Design (2)
The Greatest Secret in Web Design
Alright I cheated, this isn’t a secret. Or an open secret. Or whatever. It’s that web design is a process. Good web design is an ongoing endeavor.
#22 · · development, quality
Updating a Definition of Art
When I tried to define art, design, and decoration, I described art as: “Art hides. Art has a meaning, and it hides it, on purpose. Art delivers a message, and that message is hidden, on purpose. It is an art to create art. Art is unusable, by definition.” Continued.
#21 · · art
Compared to What?
…is probably one of the most important questions there is. “Compared to what?” is the question that should be answered every time it is about data, be it through charts, in newspapers, on websites, or in conversations. Yet it is rarely asked, rarely answered, and people end up with less or even false information.
#20 ·
Web Design: 10 Additional Research Findings You Should Know
Following up on last year’s post on web design research, here’s another collection of research findings, this time featuring further reading.
#19 ·
Website Optimization Measures, Part IV
Once again, though already covering a few weeks of various improvements, some of which have been implemented in Bremen, others in Zurich, all on some of my sites. Enjoy additional optimization tips, this time touching typography, usability, SEO, and performance.
#18 · · development, optimization
The 10 Design Theses of Dieter Rams
Moving up industrial design on my agenda and studying the work of German top designer Dieter Rams (who was responsible for the great design of Braun products for about 30 years), I deemed it useful to republish his design theses.
#17 ·
Qualities of Design: It Works and It’s Durable
Attempting to improve my simplified definition of design I’d like to point out another important attribute beside functionality, namely durability (or robustness). This means that a design that works may nonetheless be bad if…
#16 ·
7 Additional Ways to Focus on Users
Smashing Magazine just published my article on “20 (Alternate) Ways to Focus on Users,” and not only do I like to point to the article, I also like to extend it. A quick bonus level, so to speak.
#15 ·
The Art of Dancing in 1910 and Narratives of Time and Space
Information design time travel with several photos of Zorn’s ancient “Grammar of the Art of Dancing.” Featuring craftsmanship, small multiples, and, surprise, “narratives of time and space.”
#14 · · art
Are You a Web Designer or a Web Decorator?
This has bothered me for for a long time. The topic popped up when I thought about art and design, and it had to be covered when Roger asked whether we were designers or developers—
#13 · · usability, development
A Plea for Better Software: Provide Auto-Save
So far, applications rarely automatically and periodically save users’ work. They therefore fail to prevent unnecessary, frustrating, expensive loss of work and information. Since this isn’t just a but a critical problem, we need to encourage application developers and owners…
#12 · · development
Requirements for Website Prototypes (and Design Systems)
Best practices for website prototypes based on HTML, CSS, and DOM scripting, covering essential requirements from accessibility to universality, and including definitions, pros, and contras. Compiled from a recent presentation.
#11 · · development
Principles of Art, Design, and Decoration
Much thinking about design has led me to the conclusion that defining the terms art, design, and decoration can be pretty simple. Outlining their principles, at least.
#10 · · art
10 Steps to Create a High-Quality Website
A quality website doesn’t fall from the sky, and it’s impossible to create in a few fast clicks. When setting up a website, one needs goals, content, structure, design, programming, and maintenance. What one needs is…
#9 · · development, quality
On Updating a Book (Webdesign mit CSS, 2nd Edition)
I’m still working on the second edition of Webdesign mit CSS. And I can say: I like this work, though updating a book is more challenging than starting from scratch. It looks like less work at first, but that work is different.
#8 · · development, css
Revitalizing SUS, the System Usability Scale
About 20 years ago, John Brooke published the concept of a “System Usability Scale,” a “reliable, low-cost usability scale that can be used for global assessments of systems usability.” SUS is based on a Likert-scale questionnaire…
#7 · · usability
25 Excellent Usability/UX Articles and Resources
Today I thought I’d share some of the most valuable usability and user experience articles and resources I know, in a somewhat wild mix. Since there’s presumably enough to read and talk about later, please welcome a few great articles and research papers…
#6 · · usability, development
Photos Make Websites More Credible
An important finding of Stanford University’s work regarding web credibility is that photos can make websites more credible. A study by B.J. Fogg et al. showed how “a photograph of an author had significant effects on how people perceived [credibility]”…
#5 · · photography
Hire Only Web Designers With a Website
…is a good rule of thumb when you need a web designer or developer. Though it’s not necessarily the most important criterion, the benefits are obvious. Web designers who also own websites are more likely to be close to the medium…
#4 · · development
QA: On Errors, and Why Paying for Errors Pays Off
A pseudo-scientific approach to improve websites and services, and that is applicable almost anywhere.
#3 · · development, quality
1 + 1 = 3: Explaining Busyness and Background Noise on Websites
“1 + 1 = 3 (or more)” is an important design effect described by Josef Albers and Edward Tufte. It means that two elements in close proximity cause a visible interaction…
#2 ·
Web Design: 15 Important Research Findings You Should Know
A small selection of research findings related to web design, usability, and accessibility, most of them obtained from Human Factors International. With some of them being known, others may add to the understanding of our profession.
#1 · · development