New tool from Adobe called Shadow helps Web and App Developer alike

If you are using tools like Phonegap/Cordova to create apps, you might need to check out this new application from Adobe called Shadow. Ars Technica has a nice write up on the desktop/mobile app tandem and I have tested it.  It works pretty well - and to be honest it is a little bit spooky.

Here is the direct link to the download: http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/shadow/

#adobe #html5 #testing #mobile #phonegap

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Adobe Shadow aims to ease mobile Web development headaches with simultaneous browsing Adobe has prereleased Shadow, a new tool that allows developers to control multiple smartphones and tablets from their PCs, so they can test their sites across a wide range of mobile devices with ease...

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Good UI and webdesign does not mean prettier design

Good interaction design has nothing to do with looks. Some interfaces look dreadful but work great, some look great but are painful to use. I often have to argue with fellow designers about how pretty or good looking a certain design is. Not only old school designers coming form print design (where I had the same discussions) have the impression that if something looks good, orderly and clean it also works well.

Even going beyond the taste of what looks good I often argue that the looks are a secondary thing and that we have to concentrate on the goal of the project - may it be to convey a message or to perform a task.

Google for example has been the posterchild for not being able to pull of a decent user interface - while the search page is probably one of the best UI decisions ever made.

Designers should remember that visual elements are meant to improve the user experience - looking good is part of that, but if it gets in the way of the goal it's a fail.

I will rest my case with this finding where in a test, the not so good looking vertical list has outperformed the nice grid view. It underlines another point - do test your designs.

#ui #ux #design #visual #testing

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westiseast.co.uk - Product listings - a surprising AB test result

These are the results of an AB test that finished recently on a product listing page - I think you'll find the results surprising.

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What is still a pain for most web designers? Test a website in multiple browsers...

This is even more a pain if your are a freelancer and don't want to buy multiple licenses of Windows/OSX/Etc. There are many tools out there who take screenshots, but this new one is one step further.

http://www.browserstack.com/

An easy to use interface loads virtualized Windows/Mac/etc instances with the browser running. That means you can test hoover and real interaction of the website in the chosen browser. Great and cheap.

#webdesign #testing #browser

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Cross-Browser Testing Tool - BrowserStack Online way to test your website for browser compatibility. All versions of IE, Chrome, Safari, Firefox and Opera. Fix issues instantly.

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