Thinking Should Become Before Communication
“Communication has become the great fashion and addiction of our age. (…) Communication, without thought, is in fact an unproductive activity.” (Gerry McGovern)
All posts from
December 2002
Explorations in Learning & Instruction: The Theory Into Practice Database
“The Theory Into Practice (TIP) database contains descriptions of 50 theories relevant to human learning and instruction.” (Greg Kearsley)
In the Future, We’ll All Be Harry Potter
“The world of magic is a world where inanimate objects come alive; it’s as if they had computational power, sensors, awareness, and connectivity.” (Jakob Nielsen – Alertbox)
Usability is Next to Profitability
“Software companies have finally grasped the value of easy-to-fathom programs, and they’re pouring resources into the task.” (Jane Black – Business Week)
Professional Usability Testing and Return On Investment
“This paper discusses the return on investment (ROI) implications of integrating formal usability testing methods into web development projects.” (Charles L. Mauro – TaskZ)
Ten Taxonomy Myths
“Taxonomies have recently emerged from the quiet backwaters of biology, book indexing, and library science into the corporate limelight.” (Montague Institute Review)
Usability and Open Source Software
“In this paper, we review the existing evidence of the usability of open source software and discuss how the characteristics of open source development influence usability.” (Dave M. Nichols and Michael B. Twidale)
Palm OS User Interface Guidelines
“This book describes how to design applications for Palm Powered handhelds so that they conform to Palm, Inc.’s user interface guidelines.” (Palm)
Userati
Names and connections (Chris McEvoy – Usability Views)
The 1968 Demo of Demos
“(…) the public debut of the computer mouse. But the mouse was only one of many innovations demonstrated (…) including hypertext, object addressing and dynamic file linking, as well as shared-screen collaboration involving two persons at different sites communicating over a network with audio and video interface.” (Douglas Carl Engelbart – MouseSite)
The Best IA Tool You Never Heard Of
“A good IA tool should work like your brain. Is there one? Yes. It’s called Tinderbox.” (Sean Carton – ClickZ)
Information Needs Analysis
“Each user has a different type of information need depending on what he’s trying to find and why he’s trying to find it.” (Louis Rosenfeld – Bloug)
Our Favorite Books: Recommendations from the staff of Boxes and Arrows
“These are the books we can’t live without or have learned great lessons from over the years.” (Boxes and Arrows Staff)
Intelligent Interfaces for Local Communities
“With pervasive internetworking, computers have become an extremely effective and economic means by which people communicate.” (K. Stathis and P. Purcell – Usability News)
ROI for Usable User-Interface Design: Examples and Statistics 
“Usability increases customer satisfaction and productivity, leads to customer trust and loyalty, and inevitably results in tangible cost savings and profitability.” (Aaron Marcus and Associates)
Text, Tables, and Graphics
“A graphic is not always the most illustrative element. Written sentences, tables and graphics occupy their own place in the discourse of building clarity and insight.” (Juan C. Dürsteler – Inf@Vis!)
Extended Faceted Taxonomies for Web Catalogs
“Which would be easier to remember: one thousand individual terms or three facets of ten terms each?” (Yannis Tzitzikas – ERCIM News: Semantic Web Special)
Navigating Information Spaces
“New HCI challenges arise from the emergence of information spaces and the related concept of navigation.” (David Benyon – ERCIM News: Human Computer Interaction Special)
Nathan Shedroff: The V-2 Interview 2/2
“And, by the way, very few IAs I’ve met even understand ‘users’, let alone ‘user agency’. Most design for themselves, as much as any other design field.” (Adam Greenfield – V-2)
Understanding Web Typography
“In this article, I attempt to cut a swathe through the complexities of Web typography; explain the possible pitfalls; and provide some guidelines for creating accessible and easy to read web pages.” (Jim Byrne)