At Nomensa, we deliver user experience design solutions. Our blog, Humanising Technology is where we discuss our thoughts, ideas and solutions on user experience, web accessibility and web design.

Detecting browser compatibility for HTML5 video and audio

21st November 2011 by Dan Stringer | Web Accessibility

Different browsers offer different levels of support for HTML5 audio and video. Where some browsers support one type of media file other browsers will fail to do so. While browser vendors continue to implement HTML5 features support should get better and better. However, the situation at the time of writing dictates that we cannot (and certainly should not) assume that a browser will play HTML5 media.

Meaning is everything so let’s design for it!

11th November 2011 by Simon Norris | Simon says

Meaning is as important as the oxygen we need to breathe or the water we need for cellular life to function. It is essential and defines our very humanity and without it we are totally lost because life feels meaningless without it! Our uniqueness as a conscious animal – our ability to question, to consider, and to know represents the very foundation on which our own humanity is defined! Nothing can be more important than meaning and nothing will ever be more important for any of us, anywhere: meaning is everything!

Promoting committed giving online

10th November 2011 by Juliet Richardson | User Experience

With government funding for charity programs being cut, many charities are currently looking at increasing their income from individual giving. However the current economic climate means that people are less willing to give their spare money to charity – charities have to work harder to make their case.

Online donations are one source of individual giving that can work well. A whole range of marketing campaigns can be used to drive people to your website where they can then quickly and easily make a donation.

An introduction to inclusive design

20th October 2011 by Michael Harris | User Experience

A lot of research goes into understanding how physical disabilities (e.g. blindness) affect users online and how support technologies can help. However many people suffer from psychological disorders or learning difficulties which greatly affect their experiences online, and comparatively little research and development has gone into understanding and designing for these issues.

Knowledge is power and this is why we share

19th October 2011 by James Coston | User Experience

In this article I lay the foundations of why I believe people share UX knowledge. I look at three personality types and what influences people to share their knowledge and what makes people think twice about sharing. A model is introduced to try and understand the processes that people go through when deciding to share articles about their own knowledge and experiences.

Checking colour contrast

11th October 2011 by Matt Lawson | YouTube

This is a quick guide on how to check the colour contrast on your website. A simple way to check colour combinations meet the requirements set by version two of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.

Yo! Usability

3rd October 2011 by Michael Harris | Nomensa thinks

This is a thought piece to help explain what I am calling ‘Yo! Usability’.

To illustrate it, let’s design a restaurant…

The resurgence of inclusive design

20th September 2011 by Simon Norris | Simon says

In recent years we have witnessed a resurgence in the Inclusive design approach. This is partly due to the rise in web accessibility and how it helps to ensure a great user experience is delivered to everyone. However, inclusive design is far from new approach but every designer should be practicing it!