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Function
Tree
Outline of Software Features
that You Shouldn't Reinvent onEvery Project
Start over on every project and you're
guaranteed to miss some vital functionality. Help
us by sending your own portions and we'll add them.
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Learnability
Gallery
Screen Capture Library of Techniques
to Make Interfaces Self-Training
I recently wrote an expose
on the high learnability of FreshBooks.com. This
page takes that a step further and creates a repository
to catalog all of those techniques to the extent
that they are visual. In contrast to "facility," (the
other half of usability), learnability is almost
always visual. Facility often involves the interaction
design or fingers, not eyes, so it's less suitable
to graphics.
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Like the weather, everyone talks about documenting good requirements but nobody does (anything about) it. It's a struggle in most organizations to draw a good line between "business requirements" and the many levels that "functional requirements." The real issue is who should do what, and to what level of detail should they go. |
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Web
State of the Art
A Categorical Listing of Models for Web
Design, Content, and Navigation (October 2005)
If you're creating a website for a municipality,
is creativity a good thing for your visiting or paying stakeholders?
Copy Tryeddyfrin township's even if you can't spell it. |
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User
In Your Face
The Student Programmer's
Before-and-After Guide to Usability and Usable Interface
Design
A book that I'm writing in installments,
published on this site, and interactive with visitors in
that installments are written when requested... BY YOU! |
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Declaration of Usability
A One-Page Statement of Unified Goals for the Usability
Profession
The subject comes up periodically of having the usability
profession "speak with a common voice" but it's hard to figure
out what this means. Here's my attempt to answer it. Edit
this doctrine yourself and post it near where you work. No
copyright. |
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We evaluate sites using this checklist of 33 straighforward,
mostly objective items. |
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What's the difference between UE and usability? And where
should you put your effort if your sole objective is a friendly
site? |
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GenericUI
A Reusable Style Sheet and Design for
Web Applications
It's long overdue that developers stop trying to reproduce
the last 14 years of GUI dialog design each time they start
a new project. This shareware resource provides a style
sheet, icons, table layouts, and page designs that will
not only save projects a lot of time and money, but help
users by providing common artifacts that cue them in to
functionality. It's different than the many templates available
for content-centric sites in that it provides the hundreds
of design artifacts needed for database presentation issues. |
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Winning the Business Softwar
by Jack Bellis, A Free Booklet on Usability (2000)
Bold tactics to help you get on the winning side of the
software revolution and get the productivity you've been
expecting. This 46-page print-it-yourself book has straightforward
ideas for getting business software to work for you.
 Download
it now (203K Zip file of a PDF Document)
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Computers Stink
by Jack Bellis, A Free Book on Usability (1997)
Winning the Business Softwar is based on ideas
in the author's previous book, Computers Stink.
Out of print but available online:
Download
it now (640K PDF Document) Best
option, with bookmarks
Browse a preliminary online conversion of the book
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Put this text right in your Requests for
Proposals, no strings attached.
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Usability/User Experience Sites
My interest in usability sites is primarily for articles
to print out an read at lunch. Munch on these:
- A List Apart explores
the design, development, and meaning of web content, with
a special focus on techniques and benefits of designing
with web standards.
- http://www.user-interface.org/
is a recent usability blog.
- Boxes and
Arrows.com articles devoted to the practice, innovation,
and discussion of graphic design, interaction design
and information architecture, large and small.
- Human
Factors International focused on software usability.
HFI is the largest company in the field by a factor
of more than five.
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Tools
Tools that enable developers to see under the hood of a web page, in direct visuals, rather than reading the code:
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Pattern Libraries
The web has finally facilitated the collection and publication of design solutions into libraries that you can browse. Here are some I like:
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Miscellaneous Javascript
Some key examples of under-the-hood techniques I've found interesting.
Dynamic 100% Window-Size Image View the source on this file to see how to make a graphic stretch to fill the browser window, such as for a slide show. |
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Icons
FAMFAMFAM.com Royalty-free icon set. |
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Presentations
World
Usability Day 2007, Temple University, November 8, 2007,
(2MB PPT) |
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Colors
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And While We're at It...
Another book by Jack Bellis: It's
Not Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, RSI Theory & Therapy for
Computer Professionals
Just the medicine you're looking for if your arms ache
after a hard day at the computer keyboard. Written by
a veteran technical writer who suffers from a repetitive
strain injury (RSI), and a physical therapist who's specialized
in treating such injuries, it offers a new perspective
on the problem. When those aches and pains don't go away
after a good night's sleep, It's Not Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
is where serious RSI sufferers are turning for answers.
Available at Amazon.com
Suparna Damany and Jack Bellis
Published by Simax, Philadelphia, PA
ISBN 0-9655109-9-9
www.RSIRescue.com
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