ICS has curated a constantly updated archive of various resources for the world of UX.
Heuristics & Guidelines | Design Patterns | Research & Methodology | Books, Webinars, Blogs & Websites
Heuristics and Guidelines
Design Patterns
The software world has been acquainted with Design Patterns since the seminal work was published in 1994 by the “Gang of Four”. The idea of tried-and-true reusable solutions resonates well in the world of UX Design as well. There are many good books and websites that talk about patterns of design for user interface, across a variety of platforms.
A pattern can be thought of as a familiar solution to a frequently encountered problem. Rather than reinvent the wheel every time, the experienced designer or developer is able to draw on the times they have solved a similar problem and re-use parts of the solution. Collections of these patterns have formed, on the web and in books, allowing newcomers to benefit from this gathered wisdom. Patterns typically take the form of an identifiable name, an example of the problem being solved, and an example of how the problem was solved.
An example of a commonly used user interface design pattern is the Wizard. A wizard in the software world is a series of screens, often implemented as dialog boxes, that walks a user through a complex or infrequent action. Installing new software is a problem where this pattern is commonly used.
Other common user interface design patterns include Breadcrumbs, Dashboards, Overview Plus Detail, and List Builders.
For more detailed reading, we recommend the book Designing Interfaces, by Jenifer Tidwell. More information can be found at http://designinginterfaces.com/
Websites dedicated to Design Patterns:
Research and Methodology
Usage of Color
Nasa’s Research into Color in Information Display Graphics
Psychology
The Psychologist’s View of UX Design
The Psychology of UX
Books, Webinars, Blogs & Websites
Books
Webinars
Blogs & Websites