Archive
10/01/20 by holden
Keep Them Coming back
It almost goes without saying that a website is an essential first point of contact these days. However, it’s not good just sticking a few pictures up and forgetting about it. Your website needs to look good but it also needs to be dynamic. People want to feel your presence behind that storefront, always busy, [...]Archive
10/01/17 by holden
Go on the social
Blogging is just one short step from the world of social networking. Social networking is an important and easy-to-use tool in the whole game of self-promotion. Twitter, Flickr, Facebook, Behance – they all give you a platform to show off your work to like-minded people in an instant. And some, such as Twitter, still offer [...]Archive
10/01/16 by holden
Test, test and test again
Usability trials determine whether your design is performing as required and how well it meets the needs of its users. Recruit as many different people as possible to test your design in different situations. Testing is a crucial stage in identifying any potential problems and will help to ensure that you’ve created the most positive [...]Archive
10/01/15 by holden
Give yourself enough time
Ensure you have enough time to recruit the right people for their opinions, collect and analyse their feedback and reflect on your insights. You’ll probably need to refine your ideas at various stages of the deign process, so factor in time to test your ideas and make the necessary changes. http://www.computerarts.co.uk/Archive
10/01/14 by holden
Collect multiple perspectives
Choose research participants carefully. Don’t just target potential users for feedback – ask extremes of the user population too, as this is where the really useful ‘workarounds’ can appear. Frequently, the things that happen in an extreme situation will also be of great benefit to the majority of users. Don’t just rely on friends or [...]Archive
10/01/13 by holden
Keep it intimate
Don’t use use camcorders or dictaphones to record user feedback in discussion groups. It can be intimidating to be watched while you’re expressing your thoughts and people will clam up about their controversial or irregular views – and that’s just the sort of feedback you really want. Use photos and notes instead and allow people [...]Archive
10/01/12 by holden
Encourage useful, meaningful feedback
Show people things that encourage meaningful conversations – props, storyboards, videos and working prototypes, for example. Finished-looking artifacts can make observers reluctant to comment, so show early designs as will and help people to express themsleves Ask thought-provoking questions to tease out ‘hidden’ needs. If you work in an office, try leaving Post-it notes around [...]Archive
10/01/11 by holden
Get things out there
Share your ideas with as many people as possible and encourage feedback. Send emails; post ideas to blogs and forums; talk to potential users; show people early prototypes. Interacting with people like this enable a cross-fertilisation of ideas and can lead to solutions you may not have otherwise thought of. http://www.computerarts.co.uk/Archive
10/01/10 by holden