Category Archives: User Centered Design (UCD)

“Mad Libs” Style Form Increases Conversion 25-40%

UI designers are always looking for new ways to do common tasks better and faster. This new style of filling in forms may prove to be one of those new twists that makes people think, “Why didn’t I think of … Continue reading

Posted in Application Usability, Marketing Usability, User Centered Design (UCD), Users, Web 2.0, Web Content, Web Usability | Leave a comment

Theo Mandel’s “Golden Rules of Web Design” Keynote Presentation – User eXperience Russia, October 2009

Theo Mandel, Ph.D. was invited to give a keynote presentation at the User eXperience Russia conference in Moscow, Russia, on October 26, 2009. Mandel’s keynote, “The (New) Golden Rules of Web Design,” is an new presentation based on a chapter … Continue reading

Posted in Real-World Usability, Social Networking, Technology, User Centered Design (UCD), Users, Web 2.0, Web Usability | Leave a comment

Why Agile Needs to Start in Academia

Thought-provoking article about getting geeks and artists together during college rather than afterwards on the job. Some institutions offer interdisciplinary programs, but more should be done to get students used to working in multi-disciplinary, cooperative work environments. >

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Improving the Patient Experience (Bridget Duffy, Gel Health ’09)

Bridget Duffy Former Chief Experience Officer Cleveland Clinic After breaking her leg, Bridget Duffy got a close look at the patient experience – by being a patient herself. At the first Gel Health conference, Bridget discusses what she learned – … Continue reading

Posted in Accessibility, Healthcare Usability, Real-World Usability, User Centered Design (UCD) | 2 Comments

Classic “This is Broken” Seth Godin Video

Seth Godin, bestselling author, entrepreneur and agent of change in his Gel 2006 video. Why are so many things broken? In this entertaining talk – one of the favorites of Gel 2006 – Seth Godin gives a tour of things … Continue reading

Posted in Application Usability, Marketing Usability, Real-World Usability, Usability Bloopers, Usability Humor, User Centered Design (UCD), Web Usability | Leave a comment

Theo Mandel invited to present Keynote at 2009 User eXperience Russia Conference

Theo Mandel, Ph.D., founder and principal of Interface Design and Development, LLC, has been invited to present a keynote session at the 2009 User eXperience Russia conference in Moscow on October 26-28, 2009. Mandel’s keynote presentation is titled “The (New) … Continue reading

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Finally – Usable, Real-World Products!

Ping Pong Door! Designed by Tobias Fränzel, this innovative door turns into a ping pong table when needed. After the game is finished, it goes back to being a regular door. Everything the techie or apartment-dweller needs! www.toxel.com/tech/2009/07/07/ping-pong-door-by-tobias-franzel/

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Designers Who Wireframe: Pros and Cons

Most UI/usability/information designers/architects create various types of wireframes when we design. This article discusses the different types of wireframes and their pros and cons. The article also shows good examples of diffferent types of wireframes and the final website design. … Continue reading

Posted in Application Usability, Prototyping, User Centered Design (UCD), Web Usability | 1 Comment

What makes a “User Experience expert”?

Good summary of what is a “User Experience” expert. Read the follow-up comments and posts your own comments. http://www.insideria.com/2008/12/what-makes-a-user-experience-e.html

Posted in Real-World Usability, Technology, Usability Consulting, User Centered Design (UCD), Web 2.0, Web Usability | Leave a comment

Solution, or Mess? A Milk Jug for a Green Earth

Who says you can’t improve on years of well-established tradition? Wal-Mart and Costco have adopted a new gallon-sized milk container that looks to save the companies lots of money. However, there may be some usability issues they’ve overlooked! A New … Continue reading

Posted in Real-World Usability, Technology, Usability Bloopers, User Centered Design (UCD), Users | 4 Comments

T-Mobile Designs More Usable Phone Bills!

“Historically phone bills have been as bland as a tin of condensed soup but T-Mobile saw an opportunity to make its bills more valuable as a regular interface between its brand and its customers.” Good article about improving the readability … Continue reading

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The Employable Web Designer

Nice article from Andy Rutledge, titled “The Employable Web Designer. He describes the necessary skills and traits for a successful career in Web design. The article briefly addresses usability, but at least they are included as necessary skills: Usability & … Continue reading

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Psychology: The Crowd Within

“A battle of ideas is going on inside your mind” From the Economist.com, an interesting article about problem solving behavior” “Until now, psychologists have assumed that when people make a guess, they make the most accurate guess that they can. … Continue reading

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UW Medical Center using surgical checklist to improve safety

Good article on the use of checklists in healthcare to reduce errors during surgery. Here’s a taste: Wednesday, WHO officials said preliminary results show the checklist nearly doubled patients’ chances of receiving proven standards of surgical care and substantially reduced … Continue reading

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What the Internet is doing to our brains: Is Google Making Us Stupid?

Good historical article on how technology changes our lives and how we work. Very informative story about Friedrich Nietzsche, who bought a typewriter in 1882, and the changes that came about in his writing style as a result of using … Continue reading

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Lazy Eyes: How we read online

Fun, somewhat tongue-in-cheek article about reading/browsing online vs. paper. He uses Jakob Nielsen’s writings as examples and goes from there. Worth a read on Slate (Aricle by Michael Agger).

Posted in Technology, Usability Bloopers, Usability Humor, User Centered Design (UCD), Users, Web Usability | Leave a comment

Dealing with Too Much Technology!

Good article in the NY Times about how technology companies are starting to deal with the loss of productivity from too much technology – e-mail, cellphones and instant messaging – being the biggest distractions. Some of the biggest technology firms, … Continue reading

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User Experience and the Elderly

Sometimes you have to protect users from themselves so they do no harm. Here’s a real-world example of creating a faux user experience that helps users remain safe and at home. Here’s an example: There’s a bus stop located outside … Continue reading

Posted in Healthcare Usability, Technology, User Centered Design (UCD) | 1 Comment

101 Five-Minute Fixes to Incrementally Improve Your Web Site

More advice about improving the design and usability of your website. Major categories include: Copywriting Usability Search Engine Optimization Accessibility Design Legal View the article

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Business-Software Vendor Finds Business Software Impossible to Use

The Business Technology Blog in Wall Street Journal describes a software vendor’s study: IFS, a business-software vendor, sent us a report titled The Increasing Importance of Usability in Enterprise Software the results of a survey earlier this year of … Continue reading

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