Three neat things we learned about first-time website visitors
We’ve done a lot of user interviews for the various sites we’ve made. Yes, every user is different and every site is different, but we’re seeing common themes in user behavior, especially when someone first visits a site. Usually they are looking for something specific, or they are making comparisons with other sites so you've got to act fast and communicate your message fast! Read More »
Is it a trend, or is it a movement?
I'm a designer—and I'm always exploring the world around me. I collect beautiful and interesting things and try to use them later. Most of the time the pretty things become the popular things - like the chevron craze that’s happening right now. But sometimes, really ugly things become popular, so I try to find the good in them and learn how to use them in the best way. This combination of exploring and open-mindedness is great for learning, but it also makes it pretty easy to get caught up in trends. Read More »
Flat Web Design? Finally!
I don’t do a lot of “graphic” design anymore, but I still spend a lot of time designing solutions to user experience issues. These problems can range from what messaging and callouts should go on each page, to how the site’s navigation is organized, or even on occasion deciding what UI elements will work best. My design passion is problem solving. I never really cared much for the fluff of deciding on fonts and colors. This is why I love flat design; It’s what I’ve been doing all along! Read More »
Stop telling me where to click
Sometime near the beginning of links on the internet, people decided that “click here” was a good way to get people to click there. If I had to guess, the reason for this is probably that at the beginning of the internet people didn’t know what links were, so you had to explicitly tell them to “click here”. The good news is that now it’s 20 years later, and people know what to do when they see links. Here are some reasons you should change your “click here” ways... Read More »
Discovery Process: 23 Questions to ask when starting a web redesign project
Most people want to jump in and start designing a website when they think: Hey, we need a new website. That is really the fastest way to make sure you are going to burn up all of your time, bust your budget and burn out. (I honestly didn’t plan for all of those to start with B.) Read More »