10 Usability Principles to guide you

10 Usability Principles to guide you

1. Motivate
Design your site to meet specific user needs and goals. Use motivators to draw different user "personae" into specific parts of your site.
2. User task flow
Who are your users? What are their tasks and online environment? For a site to be usable, page flow must match workflow.
3. Architecture – it's 80% of usability
Build an efficient navigational structure. Remember – if they can't find it in 3 clicks, they're gone.
4. Affordance means obvious
Make controls understandable. Avoid confusion between emblems, banners, and buttons.
5. Replicate
Why reinvent the wheel? Use ergonomically designed templates for the most common 8-12 pages.
6. Usability test along the way
Test early in design using low-fidelity prototypes. Don't wait until the end when it's too late.Know the technology limitations Identify and optimize for target browsers and user hardware. Test HTML, JavaScript, etc. for compatibility.
7. Know the technology limitations
Identify and optimize for target browsers and user hardware.Test HTML, JavaScript, etc for compatibility.
8. Know user tolerances
Users are impatient. Design for a 2-10 second maximum download. Reuse header graphics so they can load from cache. Avoid excessive scrolling.
9. Multimedia – be discriminating
Good animation attracts attention to specific information, then stops. Too much movement distracts, slowing reading and comprehension.
10. Use a stats package
Monitor traffic through your site. Which pages pique user interest? Which pages make users leave? Adjust your site accordingly.

via | humanfactors

Shoot until u feel great..

Shoot until u feel great..

I recently got the following from a client...

Thus far, I would say that most of the images I've captured are boring and uninteresting. I want to learn to capture images that will stop people in their tracks. Images that will make people say "wow".

This got me thinking... How does one make really stunning photographs? What does it take? How can we aim for, and work toward achieving this lofty goal? So, here are five ideas to move you forward toward greatness:

• Define Greatness
• Define yourself and your work. Identify where you are now as and where you will be.
• Make photographs to please yourself
• Engage people you already dialogue through your work
• Learn from Experts

>> And over to Zivkov for more

Flickr link of the day
>> My friend Vyas has shot amazing pictures with his new Nikon D80

The Death of 2Advanced

The Death of 2Advanced

Not so long ago. Flash or any interactive tools were part and parcel of any design PC in the organisation. Initially there were more and more web presence spelled the oath of flash as their ' Brand identity'. Though it's inevitable, ester months ( years !?) have seen these interactive tools constrained either for product demo or corporate presentations.

The situation seems changed quite radically. Though I'm working for Finance to Banking applications, there were only few instances where these interactive tools are bought into action. ( Exception: with regard to Flex, since it's a RIA spearhead.). This interesting scenario was nagging in my mind for quite some time. Is this situation common everywhere ? Or it's prevailing only in the arena where I'm professionally working ?

Nope.Now it's everywhere I believe.

Here's a blogger dares to take a shot on the design phase from Flash to Cascading, keeping a canon on the shoulder of 2Advanced.

Sure you have the sector where a hardcore flash site makes sense as in the movie and game websites, but as for me, as a standard, the flash wave that was seemingly going to be the 'future of the internet' is now taking a shot in the side due to the explosion of CSS, usability, and web standards.

Check this interesting ( somewhere biased, and usability bug bitten ! ;) ) article:

Death-of-2advanced.html