Frank Patrick
RSSPosts tagged with "design"
chartsnthings
A (personal) blog of data sketches from the New York Times Graphics Department. Maintained by @KevinQ.
Examples of processes used to “visualize data”.
Mobile UI Link: 10 Ways the Mobile Web is Different
More considerations for designing for the mobile web compared to the desktop web…
Less power (smaller screens, slower processors, less bandwidth, less multitasking).
Alternative approaches to entering data (touch input, fiddly keyboards).
Different browser features and capabilities (pages viewed inside apps, portrait screens, little or no Flash support).
People using mobile devices in different ways to desktop computers, and for different tasks.
There’s more detail on these at 10 Ways the Mobile Web is Different
If you look across the digital landscape, the most exquisitely designed user interfaces and the most comprehensively designed user experiences are rarely the most successful. On the other hand, the most successful network products make good use of design but are usually not high watermarks for design execution.
-
Subtraction.com: How Much Design Is Too Much Design? (reblogged from danielmall)
[This quote reminded me of a landing page we did a few years ago - a relatively ugly landing page the performance of which beat the crap out of every “better looking” page we A-B tested against it. - FP]
Design Link: Design Principles
Zeldman says it’s required reading.
I agree. (…and could not decide what example to show, so go read it.)
UI Link: Microsoft Brings Touchscreen to PCs & Laptops to Challenge Apple - But Will it Work?
This article from ReadWriteWeb talks about the implementation of Microsoft’s phone interface in the next version of Windows (8), and particularly the touchscreen aspect.
Touchscreen works on phones due to their size and on tablets due to their primary function as content consumption machines. But on content creation machines, with my hand resting on my scroll-wheel mouse, I can navigate (point, select, scroll) my full screen with moves no larger than an inch (even less, actually than the moves used on my iPad). My wrist doesn’t budge from it’s spot on the table. Almost the same goes for the combination of trackpad and arrow keys on my laptop.
As a classical Industrial Engineer by education, and remembering at least some of my time-and-motion training, I just can’t buy the idea of replacing these little tiny finger and wrist flicks with full arm motions reaching for the screen (or even worse, waving at it, Kinect-style). Not to mention the frequent reaching for the microfiber cloth to clean the screen.
The only thing worse, IMHO, would be a room full of people in an open space office layout shouting at their voice-controlled computers.
Link: Are your users S.T.U.P.I.D?
I’m not usually big on cutesy acronyms, but the content of this link contains some good guidance on user-centered design…
Effective Intelligence is a helpful concept in the design toolbox. User research and testing are the best ways to know your users, but knowing what may limit a user in reality helps design ways to make them smarter.
The author from Boxes and Arrows talks about supporting Stressed, Tired, Untrained, Passive, Independent and Distracted users with designs that are Simplified, Memorable, Accepting of autopilot, Recoverable, and Tested realistically.
Link: The Philosophy of UX
Notes from a presentation on User Experience.
- Stay out of peoples’ way…
- Limit distractions…
- Provide signposts and cues…
- …and more…
[Link to original on LukeW.com …via Zeldman]
Designing the Stop Sign
(via MTLB)
It’s difficult to be open-minded. It’s really damn hard to be open-minded and a Graphic Designer. If a Graphic Designer claims to be open-minded they are bullshitting you.
- More at…Insight: It’s difficult to be open-minded. It… - (37signals)
To me style is just the outside of content, and content the inside of style, like the outside and the inside of the human body. Both go together, they can’t be separated.
- Jean-Luc Godard (via aconversationoncool)
So you need a typeface? (From Inspiration Lab)
Ugly…
About Frank Patrick
Essentially, stuff I do and stuff that gets my attention.
