Ditch Wireframing, Go Prototyping

I run into a couple of articles arguing that traditional wireframing is not as useful as prototyping in the browser nowadays. They argue that designers should go straight from sketches to coding using HTML/CSS and JavaScript. Designers have to be able to code to some extent! Why Prototyping Beats Wireframing Ditch Traditional Wireframes : this gives good descriptions …

Navigation and Selection among Multiple Factors

I’m looking for a new pair of glasses because my eye sight is sadly going downhill again. I stare at the computer screen for too long and work too hard 🙂 😦 So I launched http://www.eyeglasses.com, and selected the first one among “shop complete glasses”, “shop frame only” and “shop lenses only”. Here came a page …

Reading Reflection: Usability Testing Data Analysis and Reporting

For this week’s reading, at the beginning, I was confused among informal summative evaluation (quantitative), formal quantitative analysis, and formative evaluation (qualitative). Later into the reading, I learned that informal summative evaluation provides simple statistical analysis such as mean and standard deviation in order to check whether the UX reaches the UX targets. Informal summative evaluation doesn’t include inferential statistical …

RAA4: Assisting Instructional Designers on the Model Driven Architecture in Technology Enhanced Learning Systems

Drira, R., Laroussi, M., Le Pallec, X., & Warin, B. (2012). Contextualizing learning scenarios according to different Learning Management Systems. Learning Technologies, IEEE Transactions On, Retrieved from http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpls/abs_all.jsp?arnumber=6104031   Background:  Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL): This paper defines TEL as a complex system formed by a set of interdependent and heterogeneous components (i.e., actors, tools, and …

Tangible on the Touch Interface: Apptivity Toys on the iPad

I run into an Apptivity toys commercial online. I think it’s a pretty cool idea. Apptivity toys are physical toys that you can use on the surface of the iPad. For one thing, it extends the limits of hand gestures and finger sizes. For another, it extends the limits of the touch surface into the …

MacBook Power Adapter Design Problems

I’m sure there are people who have criticized the power adapter for the MacBook, but this time it happened in my life. I’ve had problems with the MacBook power adapter before. It sometimes lost connections. But I never thought to criticize it. I was just thinking maybe the power outlets have some problems. The CGT512 …

Interesting Post on How to Be an Creative Web Designer

Here is an interesting post on how to become creative web designers by eating properly. When I first saw the title, I thought this post is just simply talking about creativity, but it’s actually about food, and how you should eat properly to be more creative. Since I love food, and love bright colors so …

Whitepaper on Designing Great Visualizations

This whitepaper might be of interests to some of you–Whitepaper on Designing Great Visualization. It briefly discusses the history and evolution of visual representations since the cave drawings era. It discusses the human perceptions, trust issues in interface, and how to use visuals to tell stories that are more than the data. This paper is written by a prestigious data visualization …

Reading Reflection: Usability Testing

We read two chapters on usability testing this week. The UX book refers usability testing as rigorous evaluation, while activities such as experts inspection and heuristic evaluation as rapid evaluation. Is the one called rigorous actually more rigorous or effective? This makes me think about Apple again. Sometimes, the experts’ experiences combined with their understanding of the users’ goals, …

MyPurdue “Look Up Classes” Usability Inspection

The web interface of myPurdue has lots of problems, but the one bothers me the most is the course navigation, since I use it quite often to look for courses. When I log in to myPurdue, and click the “Academic” tab, and then click the “Look Up Classes” at the navigation bar on the left, …