Career changes aren’t always money-oriented. While UX designers can earn up to $120,000 a year according to Dashburst’s(1) analysis of UX jobs, it’s fair to say that many business managers make similar salaries. However, business managers like you are often concerned with the bottom line, and there’
The design phase for mobile applications should include a prototyping stage. It is at this point that users can “play” with your ideas and concepts and give you valuable feedback that shapes the final designs before you begin development. This can save time and money in development and create produc
Let’s take a look at a subject that might appear tricky for designers to influence. However much control we have over our designs, we still have the power to reach beyond. Guiding our users toward a better UX isn’t only simpler than you might think; it will also pay dividends to both you and them an
We know that UX is important. Google knows that UX is important. But when it comes to selling in UX work it can often feel like nobody else knows that it’s important. Clients and colleagues often seem completely intractable on ideas when we present them. So how can we better serve those customers an
Safety is one of our basic, evolutionary needs. Most of our decisions and actions are based on sustaining or improving our circumstances. While we may not be in constant danger like early man, we are no less driven by the need for safety for us and our loved ones. This drive is carried over into use
It doesn’t matter how great the functions and content, that your mobile apps serve, are – if your user can’t find them, they aren’t going to contribute to a great user experience. Navigation on the mobile web comes with challenges thanks to the reduced screen real estate available on smartphones. Ho
Understanding the obstacles that prevent teams from reaching innovative solutions that solve underlying problems is a very important aspect of the Design Thinking process. When we ignore a major influencing factor while trying to develop a solution, we are setting ourselves up for a potentially
Have you ever felt overwhelmed when performing a task such as registering an account or completing an online purchase? Ever felt puzzled when it wasn’t clear which steps to take? Nearly every website and application supports tasks that have different stages to go through. From adjusting your MAC OS
Text-heavy websites, such as those of all the major newspapers that have embraced the web as an essential medium for the future, know the importance of using titled sections to reel the readers in. There’s a perfect art to the craft, and it stems from an exact science concerning how human beings pro
Even if you’re not the to-do list maniac like some of us, lists are a great way to deliver content to your users. A list allows them to navigate quickly to the section of content that is most relevant to them, while maintaining an overview of the entire body of information that is accessible. It als
...emotions, encompassing both positive and negative emotional states, have the potential to benefit us. And not only can emotions have an enduring and positive effect on our psychophysiology, but they provide us with the impetus to choose and pursue different goal paths. This is of particular impor
The dropdown menu goes all the way back to the Start menu of the most classic Microsoft Windows versions. Now, you can find it nearly everywhere: from newspaper websites to online shops, and from graphic design applications to text-editing software. It has helped users time and time again to access
The pagination design pattern is widely used in websites that open up a lot of content to users. From search engines such as Google and Firefox, to e-commerce sites such as Amazon and Asos—the use of pagination is very, very broad. And although it seems straightforward, implementing pagination in th
Learn how to improve user experience by incorporating the self-generation effect in your user interface design. The self-generation effect is prompted in many of the customization tools built into some of the most widely-used products out there. This phenomenon provides users with a sense of control
An essential part of the Design Thinking process is the Define phase as this is the phase where you will explicitly express the problem that you and your team aim to address. In Design Thinking, the first phase is the research or Empathise phase, and then you move on to the Define phase, where you w
We’ve found that a lot of first time UX researchers have similar questions and concerns when they start working in UX design. So, we thought we’d round up and tackle some of the most common questions to form a set of useful principles for UX researchers. Of course, this isn’t a complete guide to UX
An important task for you as a designer is to help the user carry out tasks as efficiently as possible. Software companies such as Adobe and Microsoft are experts at this. They frequently use a design pattern called ‘center stage’ to help the user focus on what’s important. Center stage is one of th
In the developed world, we have the benefit of choice; if a product fails to provide us with a positive emotional experience, we can simply look for an alternative. Consumerism is now more cutthroat than ever; no sooner has one product been released, another, similar product appears in its place on
If you’re toying with the idea of going freelance; you’ll already know some of the benefits. Getting rid of the commute and ditching your boss may play heavily in the decision making process but there are other benefits to leaving the rat race behind. We’ve come up with 10 great reasons to go freel
It’s not really fair that before we can show an interviewer how great we are for their position – we have to land that interview in the first place. A good CV can make or break your career prospects; you cannot get a great job without getting an interview. Sadly, in nearly all professions including
