for questions that specifically ask about academic papers or other scientific research
50
votes
10answers
2k views
How does Gamification change User Behavior?
On Location Based Applications the use of Gamification is essential. As you move along and check in you earn badges and points. Users also find themselves in a leader board, which most certainly ...
7
votes
7answers
2k views
Opening website external links in new window — published usability tests
In usability discussions about opening website external links in new windows, with regard to the argument of "keeping users on the site" there are occasionally references to usability studies which ...
1
vote
2answers
61 views
Application startup time [duplicate]
Is there some science going on that tells us lousy developers what users expect from an enterprise desktop-application in terms of application startup time?
My application uses a splashscreen that ...
3
votes
4answers
125 views
Is pop up always bad?
I am involved in a redesign project (web app) where existing system throws quite frequent, random pop ups. These pop ups are used to gather information and also to display information and ...
63
votes
7answers
5k views
To use or not to use “Zebra Stripes”, or Alternating Row Colors for Tables
Is there any research out there showing whether or not alternating the row colors for a table increases/impedes the time it takes to parse information? An example can be found at the following ...
4
votes
2answers
100 views
Can SUS scores be used for comparison between different systems?
The System Usability Scale (SUS) resulted score seem to me as somewhat subjective. What ever score yields from a questionnaire for System A may just solely be just for System A, and is difficult to ...
3
votes
3answers
172 views
Should Focus Group interviews include people of different stakeholder categories?
I was told by a friend that when conducting focus groups to gather information for needfinding for a design, I should avoid grouping different stakeholders together into a single group.
This got me ...
19
votes
4answers
464 views
Any Research on User Experience Perceptions of Native Apps vs Web or Hybrid Apps
My organization is looking at developing mobile applications, we have a wealth of web development resources. There are many factors to consider in making the decision of how to develop this ...
6
votes
2answers
313 views
Common screen resolution? (In a business environment)
Inspired by "Common screen resolution?" and a debate at work where I defended the teachings of this site...
In the debate we argued about how the business environment differ from home environment in ...
2
votes
4answers
168 views
Ideas and/or research results on the best way to present a lengthy list of chapters
I'm looking for the best way to present a list of chapters on an iPhone. My first stab was to create a vertically scrolling table with a row for each chapter. For example, when showing the chapters of ...
2
votes
2answers
78 views
Studies showing what prompts users to view the privacy policy of a website that does not have user accounts?
As opposed to websites where A user signs up and can be concerned about their privacy (i.e. Instagram, etc). What have case studies shown to motivate a user to look through a website's privacy policy? ...
3
votes
2answers
67 views
studies on passcode/keypad versus password/keyboard?
When designing a tablet-based app that needs it's own extra security, there seems to be a couple of common choices: add a password screen with a keyboard, or use a passcode screen that has a keypad.
...
2
votes
2answers
131 views
Cultural Probe applied to business environment
At my workplace I am planning a research effort studying some in-house software. I would like to use Gaver's Cultural Probe technique because the exploratory nature of the methodology appeals to my ...
5
votes
6answers
165 views
Should tabs changes in a web app be part of the browser history?
I've implemented a JavaScript plugin that tracks tab changes in through the browser history. Here's a brief overview of how it works:
Once tab is clicked, the URL hashtag (the part that looks like ...
6
votes
2answers
309 views
What is the purpose behind mouse acceleration?
Windows XP enables it by default, I don't know about vista or 7, in Mac OS X you have to buy a shareware to remove both mouse acceleration AND accelerated scrolling.
Why are those things always ...
16
votes
4answers
811 views
Are there any recent studies of the “Keyboard vs Mouse”-issue?
Back in the late 80's, Apple Human Interface concluded that the mouse is faster than the keyboard, objectively. But also that every test person subjectively thought that the keyboard was faster.
...
21
votes
4answers
718 views
Display comments order - best practice
I wonder what is the best comments order on the website. I assume there are two major methods to display comments:
from newest to oldest,
from oldest to newest.
