Ideas
Like to write for Boxes and Arrows? Got an idea you’d like to see covered? A question we could answer? Leave a message with your story idea. Readers can then help make your idea better still by commenting on and rating it—perhaps one will even volunteer to write your dream article. Want to know more about our writing guidelines? Check the “about” section.
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Remote User Testing: Users are Just A Few Steps Away
by Shanshan Ma on 08/31/2010 [0 comments] · 0 requests
Remote user testing brings so much opportunity to get access to users who are geographically unavailable, and also poses much challenge in conducting the testing. How to observe users without seeing them? How to listen to the users using your heart instead of using your ear? vote if you are... more...
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Navigation Models for the iPad
by Alice Lo on 08/20/2010 [1 comment] · 11 requests
Touch-based device iPad feels and navigates differently than traditional web interfaces. What are some functional navigation models for the iPad? After doing extensive research for an iPad IA project, I’d like to share my findings and propose three effective navigation designs for the iPad. more...
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Editorial Calendar?
by Kerry Schlatter on 08/09/2010 [0 comments] · 0 requests
Hi there, My name is Kerry Schlatter and currently, at Horn Group, I am working with Slalom Consulting, who is conducting an editorial calendar project. I was hoping to reach an editor or anyone else who could provide your 2010 Editorial Calendar for us, it would be a great help! Any email for... more...
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Visio Book Review
by David Edson on 08/05/2010 [0 comments] · 0 requests
http://www.packtpub.com/microsoft-visio-2010-business-pro… David Parker’s latest book “Microsoft Visio 2010 – Business Process Diagramming and Validation” from Packt Publishing is one of the very few technical books that I would give a hearty “Thumbs Up” and a strong recommendation to ever... more...
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Using Posterous as an online cultural probe (user research diary)
by Patrick Kennedy on 08/03/2010 [1 comment] · 7 requests
I’ve written an article about using the popular blogging tool Posterous as a tool for user research diaries (aka ‘cultural probes’). Would be great to see it appear on Boxes and Arrows :) It’s yours if you want it…call me…please? more...
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Pure touch
by Patrick Stapleton on 07/29/2010 [0 comments] · 0 requests
Like many I expect readers of this site, I find myself thinking increasingly about the design of touch based software applications. Touch being relatively new and it’s most popular proponent the iPhone and now iPad I don’t think it is unrealistic to suggest that the style of interactions will cha... more...
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A Short, Cynical Dictionary of Misunderstood Words
by Dean Schuster on 07/29/2010 [0 comments] · 1 request
We all use a relatively common vocabulary of UX terms. But the theory behind these terms is often quite different from actual practice. What would our common dictionary look like if it represented the all too common, uncomfortable reality of our lives as UX professionals? We need a dictionary t... more...
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User Engagement Design
by Neha Modgil on 07/27/2010 [0 comments] · 0 requests
Hi I would want to write about ‘User Engagement Design’ on websites and how it could increase the website traffic.I would provide screenshots of live website to showcase best practices. Thanks ~ Neha more...
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Building interactive prototypes in 30 minutes or less with Apple Keynote
by amir khella on 07/23/2010 [0 comments] · 0 requests
Would love to share workflows, tips and tricks for using Apple Keynote to prototype interactive apps. more...
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Recview
by Patrick Stapleton on 07/16/2010 [0 comments] · 0 requests
Recview is an idea that came out of a requirement to provide a software platform to deliver and manage “dailies”. Daillies are a critical process in film and animation development. These meetings are where the director makes comment on the previous days work setting the next day(s) wo... more...
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Usability with Handheld Devices
by Krystine Dinh on 07/14/2010 [0 comments] · 0 requests
Dear Boxesandarrows.com staff, I wanted to offer a contributed article on the topic of “Usability with Handheld Devices and Websites.” The article would be written by Thanh Nguyen, senior usability engineer with BusinessOnLine – a pioneer in the interactive marketing space with a 14-year track ... more...
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Control without targets
by Geoffrey Morton-Haworth on 07/14/2010 [0 comments] · 0 requests
At a Civil Service Live conference in London last week, David Cameron (the UK’s new Prime Minister) said: “You need to know, instinctively, what will get a green light or a red light from me. If you want to make our public services more transparent, open them up to make them more dive... more...
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Enterprise Content Taxonomy. Who, what, when, where why and how?
by seamus walsh on 07/14/2010 [0 comments] · 0 requests
500 of the Fortune 500 use it and everyone on NASDQ and NYSE reports on it. Yet today, SG&A taxonomy is the de facto non-standard for enterprise content. It is not uncommon for companies to have more then a few financial systems, multiple document management systems, and multiple ERP system... more...
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Size Does Matter: Striving for smaller wins in business
by Alexander Chung on 07/13/2010 [0 comments] · 6 requests
Our article celebrates the self organization of people into groups that are smaller, harder to find, and harder to communicate with, but ultimately more valuable to business. We’ll examine lessons from biology, politics and popular culture to show that networks inexorably trend smaller and more... more...
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RSS feed
by brent rish on 06/29/2010 [0 comments] · 0 requests
Your RSS feed has stopped working… more...
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IA & OD
by Ric Dragon on 06/24/2010 [0 comments] · 2 requests
The idea of getting “The Whole System in the Room” is a precept of an Organizational Development (OD) framework called FutureSearch. Applying it to IA is predicated on the notion that an organization’s website represents the entire organization. Too often, the web site system is... more...
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When waste is good
by Patrick Stapleton on 06/24/2010 [0 comments] · 1 request
I have noticed recently that I find myself promoting dynamic tabs as a primary method for presenting detail objects within applications. These pages are created, viewed/used then either kept for the session or deleted as required by the user. This approach significantly compresses the menu archit... more...
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Naming Convention Strategies for Shared Axure Projects
by Ezra Schwartz on 05/25/2010 [0 comments] · 1 request
Large Axure shared project files might include tens of pages, masters and dynamic panels as well as hundreds of widgets and dynamic panel states. This paper will describe a comprehensive approach to adopting a consistent, meaningful naming convention strategy that helps the UX team eliminate cha... more...
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Pattern Language
by Jaydeep Savant on 05/17/2010 [0 comments] · 4 requests
Whatever we may observe today in continuum is a form of pattern. Various patterns thereby come together in parts or in individual to create visual stimulation or a function that make our lives easy. The role of a designer or visualizer is to understand these patterns creating experiences that mov... more...
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webmap
by on 05/14/2010 [0 comments] · 1 request
top domain index more...
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Self-forming Architectures
by Ric Dragon on 05/12/2010 [0 comments] · 10 requests
Visit almost any college campus, and follow the sidewalks. You’ll begin to notice that no matter where the designers and architects placed them, you’ll see well worn paths in the grass between points where walkways were laid. Some urban planners have espoused the concept that you sho... more...
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Facebook is Email 2.0
by Edo A. Elan on 05/11/2010 [0 comments] · 0 requests
Email is the elephant in the room – this is the title of a previous article that I’d like to develop further. Email is the most popular communication application, and also the most ignored. Because email is so boring, nobody noticed that Facebook was rebuilding email with knowledge ... more...
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Phone Book Touch Navigation Concept
by Alexandr Debkalyuk on 05/11/2010 [0 comments] · 1 request
Although I’m not yet a touch-screen phone user, I already miss the quick way for finding people in my phone book by typing their name using keypad. I came up with an idea of making people search a bit quicker on touch-screen phones. I wonder if anyone else had or already implemented the same idea… more...
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Automatic layout with Visio
by Maurice Calvert on 05/11/2010 [0 comments] · 0 requests
You might be interested in this Graphviz addin for Visio which I have developed http://www.calvert.ch/graphvizio/ more...
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Why we should NOT focus on user experience
by Koen Claes on 05/03/2010 [2 comments] · 8 requests
Yes, it’s no mistake: I’d like to convince you why we should NOT focus on user experience. Even as UX designers–and I’m one of you. An epiphany I experienced recently–no pun intended–changed my perspective on UX design. If given the opportunity (vote “Yes!” below), I... more...
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The Better Alternative
by Yuri Malina on 04/19/2010 [0 comments] · 0 requests
I am Yuri Malina, I am from france, and I am currently a 2nd year student at Northwestern University. I am emailing you because i am an often reader of Boxes & Arrows, but also because just over a year ago, I helped found an organization called Design For America at Northwestern. We are a st... more...
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Design behind an idea
by Jnanesh Kalbag on 04/14/2010 [0 comments] · 1 request
How does an idea originate? What is the intelligence and design behind the creation of an idea. These are some of the questions that intrigue me when I think about an Idea.Personally, I think Ideas are created when two or more entities that exist in different planes of creation/functionality/end-... more...
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Ego in the Enterprise
by Patrick Stapleton on 04/01/2010 [0 comments] · 1 request
Working in the area of software design, it’s probably not a surprise to hear that I spend a lot of time in front of my computer. It seems whether it is a work day or not, I am within the cornucopia of transactions that make up an online existence. The combined result of all this time spent ... more...
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Essence of Information Architecture
by Pande Kishore on 03/29/2010 [0 comments] · 0 requests
Essence of Information Architecture Information Architecture is the term used to describe the structure of a system, i.e the way information is grouped, the navigation methods, and terminology used within the system. An effective Information Architecture enables people to step logically through... more...
