Blogs
Monica Granfield
Deconstructing UX design
Posted: Wed, October 09, 2013 - 12:39:16
In engineering there is reverse engineering, the process by which you take something apart to see how it was built. This is a great way to learn how something is made, what worked, what’s broken and why, what can be done differently, and how something can be improved. I wonder how this process could translate to UX. Deconstructing a user…
Can we afford no affordances in our user interfaces?
Posted: Mon, September 16, 2013 - 4:40:22
Lately, flat design has been a topic of conversation in the design community. It seems there are two main camps: those who love it and those who don’t. Flat design is in no way new to the screen. Some websites have, for a while now, approached flat design as a mix of flat and raised presentation, reserving the raised effect…
What is your UX style?
Posted: Fri, August 09, 2013 - 8:13:29
Having come out of traditional design training and then migrated into a field that is more conceptually than visually design oriented, for more than two decades I have experienced a bit of an identity crisis. I often wonder how to explain my profession and if it is possible to have a style within this profession. In trying to explain what…
Enterprise users just want to have fun!
Posted: Fri, June 28, 2013 - 11:27:35
The bounce of the screen on the iPhone is so much fun that new users often keep pulling the screen down again and again, just to see the action happen. Animation in UX design—it’s not only fun, it's functional! Motion graphics bring even more depth and life to an interface, and more and more great animation is being produced. It’s…
Designing from the sixth sense
Posted: Thu, May 02, 2013 - 12:35:41
This year’s CHI conference is "Changing Perspectives." It got me thinking about the perspective of design, and design by intuition in technology.Perspective is the state of one’s idea or views, assumptions and beliefs, facts known to one. Proposing another way to look at something is often a way to change someone's perspective. Having an experience, good or bad, can change…
My computer still doesn’t know me: habit vs. intelligence.
Posted: Fri, April 05, 2013 - 10:45:28
What I do as a habit is not necessarily what interests me the most. It's what I need, what I have to get done, maybe it's all I am aware of, and so it becomes my habit. Habit is what I do because I am used to doing it. Intelligence is what I learn and how I apply it, and…
User-centered design: Science or common sense?
Posted: Mon, March 11, 2013 - 2:46:47
There are many approaches to creating a user-centered design. There are methods such as user observations, creating personas, workflows, storyboards, journaling, conducting user interviews, voice-of-the-customer sessions, and usability testing. These can all be used to gain insight into how users will interact with software, what features they desire in the software, what they don’t know they need, and how we…
Are collaboration vacations part of my benefits package?
Posted: Fri, February 15, 2013 - 3:15:53
Here is some news that may make anyone over the age of 18 gasp: Not everyone is on Facebook, Google+ or Twitter. Some people are more private and more introverted than others, not wanting to share every thought and event in their life with "friends." On average people have between one and five friends who would be there for them…
Measure twice cut once
Posted: Sun, February 10, 2013 - 12:31:59
There is a popular book in woodworking called Measure Twice Cut Once by Jim Tolpin. The title says it all. Make sure your measurements are correct and your woodworking piece is sure to fit together and you will not waste wood. The book is described as the following: "From design and layout to developing a cutting list, easy-to-follow style introduces…
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