Facebook uses method one and ...
26
votes
10answers
2k views
Traffic lights: “yellow” is progress, not state
When thinking about how (real-world) traffic lights work, I wonder if there is a more intuitive way to display the yellow light. The meaning of Green and Red are states:
Green: Ok, you can go!
Red: ...
3
votes
2answers
73 views
Phrasing of diary study prompts to get more user insight
I am in the process of designing a diary study to investigate the interaction between a current software application and its users. I am seeking open-ended data and insights from users that I might ...
12
votes
5answers
601 views
Why Not Use a Real Person as a Persona?
My understanding of UX Personas is that they're descriptions of fictitious people designed to represent the common traits and attributes of a broader audience demographic.
If that's the case, in what ...
4
votes
3answers
295 views
What's wrong with C-style syntax from a usability perspective?
Precursor: this a question about ux, not technical implementation.
Context. I'm looking at designing a small language with a textual syntax. It will be used by Business Analysts to define system ...
3
votes
2answers
111 views
Research on the effectiveness of subtle animation to draw attention?
Is there any research reporting on the effectiveness of subtle animations (sliding, fading in/out, etc) as a means to draw attention to the key part of a website?
A partner company is critiquing a ...
0
votes
3answers
121 views
How to communicate use cases to stakeholders
I'm working on a dedicated CMS system for my client. I have already prepared some use cases and wondering how to communicate it to client's salesmen. I need their feedback but I am afraid they won't ...
3
votes
6answers
162 views
What's the best way to conduct user research at a trade show?
I've tried a couple of times to perform usability studies at an industry-specific trade show, and it's been largely awkward. In my experience, people are milling around and love to chat, but don't ...
6
votes
5answers
337 views
What are some good questions to pose to stakeholders before redesign?
I've just started work with a big travel company that is working on redoing their 'self service' page. What would be some intelligent questions to ask the stake holders? How do I understand what ...
1
vote
2answers
91 views
How useful is carrying out a heuristic evaluation in this circumstance?
Working on a website redesign. We have documentation from workshops that give us insight into the pain points of the existing site from the clients and their business requirements. How useful would ...
33
votes
5answers
1k views
What research is there suggesting modal dialogs are disruptive?
It seems "Everyone" knows they're highly disruptive for many situations but often times clients don't. Particularly in desktop applications this form of dialog is often misused, often disrupting a ...
5
votes
2answers
112 views
Standards, guidelines or usability research for touch laptops?
From what I've read about CES it seems like a big upcoming trend in hardware is touch enabled laptops. And of course Microsoft's Surface device is sort of a touch enabled laptop.
This is a whole new ...
3
votes
2answers
75 views
What training opportunities are there in the UK for UX research? [closed]
I'm looking for a short (2 days maybe) training course in the UK (preferably London or South East) on how to conduct great depth interviews for UX type research.
What courses are there out there that ...
0
votes
0answers
88 views
Online resources to learn about User Experience Research [closed]
What in-depth online resources exist surrounding User Experience Research? There's already a question about books but I'm looking specifically for online sites, journals, etc...
11
votes
7answers
845 views
Academic Papers about UI [closed]
Are there any academic papers (thesis, dissertations, etc.) that discusses topics about User Interfaces? Best if you post links.
I am just curious if such topics are accepted for research...
2
votes
3answers
468 views
Relationship between Front-End Dev and Interaction Design [closed]
[I am not changing the original question as there are valuable answers here. but the research I was conducting is now finished and results are published here
and http://hci.me.uk/jqueryperformance/
...
7
votes
4answers
357 views
Usability testing for open-source projects?
I'm working (slowly) on an open-source project, and I was hoping to do some usability testing once it's a bit further along. Also, hopefully the GIMP devs will notice this question ;-). I'm not sure ...
