Every product launch surprises us a little. It’s not that testing uncovers issues in need of repair, polish, or even re-design; that’s a given for any but the most trivial of apps. No, it’s the simple, passé elements, that we exercise over-and-over internally, that somehow trip-up our end-users and leave us shaking our collective heads. Here are some entertaining examples.
Read MoreKnow how spaghetti always seems to taste better on the second day? The reason is simple: the pasta absorbs a lot of the moisture and some of the sauce. When you re-heat it, it retains the flavor without being as "wet" as the day before. Prototyping is one of the most powerful steps in the design process. It melds together your research, flow, and visuals, giving a soul to your idea. We will discuss two methods we use for prototyping, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of each approach.
Read MoreDeveloping a visual language affects more than the aesthetics of a project. It influences usability, comprehension, and emotional responses. It’s a powerful tool for communicating with users, building trust, and creating interest.
Read MoreDon't start from scratch. Trust proven, reusable design patterns. More than visual templates, design patterns are tested human interaction models. They slash the time required to assemble early versions of your digital story.
Read MoreIn our experience, a major hindrance to product usability is the wrong feature set and workflow.
Ever use the fish scaler on a Swiss Army knife? Neither have we and we will show you how to keep unnecessary features from cluttering your customer’s experience.
Read MoreThere is no user experience without the user. Make customers the first place you start in designing your app or service. User studies work to uncover customer perceptions, wants and needs. When done well, they set a course for design strategy that drives innovation and creates a competitive advantage.
Read MoreGreat design solves a problem for someone. Make sure you understand the problem you are going to solve. More importantly, make sure all of the stakeholders are aligned on the same problem.
You are spending a lot of someone else’s time and money. Make sure you are giving the client what they want. Seems like common sense, but...mistakes made here are catastrophic.
Read MoreClients ask: “...tell us about your process or design principles.” I am going to do something far more valuable: I am going to write about what has worked and what has not worked. In the weeks ahead, I will post a series of bite-sized articles that encapsulate the life-cycle of product design and user experience (UX), across a variety of industries, with clients both large and small, with consumer and commercial projects.
Trust me: you will have fun reading these and you will learn something new.
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