More Ways to Test – Bugs Don’t Take Vacations
Last year, I blogged about bugs I’d found when planning a vacation. As it was that time of year for the Michigan Invasion from the grandkids, I realized it was planning and bug-finding time again.
UX & Design
Users Absorb Rules (Until They Can’t Trust Them)
The other day, I was golfing in my league, at a course I had played many times. As I was trying to figure out which club I should use for my second shot, I looked around the course for something specific—an indicator to let me know how far away I was from the pin. This […]
Six Principles for Planning and Facilitating a Workshop
There are hundreds of methods for planning workshop activities. In fact, one of my favorite resources is Vijay Kumar’s 101 Design Methods. By combining these methods, designers can create engaging workshops that bring people together to solve problems in just a couple of hours or over a few days. Regardless of how long the workshop […]
Mail Merge for Documents using Google Sheets, Docs, & Scripts
Manually modifying numerous documents can be tedious. Google’s G Suite can help you make this process easier. I like to think of it as mail merge for documents. Instead of sending out custom emails to a group of recipients, we create a custom document or PDF in the same fashion.
Five Quick Phone Tests
When I started testing websites, I had a list of quick “attacks” that could surface common issues quickly. Now that I’ve been doing more and more testing on mobile devices, I’ve come up with a similar list for them.
Stop Saying “User” when There Is No “User”
But wait, isn’t everything we do for users? Nope! I’m really beginning to hate the term “user.” It has become mainstream. Much as we say “google it” when we mean “search for something on a search engine,” “user” has become synonymous with anything we do in the design/development/product world.
Villainous Personas – Anticipating the Users You Don’t Want
You know and use personas for a majority of your projects, but I’m here to tell you that you may have missed a category of user. A very important one. A not-so-friendly one.
More Ways to Test – Adding Software Tools to My Toolbelt
Along with learning new business domains as I work on new projects, I also try to pick up new tools and techniques to help my testing. Recently, I’ve started learning more about some tools that help me get a better understanding and view of the app I’m testing.
Three Tips for Taking Over Design on an Existing Project
I think it’s fair to say that, in general, designers prefer a blank canvas—a fresh start. But that’s not always the case. Sometimes we have to take over legacy projects or step into projects that are ongoing. There are a few ways to make sure the engagement is positive for the client and fulfilling for […]
Not All Software Design Is Shiny. Here’s How to Cope with That.
Being a software designer has many perks. I get to work with cool new technology each day. I get to build tools that make people’s lives better. The compensation and benefits certainly are not bad either—it’s nice to not worry about how I’ll pay the bills, and you’ll never hear me complain about dogs being […]