InfoDesign: Hand-picked since 1997

Ramana Rao’s Information Flow

Added on 9 December 2002 Peter Bogaards

“Ranganathan’s objection to the prevailing classification systems, such as Dewey Decimal Classification and Library of Congress Classification, was that they tried to enumerate all possible subjects and provide preconceived pigeonholes to accommodate all documents.” (Ramana Rao)

Metadata

Thinking Should Become Before Communication

Added on 9 December 2002 Peter Bogaards

“Communication has become the great fashion and addiction of our age. (…) Communication, without thought, is in fact an unproductive activity.” (Gerry McGovern)

Information design

Explorations in Learning & Instruction: The Theory Into Practice Database

Added on 9 December 2002 Peter Bogaards

“The Theory Into Practice (TIP) database contains descriptions of 50 theories relevant to human learning and instruction.” (Greg Kearsley)

Instructional design

In the Future, We’ll All Be Harry Potter

Added on 9 December 2002 Peter Bogaards

“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

Usability is Next to Profitability

Added on 6 December 2002 Peter Bogaards

“Software companies have finally grasped the value of easy-to-fathom programs, and they’re pouring resources into the task.” (Jane Black – Business Week)

Usability

Professional Usability Testing and Return On Investment

Added on 6 December 2002 Peter Bogaards

“This paper discusses the return on investment (ROI) implications of integrating formal usability testing methods into web development projects.” (Charles L. Mauro – TaskZ)

Usability

Ten Taxonomy Myths

Added on 6 December 2002 Peter Bogaards

“Taxonomies have recently emerged from the quiet backwaters of biology, book indexing, and library science into the corporate limelight.” (Montague Institute Review)

Metadata

Usability and Open Source Software

Added on 6 December 2002 Peter Bogaards

“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)

Usability

Palm OS User Interface Guidelines

Added on 6 December 2002 Peter Bogaards

“This book describes how to design applications for Palm Powered handhelds so that they conform to Palm, Inc.’s user interface guidelines.” (Palm)

Userati

Added on 5 December 2002 Peter Bogaards

Names and connections (Chris McEvoy – Usability Views)

Information design

The 1968 Demo of Demos

Added on 5 December 2002 Peter Bogaards

“(…) 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)

Classics

The Best IA Tool You Never Heard Of

Added on 4 December 2002 Peter Bogaards

“A good IA tool should work like your brain. Is there one? Yes. It’s called Tinderbox.” (Sean Carton – ClickZ)

Information architecture

Information Needs Analysis

Added on 4 December 2002 Peter Bogaards

“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)

Information architecture

Our Favorite Books: Recommendations from the staff of Boxes and Arrows

Added on 4 December 2002 Peter Bogaards

“These are the books we can’t live without or have learned great lessons from over the years.” (Boxes and Arrows Staff)

Information architecture

Intelligent Interfaces for Local Communities

Added on 3 December 2002 Peter Bogaards

“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

Added on 3 December 2002 Peter Bogaards

“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)

Usability

Text, Tables, and Graphics

Added on 3 December 2002 Peter Bogaards

“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!)

InfoViz

Extended Faceted Taxonomies for Web Catalogs

Added on 2 December 2002 Peter Bogaards

“Which would be easier to remember: one thousand individual terms or three facets of ten terms each?” (Yannis Tzitzikas – ERCIM News: Semantic Web Special)

Metadata

Nathan Shedroff: The V-2 Interview 2/2

Added on 2 December 2002 Peter Bogaards

“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)

Interviews