I draw boxes

June 19, 2008

First impressions of Axure software

Filed under: Information Architecture, Interface design, Technology — Chris @ 5:55 pm

I’ve spent the afternoon installing and reading about Axure web prototyping software. It takes Visio functionality to the next level, by adding the ability to define and output complex interactivity and AJAX-style controls. (more…)

June 16, 2008

Wireframes are simply facilitators for discussion

Filed under: Information Architecture — Chris @ 4:20 pm

The title of this article should really be: IA documentation is simply a facilitator for discussions. And the key point is this: in a web project we’re all (as a team) trying to develop a set of complex shared understandings about what this product will be and how it will work. As long as the IA documentation helps us do this in the most effective way, that is all that matters. (more…)

The stupidity of rel=nofollow

Filed under: Search engines, Technology — Chris @ 3:01 pm

I am truly baffled by the existence of the rel=nofollow attribute on wordpress comments. Even more so by that fact that it is enabled by default, and can only be disabled by installing a plugin.

It seems to me that inter-linking between blogs is exactly what the web is about. Democracy of content, freedom of speech and sharing opinions. Why shouldn’t a commenter on a blog get some search engine ‘credit’ from the page they have chosen to enrich by commenting on? (more…)

Good books

Filed under: Books, Information Architecture, Interface design — Chris @ 11:06 am

Two books that have changed the way I look at design. (more…)

June 12, 2008

Yes/no questions: dropdown, radio buttons or checkbox?

Filed under: Information Architecture, Interface design — Chris @ 3:09 pm

Today I came across a dropdown menu in a web form for a yes/no question, and it didn’t sit well with me. Far too much for the user to think about when making their choice.

To enable the user to express a preference in this way you could use:

  • Radio buttons
  • A checkbox
  • A dropdown menu (more…)

June 2, 2008

Ideas for blog posts

Filed under: General musings — Chris @ 10:19 am

A few ideas for blogs I could write (more…)

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