Archive for ‘UX’

There’s nothing like a looming deadline to fire you into action. I have 2 weeks to complete the website I envisaged nearly 2 years ago. Back then I was a relative newcomer to WordPress. Prior to that my website had been a mostly static affair with a strong focus on the front end design. Moving to WordPress meant that the design had to take something of a backseat (or at least ride shotgun). I learned a lot but I was embarrassed by the quality (or lack thereof) of the design. This new release has achieved a happy medium where I’m able to take full advantage of WordPress while producing unrestrained design and to the level I strive for. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have enjoyed putting it together. Speaking of which, I’d better get back to work.

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

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ZURB – It’s Official: Captchas Are Bad for Business