Community Embraces New Word Game at Mid-Year Play Day This past Sunday, families at Takoma Park’s Seventh Annual Mid-Year Play Day had the opportunity to experience OtherWordly for the first time. Our educational language game drew curious children and parents to our table throughout the afternoon. Words in Space Several children gathered around our iPads […]
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Knobs
December 1st, 2005 by IDEA
Mimicking real-life knobs and switches enhances usability. Problem You need to make knobs on your site immediately obvious. Solution Use a consistent style of knobs. Discussion There are many styles of knobs, but the best designs are reminiscent of real-life knobs and switches, are convenient to use, and are similar to other widgets used on
Buttons
December 1st, 2005 by IDEA
A consistent button style aids navigation. Problem You need to make buttons on your site immediately obvious. Solution Use a consistent style for all buttons, which are objects on the screen that the visitor can click. Discussion Thousands of button designs appear around the Internet. Two common styles are to depict a slightly embossed shape
Icons
December 1st, 2005 by IDEA
Enhancing navigation by marrying icons and text. Problem You need to make the icons on your site immediately obvious. Solution Except for a few concepts where icons are part of our common visual vocabulary (such as the travel icons at right), use text labels rather than icons. The icon or thumbnail can augment the text,
User interface
December 1st, 2005 by IDEA
Developing user-centered interfaces for increased accessibility. Problem You need a web interface that is accessible to all types of users. Solution Use universal techniques for ease of navigation. Discussion Much has been written about human-computer interaction and the importance of the user interface. The overall key is to be “user-centered.” When designing your web site,
Bringing 3D images to life through animation. Problem You can’t adequately show a 3D object or scene on your web site. Solution Allow the visitor to rotate, spin, or navigate a 3D world on screen, using one of two techiniques: Pre-render. You can make a pre-recorded animation in the form of movie clip; use an
Zooming in
November 1st, 2005 by IDEA
Enlarging images to provide visitors with more detail. Problem A computer monitor has low resolution, which can make detail difficult to see. Solution Allow visitors to zoom into an image using one of the following methods: An enlarge button. An easy method is to put a small “Enlarge” button next to an image. In current
Capturing interest with personal comments. Problem You need to lend a sense of context and mood to your web site. Solution Add a short audio clip that incorporates a personal recount or reflection. Include volume control, play/pause, and restart options. Discussion Personal comments are invariably more interesting and engaging that factual monologues. A simple phrase
Insight & context
November 1st, 2005 by IDEA
Developing a narrative to engage visitors. Problem Your web site isn’t enticing and engaging to visitors. Solution Maintain a sense of realism and narrative to your website. Discussion Adding multimedia, such as commentary from a noted expert, can engender realism. Narrative can be maintained by removing extra information from the core presentation, and allowing visitors
Dynamic navigation
August 2nd, 2005 by IDEA
Asking questions of the visitor can trigger more personalized information. Problem Your web site needs to meet the needs of different users. For example, you need versions of the site for elementary kids, teens, adults, and teachers. Solution Direct the visitor to the appropriate information by employing the following techniques: Initial interview, or preferences: Ask