defines the structure and behavior of interactive systems. Interaction Designers strive to create meaningful relationships between people and the products and services that they use, from computers to mobile devices to appliances and beyond.
22
votes
8answers
3k views
How should I interview UI and IA job applicants?
I'm a programmer who knows enough about UI/IA to sound convincing and cares enough to want to hire someone who actually knows what they are doing. Interviewing programmers is easy - they go on and on ...
143
votes
18answers
33k views
Is this rotating cube interface user-friendly?
I'm working on a prototype for an innovative form interface, where different parts of the form are shown on different sides of a cube. The cube rotates, and the user can fill it out as the cube spins. ...
20
votes
5answers
15k views
Best Practices for UI design on Android (Usability/UX) [closed]
I'm switching for web development to Android development. I know some things about web usability and I see that UX is too often left behind on Android from my I experience with it.
As the interaction ...
21
votes
9answers
894 views
How can you make a user experience addictive? [closed]
What factors and techniques contribute to making a user experience addictive?
I ask this in the context of websites, games and other software. What makes people want to keep coming back for more?
16
votes
13answers
943 views
How to build a budgeting interface (sum of items must equal 100)?
I'm trying to build a visual web interface where users can distribute a budget over some (varying) number of items. For example, if the budget is 100 points, I might allocate:
50 points to 'Apples'
...
46
votes
9answers
4k views
Undo History - Why limit it?
Why do most applications have fairly limited 'undo' history functionality?
I've been caught out on multiple occasions (granted its technically my fault) where I've needed to undo a number of changes ...
34
votes
10answers
2k views
What's the point in electronic devices beeping on keypress?
Many electronic devices, mostly cell phones, by default beep on keypress. What's the point in that?
Once a key is pressed their state is changed and that's reflected in the graphic interface anyway. ...
4
votes
3answers
3k views
Table data in Mobile phones
I want to display a table with 4/5 columns and possibly 100 rows (as in desktop app right now) in smartphones. The table cells are also editable. Now we want to port this desktop app to smartphones ...
5
votes
2answers
358 views
What affords scrolling?
Besides the obvious:
Scrollbar
Touch interfaces (especially mobile ones)
A sign saying "You can scroll here you know!"
This for a desktop application.
2
votes
1answer
238 views
What is the best graphical interface for inputting a list of pairs?
I want to create a graphical interface for inputing skill build orders for an RPG game. A skill build is an ordered list of (skill, number) pairs, like this (see footnote):
(A x1) -> (B *) -> ...
25
votes
6answers
2k views
What makes users register?
First off - I want users to register on my site. It's a site for image sharing, sort of like imgur.com. But what makes a user on a website register? I have people coming back to my site but they ...
16
votes
3answers
977 views
Character limits on fields - pros and cons and best practices?
Some of our form fields have character limits. We're debating whether we should reflect the current size of data entry, or to simply hard-limit and inhibit data entry beyond that size.
In HTML, ...
9
votes
6answers
1k views
What is the most common user interface in the world?
Please explain:
(1) What leads you to believe the interface is the most commonly used, and
(2) Why do you believe that it is an interface.
UPDATE: Leonardo Herrera's answer "The button, and its ...
4
votes
9answers
236 views
Should the results of a calculation happen automatically, or require a button push?
This is a problem I've ran into several times, and I imagine that others have ran across it too.
Basically, I have a complicated equation, and I want the user to type in the values needed to ...
25
votes
17answers
5k views
Form for inputting operating hours of a business
I am designing an interface where restaurants need to input their operating hours. I am thinking of using a slider control for timings for a single day, and then let the user choose days of the week ...
22
votes
11answers
4k views
Better way for users to select a date range
In my application, users select a date range for which results are required. The UI looks something like this:
My users don't like this, because the date picker requires them to select a specific ...
11
votes
4answers
412 views
Building logical criteria (with AND , OR, etc)
I am looking for inspiration on this. We have a Dot.Net web application, where we are building pretty complicated criteria. It works, but I would like to change this, re-shape this, possibly from the ...
25
votes
6answers
368 views
What are your favorite counter-intuitive principles or ideas within UX? [closed]
A quick example:
"Paradox of Choice" - Giving a user more control via options, configuration, and settings is counter-intuitive from a UX standpoint. We expect users will relish their total ...
15
votes
15answers
1k views
Examples of spartan/basic web sites [closed]
I am looking for examples of web sites that have a very spartan and minimal interface - mostly text and very few graphics or even styling - yet the user experience is good enough that users are not ...
14
votes
8answers
453 views
Is it ok to change the (US) address input field order in favor of a pre-fill feature?
I am working on an international site that requires the user to enter his postal address. I am wondering if it makes sense to have a slightly different order of input fields in favor of a time saving ...
13
votes
8answers
1k views
App interface for changing relational percentages
Has anyone ever seen or used a good app interface (web or mobile) for changing relational percentages? E.g I need to change 3 amounts to make up £100 and I need to be able to use any permutation to do ...
32
votes
14answers
3k views
Should double click be avoided in web applications?
I find that double click is a great gesture that could be successfully used in graphical interfaces but for some reason has negative connotation on the web. Should it be avoided at all costs?
2
votes
2answers
191 views
What's the best design pattern for splitting things in parts?
I want to design the following interaction: user buys 1 ton of sugar and 100 apples, and wants it to be shipped to him in 3 different packs:
Pack 1: 200 kg of sugar and 50 apples
Pack 2: 100 kg of ...
