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Designing for Wide Audiences
There are a couple of things to keep in mind when designing a UI for consumers. One of the most important is the unfortunate fact that about 40% of the general population has low literacy. Keeping that in mind, most pages need to be designed at a 6th-grade level. Some other tips to consider: 1….
What's important for Homepage?
Users spend very little time on the Homepage. If the user is experienced, it can be as little as 25 seconds. What do you need to show them in this short period of time? Obviously, users don’t read long paragraphs of text. Most of those precious seconds are spent figuring out where to go next….
What Is Usability?
“The term “usable” means more than just easy to learn. Ease of learning is an important component of usability, but it is the least important of the three components. To be usable, the product also has to be quick to use and relatively error-free. Most importantly, you must do what the user wants… Usability refers…
What Annoys Users Most?
One sure way for software to annoy its users is to ask them for data the software obviously doesn’t need. The form of this blooper that annoys users the most is asking them to reenter data they already entered… Make it a high priority not to require users to enter data repeatedly. Here are several…
Will PC be replaced by mobile devices?
Well, first we need to agree what the PC is. Let’s say for the sake of argument that it’s desktop and laptop computers. Then all other devices – ipad, phones, etc., are mobile devices. Steve Jobs said something like this about a year ago: Long time ago there were mostly trucks. But when population moved…
Typical Business Metrics for Website Success
For your website to be a success you need 3 components: a) new visitors coming to your site, b) these new visitors to become customers, c) the loyalty of your customers. This is how it’s usually measured: 1. The number of the sales 2. Traffic numbers – page view statistics 3. Time needed for visitors…
Points to Consider Before Starting to Design
I was reading the book “GUI Bloopers” by Jeff Johnson and he makes a good list of questions about your user’s tasks to consider before starting your design. Here is his advice: 1. What tasks does a person do that are relevant to the application’s target task area? 2. Which tasks are common, and which…
Why use standard design elements?
In their book “Prioritizing Web Usability” Jackob Nielsen and Hoa Loranger make a strong case for using standard design elements. Even though the book is from 2006, this issue still seems relevant. Here is an excerpt from the book that states the main points: Seven Reasons for Standard Design Elements. Standards ensure that users: 1….
5 Reasons Why Users Can't Complete Their Tasks
Average users can’t always complete what they started and leave websites in frustration, never returning again. Why is it happening and what are the main offenders in the UI of those websites? Here are the top 5 usability problems that caused incomplete or wrongly done tasks: 1. Information Architecture – the user doesn’t know where…
10 Career Tips For Young Designers
Recalling his early days, Global Executive Director for Weiden + Kennedy John C. Jay had 10 career tips to share with young designers. Be authentic. The most powerful asset you have is your individuality, what makes you unique. It’s time to stop listening to others on what you should do. Work harder than anyone else…