Dedicated wireframing tools are in abundance, so you might be surprised that my weapon of choice for sketching wireframes is Microsoft PowerPoint. PowerPoint makes it possible for stakeholders and non-techies to participate in the design process. When exchanging PowerPoint slides over email, you can be fairly certain everyone will be able to view and edit them. The software’s widespread availability and low barrier to entry make it an excellent communication tool, able...read more By Andre

An increasing number of companies are appointing a single executive to lead customer experience efforts for a business unit or the entire company. Whether firms calls these executives chief customer officer (CCO) or give them some other label, these executives are driving change at organizations as diverse as CEMEX, Fidelity, General Motors, Maersk Line, and The Washington Post. And as diverse as the companies are that they work for, these leaders come from a wide range of backgrounds. To better

Over the past few years, we’ve heard from a lot of business and hiring managers that they find it hard to find qualified UX professionals and UX-minded businesspeople to fill vacant jobs in their organizations. We’ve also heard from UX pros who say that, in a world where anyone can claim to be able to “do UX,” it’s hard to stand out from throngs of job seekers on high-volume sites such as Monster.com and Indeed.com.

Weathermob is a niche social networking service for sharing information about local weather, much as Instagram is a service for sharing pictures. It lets you share what you’re feeling about local weather and see what your friends are saying about theirs. A lot of weather apps allow users to share the weather report with Facebook, Twitter, and so on, but what’s interesting with Weathermob is the manner in which it helps the user put together an engaging story.

During a break in a long research day, I was speaking to a client about a project I was working on to develop iOS standards for a global financial company. Their initial response was, “What, you’re creating something beyond the Apple iOS Standards? What else is there to it?” We ended up having a lengthy discussion about mobile standards—what they are, what they are not, and what they should be. Apple, for instance, does a great job of explaining their touch interaction mo

In advance of this year’s show, we’ve created a trend report. We hope it will serve as a valuable guide for visitors, placing the products, services and experiences they see into the larger context of 5 macro-trends:

When you read about UX research you find lots of emphasis on the planning and structure of the research sessions. Where will you do research at a person's home or in a research facility? Will you go through a recruiting agency or recruit from your own network? Are you looking for target users? Can remote methods play a part?

Business strategists have long preached the advice, “Adapt or die.” Adaptation is happening in the social pond with a user’s social graphs influencing online and offline decisions. A user’s community is more important than ever. Businesses are mining online communities for valuable consumer information that can influence every phase in their go-to-market cycle, from product innovation to fostering repeat purchases. The definitive tome on the social movement, Groundswell:

As UX designers, we are customer advocates. We design systems, products, and tools that are as beautiful as they are usable. We bend technology into new forms to compensate for gaps in human abilities. We act as a creative buffer between technical complexity, unreliability, and inelegant processes or patterns. We turn bad mechanics into better forms. It’s downright noble.

As UX designers, we are customer advocates. We design systems, products, and tools that are as beautiful as they are usable. We bend technology into new forms to compensate for gaps in human abilities. We act as a creative buffer between technical complexity, unreliability, and inelegant processes or patterns. We turn bad mechanics into better forms. It’s downright noble.

No matter how motivated we are or how much effort we invest in our work, it doesn't change the fact that we devote a sizable chunk of our careers to working on brands no one truly cares about. In the 25 years that I’ve worked as a designer, brand consultant, and creative director, I've experienced the good, the bad and, most often, the mediocre. There are myriad reasons for mediocrity, but unfortunately, the one that’s the most detrimental is also the most prevalent.

UX designers have become highly proficient at designing for user action. They design with the assumption that users will take action. But it’s important to understand that every action is preceded by a decision. Every action to buy is preceded by a decision about what to choose.

There has been a lot of debate and confusion about how many participants should be included in usability testing. Sometimes business teams think sample size in usability testing is just a matter of personal preference, and may request dozens of participants for “a good sample set.” Other times, they want to include participants who meet specific demographic requirements, which may satisfy internal politics more than they meet research requirements. There are also debates in the user

As a result, many travel companies have invested heavily in globalizing their web and mobile experiences. This article focuses on a few of the leaders and provides lessons for any company planning to serve users around the world.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is usually relegated to the domain of science fiction, video games, abstract academic work, and the occasional chat bot. However, AI isn’t just about robots or chess games; it’s a tool. AI systems already exist in our devices and websites, and some even have the ability to learn. The idea of machine learning may still seem futuristic, but it is a relevant and important tool for all sorts of technology applications, including UIs and user experiences.