December 2009
1 post
Apple User Interface Fail
UPDATE - POST REVISED AT THE BOTTOM
It’s extremely rare that I have anything to complain about while using a Mac, Apple’s user interface design and copy is always top notch and totally clear. I rarely have to pause for a moment to work out what I’m supposed to be doing.
However, I recently began looking at ways to speed up startup and took a look at the applications that start...
September 2009
9 posts
“I’ve always regarded life as a river on which I don’t try to canoe upstream too...”
– Jos Buivenga
Twitter's 'New Follower' Email Redesign
In May, Twitter redesigned it’s ‘New Follower’ email - we got follower/following numbers, a tweet count and a prettier email.
A step in the right direction, but ultimately the lack of information means I still have to visit the user’s Twitter page before deciding whether I want to follow back, which makes the email fairly useless.
Here’s a concept redesign for...
I don't want to 'Sign Up'
Web conventions enable users to feel comfortable on the web because page elements on a new found site are similar to sites they already know. This is a good thing.
However, website owners often settle on conventions which could be appropriately adapted for the benefit of the experience. One such convention, in my opinion, is the term ‘Sign up’ and it’s siblings...
“Advertising is the tax you pay for being unremarkable.”
– Robert Stephens (@RStephens), founder of Geek Squad. (via @johnsbeharry)
Three year plans are bullshit, Dragons' Den
I’m a big fan of the BBC’s Dragons’ Den. For anyone unfamiliar, the program consists of wannabe entrepreneurs pitching their business ideas to five hugely successful serial entrepreneurs with a view to secure investment for an equity stake in their business.
In every pitch, the Dragons demand a 3-5 year plan for estimated revenue and profit each year - those who fail to...
WatchÓlafur Arnalds - Ljósið.
View in HD to experience the true beauty. This would make an awesome iTunes Visualiser/screensaver. (Found via @JoshuaDavis)
August 2009
9 posts
“It took me a few seconds to draw it, but it took me 34 years to learn how to...”
– Paula Scher (via David Airey)
Replace Google Notifier's ugly Gmail menu icon in...
I decided long ago to leave Mail.app and totally migrate to Gmail for proper access to my email wherever I was. I use Google Notifier for Mac for notifications of new email which works really well, but the default icons really don’t fit in:
Apple’s menu icons are solid black with transparency, but Google Notifer’s ‘No Email’ icon uses grey gradients and solid...
Business lesson #4 from my summer holiday - Reduce...
This is a follow on from Lesson #1, Lesson #2 & Lesson #3, read them first for the premise of the post.
Have you ever been to a hotel where you had to leave a deposit for potential damages as soon as you got there? Or where you could only have the air conditioning if you paid up front? I have, plenty of times.
You’ve had a long journey, suitcase in hand, you just want to sit back and...
No Sign-up Necessary (the strikethrough method) →
Interesting article on two services using ‘no sign-up necessary’ as a boasted feature.
Business lesson #3 from my summer holiday -...
This is a follow on from Lesson #1 & Lesson #2, read them first for the premise of the post.
Half way through our stay this letter came underneath our door:
And the day before we left, this came through:
Sarah, our rep, was provided with a pre-printed message to add her name to. She also took a few extra seconds for a quick personal message and a smiley face - she didn’t have to....
Business lesson #2 from my summer holiday - Be...
This is a follow on from Lesson #1, read it first for the premise of the post.
Shortly after we arrived at the hotel, Themis (the hotel owner) invited me into his office where he went over some of the things I should know about the hotel. He gave me a pre-printed card with the hotel contact info on. He added the area code I’d need to use to call from my mobile, and underlined his personal...
Business lesson #1 from my summer holiday - Be a...
A few weeks ago my girlfriend and I booked a last minute holiday with Thomas Cook at the Aeollos Hotel in Halkidiki, Greece. It cost £815, including flights, accommodation and transfers. This was no 5-star hotel, yet it was probably the best hotel experience I’ve ever had.
The hotel was clean and well furnished, but wasn’t huge or impressive. What set it apart from the expensive...
