UX/UI Links of April 2019
Learning about UX can be daunting. Even within UI design there is so much to know. Here are a few links spanning a range of topics that hopefully provide a good return on investment of your time.
Embrace the Mental Models of Users by Implementing Tabs
Tabs not only provide a satisfying means of hopping to, from, and between different sections but also help establish order within the user interface.
- Priscilla Esser, UX Design Expert
Comprehensive, yet easy to read, Embrace the Mental Models of Users by Implementing Tabs covers most everything you need to know about tabs, including what problem they solve, when to use them, best practices, and their potential pitfalls. A great resource.
Why "Make It Work Like Turbotax" Is My Least Favorite Request
âMy issue with the request is it expects good UX to be effortless, as if it can be added on top of development rather than serve as the driving force behind development.
- Laura Kadamus, User Experience Lead
My biggest complaint about most UX articles is that they assume an ideal design environment, where everyone has fully embraced UX. What’s great about Why “Make It Work Like Turbotax” Is My Least Favorite Request is that it specifically addresses situations where design is an afterthought and provides practical tips for moving it up in the process.
5 Navigation Tips to Improve the UX of Your Product/Service
People should be able to quickly scan the navigation and understand which links are primary, secondary, and tertiary navigation items.
- Vamsi Batchu, Senior UX Designer
5 Navigation Tips to Improve the UX of Your Product/Service is a deep dive into the world of navigation. It covers breadcrumbs, menus, links, visual hierarchy, and mobile navigation design. It’s a great primer for inexperienced designers.
The Two Most Important Words in UX Design
Great design revolves around context and value.
- Ved Thirumala, UX/UI Designer
A simple way to explain the success of some products over others is that they focus on benefits over features. But a more nuanced viewpoint, which The Two Most Important Words in UX Design takes, is that understanding context and providing value is what users really care about.
Everyday Information Architecture: Auditing for Structure
This isnât about recreating the intended sitemapâno, this is about experiencing the site the way users experience it.
- Lisa Maria Martin, UX Consultant
In this book excerpt, Everyday Information Architecture: Auditing for Structure describes how, in precise detail, to do a structural audit of your website. Similar to our article on Content-First Design, it explains why key parts of the design process should happen outside of graphical tools.
Stay tuned for more good reads next month.
Want to read our favorite links from the past? Check out the archives.
Leon for the Balsamiq Team
