Usability Experts – Top 10 to Follow on Twitter

One of the biggesst advantages of social networks like Twitter is you can learn alot by simply following the right people. When thinking about serving your Website visitors tactically implemented content and architecture, following top User Interface, User Experience and User Interaction professionals is a great way to learn the latest trends, tips and tricks…aside from opening yourself up to making valuable contacts.

Top Users on Twitter for User Experience, User Interaction and UI Design.

Having a tought time identifying the top User Experience, User Interaction and User Interface Design professionals to follow? You could do alot worse than starting with these 10. Simply click their name to follow them on Twitter and access the hottest ideas and news directly from the top User Experience, User Interaction and UI Design experts.

1. Jared Spool – Jared should be considered the most visible “top usability expert” in the Twitter community, and is best know for his work in explaining factors that contribute to a user’s decision to click. And while his updates often touch upon personal affairs, his extremely high level of respect in the usibility field makes his feed function like a weekly report on where and in what forum the who’s who of this industry is gathering.
2. Joshua Porter – Joshua’s Bokardo blog has been a longtime favorite of user experience professionals and high level designers. It also shouldn’t suprise that Porter was part of Jared Spool’s User Interface Engineering project before breaking out on his own back in 2007. Porter always seems to discuss extremely logical and thought-provoking ideas and should be considered a leader in creating effective and efficient user experiences on the Web today.
3. Jane Pyle – Jane is a Senior User Experience Designer @Genentech in San Francisco and is an authority on full scope usability design as it relates to iPhone applications. One should expect consistent postings about interesting and relevant topics in this space delivered from a truly unique perspective with passion.
4. Robert Fabricant – Robert is VP of Creative at Frog Design and has been focusing most recently on health along with other issues that have the potential to make a real social impact. Robert seems motivated to prove that usability can do more than simply reduce shopping cart abandonment, it can save lives.
5. Nick Finck – Nick is an experienced veteran in the design & development field, and back in 1996, was responsible for creating one of the first online design & usability magazines, Digital Web Magazine (which has ceased publication). Today, he runs the Seattle-based design consultancy Blue Flavor, and also blogs at nickfinck.com. Nick is known for posting practical, logical and informative ideas and code & Web standards geeks might appreciate Nick’s feed the most.
6. Kristina Halvorson – Kristina is President of Brain Traffic, a content strategy firm based in Minneapolis, MN. She is recognized as an authority and evangelist for straight forward Web content that is professionally crafted. Kristina is known for personal and amusing observations about the crucial role that content plays in effective user experiences.
7. IxDA – IxDA (The Interaction Design Association) is a fairly young organization dedicated to “advancing the discipline of Interaction Design”. IxDA organizes events and arranges presentations by leaders in user interface, user experience and user intereaction design. They also discuss a variety of usability questions and facilitate mentorship for people who are new to the industry. IxDA posts a consistent stream of informational alerts, upcoming events and thought provoking ideas.
8. Nielsen Norman Group – NNG is made up of usability giants Jakob Nielsen, Don Norman, and Bruce Tognazzini, all of whom deserve credit for being at the forefront of usability-oriented thinking with regard to both Web and software design. If you are interested in cutting-edge ideas and techniques NNG probably won’t provide the value you might expect. That said, they might lead the pack when taking about a solid foundation that every UI Design professional should understand.
9. Jan Jursa – Jan collects fascinating videos from all over the Web and posts them to his blog. He tweets anytime there’s a new video added and also points out other articles & announcements related to UI and user experience design. Jan might be best know for keeping incredibly close tabs on the most important industry techniques, discussions and presentations as they happen.
10. W. Craig Tomlin – Craig is an independent UI consultant and blogger who provides usability related links, blog posts, and videos. Craig is a prime example of an individual who has been able to leverage Twitter to both garner respect and connect with a large group of peers and potential clients.