Many websites use black text on a light background to display their content because it's easy to read. However, using white text on a dark background also has its advantages. Knowing when to use one over the other will allow you to design your website without hurting user readabi … | Continue reading
Too many interfaces are guilty of displaying too much information at once. Not all that's displayed is immediately relevant. Some information is temporarily irrelevant until users meet certain | Continue reading
Tables are one of the most popular ways to display data. They're effective at providing structure and organization to data, but they're difficult to scan. Users often have trouble differenti | Continue reading
Large sidebar menus can frustrate even the most advanced user. The reason for this is the way designers display the menu items. When they all have the same visual treatment, menu items are hard to | Continue reading
Imagine a user stuck with indecision when they encounter a pair of buttons on your interface. The user looks to the left one and then to the right one, comparing them. After doing some thinking, they | Continue reading
Imagine a user stuck with indecision when they encounter a pair of buttons on your interface. The user looks to the left one and then to the right one, comparing them. After doing some thinking, they | Continue reading
Searching for information on websites isn't as easy as you'd think. A typical search query generates many results that require users to sort through each one. Most search results pages don&# | Continue reading
Before you use a checkbox on your interface, you got to ask yourself a couple of questions. Is a checkbox the right component to use in this context? If it is, what's the most usable way to displ | Continue reading
The way your signup and login form opens can make your interface less engaging. You're likely opening your form in a new screen. That won't hinder users from signing up or logging in, but it | Continue reading
How fast can you find the three of diamonds in a deck of playing cards? The answer is not very fast because you have to sift through so many irrelevant cards to get to the right one. This is what you& | Continue reading
Content cards are one of the most common ways for apps to organize their content. They allow users to consume bite-sized samples while they browse before clicking on one to get the full-sized meal. Us | Continue reading
When users navigate an interface, there's a need for speed. The faster it is for them to find what they're looking for, the more time they'll save on their task. | Continue reading
Radio buttons and checkboxes have long been components that cause users confusion. These components are often used in the same context, but look completely different. | Continue reading
Flick, flick, flick, flick! That's the sound of the user's finger scrolling through your long mobile landing page. Eventually, they'll get flick fatigue and abandon your page if they do | Continue reading
Form field label alignment has evolved. It's been five years since I first introduced infield top-aligned labels and its advantages over both top-aligned and infield labels. | Continue reading
When designing an app, most designers put all their effort into the content pages but overlook the sign-up form. | Continue reading
Text fields have evolved stylistically over the years. Designers are getting more creative with them, but sometimes a little too creative. | Continue reading
Every interface has a subset of users that make up the majority and minority. The majority of users usually have normal vision, while the minority have some form of visual impairment. | Continue reading
There's a growing demand for designers to make their interfaces accessible to all users. It's important to accommodate users with disabilities... | Continue reading
Which is better for users, a top or left navigation? Web designers have debated this issue for a long time. Many have drawn their own conclusions, but others have mixed feelings. | Continue reading
What interface component would you use for selecting from a large set of options? For most designers, checkboxes come to mind. | Continue reading
A typical interface screen has many elements on it. Hover effects inform users what they can interact with by providing visual feedback on buttons. | Continue reading
Buttons have more than an enabled and disabled state. They also have a loading state. The loading state isn't usually shown to users because most actions happen within seconds. | Continue reading
There are times to use toggle switches and times not to. When designers misuse them, it leads to confused and frustrated users. | Continue reading
Toggle switches on electrical devices are intuitive to use, but not so much on user interfaces. Users often have trouble discerning whether they indicate a status or command. | Continue reading
Toggle buttons should do three things — change states, show the current state, and reveal unselected options. If your toggle button doesn't do all these things, it has poor usability. | Continue reading
When changing states are a function of your app, toggle buttons are your best friend. They save space by presenting two or more options in a single control. | Continue reading
Did you know that button placement affects how fast users complete their task? Placing your call to action buttons where users expect to find them leads to faster task completion. | Continue reading
The usability standards for buttons are higher for mobile apps than desktop apps. With a smaller screen and finger navigation, mobile buttons must be easy to tap and read. | Continue reading
What your buttons say is as important as how they look. Using the wrong words on your button labels cause users confusion, more work, and slower task times. | Continue reading
Data loss is one of the greatest frustrations users can experience. It's not only their data they lose, but also the time and money they put into it. | Continue reading
Data loss is one of the greatest frustrations users can experience. It's not only their data they lose, but also the time and money they put into it. | Continue reading
Accidental data loss is one of the greatest frustrations users can experience. It's not only their data they lose, but also the time and money they put into it. | Continue reading
Icons are designed to help users navigate user interfaces. Nowhere are they more prevalent than on mobile dashboards. Dashboards contain multiple icons in a compact area. | Continue reading
Cancel buttons sometimes have different names. "Not Now" and "Maybe Later" are some dismissive labels one could use. But there's one case when the Cancel button absolutely should not... | Continue reading
Tap, tap, tap! Are users able to hit your mobile buttons with high touch accuracy, or are they missing their target? Before you blame the user, check the size and spacing of your buttons. | Continue reading
Icons have many uses on a mobile interface. You can use them to call attention to information, signify a state, or represent task actions. When representing task actions, the icons become buttons. | Continue reading
Personas have long been a useful UX tool for summarizing user research data. Designers create these character profiles to humanize their findings and insights for project stakeholders. | Continue reading
If you've designed a mobile app before, you know how useful and prevalent icon buttons are. But what you don't know is how often users mistap them when they're placed too close together. | Continue reading
When your form has multiple pages, a stepper is a must. Steppers keep users informed about their progress by indicating what step they're on and how many steps are left. | Continue reading
The most common interface component used to request user information on forms is the text field. They come in various shapes and styles. But what's the best way to display them for optimal usability? | Continue reading
Have you ever filled out a form and froze on the address field? A usability study found that 30% of users come to a confusing stop when they encounter the "address line 2" field. | Continue reading
Every designer receives feedback on their designs when working with others. But not every designer receives actionable feedback they're confident applying to their design. | Continue reading
Every designer has biases when they design, which hinders them from making objective design decisions. This is why they often seek feedback on their designs. | Continue reading
Phone number fields, along with birthdate fields, are tricky to get right. There are many phone number formats users can choose from and they're often unsure which one is valid. | Continue reading
Asking users for their birthdate on a form is complicated. Birthdates have formats that vary depending on the country and they consist of three separate data strings. | Continue reading
Before you decide to use a select menu for your form field ask yourself a question. Will users know their input without looking at the list of options? If the answer is yes, do not use a select menu for it. | Continue reading
Are you choosing colors for your interface that strain the user's eyes? If you're using a bright and saturated color for your background, you're making it hard for users to keep their eyes on your page. | Continue reading