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Real SnailMail and other stories

Jane Matthews 15 February 2021 6 September 2006
Real SnailMail and other stories

Do you ever find yourself wondering if your daily work is becoming a bit repetitive; somewhat samey? The British HCI group conference, HCI2006 www.hci2006.org, broke through that ‘same old, same old’ barrier triumphantly for me. Long and short papers IContinue reading… Real SnailMail and other stories

Why people persist with using paper forms

Jane Matthews 10 December 2019 6 September 2006
Why people persist with using paper forms

Have you ever wondered why your shiny new online form isn’t getting the use it deserves, and the boring old paper still keeps pouring in? This month, I’ve been mostly thinking about tax forms – and tax forms on paper.Continue reading… Why people persist with using paper forms

Useful, usable and used – your new look council website

Jane Matthews 10 December 2019 25 July 2006
Useful, usable and used – your new look council website

Question: where do you go to find 225 local government officials, all talking about usability? Answer: the recent Headstar/Socitm event: Building the perfect council website. So what is Headstar / Socitm? Headstar is a pioneering e-publisher. If you’re into e-governmentContinue reading… Useful, usable and used – your new look council website

Colons at the end of labels?

Caroline Jarrett 12 May 2025 1 May 2006
Colons at the end of labels?

It’s been a long month – lots to do, lots to think about. And what, in the whole wide world, am I going to thrill you with this month? Well, my dear and loyal readers: it’s forms again. That’s whatContinue reading… Colons at the end of labels?

Unethical or merely inept?

Jane Matthews 10 December 2019 2 April 2006
Unethical or merely inept?

My printer died. It was a Xerox Phaser 8200, a colour printer that uses ‘solid ink’ technology. I liked it a lot because it was quick, high quality, and the solid ink is relatively inexpensive. It had done well forContinue reading… Unethical or merely inept?

Two-column forms are best avoided

Jane Matthews 23 March 2020 1 March 2006
Two-column forms are best avoided

A concerned designer wrote to me: ‘Our forms are laid out in a single vertical column. A new project manager is pushing to get the forms for a new product to ‘look different from other products’ by requesting a twoContinue reading… Two-column forms are best avoided

Rules for labelling buttons

Jane Matthews 10 December 2019 30 January 2006
Rules for labelling buttons

It was one of those really conscientious discussions that seemed to have no end. First UI designer: ‘Right. Now here we have a tabbed dialogue box. When you press ‘Cancel’, it should remove all the changes the user has doneContinue reading… Rules for labelling buttons

A magazine about psychology?

Jane Matthews 10 December 2019 27 December 2005
A magazine about psychology?

As I write this, it’s the run up to Christmas and I’ve reached the point where anything now left undone on my to-do list is going to stay that way. So I thought I’d change focus slightly from my normalContinue reading… A magazine about psychology?

Teaching beginners to find usability problems

Jane Matthews 23 March 2020 29 November 2005
Teaching beginners to find usability problems

My sister lives in Melbourne and that naturally makes me want to get to Australia as often as I can. So I was especially pleased when a few things came together and I was able to make it to OzCHI,Continue reading… Teaching beginners to find usability problems

Ticket, please? Thoughts on visibility of system status

Jane Matthews 23 March 2020 27 October 2005
Ticket, please? Thoughts on visibility of system status

We open with a story that’s a touch complicated. Hang in here with me, the usability point will come through in the end. My husband loves his railways. He’s mostly into railways as they actually are today, as a practicalContinue reading… Ticket, please? Thoughts on visibility of system status

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