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Nielsen Norman Goup must read for Usability of iPad Apps and Websites: First Research Findings

93 pages PDF format, 10 MB Download your copy of the report (Free download)

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Summary

This report is based on usability studies with real users, reporting how they actually used a broad variety of iPad apps as well as websites accessed on the iPad.

We are making this report available for free to support our loyal audience of usability enthusiasts by providing them with early empirical data about iPad usability. This report is less thorough than our normal research reports and does not contain as many detailed and actionable design guidelines as we usually provide. We decided to publish the report anyway (as a donation to the community) because all experience from the last 30 years of usability shows that early usability findings have disproportionally large impact on design projects.

via nngroup.com

Very generous for Nielsen Norman Group to make this research report available, it is a must read for any tablet experience designers, and offers a good view on current wild west wacky user interface design ideas…

Personally I think there is a good bit of innovation happening as a result of the freedom from “accepted design patterns” for tablet devices.

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iPad Owners Are ‘Selfish Elites.’ Critics Are ‘Independent Geeks.’ Discuss. | Epicenter | Wired.com

It’s not exactly official, but should also surprise no one: According to a new study the psychological profile of iPad owners can be summed up as “selfish elites” while have-not critics are “independent geeks.”

Chart courtesy of MyType

Of course the “haves” would probably call the “have nots” “cheap wannabes” to which the “have nots” would retort: “FANBOI!!”

Which is why we should stick to the science.

Consumer research firm MyType conducted the study, in which opinions of 20,000 people were analyzed between March and May. The firm’s conclusion was that iPad owners tend to be wealthy, sophisticated, highly educated and disproportionately interested in business and finance, while they scored terribly in the areas of altruism and kindness. In other words, “selfish elites.”

They are six times more likely to be “wealthy, well-educated, power-hungry, over-achieving, sophisticated, unkind and non-altruistic 30-50 year olds,” MyType’s Tim Koelkebeck told Wired.com.

via wired.com

The Future of Wireframes – Articles – MIX Online

Riddle me this: How do you piss of a UX professional? The answer: Call him a “designer”.

These days, user experience professionals look down on the word “designer” because it implies that their primary role is to paint pretty pixels. UX is more than that, they clarify. Much more!

Just how much? Well, here’s a diagram (that uses pretty pixels) to explain how much more—

via visitmix.com

Nice overview of how the concept of wireframes is evolving.

I especially liked the part of “functional wireframes”, although I do not believe this concept works: I do not know a client in the world who doesn’t take wireframes too literally, and throwing a “willing suspension of disbelief” requirement into the mix will be a stretch for most clients or even art directors, who respond primarily to visual cues.

10 Design Hints When Creating Digital Magazines

“Designers need to make things simpler.” That’s the call-out from Russell Clark, whom we asked for advice for designers of digital magazines. He came up with these 10 design hints when creating great digital magazines:

via zmags.com