For the majority of my career I have worked on enterprise class software applications and websites that were built on, built for, and built with the Microsoft Windows operating system. Dialog boxes (and other user interactions), in this environment typically have an “OK-Cancel” at the bottom.
I was at a presentation the other day where a developer was presenting some training related to a new web application that they have created. Many of the screens he showed reminded me of one of the many sayings that I’ve used a lot in my UX career, “One size does not fit all.”
There has been a lot of conversation recently on the “twittersphere” about feature carousels and how much we either love them or hate them.
“Feature Carousels,” are those those semi scrolling images that sequence through several images and/or marketing content that your website is promoting. These are a way to highlight some goods or services that your company is presenting. Personally I am pretty neutral, when done right, they can be a useful part of a companies web presence.
One of the easiest ways to improve the usability (and perceived usability) of a web application is to improve the text that appears on the screen specifically around labels, embedded assistance and error messages.
In many web applications, there is a false assumption that all of the users are already experts. In many situations, the placement of a simple bit of embedded assistance will help the novice and intermediate users know exactly what to do.
It was a pleasure to work with you, as you and your team made this process a more pleasant experience for our team and the participants.
Karen Perry
I just want to tell you that I value people relations more than money. I remember how you were friendly and helpful not going against policies and contractual obligations at the same time, not using your power to make us feel stupid and small. It was a very rare and big experience for me. Really. I will always remember this.
Alex
The Usability People are all individuals that you can become friends with very easily. They have a lot of different interests and are a pleasure to work with. I was writing a PRD/MRD for a billing solution and worked with The Usability People in defining the user interface. They are receptive to ideas and are able to mold the user interface from an end-user's perspective. I really liked the idea of putting end-user photograph & short biography around the office to help understand the users
