The extent to which a product can be used by specified users to achieve specified goals with effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction in a specified context of use.
126
votes
17answers
9k views
Save icon, is the floppy disk icon dead?
This Twitter post sparked me to ask the question:
totally! RT @damienguard: Dear UI
designers everywhere. Stop using
floppy disk icons for save. Too many
people have no idea what it is now.
...
12
votes
8answers
2k views
Responsive web design Vs Separate website for Mobile
Responsive Web design is buzzword these days. which means to create a same website and optimized for all devices.
There are also some website which convert the desktop websites into Mobile website
...
72
votes
10answers
1k views
Is Markdown Friendly Enough for Non-Technical Users?
The Problem
I love using markdown to write questions, answers, posts, comments etc. That being said, I am a very technical, detail oriented, programmer type. However, I am working on a CMS of sorts ...
6
votes
2answers
558 views
How to design usable web site terms & conditions?
What are some guidelines and examples for designing usable legal terms for web sites? I know that most users don't read it, but are there innovative ways to improve readability and presentation of ...
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 ...
20
votes
5answers
16k 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 ...
31
votes
9answers
2k views
Can ugly be good UX?
It's heresy I know, but look at DrudgeReport.com. It's raw, hand written HTML, it's plain, boring typography, it's something any UX or Graphic designer would scoff at if you handed it across their ...
25
votes
9answers
5k views
Good reasons to use bad UI
I know you just read the title, take a deep breath. I'll explain.
When should we make a conscious decision to retain poor UI, even if temporarily? Not because of budget or time constraints but ...
14
votes
4answers
2k views
What is the ROI of UI or UX design?
I was trying to find out if there have been studies on how much a bad UI or UX design affects sales on websites? I couldn't really find anything in my searches.
Also, does anyone know about any ...
4
votes
5answers
2k views
Is taking the CUA (certified Usability analyst) certification worth it?
I see a lot of people taking this certification nowadays and I wonder if its actually worth it and how is it received by the industry and does it really help in bringing you up to speed with UX and ...
12
votes
10answers
724 views
Is UX the same as Usability?
The two terms have seemingly become synonymous, but is "user experience" really the same thing as "usability?"
It would seem that some sites, apps or products provide the user with an experience ...
8
votes
3answers
309 views
Would it be bad design (and unsafe) to put password guidelines next to a login box?
Different websites have different password requirements
Some are content with a combination of just lower case words
Some require a combination of lower case and upper case words
Some require ...
7
votes
2answers
310 views
Is there any difference in element minimal sizes on 10 and 24 inch touch screens?
I am developing an application which is supposed to be used on a 24" touch monitor.
There are lots of guides on physical sizes of a touch screen UI elements. All of them are saying that every ...
35
votes
6answers
3k views
Infinite scroll vs Pagination in E-commerce websites
Infinite scroll has been around for a while now, however I have not seen infinite scroll being implemented on any successful or well known e-commerce sites.
Does anyone know of any e-commerce sites ...
16
votes
11answers
3k views
Certified Usability Professional?
I've searched the web for a Usability certification, which is widely accepted by practitioners, employers and customers without any luck. Either they are company specific, or a part of a association ...
17
votes
3answers
1k 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, ...
6
votes
3answers
284 views
Placement of delete button on form
I have a form which edits a flight, and it should be possible to delete them. I have considered putting a delete button in the index page, which lists all the flights, but the table rows are clickable ...
5
votes
5answers
517 views
Forgotten Passwords - is there a real benefit to asking for memorable password hints on signup?
On several signup forms I see fields such as "Choose your Memorable Password Question". Is this actually benifical nowadays? Surely a more secure method if someone forgets their password is to build a ...
3
votes
5answers
775 views
Recommend UI modifications [closed]
I am looking to modify the "faceted filter" on our schedule page and would like some input on what kind of UI elements I could use to enhance the experience. The current one is woefully bad and the ...
9
votes
4answers
300 views
email field or username for logging in an application?
What is the best solution for an app : Email or username field?
I like email because:
it's unique
user will easily remember
it's personal (which can be a disadvantage sometimes; Multiple users on ...
8
votes
7answers
1k views
Why is a manual transmission so complicated? [closed]
While driving I noticed that the gearbox is complicated for a first time users. I find it hard to tell which gear my car is in while driving.
Is there a reason for this design, and is there a better ...
8
votes
4answers
1k views
Optimum number of choices for menus/navigation
Anyone know any usability or cognitive psychology research done on the optimum number of choices for menus/navigation?
I need some evidence to argue a case against a top level category menu of ...
6
votes
3answers
130 views
Select as title vs. Tabs
I'm trying to decide between using a custom css select as a title versus using tabs on a page I'm working on. I drew up two wireframes below:
1. Using Tabs
2. Using Select
As you can see, the ...
108
votes
13answers
3k views
Language of language names in the language selector?
Imagine a site that's available in multiple languages. The language is detected automatically by looking at the IP or the browser header. But that's not bulletproof, so a few users might end up on a ...
26
votes
3answers
843 views
Is usability gender specific?
I'm talking strictly usability, not UX as a whole: Is there a measurable difference between men and women? Can it happen that elements of a website work well for men but don't work for women or vice ...
