The Elements of User Experience

by jesse james garrett  /  jjg.net

A lot of people know jjg because he coined the term Ajax in 2005. The following year he received Wired Magazine’s Rave Award for Technology.

 

 

 

 

HighCharts is a JavaScript-​​based chart library with stylish graphs, excellent support, and impressive compatibility. You can count on their charts to function in every browser from the dreaded Internet Explorer 6 to the latest version of mobile Safari in iOS devices. Their charts also have subtle animations — the growing of bar graphs and the tracing of trend lines — that add to their visual appeal. The library is open-​​source, so the charts can be modified for the unique needs of any project. For non-​​commercial use, HighCharts is free, but for commercial projects it has a significant cost. For a single website, using HighCharts will only cost $80, but for a team of 10 developers to use the library in multiple projects, the price jumps to $2,000. If you employ HighCharts in an application, you’ll have to contact the makers to negotiate a deal in terms of the price and use of HighCharts.

A designer’s first inclination might be to make a pixel-​​perfect graph or chart within Photoshop or Illustrator, but that solution entails constantly updating the charts for even the smallest change in the data, which leaves the method well short of being easy and practical. If your metrics change by just a few units or percentage points, you’ll likely have to open the editable file, make the desired changes, export, and upload the static image every time. That’s a lot of work for such miniscule changes. Worse, if your data is based on timelines or other ever-​​changing metrics, then your charts are literally becoming outdated on a daily basis. And finally, static images are ultimately not interactive, which makes poor use of your programming knowledge and your website’s interactive capabilities.

Often, a truly “well-​​designed” solution is not only visually appealing, but flexible and efficient as well. There are instances when tunnel-​​visioning on visual appearance — and ignoring all other facets of a project — can leave you with a design that is beautiful to view but impractical to work with.

One example of this could be a high-​​heeled shoe; it may look stylish and appealing to the public, but to the woman who has to wear it, it’s painful on the feet, useless on soft ground, and makes running impossible. If you took a similar approach to your design projects, you might end up with a design that, just like a high-​​heeled shoe, is all fashion with very little function. To make sure that your next interface or landing page design doesn’t suffer the same fate as your poorly-​​chosen footwear, you’ll likely need a way to visualize data that strikes a careful balance between aesthetic appeal and practicality.

• By Peter North
• 12^th Mar 2012

Creative Research: The Theory and Practice of Research for the Creative Industries

Hilary Collins (Author)

This book is designed to lead you through the key knowledge, practices and skills of research methods in the study of design management and focuses on defining the research problem, deciding on a research process and undertaking a research project as a student at undergraduate or postgraduate level or as a practitioner within the creative fields.

The book begins with an overview of the field of research within the context of the creative industries, and then goes into detail on the stages involved in undertaking a research project within this field. You will be introduced to a range of philosophical assumptions upon which your research can be based and the implications of these assumptions on the method or methods that you choose.

In addition to this, techniques and procedures for collecting and analyzing different types of data are examined and analyzed in detail.   Each topic is accompanied by a main text with visuals outlining the key issues and debates.The topics are accompanied by key word definitions and explanations, plus references to key texts for further reading. Questions are also identified to get the reader thinking about the issues raised, to confront expectations and to make informed choices. Interviews with leading practitioners and academics give insight on current debates on research practice. The skills necessary to promote the effectiveness and validity of research within the creative industries are highlighted in case studies, all of which also demonstrate what a well-designed research project can achieve.

Visual Research (2nd ed.): An Introduction to Research Methodologies in Graphic Design

Authors: Ian Noble and Russell Bestley
Publisher:AVA
Publication date:2011 (second edition), 2005 (first edition)
ISBN:978-2-940411-60-3

:: From Dawne Bell, Edge Hill University

As the authors explain; whilst well established within the fields of medicine, education, social science and the like, until recently the value of ethical practice in research within the field of visual arts was rarely discussed. The value of methodological research within our field is undisputed; often, however, it can be difficult to find good, clear examples that not only explain the theory but provide a useful framework from which one can begin to understand how to apply it.

This book, which sits comfortably within a comprehensive suite, draws together a range of theoretical approaches and research methodologies appertaining to the field, and offers to the reader, through a series of case studies, practical application of the processes involved in visual research. As Ellen Lupton’s foreword explains, this book presents ‘theory as a tool’ to aid designers working within the field of graphic design with an introduction to the range of research methodologies that can be employed.

 

http://www.biaodianfu.com/category/resource-sharing

http://www.biaodianfu.com/guidelines-for-designing-tables.html

http://www.improving-visualisation.org/visuals

http://www.improving-visualisation.org/visuals

http://www.199it.com/archives/category/pc-market-data/panel-computer/apple-ipad

http://picsays.com/