UI/UX Articles and Interesting Tidbits of the Week
January//19//2024
Here are some interesting finds on UI/UX of the week!
1.
Smart Home Evolution. Very interesting article hailing from The Verge and author Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, on the topic of smart homes, and how technology is evolving and providing better solutions for users to effectively control that environment. The author describes what she has witnessed from Map Views from Amazon, SmartThings Map View from Samsung, alongside Smart Buttons, Smart Controllers, amongst a variety of gadgets and interfaces all intended to allow for a hollistic control of everything that occurs within a domestic household. Worth reading through. Highlight of the article includes:
“A smart button is generally a wireless device that can be wall-mounted to look like a switch or used as a handheld or tabletop device. Rather than controlling a single circuit as a switch might or a single device as a traditional IR remote might, smart buttons can be programmed to control any number of devices or scenes connected to it. With the advent of the new smart home standard Matter, many of these smart buttons have the potential to become infinitely more useful, as you can connect lights, locks, shades, robot vacuums, thermostats, and more from different manufacturers and control them all with one push.”
2.
Improving Icon Usability and Accessibility. Great article from Andrée Lange for the A11Y blog on the topic of accessibility in icons. The author details the importance these elements play in the visual language and understanding of a product narrative, and emphasizes the key elements for accessible icons, which includes: Clear Visibility, Universal Recognizability, Appropriate Sizing and Discoverability with a mouse, keyboard and screen reader. Included in the article is also a thorough view of how to implement these recommendations. Well worth reading through. Highlight of the article includes:
“Clear visibility: The goal is to ensure that every user, regardless of their visual abilities, can easily identify and understand the icons. This involves choosing colours with sufficient contrast to ensure that icons are distinguishable for users with colour vision deficiencies or visual impairments and maintain clarity in various screen resolutions and sizes. Universal recognizability: An icon’s design should communicate its function clearly and intuitively, reducing the cognitive load on users. Opt for symbols and imagery that are widely understood across different cultures and demographics.”
3.
Case Study: Leveraging Adobe Acrobat for a Media and Logistics Company. Interesting case study written by Gauri Bhat for the Adobe Blog, focused on the digital transformation and evolution that Pegasus Media & Logistics, an Australian printing company has mastered with the assistance of Adobe (or leveraging Adobe). Digital transformation means different things for different industries and organizations, but this article sheds light on how Adobe Acrobat has powered and influenced the success of this organization throughout the years. The article details how Pegasus has partnered with an Australian producer of medical implants and how the ability to quickly edit PDFs has been a welcomed feature in that long standing relationship. Worth reading through. Highlight of the article includes:
“As Pegasus Media & Logistics continues to embrace digital solutions, Acrobat remains at the heart of their innovations. Primarily, it’s the medium of choice for maintaining their expansive library of artwork, which when coupled with a specification database allows them to automate production and distribute materials quickly and efficiently. Pegasus Media & Logistics currently hosts their customers’ PDF files on their own server. Every file sent by a customer is checked for print readiness by the art department at Pegasus Media & Logistics before it is officially stamped as ready to be included in their library of controlled documents ready for print-on-demand.”