25
votes
4answers
1k views
Design Patterns for Discoverability
What are some tried and true design patterns for discoverability in UI/UX, where information or a feature isn't necessarily overt at first glance, but is discoverable by using the interface through ...
5
votes
4answers
1k views
Usability Guidelines
I am supposed to evaluate a few websites to find out whether they comply with Jacob's Nielsen Heuristics... But I am having trouble understanding the heuristics. Can somebody please explain?
These ...
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 ...
11
votes
3answers
2k views
Design pattern or best practices for top notification bars?
The top notification bar on SE pops up to show messages like 'badge x earned'. What are the best practices for this type of UI?
Specific details:
On showing - Displace content downward (like on SE) ...
12
votes
4answers
433 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 ...
7
votes
3answers
306 views
UX responsibilities
Is there a number of responsibilities that fall under UX (for example, graphic design, usability etc), or is UX a sub responsibility of design?
4
votes
1answer
262 views
What are the design guidelines to make interfaces friendly to dyslexics?
I've come across this question on Quora where it's likely to be forgotten.
Unlike other disabilities that are often considered in design, dyslexia has many forms. As a result, the guidelines can't be ...
20
votes
2answers
547 views
Should I follow the Android guideline or keep my app's own style when porting it from iOS?
My new project is to port an iOS app to Android platform. Before get started, I'm quite confused on whether I should follow google's guideline since some big titles on Android platform still keep the ...
8
votes
5answers
585 views
On mobile phones why is the green (call) button at the left and red (hang) button at the right side?
Some old mobile phones have switched position of green/red buttons.
Currently the green button is at the left and red button is at the right side on mobile phones.
Why? That is rationale? Which ...
3
votes
2answers
665 views
Is there any research or data on horizontal vs. vertical navigational menus?
I've seen many sites using both horizontal (top) navigation, vertical (left) navigation, and both across web sites for a long time. My understanding is that they're both conventions, but I would ...
23
votes
5answers
3k views
Dropdown vs radio button
User have to choose type of food (from 3 or 4 choices) in our application. Default selection is used in 60 - 70% of cases. What will be better: dropdown or radio buttons?
7
votes
5answers
438 views
Why is high website availability good for UX?
I'm trying to understand how much should I invest in website availability.
What impact does a not so good availability (let's say 95% - 18 days in a year) have in User Experience.
Why is it that ...
7
votes
2answers
582 views
Whats is the best UI interface for permission?
I would like to know what is the best user interface to represent Multi-group inheritance permission.
I am not sure the treeview is the best way to show permission. What should be the best UI ?
...
4
votes
2answers
306 views
Does the use of lines improve the usability of tree widgets?
I am in the process of defining a style guide for a family of software applications, including the usage and visual design of a tree widget. Right now, we are having discussions whether to use lines ...
15
votes
6answers
854 views
Why left-align a website?
Looking around the web, I've noticed quite a few sites (mainly sites that haven't had a major facelift for a couple of years) that have the entire site sitting to the left of the page.
Examples:
...
11
votes
2answers
253 views
How do you decide when a website or application is “usable enough”?
I did see the related question
How do you know when an interface is complete - Though the answers in this question are very interesting,they are more from a product management perspective of what to ...
11
votes
6answers
690 views
Is ReCaptcha a poor anti-spam mechanism?
As everyone knows, any website that allows users to submit content to be posted without moderation are subject to all kinds of spam.
One of the most popular methods of combatting this is using ...
10
votes
4answers
329 views
How can we communicate that UX work can't be done by just anyone?
About 2 years ago, I asked about a good usability/UX elevator pitch, so I can quickly explain what UX is whenever I need.
But, to this date, I still can't get over one little issue: lots of people ...
9
votes
4answers
400 views
automatically calculate contrast
A user can change the default design of his site by selecting a color. This color is applied to the menu background color. The problem is that I have to change the menu text color depending on the ...
5
votes
1answer
181 views
Interface for linking multiple email addresses and addresses to an account
In a web application I am building, I need to allow users to link multiple email addresses and addresses to their account.
The requirements are:
Users can add and remove email addresses and ...
4
votes
6answers
253 views
In what situations is a “barrier to entry” training requirement before use appropriate?
Sparked by this discussion.
Is there ever an argument to be made that products should be deliberately made difficult to use as a barrier to entry for the use of that product?
If so, in what sorts of ...
3
votes
1answer
1k views
How to simplify a long form
We are designing a web app for tour operators and the initial data looks like the attachment, any ideas to simplify. some of the fields will be calculated those will be removed, and some unneeded ...
3
votes
2answers
478 views
Methodology difference between UX and Usability
What methodologies do user experience professionals adopt that differentiate them from usability professionals.
2
votes
4answers
398 views
What UX metrics can I get from a web application?
I think of Google Analytics as a tool that I can incorporate in my web application to get more information about my UI and UX in general. This is in addition to user testing and other tools, but I'm ...
11
votes
4answers
156 views
Should you optimize mobile experiences based on individual handedness?
In abbood's question "How to implement a stack exchange style voting for mobile?" he answers his own question with the following mock-up:
My immediate thought was that the up-vote control was on ...
