A blog about information architecture and design, by Chris Sainsbury

I draw boxes

Archive for June, 2008

First impressions of Axure software

June 19th, 2008

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. Read more »

Wireframes are simply facilitators for discussion

June 16th, 2008

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. Read more »

The stupidity of rel=nofollow

June 16th, 2008

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? Read more »

Good books

June 16th, 2008

Two books that have changed the way I look at design. Read more »

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

June 12th, 2008

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

Read more »

Ideas for blog posts

June 2nd, 2008

A few ideas for blogs I could write Read more »

About I draw boxes

I draw boxes is a blog by Chris Sainsbury about information architecture, interaction design and user experience design.

It's a forum for discussion on the best ways of planning and organising web sites and other digital products.

Often this planning process involves drawing boxes on bits of paper and annotating them to communicate ideas. Hence the name.

Please read this site's raison d’être for more information.