Posted by Kris Colvin | Nov 2nd, 2008

The Art of the Signup

There is no single best way to have users sign up for an account online, because there are too many variables to be considered for this aspect of the user experience. Varying factors can include security, purpose of the account, understanding of the user at the time of signup, what information they must have ready and what they will have to do next, among other things. So to point to a cool new site – even a...

Posted by Kris Colvin | Oct 5th, 2008

My Favorite Prototyping Tools

A user interface designer relies on certain things: a fast, working internet connection, a big enough screen to handle the inevitable hopping back and forth from one window to another, some excellent music, and a steady supply of his or her favorite addictive beverage of choice… in my case, coffee or Coke Classic. But those are just the accoutrement needed to set the stage. An interaction designer must rely on...

Posted by Kris Colvin | Aug 13th, 2008

Is Your Child Chic? Bento Designer Lunches Rule for School!

In a new variation of designing for users, Moms around the world are gearing up to make their kids the most fabulous lunches they have ever experienced. Fortunately, for those blissfully ignorant of Bento and the latest designer trend of “cute food”, a host of sites and experts exist to help you make your babies lunches the BEST lunches their peers and teachers have ever laid eyes on. And I think...

Posted by Kris Colvin | Jul 20th, 2008

Do Visual Resumes Work for Job Hunters?

I’ve been exploring the idea of a visual resume, after having to create a document that showed a quick overview of the type of work I do. I designed a mini-portfolio called “Six Fresh Brands” that shows thumbnails of six corporate brands I’ve done, with my skills categorized into three segments to create a simple 3 page pdf. I have since found so many neat ideas online, from people trying to...

Posted by Kris Colvin | Jul 15th, 2008

Web 2.0 is not a Brand

I can’t say definitively what Web 2.0 is, in fact, experts often disagree about the precise meaning of this ubiquitous term, including Tim O’Reilly, the man who coined it in 2004. O’Reilly’s latest definition of the term seems to be this: Web 2.0 is a transformative force that’s propelling companies across all industries towards a new way of doing business characterized by harnessing...

Posted by Kris Colvin | Jul 7th, 2008

User Experience Activities for Ecommerce & Software

In an effort to better communicate what I do for clients, I’ve created two PDF documents that describe the various user experience activities that take place on an ecommerce or software design project. This was actually a bit harder than it looks – I began with the intention of creating a UE process, but the truth is, these activities can be done at various times throughout the life of a project, so...

Posted by Kris Colvin | Jun 17th, 2008

Imitating the Best: Firefox 3 vs. Safari 3 Design

Today Firefox 3 was released, and after reading the news, I eagerly rushed over to download it, especially because one article I read touted its complete redesign and must-have functionality. I was a bit disappointed to discover just another copy of an Apple product. At least the older version of Firefox I was using felt uniquely different than either Safari or Internet Explorer. I preferred it, over this design and...

Posted by Kris Colvin | May 27th, 2008

Cool & Original Product Designs (you wish you’d thought of first!)

A friend sent me a link to a great blog that has some truly cool and totally original product designs for creative food for thought. From Smashing Magazine, Beautiful And Original Product Designs One of the products has captured my fancy, a computing system called the Slice, “an organically inspired computing system which envisions a new approach to accessing, organizing and interacting with information and...

Posted by Kris Colvin | May 27th, 2008

Cool & Original Product Designs (you wish you’d thought of first!)

A friend sent me a link to a great blog that has some truly cool and totally original product designs for creative food for thought. From Smashing Magazine, Beautiful And Original Product Designs One of the products has captured my fancy, a computing system called the Slice, “an organically inspired computing system which envisions a new approach to accessing, organizing and interacting with information and...

Posted by Kris Colvin | May 22nd, 2008

Rainbow Mum Site Launch

I recently did a quick project for my best friend, who has a son with Asperger’s Syndrome. She is very active with other mothers in her community whose children have autism-related conditions, and wanted to reach a larger audience of mothers so they can band together and help each other. Check out the Rainbow Mum site and branding, and if you know anyone whose children or family members live “on the...