Visual Decision Making – A List Apart

The Intrinsic Link Between Usability and Design

When conducting usability studies beware of user comments that misrepresent design flaws as usability issues. Users will often have a visceral, negative gut reaction to interfaces that do not follow the basic tenets of layout and design: alignment, repetition, use of colour etc. Oftentimes users will fault a site’s content and features as being not ‘user-friendly’, or of low-value, when really the problem lies in the user’s immediate and visceral reaction to the way in which the interface is laid out.

This immediate judgement of a site’s value occurs within 50 milliseconds of first arriving on a page and will serve to colour the user’s overall impression of the site—if indeed they stay around long enough to dig deeper. The article “Visual Decision Making” by Patrick Lynch for A List Apart discusses these immediate, visceral reactions users have to design, and highlights two very distinct approaches to aesthetics in web design: classical and expressive aesthetics.

alistapart.com

Is Your Website SNOWED? – Web-strategist.com

When Websites Go Bad: (Stakeholders’ Needs Overwhelm Web Experience Design)

In a recent blog post, strategist Jeremiah Owyang coined a new phrase to describe the status of many websites: SNOWED (Stakeholders’ Needs Overwhelm Web Experience Design). This acronym should become commonplace in the industry given how many websites unfortunately suffer from this predicament. It seems to be all too common—especially in larger companies where the business units are distinct—that corporate websites appear to suffer from ‘multiple personality disorder’.

In such, each business unit is vying for the top position on the main navigation or home page to the detriment of the overall user experience. Owyang suggests that engaging the talent of a web strategist will help facilitate the stakeholder engagement and avoid the pitfalls associated with this all too common website ailment.

Web-strategist.com

Web Design Trends for 2009 – Smashing Magazine

Smashing Magazine hits again with their roundup of the latest trends and developments in web design. As original as we all like to be, it can't be denied that certain trends become mainstream styles that clients will eventually catch on to.

At Thrillworks we try to keep current on these trends so we're in a position to offer them to clients, or at least able to speak to the strengths or weaknesses of a particular approach. Just like music and fashion, web design trends go in and out of style, evolve, die completely or stick around forever. These are exciting times for the web... check out where we are now, and where we're headed!

smashingmagazine.com

The Cure for Content-Delay Syndrome – A List Apart

How engaging professional copywriters and editors can bring harmony to the process of developing a website; from avoiding delays and blown launch dates, to optimizing content for search engines and excellent user experience.

This article at A List Apart explores how content is often an overlooked afterthought, and the benefits of introducing copy specialists in the first stages of a website’s development.

alistapart.com

Let There Be Web Divisions – Zeldman.com

Who is responsible for managing your company’s website? IT? Marketing? Jeffrey Zeldman makes the case for corporate web divisions after reviewing data from a popular 2007 industry web design survey.

Zeldman concludes that dedicated web or e-business units are a rarity; the root cause of many failed websites and poor user experiences due to lack of expertise in this field, and conflicting agendas between competing divisions. Of course there is bound to be many organizations that manage to thrive with this model, or who partner with a trusted web agency to help guide their divisions.

It’s an interesting article about an important issue and sure to make you think, however your website is managed. The web is still relatively young and companies are still adapting as it becomes a serious–even key–aspect of their business strategy.

zeldman.com