Apple’s design process

Wondering what is the secret behind the Fantastic Apple’s Designs and the process followed by Apple Designers. Here it is. Click on the following link to read Apple’s Design Process

http://www.businessweek.com/the_thread/techbeat/archives/2008/03/apples_design_p.html

The 5 Types of Prototypes

Prototypes can serve a number of purposes. Here’s the five primary roles a prototype can take on. Keep in mind that a prototype can take one more than one of these roles at a time.

1. As a common communication platform–using them to get everyone on the same page, avoiding misinterpretation of ideas, using them as a method to show and tell.
2. Work through a design–for designers and developers, prototypes act as a way to work through your design solution, giving you the ability to evaluate a few different options, tweak them, and come up with the best one.
3. Sell your idea internally–using them to sell your design solution to internal stake holders like senior management, other designers, or the engineering team.
4. Gauge technical feasibility–designers want to do X, but can engineering do it? Do we have the resources? Is it worth the effort?
5. As a marketing tool–while similar to number 3, this is for an external audience.

original link

10 Principles for UI Design

These are ten general principles for user interface design. They are called “heuristics” because they are more in the nature of rules of the thumb than specific usability guidelines.

Visibility of system status:
The system should always keep users informed about what is goin on, through appropriate feedback within reasonable time.

Match between system and the real world:
The system should speak the users’ language, with words, phrases and concepts familiar to the user, rather than system-oriented terms. Follow real-world conventions, making information appear in a natural and logical order.

User control and freedom:
Users often choose system functions by mistake and will need a clearly marked “emergency exit” to leave the unwanted state without having to go through an extended dialogue. Support undo and redo.

Consistency and standards:
Users should not have to wonder whether different words, situations, or actions mean the same thing. Follow platform conventions.

Error Prevention:
Even better than good error messages is a careful design which prevents a problem from occurring in the first place. Either eliminate error-prone conditions or check for them and present users with a confirmation option before they commit to the action.

Recognition rather than recall:
Minimize the user’s memory load by making objects, actions, and options visible. The user should not have to remember information from one part of the dialogue to another. Instructions for use of the system should be visible or easily retrievable whenever appropriate.

Flexibility and efficiency of use:
Accelerators — unseen by the novice user — may often speed up the interaction for the expert user such that the system can cater to both inexperienced and experienced users. Allow users to tailor frequent actions.

Aesthetic and minimalist design:
Dialogues should not contain information which is irrelevant or rarely needed. Every extra unit of information in a dialogue competes with the relevant units of information and diminishes their relative visibility.

Help users recognize, diagnose, and recover from errors:
Error messages should be expressed in plain language (no codes), precisely indicate the problem, and constructively suggest a solution.

Help and documentation:
Even though it is better if the system can be used without documentation, it may be necessary to provide help and documentation. Any such information should be easy to search, focused on the user’s task, list concrete steps to be carried out, and not be too large.

By Jacob Nielsen

source

5 reasons to have a wiki at work

1. Operations Guides
2. Dashboard
3. Posting Ads and stuff
4. Fact and Faq List
5. Making Plans

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