: Design is an interesting element whether for tangible goods or not. In the tangible goods industry, packaging design can affect potential buyers to purchase a specific item, or to deter them from that item. : http://spyrestudios.com/how-and-why-design-impacts-user-decisions/

: A quick look at the usability levels of Bing versus Google, how the two could improve, and how we can integrate usability into our own workflow. : http://webdesignledger.com/tips/bing-vs-google-a-usability-face-off

: I ask because Dmitry wrote a wonderful post about false simplicity and it explores the idea that just because there is less of something it doesn’t mean it is simpler. On the opposite end though just because you use a ton of description it doesn’t mean it makes it any easier as well. : [...]

: Sometimes, what appears on the surface to be simple is actually far from it. For example, there’s a trend in Twitter clients to use icons instead of text labels for buttons. Just icons, no text at all. These icons don’t take much space, look elegant and maintain that simple feel of Twitter, except…they’re actually [...]

: CfP deadline extended to 12pm EST 3rd October 2010. The UPA is very proud to announce that the call for proposals for the 20th Anniversary of UPA’s International Conference(UPA2011) is open and the deadline has now been extended to 3rd October 2010. Our Theme: Join us in June 2011 where we will explore an [...]

: User Research Friday is now a full-day conference all about user research! AND this time it’s also two half-day workshops on advanced research techniques you can choose from on the preceding day. This is all brought to you by the gentle folks at Bolt | Peters. There has been an explosion of apps and [...]

: I have found that the best way to think of user experience is as the core of a brand: the reactor or the nucleus. Without good user experience your brand means nothing. But what is a brand? : http://spyrestudios.com/defining-user-experience-as-brand-experience/

: The implications of Information Foraging Theory on designing user-centered websites have not gone unnoticed. Jakob Nielsen and Jared Spool, among others, have put forth considered recommendations on how to enhance information scent on the web. : http://johnnyholland.org/2010/07/05/the-scent-of-search/

: Multitouch Maven/Point and Do are a year old today! The unexpected joy of doing this blog has been the opportunity to meet so many unique and interesting people, both online and in person. : http://www.pointanddo.com/2009/09/10-best-articles-on-multitouch.html

: One of the exercises I’ve tried over the past few years with new recruits and workshop participants is to take something that seems a over-complicated and see how it could be simplified. : http://www.simpleandusable.com/simplify-this