securely store medical records. Using a distributed ledger for healthcare is a godsend as it allows doctors, hospitals, laboratories, pharmacists, and health insurers to have more immediate access to health records, which could help save lives
Why WSJ Mobile App Gets ** Customer Reviews
Workflow design is a big issue in application usability. In many cases, a tighter workflow best expedites the paths users take to their goals. But in many other cases, it's better to add a few steps to ensure that each step is focused and self-explanatory. What matters to usability is not the
Modes in User Interfaces: When They Help and When They Hurt Users
In Photoshop, the Brush tool (top) and the Quick Select tool (bottom) are different modes: if Brush is selected, a left mouse click adds a colored patch to the screen; if Quick Select is active, the system selects whatever it perceives as an object in the photo (for example, the sky in
Experience Design: Bridging Brand Intention and Brand Interpretation
When approaching a problem or project, designers should be able to break Brand down into core components that inform design decisions. (However, this is admittedly often difficult, because Brand often starts and stops as a presentation deck in a board room, with only logos and guidelines made
7 Tips for Successful Customization
Over many years of seeing customization tools implemented in a variety of systems in a variety of ways, we often find that users do not use them. The fact that customization relies on users’ actions means that the potential benefits of customization will reach fewer users than personalization
css conversion of my radio weblog
Date-Input Form Fields: UX Design Guidelines
Formatting a date-entry field may seem like a minor detail; however, even small interactions can draw a process to a standstill if implemented improperly. Poorly designed date input leads to distressed or annoyed users — risking the abandonment of the form altogether. Even worse, if the user
Modal & Nonmodal Dialogs: When (& When Not) to Use Them
It is always good to prevent human error before it happens, if possible. However, once the error was made, it may be easier to fix it if the error message is presented within the main content instead of in a modal dialog. For example, an error in a form should be reported on the page, next to where
The Distribution of Users’ Computer Skills: Worse Than You Think
This is what level-1 people can do: “Tasks typically require the use of widely available and familiar technology applications, such as email software or a web browser. There is little or no navigation required to access the information or commands required to solve the problem. The problem may be
Modes in User Interfaces: When They Help and When They Hurt Users
Mode slips happen because the system doesn’t clearly indicate its status to the user, violating the very first of the 10 usability heuristics. Mode errors have been a longstanding problem in our discipline, and, especially in complex systems, can have deadly consequences. Famously, in 1991, a
Store Finders: Why People Still Need Locator Links
Hallmark mobile site: Options to either ship each item to an address or to pick up in store for free, along with a link labeled Find a store, were displayed for each product shown in the shopping cart. This design made the feature discoverable. Listing the option for each item meant that users
The Two UX Gulfs: Evaluation and Execution
The terms gulf of evaluation and gulf of execution were invented in 1986 by Ed Hutchins, Jim Hollan, and Don Norman, when they wrote about the virtues of direct manipulation in helping users bridge these gulfs. (Their work was published in the book “User Centered System Design,” edited by
css conversion of my radio weblog
Minimize Design Risk by Focusing on Outcomes not Features
UnitedHealthcare’s mobile app provides a feature called Build a Better Me. At first glance, it’s unclear what this feature does. Upon inspection, it appears to be a health-and-fitness tracker — something that most people would not expect to do here unless there are strong customer benefits
Using Prioritization Matrices to Inform UX Decisions
Disperse different colored dots to each team member. A general rule of thumb is the number of votes per person is half the number of items being prioritized. While each team member gets the same number of votes, they should vote based only on criteria that fall within their domain of expertise. Use
StudioPress Theme Spotlight: Academy Pro Theme
This week, we explore the Academy Pro theme, a theme for online course creators, membership site owners, and educational content marketers. In a world where so many schools, institutions, educators and universities are looking for innovative ways to more effectively reach students, the Academy Pro
Genesis Framework and StudioPress Themes Now Available for WP Engine Customers .
At WP Engine, we’re passionate about creating new possibilities for our customers and the broader WordPress open source communities. By offering the themes and framework in our platform, we’re enhancing customers’ ability to build beautiful and powerful websites, while also expanding the
How to Try Gutenberg Safely in a Sandbox Environment .
If you encounter issues with your own custom plugins or custom theme, and are worried that Gutenberg might be released before these can be updated for compatibility, not to worry! Installing the Classic Editor plugin is a safe and easy way to ensure you can continue using the standard WordPress
Businesses Broke Ground on Blockchain. What Can Civic Groups Learn?
Because blockchain uses a decentralized network of nodes to confirm data with one another, the model was supposed to be incredibly difficult for hackers to manipulate. So when a hacker cracked a smart contract used by the ethereum blockchain in mid-2016, owners of Ether, the token associated with
6 technologies you need to know to secure your IoT network
With varying hardware capabilities, some IoT devices might limit or prevent the use of public key infrastructure but that does not mean that it is not effective in securing your IoT network. It take advantage of complex digital certificates and cryptographic keys and offer extensive key lifecycle
How To Secure Your IoT Devices And Why Should You Do It
Since 2015, when the IoT devices started to become more and more popular, the technology has been a controversial subject. Recently, the FBI released a statement through which they warned people in the entire world that these devices can be as dangerous as they are useful. Of course, we had the CIA
5 Ways Blockchain Startups Can Appeal to Enterprises
Bold startups are taking on that status quo and offering new solutions built on blockchain that use a decentralized approach, eliminating the need for intermediaries. The unparalleled transparency and trust that blockchain provides are creating new flexibility in how the business operates. The
css conversion of my radio weblog
How to Use Cornerstone Content to Kick-start Automatic-SEO?
What is Automatic-SEO as per Google’s top search results? As soon as you type automatic SEO in Google’s search bar you will see people ranking for this term. The first result is of an agency that claims to rank you on the first position of Google search results, else you will get your money
What To Expect At This Year’s Mobile World Congress
It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of the big name companies, but I’m curious to see what vendors at the Greek Pavilion have to offer given they’ve been innovating under financially lean circumstances. Companies that not only have survived, but grown, their businesses
CSS conversion of my Radio weblog | Best Practices for Homepage Links on websites
Best Practices for Homepage Links on websites
In most cases, using different labels for the home links to the various homepages (subsites vs. official site) will help. As with all links, provide as much information scent as needed to help users disambiguate the meaning of the link. In some situations, an abbreviated URL (e.g
Carousel Usability: Designing an Effective UI for Websites with Content Overload
If you are using a carousel in the hope that people will see a variety of content, know that some people will only see the first frame or none at all. So ensure that important content is also placed mindfully in the IA and on another page of your site. Consider using a static carousel or hero image
The Illusion of Completeness: What It Is and How to Avoid It
The illusion of completeness can occur anywhere on the page, not just at the top (as in the example above). A break in content marked by a horizontal line that spans the width of the page can create a visual barrier and discourage people to scroll further. If users encounter these strong horizontal
