All Questions
143
votes
42answers
14k views
Must-read User Interface Book? [closed]
I'm looking for a book that explains the basics of user interfaces and user experiences. I read Beautiful Visualization and Designing Interfaces from O'Reilly and I think they are very good. Can you ...
124
votes
17answers
8k 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.
...
88
votes
10answers
3k views
Should a toggle button show its current state or the state to which it will change?
I have a quick question about buttons that toggle between two states. (Think Play/Pause, or Shuffle/Regular Play.) As the title says, should the toggle show it's current state or the state to which it ...
29
votes
4answers
2k views
Don't hide or disable menu items?
In 2008, Joel Spolsky wrote:
A long time ago, it became fashionable, even recommended, to disable
menu items when they could not be used.
Don't do this. Users see the disabled menu item ...
121
votes
23answers
13k views
OK/Cancel on left/right?
Should OK button be on left of Cancel button or vice versa?
Are there any studies suggesting either of the solutions?
39
votes
4answers
4k views
When to use icons vs. icons with text vs. just text links?
Are there any rules on when to use icons vs. icons with text vs. just text links in a web application?
For example:
vs.
save
vs.
save
Extra question: Is save -or- save preferable?
32
votes
6answers
4k views
Is scrolling better than clicking to reveal more content?
Which is faster? Scrolling down or clicking a button to reveal more content? Currently, our site requires clicking of page numbers to reveal more content. We have 9 channels per page, which fits on ...
134
votes
12answers
11k views
Are carousels effective?
Go to just about any eCommerce site and the homepage is nearly guaranteed to feature a carousel - an auto-rotating panel, usually with some sort of small navigation, usually highlighting new product ...
42
votes
10answers
3k views
Home button vs Logo link?
Is a "home" button on the navigation required if there is a link to the homepage using the company's logo?
Increasingly I have noticed more and more websites using the logo as a link to return to ...
19
votes
26answers
5k views
Which prototyping tools? [closed]
This links heavily into the following question:
What are some great web-based prototyping tools?
However I didn't want to limit the suggestions to "Web Based" tools, I have found and used the ...
46
votes
10answers
3k views
How to graphically represent a language
Websites often present language selection to users with flag icons, but I think this is simply wrong. Flags represent countries.
There are two reasons for a user to change the display language (or at ...
19
votes
4answers
786 views
How do you create or select an icon for a feature?
How do you work out what icon type or image you need for a feature?
There's been quite a lot of very small questions here in the form of "What is a good icon for feature X?".
Instead we should be ...
19
votes
1answer
1k views
On forms, is inline placeholder text better than a label outside each field?
I am familiar with research on label placement to the left or above. I tend to go with right justified with the label to the left of the field for my form designs.
However, inline placeholder text ...
42
votes
7answers
4k views
What's the best way to view a deep hierarchy?
I've been pondering the best way to show a deep hierarchy for a desktop application I'm working on. Here are some alternative designs I'm considering...
Mac OSX Finder:
If you understand what ...
207
votes
12answers
36k views
Should I use Yes/No or Ok/Cancel on my message box?
Semantically, the Yes/No buttons are roughly equivalent to the Ok/Cancel buttons, but in general what would you recommend to use? Should I always use Yes/No or always use Ok/Cancel? Or does it depend ...
37
votes
2answers
6k views
Ideal column width for paragraphs online
There is nothing worse than coming across a website with paragraphs that span the width of your screen resolution. They are usually so hard to read, I don't even bother.
A lot of web designers use ...
34
votes
6answers
6k views
Using “Sign in” vs using “Log in”
Is there any research in this area, it seems "Sign in" is more common and hence more recommended.
11
votes
3answers
357 views
How do you persuade an organization to value UX?
UX is such an underrated field in a lot of industries. I wonder how companies consider employing UX designers and even heavily valuing their suggestions. Some big companies happen to see the light and ...
72
votes
21answers
13k views
How To Display Too Much Data
We're building a web-based platform where the main dashboard shows a table of data for users to view and analyze. As we're growing this tool, we seem to be adding more and more columns and are running ...
37
votes
8answers
2k views
As a programmer, how do I move into User Experience Design?
I've been a developer for over 6 years, mainly working in the web context, and generally distributed applications, services, and also front-facing apps. I got into programming originally through ...
27
votes
7answers
2k views
Intuitive interface for Composing Boolean Logic?
I'm interested to know how people have, or would construct an interface which simplifies constructing logical boolean conditions? (Yes, it's a database query builder) In my mind a bad interface has ...
70
votes
7answers
2k views
“Your” vs “My” in user interfaces
Some user interfaces feature titles such as:
My documents
My photos
My previous orders
While others opt for:
Your documents
Your photos
Your previous orders
Are their any guidelines addressing ...
41
votes
13answers
32k views
Common screen resolution?
I'm developing a web application which is quite information heavy. This means that every pixel available in the screen for display helps a lot, to avoid the UI looking too cluttered and to display ...
24
votes
11answers
2k views
How to visualize the possibility of drag'n'drop?
My web application contains a list of elements, which can be sorted by drag'n'drop. How to visualize this feature to users?
24
votes
14answers
2k views
Should we restrict signup for a service to Facebook accounts only?
