Kinect Gestural UI: First Impressions
Read the manual before using the interface. (Kinect Adventures) (Yes, it’s a *cute* manual, but these are still instructions to memorize.) Summary: Inconsistent gestures, invisible commands, overlooked...
View ArticleApple Patent Reveals Plans For No-Glasses Holographic Display
Television and cinema screens that produce holographic images without the need for special glasses are being developed by computer giant Apple. Most current 3D technologies require viewers to wear...
View ArticleAre Your Users S.T.U.P.I.D?
How good design can make users effective It is an honest question: how smart are your users? The answer may surprise you: it doesn’t matter. They can be geniuses or morons, but if you don’t engage...
View ArticleAccuracy vs. Insights in Quantitative Usability
Summary: Better to accept a wider margin of error in usability metrics than to spend the entire budget learning too few things with extreme precision. Last week, I made a slide for the new User...
View ArticleOverloaded vs. Generic Commands
Summary: Overloading different outcomes on similar commands can be confusing. Using the same command for multiple actions enhances usability if the results are conceptually the same. One way to manage...
View ArticleFinding Out What They Think: A Rough Primer To User Research, Part 1
[In this first article in a new series, college professor and user research Ben Lewis-Evans takes a look at different methods of game user research, offering up a handy guide to different ways you can...
View ArticleLeap Motion: Control PC With Hand Gestures
Gesture-based computer interaction, as depicted in “Minority Report,” looks like it will soon become commonplace. “The Leap” peripheral lets you control UI elements using gestures made in the air. The...
View ArticleFord Expands Uses of Virtual Reality
Ford Australia engineers and designers are living in a virtual world, and loving it. The company has unveiled its new Virtual Reality Centre, a high tech digital evaluation and design environment...
View ArticleWindows 8 — Disappointing Usability for Both Novice and Power Users
Summary: Hidden features, reduced discoverability, cognitive overhead from dual environments, and reduced power from a single-window UI and low information density. Too bad. With the recent launch of...
View ArticleUsability Testing Might Just Save Your Bacon – and Your Brand
Well, it happened again – the same thing that happens every time any digital product is put through usability testing. We found out that the people designing the thing (people who know exactly what...
View ArticleLeap Motion Review: Is It Time to Replace the Mouse?
The Leap Motion releases today, promising to change the way we interact with the personal computer. It delivers on that promise, but change could mean for better or worse. On which side of the spectrum...
View ArticleWebsite Usability Tips, Part 1
Our team has come up with ten usability guidelines for web developers and business owners. Below are the first five, and Part 2 will follow next week. For a free analysis of your website, request a...
View ArticleWebsite Usability Tips, Part 2
Our team has come up with ten usability guidelines for web developers and business owners. Following are the last five tips, continuing last week’s first five. For a free analysis of your website,...
View ArticleFlawed User Experience on HealthCare.gov
The new Obamacare website, HealthCare.gov, has been getting much media attention over the past few weeks due to flaws in the user experience after its launch. Heavy traffic, network problems, and...
View ArticleOverloaded vs. Generic Commands
Summary: Overloading different outcomes on similar commands can be confusing. Using the same command for multiple actions enhances usability if the results are conceptually the same. One way to manage...
View ArticleFinding Out What They Think: A Rough Primer To User Research, Part 1
[In this first article in a new series, college professor and user research Ben Lewis-Evans takes a look at different methods of game user research, offering up a handy guide to different ways you can...
View ArticleLeap Motion: Control PC With Hand Gestures
Gesture-based computer interaction, as depicted in “Minority Report,” looks like it will soon become commonplace. “The Leap” peripheral lets you control UI elements using gestures made in the air. The...
View ArticleFord Expands Uses of Virtual Reality
Ford Australia engineers and designers are living in a virtual world, and loving it. The company has unveiled its new Virtual Reality Centre, a high tech digital evaluation and design environment...
View ArticleWindows 8 — Disappointing Usability for Both Novice and Power Users
Summary: Hidden features, reduced discoverability, cognitive overhead from dual environments, and reduced power from a single-window UI and low information density. Too bad. With the recent launch of...
View ArticleUsability Testing Might Just Save Your Bacon – and Your Brand
Well, it happened again – the same thing that happens every time any digital product is put through usability testing. We found out that the people designing the thing (people who know exactly what...
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