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The 10 Minute Content Inventory
by don bruns on 03/27/2010 [0 comments] · 18 requests
The content inventory is probably the most dreaded, mind-numbing, soul-sucking task that any user experience professional ever has to endure. I developed the 10 Minute Content Inventory to help take some of the pain out of creating content inventories. The 10 Minute Content Inventory is a semi-... more...
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Automatically Index a Content Inventory with GetUXIndex()
by don bruns on 03/27/2010 [0 comments] · 2 requests
My name is Don Bruns. I’m the Director of User Experience for Zaum Interactive in NYC. I’ve drafted an article that explains a new MS Excel function that I’ve developed that automatically generates the hierarchical Index number (e.g., 1.2.3.4) for every row in a content invent... more...
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Useful & Usable Don't Always Cut it
by Stephen Fishman on 03/23/2010 [0 comments] · 1 request
Collaboration and knowledge management projects have failed quite spectacularly for as long as I can remember in my professional history. While failing projects are nothing new in the industry, collaboration projects are different. Technology and user-centered design can enable collaboration bu... more...
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Modelling technique for Content Strategy
by David Gillis on 03/17/2010 [0 comments] · 1 request
IAs often have to deal with systemic and operational challenges of implementing dynamic content strategies within organizations. This is a modelling tool to make those challenges easier to deal with through a standardized notation. Hope others find it helpful! more...
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Convergence changing experience
by vinayd dixit on 03/05/2010 [0 comments] · 0 requests
We have seen or rather used many examples of product convergence wherein a couple of existing products/services come together and become available to us as one product. In this instance, convergence can be defined as interlinking of computing and other information technologies; media content; com... more...
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Get versus Bring: The Two Mental Models of the Web
by Hal Siegel on 02/23/2010 [0 comments] · 1 request
Having worked as a web designer for about fifteen years, I’ve always felt that there seemed to be two mental models that drive practically all user-interfaces. I finally wrote this up as a blog post, but I thought it could be further investigated as a proper story. Here is a summary: Ment... more...
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Designing for large companies: taming Goliath
by Alan Colville on 02/19/2010 [0 comments] · 2 requests
Large companies are the financial backbone of the web industry, but their size and complex organizational structure can make them challenging to work with. Having worked on both sides of the fence, I’ve seen great ideas become the casualties of this struggle between the proverbial David and Golia... more...
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Ovo Studios Launches Ovo Solo
by Keith Lutz on 02/15/2010 [0 comments] · 1 request
Hi – I’m with Ovo Studios, and we just released a new product called Ovo Solo for small usability teams and UX Consultants. I think the readership would be very interested to learn more, and we’d like to invite an editor of Boxes and Arrows to review the product. If you’... more...
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Pranav Mistry’s : The Thrilling Potential of SixthSense Technology – Future of Interface
by Ganesan Pitchaya on 02/08/2010 [0 comments] · 0 requests
UX’s, I recently bumped across Pranav Mistry’s Sixth Sense Technology which is going to change the whole dynamics of how the digital world and the real world operates. In Every technology update is usual. But SixthSense Technology could really revolutionize the entire computer and interactive... more...
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New Book: Focuses on the art of Building Great User Experience in Software
by maria krinsky on 01/28/2010 [3 comments] · 2 requests
I have a book you may be interested in checking out. “Effective UI: The Art of Building Great User Experience in Software,” is a comprehensive resource for business and product managers trying to get innovative products funded and successfully built, software professionals struggling to advance t... more...
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Need help
by Joan Godfrey on 01/14/2010 [1 comment] · 0 requests
Hiya,I was wondering if any of you designers could help with a very simple task which may be linked to an interactive prototype on powerpoint.I just stumbled across the article by one of disigners on your forum.Basically I want to do a presentation on falling in the elderly (I am a physiotherapis... more...
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3-Minute Video to Evangelize User Experience
by John Boykin on 01/10/2010 [0 comments] · 1 request
This piece would consist of a transcript of my 3-minute video to evangelize user experience: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dln9xDsmCoY Here’s how it starts:When I design a website, I don’t work directly for the people who are supposed to actually use it. In other words, as a user experie... more...
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Social Media
by Naisi Annand on 12/31/2009 [2 comments] · 1 request
How would social media change the world in 5 years? more...
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When to Let Go of Perfection: A True Story of Learning First and Polishing Later
by Dawn Nidy on 12/29/2009 [2 comments] · 7 requests
I’d like to talk about my personal journey of letting go as a designer. I launched a design that I knew wasn’t perfect to get early learnings while we proved if the business was viable. I didn’t do this in the lab. I did this by launching a product and having real people use ... more...
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Column Widths and Character Count
by James Wondrack on 12/23/2009 [2 comments] · 2 requests
Just wondering if anyone still reads boxesandarrows.com online (vs. feed). If so, are they as annoyed by the main content width as I am? I’m counting about 125 characters per line on average – about double what most typography style guides standards recommend including Robert Bringhur... more...
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Yes, You Should Design By Committee
by Eva Kaniasty on 12/21/2009 [1 comment] · 5 requests
When it comes to design, everybody has an opinion. We live with this reality every day. At worst, it results in incoherent designs that are a hodgepodge of stakeholder pet ideas and features. At best, it leads to a painful and conflict-ridden design process. But… it doesn’t have to be that wa... more...
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Visual Card Sorting
by Stephanie Lemieux on 12/10/2009 [4 comments] · 1 request
Just wrote a piece on visual card sorting as an educational tool as well as project info gathering mechanism during digital asset management taxonomy projects. With a little bit of a rewrite, might be a good piece for this forum. Stephanie more...
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Drag & Drop - What are the Rules?
by Alastair Roberts on 12/04/2009 [1 comment] · -1 requests
I’ve recently been depveloping a complex(ish) planning tool for delivery in a web environment. To meet the spec (idiots *can* be rocket scientists) I’m proposing a lot of drag & drop functionality (also easy to implement with SAP) but have hit a snag. No-one seems able to agree ... more...
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Controlling privacy in social networking software
by Matthew C. Clarke on 11/15/2009 [1 comment] · 5 requests
Among the challenges facing social networking software, concerns about security and privacy are becoming increasingly significant. In particular, even if we trust the social networking provider, the mechanisms for restricting who is allowed to see the information we publish are usually inadequate... more...
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Synchronous, Remote, Real-Time, Internet-based Usability Tests ... what for?
by tino truppel on 11/10/2009 [0 comments] · 3 requests
I am currently writing an article on the benefits of remote usability testing. The article will include some background info, requirements, current tool sets which are on the market and the benefits and downfalls of usability testing. I hope that there is sufficient interest on this subject! Th... more...
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7 Simple Rules to Lasting Success in the Mobile Space
by Nora Guerrera on 11/02/2009 [0 comments] · 14 requests
I have written an article outlining 7 simple rules to lasting success in the mobile space. It is both a brief introduction to “mobile” as well as a set of guidelines to how to create value in the mobile space through user-centered design and a solid understanding of the unique nature... more...
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Remote user research tool roundup
by Carol Allen on 10/30/2009 [3 comments] · 5 requests
In these crunched financial times, one way to save money on user research is through remote testing. I propose an article detailing current offerings in remote user research tools – from Adobe Connect to Yuuguu and more. Each tool would have a short list of pros and cons, platform compatibi... more...
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When it comes to content strategy is king
by Donald May on 10/17/2009 [0 comments] · 2 requests
For many clients, information architects and even content strategist, understanding what a content strategist does presents a bit of a conundrum. I’ve tried to present an overview in a recent blog. Take a look at my blog. My Blog more...
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[story idea] IA Survival Guide in a Hostile Context
by Sylvie Daumal on 10/14/2009 [0 comments] · 10 requests
How to practice IA when nobody around knows about it? How to work with professionals who have been making websites successfully for years but never heard about UCD? What to do when IA working time on a project is limited from some hours to some days, but is never as long as several weeks? That’s ... more...
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Migrating a Corporate Intranet to SharePoint
by Jen Hocko on 10/12/2009 [1 comment] · 5 requests
I’m a Usability Specialist who’s been working on migrating my company’s Intranet to SharePoint over the past couple years. I’ve written an article about what I’ve learned, and would like to share it with the wider community. One of my early reviewers suggested that t... more...
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Reporting Spam on Boxes and Arrows
by Bill Slawski on 10/11/2009 [0 comments] · 0 requests
Hi, I can’t find a contact form to contact you with other than this one. I just received comment spam on my blog that included a list of links to Boxes and Arrows profile pages filled with links and content about pills and other spammy content. One of the links is to: http://boxesan... more...
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Comment on Integrating Prototyping Into Your Design Process (suggested by Austin Govella)
by Richard Warzecha on 09/23/2009 [0 comments] · 0 requests
Fred, great article. I really like how you emphasize finding the appropriate level of prototype fidelity for the goal or, as you say early in the article, “how you can use them to choose the most effective prototyping method for the questions you need answered.” That’s perfect. You had me all g... more...
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Let the Brand Speak
by Raji Borthakur on 09/21/2009 [3 comments] · 6 requests
I have written an article about how brands speak. The emphasis is on the tone of voice of brand websites. The tone of voice (ToV) is one of the most important components of user experience – content strategy. In my article, I have shown how the right tone makes a difference to web conte... more...
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What Does a Content Strategist Do?
by Rahel Anne Bailie on 09/10/2009 [3 comments] · 7 requests
A while back, Rachel Lovinger wrote an article about content strategy, and 10 people said they’d like to see an article on what content strategists do. I’d like to write that article, as I’m answering this question by email on a weekly basis these days. (Just launched the STC Co... more...