There are obvious advantages to limiting sign-ups to a service like Facebook connect - getting a name, age, avatar, etc. without the annoyance to your customers of asking them to fill it all in.
We ...
18
votes
10answers
4k views
What's the best way to highlight a Required field on a web form before submission?
This seems subjective, and it is; a client of mine would like me to highlight the required fields on the web forms in their application with a red asterisk, and I'm looking for an alternative since ...
19
votes
10answers
1k views
Is there a usability reason for centering a website's content area on a page?
A lot of websites these days have content area's which are center-aligned: http://ux.stackexchange.com is an example.
However some sites are left-aligned e.g. http://forums.adobe.com/index.jspa, ...
16
votes
8answers
3k views
Best way to select a subset of items in a long list
One of our clients wants us to build a web application to share information about the magazines he publishes. Each edition of a magazine contains a variable amount of advertisers. These advertisers ...
29
votes
8answers
4k views
Is a cancel button necessary in a web form?
Personally I have never used it. I don't put information in a form and then decide everything needs to be cleared. I would edit one field.
Plus cancel in a UI suggests canceling an action which is in ...
16
votes
5answers
2k views
The notification tray at the top of Stack Exchange sites: what is it called? And are there other good examples of this?
I'm trying to clean up notifications for a client site and was wondering if the notification pattern that Stack Exchange employs has a name that I can use to search for more examples.
27
votes
12answers
3k views
Should the OK/Cancel buttons be aligned right or centered?
Where should I put the OK/Cancel buttons on my dialogs? At the bottom centered or aligned right? I've seen both and I personally don't care, but I want to create a consistant look across my ...
20
votes
6answers
3k views
Is infinite scrolling justifiable?
Recently I've noticed a new trend in user interfaces. Facebook and Twitter do this, and I've come across it on other random, less famous sites. However, to keep things simple, I'll just use Facebook ...
40
votes
2answers
1k views
Why do numpads on keyboards and phones have reversed layouts?
I came across this on the web. It's supposed to be funny, but we all know better :)
So, why are the numpad layouts different, and what are the reasons behind each?
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
...
112
votes
12answers
6k views
Why shouldn't we use words such as 'here' and 'this' in textlinks?
Over the years of surfing on the web I have found numerous examples of people saying that you shouldn't use the word "here" in a textlink etc. Personally I like the idea of using the word, because it ...
47
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 ...
61
votes
11answers
6k views
Why should we ask the password twice during registration?
It would be easier to ask for a user's password only once during registration.
The problem: The user could make a mistake while typing the password once because of hiding letters.
The solution: The ...
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 ...
33
votes
8answers
2k views
How much information should you ask for when users register?
So the company wants all the information it can get on the users of its site, but how much should be asked for upon registration?
On one hand, it would be easier for the users to enter only personal ...
35
votes
6answers
5k views
Regular pagination vs. infinite scroll
I'm currently making a dating site, my choice for pagination is between the traditional:
[<< Prev] [1] [2] [3] [Next >>]
vs
[ Load More ]
The 2nd is the "load more" bar or button ...
26
votes
3answers
4k views
Do users understand the browser back button?
You hear a lot about not breaking the back button on websites, but can you assume that most users know and use the back button?
Is it redundant to add a JavaScript or HTML back button/link on a page?
...
19
votes
28answers
566 views
What book would you recommend as a decent 'intro to UX' aimed at non-practitioners? [closed]
Via @uxbooks on Twitter I often get asked to recommend books on various subjects. Recently I was asked which book I would recommend to a non-practitioner as an intro to UX. I opened the question up ...
14
votes
5answers
5k views
Why would a web site hide the log out button?
I have recently observed many sites that do not have a log out button. Either it's not there or hidden somewhere so that you have to find it. Why do you think this has been done? Does it apply to ...
21
votes
13answers
1k views
Is it better to prevent a forbidden action or display an error/explanation message?
There are multiple examples, so I'll pick a specific one to focus the question.
Let's say a user can have specific characteristics (or permissions):
Admin, Virtual, External, Financial, etc.
To ...
20
votes
10answers
1k views
What are the differences between buttons and links?
What are the differences between buttons and links?
13
votes
6answers
1k views
Blinking, bouncing and flashing elements
I'm responsible for the UI/UX in a software development company.
During my absence, some developers decided to implement a "bounce" effect on a button of a website that they think should have more ...
10
votes
6answers
2k views
How do you indicate progress to users in a multi-step form?
What do you think of the following form design which I've prepared?
there's a progress bar in the top
on the right side the steps are listed, and every time the current state is indicated by ...
11
votes
7answers
1k views
“Sign Up” vs “Create an Account”
Which pick is better for a service? Especially if I would like the website to resemble American style.
Gmail and Dropbox say: "Sign In or create an account"
Yahoo says: "Sign In. New here? Sign ...
10
votes
5answers
839 views
Should i use country flags in language selection fields?
My users can create content in different languages, and i need to provide an option to choose the language when they enter new content.
Right now there are only 5 languages (en, fr, de, pt, es), and ...
98
votes
16answers
4k views
How to discover what users NEED and not what they WANT?
I have been thinking a lot about my favorite quote from Henry Ford:
If I asked people what they wanted, they would have said 'Faster Horses'. -Henry Ford
The trouble I have been having is that ...
