Author: Jake Rocheleau

Jake is a freelance writer, designer, and illustrator. He currently writes articles on user experience design for web & mobile. You can see more work on his portfolio site and follow his tweets @jakerocheleau.
14 Best Usability Testing Tools For Web Designers

14 Best Usability Testing Tools For Web Designers

There’s so much to usability testing that it’s almost impossible to cover it all. But you should still do everything you can to gather metrics and improve your site whenever possible. Finding the right tool is half the battle when it comes to usability testing. That’s why I’ve compiled the top 14 tools you can…

Must-Have Features For Any Restaurant Website

Must-Have Features For Any Restaurant Website

Restaurants are a big part of the economy with over 600,000 in the US alone. Every restaurant in the modern age needs a good website. And thankfully these websites have the simplest design requirements. But just because they’re simple to design doesn’t mean they’re simple to create from scratch. You’ll need to know what sort…

Designing a Usable Table of Contents for Your Website: Trends & Examples

Designing a Usable Table of Contents for Your Website: Trends & Examples

With super large pages or complex websites it helps to add a table of contents. But a ToC on the web operates differently than in a book or magazine. The goal is to link the table sections internally to pages in your website or inside a single post. This way visitors can jump around quickly…

How To Learn Web Design As Quickly As Possible

How To Learn Web Design As Quickly As Possible

How Can I Learn Web Design Quickly? Study the best Learn from mistakes Practice as much as you can Taking the leap into web design can feel daunting. There’s so much to learn, and you might not know where to start. Design isn’t like programming or frontend coding. There isn’t really a linear learning path…

Tooltips In Web Design: Trends, Examples & Free Plugins

Tooltips In Web Design: Trends, Examples & Free Plugins

There’s no better way to show extra info than with a tooltip. These little text boxes are incredibly simple to create and don’t take up much space on the page. With modern CSS/JS you can restyle tooltips any way you like and get them to perfectly match your layout. But there are many different reasons…

Tips For Creating Usable Charity & Nonprofit Websites

Tips For Creating Usable Charity & Nonprofit Websites

How do I create a charity/nonprofit site? Draw your viewers’ attention through high-quality photos Clarify the nonprofit’s purpose and intention right away Ensure your navigation is clean Create bold and attractive donation buttons Great charities and nonprofits all need a stellar web presence. Most people search Google for everything, and charities are no different. It’s easy…

Designing Websites With User Behaviors In Mind

Every website is really an interface created for certain goals. Whether those goals are connecting with friends(Facebook) or searching the Internet(Google) the site is designed with those behaviors in mind. Designers who understand this concept create much better experiences. The focus turns to usability first with “pretty” things like icons, colors, and aesthetics second. In…

Design Your Wireframes With Content Hierarchy In Mind

Design Your Wireframes With Content Hierarchy In Mind

An interface wireframe should clearly reflect the final product. But it should focus more on interactivity and usability rather than aesthetics and color choices. In this post I’ll share tips for information architecture and structuring your wireframes with usability in mind. These tips apply to websites and mobile apps alike so these ideas work for…