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Designing Successful Touch Interfaces
by Paal Holter on 08/17/2009 [2 comments] · 7 requests
I have written an article to summarize my experience on designing touch interfaces. Would you be interested in looking through it and evaluate if it could be relevant to publish as a story? I am more than willing to change it to fit your format and standards, if you can guide me with your feedbac... more...
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The differences between reading on paper and reading on screens
by dan bloom on 08/17/2009 [9 comments] · 2 requests
I want to ask readers these questions below: and ask for reactions and comments and feedback. Danny BloomInternet usability consultantTaiwan 1. Since reading on paper is very different from reading on screens,do you think that at some point we might need a new word in Englishfor “readin... more...
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Minimizing Complexity in User Interfaces
by Tyler Tate on 08/15/2009 [2 comments] · 7 requests
Hello everyone! I’m interesting in writing an article about how to minimize real and perceived complexity in user interfaces. Complexity handled poorly leads to confusing, overwhelming interfaces. But when steps are taken to minimize complexity, a gratifying user experience emerges. My out... more...
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Eyetracking - Is it worth it?
by Jim Ross on 08/04/2009 [3 comments] · 3 requests
Does eyetracking really provide more than just pretty pictures? Can you learn anything from eyetracking that a good designer or usability professional wouldn’t learn anyway through experience and careful observation of people performing tasks? It’s easy to get excited about eyetrack... more...
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Reputation & Specialty
by Sam Cannon on 07/30/2009 [0 comments] · 1 request
Reputation here is brilliant. Maslow would approve! A way to percolate the population into a good brew for growth. I would suggest another more horizontal factor which might help to give color and form: specialty (however that might be defined). E.g. medical, computer, writer, but most impor... more...
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Maslow's B-values in Context
by Sam Cannon on 07/30/2009 [0 comments] · 0 requests
If Maslow was correct, all ontologies don’t end up in a single nidus. All human values are not equally shared throughout the species. In design, it would seem to make good sense to examine Maslow’s B-values (easily found in the B-web or by following the orthomentor). He reminds us... more...
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Review of Chalkmark and Treejack - new IA evaluation tools
by Jim Ross on 07/30/2009 [1 comment] · 2 requests
I would like to write a review of two new IA evaluation tools from Optimal Workshop – Chalkmark and Treejack. These online tools allow you to quickly and easily get feedback on your information architecture and design. Treejack gives participants tasks to find things within a clickable tr... more...
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Helping out
by Mary Deaton on 07/28/2009 [0 comments] · 1 request
I would love to work with authors as an editor or production editor. I think I have the bandwidth for handling a couple stories a month. If you need to know more about me, go to www.mmdeaton.com. Mary Deaton more...
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Fix spam on Ideas page
by Noreen Whysel on 07/21/2009 [1 comment] · 1 request
Looks like you’ve been hit by shoe store spam. Look at Ideas page. Noreen Whysel more...
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Advertising’s New Mantra: ReDesign the Experience
by Ross Popoff-Walker on 07/10/2009 [1 comment] · 0 requests
I’d like to repost an article I wrote that explains why UX is important to advertising and traditional agencies. Let me know if you’re interested, and thanks,-ross ross.spw@gmail.com more...
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User-Testing the quality of icons
by Björn Balazs on 07/06/2009 [0 comments] · 6 requests
Icons are key-elements in modern interfaces. They are small and save space by that. And they are intuitive, appealing and self-explanatory. Are they really? How do we know? The web-based Icon Usability-Test can be used to answer this question. Use it to identify the best metaphor for your ico... more...
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Building trust on e-Commerce homepages for first time visitors
by Shazeeye Kirmani on 06/30/2009 [0 comments] · 4 requests
An eye tracking research studies the elements first time visitors look for on e-Commerce homepages to build trust. Eighteen participants looked at four e-Commerce homepages and identified 26 elements of trust. Results indicated presence and visibility of elements are critical factors in building ... more...
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Top 5 iPhone design mistakes
by Alexander Komarov on 06/30/2009 [2 comments] · 15 requests
Recently I conducted a survey of 100 apps from the AppStore and identified the five most frequent iPhone design and usability mistakes. I am planning to write 5 articles—one per each mistake. Here’s number 5: Overdesign. more...
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Feeding the hunger for prototypes
by Patrick Stapleton on 06/29/2009 [0 comments] · 0 requests
The acceptance of rich Internet application (RIA) technologies such as AJAX and Flex is almost complete. These technologies bring with them a raft of new interaction possibilities, that it would seem, can only be truly understood when experienced in context. So while RIA technologies hand the des... more...
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Making your product manager your best friend and ally
by Aline Baeck on 06/12/2009 [0 comments] · 4 requests
Much has been written on the relationship between designers and engineers, but the care and feeding of our product management partners is just as rewarding. It may even be better for our careers. Want to hear what I’ve learned: mistakes I’ve made, and strategies I’ve developed? more...
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Is There A Place for IA in SharePoint
by Jim Kauffman on 06/11/2009 [0 comments] · 1 request
I’m currently involved in a SharePoint 2007 project at a major financial services firm. I’ve been learning that despite SharePoint having a built-in IA, there’s still plenty for an Information Architect to contribute. more...
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research paper on the actual effectiveness of using personas
by frank long on 05/27/2009 [0 comments] · 4 requests
During the course of my literature review on the subject of personas, I found that despite the growing popularity of the methodology, comparatively little has been published on the subject (with the exception of Cooper and a small number of other practitioners), much of this has been written form... more...
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Digital Paper Prototyping
by David Poteet on 05/18/2009 [1 comment] · 3 requests
Sometimes the best ideas are born out of last minute necessity. We had an experience recently that led to a great new technique for conducting paper prototypes without the paper. It gives us many of the advantages of paper prototyping but it can even be done remotely. We were working in January... more...
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Proxemics as a Way of Communication
by Peg Robinson on 05/11/2009 [1 comment] · 1 request
Proxemics as a Way of Communication more...
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Get the led out: Lead vs. led
by Jude me on 05/08/2009 [0 comments] · -1 requests
While reading your IA Summit page, I could only read so far… Jeff Parks is the Podcast Editor for Boxes and Arrows and the President of i.a. consultants. Jeff has over fifteen years experience in the Government, Non-Profit, and Private Sectors creating goal-oriented solutions as an Inform... more...
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I have a question about the IA SUMMIT 2009
by Matthew Martin on 05/04/2009 [1 comment] · 0 requests
I would like to get more information on the presentation at the IA SUMMIT “Gaming the Design: Using Game Design Techniques in the Realm of Investing” I listened to the podcast, but would like the slides or the paper if created. How would I go about contacting the Authors? or do they ... more...
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Spectrum of prototyping
by Uday Gajendar on 05/02/2009 [0 comments] · 4 requests
This article idea is based upon a diagram I created last year for my former design team at Cisco, visually explaining how there exist different types of prototypes useful at different phases of the design process, embodying a kind of spectrum from “Play” to “Propose” to ... more...
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A Typology of Design Practice
by Uday Gajendar on 05/02/2009 [0 comments] · 0 requests
Per my own professional experience of the last 8+ years in Silicon Valley across different organizations, companies, and agencies, this article offers a review of the types of design practice, in terms of how design can function in an organization, various pros/cons of different roles, etc. For... more...
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Core User Interface Design Principles
by Uday Gajendar on 05/02/2009 [0 comments] · 9 requests
A brief primer on the core design principles (visual design, information architecture, and interaction design) that comprise the successful creation of a digital software interface (for web, desktop, device, mobile, etc.), largely based upon a course I teach at San Jose State University on UI Fun... more...
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Keys to Successful Collaborative Design Sessions
by Joseph Selbie on 04/27/2009 [3 comments] · 7 requests
Collaborative white-board style experience design sessions can be one of the biggest single contributors to great experience design. Yet most teams shun them like the plague. While there is nothing quite as good as a good collaborative session, there’s also nothing quite as bad as bad one. ... more...
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How to get better results from developers
by Jonathon Juvenal on 04/24/2009 [1 comment] · 2 requests
(This is a post I wrote to my local IxDA group, thought it might be worth submitting to boxes and arrows) Earlier this week at the local Utah IxDA meeting and over the last while at various places I’ve heard the topic of how to deal with developers come up. I was thinking about it and rea... more...
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Making a case against the use of Personas
by chuck kukla on 04/06/2009 [1 comment] · 9 requests
Are personas really that useful? Are personas an easy way to avoid good field research? Would an in-depth look at current practice and alternatives be useful to the community? more...
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Coaching and working as UX team lead
by Joan Vermette on 04/01/2009 [0 comments] · 2 requests
While working on a site for a friend who is starting up her practice as an executive and team coach, I’ve been thinking about how much working with clients is like coaching. Coaching is about helping people clarify their desires, envision their futures, develop a concrete plan towards ach... more...
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Data Driven Design
by David Shen on 04/01/2009 [0 comments] · 3 requests
There were a number of posts and stories across the net about how Google’s data driven design is not how design should be done, and that it’s data driven environment is unfriendly to designers. I’d love to see more on this topic. While I totally believe in the use of intuition ... more...
