Comments for Designing User Experience http://designingux.com Usability, Design, Navigation, Interfaces, Information Architecture, Accessibility. Wed, 11 Feb 2009 14:39:16 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 Comment on Comments Now Open by Dan Gorgone http://designingux.com/2009/01/comments-now-open/comment-page-1/#comment-85 Dan Gorgone Wed, 11 Feb 2009 14:39:16 +0000 http://designingux.com/?p=122#comment-85 I just started my WP blog and it's just a little disappointing that my comments to spam ratio is about 1:1. I think it just means I need more readers more than anything. ;) I'm using WP-Spamfree, and so far it has apparently blocked 20 spam comments in about a day or so. However, there's no way to manually review what was blocked. I contacted them and am looking into it to see if you can, just to be sure no good comments are getting mistakenly blocked. I just started my WP blog and it’s just a little disappointing that my comments to spam ratio is about 1:1. I think it just means I need more readers more than anything. ;)

I’m using WP-Spamfree, and so far it has apparently blocked 20 spam comments in about a day or so. However, there’s no way to manually review what was blocked. I contacted them and am looking into it to see if you can, just to be sure no good comments are getting mistakenly blocked.

]]> Comment on Comments Now Open by erica http://designingux.com/2009/01/comments-now-open/comment-page-1/#comment-82 erica Tue, 13 Jan 2009 02:12:22 +0000 http://designingux.com/?p=122#comment-82 Yes, there are ways to avoid CAPTCHAs automatically or manually. I'm not actually sure how well Akismet does all by itself as yet, since I've never relied solely on it. Right now it's caught all but 5 spammers all by itself, and the other 5 registered - it just kept them in a queue for me to approve or not. Chances are when I upgrade Wordpress it'll be taken care of within Wordperss/Akismet anyway. Yes, there are ways to avoid CAPTCHAs automatically or manually. I’m not actually sure how well Akismet does all by itself as yet, since I’ve never relied solely on it. Right now it’s caught all but 5 spammers all by itself, and the other 5 registered – it just kept them in a queue for me to approve or not.

Chances are when I upgrade Wordpress it’ll be taken care of within Wordperss/Akismet anyway.

]]> Comment on Comments Now Open by Stephen http://designingux.com/2009/01/comments-now-open/comment-page-1/#comment-81 Stephen Tue, 13 Jan 2009 02:01:26 +0000 http://designingux.com/?p=122#comment-81 Is there a manor in where you, the owner, can keep the system open, but, you must validate each entry for each non-registered user post? Is there a manor in where you, the owner, can keep the system open, but, you must validate each entry for each non-registered user post?

]]> Comment on Norman is brilliant, but is The Design Of Everyday Things still relevant? by ralph http://designingux.com/2008/10/norman-is-brilliant-but-is-the-design-of-everyday-things-still-relevant/comment-page-1/#comment-78 ralph Mon, 12 Jan 2009 11:35:33 +0000 http://designingux.com/?p=42#comment-78 There are many disciplines under "web design", including graphic design, information architecture, and a human factors specialist who can run experiments and suggest constraints on navigation and overall concepts based on limitations of the human mind and user psychology. So finding <b>the</b>book might not be possible. There are many disciplines under “web design”, including graphic design, information architecture, and a human factors specialist who can run experiments and suggest constraints on navigation and overall concepts based on limitations of the human mind and user psychology.

So finding thebook might not be possible.

]]> Comment on Mind Mapping and User Experience by erica http://designingux.com/2008/11/mind-mapping-and-user-experience/comment-page-1/#comment-68 erica Sun, 14 Dec 2008 15:27:01 +0000 http://designingux.com/?p=87#comment-68 I've been trying to mindmap on paper, OneNote, Visio, and other tools for awhile. I've even considered programming my own mindmapping software, or dropping a lot of money on a LiveScribe and similar, cheaper pens - but usually they use proprietary extensions that don't play nicely anywhere else. I was planning to get one soon anyway till I found MindManager. Since it exports to better formats including interactive PDFs (that blows my mind) with a simple click, it's a clear win for my use. That said, LiveScribes seem to have audio recording as well which makes them much better for user experience testing, where mindmanager wouldn't do so well there. In a perfect world I'd have both :) I’ve been trying to mindmap on paper, OneNote, Visio, and other tools for awhile. I’ve even considered programming my own mindmapping software, or dropping a lot of money on a LiveScribe and similar, cheaper pens – but usually they use proprietary extensions that don’t play nicely anywhere else. I was planning to get one soon anyway till I found MindManager. Since it exports to better formats including interactive PDFs (that blows my mind) with a simple click, it’s a clear win for my use.

