Simplest GUI widgets are the building blocks for most functionality on the web, but it’s rare to find sites that use all the dialog controls correctly. Even something as simple as radio buttons and checkboxes are incorrectly used half the time. And let’s not even get started on drop-down menus, which are horribly abused. This article talks about another design element that gets frequently misused: tabs.
(Here, I’m talking about in-page tabs , as shown in the several example screenshots below. These are the tabs you might design yourself, as part of your website or web-based application. A different kind of tabs is used as browser chrome to allow users...
Because I used Liste Rouge Paris as a bad example under Mistake #1a, I thought I'd play nice and use them as a good example here. The tailor offers 15 different collar styles (among many other options) for people ordering custom-designed shirts. Luckily, they also provide good defaults for each of
On a travel site, a user may see promotions and specials for locations they’ve visited before or recently searched for. On an intranet, personalization could remove access to a tool intended only for certain employees. In an app, personalization might retain past searches to enable quick access
First of all, why does Windows use two different icons to represent the same issue (permanent file deletion)? The X and the exclamation mark are both reasonable icons for this type of warning, but pick one, for the sake of consistency (another top-10 UI heuristic). However, this is a minor issue
IoT solution to supply chain management
Global markets are changing at a quick pace. Technologies like IoT, Machine learning, AI, computer vision are taking businesses by storm, the proliferation of startups is no mere coincidence. Soon the market monopoly of few corporations will cease to be the norm. As consumers become more informed
4 Ways to Enter the Blockchain Industry
The technology uses cryptography to make sure that users can only edit their own blocks. Each user has a unique, private key that’s required to alter their own Blockchain file. Additionally, the technology keeps the entire chain of distribution synched. Many enterprises are still
Evolving from Decentralization to Centralization – Back to a Decentralized Future
According to Childe, it was during this time that humans started living together in organized communities. Most researchers agree that no single factor triggered the Neolithic Revolution; however, scientists theorize that perhaps the end of the Ice age 14,000 years ago must have led to climate
Brand Is Experience in the Digital Age
In digital systems, customers interact with the representation of the brand in the form of websites and other interactive services, making behavior a crucial attribute of brand. The granularity of behavior as a brand attribute can and does vary and can be expressed holistically at the level of
tabs, used right
Intranet Design After a Merger or Acquisition
Organizations that have no corporate-communications group sometimes leave the communication responsibility to the intranet team, who may or may not be skilled in this job. Some teams simply do nothing and follow the “business as usual” mantra. When the work and the organization are completely
10 Ways to Use Exit-Intent Popups for Good
The exit-intent popup on myweddingreceptionideas.com offered to remind the user to come back at a time closer to the date of the wedding. This site knew that users are inundated with options when researching wedding favors and, by offering to provide a reminder, it lightened the user’s burden of
Journey Mapping: 9 Frequently Asked Questions
When mapping current-state journeys, you must gather qualitative research about how your customers currently perceive their interactions with your organization. This type of mapping relies on research methods that allow you to gather as much first-hand information as possible, (for example
Usability Testing with Minors: 16 Tips
Conducting user research with young users requires additional considerations compared with studies with adult participants. For example, from a legal perspective, children and teens cannot give their own permission to participate in the study and therefore we must work with their parents or legal
Sympathy vs. Empathy in UX
In UX, sympathy is limited to acknowledging that users are going through a difficult scenario, task, or journey. If we are sympathetic to our users, it does not mean that we put ourselves in their shoes and feel their pain or annoyance. For example, when we’re designing an accessible website for
A Look at WordCamp Los Angeles 2018 .
Surprisingly, my favorite session of the weekend came from Joe A Simpson Jr who brought a refreshing perspective to why accessibility is important. Imagine a colorblind person watching a football game in which team uniforms were all solid colors. Through a color simulator, we couldn’t tell the
tabs, used right
StudioPress Theme Spotlight: Generate Pro
Email marketing is still one of the most effective ways to get readers to take action, investigate a product, or change a behavior. The success of your email marketing, however, comes from your email list. If you need to generate more and better email leads, you need web design that specifically
A First Look at WordCamp US .
People of all skill levels are welcome to join in contribution to WCUS 2018 Contributor Day. The event will be held Sunday, December 9th at the Music City Center in Exhibit Hall B. Teams include Accessibility, Community, Core. Design, Documentation, Gutenberg, Hosting, Marketing, Meta, Mobile
Variable Fonts and Wide-Screen Layouts: Adopting Data-Driven Progressive Enhancements
Luckily, wide-screen layouts and variable fonts don’t fall into this category. Yes, the 80% of users will see a better-looking website, but the 20% of users will still see a good-looking site. Nothing terrible will happen to them — in fact, their experience will be exactly as before. The
Decision Frames: How Cognitive Biases Affect UX Practitioners
Experiment with different frames. Try restating your question in reverse terms, or from a different point of view. Taking a few seconds to simply flip a data point from a success rate to a failure rate, or to consider not just a percentage of failure but the actual number of people affected, is a
Most often, front-end style guides take the form of a web page or other interactive digital asset, rather than a PDF. You can typically interact with all the components in a front-end style guide, and many development teams choose to implement them so that any change made to components in a style
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
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
Why AI and Viztech hold the key to a safer internet
Driven by deep learning and neural networks, it’s similar to the technology behind the iPhone X’s facial recognition system, but much more sophisticated. Rather than being reactionary, it’s predictive, filtering, identifying and categorising video content before it even appears online. In
Fifteen Podcasts You Must Listen to in 2019
This podcast, with host Tiffani Bova, is like listening in on two friends talking over coffee. With her eclectic guest lineup including leading thinkers, Best Selling Authors, an Olympic Athlete, an NFL Coach, and a Grammy Nominated Artist all sharing what they have learned along the way, and
tabs, used right
Why the Gig Economy is Coming for Architects, Engineers
It’s official: The gig economy is coming to construction. While other industries have been quick to adapt to freelance employment, architects and engineers within the construction sector have lagged behind — and that is beginning to change. Here’s why the gig economy is coming for architects
SEO DIY: Optimize Your Startup’s Website Yourself
Anyone who pays attention to the world of search engine optimization knows that maximizing your company’s search results on Google and other search engines is not something you can do with a quick pin here and a hasty status update there. It’s a full-time job. But if you’re
Tabs, Used Right | The Anatomy of a List Entry
The Anatomy of a List Entry
When users browse a list of options, they want to determine quickly which items are of interest and which they can disregard. Too much information can overwhelm users and create a cluttered appearance. On the other hand, a list entry without enough detail leaves too many questions unanswered
Responsive Web Design (RWD) and User Experience
Responsive design is a tool, not a cure-all. While using responsive design has many perks when designing across devices, using the technique does not ensure a usable experience (just as using a gourmet recipe does not ensure the creation of a magnificent meal.) Teams must focus on the details of
Teenager’s UX: Designing for Teens
Teens are becoming more successful at navigating websites and finding what they need. At the time of the third study, the oldest participant was born in 2001 and the youngest was born in 2005; therefore, all participants in this study grew up with access to computers. Between all three studies
