Archive for ‘Insights’

Here’s an interesting (albeit brief) dissection of how rich autocomplete is used in some high profile online retail websites.

Trendspotting: Rich Autocomplete in Site Search | Get Elastic

Here is a short, sharp article that explains the difference between user research, usability testing and how they both fit into the design process - The difference between User Research and Usability Testing?

I recently came across a couple of lists of design principles. Whether we realise it or not, all designers work to their own set of values. They are an essential part of the design process. Therefore it’s important to remind yourself of these once in a while and check your work against them.

The first example is the “Ten principles for good design”. I like these because they are universally applicable. You can apply them to almost any type of design in any market. I think this is a great set of values for the individual designer:
Good design: Dieter Rams’ ten commandments

The second example is Facebook’s Internal Design Manifesto. This resonates a lot of the values from the first list but repackages and refocuses them so they are specific to Facebook:
Facebook’s Internal Design Manifesto – Thomas Crampton

Does anyone know of design principles for other organisations?

UPDATE: Here’s a fantastic round-up of principles by fellow designer James Mansfield

UPDATE: The Principles of Good Web Design (with real world examples): Part 1: Layout, Part 2: Navigation, Part 3: Colour.

UPDATE: Carsonified » 10 User Interface Design Fundamentals

I’m currently working on a redesign of my portfolio, so I’ve been doing a bit of research into current trends, techniques and basically looking for some great inspiration. The following is a collection of great resources and some stunning examples from both studios and individuals. While I believe the star of the show should be the work itself, the portfolio needs to tie it all together and take the user on a journey.

To be honest I’m a little daunted as the benchmark is pretty high. The old version of my portfolio is here. Hopefully it’s not long before the new one is ready.

Resources
12 Tips for Creating a Great Portfolio Site
Portfolio Design Study – Another great deconstruction by Smashing Magazine.
10 Cool Photo Portfolio and Gallery WordPress Themes
60+ Helpful Resources for Portfolio Design
Design a Textured Portfolio Site Layout Using Photoshop
Five Popular Design Portfolio Website Styles
Top 10 Portfolio Faux Pas
How to Design a One-Page Portfolio in Photoshop
Stacey, Simplified portfolios

Examples
6 Absolutely Stunning Design Portfolios
50 Beautiful and Creative Portfolios
50 Fresh Portfolio Websites for Your Inspiration
Elliot Jay Stocks – I’ve always been a fan of Elliot’s work. His new website is awesome.
Purple Rock Scissors
Five Popular Design Portfolio Website Styles
Marius Roosendaal – I love the way the theme changes depending upon the time of day.
STUDIO7DESIGNS
Travis Isaacs | My Life In Pixels
45royale Inc.

UPDATE: Elliot Jay Stocks also has a 2 part screencast on how to design a portfolio site.
UPDATE: Smashing Magazine’s  Showcase of Case Studies in Design Portfolios
UPDATE: Ready-made portfolios Hosted Portfolio Roundup on Heavy Backpack

CAPTCHAS invoke a number of reactions amongst both designers and users. They are a common source of frustration, consuming screen real estate and more importantly the user’s time spent deciphering and completing them. Studies have shown that they are generally bad for business.

However they are still widely used as they are considered a necessary evil in protecting websites against bots by generating tests that humans can pass but current computer programs cannot.

As you may have heard Google recently purchased ReCAPTCHA to accelerate its massive efforts to scan tens of millions of books and periodicals.

What you may not know is just how Google is utilising this technology to actually use the (re)CATPCHAS you’re filling out. By completing a reCAPTCHA you are directly helping Google in their quest to digitise the world’s books.

Here is a surprisingly interesting presentation on what is a generally dull topic: Why Nerds Rule: Luis Von Ahn and reCAPTCHA

UPDATE: CAPTCHA’s: Tough on Sales & Common Way to Test User Tolerance | UX Booth