All posts from
March 2009

One Software Doesn’t Fit All

Added on 16 March 2009 Peter Bogaards
“(…) some users get more value from software applications than others. This is because software is written from a certain user perspective. In many cases, the problems and challenges faced in making software work can be explained by the tension created when the design of software is dominated by one perspective over another. In CRM systems, for example, the sales reps who must do the work of entering data about contacts and meetings often must be bludgeoned or bribed to do so. They get little benefit from such tracking, as opposed to the VP of sales, for whom the data is a vital way to understand what is happening.” – (Dan Woods – Forbes) courtesy of cooperjournal

Getting a Form’s Structure Right: Designing Usable Online Email Applications

Added on 13 March 2009 Peter Bogaards
“I had the opportunity to speak with Afshan Kirmani on her article. (…) We talk about the design of an online web based application. Part 1 of the series focuses on the web based form where the user experience is critical before the user enters the application. The various aspects include a good entry point into a form which determines if users stay or leave. The beginning of every form is most important as details like usability set your apart from your competitors.” – (Jeff Parks – Boxes and Arrows)

ETech 2009: The Dotted-Line World

Added on 11 March 2009 Peter Bogaards
“I presented a talk at ETech today. It links the capabilities of ubiquitous computing and intersects it with service design to come up with a justification for creating subscription-based services out of (certain) everyday objects. (…) We must think of service design as going beyond functionality and beyond monolithic lock-in, but as a process of addressing specific needs.” – (Mike Kuniavsky – Orange Cone)

The History and Evolution of User Experience Design

Added on 11 March 2009 Peter Bogaards
An interview with Peter Merholz, President and Co-founder of Adaptive Path. – “User experience design is, at its core, a philosophy that products and services should be designed so that they are pleasurable and easy for people to use. While that might seem an obvious design approach, it’s actually not the way many designers historically thought about making things. In fact, it wasn’t until the 1990s that an industry came together around this particular approach to design.” – (Tea with Teresa) courtesy of deluca

Stage Directions Meet Functional Specifications: They Have a Lot in Common

Added on 10 March 2009 Peter Bogaards
“When it comes to modern theater, stage directions—the descriptive text that appears within brackets in a script—are an important piece of the puzzle. They speak for the playwright when he is not there. They provide details about how the playwright has imagined the environment and atmosphere. They describe critical physical aspects of the characters and settings. Stage directions can also be critical in dictating the intended tempo and rhythm of the piece. Whether they establish a production’s overall tone or elucidate particular actions of characters, stage directions help tell the complete story that is in the playwright’s mind. Stage directions accomplish all of this, using a simple convention that structurally separates them from the actual story.” – (Traci Lepore – UXmatters)

Choosing the Right Search Results Page Layout: Make the Most of Your Width

Added on 10 March 2009 Peter Bogaards
“Page layout forms the foundation in presenting search results. Your layout decisions for search results pages will have tremendous impact on the user experience for your entire site. Choosing the right width for search results is important, and the optimal width for search results may be a great deal narrower than some people using big monitors would believe.” – (Greg Nudelman – UXmatters)