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ZER01 Announces "Build Your Own World" Visual Design Competition
by Carla Turturici on 03/25/2009 [0 comments] · 0 requests
Emerging Designers from Around the Globe Invited to Create Graphics for 2010 01SJ Biennial— Submission Deadline: May 29, 2009— SAN JOSE, Calif. (April 1, 2009) – ZER01: The Art & Technology Network, producers of the 01SJ Biennial: a Global Festival of Art on the Edge which celebrates the ... more...
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Wireframing in an Agile Environment: The Dynamic Product Specification
by David VanEsselstyn on 03/23/2009 [1 comment] · 8 requests
This is an article that presents a new method for communicating sitemaps, wireframes and domain rules that is particulary designed for Agile based development teams. The technique was developed in response to our company’s change-over to Agile methods, and has been used with positive resul... more...
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Information Design Conference 2009. 2-3 April.
by John Alexander on 03/16/2009 [0 comments] · 0 requests
The Information Design Association in the UK is pleased to announce thatIDC 2009 is open for registration.This year’s conference offers an exciting variety of case-studies fromdesign practitioners and their customers, reports from researchers, andthought-provoking reflections on the princip... more...
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First, Satisfy the Cat
by John Boykin on 03/15/2009 [0 comments] · 2 requests
This piece takes a provocative approach to the priorities at the heart of user-centered design. It elaborates on the analogy that, as a Web designer, I am in the business of selling cat food. The cats don’t give me jobs or money. But they are the ones whom ultimately I must satisfy. Pleas... more...
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Missing Comments
by Jonathan Baker-Bates on 03/13/2009 [1 comment] · 0 requests
... more...
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Human Factors Teaser for Information Architects
by Alexis Antonelli on 03/07/2009 [0 comments] · 6 requests
Brief explanation of some basic Human Factors concepts as they relate to UX design including Visual Systems, Perceptual Systems, and Memory. The goal is to help IA’s who haven’t learned about the science of Human Factors to learn some basics and become interested in learning more. more...
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Discover the best of PHP
by Girish R on 03/02/2009 [0 comments] · 0 requests
abcphp.com is a social news website made for people to discover and share PHP related content from anywhere on the Internet, by submitting links and stories, and voting and commenting on submitted links and stories. more...
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Asynchronous Reporting System
by Patrick Stapleton on 03/01/2009 [0 comments] · 0 requests
This document describes a system to reuse edocs stack XML output capability as the basis for asynchronous report creation. As such this system represents a light weight solution to reporting for very large customers in comparison with the online analytics support within eBilling which requires co... more...
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UX of new Airlines boarding pass
by Brian Suda on 02/27/2009 [0 comments] · 8 requests
Recently, I redesigned a boarding pass for a large international airlines. I have written a sort of case-study of the process and what UI and UX obstacles we had to overcome and new ideas we introduced into the printable boarding pass. more...
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A groundbreaking new UI approach to travel search
by Andrew Dudley on 02/19/2009 [0 comments] · 1 request
Hello, I’m writing to let you (and the readers of Boxes and Arrows) know about our new website Tripeedo (www.tripeedo.com), offering a faster, easier flight search experience. Tripeedo uses some innovative UI elements to simplify and speed up the process of searching for airfares online,... more...
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Product Development Risk Factors
by chuck kukla on 02/13/2009 [0 comments] · 0 requests
Designing for the Imaginary User is one of the risks product developers often do not realize. Another factor that is not often realized is that any new product will displace something. We know today that the radio is a vital tool for the navy. It took about 20 years (circa 1919) for the radio to... more...
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New Paperback of Alex Wright's "Glut"
by Jonathan Hall on 02/11/2009 [0 comments] · 0 requests
Hello Folks at Boxes and Arrows, We know that many of you, and your readers, are fans of Alex Wright’s book, “Glut: Mastering Information Through the Ages.” We just wanted to let you know that it is now available in affordable paperback from Cornell University Press. http:/... more...
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Why is searching so difficult to learn?
by Jorgen Dalen on 02/08/2009 [0 comments] · 1 request
Why is searching so difficult to learn? Research has shown little change in search behavior over the last years. Search engines have improved greatly, people haven’t. Why? Is it because users have a poor understanding of search systems, or is it because every search act is unique so there is li... more...
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Build a Better Application Dashboard
by Ben Zipkin on 02/03/2009 [1 comment] · 10 requests
The dashboard experience is back and bigger than ever. As interactive applications expand to support large data sets, increased performance capacity, and integrated business intelligence, the concept of the “application dashboard” will continue to be an important element of the user experience. ... more...
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Workshops ‘participatory methods’ to involve stakeholders in the development process:
by atul manohar on 02/02/2009 [1 comment] · 1 request
Workshops ‘participatory methods’ to involve stakeholders in the development process:1) Introduction2) Types of workshops thru the development cycle3) Key benefits of workshop methodology——————————- 1) IntroductionThe devel... more...
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Interview: UXD at the BBC
by Kevin Stone on 01/27/2009 [1 comment] · 4 requests
I would like to conduct an interview with the head of User Experience & Design at the BBC. Despite being one of the most well known organisations throughout the world, very little is known of there role within user experience design (in spite of having a very large UX team). This article wo... more...
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You Don’t Have to Know Where You’re Going to Have a Great Career ... the tale of a Technical Writer turned Instructor, turned Usability Professional
by Martha Roden on 01/20/2009 [4 comments] · 7 requests
Jan. 29, 2009 Back on 01/18/2007/01/18, Theresa Putkey suggested an idea for a story about “Using Technical Communication Skills in User Experience.” 8 people wanted the story or asked for it, but no one ever wrote it … that is until I did. However, I have been unable to f... more...
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picking the right agency
by Shawn Smith on 01/16/2009 [0 comments] · 1 request
I’ve been involved in a couple of projects that went south in part because the agency really wasn’t the right one for the job. As ad agencies scramble to build “digital” arms, they’re winning and tackling projects they have no business working on. A microsite is one ... more...
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Ergonomics for Interaction Designers
by Rob Tannen on 01/14/2009 [0 comments] · 7 requests
The continuing convergence of digital interfaces with physical products is putting interaction designers in a position where knowledge of anthropometrics, kinesthetics, and other non-cognitive human capabilities is valuable for creating effective design solutions. more...
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Interface Sells, Dummy
by Andres Zapata on 01/13/2009 [1 comment] · 4 requests
What do the Apply iPhone, Blackberry Storm, Google G1, Samsung Instinct, Nokia Tube 5800, Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1, LG Vu, and countless other phones have in common? A lot, but in the end, nothing at all. Yes, they all are mobile phones with touch screen technologies. But that’s about a... more...
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THE quick and easy way to create mockups
by Arvind Ashok on 01/07/2009 [1 comment] · 8 requests
A lot of designers, including me, use many prototyping tools. Paper prototyping is a very valuable tool as it is quick and easy, as compared to using an online tool. But converting this to a digital form is painful, either by taking photos or making a version 2 with the mockup tool of choice.I re... more...
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Communication languages through schematics
by Laura Stephens on 01/06/2009 [0 comments] · 0 requests
So in the world of Information Architecture one of our key responsibilities is to make sure we attribute the correct percentages and real estate of a given page to the appropriate items. We learn this through client interviews and knowledge gained in the requirements phase, there is a lot of kno... more...
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Brutal Simplicity: Learning from the Smart Phone Experience
by mark berinato on 12/11/2008 [2 comments] · 7 requests
From screen taps to downloadable apps, smart phones have changed our expectations for how we interact with information on our mobile devices. But, how will this new generation of mobile experiences influence the design of web-based experiences? This article will explore potential futures for ... more...
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“Graphical Checklist with Required Interaction” is Effective in Promoting Best Practices in the Off-Line Portion of the Total User Experience
by Greg Nudelman on 12/09/2008 [2 comments] · 6 requests
AbstractInternet users are notoriously busy and goal-focused, so they ignore the majority of help content and learn complex off-line processes by trial and error, which frequently results in a frustrating holistic experience. The new “Graphical Checklist with Required Interaction” design pattern ... more...
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Treasure Hunt Model for Route Navigation
by Adesh Singh on 12/04/2008 [0 comments] · 0 requests
I came accross this idea in a design competition. Considering the traffic situation and city infrastructure in Bangalore, this idea seems feasible and effective for new visitors to the city. This idea highlights the use of non-map based navigation within a city, using the model of classic ̵... more...
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Review of "Press On: Principles of Interaction Programming" by Harold Thimbleby
by Patrick Dubroy on 12/03/2008 [1 comment] · 1 request
A few months ago, I read Harold Thimbleby’s new book, “Press On: Principles of Interaction Programming” (http://tinyurl.com/5dn6y7). According to Thimbleby, the term “interaction programming” challenges the view that the interface should be created by designers and... more...
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Uncertainity in Usability Testing
by chuck kukla on 12/02/2008 [0 comments] · 3 requests
A small informal research group at MIT has been developing strategies and techniques for analyzing and designing workplaces. Our approach is holistic and ecological that involves product designers, architects, human resource professionals, facility managers etc. Since usability testing is invol... more...
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Tranning
by Gaurav Maheshwari on 11/26/2008 [1 comment] · 0 requests
Technical tranning is important but more important is domian knowledge.domain tranning program is very usefull. more...
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The free world wide web
by Chris Wright on 11/24/2008 [0 comments] · 0 requests
I’d like to propose an opinion lead piece, designed to generate some debate amongst your readers. A brief outline is: “Analysing a typical foray onto the web one day I noticed something striking. As I jumped from Gmail to Facebook, via flickr and Youtube, I realised I didn’... more...
