PrettyUsable – persuasive

9Nov/090

10 Great examples of call-to-action on web sites

Buttons are a mysterious force. Whether in life, games, or on the internet if you see a button there's at least a little part of you that wants to click it. This is helpful to us web designers, as often we want you clicking our buttons. But how do we maximise the chances of a user clicking a button? Persuasive design of course. However in this showcase I'm not going to be talking about how the page leads you to a call to action such as a button, but more specifically how a button and the immediate surrounding visual elements grab you. What it is about certain buttons or forms of interaction that cause users to drool with anticipation before depressing their left mouse button or affirmatively tapping their trackpad?

Tagged as: 15, aesthetic, attractive, button, buttons, call to action, clickable, clickey, examples, good, great, interaction, interactive, list, persuasion, persuasive, pretty, showcase, Usability, web site Continue reading

6Nov/093

Political web design, a showcase

With the impending Lord Mayor's show in London on the 14th of November I thought we could take a look at some political websites. Technically these sites should be flat out amazing, selling a politician is a hard job, and no cheap persuasive tactics will work on such a cynical crowd; something a bit special is needed. We'll also look at some government websites where information is key.

I'll try and include political sites from around the Globe as to avoid leaving anyone out, however please be warned that i terms of 'good webdesign' it's pretty slim pickings.

Tagged as: design, persuasive, political, showcase, web, webdesign, website Continue reading

3Aug/090

Silverback – Guerrilla usabality testing [REVIEW]

Well here's a first for pretty usable, and hopefully not a last; a review of software built to improve the quality output of the web designer and/or web studio. Silverback is Mac only, so if you want to give it a try, upgrade your life and buy yourself a mac.

Tagged as: app, application, eyetracking, guerrilla, mac, macos, osx, persuasive, picture in picture, reaction, Resources, review, silverback, testing, Usability, Web Design, webdesign Continue reading

3Apr/094

10 Persuasive web sites with fantastic usability

Aesthetics and usability are not mutually exclusive, and this list proves it.

I'm a designer that firmly believes that usability is integral to any design, but I also feel that aesthetics should never be sidelined for functionality; a careful balance of the two must be adopted, and this, I feel, is what makes a great web designer. I hope this provides some inspiration and encourages usability, especially when designing beautifully sleek front ends that often disregard it completely.

It's important for me to note that when I describe a user friendly web site, I'm not necessarily talking about accessibility; however accessibility is factored into my decisions.

Tagged as: 10, Aesthetics, examles, intuitive, list, persuasive, Usability, usable, Web Design, web sites Continue reading

30Mar/092

Website composition – an explanation and analysis

Composition is a term used to describe the layout of a visual element, whether it be a photograph, a page in a newspaper, or indeed a website. Good web site composition can make a world of difference; in fact you could argue that it should be the most important visual consideration when designing a web page. But what makes good composition in respect to visual media? and do these same rules apply to a website?

Tagged as: analysis, composition, explanation, good, introduction, layout, persuasive, rule of thirds, Usability, web site, webdesign, website Continue reading

Welcome to PrettyUsable

'PrettyUsable' is a blog focused on designing user friendly, persuasive and aesthetic web content. As this blog is dedicated to the design end of web production you won't find a lot of scripting banter; but if you look closely you'll see some squeezed in here and there.

PrettyUsable is run and edited by Nathan Hornby, a London based UX Design professional, and contributed to by other professionals of the web design industry.