Link: The Importance of Imagery in Web Design
There’s an interesting post over on Think Vitamin about the importance of imagery on websites. It raises a really good point (as well as a couple of equally interesting ones in the comments) about images and layout as a content scent. I recently conducted some user testing on a booking page, where the user had...
Link: Designing Hyperlinks: Tips and Best Practices
Designing Hyperlinks: Tips and Best Practices at Six Revisions explores the possibilities available when designing hyperlinks.
Link: Usability is No Longer Enough
Eric Schaffer at Human Factors International argues that having an easy to use website is not enough. Just because you make it easy to do something it doesn't mean people will.
Link: SEO for Bing Versus Google
Here’s a pretty interesting look at the difference between how Bing and Google rank pages. I had thought Bing used a similar method of ranking pages, but it seems that is doesn’t value the quantity and quality of links to a page as much as Google does, instead it pays even more attention to the...
Link: The Cost of Bad Forms
The Cost of Bad Forms at Formulate.com looks at the negative effect of having a bad web form.
It's particular interesting as it doesn't just look at lead generating forms that generate profits, it also looks at forms where there is no choice other than for the form filler to complete the form.
Link: How a Well-Designed “Thank You” Inspires Community Uptake
If somebody is engaged enough with your site to have gone through a form process, then you should use the thank you page to promote further action.
Link: Fight The System: Battling Bureaucracy, Smashing Magazine
A blog version of Paul Boag's Fight the System webinar is now available at Smashing Magazine and I cannot stress enough how much I recommend you read it.
Link: Good microcopy in the wild: Picnik, Dirty French Novel
Cutting out unnecessary words on your website does not mean you have to lose your personality. Dirty French Novel takes a look at the use of microcopy on Picnik.com, showing that even the shortest most functional copy doesn’t have to be boring. Read the article here: Good microcopy in the wild: Picnik
Web customers care about tasks, not goals
An angry story about hiring a cleaner. It’s hard to not love Gerry McGovern. Do you go to Twitter and find a handsome man smiling out at you, saying: “Communication is such fun. You should try it too.” Read the full story over on Gerry Mcgovern’s website; Web customers care about tasks, not goals
Pencil Project now available as standalone application
Free Wireframing tool Pencil has now been updated and released a standalone application; breaking free from it’s Firefox plugin shackles. Wireframes are an invaluable tool, letting you test – and change – layout, functionality and content specifications before investing time and money on design and build of a web project. Pencil Project. Via Wireframes Magazine....
