#28212
Corporate design manuals are modular. Information technology is modular. They're both modular because modularity is the only way to deal with complex information such as corporate design for multinationals or thousands of lines of code.
Information Architects Japan (2006). Design>Information Design
#28221
Do We Really Need a Site Navigation?
Whoever performed any usability tests knows, that users look straight away at the content. Users first look the pictures then at the titles then at the text. Navigation often gets completely ignored. In my seven years of conceiving websites and monitoring usablity tests I am tempted to say that navigation is useless.
Information Architects Japan (2006). Design>Web Design>Information Design
#28222
How Important is Design on the Web?
Internet users can give websites a thumbs up or thumbs down in less than the blink of an eye, according to recently published study report. Nature.com and Wired recently reported on the fact that we pass judgement on a website in less than second. This sounds like good news for web designers. Is it?
#28217
IA and Usability: When to Start
Information design is supposed to be done from the very beginning, as it's not a cosmetic but a substantial discipline. You are much faster if you hire an information designer in the beginning.
Information Architects Japan (2006). Design>Information Design>Usability
#28211
The Interface of a Cheeseburger
All things have an interface. Shaping interfaces is shaping the character of things. The brand is what transports the character of things. When looking at McDonalds, iPod, Nintendo DS it becomes quite obvious that the interface is the brand.
#28216
Internet Users Visit 6 Websites Only
We now have over 75 million websites we can go to, but still we only visit six of them regularily, as we just learned from a study recently made public by Directgov. Their findings make us think of a new phase of the Internet.
Information Architects Japan (2006). Design>Web Design>User Centered Design
#28220
If it is your side column on your website you want it. But does your user see or even read it? You might argue that the sidecolumn is a common standard. So we do need it. Do we?
Information Architects Japan (2006). Design>Web Design>User Centered Design
#28213
Simplicity as a result of a creative process is 'the ultimate sophistication,' as Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) said. Achieving simplicity is a difficult task not only in web-design but in every discipline (art, business, sports, science), yet simplicity for websites is a particular challenge as paper derived graphic design and usability on one side, marketing language and user expectations on the other side are in constant struggle with each-other.
Information Architects Japan (2006). Design>Web Design>User Centered Design>Minimalism
#28224
Startup (2): Find an Accountant
If you think accountants are boring, you are so very wrong. Accountants can be comical, scary, amusingly threatening and sometimes also really smart.
Information Architects Japan (2006). Careers>Management>Regional>Japan
#28225
Startup in Japan(1): The Basics
Setting up a company in Japan as a foreigner isn't as difficult as you might guess. Of course, it helped that I knew some things about Japan, and starting off--before I started off.
Information Architects Japan (2006). Careers>Management>Regional>Japan
#28218
Usability and Online Branding Central
As corporate websites are often the initial and most frequented brand touch points, usability and online branding have become a central to any business.
Information Architects Japan (2006). Design>Web Design>Usability
#28215
Since I've started developing websites I've been looking for the ideal layout. Today I got another hint on the direction to take. Jacob Nielsen calls it the 'F-Pattern.'
Information Architects Japan (2006). Design>Web Design>Usability>User Centered Design
#28219
As an information designer the interfaces we currently work on - no matter whether Apple or Windows, bother me. Yes, OS X looks a lot better than its predecessors, and Windows' upcoming rip off of OS X looks better than the previous rip off. But however pretty, glossy and lickable those Interfaces may look, no matter how many twist and turn effects they build in - the problem they have is not one of special effects. If a good interface were a matter of special effects, George Lucas' Industrial Light and Magic might do a very good job.
Information Architects Japan (2006). Design>User Interface>Usability
#28223
Web 2.0 defines a second phase of development of websites, its architecture and its functionality.
Information Architects Japan (2006). Design>Web Design>Interaction Design
#28210
95% of the information on the web is written language. It is only logical to say that a web designer should get good training in the main discipline of shaping written information, in other words: typography.
Information Architects Japan (2006). Design>Web Design>Typography
#28214
YouTube is not just successful because it was at the right place (MySpace) the right time (when video services became popular) with interesting content (using a hole in the copyright legislation). It was and is so successful, because: it's obvious; it's user friendly; and it has a brilliant marketing concept.