2
votes
2answers
105 views
Identifying a fair and representative set of users for interviews and persona development
How do you make sure you have a statistically representative and accurate sample of users from a population and what criteria would you base that sample on?
I want to make sure that the people we ...
1
vote
1answer
52 views
How to Show Object Multiplicity
I am creating a visual programming language. In this language objects are represented as rectangles, like this:
I thought that the best way to represent that an object is actually a collection of ...
2
votes
2answers
62 views
Research on more effective search systems based on Human–computer information retrieval?
Within the field of User Experience, a lot of interdisciplinary boundaries intersect and co-exist finding new knowledge from different views. One part where results have yet to come (?) is the field ...
11
votes
6answers
538 views
How would you create and validate personas for something that is not a person
There are a few questions here about personas, and research methods that you might use in order to create them, (some of which I've answered at length). Examples include:
What research methods can I ...
7
votes
2answers
201 views
Studies showing the impact of response time variability on user experience
Have there been any studies, or results, focusing on the impact of variability in latency of response times on the overall user experience?
I'm aware of the research on the "generally accepted" ...
3
votes
8answers
353 views
What motivates people to keep on sharing ideas, develop new concepts and innovate on online innovation communities? [closed]
I'm very interested in crowd-sourcing and online innovation communities. Currently, I'm conducting research on what motivates users to continue sharing ideas, developing concepts, funding projects and ...
2
votes
1answer
60 views
Best practices or resources about online assessment
I have a project to deliver an online assessment of a large number of users. The assessment is for a psychological research project, so the content is mostly self-description asked in a variety of ...
17
votes
1answer
237 views
Is there any in-depth data on tappability of touchscreen areas?
I'm looking for statistics or other objective evidence on the tappability of different areas of handset screens. When I say tappability, I'm referring to speed, accuracy, and general ergonomic fit for ...
-4
votes
1answer
102 views
Ethnography and Qualitative Research Staying Relevant [closed]
How must ethnography be re-calibrated for a moment driven by the study of complex phenomena like globalization or mass mediation, things ethnography was decidedly not concocted to study?
12
votes
3answers
253 views
Guidelines for browser page overlap?
When you press Page Down in a browser, there's usually a small number of lines from the bottom of the current windowful displayed at the top of the next windowful. The amount of this overlap is ...
14
votes
2answers
797 views
Any data available on using Skeuomorphic Design in apps?
I've recently come across an article about Skeuomorphism that peaked my curiosity.
Skeuomorphism: ..."an element of design or structure that serves little or no purpose in the artifact fashioned ...
4
votes
5answers
378 views
Color in Scientific Visualization
I am interested in any academic research or guidelines that suggests the most effective use of color in scientific visualisations. Particularly I am interested in the merits of black on white or white ...
4
votes
3answers
205 views
Is there research that shows that users don't like typing on virtual keyboards?
A widespread assumption among UX professionals says that users are not keen to use the virtual keyboard. Guidelines for mobile UX recommend to minimise text entry, suggest that typing holds back the ...
3
votes
3answers
320 views
CVV “What is this?” help dialog - still necessary?
Many online shopping carts have a "What is this?" help dialog attached to a CVV input field.
Here is an example from Paypal:
My assumption is that more people are familiar with online shopping, ...
14
votes
5answers
577 views
UX impact of standard stock photos
It's pretty clear to me that standard stock images (examples 1 / examples 2) don't help to build a brand or identity. Are there any studies about the impact of stock images? Any other thoughts?
In ...
4
votes
2answers
71 views
Research on continuously animating list panel content
I am trying to find evidence for or against automatically scrolling (animating) panel content. Please open this Axure prototype to see exactly what I am talking about.
http://share.axure.com/5287A1
...
5
votes
1answer
115 views
Where can I find statistics on the use of mobile app features?
I am looking for academic research that investigates how frequently Set as wallpaper and Delete functions are used in image viewer applications on mobile devices (to defend their inclusion in a list ...