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A rapid sketching story
by Henk Wijnholds on 11/22/2008 [0 comments] · 2 requests
By telling 2 stories (client cases), I will explain how project teams can benefit from using only pencil and paper during concept design sessions. Story summary * First time sketching experience for me (5 years ago) * How presents make us happy and creative * Five types of language (word, syste... more...
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Questioning the Personal Computer design?
by Rohan Sandeep on 11/05/2008 [0 comments] · 4 requests
In Offices, Garages, Kitchens, Drawing rooms and almost every other place people can carry them. Computers have captured almost every single aspect of human existence. In contrast the ‘Person Computer’ design has changed little to the different contexts of use. Can Personal Computer d... more...
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Reframing Usability Testing
by chuck kukla on 11/04/2008 [0 comments] · 2 requests
Usability testing has been the subject of many talks at our local Usability Professional Association meetings as well as at the local Sigchi meetings. None of these talks addressed the underlying framework of how these tests are designed, developed and executed. A discussion on re-framing I belie... more...
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Collaborate Like a Grown-Up: How to Set Up and Use A Version Control System
by Yaniv Nord on 11/03/2008 [1 comment] · 6 requests
Many design teams are still using directory structures and complex file names to keep track of their document versions. There are even some who (gasp) email files to their teammates. A better way to manage and track the development of your design documents exists: the version control system. This... more...
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TripIt!
by Charlie Kondek on 10/27/2008 [0 comments] · -1 requests
Hi, guys. Ever heard of TripIt? TripIt.com is a personal travel assistant that automatically organizes all your travel plans in one place. Travelers can access their itineraries online or via a mobile device and share their trips with friends and colleagues. TripIt is in Beta, and has won a lot o... more...
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Real-Time, Quantitative Capture of User Response to Streaming Content
by Ezra Schwartz on 10/20/2008 [1 comment] · 1 request
capture in real-time participants’ response to streaming content as well as their engagement levels throughout the presentation… more...
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Feature -> Objective Chain diagrams
by Philip Haine on 10/17/2008 [2 comments] · 3 requests
Feature -> Objective chain diagrams are a simple way of charting out the “why’s” behind a design or product vision initiative. For example, why add that feature? To make it more streamlined for power users -> to have them tout the product -> to get free marketing -&g... more...
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Attention – Analogy of Website’s Layout effectiveness
by sathish sampath on 10/10/2008 [1 comment] · 1 request
The Web Semiotics angle of persuasion for Web Design/Web layout Design and its persuasion factor (captology) more...
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Optimizing IxD for Video Search
by Jon Kranz on 10/09/2008 [2 comments] · 5 requests
Have you heard of VSEO (Video Search Engine Optimization)? Google is now ranking relevant videos ahead of text results, and this creates a large opportunity. At the Digital Dealer conference in Grapevine, TX, Shaun Raines of Dealer Advisor demonstrated how he could create a video, post it to mul... more...
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Captology and VALS - can they combine to give a new user experience chart?
by sathish sampath on 10/01/2008 [1 comment] · 0 requests
Captology – the era of persuasive mechanism for identifying behaviours of technology users, and VALS the life style segmentation technique to group the Audience users are something which has already proved the industry with their concepts. Think of a leverage of advantages of both to deriv... more...
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Converting Paper to Web Forms, When to redesign and when to mimic the original
by Trevor Bollers on 09/29/2008 [0 comments] · 2 requests
I recently asked a question on linked in about the design of web forms that are based on an existing paper form. My view of the situation was that the paper layout was constrained by space and therefore not suited to the web because of technologies that allow for spacing and chunking of informat... more...
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Comment on Getting a Form's Structure Right: Designing Usable Online Email Applications (suggested by sathish sampath)
by sathish sampath on 09/25/2008 [0 comments] · 0 requests
Absolutely fantastic article. This can actually be a checklist with few more addition which i would probably add to this for any webarchitect who is incharge of creating a website for his client. an idea or a schema – whatever may be the case and findings. the fact remains the same that ... more...
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UIs and Cognitive Style
by Kim Forthofer on 09/18/2008 [1 comment] · 0 requests
I work for the Mouse Genome Informatics web site as an analyst. Our primary audiences are biologists, geneticists, medical doctors, and others who do or research genetics data for laboratory mice. I think I’d like to develop cognitive user profile(s) to inform design of our query forms, ... more...
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Revisting the development of the TOTE model
by chuck kukla on 09/09/2008 [0 comments] · 0 requests
The book “Plans and the Structure of Behavior” when published in 1960 provided a new way to look at behavior. The book is most famous for the introduction of the TOTE (test, operate, test exit) model for looking a behavior. The book addressed not just individual behavior but also soci... more...
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How IA can help marketers accomplish their goals
by Daniel Montano on 09/05/2008 [1 comment] · 3 requests
I have recently read a few blog postings by marketing folks about IA and UXD in general. Some of these blog postings show a clear misunderstanding of what IA is in general and what it can do for marketers. It’s important for marketing folks to understand what we do and how we can help the... more...
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Comment on Comics: Not just for laughs! (suggested by Shayne Neal)
by Shayne Neal on 09/02/2008 [0 comments] · 0 requests
I read this article last week and found it very insightful. I ended up spending several hours going through links via all the comments and was very pleased with the amount of information. I also thought it was suiting to post Googles new – soon-to-be-uber-famous cartoon… http://ww... more...
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Usability testing for the rest of us
by Shahar Hesse on 09/02/2008 [0 comments] · 2 requests
What do you do if you’re working in a small company that doesn’t provide the time or budget for testing how you know you should? 3 (or 5) options for effective usability testing on the cheap. more...
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Semantic Technology & IA
by Daniel Maycock on 09/01/2008 [0 comments] · 4 requests
Idea is to throw out some ideas about how people in the IA space and utilize the power of the growing field of Semantic Technology more...
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Together yet Divided
by Daniel Maycock on 09/01/2008 [0 comments] · 2 requests
Large corporations are meant to be a single operating unit, all driving down to a set of core things that make people an employee of such-and-such. Yet, when a corporation grows too fast, different parts of the company become islands to themselves (through mergers, offshore relocation, etc). So w... more...
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Designing Your Own Search Experience
by Ben Zipkin on 08/26/2008 [2 comments] · 2 requests
I’ve been working on a new research concept and prototype that will illustrate some future directions of search engines. New emerging technologies like the semantic web, RDF, the mobile web, and social media may open up unprecedented opportunities for controlling the ebb and flow of information. ... more...
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Protoshare
by Blake Johnson on 08/15/2008 [1 comment] · 2 requests
ProtoShare is a collaborative web development tool that enables companies and interactive shops to easily build dynamic and navigable website prototypes that team members can review and comment on in real-time. Once the ProtoShare process of prototyping and collaboration is finished, the website ... more...
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The business of design
by Seth Banks on 08/14/2008 [0 comments] · 3 requests
Handling the business aspects of a design consultancy can be difficult for many startups and freelancers. Many of us go through the same struggles:Creating estimates / quotes for new projectsTracking time and costs for yourself and your employeesInvoicing and getting paid on time I’ve wri... more...
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Aesthetics of User Interfaces
by Gaurav Anand on 08/11/2008 [0 comments] · 4 requests
I am a masters student of Human-Computer Interaction and Information Economics at School of Information at University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Prior to coming to graduate school, I have attained professional experience in the field of UI design. Some of my work samples can be seen at http://www.c... more...
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Digital altruism and the riddle of anonymous online samaritans
by Christopher Grant on 08/11/2008 [0 comments] · 0 requests
In this blog post I use argue that digital altruism is one of the key motivating factors for contributing to an virtual communities. Altruism because it’s all about the self-interest defying need to move outside of the market space that dominates more and more of our lives, to do something that f... more...
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Review of Aurora Browser
by Justin Kerr on 08/08/2008 [0 comments] · 1 request
A comprehensive review of Mozilla Labs’ conceptual browser, Aurora. more...
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Fix the House Style Guide
by Andy Polaine on 08/08/2008 [0 comments] · 0 requests
It would be nice to have another place to contact you folks, though it’s probably deliberate that there isn’t one. So… The link to the House Style Guide in the body text of About Boxes and Arrows is the wrong URL. It links to a version with an underscore when it needs an endas... more...
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Vivaty Launches Dev Program For Creating Vivaty Scenes Content
by M Soto on 08/07/2008 [0 comments] · 0 requests
San Francisco-based developer Vivaty has launched Vivaty Create, the “pilot phase” of a new developer program designed to encourage developers to create content for its Vivaty Scenes platform. Recently brought into public beta, Vivaty Scenes utilizes Vivaty’s 3D spaces platfor... more...
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FYI - small typo on your About page
by Cameron McCarter on 08/04/2008 [0 comments] · 0 requests
Greetings, I’m new to your site and very pleased to have come across it! I apologize for not being able to find the appropriate medium to send this, however I wanted to point out that I see a URL typo on your About page where you link to “house styleguide” in the content sec... more...
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RSS Feed broken
by Jens Jacobsen on 07/30/2008 [0 comments] · 0 requests
Hi,this is the wrong form, but I coud not find any better….The link for the ideas feed seems to be broken on the web page with this url:http://www.boxesandarrows.com/idea It reads:feed://www.boxesandarrows.com/idea For me it only works, when I use:feed://www.boxesandarrows.com/idea/rss.... more...