5
votes
2answers
303 views
What is a simple way to explain the disciplines and benefits of UX to a client?
What is the clearest way to explain to a client the disciplines and benefits of User Experience Design?
What I've got so far...
This is the clearest definition of the disciplines I've seen, but it ...
5
votes
3answers
301 views
Buttons and links for website navigation
I've just been reading Zusch's comments on his blog about buttons and links and their functions, where he advocates that buttons should execute commands and links should link to content (Links and ...
12
votes
4answers
3k views
What are the advantages and disadvantages of multi-window functionality vs single-window functionality?
I am considering porting a windows application to a web application for one of my clients. The windows application is an MDI app (multiple forms open at once), but obviously the web app would be much ...
8
votes
6answers
720 views
How to present presets relating to a date range picker
We are developing a date ranger picker and are in doubt how to present preset time periods.
The scenario is this: EITHER the user utilizes a preset period, e.g.
Next 7 days
Next 3 months
Latest 7 ...
5
votes
3answers
113 views
Form for property rent prices depending on season and length
Seeing the similar post about Form for inputting operating hours of a business, I am hoping you might help me with a similar issue.
We run a holiday property rental website. Properties can be rent on ...
5
votes
5answers
699 views
How to solve Design/UX problems using more tangible/fun techniques?
I am trying to compile a list of interesting/more tangible methods of solving UX/Creative problems - whether it be as individual, in small groups, workshops, in user testing etc...
I am already ...
4
votes
3answers
111 views
What Defines “On a Device”?
I'm currently working on a user experience problem that involves a user's multiple devices (smart phone, tablet, laptop, etc.)
What I'm trying to accomplish is that the app "intuitively senses" when ...
1
vote
2answers
845 views
UI gestures for Kinect, Kinect-type devices
On touch screen devices, there appears to have evolved a standard set of gestures, e.g.
pinch and spread with two fingers for zoom in and zoom out
swipe with one finger to scroll a document
We're ...
10
votes
4answers
244 views
Form Design: Mutually Exclusive Tabs vs. One Form
I am working on a form design that currently has two mutually exclusive forms accessible via tabs (Option 1). During usability testing my team noticed that users missed the tabs and only noticed them ...
9
votes
4answers
431 views
How does a “random page” option help an application to succeed?
Some documentation applications, particularly wikis (including, of course, Wikipedia) have a Random Page function.
My question is - how important and useful is that? Is there any objective data ...
8
votes
2answers
299 views
What's the best approach for header/footer in responsive web design?
I'm an IA doing a responsive site, as part of a much larger scale e-commerce site. Our pages are the only responsive parts of the overall site, so 90% of our site will not yet be responsive. Part of ...
7
votes
3answers
101 views
Behavior of the Enter button in a form
What is a better experience for a user if they press enter when using a form?
Should it submit the form or move to the next field?
6
votes
3answers
224 views
What are the Benefits/Risks of Unobtrusive Global Search until active pattern (Facebook, Apple)?
Apple and Facebook recently implemented a darkening of their global search inputs until focused. Apple's default short input width - widening on focus is also interesting.
My first assumption is ...
5
votes
4answers
735 views
Design pattern for merging duplicate contacts?
Have you seen any good examples of applications (web or desktop) that make it easy for a user to identify and merge duplicate contacts or other records? We need our users to manually approve the merge ...
4
votes
2answers
171 views
How to best enter long digits on a small touch device without using keyboard input
my current task is to create an user interface for a mobile strategy game. stuff can be transported from point a to point b. the user can select an amount of stuff between 1 and 1.000.000. it is ...
4
votes
6answers
355 views
Creating Interfaces that Build Emotional Bonds
What are factors in the user experience that lead to users having an emotional tie to an interface, why, and what would be an example of each factor.
3
votes
3answers
169 views
How to design the input field for recipe ingredients
I've spent a lot of time thinking about the most efficient way to handle a user inputting a recipe into a form. There are a couple different options I've seen across the internet, from offering up a ...
3
votes
3answers
189 views
Visualize next step in learning application?
I have an application where a younger audience can improve their math skills. It is still in development phase and I have made some usability tests observing users getting their hands on the ...
3
votes
3answers
400 views
Does gender affect the results of a usability test?
There's a question on Quora asking for opinions about subjects' gender impact on usability tests. I think this topic is very interesting given that people of different genders prefer different visual ...
2
votes
2answers
249 views
Default choice for a “leave without saving changes”-dialog
I have an existing design (web application) where users can edit small parts in a webpage. A small editor will open up with the editable fields and three buttons: [Cancel & Close] [Clear] and ...
2
votes
0answers
194 views
Are “reset” buttons redundant? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Is a cancel button necessary in a web form?
Are form "reset" buttons redundant? If not, why not? Give me a case where they are completey accepted, useful and maybe even ...
1
vote
3answers
139 views
What are the job titles of people who design how software should look and feel?
In the construction industry, there's an architect:
An architect is a person trained to plan and design buildings, and
oversee their construction
and an interior designer:
Interior design ...
-2
votes
2answers
103 views
Which one you think is better approach for viewing notification - facebook or quora/forrst?
Which one you think is better approach for viewing notification - facebook or quora/forrst (where you need to hitting the clear notification button) and why?
For reading notification in fb, you just ...
