On a whim last week I decided to try out Ancestry.com, after seeing several tv ads about the service. I had always been curious about my family’s lineage, and I thought, what the heck? Lets see how it works. Now,…
Category: UX Articles
UX Articles
Lessons in UX: Embrace the checklist
I’ve been re-reading the great book The Checklist Manifesto, and I’m thinking about how some of the ideas in the book can be applied to UX design. I think the primary reasons to apply a checklist-based process is to ensure…
My Quora answers, UX Articles
Can a product be an experience – or is one a subset of the other?
No, a product is not an experience, it is part of an experience. As I've written before, the idea that anyone can "design an experience" is incorrect. You design solutions and products that are a part of user's experience, and…
My Quora answers, UX Articles
How would you measure user experience of physical packaging?
The obvious answer to me is in usability testing. Define a series of tasks that you want to test the packaging for. The obvious task for packaging is…well, opening it. The next obvious task is about the content displayed/printed on…
My Quora answers, UX Articles
How does one prepare for a UX Design job interview?
The same way you prepare for any other interview: RELAX. If you go into an interview stressed and nervous, guess what the person or persons interviewing you will think? "Wow, he's nervous." That may be enough to cast doubt in your…
UX 101, UX Articles
Design with confidence, by knowing your users
I have had several discussions lately with colleagues around design processes. I personally think that the best process is a flexible one, with standard phases that can have various “tactics” and effort that can be applied, depending upon the complexity…
My Quora answers, UX Articles
How could bank branches be improved?
As someone who has designed software for many a bank, as well as done ethnographic research in and around branches, I have some very direct ideas on how the banking experience at branches can be improved. Have express lanes. If someone…
Featured Articles, UX Articles
Focus on the outcome, not the tool
I’m fighting with Adobe. Not literally, obviously – I’m not having physical altercations with a multinational corporation. I’m fighting with thier apps, specifically InDesign. And InDesign is winning. The thing is, it shouldn’t be. I’ve used page layout programs for…
UX Articles
Don’t design with “something to prove”
I’m wrapping up a long-term design project, and, after two years working on the same thing, I’ve learned a lot. A lot about myself, a lot about design, and a lot about people. One of the things that I notice…
Apple, UX Articles
Lessons in UX: The “tender trap” of the iPhone
If you’ve been paying attention to the stock market lately, you may have noticed that Apple is doing quite well. At the time of this writing the stock is over $500 a share, the company has just had another quarter…
Apple, My Quora answers, UX Articles
Which mobile apps offer a perfect user experience?
Perfect is the enemy of good, and perfect is also a very high bar to achieve. I don't know if I'd say that the following are perfect, but they ae very good indeed: Simplenote let's you take notes and write.…
My Quora answers, UX 101, UX Articles
What are best 10 books about user experience design?
Designing for the Digital Age: How to Create Human-Centered Products and Services by Kim Goodwin is a favorite of mine, in the fact that it is just so comprehensive. It's THE book to me. A Project Guide to UX Design:…
My Quora answers, UX Articles
How can you make FAQ pages/sections better?
Have a "smart" FAQ. Make the primary section be the most frequently "asked" questions, based on analytics. Show only the top 10, with an options o view more. Have an obvious link to view all and an obvious text field…
UX Articles
Please check out my book on User Experience, Experience Matters
My book on user experience design. Experience Matters, is
My Quora answers, UX Articles
What are the best ways to teach interaction design to non-designers?
Walk them through a previous design project. Pull out all the design artifacts, from concept design to detailed specifications. Show them video from any usability tests that took place. Demonstrate the process that was followed to go from a high-level…
My Quora answers, UX Articles
Is confidence good for UX research and design?
Confidence is good. Arrogance is not. The key is to be confident but also open to other people's ideas and to the possibility that you may be mistaken and/or your design could be improved. Let's use Sherlock Holmes as an…