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Enterprise 2.0 Applications
by Biswa Dutta Jena on 07/28/2008 [0 comments] · 3 requests
Web 2.0 philosophy is great. It is revolutionizing the present online experience. But it is not always easy to think about Web 2.0 in Enterprises; especially in Financial Sectors. The whole bunch of jargons like user requirements, usability, interactions, IA, socialization and security concerns b... more...
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The Color Orange and Nonprofit
by Chris Bell on 07/25/2008 [0 comments] · 1 request
This article will analyze a trend of using orange as a dominant color in web design for nonprofit organizations. The motives of the designers, responses from users, and relative principles of color theory will be used to justify the merit of orange as an active design agent. The analysis will p... more...
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Freedom of choice
by Manny Calero on 07/25/2008 [0 comments] · 0 requests
Ok, last submission for now. This essay discusses choices in customer experiences. More information, more functionality, more bandwith, has resulted in users and consumers facing more choices than ever before. Is that a good thing? more...
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Fail!
by Manny Calero on 07/25/2008 [0 comments] · 0 requests
This essay comments on the willingness designers have to create great experiences. There is a lot of frustration at the lack of support from clients, the lack of trust from partners, the pervasiveness of dull working spaces… yet the biggest opportunity lies with the individual designer, not... more...
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RIP: My Yahoo
by Manny Calero on 07/25/2008 [0 comments] · 0 requests
Hi guys… I started writing short essays on user experiences. This piece, titled RIP: My Yahoo, critiques the approach Yahoo has taken with its My Yahoo service, and why in my opinion it is no longer a best-in-class user experience. Let me know if you are interested in this type of content. ... more...
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Wireframes in HTML & PowerPoint
by H Rivers on 07/23/2008 [1 comment] · 11 requests
A skilled combination of Powerpoint and a little HTML (mainly for tables) can make wire frame concepts that are: created quickly, easy to share, easy to change, and can look almost like the real thing. I’ve been using PPT for mockups for years and whenever I show them to clients (or other... more...
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Innovation Retreat: A Real Story about Finding Time to Focus on Innovation
by Stephanie L. Trunzo on 07/23/2008 [0 comments] · 4 requests
If you want to find the time amidst demanding release schedules, and back-to-back meetings to focus on innovation, you need to get innovate in your approach. This article would be a case study of how an IBM team organizes an internal innovation retreat to capture creativity and fuel ideas for t... more...
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Technical Writer 2.0: The Evolution of the Writer's Role in a Collaborative Web
by Stephanie L. Trunzo on 07/23/2008 [0 comments] · 2 requests
As knowledge management trends towards the collaborative and community-based, the role of the traditional technical writer must evolve. We have seen stages of evolution over the years, even moving from print to web. Rather than providing static documents, information developers became user assist... more...
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Introducing ProtoShare
by Peter Weiss on 07/22/2008 [1 comment] · 0 requests
We wanted you to have an advance copy of our press release as you may find it useful. Here it is: Site9 Launches, ProtoShare: The First Website Prototyping Tool to Offer Online Collaboration on Clickable Wireframes Portland, Oregon—(BUSINESS WIRE)—July 23, 2008—Site9, a Portland, Oregon based... more...
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REquest of translate permission
by Konstantin Melnikov on 07/20/2008 [0 comments] · 0 requests
Sorry, for this question HERE, but i can’t find another contact information. Can I translate some articles of B&A on Russian, for publish on Nomagic.ru? more...
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System Interaction Diagrams – A Multi-Purpose Tool for System Design
by Aaron Mooney on 07/17/2008 [1 comment] · 4 requests
User Experience (UX) practitioners, in general, strive to employ user research methods as a means of gathering user requirements, and in many cases, functional requirements. Organizational issues, such as internal politics, poorly defined project goals, commission-based employees, and a poor und... more...
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Defining Narrative Design
by Stephen Dinehart on 07/14/2008 [3 comments] · 1 request
I would like to spit-my-spattle about the design of interactive narrative, and argue that it requires more than ‘writing’ but a expression of keen design sensibilities, in an effort to better communicate with the viewer/user/player (VUP). more...
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Mapping Social Innovation
by Daniel F. Bassill on 07/13/2008 [0 comments] · 0 requests
I have been piloting uses of Geographic Information Systems to create maps of Chicago showing areas of high poverty and poorly performing schools. These maps are linked to a database of volunteer-based tutoring/mentoring programs which operate in different neighborhoods. By hosting the maps and... more...
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Comment on Building the UX Dreamteam - Part 2 (suggested by Christina Wodtke)
by Dan Willis on 07/12/2008 [0 comments] · 0 requests
Dan Willis said “Nice work on this article!While I’m digging most of what you say, I’m a bit uncomfortable with your overview of innies vs. outties, specifically the requirements you give for in-house staff. You write: “those building in-house teams should discount candida... more...
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The Gray Ghost of Dead Man's Curve
by Margaret Spsrigle on 07/10/2008 [0 comments] · 0 requests
I have written an essay that I would like to have published in a magazine. How do I proceed in this endeavor? Margaret Sprigle more...
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The what when and why of wireframes
by James Kelway on 07/10/2008 [5 comments] · 9 requests
I have had a fair amount of interest around this post so I thought I would share it here. It basically goes through the different types of wireframes that can be done, the benefits and when to use. It has been covered I imagine but may be a good article to get some discussions on a subject. Whoev... more...
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house styleguide 'does not exist'
by Gareth Morgan on 07/09/2008 [1 comment] · 0 requests
the link to the house styleguide on the ‘About’ page points to a page that doesn’t exist. I’d really like it to exist as I am working on the first article I have written that I think might be worth submitting, and I’m sure it’ll need some harmonization. tha... more...
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Geert Hofstede's Dimensions of Culture
by Tomasz Neugebauer on 07/02/2008 [3 comments] · 4 requests
Geert Hofstede defined cultural dimensions based on his study of IBM employees in more than 70 countries in the 60s and 70s. The cultural dimensions defined through his analysis have been validated by subsequent studies and applied to interface evaluation and design. I propose an article that s... more...
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using social networks in disaster preparedness
by jonathan soroko on 06/28/2008 [2 comments] · 3 requests
I write and am active in community-based disaster preparedness; I’m also a consultant to the Disaster Accountability Project. We’re trying to come up with ways of analyzing community structure to come up with networks – a la Paul Baran – which are redundant, self-repairi... more...
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Usability Challenge 2008
by Darren Menachemson on 06/14/2008 [2 comments] · 2 requests
G’day, wonderful people at BoxesandArrows On 1 August 2008, we are asking anyone with a passion for usability to solve a usability problem…any usability problem at all…and help make the world a better/safer/less annoying place. We’ve called it Usability Challenge 2008 ... more...
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Rethinking Task Analysis and Modeling
by chuck kukla on 06/11/2008 [3 comments] · 2 requests
By adding only four additional pieces of data to the traditional ways of task modeling, work flowing modeling or process modeling will result in a better way of evaluating interface design in a more holistic way. A more holistic model of work will result in developing more relevant use-cases an... more...
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10 Things You Already Know About Forms
by Matthew Zuckman on 06/10/2008 [1 comment] · 2 requests
I am working on an article for our company to brief our design and technical teams on online form design and implementation. While this has be discussed before, I think I have a few unique points to make towards the marketing aspects of form design. The peer review would be an excellent way for m... more...
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Innovation in the Medical Field - An Interview with [the CEO] of [a Medical Corporation]
by Russ Unger on 06/01/2008 [0 comments] · 4 requests
Question and Answer with the CEO of a Medical Corporation explaining how technology and focus on the extended, not-in-the-office User Experience (and the regular one, of course) has improved patient relations. more...
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OOW
by Patrick Stapleton on 05/15/2008 [0 comments] · 2 requests
On the odd occaision when someone asks me give advice on their application or website I seem to be spending an increasing percentage of my time describing the benefits of integration with pre-existing web services. I’m talking about the Google suite of tools, things like Formsite and Youtub... more...
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Enabling Work Practice
by chuck kukla on 05/14/2008 [0 comments] · 4 requests
The Distributed Work research group at MIT just recently published its report“Enabling Work Practice”. The essence of this report suggests that knowledge-based approaches to improving work are useful only if the ability of a firm to use this knowledge is also addressed. Knowledge begets capabi... more...
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Comment on Extreme User Research (suggested by Andres Zapata)
by Andres Zapata on 05/03/2008 [0 comments] · 1 request
Interesting article, than you! We’ve had great success with similar techniques, it’s great to see that procedural patterns are beginning to develop around these activities. It becomes easier to convince clients that stuff like this is a good idea when more and more IAs are following a similar pat... more...
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Designing the Forward-Thinking CRM Application: Lessons Learned from Competitive and Market Analysis
by Mickey Moran on 04/28/2008 [0 comments] · 1 request
The basis of any effective User Experience strategy begins, not just with a deep understanding of the brand and the product, but of competitor landscape and relevant market trends as well. This conversation is related to the results obtained in competitive and market analysis generated for a clie... more...
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Designer's Bias
by Apara Ranjan on 04/22/2008 [1 comment] · 0 requests
Well I am interseted to know about designers Bias which comes into picture while designing. We focus lot on users..which is good!! Despite of all ..designer is the person who designs based on data….but still interpretation of data ….thought he puts in for design ….can all be bia... more...
