User experience design is a subset of the field of experience design which pertains to the creation of the architecture and interaction models which impact a user's perception of a device or system. The scope of the field is directed at affecting 'all aspects of the user’s interaction with the product: how it is perceived, learned, and used.'
#27009
Live by the Mockup, Die by the Mockup
Regardless of what you call it, the mockup can either sell your design or plummet you into a cyclical tunnel of churn. That's why, like it or not, interface designers often live and die by the mockup.
Wroblewski, Luke. UXmatters (2006). Design>Web Design>User Experience
#27016
Living La Vida Virtual: Interfaces of the Near Future
Personal computing is in an awkward adolescence right now. On one hand, we are rapidly moving into ubiquitous computing environments that let people constantly interact with the omnipresent network; on the other, the devices and interfaces we are using to enter these new frontiers provide woefully inadequate user experiences. Let's take a look at one of the key technologies that will take mobile user experiences to the next level: holography.
Knemeyer, Dirk. UXmatters (2005). Design>User Interface>Ubiquitous Computing>User Experience
#28950
Louis Rosenfeld on Enterprise Information Architecture
In this interview with Louis Rosenfeld, The Rockley Bulletin asks the information architecture and user experience guru to talk about enterprise information architecture, what it is, where it's heading, and how you can get started.
Abel, Scott and Louis Rosenfeld. Rockley Bulletin (2006). Articles>Information Design>User Experience
#21272
Making Emotional Connections Through Participatory Design
Most of the people we talk to believe that the desired end result of experience design is an emotional connection between a person and her experience with a product or service. When a company is able to make them, such connections can have a positive impact on the company’s brand.
Gage, Marty and Preetham Kolari. Boxes and Arrows (2002). Design>User Centered Design>User Experience>Emotions
#30186
Think you're not into marketing? Think again. As UX professionals, we share much in common with our close cousins, the marketers. We all seek to understand customers--needs, preferences, behaviors, attitudes, and more. We all seek to create positive touchpoints with customers and, in turn, a positive affiliation with our product or company brand. We all know the importance of communicating effectively with customers and evaluating the performance of our work.
Jones, Colleen. UXmatters (2007). Articles>User Experience>Marketing
#27364
A weblog on Information Visualization, eLearning, Rich Internet Applications and more.
Mentegrafica (2006). Resources>Web Design>User Experience>Blogs
#28357
Metrics for Heuristics: Quantifying User Experience (Part 2 of 2)
In part one of 'Metrics for Heuristics,' Andrea Wiggins discussed how designers can use Rubinoff’s user experience audit to determine metrics for measuring brand. In part two, Wiggins examines how web analytics can quantify usability, content, and navigation.
Wiggins, Andrea. Boxes and Arrows (2006). Articles>User Centered Design>User Experience>Heuristic Evaluation
#29498
Before he co-founded Adaptive Path, Mike sold hot sauce online and built giant dancing robots. Today he thinks about things like boxes of chocolates that deliver joy and surprise long after the candy is gone.
Adlin, Tamara and Mike Kuniavsky. UX Pioneers (2007). Articles>Interviews>User Experience
#27808
Million Dollar Web Usability Tips
What has long been a struggle for UEX professionals can actually be a great tool to demonstrate the importance of your role. We have found a way, using tools that you may already have, to support the users' needs that can positively impact your company’s bottom line.
Remus, Jacqueline and Jessyca Frederick. Usability Interface (2006). Articles>Web Design>Usability>User Experience
#30683
Motorcycle UX: Riding in the Fast Lane
The design decisions that both industrial designers and interaction designers have made on the Breva provide an enhanced experience for the rider--that is, for me.
Sokohl, Joe. UXmatters (2008). Design>User Experience>User Interface
#30026
Moving UX into a Position of Corporate Influence: Whose Advice Really Works?
Was documenting and evangelizing (i.e., explaining and advocating for) UX work considered to be a critical component of what it took to move UX into a position of corporate influence? It was in some companies, but not in others.
Anderson, Richard I. uiGarden (2007). Articles>Management>User Experience>Workplace
#25802
Web site designers should think hard about how to keep users from muddling around on their sites. 'Users muddle when it isn’t clear what they are supposed to do in any given situation.'
alt tags (2004). Design>Web Design>User Experience
#10064
The Narrative Web: Beyond Usability and Design
The point is not that we should add stories to our sites to ensnare narrative-starved readers. The point is that the reader's journey through our site is a narrative experience. Our job is to make the narrative satisfying.
