UI/UX Articles and Interesting Tidbits of the Week
April//26//2024
Here are some interesting finds on UI/UX of the week!
1.
Skip to Main Content and Increasing Accessibility. Continuing to further emphasize the importance of Accessibility on all digital products, this is another article from the A11Y Collective and author Taeke Reijenga, focused on the skip to main content button which can appear on websites for those who are using keyboard-only navigation. The article emphasizes the main advantages of having such a device, namely: making the web driven experience more navigable, saving time, and avoiding frustration. The author also explains how to implement this device, including Tailwind CSS. Worth reading through, even if it may seem too narrowly focused. Highlight of the article includes:
“When a user lands on a page, pressing the Tab key brings the ‘Skip to main content’ link into focus. This link is typically hidden from sight but becomes visible when needed. By selecting this link, users can skip past the header and menu elements in the tab index, jumping directly to the main content. This process significantly streamlines navigation, particularly for keyboard-only users. It’s important to note that to test this feature, you may need to activate keyboard navigation on your device.”
2.
Generative AI and Adobe’s Take on this Subject. For anyone going to Adobe’s Design blog on a regular basis, it may not be entirely surprising how AI has become their de facto focus of attention. Remember whne they were going to buy Figma? Well nobody does it seems. And they don’t seem to either, as they’re putting all their investment focus on Firefly and AI in all their Image and Video software packages (Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere Pro, After Effects, In Design). This article from Vivek Pandya is a particularly interesting one, as it sheds light on a study that has been performed with Americans (hopefully these studies will aim to encompass other cultures as well in the future), and how they’ve dabble with AI in the past year (that being a yes), and what they think that particular instrument will impact the most (hello e-commerce). Reminding everyone of the 5 aspects that was predicted AI would impact on: understanding users at a scale, predicting and personalizing features, new interfaces, identify new opportunities, and optimize permutations. This article has an array of statistics also worth reading through. Highlight of the article includes:
“New Adobe research found that more than half of all Americans have taken generative AI for a spin in the past year, and more than eight in ten anticipate it will help them be more creative. This is quite a development for a nascent technology few people were familiar with just a short time ago. Times, however, have changed and today virtually all Americans — across demographics — say they’re familiar with this tech. For all the questions that have been asked about generative AI, Americans are generally enthusiastic about many of the potential answers. More than 80 percent believe it will make life easier and more than half believe it can help them learn a new skill in the next few years. One area where generative AI is particularly appealing to the American public is e-commerce. Consumer expectations are changing fast, and Americans are excited about how generative AI can help them make price comparisons, shop and receive customer support. In fact, 41 percent of people expect brands to use generative AI in their customer experiences today. Meanwhile, over half of Americans think how brands are using this technology is helpful. In addition, consumers are optimistic about how brands might use generative AI in the future to create more exciting and creative experiences and make products and services cheaper.”
3.
Omnichannel vs. Multichannel Testing. One of the expressions that keeps getting reused, but that sadly at times seems to be appropriate is the following: “Now more than ever…”. And that’s something that is applicable to this article and the world we live in. Most of us consume digital media on mobile devices. It’s something we all carry with us, something that is omnipresent in our lives. Usertesting.com’s blog has this pertinent article on the distinction between Omnichannel and Multichannel testing, and how very pertinent they are for users these days. Just a quick reminder on omnichannel qualities: consistency, optimization, seamless, orchestration, and collaboration. Worth reading through and understanding how to leverage this type of usability testing. Highlight of the article includes:
“Like omnichannel testing, multichannel testing is beneficial when you’re gearing up to overhaul an existing interface. It can help you understand how an interface impacts the overall user experience by giving you insight into how your users use it and what they use it for, in addition to its strengths and weaknesses. Such insights enable you to pull off the redesign with minimal disruption to the overall UX.”
