A great infographic about the UX process by Franklin Andrade. Go to his website for a comprehensive explanation of how he goes about planning his UX.
(via shoutsandmumbles)
Source: franklinandrade.net
…without empathy that delightfulness (in design) requires, it’s quite easy for the designer to be short-sighted and see the design as a set of logistical problems to overcome or creative challenges to master, rather than an opportunity to produce something that enhances someone else’s life.
Death to Bullshit a great talk by Brad Frost on the state of things
“Connecting” - an exploration of the future of Interaction Design and User Experience from some of the industry’s thought leaders.
Source: connectingthefilm.com
5 Design Books You Should Read
David McKinney:
Maybe you’re an engineer, or maybe you work with a designer. Maybe you think that design is what you do in Photoshop. Or maybe you just care about design.
If any of these are true, then there’s a lot you can learn by reading and understanding these books. They’ll help you understand how to solve problems for people out there in the real world.
I can’t disagree with any of these choices.
- The Design of Everyday Things, by Donald A. Norman
- Universal Principles of Design, by William Lidwell
- The Elements of Typographic Style, by Robert Bringhurst
- Grid Systems, by Josef Muller-Brockmann
- Dieter Rams: As Little Design As Possible, by Sophie Lovell
David also recommends a few great web resources.
ish.
ish. is yet another viewport resizer. What’s with the name, you ask? Small-ish. Medium-ish. Large-ish. That’s the idea. Many have long been preaching to let content, not device widths determine breakpoints in responsive designs, so rather than determining several fixed breakpoints, ish. roughs out general ranges in order to better serve the entire resolution spectrum.
The Best Interface Is No Interface
“It’s time for us to move beyond screen-based thinking. Because when we think in screens, we design based upon a model that is inherently unnatural, inhumane, and has diminishing returns. It requires a great deal of talent, money and time to make these systems somewhat usable, and after all that effort, the software can sadly, only truly improve with a major overhaul.
There is a better path: No UI. A design methodology that aims to produce a radically simple technological future without digital interfaces.” uxmorsels
Source: uxmorsels
I had the pleasure of seeing this talk by @Colly in person and it was a fantastic way to start a friday
As information is torn free of its moorings, and people expect services to straddle countless devices, we’ll see a rise in the value of good, old-fashioned information architecture. Context, structure, content, and metadata have become key issues for every designer. Information architects, much maligned over the last five years, can surely allow themselves a wry smile.
Source: the-pastry-box-project.net
A colleague of mine show me this idea a few weeks ago. Seems extremely useful in the current world of mobile product/service design.
BUSINESS MODEL CANVAS
“A two minute overview of the Business Model Canvas, a tool for visionaries, game changers, and challengers.” This tool looks interesting for analyzing business models for any start up. via prettyfresh
A Little Help Please?: The Value of Affordance in Common yet New Situations
I wrote a little blog post on the importance of affordance in everyday and in digital experiences. Give it a read.
Recently my wife and I traveled to Ireland, making our way across the country and encountering a variety of common yet new experience along the way. There was one instance in Galway which really made me think about how important affordances, or a little bit of instruction, are in these new situations.
How do I turn on the Lights?
Our hotel in Galway seemed like any other at least at first. There was one thing that proved to be very different (and confusing) – the lights. The first thing I do when I enter into a hotel room is turn on the lights. I flipped the first switch near the door and nothing happened…..
The benchmark of success is not so much about the inherent usability of given interaction design solution as it is about the adoption of that design solution. Not that these are mutually exclusive concepts, but rather that usability is really a table stakes consideration - one of many factors driving adoption, but certainly not the only one.
Source: scandalousinteraction
Usability isn’t simply about eliminating frustration anymore and for design to progress we must change our approach. If you want users to love your designs, then fall in love with your users.
Source: verndale.com
