design for developers: nashville software school (summary)
DESCRIPTION
summary slides from the hands-on design workshopTRANSCRIPT
+Design BasicsNashville Software SchoolInnovative Bootcamp program designed to take you from novice to developer in six months of intensive training and mentoring followed by real project work as an apprentice programmer.http://nashvillesoftwareschool.com/
October 2013
SUMMARY VERSION
+Design is:Making things better for people.
+Good Design is
Functional
Intuitive
User-oriented
Simple
Long-lasting
Aesthetic
Unobtrusive
Useful
Well Thought Out
Engaging
Efficient
Good Business
+For your web sites
It all boils down to…1. Take a deep breath. Step back from your site/app. Walk
around the block. Get some sleep.
2. Look at what your site/app from your Persona’s eyes – not yours.
3. Are the elements in the page nicely laid out in an organized pattern?
4. Are the elements consistent across your site?
5. If you introduced something new and original, did you give the user clues as to how it works?
6. Is there a way for your users to get out of a sticky situation?
7. Is content grouped together logically on your pages?
8. Is the text easy to read?
9. Is it easy to spot the emphasized elements on a page or are there so many colors it’s hard to see?
10. Are your pages crowded? Could there be more space between elements?
11. Now put it in front of someone else and see if they can use it.
+PersonaPersonas are archetypes or characters that represent people you are targeting as users.
Seriously, search for “Star People” images and you will find different ways to draw these. As easy to draw as stick figures, but slightly
more interesting.
MARY, COMMUNITY ORGANIZER: TRAITS
+GROUP EXERCISE
Paper Prototype
+ResourcesWeb Sites
Jakob Neilsen
A List Apart
Fast Co Design
Smashing Magazine
UX Booth
UX Pond Acute Search
UX Stack Exchange
UI Patterns
Patterny
WebDev Refinery
Free ToolsColor Generators
Kuler
Color Combos
Grid Golden Grid System
(Responsive design)
Designs Hongkiat.com (Starter Kits
for Web Designers)
+More Resources
Books
Don’t Make Me Think, by Steve Krug
Design of Everyday Things, by Don Norman
Steal Like an Artist, by Austin Kleon
About Face 3: The Essentials of Interaction Design by Alan Cooper
Design Is a Job, Mike Monteiro