What a deliciously exciting user interface. All the navigation is either touch, swipe or pinch.
(Source: macrumors.com)
The new Playstation Video Unlimited service highlights how a responsive, animated interface can be built with Javascript and access to hardware APIs.
Access to these APIs is not something that’s generally available on the PS3 platform now, but it does point to the future capabilities of both browser and hardware developers to build intuitive interfaces with a lot of great animation without the overhead of Flash. Exciting times!
Mike Monteiro talking about simplifying a user interface so the differences in your content stand out, rather than trying to make every element look different.
Making every element look different inherently makes it more difficult to discover new content since you destroy easy to scan visual patterns. That, and you inevitably decrease the density of your content, which makes it more work for you to gather the information you need or want.
He’s got a great example in the article comparing Twitter to Google+ with comparative screen shots. Dig in!
A little about blog navigation.
Here’s a terrifically confusing navigational element that seems to be the default on many blogging systems. You get to the bottom of the page and you have the option to browse to the Previous or Next pages. But does Next mean the next entries that were added (ie, newer posts) or does it mean the next page that you haven’t read (which would mean older posts).
When you’re publishing by date, there are two states: older and newer. Any other label for date based organization and you’re left considering, does this label mean older or newer.
And any time you have to consider what the next action means, there’s a problem with the user interface. So, change your blog navigation buttons to Newer and Older and save everyone the trouble.
Apple heads back to the mac with some very subtle UI changes.
A couple of weeks ago, my excitement was ratcheted up a notch or two with the prospect os OSX Lion presenting us with a new unified skin for “the world’s most advanced operating system.”
For years we’ve had inconsistencies between the design and icons of the various native OSX apps, even being left with version 1.0 scrollbars in most apps, long after Apple’s aqua interface was otherwise replaced.
While OSX Lion’s introduction was relatively brief, and the screen shots on the teaser page don’t offer much (going so far as not even showing any non-fullscreen scroll bars at all), a little digging and we can find the following:
A brief video on simplifying your user interface.
Apple recently released an update to its Remote app for managing iTunes from your iPhone or iPad. One of the key features of this app is the ability to control speakers throughout your home. So, top left of the app, we find the audio sharing icon and dropdown (unfortunately, with a different icon to accommodate for the alternative placement of the volume slider depending on whether you’re browsing your library or looking at the currently playing song).
Ten laws to design by.
Ten Laws To Design By compiled by Ross Johnson is a great read for designers, marketers and developers. The article offers a nice summary of both aesthetic and functional design rules which help your design connect with users, including standard practices that help make products more intuitive and informational media more effective.
(via robynchell)
Blackberry 6, better for users.
After struggling mightily with a Blackberry 8900 over the weekend (seriously, almost every aspect of the OS on that thing is broken - from email to Wifi to Web browsing. What a nightmare!), it’s nice to see that Blackberry is actually attempting to improve their user experience with Blackberry 6.
UI exploration: Improving date and time entry.
While we’re plugging away on the next update to the Events Calendar, I thought it would be fun to walk through the process we took while designing the new time entry elements used when adding or editing an event in the calendar.
Working towards a better experience.
No matter what type of system you’re building, be it a website, web app or desktop app, user testing is a vital tool that will allow you to identify problems in your system and help you build a better experience for your users.
It’s not necessarily a costly and time consuming endeavor. In fact, a few friends and some food may be all you need to get some great insight on how to improve your system.
Here are some introductory tips to help you get started towards building a better experience for your users with the help of user testing. Note that I’m using the term ‘website’ to describe a project or system, but this process can be applied to any activity that requires user interaction.
