Month: December 2005

Mimicking real-life knobs and switches enhances usability. Problem You need to make knobs on your site immediately obvious. Solution Use a consistent style of knobs. Discussion There are many styles of knobs, but the best designs are reminiscent of real-life knobs and switches, are convenient to use, and are similar to other widgets used on

A consistent button style aids navigation. Problem You need to make buttons on your site immediately obvious. Solution Use a consistent style for all buttons, which are objects on the screen that the visitor can click. Discussion Thousands of button designs appear around the Internet. Two common styles are to depict a slightly embossed shape

Enhancing navigation by marrying icons and text. Problem You need to make the icons on your site immediately obvious. Solution Except for a few concepts where icons are part of our common visual vocabulary (such as the travel icons at right), use text labels rather than icons. The icon or thumbnail can augment the text,

Developing user-centered interfaces for increased accessibility. Problem You need a web interface that is accessible to all types of users. Solution Use universal techniques for ease of navigation. Discussion Much has been written about human-computer interaction and the importance of the user interface. The overall key is to be “user-centered.” When designing your web site,