3twenty3.com,Jason Newlin

One of my daily reads - Smashing Magazine. I love it. Tons of great info, and sweet links.

Our aim is to inform our readers about the latest trends and techniques in web-development - clearly, precisely and regularly. We don’t try to convince you with the quantity, but with the quality of the information we present. That’s what makes us different. In fact, we smash you with the information which will make your life easier. Really. About Us

If you have not visited yet, DO IT. Some of my favorite posts are the ‘Best Of’ for each month. There is always a few things they put in that I missed during the month, and get so excited they highlighted.

Check out the past 3 months worth:
Best Of October 2007
Best Of September 2007
Best Of August 2007

Give them a read and let me know what got you excited.

I read a good article today, Usability and UX (part 1). It got me thinking a lot about good design and good user experience. I do need to preface that I am NO UX expert in the slightest, I am going to leave the hard core UX to the experts, like Scott McAndrew. I just know bad vs. good when I use it.

A common misconception among web designers is that good design delivers good user experience by default. Too many of us focus on the visual design and so-called “accessibility”, without paying sufficient attention to what really underpins UX. mpress

I do believe that UX is one of the most important aspects of building a site or app, but I also think that good design is even more important. I do think that good design leads to better UX, in most cases. I have worked with designers that have been educated in using the tools to produce a design, BUT they don’t really have the creative eye or attention to details. I don’t think that design is a skill can be taught, I think it can be honed, but its just something that is part of someone’s makeup.

During my time at one of the greatest universities ever (U of Arizona), I spent a couple of years in the Architecture department. It was so obvious that you could not teach someone to be a good architect. Without the basic understanding of spacial relationships it just doesn’t work. I believe its the same with design. You can teach someone to be better with layout, typography, and color, but without the basic understanding and chemical makeup, they just don’t get it. Ok, I got a little bit off topic, back to UX.

I also just read a good article - The Five Competencies of User Experience Design. It talks more about the process and deliverables, but still very interstings.