User Interface Trends » design pattern

Spec Wreck

Sarah Selser — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 04:38:08 +0000

Why is it so difficult to build to spec? (Just to be clear, I’m referring to all design fields, not just the software industry.)
Is compromise just an inherent part of the process? How detailed do our specs really need to be? Lately, my specs have become pretty lean. This seems to work well on a small scale because additional verbal communication adequately bridges any gaps, but what about on a larger scale when verbal communication might not be an option (due to different time zones, etc.)? Is creating detailed specs, only to have to compromise during development, really the best way to go?

“Drag and Drop” it Like it’s Hot

Ron Norman — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 21:21:31 +0000

Trend: Drag and drop

This may be another case of the web world catching up with the desktop world, in terms of interaction, but Drag and Drop interfaces are another UI trend that’s starting to popup in a lot of places. While it can be useful for customization, the interaction can sometimes feel a little clunky. There’s also the problem of calling out the interaction… i.e. letting the user know that they can drag an item, and where it can be dropped. There’s good patterns and bad patterns.

We recently spoke with rapper and blogger Lil Wayne on the subject of Drag and Drop interfaces, and here’s what he had to say:

UITrends.com: “Lil Wayne, what is your view on Drag and Drop?”

Lil Wayne: “Word, call me Weezy. You got to Drag before you Drop. And after you’re through, you better drop it like it’s hot!!!!”

UITrends.com: “So Weezy, you would say that as a UI trend, Drag and Drop Interfaces supply an interaction that is both useful and intuitive to the user?”

Lil Wayne: “…”

UITrends.com: “Weezy?”

Lil Wayne:

So obviously, Lil Wayne loves Drag and Drop Interfaces… how do you feel about ‘em?

References:
Disambiguity
Yahoo UI Library

note: I did not actually talk to Lil Wayne… but I did find a Lil Wayne look-a-like who loved this post… ok, not really, I made that up too.

You Auto-Complete Me

Ron Norman — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 23:06:40 +0000

Trend: Auto-complete

Let’s face it… the majority of internet savvy users couldn’t spell their way out of a wet paper bag. Computers may have made people lazy, but as UI designers and developers, our job is to make our user’s lives even easier… one input field at a time. Enter Auto-Complete.

According to Yahoo, Auto-Complete: “allows faster user input by removing ambiguity about expected input data, avoiding potential mis-typed information as well as narrowing down the correct choices”.

references:

http://developer.yahoo.com/yui/autocomplete/http://www.asp.net/AJAX/AjaxControlToolkit/Samples/AutoComplete/AutoComplete.aspx