Form Usability and UX goodness

Nice UX/ usabaility tips/links from John Van Der Loo, our front end developer. Enjoy

When we’re designing forms there are some simple things to keep in mind with regards to the UX and usability side of things that will make them that much better for our audiences.

Good Usability has two very useful articles about validation and preventing issues on web forms, well worth a read.
Preventing issues on web forms: http://www.goodusability.co.uk/2010/03/preventing-issues-on-web-forms/
Form validation: http://www.goodusability.co.uk/2009/08/form-validation/

Alistapart has an article regarding inline validation that shows us the wonderfulness of using real-time inline validation vs. validating by submission. By giving people an indication that their input is correct (or not) while they are filling in a form results in a far greater success rate and of course there is a much better experience for users.
http://www.alistapart.com/articles/inline-validation-in-web-forms/

Some other excellent websites to read where UX/Usability is concerned:
- Boxes And Arrows
- UI Scraps
- UX Booth
- Smashing Magazine has a few articles about usability and user experience that are worth reading.

Video: PSFK Conference NYC: Kevin Slavin’s “This Platform Called Everyday Life”

Another older one, but love this guy's point of view... thanks PSFK

April 28, 2009

At PSFK Conference NYC, Kevin Slavin gave a captivating presentation on “This Platform Called Everyday Life”, in which he discussed the evolving nature of the objects surrounding us. Kevin, Managing Director and co-founder of Area/Code, explained how pervasive technologies are changing the way we relate to our physical environment and everything in it – from playground balls, to houseplants to sneakers.

Kevin opened his talk with a story about a fascinatingly bizarre woman who had such intense feelings for the Berlin Wall that she married it. Through his talk, Kevin demonstrated how the woman’s relationship with the Wall, while extreme, parallels the relationships we’re developing with the material objects we love, use, play with, and wear. Technologies that give an object an ‘identity’ and make it ’smarter’ (RFID, accelerometers, QR codes, GPS) are breathing artificial life into our favorite unliving things. These technological innovations are, in essence, moving us towards a complete convergence with the objects in our lives… Maybe we are becoming more dependent and defined by our possessions because they are becoming more dependent and defined by us. The talk is eye-opening – watch it in full below.