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User performance depends on conditions
In early June, in a hotel lobby, I stopped to observe someone troubleshooting a wireless connection. I’ve faced this challenge myself, since every hotel seems to have a slightly different process for...
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Auto-correct a touch-screen problem
For the past few months, I’ve been taking an average of 1.6 flights per week on commercial airplanes. Most of these offered seatback entertainment, so I could watch the TV show or movie of my choice,...
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Gestalt principles hindered my sudoku performance
Last week, while waiting for friends, I picked up a community newspaper in hopes of finding a puzzle to help me pass the time. I found a sudoku puzzle. A sudoku puzzle consists of nine 3×3 squares,...
View ArticleA banister has multiple user groups
We don’t always know what a design is intended to convey. We don’t always recognise or relate to a design’s intended user groups. But we don’t have to know everything that an object’s design is...
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Natural mapping of light switches
I recently moved into a home where the light switches are all wrong. I was able to fix one problem, and the rest is a daily reminder that usability doesn’t just happen by itself. In one pair of light...
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Agile design and usability: Will a prototype do?
The Agile Manifesto includes twelve principles. These two are related: Deliver working software frequently [in short sprints that last] from a couple of weeks to a couple of months, with a preference...
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If the user can’t use it, it’s broken
A few days ago, I tried to pump up my bicycle tires. I had to borrow a pump. The connectors and attachments suggested this pump would fill North-American and European tire tubes as well as air...
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When a user interface is for using—not for understanding—a product
The purpose of a user interface is not to explain how a product works. Instead, the interface is to help people use the product. Here’s an idea: if someone can use your product without understanding...
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Reduce spam without hindering usability
If your website lets visitors sign up, join in, add comments, or enter reviews, then—in addition to the legitimate details you want—you’re getting some garbage. You can reduce the unwanted entries that...
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Would you have designed it that way?
In my day-to-day life, I often think about design problems as I encounter them. I find myself wondering about information that I don’t have—details that would help me solve the problem I noticed. And I...
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