Bernstein, Mark. List Apart, A (2001). Articles>Usability>User Experience>Rhetoric
#27681
New Levels of Experience Design
The internet was originally developed as pure technology - interactions and navigations were very complex, so there were huge opportunities for anyone who could make the user experience easier, more intuitive, more compelling. But now experience design isn’t just about the usage of a device, but all the other aspects as well.
Sinclair, Matt. Ping Mag (2006). Design>User Experience>Technology
#31830
On a Scale of 1 to 5: Understanding Risk Improves Rating and Reputation Systems
Where would we be without rating and reputation systems these days? Take them away, and we wouldn’t know who to trust on eBay, what movies to pick on Netflix, or what books to buy on Amazon. Reputation systems (essentially a rating system for people) also help guide us through the labyrinth of individuals who make up our social web. Is he or she worthwhile to spend my time on? For pity’s sake, please don’t check out our reputation points before deciding whether to read this article.
Kirtland, Alex. Boxes and Arrows (2008). Articles>Web Design>User Experience>Social Networking
#27006
Open Sesame! Selling UX Services
For some UX professionals, selling consulting services is as difficult as opening a magic door without a secret password. There is no simple password that can magically open prospective customers' minds so they can see what you can do for them. However, there are a few strategies you can use when opening a dialogue with new customers that will lead to your sales success.
Schreier-Fleming, Maura and Janet M. Six. UXmatters (2006). Careers>Consulting>User Experience
#29278
Opening PDFs in a New Window with JavaScript
Using JavaScript can be particularly useful when a website is content managed. Rather than having to rely on site editors to remember to open a link to a PDF in a new window the process is handled by a simple JavaScript function.
McCarthy, Paul. Webcredible (2007). Design>Web Design>User Experience>Adobe Acrobat
#28328
Optimizing the User Experience 
Web sites should be designed to facilitate and encourage efficient and effective human-computer interactions. Designers should make every attempt to reduce the user's workload by taking advantage of the computer's capabilities. Users will make the best use of Web sites when information is displayed in a directly usable format and content organization is highly intuitive. Users also benefit from task sequences that are consistent with how they typically do their work, that do not require them to remember information for more than a few seconds, that have terminology that is readily understandable, and that do not overload them with information.
#20595
OVID Tutorial: Mastering the Complexity of Creating Highly Satisfying User Experiences
A description and presentation materials from a tutorial given on OVID at the CHI 2002 and MITE 2002 conferences. OVID is a method to use while performing User Engineering.
#30824
The problem of the perpetual super-novice is the tendency of people to stop learning about a digital product--whether it's an operating system, desktop application, Web site, or hardware device.
Sherman, Paul J. UXmatters (2007). Articles>Usability>User Experience>User Interface
#29500
From deciding he hated math to becoming the president of Adaptive Path, Peter describes a career driven by experience design.
Adlin, Tamara and Peter Merholz. UX Pioneers (2007). Articles>Interviews>User Experience
#28587
Philadelphia: User Experience Beyond The Web
Because many of the local Usability Professionals Association (UPA) members work in internet-related fields, Philadelphia's second Annual World Usability Day looked to broaden horizons by focusing on 'User Experience Beyond the Web.' The pervasive theme of the presentations by Hal Rosenbluth, James Mitchell, and Stephen Wilcox was that we actually have a lot in common.
Madaio, Mike. Usability Interface (2007). Articles>Usability>User Experience
#28917
Pioneering a User Experience (UX) Process
Creating a User Experience (UX) process can be a very rewarding journey; it can also be a nightmare if approached from the wrong angle. Initiating a culture-shift, overhauling existing processes, evangelizing, strategizing, and educating is an enormous undertaking. Often it's a lonely path the UX advocate walks, especially if you are the only one who is driving that change from within the company. But that path is ripe with opportunities to improve your company's product creation process, as well as the product itself.
Hillman, Amy. UXmatters (2007). Design>User Experience>Project Management
#26571
The purpose of the paper is to develop an improved conceptual framework for researching and discussing the public library's role as a meeting-place in a multicultural and digital society.
Audunson, Ragnar. Journal of Documentation (2005). Articles>Collaboration>User Experience
#18570
Quickness and Usability Keys to Successful Web Sites
Three clicks and that's it. Most Web site users allow only three clicks to be impressed with your product. Most people don't surf the Web; they have an agenda. In specialized fields such as banking, users will stay with sites that give them information quickly and pleasantly. The challenge is to produce a positive Web site experience the first time around. It boils down to one word: usability. Is your Web site user friendly? With 80% of current Web sites falling by the wayside, your home page must be easily accessible as well as eye-catching and informative. The imperatives are point, click and find the right department.
Schaffer, Eric M. TechWeb (2001). Design>Web Design>User Experience>Usability
