Web Fonts at the Crossing

Added on 8 June 2010 Peter Bogaards
“Font designers are very still very much focused on print. By and large, the money is in catering to professional customers in the printing industries: Books, magazines, displays, etc. Prices usually move on a sliding scale based on the number of users. The fear is that once fonts are on the web, they will become a commodity, the current model will break, and a devaluation of fonts, in general, will occur.” (Richard Fink ~ A List Apart)

Using Persona Advocates to develop user-centric intranets and portals

Added on 8 June 2010 Peter Bogaards
“Grasping complex information needs and uses can indeed be daunting. One powerful design tool, personas, can help make sense of these needs and provide a framework for building Intranets that will satisfy a variety of needs. Effectively developed and used, personas enable Intranet teams to hone in on user needs and build interfaces and user experiences that end-user audiences can and will use.” (McQueen Consulting)

So, You Want to Do User Research: Characteristics of Great Researchers

Added on 7 June 2010 Peter Bogaards
“One of the best things about user research is that anyone can do it. On the other hand, it takes real commitment and a lot of personal development to do user research well. People commonly assume that research is research—and doing any kind of research is better than doing none at all. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case. Not all user research is created equal. Flawed research can be a significant liability to the success of a product, as well as the company developing it, so it really is important to get it right.” (Demetrius Madrigal and Bryan McClain ~ UXmatters)

Designing with Behavioral Economics

Added on 7 June 2010 Peter Bogaards
“Much of economics theory is based on the premise that people are rational decision-makers. In recent years, behavioral economics—also known as behavioral finance—has emerged as a discipline, bringing together economics and psychology to understand how social, cognitive, and emotional factors influence how people make decisions, both as individuals and at the market level. Many of the findings of behavioral economics have a direct influence on how users interact with a product. In a worst‑case scenario, a product’s design may encourage user behaviors that are detrimental to users’ best interests.” (Peter Hornsby ~ UXmatters)

Personas as User Assistance and Navigation Aids

Added on 7 June 2010 Peter Bogaards
“A lot of work goes into creating personas, and I was delighted to discover this innovative way in which the team carried forward the benefits of that work into the final product, where users could benefit from it as well. The personas also provide a rich form of user experience by portraying typical practices for effectively using the portal. I recommend that other UX designers consider applying personas in this way—initially using these user research artifacts during design, then incorporating them into products as user assistance and navigation aids.” (Mike Hughes ~ UXmatters)

Jakob Nielsen critiques the iPad’s usability failings

Added on 3 June 2010 Peter Bogaards
“There were really a lot of usability problems in this first-generation of iPad applications. It’s often quite difficult for people to discover what they have to do because the options are not very visible. I have to say of both the device itself and the content, it’s very attractive, which is good. But at the same time, overemphasising the attractiveness and hiding the functionality, that does cause problems.” (The Guardian) – courtesy of oliverreichenstein

The How, What, and Why framework for Experience Design

Added on 2 June 2010 Peter Bogaards
“Many companies have used the phrase “content is king” in recent years to talk about the importance of the material their sites ship. I heard this phrase first at Adobe Max a few years ago and have since noticed it in a number of places online. I think this is near to the mark but not quite there. In our framework here I’ve rephrased it as “The ‘why’ is king” because it puts the user at the center. Your content is pretty important to your site, but without users it’s kind of worthless. The reason your users are coming to your site is of preeminent importance – that should drive your content. Then your content can drive your presentation, etc. etc.” (R.J. Owen ~ Inside RIA)

Innovation at Google: The physics of data

Added on 31 May 2010 Peter Bogaards
“Today, we measure the size of the Web in exabytes and are uploading to it 15 times more data than we were 3 years ago. Technologies for sensing, storing, and sharing information are driving innovation in the tools available to help us understand our world in greater detail and accuracy than ever before. The implications of analyzing data on a massive scale transcend the tech industry, impacting the environmental sector, social justice issues, health and science research, and more. When coupled with astute technical insight, data is dynamic, accessible, and ultimately, creative.” (Marissa Mayer)

Gestural Interfaces: A Step Backwards in Usability

Added on 30 May 2010 Peter Bogaards
“The usability crisis is upon us, once again. We suspect most of you thought it was over. After all, HCI certainly understands how to make things usable, so the emphasis has shifted to more engaging topics, such as exciting new applications, new technological developments, and the challenges of social networks and ubiquitous connection and communication. Well you are wrong.” (Donald A. Norman and Jakob Nielsen)

Combining Methods: Web Analytics and User Testing

Added on 28 May 2010 Peter Bogaards
“After presenting on combining methods at the EuroIA in 2009, Adam Cox and Martijn Klompenhouwer again showed the benefits of combining two separate sources. They delivered their presentation at the yearly Usability Professional Association conference in Munich (UPA2010). This time they focused on how to use Web Analytics in the preparation and execution of usability testing. Drawing from their experience of combining Web Analytics and User Research over the years, they illustrated several practical examples of how this combined approach works when it comes to user testing. After a short introduction of the individual methods, they demonstrated this approach by showcasing specific usability testing projects with a presentational style that was both visual and conversational.” (User Intelligence)

Podcast for the 2010 UPA International Conference

Added on 27 May 2010 Peter Bogaards
“From May 24th to May 28th, the 2010 UPA International Conference is being held in Munich, Germany. This event brings together more than 700 usability professionals from all over the world. To give you an impression of the diverse range of speakers and topics, the UPA provides an audio podcast accompanying the conference. Therein, you will find interviews with various conference attendants and organizers, some of them recorded during the event, others before and after it.” (Content Crew)