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.'
#19184
Applied Theory: Working Toward an Accessible Web Site
With the passage of Section 508 and the efforts of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), interest in Web site accessibility continues to increase. Web designers and Web content developers are finding that knowledge in Web accessibility is becoming essential to be marketable to government contracts and private industry since accessibility is becoming a best practice, and in some cases a legal requirement, in Web development. This article is written for those who already have a general knowledge about the reasons for, and the techniques of, designing accessible Web sites. In this article, I will share the steps that I have taken to work toward transforming a Web site that I manage to one that is accessible according to the W3C recommendations.
McConnell, Kim. Usability Interface (2003). Design>Web Design>Accessibility>Section 508
#31538
Brand has become an integral part of the employee communicator's role as organizations recognize the importance of employee behaviors in building brand. When it comes time to integrate brand elements into the intranet or portal, good usability practices and testing can guide that integration, ensuring desired employee behaviors.
Wilson, Stacy and Susan Weinschenk. Communication World Bulletin (2003). Articles>Web Design>Intranets
#23235
Learn how to lay out and format your forms with the power of CSS.
Moss, Trenton. Webcredible (2004). Design>Web Design>CSS
#19917
Applying Object-Oriented Design Concepts to Web Publishing 
This is a story of how one internal project at Sun Microsystems migrated printed user and reference documentation to an internal Web site. The principle architect of this site discusses how she applied object-oriented design concepts to the Web architecture to accommodate many learning styles simultaneously. As important as the successes of this project are its failures, which offer some insight into when and how to use the World Wide Web as a communication vehicle in your overall communication strategy.
Hoft, Nancy L. STC Proceedings (1996). Design>Documentation>Web Design
#20983
Applying Personalization to the Purchase Decision Process
The idea of personalizing Web and e-mail content is becoming well accepted because most of us already personalize the person-to-person communications that we use every day. However, planning a personalized web site has proven to be more of a challenge than many marketers had imagined.
Allen, Cliff. Allen.com (2003). Design>Web Design>Personalization
#28228
Applying Web 2.0 Technologies to Technical Documentation
This article is based on my presentation at the Institute of Scientific and Technical Communicators' annual conference in October, 2006. Every now and then, there is a change in the value of what technical authors deliver. These are moments when organisations pay attention to technical documentation. This is because they recognise that these changes mean they can create something that will be of real value to the business and to their customers. In recent years, there have been three "waves of interestingness". The first wave was the introduction of Windows Help (WinHelp). The second major wave was the introduction of the Internet and intranets. This was a time when organisations looked at how they could transfer large amounts of information from paper to online. They were faced with issues such as how users could access and understand all this information easily - issues that technical communicators deal with on a day-to-day basis. I believe we're just about to approach the new wave, which we have called "Tech Writing 2.0".
Pratt, Ellis. Cherryleaf (2006). Articles>Web Design>Documentation>Technical Writing
#25604
The change within the interface design process over the past five to ten years has coincided with an increasing number of large companies refining an industrial style model of design instead of focusing on specialization or interaction sustainability through design accuracy.
Evans, Clifton. Boxes and Arrows (2005). Design>Web Design>History
#21052
Are Standards-Compliant Websites Better?
The adhoc way in which much of the web was developed has created a dilemma for web designers: should websites comply with standards, ensuring accessibility, or break the rules and work with older browsers? At this moment, the answer is simple: Websites should work with older browsers.
Baker, Adam. Merges.net (2001). Design>Web Design>Standards>Usability
#23062
Are the Product Lists on Your Site Reducing Sales?
You can increase sales on your site as much as 225% by offering sufficient product information to your customers at the time they need it. One way to do this is to develop product lists that don't require shoppers to bounce back-and-forth between the list and individual product pages.
User Interface Engineering (2004). Design>Web Design>Usability>E Commerce
#14211
Are There Users Who Always Search?
Web designers often tell us that they spend a great deal of their limited time and resources working to improve their on-site search engines because, they believe, there are some people who always rely on the search engine to reach their target content. They find further support for this assumption from Jakob Nielsen who, in his book, 'Designing Web Usability,' asserts that more than half of all users demonstrate 'search-dominant' tendencies by going right to the search engine when they first visit a web site looking for content.
User Interface Engineering (2002). Design>Web Design>Usability>Search
#28359
It's true: even simple projects get messy. Christina Wodtke comes clean on Swiss Army knives, the writing on the wall, and the untidy glory of the Boxes and Arrows redesign contest.
Wodtke, Christina. Boxes and Arrows (2006). Articles>Web Design>Project Management>Case Studies
#20044
An interactive tutorial about usable website design.
Schutz, Bart. Interview NSS. Resources>Multimedia>Usability>Web Design
#21140
Are You Creating a Path of Resistance?
