Usability

Article — 23 March 2014 — 1,293 words

Can web design really learn from brutalist architecture?

As a web designer with an interest in brutalist architecture, I was fascinated to read an article about what web designers can learn from brutalism. But perhaps instead of taking inspiration, perhaps the lessons are in what web designers should avoid.

Article — 31 July 2013 — 487 words

How studying social science made me a better web designer

Economics — User experience — Web

I thought I had joined the many people who don’t use their degrees in their careers. But I have come to realise that my degree in social science has been absolutely vital to my web design work.

Article — 28 January 2013 — 990 words

Subscription options and the failed promise of RSS

User experience — Web

RSS feeds were once a promising feature of the web, but are usually only used by geeks. So is it still a good idea to publicise RSS feeds on your website?

Article — 23 December 2012 — 601 words

Layout and responsive design

User experience — Web

Continuing my series explaining the decisions I made while designing this website, this article looks at the process of creating the layout and working on a responsive design.

Note — 3 April 2012 — 68 words

Technology — User experience

I have a problem with cutesy copy, particularly when it comes to error messages. I understand that they are trying to be friendly and personable, but it’s usually not what the user wants or needs. Often, a friendly error message just leads to more confusion.

Dialogue box: "Well, this is embarrassing. Firefox is having trouble recovering your windows and tabs. This is usually caused by a recently opened webpage."

Take Firefox’s “well, this is embarrassing”.

I was once asked for advice about this error message.

“Should I be embarrassed?”, I was asked.