We get countless questions about small details in UI design that don’t matter much to the overall user experience. One classic is the order of buttons in dialog boxes:
OK / Cancel
Cancel / OK
Both are reasonable choices, and people can argue for hours about their preferences:
Listing OK first supports the natural reading order in English and other languages that read left-to-right. Many other button sets have a natural progression (say, Yes / No or Previous / Next). You should always list these so that the reading order matches the logical order — in this case, OK / Cancel. Further, assuming users need OK much more frequently than...
When deciding where to start or what to focus on first, use some of these top UX methods. Some methods may be more appropriate than others, depending on time constraints, system maturity, type of product or service, and the current top concerns. It’s a good idea to use different or alternating
Your browser does not support the video tag. Video of Garageband knob behavior during click and drag (Click to play video.) GarageBand has multiple knob controls that can be clicked and dragged vertically to control rotation. This design supports devices (such as mice) that don’t handle rotation
As a new parent, I increasingly find myself using my smartphone as my primary computer. Jotting down a note, selecting next week’s meal delivery kits, shopping online, and tracking my child’s eating and sleeping patterns all need to happen one-handed, quickly, while holding this tiny new human
Crypto Micropayments: An Exciting Future of Blockchain Transactions
The perceived potential of vending machines possessing the power to bring an air of commonality to cryptocurrencies is so great that there are plenty of companies that are preparing to bring blockchain-infused microtransactions into everyday life. One such company is GoByte – a cryptocurrency
3 Areas Where Blockchain Will Propel the Drone Industry Forward
There’s still a lot of work needed to disambiguate what is hype and what is viable across industries when it comes to blockchain, but the drone industry is one clear example where it’s essential. As someone at the crossroads working with blockchain technology and drone technology to address the
A 60-Second Trailer of the 60-Day Report on Cybersecurity
She explained that the original design of the Internet was driven more by considerations of interoperability rather than security, and as a result we are now faced with almost insurmountable issues. Some examples include online criminals who steal our information, mass bandits who have the ability
The Impact of Interaction Design on Brand Perception
In interactive systems such as websites, the way people interact with the user interface obviously has a strong impact on their feelings about the system. We know that people prefer designs that are easy to use. But as this research shows, the impact of interaction design goes deeper than simple
ok-cancel or cancel-ok? the trouble with buttons
Website Logo Placement for Maximum Brand Recall
There is no formula that can tell you exactly what your website should look like. But it’s clear from this research that you can’t rely on shortcuts like disregarding standard web conventions to make your site look special. People are attracted to novelty, but we’re also creatures of habit
Trustworthiness in Web Design: 4 Credibility Factors
It is also imperative that service sites display photos from all stages of the service, not merely the end result. When evaluating cleaning services, people wanted to see not only photos of clean rooms, but also images of the actual cleaning process and who would be doing the cleaning. Especially
When and How to Create Customer Journey Maps
Don’t expect to get “buy-in” and foster interest in your journey map by simply sending a lovely graphic as an email attachment. Make it a living interactive document that people can be a part of. Bring up your story in meetings and conversations to promote a narrative that others believe in
Show Prices for Common Scenarios
In this case, you have at least two options. You could offer a configurator that lets hospital administrators estimate the exact supplies and their prices. This option might help users who are motivated to engage deeply with the site, but it would also be fairly complicated and time-consuming to
Modes in User Interfaces: When They Help and When They Hurt Users
Use strong visual signals such as different backgrounds, emphasis on active-mode indicators (such as high-contrast highlighting or borders), or changing the cursor to indicate which mode is active. Redundancy in indicators is a wise idea: we strongly recommend at least two visual indicators (such
StudioPress Theme Spotlight: New Breakthrough Pro
As we continue to showcase a sample of the amazing StudioPress themes now available to WP Engine customers, we’re extra excited to bring you this new StudioPress Theme: Breakthrough Pro, which is the first new theme to be launched since our acquisition of StudioPress in June. Breakthrough Pro
ok-cancel or cancel-ok? the trouble with buttons
WP Engine: 2018 in Review
New year, new you, did you say? Well, that was our reality in 2018 as we rolled out some of our favorite new platform additions. We took the lead on the Amazon Polly plugin, the first plugin to bring voice technology to WordPress. The WP Engine Digital Experience Platform continued to evolve and
WP Engine Raises $30K for Central Texas Food Bank
WP Engine employees are rarely hungry. Our office kitchens are fully stocked with cereal and snacks, and lunch is catered Monday through Thursday, every week, for the entire team. Unlike the 46,000 people who rely on Central Texas Food Bank for food assistance every week, our employees don’t have
Cards: UI-Component Definition
This wireframed example of a card component features several different types of information: an image, a title, a short summary, a time stamp, a hashtag, and a secondary call-to-action button for social media sharing. The design (with optional rounded corners) visually resembles a playing card; the
7 Tips for Successful Customization
Customization allows users to make selections and set preferences in a system, with the intent of giving users more control over the user experience. Customization allows users to select the content, layout, functionality or design that appeals to them. However, customization tools require work and
UX Research Cheat Sheet
User-experience research methods are great at producing data and insights, while ongoing activities help get the right things done. Alongside R&D, ongoing UX activities can make everyone’s efforts more effective and valuable. At every stage in the design process, different UX methods can keep
1Password Unveils 1Password Advanced Protection
Cyber attacks are a persistent threat to businesses, particularly among large businesses who suffer the brunt of attempts. In response, 1Password today reveals 1Password Advanced Protection, an expanded suite of security tools for businesses with complex security needs. The 1Password advanced
Why AI and Viztech hold the key to a safer internet
In response, Google and YouTube have announced they are increasing their use of technology to help automatically identify videos. Meanwhile the problem continues and is only going to get worse. A recent article in the Telegraph revealed that, according to official figures, 54,000 different websites
What Does Your Credit Card Company Know About You?
Some credit card companies may also take note of the purchases you make related to your home, and living a responsible lifestyle. For example, if you make frequent trips to the home improvement store and invest in things like carbon monoxide detectors and fire extinguishers, it shows that you’re
Enterprise Community Event and C2C Event Platform Bevy Raises $6.4 Million
C2C marketing is most powerful through events on a massive scale that are run by customers but powered by the brand owner. The marketing team can’t be everywhere at once but customers actually are. The magic is around bringing people physically together where the brand is the glue that binds
ok-cancel or cancel-ok? the trouble with buttons
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
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
OK-Cancel or Cancel-OK? The Trouble With Buttons | Homepage Real Estate Allocation
Homepage Real Estate Allocation
Using these major categories to map a site's use of space above the fold is a revealing exercise. You can do this yourself: Grab a screenshot of your homepage and superimpose semi-transparent colored boxes on top of each design element, using color-coding for each important screen space category
Ensure High Contrast for Text Over Images
Left: The background image used for the third slide in the homepage carousel for Spire.com is both faded and visually busy, making the white text difficult to read. Right: A tool for contrast-ratio analysis confirms that the white text does not have adequate contrast with the background (the dark
Help People Create Passwords That They Can Actually Remember
Password-creation designs usually ask people to enter their passwords twice, mainly to ensure that there are no typos. But there is a positive byproduct to that second entry: It is a small form of rehearsal. Since the interaction cost of entering the new password a second time on a phone is quite
