From conducting decades of user research, we know that people dislike popups and modals. I was reminded of this fact during a recent usability study. While attempting to complete a task, a participant tossed his phone across the table after encountering multiple popups, consecutively. Frustrated, he abandoned his task and left the website with a very bad impression of the organization. Several other users shared a similar sentiment, albeit they did not throw their phones.
A popup (also known as an overlay or popover ) is a window or dialog that appears on top of the page content. A popup can be classified according to two dimensions:
When it comes to representing physical space, there are many types of possible maps: topographic maps, geologic maps, pedestrian maps, street maps, and so on. They are all flat representations of the surface of the earth, but highlight different properties of this surface. Cartographers apply
A second technology advance now allows us to turn micromovement video streams into true eartracking and tell where the user’s attention is directed. A machine-learning algorithm has been trained with 10,000 hours of video recordings from our most recent eartracking study, during which we tracked
In desktop applications, menu buttons are used for commands and tools rather than for navigation. Thus, the second aspect to consider when using a split button is whether that button will be hosting commands versus navigation categories (in fact, we recommend that you don’t use split buttons for
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
Banking is the Next Personal Assistant
Technology can be the catalyst to kick off this shift, but banking decision makers must reconstruct the roles they play if they want to bring this tech-reality to life. Instead of cold, numbers-driven institutions, consumers wish to have banks that offer friendly, knowledgable and familiar faces. A
Evolving from Decentralization to Centralization – Back to a Decentralized Future
But, as society became more complex, the structure of centralized societies evolved as well. Centralized governing structures developed better levels of consistency that were more cost-efficient and fair to all. Waste was eliminated, and the ruling class was able to focus on long-term planning and
Eartracking: A New UX-Research Method
Currently, only 4 computers in the world are fast enough to do eartracking: 2 in the U.S. and 2 in China. Luckily, this distribution allowed us to continue our tradition of testing with both American and Chinese users. After all, we’ve previously found that Chinese users and Western users differ
lost popups: 10 problematic trends and alternatives on
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
The Four Dimensions of Tone of Voice
Decide what combination of dimensions makes sense best for your company and think about strategies to implement this tone of voice. When you’re defining your tone for a whole site or a specific piece of content, start with these four high-level dimensions first. For example, first decide if a
7 Tips for Successful Customization
You may want to allow users to select the background color of their interface, but is there adequate payoff or interest in that option to account for the additional cost of implementation? You may want to allow users to move content areas around a page to create a unique experience, but again, it
Closeness of Actions and Objects in GUI Design
That mainstream corporate websites make blatant usability mistakes is understandable because most members of their teams aren't grounded in graduate degrees in human-computer interaction. (That's why I have recently added foundational courses, such as The Human Mind, to my usability conference
Sliders, Knobs, and Matrices: Balancing Exploration and Precision
A linear slider is a useful default control when the corresponding parameter has a defined range (with clear maximum and minimum values), but the precise value is less likely to be important to users. Acquiring a precise value on a slider is difficult, due to the Accot-Zhai Steering Law (a
Recapping the State of the Word 2018
Mullenweg began the talk by offering the audience a perspective. “With so much going on, I’d like to give WordPress a chance to reintroduce introduce itself,” he said. “WordPress isn’t a physical thing, it’s not a set of code. It’s kind of an idea. It only exists in the space between
external popups: 10 problematic trends and alternatives ive
Naughty or Nice: Check Your Ecommerce Site Twice! .
Every year it can feel like the holidays sneak up on us. We assemble, we strategize, and we take the necessary precautions yet we frequently feel like we are scrambling. For ecommerce businesses, this time of year is crucial not only for generating revenue but for generating recurrent relationships
StudioPress Theme Spotlight: Daily Dish Pro
As we continue to showcase a sample of the amazing StudioPress themes now available to WP Engine customers, we’re shifting our focus to food with this new StudioPress Theme: Daily Dish Pro, which is designed to make your content just as appetizing as the best meal at your favorite four-star
Cards: UI-Component Definition
The iOS Weather app presents each city's weather forecast in the hypertext deck-of-cards style (rather than the UI-card-component style that is the main subject of this article). Each city is a full-screen node, and viewing the weather in other cities is accomplished by swiping to the left or right
Troubleshooting Group Ideation: 10 Fixes for More and Better UX Ideas
Hierarchy intimidation is related to groupthink and unequal contribution. It can manifest when one high-ranking member of the group proposes an idea, and all the teammates agree and begin to focus on that idea, rather than contributing alternate solutions. It can also happen when new or
UX Expert Reviews
Sometimes, the expert review is considered the final milestone of a project phase, where the design (or completely developed project) is measured against its original objectives and, if successful, triggers the next phase: development or launch. This type of process works only if there were
AI Learning Algorithms Find Your New Target Groups
Although the news about AI has far less impact than previously thought, AI will dramatically change marketing. A recent McKinsey study shows that regarding the various business functions in companies, there is the most significant potential of AI in marketing. It is believed that there will be
JS-Kit Score: Turn Your Site into a Localized Digg
Of course, because this is the only page on ReadWriteWeb that is running a Score widget, it won’t have any data on which content is the highest rated site wide. But the ease of installation is what really catches the eye. JS-Kit is building a suite of tools for web publishers that are modular
We get Smarter with the Internet of Things (IoT) and so do Cities
For efficient results, smart traffic lights and their signals need to be interconnected across the entire traffic grid. This connectivity helps to offer more insights and information about traffic lights and patterns. Each of these sensors detect a varied parameter of traffic flow. Such
E-Commerce Failures and Mistakes: Why do so Many Startups Fail?
Of course, the investment. When talking about online business, when can we ever neglect the investment part? If you’ve ventured into this business, you have to have enough money, no matter which product you are selling. Else, your company will cease to exist. Often, e-commerce businesses fail to
google popups: 10 problematic trends and alternatives are
8 Major Legal Risks Faced By Startups
One of the biggest mistakes made by new business owners is not to engage startup legal services to handle possible issues for their new venture. Beginning an enterprise needs planning not only for marketing and growing the business but also to eliminate the legal risks faced by startups. Such
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
Popups: 10 Problematic Trends and Alternatives | Do Government Agencies and Non-Profits Get ROI From Usability?
Do Government Agencies and Non-Profits Get ROI From Usability?
Most users clicked on the top link, which is a typical response to an unclear set of choices. The top link led to a confusing site that looked as if it were recruiting police officers rather than health care personnel. The previous VA jobs page (above) had told job seekers to "simply" click on the
Low-Contrast Text Is Not the Answer
Users who cannot perceive an element on the page cannot use it. When placed in an unconventional part of the page, a low-contrast element will not stand out when a user scans the page; for example, a gray-on-gray search icon or login link in the upper left instead of the upper right. Keep in mind
Visibility of System Status
Wherever you are, whatever you are doing, take a few moments to look around and note the various types of systems around you, and how they communicate their current status. Your phone or laptop display how much battery life remains; your email application tells you how many unread emails you have
