Participatory design is an approach to design that attempts to actively involve end users in the design process to help ensure that the product designed meets their needs and is usable. This approach is focused on process and is not a design style. For some, this approach has a political dimension of user empowerment and democratisation. For others, it is seen as a way of abrogating design responsibility and innovation by designers.
#29941
Blah-Blah Text: Keep, Cut, or Kill?
Introductory text on Web pages is usually too long, so users skip it. But short intros can increase usability by explaining the remaining content's purpose.
Nielsen, Jakob. Alertbox (2007). Articles>Web Design>Writing>Usability
#29293
There is an astonishing amount of disbelief that the users of web pages have learned to scroll and that they do so regularly. Holding on to this disbelief--this myth that users won't scroll to see anything below the fold--is doing everyone a great disservice, most of all our users.
Tarquini, Milissa. Boxes and Arrows (2007). Design>Web Design>Information Design>User Centered Design
#21865
Blank paper...could anything be more basic and uncontroversial? Who'd have thought those innocuous white sheets could cause such a ruckus? Learn what the fuss is about and why paper mills and environmentalists are lining up on either side of the presses.
Sidles, Constance J. Adobe Magazine (1998). Design>Document Design>Prepress>Paper
#18438
When we come to accessibility of web design, we will say that accessible web design is a sign of good web design. A lot of the information on the Web is not accessible to people with disabilities because of poor design. While many web site managers and developers accommodate various browser constraints, most of them do not realize that they are developing sites that people with disabilities have difficulty in navigating, or in many cases, cannot navigate at all.
Hung, Edward. Universal Usability. Design>Usability>Accessibility>Visual Rhetoric
#23353
The Blind Leading the Blind: Theorizing a Web for the Visually Impaired 
An examination of government websites (those required to adhere to Section 508) revealed no common practices or themes.
Moore, Jessica and Joseph Matthews. IAsummit (2004). Design>Web Design>Accessibility>Section 508
#27486
Making the web accessible by disabled people doesn't necessarily make it usable. Does simplicity always make for ideal usability - or are there instances where an innovative website might be difficult to use, but also hold usability dividends for users prepared to meet the technology halfway?
Starr, Sandy. Spiked Online (2002). Articles>Web Design>Accessibility
#28453
HTML elements can be displayed either in block or inline style. The difference between these is one of the most basic things you need to know in order to use CSS effectively.
Hunt, Ben. Web Design From Scratch (2006). Design>Web Design>HTML>CSS
#29742
Blog 101: An Overview of Weblog Technologies
A weblog or 'blog' is a Web site with content consisting of a series of discrete postings added sequentially and presented in reverse chronological order. Historically used for personal Web sites, blogs in fact represent a form of lightweight content management that can be adapted to virtually any topic, including technical communication. The recent explosion of blogs is in part a result of the availability of publishing tools that simplify their creation. These tools vary significantly in capability, setup, and ease of use, and each offers advantages and disadvantages.
Berry, Robert R. STC Proceedings (2004). Articles>Content Management>Information Design>Blogging
#24114
This Indian usability blog attempts to bridge the gap between user requirements research and UI design.
Pillai, Muthu. Blogspot (2004). Resources>Usability>User Centered Design>Blogs
#25441
The Blog Realm: RSS, Aggregators, and Reading the Blog Fantastic
The content management capabilities of blog software and the search options from Daypop provide incentives for information professionals to be aware, at least, of blogging. But for every blogger out there, there are probably a dozen or more others who prefer reading to writing.
Notess, Greg R. Online Magazine (2002). Articles>Web Design>Writing>Blogging
#25447
Blog Survey: Expectations of Privacy and Accountability
Reports the findings from an online survey conducted between January 14th and January 21st, 2004. During that time, 486 respondents answered questions about their blogging practices and their expectations of privacy and accountability for the entries they publish online.
Fernanda, Viégas. MIT (2004). Articles>Web Design>Writing>Blogging
#24579
Blog Voice: How to Command Attention
With over 4 million distinct blog voices in the blogosphere, how can you differentiate yourself? By being an interesting voice. Interesting voices are made, not born, and now you can learn some ways to become more interesting and influential in blogdom. CAUTION: not for boring blah blah blah bloggers who are smug and self-satisfied.
Streight, Steven. Blogger.com (2004). Articles>Web Design>Writing>Blogging
#25484
Blogging as Social Activity, or, Would You Let 900 Million People Read Your Diary?
'Blogging' is a Web-based form of communication that is rapidly becoming mainstream. In this paper, we report the results of an ethnographic study of blogging, focusing on blogs written by individuals or small groups, with limited audiences. We discuss motivations for blogging, the quality of social interactivity that characterized the blogs we studied, and relationships to the blogger¡¯s audience. We consider the way bloggers related to the known audience of their personal social networks as well as the wider 'blogosphere' of unknown readers. We then make design recommendations for blogging software based on these findings.
Nardi, Bonnie A., Diane J. Schiano and Michelle Gumbrecht. Comcast (2003). Articles>Web Design>Blogging>Social Networking
#25491
Despite the timeliness of the issues, many bloggers are wondering whether their craft can be taught in journalism school.
