More good press for my field of usability and web design:
“Experts in the field of so-called human-computer interaction, however, say good design like the YouTube interface is the exception, not the rule. For every slick Apple iPod, there are a dozen washing machines with a baffling array of buttons. And for every simple TiVo interface, there are umpteen TV remote controls that look like something out of NASA’s Mission Control.”
Good article on the corporate world realizing and embracing the concepts of usability, user interface and user experience design.
“What is user design? The fundamentals of user design boil down to understanding the capabilities, limitations and desires of humans. Dialog boxes that pop up on the desktop and then disappear before giving the person enough time to read them could be an example of bad user design.”
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Most of us have been well groomed throughout the years to feel reasonably comfortable using the World Wide Web. Some of our grandparents, on the other hand, look at a web page and have no idea where to begin. That €™s where literacy comes into play. We cannot very well expect a third grader to crack open Pride and Prejudice and automatically comprehend the underlying themes, can we? The same is true of those having little experience navigating the Internet.
The Internet has come a long way since the days of our grandparents, with numerous levels of interaction. In doing so, it has also become crucial to develop a certain amount of literacy regarding how to navigate through it. Gone are the days when just anyone can sit in front of computer and master it in a matter of minutes. Instead, we are in an era of the Web where navigation and usability are learned processes that are ever evolving and may never be fully mastered.