Monthly Archives: February 2008

The Psychology of Color (a short primer)

Written by Joe Natoli. Posted on February 26, 2008. Filed under design, user experience. Tagged , , , , , . No comments.
In the world of UX, the color decisions you make in designing an interface directly influence how your product makes the user feel – upon the very first glance at the screen. In my own experience in usability testing labs, color can often be the critical factor that determines the user's level of comfort in interacting with what's onscreen. Poor color choices equal poor user experiences. At best, a person feels calm and comfortable, finding it enjoyable to move through the application at his own pace. At worst, harsh colors and combinations involuntarily pull the user's eye away from the areas she needs to see or interact with – so she feels tense or anxious, and possibly like she's unable to use the product.

Oldie but goodie: The Cost of Bad Design

Written by Joe Natoli. Posted on February 13, 2008. Filed under design, user experience. Tagged , , , , , . 2 Comments.
This is an article from 2001 I kept about the cost of bad design and inattention to the details of user experience (even though no one was calling it then). Why do I still have it? First, it makes some very powerful points that still hold true seven years later. Second, the last three paragraphs [...]