InfoDesign: Hand-picked since 1997

All posts from

December 2005

Managing ‘Glue’ at the BBC

Added on 9 December 2005 Peter Bogaards

“(…) huge issue in organising this information in a way that the audience can actually find it, which, after all, should be the main goal. So I want to talk about 3 things that the BBC does centrally to try and make this easier for the end user – navigation, search, and classification.” (Martin Belam – currybetdotnet)

Information architecture

The Future of HTML (1/2): WHATWG

Added on 9 December 2005 Peter Bogaards

“In this two-part series, Edd Dumbill examines the various ways forward for HTML that Web authors, browser developers, and standards bodies propose. This series covers the incremental approach embodied by the WHATWG specifications and the radical cleanup of XHTML proposed by the W3C. Additionally, the author gives an overview of the W3C’s new Rich Client Activity. Here in Part 1, Edd focuses primarily on two specifications being developed by WHATWG: Web Applications 1.0 (HTML5) and Web Forms 2.0.” (Edd Dumbill – IBM)

Technology

From Information Design to Experience Design: Smart Artefacts and the Disappearing Computer

Added on 7 December 2005 Peter Bogaards

“It seems like a paradox but it will soon become reality: The rate at which computers disappear will be matched by the rate at which information technology will increasingly permeate our environment and determine our lives. This notion of the ‘disappearing computer’ is one of the starting points that determines our work. Another one is the shift from information worlds to experience worlds. This was a consequence of our work on innovative office environments where we explored the range of social processes that should be supported with information technology and the shift to a new application domain, i.e. games and entertainment in the context of home environments.” (Norbert Streitz et al. – uigarden)

Information design

RIAs: The Technology Is Exciting, but They Really Do Help Users

Added on 7 December 2005 Peter Bogaards

“Recently, there has been a lot of talk about Rich Internet Applications (RIAs), how they work, and how to choose the appropriate RIA technology. Unfortunately, so far, we’ve had few discussions about the value of RIAs to users and how RIA technologies let us create better, more usable Web applications.” (David Heller – UXmatters)

Technology

Why Ajax Sucks (Most of the Time)

Added on 7 December 2005 Peter Bogaards

“Judging from the email I receive, the most controversial statement I have made in my Alertbox columns so far was to make ‘the use of Ajax’ one of the mistakes in my list of top ten mistakes in Web design. For new or inexperienced Web designers, I stand by my original recommendation. Ajax: Just Say No. With respect to the use of ajax by highly skilled Web designers, I have changed my opinion somewhat: people who really know what they are doing can sometimes use Ajax to good effect, though even experienced designers are advised to use ajax as sparingly as possible. (…) This is a spoof article. Please compare it with the original and you will see how little it has been changed.” (Constructed by Chris McEvoy with apologies to Jakob Nielsen)

Usability

Talking-Head Video Is Boring Online

Added on 5 December 2005 Peter Bogaards

“Eyetracking data show that users are easily distracted when watching video on websites, especially when the video shows a talking head and is optimized for broadcast rather than online viewing.” (Jakob Nielsen – Alertbox)

Usability

Carnegie Library: Dynamic Information Environment

Added on 4 December 2005 Peter Bogaards

“Do pioneers have to end up as has-beens? Despite an early and influential role as organizers, protectors, and providers of information, libraries have not always evolved in tandem with the desires and expectations of their customers.” (MAYA Design: Taming Complexity) – courtesy of peterme

Information design

Experience Attributes: Crucial DNA of Web 2.0

Added on 4 December 2005 Peter Bogaards

“The industry has spent a lot of time defining Web 2.0 and mapping its DNA. But as we attempt to emulate the fast-growth success of the Web 2.0 darlings, we need to zero in on the parts of the DNA that actually create this noteworthy new value.” (Brandon Schauer – Adaptive Path)

User experience

Interview with Marko Ahtisaari

Added on 2 December 2005 Peter Bogaards

Director of Design Strategy at Nokia – “Designing simple elegant objects that simply works, that’s a challenge.” (Sebastian Campion – DDC) – courtesy of puttingpeoplefirst

Interviews

Storyboarding RIA with Visio

Added on 1 December 2005 Peter Bogaards

“With the recent rise in popularity of web technologies such as Flash and AJAX, it has become possible to create richer user experiences on the web. Even though these technologies are not actually new, we are now seeing their widespread adoption. Within the last six months, we have seen the christening of the term ‘AJAX’ and its broad acceptance. Most major websites are adding rich interaction to their existing features” (Bill Scott – Boxes and Arrows)

Technology