Visual design dictates how interactive elements look in an interface. It influences the user experience in many ways; for example, it:
affects legibility
creates visual balance on the page
coaxes the eye to move toward certain page elements
directs users toward actions
builds trust and credibility
reinforces the brand
Given its importance, all UX designers (and everyone on crossfunctional development teams) should have at least a baseline understanding of visual design and share a common language. But even proficient UX designers are not always versed in visual design, and few teams are able to create a solid common vocabulary. That difficulty can lead to hours of back-and-forth communication, countless unnecessary...
Before a siege, Blackbeard dressed himself in a dark heavy coat and captain’s hat to accentuate his domineering stature. He strapped pistols to his chest and tucked lit, smoking fuses under his hat and in his beard to create an image reminiscent of the devil himself having just emerged from some
Why is it important to understand the components of brand, and to differentiate brand from its common misinterpretation as simply a logo, a figurehead, or a website, among other things? Only when all three brand components — visuals, tone, and behaviors — are present and true to the core brand
While “branding” products with an identifying mark (definition #1) has been around since people first began trading and selling goods, the use of brands to differentiate products — to truly attempt to influence consumers’ perceptions and choices within a market (definition #2) — is a
Decentralized P2P Lending Services vs Networks
This method of private lending has a long history and is even culturally traditional in some areas of the world. But in modern manifestations, it is usually found in the form of specialized online platforms that bring together those willing to lend with those who would like to borrow. Since such
Can the blockchain and IoT solve international freight’s issues?
DS: IOTA is a distributed ledger that can be used for transactional settlements as well as data transfers. Because of the properties of IOTA — namely, its scalability, lightweight-ness and lack of transaction fees – it’s the perfect solution for the Internet of Things. We see IOTA as
9 Blockchains Transforming the Way We Pay, Play, and Work
Look past digital currencies’ nosebleed pricing volatility, and you’ll discover a robust, decentralized, secure database. Brands and technologists are quickly figuring out how to put this powerful ledger to good use. Here are several real-world examples that demonstrate cryptos’
Designing Effective Infographics
Bloomberg.com: The Bloomberg Billionaires Index is a multipage infographic that compares and profiles the world’s wealthiest people. Elements of a traditional infographic such as illustrations and explanatory text are present, but users also have the option to interact with the data, filter
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Beyond Usability: 3 User Experiences Reshaping Their Industries
Pre Uber we were all plagued with standing on the corner, possibly in the rain, belongings in hand while attempting to wave down one of the few free taxis. (The worse the rain, the fewer the taxis — that’s a law of nature.) An abundance of unknowns adding further anxiety: how much is it going
10 Usability Heuristics Applied to Video Games
Comparatively, Apex Legends, another battle-royale game, uses unique weapon terminology. For instance, a semi-automatic sniper rifle was given the name “G7 Scout,” which does not exist in the real world (though the appearance may bare a slight resemblance to an actual physical weapon). Unique
Mobile Tables: Comparisons and Other Data Tables
To see nutritional information for a smoothie from Jamba Juice, users first need to select the drink of interest and then are shown the data specific to that item. A toggle between Small, Medium, and Large allows users to select which option they are interested in, but does not aid comparison
Tesla’s Touchscreen UI: A Case Study of Car-Dashboard User Interface
The problem is that none of these information sources are complete (for example, the rear-mirror view is partially blocked by headrests), and by the time you check them all, you’ve already reached your destination. So, what most people end up doing is taking a shortcut to save interaction cost
Why People Shop on the Web
The result of combining these three numbers is a conversion rate of about 1%, which is indeed a commonly observed number. The biggest long-term potential for increasing the conversion rate would come from motivating visitors to move from lookers to shoppers. However, the Web is notoriously bad at
Why Zen Mode Isn’t the Answer to Everything
While the lack of visual clutter might be aesthetically pleasing and create a more emotional response with the user (such as the feeling of control over the potentially harrowing task of writing a novel), the deeper usability issues might detract from the façade of a beautiful product. Clean and
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Ideation in Practice: How Effective UX Teams Generate Ideas
Ideation as a step in the design process does not seem to be widely recognized across many organizations. Teams struggle with garnering management support to allow them the time for both user research and ideation sessions, and to get the level of multidisciplinary involvement needed to generate a
Cards: UI-Component Definition
When multiple cards are used together in a layout, they often do not all have the same type of information — some cards might include a text summary, hashtags, or an image whereas other cards on the same page may include totally different details. Cards allow for varying height to accommodate
Fortune Names WP Engine a Best Place to Work in 2018 .
At WP Engine, we believe our people are the core of every success, award, milestone and every achievement. That’s because employees who truly feel empowered and validated by their workplace are energized to delight and inspire the customer in every interaction. When new employees walk through the
WP Engine All Hands Spring 2019: EMEA
Last week, WP Engine employees from our Limerick and London offices came together for the bi-annual All Hands event in Limerick. All Hands is a 2-day event where employees come to engage with, collaborate, and strategize with employees from other offices. This year’s theme was “Boldly
WP Engine Named A Best Place to Work in Technology for 2019 .
When it comes to facilitating a truly enjoyable and productive workplace, it takes more than just the promise of perks and ping pong. Employees want their workplaces to reflect what they value and expect out of the company they work for: trustworthiness, morality, and the opportunity to grow both in
Is Your Chief Security Officer Prepared for M&A?
The easiest answer is three-fold: take best practices and industry standards to see if they have been applied, review system audits, and identify security investments that have been made across the enterprise. Checkbox compliance is easy, but generally proves to be ineffective. Accepting that a
Coming to Terms – Why Terms of Use are Critical for Your Company
Oftentimes, platforms with user-generated content tend to allow users to retain ownership to their content, but take a very broad license for the use of the material. This heavy-handed approach can cause customer satisfaction issues, as evidenced by the backlash Facebook and other content sharing
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
How New Tech Startups Can Differentiate Themselves
Most tech entrepreneurs get lost in the logistical plans for their businesses. You’re worried about the timetables and deadlines for your developers or how you’re going to stretch your initial capital investment to last a full six months. These are important considerations, especially for AI
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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
4 Painless Ways to Pay off Small Business Loans Early
Paying back small business loans (SBL) has become a nightmare for so many entrepreneurs in this millennial age. The research by Main Street Lender on over 10,000 business loan applicants in the U.S disclosed that about 64 percent of applicants were unable to secure any type of financing. About 82
Visual Design Terms Cheat Sheet | Site Map Usability, 1st study
Site Map Usability, 1st study
I have often predicted that Internet Explorer version 8 will be the first decent Web browser. One feature request for version 8 is better navigation support by offering a visualization feature that would pull the site map out of the website and make it a standardized browser element. Unfortunately
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
Nielsen's Law of Internet Bandwidth
Of course, low-end users will still have slow speeds in 2003, so high-end users' megabit access will still not sanction bloated design. Looking even further ahead, Nielsen's law does predict that the web will be 57 times faster in 10 years (2008). At that time, even low-end users will be able to
