Often, the form of the data is obvious enough for what it is that you might consider simplifying by removing the label.

Let your data speak for itself.

I find myself linking to this article about why your links should never say click here for links on the web that I thought I should just get it down for easy reference. The solution, generally, is to rewrite your sentence. For more about writing for the web, click here. Only joking, check out more tips about writing for the web.

Also see: Omit unnecessary words, use styling instead of colons, cognitive overhead and the best writing is rewriting. 

Rewrite to avoid click here

A shift in the way we develop for digital devices. The mantra used to be ‘graceful degradation’ - design for what you expect people to use, then let your application gracefully degrade for older browsers, and smaller screens. Generally speaking the richest application, and the first to design for, was on the desktop.

A more recent approach is mobile first. Start with core content, design for the smallest screens and least capable browsers, then progressively enhance the experience onto larger more capable devices, browsers and screens. My intro from Mobile First by Luke Wroblewski.

Progressive enhancement

Metaphors for interface design from Rachel Hinman via Mobile First.

Mobile is snorkelling. Desktop is diving

Sam Moreau, User Experience Director at Microsoft. Just one small example.

Had a few questions about this so thought I’d add another simple example. Imagine you want to change your phone number on a service. Rather than display the phone number and have an option in a menu to edit and then a separate edit screen, the phone number itself can be the route to editing. You simply display the current number - clean, no junk. Mousing over it or clicking on it allows you to edit it directly. You remove the need for additional menus, text, instructions, and chrome. The content itself becomes the interface.

The content is the interface

I still find somewhat remarkable the complexity in a simple button on the web. These are just 6 common states that may each have their own appearance and behaviour.

Common button states

Classic rule of thumb from Jakob Nielsen. Probably the most useful corollary is if you can afford 15 tests, tests 5 users 3 times each and iterate the design in between.

5 user tests finds 85% problems

Two and a half words of wisdom from Steve Krug. Still worth reading Don’t Make Me Think.

Omit unnecessary words

Remove submit buttons on clicking to avoid double submissions

On transitions should be fast (to feel zippy). Out transitions can be slow

Keep essential information out of tooltips

Sketchplanations tagged with ux