August 2006 Issue
Refining Data Tables
Published: August 28, 2006
Many articles have been written on what is probably the single most ubiquitous interface element within Web applications today: the form. Forms justifiably get a lot of attention because their design is critical to successfully gathering input from users. Registration forms are the gatekeepers to community membership. Checkout forms are how eCommerce vendors close deals. But what goes in must eventually come out, and the information users provide to Web applications often makes its way back to users in the form of tabular data.
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Category: Columns
Experiencing CHI 2006: From a Practitioner's Viewpoint: Part IV
Published: August 28, 2006
Wednesday brought greater diversity in my experience of the conference. In addition to attending a course, “The Art of Speaking,” I checked out the Exhibits in The Commons, heard part of a panel discussion titled “The Route to the Sea for User Value,” and in the evening, joined the crowd at the Hospitality Events.
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Category: Reviews
Experiencing CHI 2006: From a Practitioner's Viewpoint: Part V
Published: August 28, 2006
On Thursday, the last day of the conference, I attended Part III of the three-part series on public speaking for HCI professionals and the closing plenary session.
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Category: Reviews
New Life for Product Documentation
Published: August 14, 2006
Here are some “truths” we’ve all heard: “Documentation is just a band-aid for poor design.” “Real users don’t read manuals.” “Super users never read anything.” “Help doesn’t.”
But are they really true? I’ve seen some signs of life in the use of documentation for digital products recently.
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Category: Columns
Display 2.0: A Look Forward to the High-Definition Web and Its Effect on Our Digital Experience
Published: August 14, 2006
In the next few years, the adoption of high-resolution displays—with 150 or more pixels per inch—will significantly alter our conception of what the Web and networked applications can potentially be. As the price of high-res displays comes down to earth and early adopters make way for mass consumers, beautiful visualizations of data will enrich the digital realm. High-res monitors will allow us to chart greater depth in financial data on screen, render finer lines in maps and illustrations of technical designs, and show greater detail in photographs. In specialized areas of medicine, where the price tag of these displays is unimportant, this transformation of the online world has already begun. To describe the enhanced online experience high-res displays will make possible, I’ll build on a term from the broadcast, cable, and satellite industries—high-definition television (HDTV)—and coin the term high-definition Web (HDWeb).
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Category: Features
Experiencing CHI 2006: From a Practitioner's Viewpoint: Part III
Published: August 14, 2006
On Tuesday, I attended a full-day course, “Repositioning User Experience as a Strategic Process.” Then, in the evening, colleagues from the Interaction Design Association (IxDA) and the User Experience Network (UXnet) gathered for dinner at Buonanotte.
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Category: Reviews