Thanksgiving is fast approaching in the US. So, in the holiday spirit, we’d like to take a moment to express appreciation for some of the designs that bring us joy. I know that sometimes we, UX professionals, can get a reputation as curmudgeons: always criticizing and pointing out flaws. However genuine our intent to improve an experience, the negative findings can outweigh the positive ones.
In this article though, we’re focusing only on the positive. Some of the designs below delight us because they solve a long-sought need, or save time, or make an input less awkward, or simply because they bring a smile to our face. Some are big...
Sometimes, overlays that are not user initiated seem to be more benign, but due to inappropriate timing can end up being just as irritating as the pushy subscription pitches. Randomly timed Help chat windows are a frequent offender in this category. On the Bank of the West screen shown below, the
Netflix.com: In its regular state, there are no visual cues to indicate that more content is available (top). Arrows appear only on hover (bottom). Additionally, to see more content within a category, users must hover over the arrow. When they do so, the strip starts to move; if users want to see
Enhancements that become standards are an ideal, gentle route for innovations in user-interface design. If you are thinking to introduce a new feature, start by providing it as an enhancement. But beware, the road from enhancement to standard is full of temptations, and it’s easy for a smart UI
How Blockchain Brings Innovation in Staffing?
Therefore — the owner of the platform encompasses a very little or no role to play. This person can then decide what the details ought to be given or visible. The candidate can also determine WHO will access their information. This allows a direct interaction or transfer of encrypted
Images of Fitbit next smartwatch reveal heart-rate improvements
Fitbit is on schedule, as its boss James Park keeps reminding us, to launch its next smartwatch by the end of the year. We don’t know what the smartwatch will be called, though Blaze 2 seems likely, but thanks to leaks we know its design and some of the hardware improvements. Images obtained by
What Will Cryptocurrency Be Like in 10 Years?
Investors, pundits, and enthusiasts can’t stop speculating about cryptocurrency, and more often than not, their predictions center on price. But simply musing over the market performance of a specific coin ignores the larger potential of cryptocurrency. This space is about more than price
Design Thinking 101
Imagine your goal is to improve an onboarding experience for new users. In this phase, you talk to a range of actual users. Directly observe what they do, how they think, and what they want, asking yourself things like ‘what motivates or discourages users?’ or ‘where do they experience
relying give thanks for good ux take
Marking Required Fields in Forms
Forms are no fun. They require users to do a lot of work. In fact, many forms end up being abandoned because filling them is too hard or too tedious. To increase the chance that your form will get completed, minimize the effort that your users will have to put in and the information that they need
Beyond Usability: 3 User Experiences Reshaping Their Industries
Take Uber for example. While the experience is hugely popular and generally pain free, there is room for enhancement — especially for large groups travelling together. Currently, a group must problem-solve in order to figure out how many “ubers” to call and and how many passengers can fit in
A Checklist for Designing Mobile Input Fields
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
When to Use Which User-Experience Research Methods
While most usability studies should rely more on behavior, methods that use self-reported information can still be quite useful to designers. For example, card sorting provides insights about users' mental model of an information space, and can help determine the best information architecture
A Checklist for Designing Mobile Input Fields
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
The Science of Silence: Intentional Silence as a Moderation Technique
You may be wondering, “What do I do during these silence periods instead of speaking?” Use your body language to allow time for people to articulate their thoughts. Maintain eye contact and focus. Do not say anything or even nod your head. Wait patiently and relaxed, giving the person time to
when give thanks for good ux ux
UX Mapping Methods Compared: A Cheat Sheet
All UX mappings have two-fold benefits. First, the process of creating a map forces conversation and an aligned mental model. Second, the shared artifact resulting from the mapping can be used amongst your team, organization, or partners to communicate an understanding of your user or service. This
Celebrating Holidays and Special Occasions on Websites
Also, the entire concept of appearing up-to-date and creating joy of use backfires when holiday celebrations are out of synch with the actual holiday. Once a holiday is over, the ornaments need to come down. That said, it's just as bad to be early: During Thanksgiving, U.S. users are typically
WP Engine Supports the Domain Connect Project .
To show our support for the Domain Connect project, WP Engine visited ICANN 63 in Barcelona to talk with DNS providers and Domain Registrars about the technology. We were joined by representatives from other companies who have adopted the Domain Connect technology, including GoDaddy, Google
Bringing Array Themes into the WP Engine Family
At WP Engine, we’ve realized this is just as important as the speed and SEO that helps you show up in search rankings, or the analytics and targeting features that help you cater to narrower sets of demographics. Great-looking websites are the basis of effective digital experiences, and with our
WP Engine Culture Recognized at Greater Austin Business Awards
The annual Greater Austin Business Awards competition, presented by The Austin Chamber of Commerce, is designed to honor excellence in all aspects of business. In order to promote awareness and perpetuate good practices, the Awards recognize companies and organization in the Austin region for
Beware Horizontal Scrolling and Mimicking Swipe on Desktop
However, because horizontal scrolling is a lot less common on desktops, users often have no idea that they can discover content by “swiping” on large screens. Since people interact with mobile and desktop devices differently, the one-size-fits-all approach can backfire. The key point is that
Why Zen Mode Isn’t the Answer to Everything
While zen mode is a well-intended UI feature, in practice, it can ultimately increase cognitive strain. To understand why, let’s step outside the world of UX for a minute and consider a painter. While the task of painting requires extreme focus, the artist must, occasionally, dip her brush into a
Fight Against “Right-Rail Blindness”
The right-hand side of the page consumes maybe 20% of your available pixels: the most precious resource in computers. It can serve many significant and practical purposes. It’s a place to feature secondary content — to recommend or extend the user journey to other areas of your site. Not
A 60-Second Trailer of the 60-Day Report on Cybersecurity
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
maps give thanks for good ux origami
CSS conversion of my Radio weblog
The hardest thing about the re-design was integrating the tableless CSS design into Radio Userland. I had to do some jiggery-pokery with the Radio Userland templates and macros, and the CSS implementation is not yet complete. I’ve had to temporarily remove my blogroll and topicroll, along
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
Give Thanks for Good UX | How to Save Money Filing Patents
How to Save Money Filing Patents
nikita
For example, in Size Appeal of Novalar Pharmaceuticals, Inc., SBA No. SIZ-4977 (2008), the SBA Size Determination Board determined that an “affiliation” with an individual minority stockholder (a venture capital firm) transformed the otherwise small medical device startup company into a large
7 Benefits Startups get From HR in the Early Stages
bondar
Employees are the only asset which will help you to get a sustainable competitive advantage. All other resources are shared among the competitors. Even though you feel you will be good at hiring and firing and maintaining your employees, it is always suggested to hire Human resources professionals
How to File an International Trademark When You’re Ready to Take Your Business Global
sixdikat
Before thinking about filing internationally, you need to do your homework and recognize in which countries your product or services will have the greatest market. We recommend that clients often begin with grouping countries into A, B, and C tiers in order to prioritize the filings by market size
