Let me repeat that last bit: mobile does not equal less.
I love the way TechCrunch solved the ugly social sharing button issue. The actual share buttons appear when you rollover the social icons that fit into the overall look and feel of the site.
(Source: TechCrunch)
“- Don’t hav a logotype that takes up 50% of the screen
- Make sure some of your content is visible on the first screen, otherwise users will have a hard time understanding that they have in fact navigated to a new page.
- Use a mobile device for your design and mockup work to visualize how little space you have to play with. Also, display browser chrome on your mock ups.”
Height matters! – Anders M. Andersen
Here’s an excellent list of things to keep in mind when designing for a small device. I’m beginning to see more and more folks talking about the height of a device, instead of just the width, which is a great trend. These tips should help most designs stay usable, even on very short screens.
Leaving Old Internet Explorer Behind
Using media queries to make a clean break from legacy browsers
“The “key ingredient” to our new design. The answer is simple: all design decisions have been dictated by our pursuit of optimal typographic measure (45–90 characters per line) for a convenient reading experience on every screen resolution. We’ve worked very hard to achieve optimal typography first and then built the layout around that. It was important for us to increase usability, visibility and accessibility for our content.”
Smashing Magazine on their new responsive design (via uxrave)
(Source: smashingmagazine.com, via uxrave)
Just noticed this lovely little detail on Fast Co. Design: Instead of plopping a Facebook like button directly on their posts, the not-so-nice looking buttons are tucked under a like count that matches the overall feel of the blog. I may have to swipe that next time I design something with a like button.
Pinterest for Brands: 5 Hot Tips
- Promote a lifestyle
- Use it like a focus group
- Crowdsource
- Run contests
- Inspire your team
Pinterest has been blowing up of late as the hottest way for creative brands to reach users. This Mashable post highlights some of the ways you can use the new micro-blogging service to effectively connect with people in a variety of ways.
Behavioral economics and Facebook conspiracy theories
Timeline also makes branded posts (ads) look nearly identical to the actual content we’re on Facebook to see, so it follows that they’d be processed similarly.
Super interesting piece by Jeff Dechambeau on the psychology behind the new Facebook Timeline and how it could play into a shift in perception of ads.
(h/t @eignerchris)
Jeff Gothelf – Understanding Lean UX
No one else in the process has to get it right the first time. Designers don’t have to get it right the first time.
Excellent 30 minute podcast discussing the agile UX process.
An Extensive Guide to Web Usability
Despite differences in layout, functionality and purpose, all forms have three main aspects, as noted by Caroline Jarrett and Gerry Gaffney in their book Forms That Work: Designing Web Forms for Usability:
- Relationship Forms establish a relationship between the user and the organization.
- Conversation They establish a dialogue between the user and the organization.
- Appearance By the way they look, they establish a relationship and a conversation.
For a form to be usable, all three aspects need to be tackled.
The earlier image of Dextr’s mad-lib form prompted me to dig up this excellent Smashing magazine piece from a few months ago. It’s a long, but great read that digs into many of the issues that can crop up when designing a form.
