May 5, 2010 at 11:49Review of fresh materials, April 2010
This material opens a series of monthly reviews of fresh articles on the topic of interfaces, new tools and collections of patterns, interesting cases and historical stories. For about a year now I regularly collect, publish and share these links in the Userfeed-themed room of User Experience, but in addition to the general feed, the digest was also useful. This is the first release - April 2010.
Faceted Finding with Super-Powered Breadcrumb
Greg Nudelman offers an interesting approach to building navigation in online stores and online catalogs. It shows several examples of refined breadcrumbs that allow you to flexibly filter the list of products and search results.
Controlling Privacy on Social Networking Services
Matthew C. Clarke describes the problems of modern social services with private user data - first of all, how difficult it is to manage their settings. It also offers several solutions to the problem.
UXmatters Q&A - Putting a Paper Form Online / Avoiding Dropouts and False Information / Applying Aesthetics
The interface team for UXMatters answers a number of questions about building forms. How to correctly transfer the paper form online, reduce the number of failures when filling out and get rid of the filled in “get rid of” fields.
Designing with Lenses
The technique of using “lenses” in engineering and design by Bill Scott of MeeBo. The method allows you to look at the interface from different angles, comparing it with one of the "lenses" (for example, an exact or schematic display of faces). A collection of “lenses” patterns is available on the project website .
Designing for iPad - Reality Check
Information Architects talks about the design process for iPad. The team managed to gather good experience in this area and assesses the adequacy of the official interface manual.
Eye Tracking - Best Way to Test Rich App Usability
An overview of eye-tracking testing methodology, features and limitations from James Breeze. He talks about the possible ways of conducting eye-tracking testing and the effect of each of them.
Mobile Chart Options
Theresa Neil has compiled an excellent selection of libraries and frameworks that allow you to create charts and graphs for mobile browsers. A great way to expand the capabilities of mobile sites and web applications.
Google Drawings Wireframe Stencil
A set of wireframe stencils for the Google Drawings online design tool. Although it was not originally designed to work on interfaces and is much inferior to specialized tools, its collaboration capabilities look interesting.
Putting Together Simple Wireframes Using OmniGraffle
A short and comprehensive guide from CX Partners to design using OmniGraffle. The 3-page PDF provides a step-by-step guide on creating wireframes.
Touch Gesture Reference Guide
Luke Wroblewsky of Yahoo! compiled a handy guide to gestures used to control modern touch-based interfaces. Attached to the document is a collection of a dozen alien stensils and guidelines on the same topic.
iPad UX Interactions
A collection of screenshots of the iPad's tablet interface that show how its apps and features work. A huge number of examples, useful both for understanding the principles of the device and for use as illustrations.
Design Patterns for Mobile Faceted Search
Greg Nudelman describes an interesting approach to designing multi-criteria searches in mobile interfaces. In the opening series of articles, he describes several tricks that allow you to put advanced functionality in the limitations of phone screens and browsers.
Maps in Modern Web Design - Showcase and Examples
Overview of examples of implementing maps on the web and a set of tips for their proper use. The author of the article, Zach Dunn, talks about ways to use maps and gives examples for each of them.
Sustainable UX (Nick Finck
presentation ) Presentation of Nick Finck from the UX Web Summit conference on the design process. Although the topic has been uncovered hundreds of times, this is one of the best materials on the topic with good illustrations and a good structure.
Planning Your UX Strategy
Renato Feijo writes on how to gradually integrate the design process into the overall work of the company. He considers 6 degrees of interaction - from complete indifference and primary interest in the topic to the active involvement of specialists and their full integration.
Managing User Experience Teams
Google’s Margaret Gould Stewart and Graham Jenkin blog on managing front-end projects at the company. Although many materials describe common things for project management, they mention a lot of interface specifics.
Using a Collaborative Parallel Design Process A
description of the collaborative design process and its application practices from Mike Myles. He tells how a group of interface experts, their colleagues from other departments and users can work together to develop an interface.
The FedEx Journey
Tom Wicinski and Brice Stokes of FedEx talk about how the process of working on interfaces in the company is built. As well as how it goes beyond computers to the more general side of customer experience.
