Ctrl Alt - A blog about user experience from Ben Turner

5 essentials of a great table

Now before I start I just want to point out this isn't an article about whether you should use tables for layout. You shouldn't. If you want to go over that antiquated argument look elsewhere. This article's just about getting the best out of tables.

Whenever I'm thinking about using a table I ask myself the following questions first:

Is it really a battle between Flash vs. HTML5?

Should we worry about using open standards - does it matter? There are obvious arguments against using Flash but then there are against using the more advanced features of HTML5 too.

So what's so good about Flash, why can't people let go of it? Well for starters there's a lot of it out there and, as web users, we want to see, use and interact with all that lovely content. After all this is content that has taken uncountable amounts of man-hours to put together.

10 user experience design misconceptions

When I tell people that I am a user experience designer, I usually get a blank stare. I try to follow it up quickly by saying that I make stuff easy and pleasurable to use. That's the repeatable one-liner, but it's a gross oversimplification and isn't doing me any favors.

The term "user experience" or UX has been getting a lot of play, but many businesses are confused about what it actually is and how crucial it is to their success.

I asked some of the most influential and widely respected practitioners in UX what they consider to be the biggest misperceptions of what we do. The result is a top 10 list to debunk the myths. Read it, learn it, live it.

User experience design is NOT...

The secret to designing an intuitive UX

Imagine that you've never seen an iPad, but I've just handed one to you and told you that you can read books on it. Before you turn on the iPad, before you use it, you have a model in your head of what reading a book on the iPad will be like. You have assumptions about what the book will look like on the screen, what things you will be able to do, and how you will do them-things like turning a page, or using a bookmark. You have a "mental model" of reading a book on the iPad, even if you've never done it before.

User experience and the platform wars

If there is one thing constant about the technology industry, it's the fact that there is always a battle taking place. Whether it's to dominate a platform or agree on standards, we are always evolving, and often debating over which direction is best. It's imperative, however, that our focus on user experience not get lost in the crossfire.

We have lift off

Mark this day in your diaries ladies and gentlemen. Why? Because today I've launched Ctrl Alt! So? So I am hoping it is going to become a source of inspiration for people building web sites. A place where people can find out and discuss what they think "Best Practice" is in the wonderful and ever changing world of user experience and user interface design.