Displaying category "Workflow"
A designer who is able to find the functional essence of a product will also likely find it in the visual aspects — they are usually interconnected, sometimes almost inevitably so. Don’t count on an inevitable visual beauty when it comes to products with a heavy engineering aspect, like computers, web sites, or industrial complexes. (more…)
Furthermore, the shopping cart had to hold product orders form multiple vendors. The ordering system had to process orders and notify multiple vendors for product shipment. The website vendor's answer was to use the free and open source CMS Joomla an add-on module called the IXXO Multivendor Shopping Cart designed for guru-level IT personnel, not the casual user. (more…)
Traditionally, creating and maintaining a pattern library has been a daunting task requiring extensive resources and, sometimes, dedicated full-time employees. At Salesforce.com our first attempt at producing a comprehensive library was bogged down by a waterfall-based creation and review process that yielded only two patterns in a six-month period. (more…)
People mix the terms UI and UX together. UX is tricky because it doesn’t refer to any one thing. Interface design, visual styling, code performance, uptime, and feature set all contribute to the user’s “experience.” Books on UX further complicate matters by including research methods and development methodologies. All of this makes the field confusing for people who want to understand the fundamentals. (more…)
I was rummaging through my drafts folder and stumbled on this old post walking through the process of designing the “Goals” feature on our old product, before we switched to what Segment.io is now. I think it’s an interesting look into how a mockup progresses in Photoshop, so here it is: (more…)
Every project I've worked on in my 17-year career has had one thing in common. At some point someone says, "It should be simple." But what does "simple" actually mean? People can always tell when something is simple, uncomplicated, elegant, not overworked, or a number of other near-synonyms, but can rarely articulate why something is simple. (more…)
I am asked all the time “How do I get started developing PhoneGap applications?”. My normal answer is to advise people to check out the PhoneGap (more…)
As Donald Norman said in 1990, “The real problem with the interface is that it is an interface. Interfaces get in the way. I don’t want to focus my energies on an interface. I want to focus on the job…I don’t want to think of myself as using a computer, I want to think of myself as doing my job.” (more…)
When a visitor lands on your marketing page, what should they see? For nearly all web applications it’s the same: testimonials, a feature list, screenshots. Marketing sites usually explain just enough to entice people to sign up. But what if there were a different way? (more…)
I know you want to dig out your pencils and start sketching, but first take a minute to deconstruct and articulate the problem. Taking a while to define five or six core principles of your desired experience will make your sketching go smoother, and will give it focus. (more…)