That said, LiveScribes seem to have audio recording as well which makes them much better for user experience testing, where mindmanager wouldn’t do so well there. In a perfect world I’d have both :)

]]> Comment on Mind Mapping and User Experience by erica http://designingux.com/2008/11/mind-mapping-and-user-experience/comment-page-1/#comment-67 erica Sun, 14 Dec 2008 15:21:47 +0000 http://designingux.com/?p=87#comment-67 Oh, very true, Bert. You can get most of the same functionality with other applications that are cheaper - part of it though is that although cheap option X may have 3 functions you need, and cheap option Y may have 3 others you need, you probably can't port the map between them. I mean, if I had to, I would just patch it together by using more than one piece of software. But MindManager does it all in one spot and makes it so easy. That's why its worth the $$, if you can swing it. It's one of those things that, if you try it, you WILL want to buy it. Oh, very true, Bert. You can get most of the same functionality with other applications that are cheaper – part of it though is that although cheap option X may have 3 functions you need, and cheap option Y may have 3 others you need, you probably can’t port the map between them. I mean, if I had to, I would just patch it together by using more than one piece of software. But MindManager does it all in one spot and makes it so easy. That’s why its worth the $$, if you can swing it. It’s one of those things that, if you try it, you WILL want to buy it.

]]> Comment on Mind Mapping and User Experience by Bert Heymans http://designingux.com/2008/11/mind-mapping-and-user-experience/comment-page-1/#comment-66 Bert Heymans Sun, 14 Dec 2008 14:25:55 +0000 http://designingux.com/?p=87#comment-66 I had the same experience on Twitter, it felt a bit weird to be honest. I don't know what to think of it. I like the app, words in subbranches are put nicely close to eachother and making interrelations is done better than in any of the other tools I've used. But the price, meh ... I had the same experience on Twitter, it felt a bit weird to be honest. I don’t know what to think of it.

I like the app, words in subbranches are put nicely close to eachother and making interrelations is done better than in any of the other tools I’ve used. But the price, meh …

]]> Comment on Findability by Robert "Butch" Greenawalt http://designingux.com/2008/12/findability/comment-page-1/#comment-60 Robert "Butch" Greenawalt Sat, 13 Dec 2008 16:57:16 +0000 http://designingux.com/?p=111#comment-60 I really enjoyed this post and I look forward to hearing more of your insights on "Findability" as it is often overlooked in initial site design and like myself, is something we repeatedly need to come back and look at. cheers, I really enjoyed this post and I look forward to hearing more of your insights on “Findability” as it is often overlooked in initial site design and like myself, is something we repeatedly need to come back and look at.

cheers,

]]> Comment on UX Designers Focus On Your Users by Kris C http://designingux.com/2008/10/ux-designers-focus-on-users/comment-page-1/#comment-59 Kris C Wed, 03 Dec 2008 05:27:13 +0000 http://designingux.com/?p=64#comment-59 Has your husband ever watched a user actually use the products he is developing? In my experience, developers that I invite to usability tests 100% of the time, view their jobs differently after watching users struggle to do something that was so easily executed in their own heads. While a developer doesn't need to master taxonomy or focus on whether one of ten icon concepts is the right metaphorical symbol, he does need to realize that at the end of the day, when he lays his head on the pillow, the work he did is not for the company, or for his family, or for his mental stimulation... it is for a user, somewhere. Users drive the sales that pay for the marketing that support the development of new products and long-life of existing ones. One or two usability observations is usually all it takes to make the point crystal clear. ;-) Has your husband ever watched a user actually use the products he is developing? In my experience, developers that I invite to usability tests 100% of the time, view their jobs differently after watching users struggle to do something that was so easily executed in their own heads. While a developer doesn’t need to master taxonomy or focus on whether one of ten icon concepts is the right metaphorical symbol, he does need to realize that at the end of the day, when he lays his head on the pillow, the work he did is not for the company, or for his family, or for his mental stimulation… it is for a user, somewhere. Users drive the sales that pay for the marketing that support the development of new products and long-life of existing ones. One or two usability observations is usually all it takes to make the point crystal clear. ;-)

]]> Comment on Broad or Deep in IT by erica http://designingux.com/2008/11/broad-or-deep-in-information-technology/comment-page-1/#comment-56 erica Tue, 02 Dec 2008 02:56:39 +0000 http://designingux.com/?p=94#comment-56 Awesome, thank you for that, definitely some good leads there for me. Awesome, thank you for that, definitely some good leads there for me.

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