Shachtman, Noah. Wired (2002). Articles>Web Design>Writing>Blogging
#25245
Behind the scenes, in the limelight, ahead of the curve...'blogphets' have plenty to say to us mere mortals on what makes a blog 'tick.'
Streight, Steven. Blogger.com (2005). Articles>Web Design>Writing>Blogging
#25496
W znaczeniu społecznym blog jest czymś więcej niż tylko narzędziem: jest wirtualnym miejscem skupiającym ludzi, gdzie można przebywać i realizować się społecznie, nawiązując relacje z innymi ludźmi. Blog jest tzw. Trzecim Miejscem zgodnie z teorią Oldenburga, który uznaje, że dopiero w trzecim najważniejszym miejscu (po Domu i Pracy/Szkole), człowiek może tworzyć "prawdziwe" relacje społeczne, które nie są zbudowane na hierarchii emocjonalnej lub strukturalnej (jak w przypadku rodziny i firmy) lecz powstają dzięki posiadanym cechom charakteru, zainteresowaniom czy stylowi życia w grupie.
Cywinska-Milonas, Maria. Onet (2004). (Polish) Articles>Web Design>Writing>Blogging
#26270
Blogs, Podcasts and All That Stuff
I think podcasting is powerful because it gives us the opportunity to reach people in ways we cannot with blogs and websites. Don't get me wrong, blogs and sites have their place. But let's face it, people have information overload! It's often a choice between reading your blog and the 15 other things they need to read. But with podcasts, people tell me that they listen via their iPods while in the gym. They burn them to CD and listen in their car during their commute. They listen on their computer with a headset or speakers.
Morley, Catherine. Creative Latitude (2005). Design>Web Design>Multimedia>Podcasting
#26933
Bloom's Taxonomy in Technical Content Development 
Technical writers provide information enabling users to learn and apply various technologies. In the endeavor to enable users, technical writers often need to use different strategies of classification, presentation, and structuring for the different types of information. However, in most cases such classifications or decisions about the best method of presentation and optimum structure are guided by instinct and are rarely heuristic. In this article, we present an established classification of information called Bloom’s taxonomy (of educational objectives), which can help technical writers make decisions about content classification.
Robbani, Wasique. KeyContent.org (2006). Articles>Document Design>Academic>Contextual Inquiry
#13048
Blurbs: How to Write Them for Web Pages
On the web, a blurb is a line or short paragraph (20-50 words) that evaluates (or at least summarizes) what the reader will find at the other end of a link. A good blurb should inform, not tease. Usability testing will help you determine the best way to lay out your blurbs, but this document will help you write the content.
Jerz, Dennis G. Seton Hill University (2001). Design>Web Design>Writing>Usability
#21907
For years, the desktop-publishing landscape has been characterized by sharp boundaries - PC vs. Mac, vector vs. bitmap, page-layout vs. illustration, and so on. But Illustrator provides the perfect example of how that is changing.
Kvern, Olav Martin. Adobe Magazine (1997). Design>Graphic Design>Software>Adobe Illustrator
#30299
Bobby: the World Wide Web Accessibility Tool and Your Web Site
Bobby tools can help you know some real touches you can give to your web site to enrich its accessibility. Since the Bobby document is the generalization of strategies and techniques to further web site usability concern, you can selectively and optimally adopt them to serve your purpose the best way.
Azam, Rahbre. Amateur Writerz (2007). Design>Web Design>Accessibility>Assessment
#18881
The nature of hypertext challenges many underlying assumptions for traditional literary critics. Literary critics frequently like to think that they have objectively looked at the lexias of the work, thoughtfully considered them, and constructed a solid interpretation or analysis of the work based on those lexia. Hypertext, however, presents the possibility that two critics who are reading the same work may have differing sets of lexia from which to work. Thus, even if critics objectively consider the lexia before them, they cannot free themselves from the subjectivity of the reading performance that made those lexia (and not others) appear. This raises the concern that, if hypertext critics can only present subjective views of the text, there may be little or no benefit to reading or writing those critiques.
Higgason, Richard E. Journal of Digital Information (2003). Articles>Information Design>Hypertext>Theory
#25113
An overview of the typical components of a printed technical book and the typical content, format, style, and sequence of those components.
McMurrey, David A. Illuminati Online (2001). Articles>Document Design>Publishing
#24035
Book Layout, PDF Creation, Preparing Documents for Press
This is a 10 hour, 5 week course taught one-on-one or in a small group (2-5 people) that is an introduction to the Adobe InDesign application. In the course we will cover the fundamentals of designing rich documents, including books, pamphlets, and posters.
Newman, Rob. University of California San Diego (2004). Academic>Courses>Document Design>Printing
#22058
Combine the probing thoughts of media culture sage Marshall McLuhan with the visual insights of design guru David Carson and the result is the quintessential coffee table book for anyone that works with technology and design. The Book of Probes is an intentional chocolate-in-my-peanut-butter experiment to combine the ideas of McLuhan with the images of Carson in thought provoking ways.
MacLaughlin, Steve. Boxes and Arrows (2004). Articles>Reviews>Graphic Design
