When Bad User Experience is Embarrassing

Posted November 21st, 2011 in User Experience by deconspray

Restroom signage

Where would you enter the restroom?


I admit it … I’m a user experience geek. And at times, I can drive my wife nuts.

On a recent shopping mall outing, my wife and I paid a visit to an upscale department store, just to use the facilities (of course). While waiting for my wife, I observed a major user experience flaw. What made it so amazing is the this upscale retailer prides itself on its presentation. As men and women entered the restroom lounge area, over 70% of them appeared confused as to the location of “their” restroom. Several men were seen entering the women’s restroom in error. Not to be outdone, women were seen stepping into maintenance closets and service areas. Yet there were signs marking each restroom by gender. So why the confusion? Hadn’t the retailer done enough?

Continue Reading »

Gaining Insight for Website Improvement

Posted October 10th, 2011 in User Experience, Web Design by deconspray

This topic was presented at the October 2011 Chicago Web Professionals Meetup.

Time for Restaurants to Get Their Websites Right

Posted May 20th, 2011 in User Experience, Web Design by deconspray

I previously wrote about an experience where a restaurant forced me to visit their website for their menu, only to discover that their website (including their menu) were in Flash.

Recently, I again had the need to lookup a restaurants menu online, via a mobile device. This time, the menu was in PDF format, making me traverse virtual hoops to see what the restaurant offered. Why do restaurants make it so hard to obtain information? Continue Reading »

User Experience Deliverables – Finished Edge

Posted April 30th, 2010 in Portfolio, User Experience Deliverables by deconspray

Status: Project on Hold

Information Architecture

This project was for a small business client that provides remodeling and refinishing services for home owners. The emphasis was to show the results of the refurbishing service provided, through the use of imagery. Sections of the site were dedicated to showing off photos from past projects, including the Before & After section and the Samples section, which provides examples of the various services and techniques. Secondary was the “story” behind each project presented.
Finished Edge - Information Architecture

Page-Level Wireframes

Download Wireframes (PDF)

Home Page Wireframe

Homepage Wireframe - Finished Edge


Sectional Page Wireframe

Sectional Wireframe - Finished Edge


Content Page Wireframe


Gallery Page Wireframe

Gallery Page Wireframe - Finished Edge


Samples Page Wireframe

Sample Page Wireframe - Finished Edge


Design Mock-ups

Initial Design v1.0

Initial Design Mockup


Approved Design by Client v2.0

Approved Design by Client

User Experience Deliverables – Badgerland

Posted February 1st, 2010 in Portfolio, User Experience Deliverables by deconspray

Website: Badgerland Products

Project Information: http://www.dennisdeacon.com/portfolio/blp-labels/
Date: February 2010

Information Architecture

This representation of the Badgerland Products website was an iteration that included the online store for purchasing custom prinnted label online. The online store portion was partially developed, but later scraped due to budgetary issues.
Badgerland Information Architecture Diagrahm

Page-Level Wireframes

Wireframes (PDF)

Homepage Wireframe

Homepage Wireframe


Homepage (with menu drop-down) Wireframe

Homepage (with menu drop-down) Wireframe


Print Services Listing Wireframe

Print Services Listing Wireframe


Print Products Category Listing Wireframe

Print Products Listing Wireframe


Print Products Listing Wireframe

Print Products Listing Wireframe


Print Product Detail Wireframe

Label Product Detail Wireframe


Content Page Wireframe

Content Page Wireframe


Storefront Wireframe

Storefront Wireframe


Store Product Category Wireframe

Store Product Category Wireframe


Store Product Listing Wireframe

Store Product Listing Wireframe


Store Product Detail Wireframe

Store Product Detail Wireframe

User Experience and Mobile Flash

Posted January 25th, 2010 in Latest, Web Design by deconspray

I recently had a bad experience at a local restaurant. So what does that have to do with web design?

My wife & I were told to view the carryout menu online. As we were physically at the restaurant, we attempted to view the menu on the restaurant’s website from our smart phones. That failed, due to the site being created solely in Flash. Continue Reading »