Archives for the tag "usability"

Plain Language comes to the US – for real, this time

June 28, 2011 · Posted in Content Development, Information Design and Usability  

The US will join the UK and Australia, which have Plain Language policies. As of October, the US will adopt the principles of Plain Language that makes content more accessible to low-literacy and ESL readers. Among the first initiatives was to design forms in plain language so that the average person could actually understand and [...]

If you’re not outraged, you’re not paying attention

June 15, 2011 · Posted in Content Strategy, usability, User experience  

The signage in Vancouver’s transit system is an example of how small content problems can have a negative effect on the overall user experience.

The Content Strategy Bookshself

June 6, 2011 · Posted in Content Strategy  

If you were to look at your library of books related to content strategy – directly or indirectly – what would be on that shelf? Here’s what is on mine.

Consequences of not having a good content strategy

November 9, 2009 · Posted in Content Development, Content Strategy  

An unexpected, informal usability test shows the role of content as part of the overall user experience.

Podcasts on usability

June 5, 2009 · Posted in User experience  

Userability Show: podcast series that answers usability questions.

Delivering the steak, not just the sizzle

May 25, 2009 · Posted in Content Strategy  

There are too many sites that deliver the sizzle without the steak – in other words, great interactivity but not enough, or the right, content.

Flash pages, skip intros, and other annoying content

March 27, 2009 · Posted in User experience, Web development  

Do you support or annoy your website visitors with the first content they see? Using Flash splash screens, skip intro buttons, talking heads, and other presentation techniques is tricky. A few sites do it well; many annoy their visitors before they’ve even given them a chance to engage.

What’s the difference in a UX name?

March 25, 2009 · Posted in Professional development, User experience  

Is it a good idea to call yourself a User Experience Designer, or should you be more specific about your expertise in the field?

Poor usability marring site experience sparks thoughts on ROI

August 21, 2008 · Posted in Content management, User experience  

What happens when a site is developed to be very attractive and nominally useful, but lacks user-centered design.