Classic mistake at http://www.polarisindustries.com/ If you offer the option to build something online, inform the user registration is required at the START of the process or prominently on the site, not after they’ve begun the process by selecting an item. The registration page also fails to explain the benefits of registering – another practice that I think helps users.
Jan 052009
http://www.highiqsociety.org/iq_tests/ That site guilty is of one of the most appalling online practices: having the user fill up a form before properly disclosing the payments needed to complete the process.
Right-Justified Navigation Menus Impede Scannability | Right-Justified menus are something I’ve liked to use but this new bit of research is very interesting. I think I agree on the scanning point but the final decision IMHO would be based on the degree and nature of interaction the users have with the website given the purported advantages of having navigation on the right.
Apr 142008
Findability, Orphan of the Web Design Industry | A List Apart article that has some really good, common sense suggestions for Information Architects and designers.
Mar 082008
Dashboard Spy | Enhancing Dashboard Value and User Experience | Great resources that are proving very helpful for a project I’ve been heavily involved in the last week – the design for an information dashboard for one of my clients. It’s proving an interesting challenge given the audience it is intended for. Instead of the traditional corporate environment, we’re trying to present user data within a certain niche social activity (forgive the the obscurity but I’m under an NDA).
The people using the system will be from diverse backgrounds and initially may have only a passing familiarity with what they are looking at. The dashboard therefore has not only present data in an easily interpreted manner but also clearly indicate what is presented. We can’t make too many presumptions on the users degree of familiarity with the terms, statistics etc being employed.
What web designers can learn from games | “…pacing, story and engagement.” apparently . The article doesn’t make allowances for the nature and goal of individuals sites but does make a great point on how games have mastered the learning curve for users.