The Evolution of a GUI and the Pulsating Life of a UX
Story about the design process and design of the Tabbles desktop file manager. A lot of intermediate interface concepts are shown, which allows you to see the development of the idea.
Case Study of Agile and UCD Working Together
Redesign History of Computer Weekly, a Major Information Site. Although agile is mentioned here rather as a buzzword (there is almost no description of team interaction), the article provides a useful project schedule.
Navimation - Exploring Time, Space & Motion in the Design of Screen Based Interfaces
Jon Olav H. Eikenes and Andrew Morrison propose the new term “navigation” for modern interfaces. They actively use animation to show transitions between screens, objects, and system states.
Eight Principles of Information Architecture (Dan Brown presentation)
A good overview presentation by Dan Brown about the key principles of information architecture - attention to content, a large selection complicates the selection, gradual disclosure of information, multiple entry points and classification methods, etc.
Into the Groove - Lessons from the Desktop Music Revolution
Dave Cronin from Cooper Consulting describes the history of the development of interfaces for specialized programs for musicians - from analog and simple digital devices to complex computer programs and unusual instruments.
Bob and Beyond - A Microsoft Insider Remembers
A detailed first-hand account of the history of one of the most controversial and ridiculed interfaces. He is often criticized a lot, although the concept embodied in MS Bob was more than interesting and was supposed to help inexperienced users to understand computers. In the series of materials, the product launch history and the gallery of screenshots of the interface are available .
History of the Button (presentation by Bill De Rouchey)
Presentation of Bill De Rouchey, which tells about the history of buttons. It provides many examples showing the development from mechanical tools to computer interfaces.
Natural User Interfaces are Not Natural
Don Norman reflects on the trend of "natural" interfaces and gives several reasons why they are not completely natural.
Game mechanisms and elements in interfaces
Recently, the trend of using game elements in interfaces has been developing more and more actively - from simple bars to fill out a profile and getting karma to more complex systems with pumping a "character level" for using its functions and other activities related to the history of working with the service . This material gathers descriptions of gaming mechanisms, as well as examples of their use in modern web services.
Recent links can also be tracked as they appear in the Userfeed feed of User Experience .
Methods and Practices
Faceted Finding with Super-Powered Breadcrumb
Greg Nudelman offers an interesting approach to building navigation in online stores and online catalogs. It shows several examples of refined breadcrumbs that allow you to flexibly filter the list of products and search results.
Controlling Privacy on Social Networking Services
Matthew C. Clarke describes the problems of modern social services with private user data - first of all, how difficult it is to manage their settings. It also offers several solutions to the problem.
UXmatters Q&A - Putting a Paper Form Online / Avoiding Dropouts and False Information / Applying Aesthetics
The interface team for UXMatters answers a number of questions about building forms. How to correctly transfer the paper form online, reduce the number of failures when filling out and get rid of the filled in “get rid of” fields.
Designing with Lenses
The technique of using “lenses” in engineering and design by Bill Scott of MeeBo. The method allows you to look at the interface from different angles, comparing it with one of the "lenses" (for example, an exact or schematic display of faces). A collection of “lenses” patterns is available on the project website .
Designing for iPad - Reality Check
Information Architects talks about the design process for iPad. The team managed to gather good experience in this area and assesses the adequacy of the official interface manual.
Eye Tracking - Best Way to Test Rich App Usability
An overview of eye-tracking testing methodology, features and limitations from James Breeze. He talks about the possible ways of conducting eye-tracking testing and the effect of each of them.
Instruments
Mobile Chart Options
Theresa Neil has compiled an excellent selection of libraries and frameworks that allow you to create charts and graphs for mobile browsers. A great way to expand the capabilities of mobile sites and web applications.
Google Drawings Wireframe Stencil
A set of wireframe stencils for the Google Drawings online design tool. Although it was not originally designed to work on interfaces and is much inferior to specialized tools, its collaboration capabilities look interesting.
Putting Together Simple Wireframes Using OmniGraffle
A short and comprehensive guide from CX Partners to design using OmniGraffle. The 3-page PDF provides a step-by-step guide on creating wireframes.
