Storyboards Storyboard is a tool that helps communicating how a user would experience a product or service and how the proposed design will help them accomplish their goals (user journeys). This methodology has been borrowed by the movie industry and allows describing the interaction between the user and a product/service on one or more frame by showing the key experience touchpoints. Storyboards are great ways to share a concept with clients and customers and make them understand design ideas and decisions. They can be used during design workshops gather feedback and to help identify areas of improvement or missing elements of the experience. They can be considered as quick prototypes of the experience which also help clients emphatise with their customers. Tool Storyboard can be created in different ways. I put together some Storyboard Tamplates that can help tell the 'story' of an experience. ::storyboard template 1 – one channel (small images, long story) ::storyboard template 3 – multiple channels
Information design using card sorting Written by James Robertson, published February 19th, 2001 Categorised under: articles, usability & information architecture At the beginning of any information design exercise, it is normal to be confronted by a very long list of potential subjects to include. The challenge is to organise this information in a way that is useful and meaningful for the users of the system. While careful investigation and analysis of the information may reveal some clues, it can be virtually impossible to determine which topics should be grouped together. The difficulty in organising the content stems from a lack of knowledge about how real users make use of this information. A card sorting session can go a long way towards resolving this problem. What is card sorting? In essence, card sorting works as follows: Write down each topic on a filing (index) card. This is a very simple, and often very effective, method of working with users to come up with a usable design. Why use this method? Involving the users
25-point Website Usability Checklist I've been thinking a lot lately about my process. Experience is a powerful thing, but it's rare that we really sit down and try to map out what we know. A while back, as part of my 5-point Website Clinic, I developed a 25-point website usability checklist - a way to create some method out of my madness and make sure that I don't forget anything critical when I'm working with a new client. Even though it's part of one of my paid offerings, I've decided to share this checklist. A few disclaimers: First, I don't claim this list is comprehensive or unique. Basic Overview The list is split into 4 roughly equal sections, (I) Accessibility, (II) Identity, (III) Navigation, and (IV) Content. Section I. This section contains not only traditional accessibility issues, but anything that might keep a visitor from being able to access the information on a website. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Section II. A key question when someone first comes to your site is "Who are you?" 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. Section III. 12.
Complete Beginner's Guide to Design Research In an industry devoted to the people who use our products, services, and applications, research is paramount. We ask questions. We take notes. We learn everything we can about the target audience, and then iteratively test our work throughout the design process. Want UX Tips Delivered Straight to Your Inbox? Original UX articles Curated Resources Never miss an issue! UX research—or as it’s sometimes called, design research—serves many purposes throughout the design process. In this Complete Beginner’s Guide, we’ll look at the many elements of design research, from interviews and observations, to usability testing and A/B testing. What is UX research? UX research encompasses a variety of investigative methods used to add context and insight to the design process. The main goal of design research is to inform the design process from the perspective of the end user. With that in mind, research has two parts: gathering data, and synthesizing that data in order to improve usability. Observation
Planning And Implementing Website Navigation - Smashing Magazine Advertisement The thing that makes navigation difficult to work with in Web design is that it can be so versatile. Navigation can be simple or complex: a few main pages or a multi-level architecture; one set of content for logged-in users and another for logged-out users; and so on. Because navigation can vary so much between websites, there are no set guidelines or how-to’s for organizing navigation. Designing navigation is an art in itself, and designers become better at it with experience. It’s all about using good information architecture: “the art of expressing a model or concept of information used in activities that require explicit details of complex systems.” Organizing Navigation Structure Perhaps the most difficult part about navigation on the Web is organizing and designing it. Primary vs. Most websites, especially those with a lot of content or functionality, need navigation menus. 1SpeckyBoy2 Primary navigation stands for the content that most users are interested in.
8 Web Usability and Best Practices for Beginners As a web designer when you are coding and designing website, it is your job to make sure that the site is user intuitive, friendly and easy to navigate. Although these are basic work ethics for every web designer sometime you might miss out a little things here and there, that might get under front end-user skin. Nevertheless, maybe you are starting your way into web design. Some Commenting method: HTML/XML/XHTML – <! 2. Sometimes when web designer’s are creating website they forget to properly title or leave it blank. 3. Changing your links color or background is must for user visual experience and usability. 4. Although this sounds like dumb tip you would be surprised to see how many websites do not link their header or logo. 5. Following standard layout refers to introducing the viewers to familiar interface and layouts on the web. 6. Try to avoid using Ajax if you can because it is not preferable by search engines. 7. Color is very important factor when designing sites. 8.
The Anatomy of an Experience Map Experience maps have become more prominent over the past few years, largely because companies are realizing the interconnectedness of the cross-channel experience. It’s becoming increasingly useful to gain insight in order to orchestrate service touchpoints over time and space. But I still see a dearth of quality references. I’m often asked what defines a good experience map. But it’s not just about the illustration of the journey (that would simply be a journey map). Rail Europe experience map. The experience map highlighted above was part of an overall initiative for Rail Europe, Inc., a US distributor that offers North American travelers a single place to book rail tickets and passes throughout Europe, instead of going to numerous websites. I almost always apply five critical components that make an experience map useful. Second, it’s clearly a means to something actionable—ideally something to design around—and not an end in and of itself. First Steps The Lens The Journey Model
Accessify User Experience Jobs with High Salaries A well designed website or application that effectively caters to its audience is a high priority for leading businesses these days. As a result, skilled professionals in the growing field of user experience design can earn a very respectable salary. Here are top paying jobs for Information Architecture, Usability, and UX practitioners plus reasons to explore each for your user experience design career - and bank your account! User Experience Strategist How do companies transform an initial business goal into a valuable user experience that champions a brand and satisfies customers? These expert planners are paid handsomely (between $67,000 and $135,000 in salary) to put strategies in place that incorporate UX design, branding, development and more. Usability Analyst When user-centric design decisions need to be made, usability analysts are the go-to guys and gals. Providing this valuable information is worth an average yearly salary of $81,000. User Interface Designer Interaction Designer
Design Crime: NYC's New Taxi Makes New Yorkers Look Like Soccer Moms Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced the winner of NYC's hotly anticipated taxi-design competition yesterday. The 10-year, $1 billion contract to furnish New York with thousands of taxis -- taxis that'll define the visual landscape of the city -- was awarded to Nissan for the NV200, a minivan. And suffice it to say, it sure ain't anybody's idea of a dream car. The van -- which will go into use in late 2013 -- is bulky as hell, with a disproportionately long nose and a cartoonish grille that spreads guardedly toward the trunk, like a forced smile. Not that the competition was much better. [There's absolutely no way to make this awful thing look good, so we made the images small. For all its aesthetic atrocities -- and when we think what Germans speed around in, we shudder with rage -- the NV200 boasts a handful of features, suggesting that the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission isn't totally stuck in the Dark Ages. [Images via Nissan]
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