How important are large images?
Image-focused design: Is bigger better? The latest research from Nielsen Norman Group surrounds the use of large images. The rationale for this approach is that compelling images have a unique ability to inspire and…
Search by category: design
Anything related to web design, but not usability (that’s another category) unless there’s overlap.
The importance of typography
How we read Good typography is an underrated element of the user experience. Good typography makes content easier to read, which is why we have rules about how the text is laid out on the page. It’s up to us to keep…
Complex navigation
Improving Gov.uk’s navigation This is an interesting article about changes to the navigation of Gov.uk. I was struck by the fact that Gov.uk has three different ‘content areas’: mainstream, specialist and whitehall.…
Designing in the browser
As we begin to transition towards a mobile-friendly design and workflow, I’m thankful that for the last five or six years we’ve been designing primarily in the browser, rather than in graphic editing applications such…
What the use of colour tells us about trust
And it was all yellow: what the design of Vox and BuzzFeed tells us about trusting content Colour is very tricky to get right. It is not just about choosing colours that are visually appealing. They have to be…
Designing forms
Asking for a date of birth Designing forms is difficult. Often what is best on desktop is a very bad solution on mobile. Sometimes the research we have about form design is conflicting. So I am always interested to…
The perils of hiding navigation
Side drawer navigation could be costing you half your user engagement The side drawer navigation menu is similar in function to the hamburger menu, as used on the Study at St Andrews website. The side drawer /…
Don’t break the back button
4 design patterns that violate back-button expectations One of the biggest usability faux-pas we can commit is “breaking” the back button. The back button is by far the most commonly used function of a web browser, and…
The usefulness of global navigation
Global navigation is less useful on large, complex websites Here is a thought-provoking article about global navigation. We made the decision to remove the University’s global navigation menu from the Study at St…
Should I use a carousel?
Should I use a carousel? In case you were still in doubt…