The best error message is the one that never shows up. It is always better to prevent errors from happening in the first place by guiding users in the right direction ahead of time. But, when errors do arise, well-designed error handling helps teach users how to use the app as you intended. In this article, Nick Babich will examine how the design of apps can be optimized to prevent user errors and how to create effective error messages in cases when errors occur independently of user input.
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REST stands for “representational state transfer,” For the last few years, whenever somebody wants to start building an HTTP API, they pretty much exclusively use REST as the go-to architectural style, over alternative approaches such as XML-RPC, SOAP and JSON-RPC. In this article, Phil Sturgeon discusses two approaches in the context of building HTTP APIs. RPC and REST can both be used via other transportation protocols, such as AMQP, but that is another topic entirely.
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If there is one thing that will stand the test of time, it’s thumb placement on mobile devices. This makes consideration of the “thumb zone”, a term coined in Steven Hoober’s research, an important factor in the design and development of mobile interfaces. In this article, Samantha Ingram will share the knowledge she’s acquired about the thumb zone and how to apply its rules to navigation, cards and swipe gestures.
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In this article, Amber Bartek showcases great artists whose work speaks strongly and boldly of this beautiful way of creating art. She selected some of the hand lettering artists whose work continues to speak strongly and boldly of this beautiful way of creating art. Art that moves us to feel, to act, to be, to believe, to participate, and to belong. It connects us all to the common thread between us. It is a game of connect-the-dots. Here are some of the best hand letterers around.
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There are several actions you should take when improving an app engagement, but one of the most crucial is to get up close and personal with users. If you don’t segment and personalize your users’ journeys, then you should expect lower rates of conversion and retention. Understanding the individual user’s journey and how they are using the app overall is key to personalizing your mobile app experience. Mobile users have high expectations of the mobile experience and brief attention spans, so careful personalization and in-context awareness are crucial for effective communication and engagement with them.
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Have you tried creating a website with some Dropbox-powered hosting tools? In today’s article, Cosima Mielke has collected nine tools for you that hook up to your Dropbox to streamline the process of creating and hosting static websites. However, before you settle on a Dropbox-powered platform, always balance the pros and cons to make sure it is the right choice for your project. As for prototyping, the following tools are a great way to make your workflow more efficient so you can spend more time on the details that really matter.
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Every $92 the average company spends attracting customers, a meager $1 is spent converting them. Real conversion optimization is rooted deeply in psychology. In this article, John Stevens will analyze seven psychology studies that date as far back as 1961. Each experiment raises principles that will help you boost conversions on your website. Effective conversion optimization goes beyond simply changing a button’s color or making a few tweaks here and there. The trick is knowing the fundamental principles that make people act the way they do. Hopefully, the psychology studies reviewed in this article will provide you with some practical insight to boost your conversion rates.
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The benefits of using a “content security policy” are many. Most importantly, it will stop your users from suffering any unsolicited scripts or content or XSS vulnerabilities on your website. In this article, Nicolas Hoffmann will introduce you to this technology, and he’ll explain why awareness is the most important advantage of CSP for website maintainers.
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Skilled UX design is aerodynamic. Any bumps on the way will drag the whole plane down. Designers need to cater to their users any chance they get, so don’t make them think any more than they have to. In this article, Danny Halarewich will share some tips to reduce cognitive overload, such as using a range of content types and structured page composition to avoid visual clutter, or to remove redundancies wherever you can. Also, keep an eye out for ways to minimize the number of steps users must take or the amount of effort they must expend.
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