Patterns
Touch Gesture Reference Guide
Luke Wroblewsky of Yahoo! compiled a handy guide to gestures used to control modern touch-based interfaces. Attached to the document is a collection of a dozen alien stensils and guidelines on the same topic.
iPad UX Interactions
A collection of screenshots of the iPad's tablet interface that show how its apps and features work. A huge number of examples, useful both for understanding the principles of the device and for use as illustrations.
Design Patterns for Mobile Faceted Search
Greg Nudelman describes an interesting approach to designing multi-criteria searches in mobile interfaces. In the opening series of articles, he describes several tricks that allow you to put advanced functionality in the limitations of phone screens and browsers.
Maps in Modern Web Design - Showcase and Examples
Overview of examples of implementing maps on the web and a set of tips for their proper use. The author of the article, Zach Dunn, talks about ways to use maps and gives examples for each of them.
Process
Sustainable UX (Nick Finck
presentation ) Presentation of Nick Finck from the UX Web Summit conference on the design process. Although the topic has been uncovered hundreds of times, this is one of the best materials on the topic with good illustrations and a good structure.
Planning Your UX Strategy
Renato Feijo writes on how to gradually integrate the design process into the overall work of the company. He considers 6 degrees of interaction - from complete indifference and primary interest in the topic to the active involvement of specialists and their full integration.
Managing User Experience Teams
Google’s Margaret Gould Stewart and Graham Jenkin blog on managing front-end projects at the company. Although many materials describe common things for project management, they mention a lot of interface specifics.
Using a Collaborative Parallel Design Process A
description of the collaborative design process and its application practices from Mike Myles. He tells how a group of interface experts, their colleagues from other departments and users can work together to develop an interface.
Cases
The FedEx Journey
Tom Wicinski and Brice Stokes of FedEx talk about how the process of working on interfaces in the company is built. As well as how it goes beyond computers to the more general side of customer experience.
The Evolution of a GUI and the Pulsating Life of a UX
Story about the design process and design of the Tabbles desktop file manager. A lot of intermediate interface concepts are shown, which allows you to see the development of the idea.
Case Study of Agile and UCD Working Together
Redesign History of Computer Weekly, a Major Information Site. Although agile is mentioned here rather as a buzzword (there is almost no description of team interaction), the article provides a useful project schedule.
Theory
Navimation - Exploring Time, Space & Motion in the Design of Screen Based Interfaces
Jon Olav H. Eikenes and Andrew Morrison propose the new term “navigation” for modern interfaces. They actively use animation to show transitions between screens, objects, and system states.
Eight Principles of Information Architecture (Dan Brown presentation)
A good overview presentation by Dan Brown about the key principles of information architecture - attention to content, a large selection complicates the selection, gradual disclosure of information, multiple entry points and classification methods, etc.
History
Into the Groove - Lessons from the Desktop Music Revolution
Dave Cronin from Cooper Consulting describes the history of the development of interfaces for specialized programs for musicians - from analog and simple digital devices to complex computer programs and unusual instruments.
Bob and Beyond - A Microsoft Insider Remembers
A detailed first-hand account of the history of one of the most controversial and ridiculed interfaces. He is often criticized a lot, although the concept embodied in MS Bob was more than interesting and was supposed to help inexperienced users to understand computers. In the series of materials, the product launch history and the gallery of screenshots of the interface are available .
History of the Button (presentation by Bill De Rouchey)
Presentation of Bill De Rouchey, which tells about the history of buttons. It provides many examples showing the development from mechanical tools to computer interfaces.
Trends
Natural User Interfaces are Not Natural
Don Norman reflects on the trend of "natural" interfaces and gives several reasons why they are not completely natural.
Game mechanisms and elements in interfaces
Recently, the trend of using game elements in interfaces has been developing more and more actively - from simple bars to fill out a profile and getting karma to more complex systems with pumping a "character level" for using its functions and other activities related to the history of working with the service . This material gathers descriptions of gaming mechanisms, as well as examples of their use in modern web services.
Recent links can also be tracked as they appear in the Userfeed feed of User Experience .