Challenging user actions can be a good thing

In most cases I would say that ok/cancel dialogs that challenge a user’s intention are anoying and unnecessary. There are time however when I’m thankful that UX designers consider challenging my actions, to wit: Thank you Mail.app I would rather not open the one thousand eight hundred seventy six emails that I inadvertently highlighted just [...]

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It used to be plain crap, but now…it’s Beta!

“We have to admit, the old download manager totally sucked.” Beta is beyond retro-cool. Remember the late 90′s? Recalled by some as, “The Golden Age of Beta”, is it being eclipsed? With a health dose of web2.0 badges screaming: “BETA!”, anything could happen. –I am so starting a band called The Beta Band, no wait [...]

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NY Times Coverage of Fannie/Freddie Bailout

Add to Porfolio? Well, they do say buy low, sell high… I doub’t that was the intention here. (See the bottom of the image, the story is about the U.S. Government bailout of the morgatge companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

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Consider the default case

When websites evolve and acquire new features it is important to handle “default cases” well. When I registered for the site in this image, the site’s designers had implemented a very basic personal profile, screen name, email and password; later they added additional details such as “Full Name”. As an early registrant in the system, [...]

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Focus on writing

When a simple 10 minute exercise in thinking and writing up a few ideas turns into a two week delay in action, maybe the environment precludes the generation of the message. Can simple applications like WriteRoom make you more productive? You don’t need to write the next, great novel to appreciate the powerful, liberating experience [...]

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Well designed registration forms make me happy

The example above from Remember The Milk’s sign-up form points out how easy registering for a product or service should be. It looks so easy, but in reality making it seem easy take experience, empathy and real work. As a result, you’re probably not going to find the answer to the question “How do I [...]

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