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Desgining for Fragmented Experiences
by Aynne Valencia on 04/22/2008 [0 comments] · 2 requests
Our agency has been working on multiple projects/campaigns that span over multiple websites (both 3rd party and sites we create), multiple mobile sites, print and sometimes real-world interactive experiences. My colleague, Guillermo Torres and I are in the process of putting together a series of... more...
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WantMaps - A simple tool for expressing diversity
by Andrew Boyd on 04/17/2008 [0 comments] · 2 requests
Most projects have competing needs from different stakeholders – corporate management wants a product that makes them look good, project management wants it delivered on time and under budget, and the end users just want the darn thing to work. WantMaps are a simple tool for expressing di... more...
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Error Message Best Practices
by Trevor Bollers on 04/16/2008 [2 comments] · 3 requests
This may have already been done but it is what I am looking for and I think there needs to be more discuss about this topic. In working on projects that are form intensive I have found the need to have very clear and consice error messages that accomplish these goals. 1) help my user identify... more...
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Exprience Strategy
by Jon Montenegro on 04/16/2008 [0 comments] · 2 requests
I would like to read more about Experience Strategy, methodologies and how others sell Experience Strategy as the driving force for any client engagement. more...
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What Makes People Tick
by Alexander Muir on 04/11/2008 [0 comments] · 1 request
Designing a compelling UX requires you understand what makes your audience tick. But what does it ‘making them tick’ mean?This story would describe 2 great models for this: Chip Conley’s Pyramid – based Maslows hierarchy, and also Dr Clotaire Rapaille’s Culture Code... more...
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The Devil is in the Transitions
by Joshua Platt on 04/11/2008 [1 comment] · 2 requests
If you believe what Bill Buxton has been advocating, and for the record I do, we all need to be using state diagrams in conjunction with our static rapid prototypes and storyboards. He states the most important parts of any design, whether software or hardware, are the transitions. What happens w... more...
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Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and Viral Marketing
by Russ Unger on 04/09/2008 [1 comment] · 7 requests
The notion is that you can “test” your Viral Marketing concepts against Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs—or at least the first 4; only 2% of the population are self-actualizers. The article will cite examples of Viral Marketing and how it maps to the Hierarchy of Needs, hopef... more...
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Comment on Extreme User Research (suggested by Muhammad Faizan Ali)
by Muhammad Faizan Ali on 04/05/2008 [0 comments] · 0 requests
great reading Daniel i wanna share my strategy , use when, i get project. one thing about clients is true they don't have any idea about target (potential) customers. i usually , brainstrom , with my client to agree him on his/her target audiance. and after this , we enjoy speed dating with 1 t... more...
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User Experience Leadership and Management
by Masood Nasser on 04/03/2008 [0 comments] · 2 requests
In the Web business, going forward, User Experience Leadership & Management has to be completely aligned if not merged. Have seen innumerable projects fail due to silos created by “us” and “them”. It canot be “our way” or “their way. Until then , we w... more...
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Boxes and Arrows; Highlights
by Lon Barfield on 03/27/2008 [0 comments] · 0 requests
Hello there, As well as working at Hewlett Packard Labs on user-centric design I assist with the (niche) publishing company Bosko Books. We have a few titles available on Amazon now and I was wondering if you want to discuss the idea of publishing some of the stories on B+A in book form, no ide... more...
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Software Design is Storytelling
by Joshua Platt on 03/25/2008 [0 comments] · 8 requests
The Art of Story boarding If you were born in the last 40 years you have done at least one of the following: • Watched a movie• Played a video game• Read a book Each started out as an idea on a piece of paper, evolved into a storyboard, and was then fleshed out by very creative people. The... more...
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Task Architecture
by chuck kukla on 03/21/2008 [1 comment] · 3 requests
Task ArchitectureEnvisioning the Structure of Work Computers and their associated applications and interfaces are ubiquitous in the workplace. Each interface provides or asks for information and more importantly, interacting with an interface consumes time. The work environment is constrained... more...
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Naked Personas: a way to plan for repeated use of personas in an organization
by todd moy on 03/14/2008 [4 comments] · 8 requests
Recently, we were faced with a problem. How do we build build personas for an organization that could stand the test of time? Since the customers, generally, are unchanging it seemed silly for the company to recreate personas for each separate initiative. So, we developed what we call “nake... more...
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Wikis: Collaboration beyond Complex Processes
by Paulo Floriano on 03/08/2008 [5 comments] · 6 requests
In this article I want to talk about the use of wikis insted of complex workflows to produce and collaborate around content. In my experience wikis can be used to support content production when do you have a very complex process, with various approve levels and workflow rules. People seem to... more...
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Content Management Systems: 7 Critical Features
by Paulo Floriano on 03/08/2008 [2 comments] · 9 requests
This article talks about the main features that a CMS need to have, considering the potencial growth of non-structured information, mostly at large organizations. This features are:- Integrated management on diverse plattforms- life cycle management- automatic classification- high flexibility o... more...
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Interaction Design for Software Engineering
by Claude Knaus on 02/29/2008 [1 comment] · 8 requests
Hi, I would like to submit an article. Here is the abstract of my article: Despite the abundance of software development tools, development and maintenance of software remains uneconomical. Today’s software development tools are a result of technology-driven erratic evolution. There is ... more...
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Designing Your Time
by John Reeve on 02/29/2008 [0 comments] · 5 requests
Every design and development company has experienced a project that has gone awry due to bad time and project management. But how can you avoid making similar mistakes in the future? This article will discuss best practices in the area of time and project management and provide advice specific... more...
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Question
by Donna McGarrell on 02/26/2008 [0 comments] · 2 requests
Question: Why is this Sept. 21 story not available— Getting A Form’s Structure Rightby Afshan Kirmani <http://www.boxesandarrows.com/view/getting-a-forms> more...
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The Two Users
by Mandy Cornwell on 02/21/2008 [0 comments] · 0 requests
HELP – I didn’t mean to post this here, I thought it would go only to the editors. Please remove! I posted this idea in the Ideas section – http://www.boxesandarrows.com/idea/view/14050 and got a few requests. I am interested in writing an article about what each of the ‘us... more...
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Broken Link
by Claude Knaus on 02/17/2008 [0 comments] · 1 request
Hi, On page http://www.boxesandarrows.com/about, the link tohttp://www.boxesandarrows.com/about/house_styleguide is broken. —Claude more...
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Campaign Architecture: How to Use IA to Create Killer Search Marketing Campaigns
by Ben Zipkin on 02/12/2008 [0 comments] · 2 requests
Greetings- I’ve been working on an article about how information architecture and taxonomy can be used to more effectively plan paid search campaigns. IA and UX strategy are becoming increasingly important in the search marketing fields, and this article will demonstrate how to these method... more...
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Font ida for Valentine's day
by amanda paull on 02/08/2008 [0 comments] · 0 requests
Thought your readers might have some fun with this on Valentine’s day: its a font dating game thingy. Hard to explain, but a fun diversion for font fanatics… Enjoy!Amanda more...
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User Interface Implementations of Faceted Browsing
by Mike Padilla on 01/30/2008 [4 comments] · 10 requests
Back in 2002, Louis Rosenfeld and Peter Morville predicted that “single-taxonomy solutions will give way to more flexible, faceted approaches” in their book Information Architecture for the World Wide Web. Fast forward to 2008 and their prediction has come true. Most major e-commerce ... more...
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Using Axure for Heuristic Evaluation and Reporting
by Ezra Schwartz on 01/26/2008 [6 comments] · 6 requests
Performing heuristic evaluation can be tedious and time consuming. I found that Axure can be easily set to help reduce the time spend on documentation, and dramatically reduce the time to generate the report. Finally, a clickable html simulation helps communicate key findings (especially) to busi... more...
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Finding the true Technical Communicator in You
by Manoj Potdar on 01/24/2008 [0 comments] · 3 requests
Technical Communicators come from diverse academic fields. Each one them has unique quality or combination of them. It is very important for each Technical Communicator to identity his/her unique combination of qualities and skill set to help grow as a person and as a professional. My thoughts ... more...
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Comment on Advancing Advanced Search (suggested by Chris Rodriguez)
by Chris Rodriguez on 01/23/2008 [0 comments] · 0 requests
Which begs the question: are SEO enhancements screwing up internet searching. I don’t think it matters what kind of search people perform anymore, be it basic or advanced, because this SEO craze has developers throwing keywords into the website like Emiril throws in his special seasoning. O... more...
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Translation of your article to Czech language
by Vilém Málek on 01/13/2008 [1 comment] · 0 requests
Dear Friends, My name is Vilém Málek, and I am the editor-in-chief of an online magazine for web professionals, Interval.cz. Each day, we publish new articles on web design, web development, and e-commerce, provided to every visitor for free (for details, see http://interval.cz/redakce/o-magazi... more...
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Comment on Automating Diagrams with Visio (suggested by S Becker)
by S Becker on 01/11/2008 [0 comments] · 2 requests
Hi there. I’ve read through the whole page, and I’ve come to the decision that using the Org Chart Wizard is the fastest/easiest option for what I need to do. So far I’ve learned that you can insert an Excel spreadsheet into a Visio doc as a table, and link it so that every t... more...
