April 2008
1 post
Derek Powazek: Hey Apple, Don’t Make Me Think: ”On the iPhone, the web browser is called Safari, just like on the Mac. This sameness is reinforced by the visual design of both applications. But in the new iPhone software, when they added a search icon, they did it on the left, instead of the right, which puts it out of sync with its desktop cousin. I know it sounds like a small...
March 2008
2 posts
Things I'd like to see: Selective IM contact...
I love Adium. It is probably the best IM client ever made, works with any protocol out there and it’s extremely versatile. But there is something I wish to have on it, and it is the ability to select which contact(s) I get online/offline notifications from via Growl. By default, every time a contact (meaning, anyone who signs on or off the IM networks I’m in) shows up or leaves, Growl...
February 2008
7 posts
At last, the Optimus Maximus keyboard... for real
Folks at Engadget -one of the sacred cows of technology blogs with access to cool, new and shiny toys- have finally received a test unit of the Optimus Maximus keyboard, which has proved to be one of the most famous pieces of almost-vaporware to make the rounds through the Internet for years. The biggest deal about the Optimus Maximus is that every key is a small OLED screen, making it possible...
A futuristic mobile gadget concept
In this age when cell phones can use Wi-Fi and access the Internet from anywhere, it is just natural to think about possibilities like this concept from designer Mac Funamizu. A portable know-it-all of sorts that gathers Internet search and dynamic information display on everything you can put through the see-through device - buildings, parks, colors, even printed words from a newspaper or book....
10 Principles of Effective Web Design →
“Usability and the utility, not the visual design, determine the success or failure of a web-site. Since the visitor of the page is the only person who clicks the mouse and therefore decides everything, user-centric design has become a standard approach for successful and profit-oriented web design. After all, if users can’t use a feature, it might as well not exist.”
Scope creep: When "more" is actually less
We all have had it at some time or another - the typical client that dreams of having an application deliverable that should be a rough equivalent of a Swiss army knife (and for the very same budget, of course - but that’s a different topic). That it should do this, that, that other thing too and -yes- if it can also do X, Y and Z, all the better. After all, isn’t our job about...
OfficeMax 'gets' Customer Service
Office supplies giant OfficeMax has just unveiled a marvelous, yet deceptively simple, solution to display of product categories, which on these kind of sites usually translate to a mind-boggling, cluttering and confusing sea of links on screen. The solution? Display a simple, clickable alphabetical list on top. When you select a letter from the alphabetical index, categories matching that...
WatchAuthor Barry Schwartz talks about his book, The Paradox Of Choice. In a field where clients always demand lots of features because they think they will get “more” for their money, it is refreshing to hear that this is, more often than not, a mislead, false assumption. Web companies like 37Signals, in other hand, have made a reputation for themselves to offer “less” in their...
Garmin set to fight Apple in its iPhone turf with... →
Renowned GPS device maker Garmin, feeling the heat of integrated GPS functions in smartphones such as Apple’s iPhone, just unveiled what is arguably their answer to everyone’s favorite mobile device now - the Nuvifone, due for summer 2008 according to the company. Joining Garmin’s recognized expertise on GPS navigation with the functions of a smartphone, the Nuvifone is likely...
January 2008
11 posts
Edward Tufte on Interface Design and the iPhone: Comparing the iPhone’s GUI to that of his earlier touchscreen interface concepts, “high-resolution touch-screens; minimizing computer admin debris; spatial distribution of information rather than temporal stacking; complete integration of text, images, and live video; a flat non-hierarchical interface; and replacing spacious icons with...
1 tag
The Untold Story: How the iPhone Blew Up the Wireless Industry: “For decades, wireless carriers have treated manufacturers like serfs, using access to their networks as leverage to dictate what phones will get made, how much they will cost, and what features will be available on them. Handsets were viewed largely as cheap, disposable lures, massively subsidized to snare subscribers and lock...
CSS technique site Wellstyled.com provides a very clever way to address a recurring issue with multilingual web sites. On this screen, English text is on the main screen while the Czech text from the same article is on the sidebar. A click on the sidebar switches the main language from English to Czech. Notice how this includes the site menus. (Via 37Signals)
UX is about play, really.
What is the most lasting impression of a favorite consumer product, web site or device you’ve used recently? It probably wasn’t its feature list or cool looks - but its conductivity to explore, to interact, to visualize lots of new possibilities through it - which, on return, make you want to use it again and again. Creating user empathy through playfulness -even on buttoned-up...
Don't wireframe it - Sketch it
That is the general idea behind Adaptive Path’s Brandon Schauer “Sketchboards: Discover better and faster UX Solutions” article. According to Mr. Schauer, wireframes tend to stifle much-needed creativity and the need to go through multiple iterations to get the biggest possible amount of ideas that may work. Quick sketching on a big surface encourages team participation and...