I've been watching people type in web site addresses for a long time now. However, I only started watching people closely about 4 weeks ago. I recorded 75 observations of people typing in URLs in the address bar (I kept a notepad with a running tally). I'll be the first to admit that this was not scientific and, as you might guess, I was acting in a biased manner. Nevertheless, I think the results are somewhat useful as a starting point. I found that in about 20 of the 75 observations, when people typed in a new URL they first tried the address without the 'www'. So, my findings indicate that about 27% of the time, users did not use the 'www'.
Rhodes, John S. WebWord (1999). Design>Web Design>Usability
#11752
Are You Satisfied with Online Shopping?
How many of you use the Internet to order merchandise? Many consumers are choosing the Internet to order merchandise rather than brave the crowds and traffic snarls at shopping malls. I don’t know if you have noticed it, but the order process and ease of use varies from one web site to another. The often-confusing process is enough to make you bail out and shop elsewhere. According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, 'E-tailers Try to Keep Shoppers From Bolting at Checkout Point,' (1) usability, technology, and e-commerce issues are stopping shoppers from completing their purchases. The article states that about 65% of shoppers bail out at the checkout point. Poor design has cost E-tailers over $6.1 billion in potential sales.
Dick, David J. Usability Interface (2001). Design>Web Design>Usability
#26519
Are Your Prospects Walking Out on You?
Learn how to write compelling copy that will keep your site visitors interested in what you're offering.
Gandia, Ed. Webcredible (2005). Design>Web Design>User Experience
#23070
Arquitectura de Información: Una Disciplina "De Lujo" en Chile
Un resumen de la historia y estado actual del campo de la Arquitectura de Información en Chile.
Gutierrez, Malisa and Javier Velasco. AIfIA (2003). (Spanish) Articles>Web Design>Information Design
#23760
On mailing lists, at conferences, in conversations at cocktail hours, I'm starting to see a growing awareness of how our various disciplines form a community of practice.
Olsen, George. Boxes and Arrows (2002). Articles>Web Design>Community Building
#20996
This site offers a unique approach to contextual navigation, and one that has gotten the attention of many reviewers. From the site: 'ArtandCulture.com is a dynamic destination that delivers unique access to the best arts and cultural content and related products available on the web today....focused on creating the context that makes information truly meaningful.' In this review, I'll focus on some of the interesting navigation strategies the site presents.
Danzico, Liz. Bobulate (2003). Design>Web Design>User Interface>DHTML
#18970
What is web publishing? Putting together a web site is a unique blend of publishing, user interface design, and technology. The three main activities of visiting a web site are reading text, viewing images, and interacting with its interface.
Karp, Tony. TLC Systems (2002). Design>Web Design
#22797
Introduces the principles and techniques of the art director, and shows how art directional concepts can shape memorable user experiences.
Hay, Stephen. List Apart, A (2004). Design>Web Design>Graphic Design
#24134
Site visitors crave the sense that someone is there, within and behind your Web pages, your emails and newsletters.
Usborne, Nick. ClickZ (2001). Articles>Web Design>Writing
#14191
Site visitors crave the sense that someone is there, within and behind your Web pages, your emails and newsletters. Dealing with the bare technology of online interactions is a cold experience for many, or even most of us. It makes us feel anxious. Technology isn't warm. It has no heart. It neither understands us, nor cares for us. For many Web sites, whether for businesses or organizations, we simply plug in and play the bare technology - the super-duper means of information delivery. All the site visitor sees and feels is the design, the interface, the links and the clicks. The experience is about as warm and human as banking with an ATM machine.
Spool, Jared M. User Interface Engineering (2002). Articles>Web Design>User Centered Design>Usability
#25438
The Art of Blogging, Part 1: Overview, Definitions, Uses, and Implications
Innovations build on existing perceptions and structures - at least until the new ideas are fully manifested. Then, the innovation discards the shackles of the old model and stands on its own merits and strengths. The development of video is often used to support this phenomenon. Video was initially used only to tape existing live stage performances - a new concept built on the perceptional structure of the existing. True innovation in this medium did not occur until someone recognized the uniqueness of video, and the limitations of live stage shows.
Siemens, George. elearnspace (2002). Articles>Web Design>Writing>Blogging
#25439
The Art of Blogging, Part 2: Getting Started, "How To", Tools, Resources
The best way to learn to blog is to blog. Fortunately, getting started is fairly simple. Three main options exist: hosted, remote server, and desktop.
Siemens, George. elearnspace (2002). Articles>Web Design>Writing>Blogging
#13674
The Art of Electronic Publishing
This book is a complete birdseye view of the World Wide Web, Internet, and the technologies involved in creating electronic publications from them. This book provides you with background information and practical guidance on how to surf, view, and publish material for the Web, as well as on paper. The explosion of activity surrounding the Internet and the World Wide Web requires a sane, non-hyped guide to help you navigate the sometimes treacherous waters.
Ressler, Sandy. Prentice-Hall (2000). Books>Web Design>Publishing>Online
