A standard / benchmark test for user familiarity or proficiency with computer technology in usability testing

When conducting usability testing, a variable that comes up is the competence or familiarity of different users with Internet or software application technology. It seems strange to compare different usability studies and results if there …
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Security issues if not forcing a user to sign up

I’ve built a simple web app Flask.io that enables users to create and share to-do lists.
It doesn’t require sign up. This is an important differentiator. I don’t want to force the user to register for a tool they haven’t used yet.
How it…
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Issues with Tabbed Layout

Larger View
Here’s a screenshot of something I’m currently working on. I decided to use tabs at the top because filling in the "Office Details" is just as important as the list of employees and because in the future it could exp…
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Why do physical keyboards still have built-in numpads?

Normally I use a wireless keyboard without a number pad and a mouse right next to it. Having started a new job, I was finding my right arm somewhat more sore. This was confusing until I realized:
Each time I swap mouse/keyboard with my r…
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Why are child-resistant packages sometimes easier to open by kids than adults?

Based on discussions with friends and colleagues there seem to be difficulties opening child-resistant packages in general. There are even stories of parents letting their kids (supervised) open child resistant-packages just because they c…
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"By posting this, you agree to our terms and conditions"

Is it okay to have a “By posting this, you agree to our terms and conditions” (i.e. like 4chan) as opposed to a “I agree to the terms and conditions” checkbox?
I read about automatic agreement to terms of service here on UX and how autoch…
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How many characters should typical address fields allow on an international website?

On an HTML form, What is the maximum amount of characters that should be allowed for:
Street Address 1
Street Address 2
Town/Suburb
State/Province (I would have drop downs for main countries, but I can’t list every one in the world)
Post…
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What is a proper verb form to use for a Web App?

I’m creating a web app for services like CRM, Helpdesk, etc, and I’m wondering what might be the best verb form to use to address users… Why?
There will be a lot of tooltips, help guides, instructions, etc, and most importantly…command bu…
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Should we ask for name on card even though it’s not required for credit card payments?

The name on card is not used when processing credit card payments. Paypal does not ask the user to enter the name on card when saving a card to the “wallet”, while Amazon.com does.
The benefit of asking for it is that the user can feel mo…
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What is the difference between Scenario and User Journey?

I have been doing some research in order to understand what is an scenario and what is a user journey. As I understood, after you develop your personas then you can create the scenarios for each one. Later you can think of some user journe…