Mozilla Labs together with IxDA and Johnny Holland presented the Summer 09 Design Challenge as part of their Concept Series. The challenge theme is "Reinventing Tabs in the Browser - How can we create, navigate and manage multiple web sites within the same browser instance?" Voting on concept submissions ends on July 5. Will take a while to make it through the over 120 concepts!
Jeff Sexton got Patrick Sullivan, Jr. to list the top things not to do when conducting a usability test. The top 6 list should serve as a good reminder for the UX Designer who does the occasional user test.
1) Never ask, “What do you think about this?”
2) Don’t feed the tester with your question.
3) Don’t let users be the designers.
4) Don’t let the statistics fool you.
5) Don’t get discouraged.
6) Don’t try to test too much at once.
I tend to actually ask #1, but using the first impression test, i.e. showing a page on the screen for 5 seconds, taking the screen away, and then asking something along the lines of tell me what you think the site is about, what do you think you could do on that site? I also liked the suggestion in the comments of giving the user an easy dummy task to start in order to warm them up. Head over to the article to see what the list of 6 "don'ts" refers to.
http://www.grokdotcom.com/2009/05/29/top-6-user-testing-mistakes-and-how-to-avoid-them/
This DIY magnet template is based on the Konigi wireframe stencils and includes 3 sheets of elements that might be useful in whiteboard prototyping. Simply download and print the PDFs onto magnet sheets, optionally laminate them if you intend to use with dry-erase markers, and finally cut them out.
These sheets are made to print on magnetic sheets, and were designed and tested for use with Avery 3270 Printable Magnet Sheets for Inkjet Printers
Download Version 1.0 (6/28/09)
This template is free to use, but may not be distributed without permission. If you like it, a donation is appreciated.
Q: Can I write on these magnets?
A: Avery magnetic sheets for inkjet printers have a porous surface, so anything you write on them will be permanent. To make the magnetic sheets reusable, laminate them after printing, and then cut the pieces out. Be aware that if you laminate the sheets, you'll have to use a bit more force to cut through both the magnet and lamination. Be careful.
Q: It's hard to cut these out neatly. Any suggestions for cutting?
A: If you've laminated your sheets, you might try to create cut lines with a fine dry erase marker and ruler first. I also recommend using a ruler with a tacky back side (e.g. cork) when cutting with a rotary cutter or Xacto/craft knife. Another good cutting tool is a small rotary trimmer, like those sold by the Carl company. Be aware that if you laminate the sheets, you'll have to use a bit more force to cut through both the magnet and lamination, so be very careful.
Q: How well do the magnets work?
A: The magnet sheets are plenty strong enough to stick on metal surfaces. At home, I use them on IKEA's Bits Magnetic Boards rather than a whiteboard--they're white 58cm x 40cm metal bulletin boards that can be used with dry-erase markers. They seem to hold up fine.