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The Relevance of User Experience
by Daimon Caulk on 01/04/2008 [0 comments] · 2 requests
The Relevance of User Experience by Daimon Caulk User Experience (UX) matters because very few organizations work together in groups to build applications and systems for users. There is a gap in the development of systems, sites, and interfaces. The role of a UX professional is to bridge tha... more...
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Comment on Interactions 08 in the Garden of Good and Evil (suggested by Ben Hirby)
by Richard Dalton on 01/04/2008 [0 comments] · 0 requests
The AK47 metaphor is actually Andrew Hinton’s … see his Communities of Practice presentation. more...
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Brand beliefs as User Experience guideposts
by Michael Beavers on 01/02/2008 [0 comments] · 4 requests
My article is a short exploration of how corporate Websites are more than an expression of a company’s brand…they are also a marketing “products” that supports and enhances users’ beliefs about the brand. The article includes an exercise that our team developed at Organic in Sa... more...
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Resolving Differences of Opinion in Product Design
by Teresa Torres on 12/26/2007 [1 comment] · 7 requests
Product design is a contentious topic. Everyone from the CEO to the receptionist has an opinion about what the product should do and how it should look. It’s great when everyone in your company is engaged with what you are building but it becomes a challenge when it comes to resolving thes... more...
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What can usability learn from services marketing?
by Eli Goldberg on 12/20/2007 [0 comments] · 4 requests
Back in the 1980s and 1990s, a software product could rocket to success solely by providing a needed set of features. The emotional experience of using the product was secondary, if not tertiary among its creators. As the much talked-about success of Apple’s iPod suggests, the software world has ... more...
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The Two Users
by Mandy Cornwell on 12/13/2007 [2 comments] · 3 requests
Anyone interested in a deliverables related article that focuses on what information graphic designers, developers, and QA folks need from our documentation?As much as we pride ourselves on thinking of the end user, if the people building the site aren’t getting what they need out of our do... more...
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Volunteer opportunities in Nepal
by Bikram Paudel on 12/03/2007 [0 comments] · 0 requests
VCD Nepal is a non profitable volunteer organization stablish by Nepalese youth volunteers, Works in education, environment, health and sanitation in different rural areas of Nepal. We enable volunteers to forge links with schoolchildren, youth groups and communities. We believe that this cultura... more...
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When Usability Doesn't Matter
by Robert Skrobe on 11/29/2007 [3 comments] · 1 request
For all its advantages, usability has a lot to offer. It benefits the practitioner, the business owner, the project team and the end user in many ways. With the right circumstances at hand, usability and user-centered design can illuminate potential problem-solving possibilities and bring long... more...
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When Good Designers Create Bad Designs
by Maureen Kelly on 11/28/2007 [2 comments] · 6 requests
Creating a well-designed product always seems to be so much harder than just having good design skills. I’d love to see an article that explored: * What types of companies succeed at creating well-designed products, and what sets them apart from the companies that don’t. * The skills ... more...
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Exchange as a Benchmark for Usability
by Russell Warner on 11/27/2007 [0 comments] · 0 requests
I’d like to write an article discussing how usability experts and designers should take into consideration the value of the information that a user is attempting to retrieve. In many ways, interactive design can be seen as an interview. If you were conducting a face-to-face interview with... more...
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Desire to use
by Sudeep Dasgupta on 11/23/2007 [1 comment] · 1 request
“Focus on the user and all else will follow” – Our philosophy – Google. The Google founders have proved it to the world that by focusing only on something that is useful to people can make a big difference. To find ideas that might be useful – It is easier to go for... more...
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Feedback of Actual End- User of Software on User Documentation
by Manoj Potdar on 11/23/2007 [4 comments] · 4 requests
From over the six years of experience in Technical Communiation, I would like to share the challenges in getting feedback on user documentation from the actual end-user of the product/ software. I would also like to share my thoughts on the ways I think may work to propel getting feedback and mak... more...
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User Testing - OK, CANCEL
by Prasad Perera on 11/19/2007 [10 comments] · 3 requests
Hi All, Has anyone done extensive user testing for placement of OK, CANCEL buttons? Should OK be on left and CANCEL on right? I have seen many theories to how it should be but didn’t come across any results of an actual user testing on this subject. If anyone has information about this, please ... more...
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Cultural Differences
by Alexander Wilms on 11/18/2007 [4 comments] · 7 requests
I wonder if anyone has experience in working for an international client or cooperation. Cultural differences are an important factor when dealing with multinational project teams, and also have to be taken in account when designing applications. more...
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Social Networking: Witnessing It
by Afshan Kirmani on 11/17/2007 [0 comments] · 8 requests
Most of us here love writing about user experience design and the elements that go into it. I have decided to provide all of us with something different this time. I would love to personally interview people from all around the world and quote what exactly they experience while using websites lik... more...
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Human Factors of nonobjects
by Rob Tannen on 11/06/2007 [3 comments] · 5 requests
There’s a lot of buzz about Branko Lucic’s forthcoming design fiction book on “nonobjects”. It’s a conceptual excercise on a new way to design products. I’ve taken it to the next level by looking at the usability of those conceptual objects, both as a thought... more...
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What it takes to be a Designer
by Benjamin Ho on 11/02/2007 [1 comment] · 1 request
I’ve been studying professional development for over five years now, and I would like to tie this in more with the User Experience Designer or any of the other designer titles. I’ve already written a couple of articles in my blog, but I would like to write some unique articles just f... more...
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Pixel rulers in visio
by Noah Iliinsky on 10/23/2007 [1 comment] · 1 request
Howdy, I’ve managed to trick Visio into displaying the rulers and grid in pixels; a much sought after feat that is as of yet undocumented in the wild. I’d love to publish it on my blog ( http://www.complexdiagrams.com ) first and then re-post/reference it from B&A. What’... more...
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Scylla and Charybdis: Balancing Advertising and Editorial Needs without Stomping on the User Experience
by Giovanni Calabro on 10/17/2007 [0 comments] · 0 requests
This article published as the main feature in uxmag.com, helps readers to: · Develop consistent page structures that “train” readers to view the full width of the page. · Streamline design to facilitate serving multiple advertisements through ad management systems such as DoubleClick · Anal... more...
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Deliverables for Web apps using Flash
by prashant Dubey on 10/08/2007 [1 comment] · 4 requests
Idea is to make a single source web site/app specs and mockups and wireframes, common deliverables, using Flash. The interactivity will be used to navigate within mockups and will be great to make the client clear about the backend process as well as front end. In short, will be great to have a... more...
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New Research about Scrolling by ClickTale
by Arik Yavilevich on 10/07/2007 [0 comments] · 5 requests
Our previous research on this subject was referenced in http://www.boxesandarrows.com/view/blasting-the-myth-of by Milissa Tarquini. This brand new research about scrolling behavior sheds new light about the way users browse the web. For example, we found that visitors scroll relative to page h... more...
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UX, IA, PM and SWE
by Parth Upadhye on 10/02/2007 [1 comment] · 0 requests
Recently I commented on Joe Lamanta’s Building Blocks articles and realised that I would like to explore the perspectives of the different players at work, namely UX, IA, PM, and SWE. Is their work defined by their bases or biases? Is what they bring to the table? Or is it what they are exp... more...
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Conversational search
by Patrick C. Walsh on 10/01/2007 [1 comment] · 1 request
I’ve had this idea for a week or so and I can’t get it out of my head. Imagine my favourite website Amazon in the future. You give some basic details about yourself (family birthdays, likes, hobbies etc) and then create a search persona by selecting a photo or drawing and also a voice... more...
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Webwork
by Chris Glasier on 09/23/2007 [2 comments] · 0 requests
It seems to me that IT can only really expand into society if there is a different approach. My idea is: Webwork takes over from digitised paperwork (office suites). Webwork requires structured (object-oriented) information. Web languages and structured information turn websites into machines. ... more...
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UserXman - The UX SuperHero!
by Thomas Schneider on 09/20/2007 [2 comments] · 2 requests
A Comic about IA/UX. Want to run it? more...
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To Be Fixed!
by VJ Beauchamp on 09/19/2007 [0 comments] · 0 requests
http://www.boxesandarrows.com/view/sitemaps_and_site_inde… No images are appearing. Yikes! more...
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Open Design Manifesto
by Juhan Sonin on 09/17/2007 [2 comments] · 1 request
Open Design Manifesto… a case for open source design. Open Design Mission Our designs (patterns, scripts, graphics, ideas, docs) will be available to any designer, to any engineer, to any world citizen, to use and modify without restriction. [I’m motivated to write this article.... more...
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5 second tests
by Ruairi galavan on 09/11/2007 [0 comments] · 0 requests
If anyone knows where there are some screen casts of 5 second tests i would love to see a couple. Or if any body would like to post them somewhere? (RE: Today: Jared Spool & Christine Perfetti’s podcast on UIE) more...
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Bad UX
by BaldShark - on 08/28/2007 [2 comments] · -1 requests
Im wondering why a site that’s by designers, and for designers is so poorly designed itself. Strange issues:1. I log in, see my name at the top. I click on Job (for example), my name disappears from the top, and the main nav text gets smaller.2. On the jobs page, since it no longer says m... more...
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Jumpchart. A before and after story
by joe m on 08/23/2007 [0 comments] · 1 request
After a helpful recommendation, I thought I would resubmit an idea to cover our new application Jumpchart. This time, concentrating more on a use case scenario. I would like to detail a typical project initiation before we had Jumpchart, and compare that with today. more...



