creative briefing

Websites have grown increasingly complex and robust over the last decade. We don’t really think about how much today’s web applications have blurred the lines between the desktop and the web but the transition is surprisingly smooth and seamless. Also interesting to note is the idea that the web isn’t just filled with tech-savvy net junkies anymore – Auntie Connie and Grandma are also daily web dwellers complete with Facebook profiles and personal email accounts.

So, websites are more complex and serving a broader audience than ever. What this results in is a need to be more usable than ever. Part of this is making sure that the things that need to be done on your site (i.e. the actions a user needs to take) are as clear as possible. So how are sites doing this today?

I came across this realization not too long ago while updating my LinkedIn profile. LinkedIn itself doesn’t really stand out as being anything exceptional when it comes to providing a usable interface, but the Edit Profile section did offer one little nugget of insight. Like most forms, there’s usually a Save and a Cancel button at the bottom. What made LinkedIn standout was the fact that it emphasized the Save action (by making it a button) and de-emphasized the Cancel action (by making it a simple text link). It’s a small detail, but an important one to me.

With all the options and clickable areas sites like LinkedIn offer, it’s important to provide clarity to the user by telling them exactly what they need to do. If you make them guess a split second longer than they need to, you’ve lost them. The emphasized Save action is not a make or break feature by any means, but it demonstrates thinking in the right direction. Giving one action priority over another tells the user what’s important, what they’re probably looking for, and what they should probably click.

The same idea applies for other visual cues. Headlines and welcome messages are made larger than body text. Why? To show visual priority and hierarchy in a single glance. Within a few seconds, you know what to read first. In fact, even without thinking about it, you will pay attention to things given greater priority.

So the next time you’re laying out a page full of content and designing a lineup of buttons, consider priority. A bit of extra thinking on your part goes a long way to reducing the amount of thinking your users have to do.

This morning I got into the office and checked my Gmail as I normally do. To my surprise, I found out that Gmail had pushed out an update overnight that redesigned the web app’s buttons. While they definitely look sleeker, I’m wondering whether they look more or less like buttons now. Are there usability implications?

The buttons pre-redesign were actually unstyled (similar to Google’s search buttons, pictured left) – they took the default look of buttons in your OS (grey rounded-corner rectangles for Windows users, grey/glossy pill-like shapes for Mac users). From a usability standpoint, these buttons made the most sense and were most natural and recognizeable to the user (after all, they’re used to seeing them in most of their desktop applications and prompts). You knew by looking at it that it was a button. Plain and simple.

The buttons post-redesign are now a bit sleeker (pictured right) – flattened down with a solid grey border, slightly rounded corners (~1 pixel radius), and a subtle gradient to mimic the button’s convex surface.

For a web-savvy user, the redesign has little effect. If anything, web-savvy users would probably enjoy the new look more. But for more casual users, are the newly-redesigned buttons still obviously buttons? Would less web-savvy users confuse the buttons for tabs?

There are definitely subtleties between buttons, tabs, and text links. Each sort of have their own implied conventions and purpose. Does the redesign blur these differences in any way?

Thoughts?

Two quick and helpful micro-insights I’ve come across in the last 24 hours since launching UX Digest:

Brands

Firstly, it seems that marketing a brand name (i.e. ‘UX Digest’) is much easier than marketing just a name on its own (i.e. ‘Verne Ho’). With a name, there is no meaning or favourable associations attached to it (initially). A brand name (for the most part) has at least 1-3 words that help give meaning to your entity. This makes it easier for strangers to your brand to accept and acknowledge what you’re all about.

Information

People love information. This thing we call Web 2.0 is all about information sharing and distritution. What this means is that if you have valuable content that is worth someone’s attention, it will catch on. Content definitely is king.

That’s it. Two thoughts that randomly came to me before passing out last night. Take it for what it’s worth!

Onwards with your day. :)

I’m happy to announce this morning that after a weekend of writing, designing and WordPressing, I’ve launched UX Digest! UX Digest is a microblog that shares “the best user experience tips, tricks and resources from across the web” – a go-to site for individuals looking to become experts in delivering wicked user experiences.

This site was built with the intention of creating a one-stop-shop for UX best practices – a reference guide for web designers, developers and producers alike.

Head over to http://uxdige.st to catch all the action, subscribe to the RSS feed, and follow us on Twitter (@uxdigest). We’re also looking for more great UX articles and sites to share, so if you come across any, swing by and suggest it.

If you have any feedback or spot anything weird, feel free to leave a comment here or on the launch post. Your support is appreciated! Spread the word! :)

I’m usually not into writing best-of posts, but it’s hard not to get wrapped up in self-reflection and resolutions this time of year. It is the last day of 2008 after all, and seeing as how one of my 2009 resolutions is to bring this blog back to life with more frequent posts, I thought I would start by looking back at 2008.

On a sidenote, this blog was recently listed as one of 160+ RSS Feeds For Web Designers and Developers. As a result, my RSS subscription count has risen from the comfy ~380 range it was sitting at for so long, to a healthier 522 (as of writing this post). It’s not often that I’m privileged with so many new sets of eyeballs, so I wanted to welcome all my new readers! Grab a coffee and a bean bag – hope you enjoy your stay!

Okay, back on track. Here’s a skimmable (because nobody wants to read on New Year’s Eve) list of my best posts of 2008.

Read the rest of this entry >