July 2010
22 posts
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In the Details: Rotating Icons
I don’t often take pictures with my iPhone. I believe I used it today for the first time since installing iOS 4, and I noticed a small detail that made me smile. When in the camera app, there is a bar at the bottom of the screen that contains a thumbnail of the last photo taken, the button to take the picture, and a slider to switch between still photographs and video. The button has a camera...
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Yesterday’s Tomorrow
Along with jet packs, moving sidewalks, and in-home automation, flying cars have been part of yesterday’s tomorrow: the future that never materialized. Caroline Winter of Businessweek recently reported on Terrafugia’s Transition, a genuine transformer, which recently received a weight exemption from the FAA to qualify as a light aircraft.
The vehicle isn’t so much a flying car as it is a...
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Designer’s Toolbelt: FontFonter
A couple of weeks ago, I made a series of posts about web fonts. Just recently, FontShop announced a simple tool they are now providing for previewing their Web FontFonts. FontFonter allows you to enter a URL, and then select replacement serif and sans serif fonts from their collection. They redraw the page with the selected fonts. It’s an easy way to try before you buy. It doesn’t render every...
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AUTOmatic
My Cube has automatic headlights, a feature that is becoming commonplace. It detects the exterior light level and turns the headlights on or off based on a certain threshold. Ever since we first got our Mazda5 with that feature, I’ve thought they should also tie the windshield wipers into the headlight logic. After all, many states have laws requiring the use of headlights while it is...
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A Day in the Life - Part 4
Today I’m wrapping up the series of questions that were posed to members of the IxDA by someone interested in the field. You can check out parts one, two, and three for more information about my job and my work.
What do you love (or hate) about working in the field?
As I began to answer this question, I realized it could be interpreted two different ways. At first, I took it to be a question...
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A Day in the Life - Part 3
I’m continuing to answer a series of questions posed by someone who is interested in becoming an Interaction Designer, but not quite sure of what such a job entails. See parts one and two to learn about my work environment and the activities I perform.
Is there a variety of projects in your work?
Oh, my, yes! I’ve worked on projects for the oil and gas industry developing software tools to...
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A Day in the Life - Part 2
What kind of activities do you perform?
As I mentioned yesterday, I am typically the only designer working on any given project, so I must perform a wide variety of tasks. When my company is bidding on contract work, I will assist in analyzing requirements and estimating work. After winning a contract, I’ll research the domain and perform user studies. For example, I most recently toured an...
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A Day in the Life - Part 1
A question was posed on the IxDA forums about what an Interaction Designer does day-to-day. Actually, it was posed as a series of questions. I’m posting my answers here because, well, if I’m going to spend the time writing it, I may as well get dual credit. I’ll answer two of the six questions that are closely related today and answer the remaining questions throughout the week.
Do you work on a...
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Design Pattern: File Management, Part 3
The first post in this series described the typical, yet minimal, approach to file management within an application, which leaves most of it to the operating system. Yesterday’s post was about a hybrid pattern that sees the application providing convenience features for working with multiple files. In the third and final pattern, the application takes on all file management responsibilities.
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Design Pattern: File Management, Part 2
Yesterday, I described the most common pattern for file management in an application, using Microsoft Word as an example, where the majority of file management tasks are left to the operating system. The second model is becoming more common, seeing uptake in browsers and developer tools, especially on the Mac. It’s a hybrid in which file management responsibilities are shared with the OS. The...
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Design Pattern: File Management, Part 1
There are three relatively common models for file management within an application. Over the next three days, I’ll address each in the context of an application that follows the pattern.
The first of the three file management methods is the most common. I’ll use Microsoft Word as a concrete example. Word has no internal view of the OS file system. You open a file one of two ways: by finding the...
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Sorting it Out
When sorting a list, there are two directions it can be sorted. These are typically referred to as “ascending” and “descending”. The default sort is usually ascending. This would put a list of names in alphabetical order from “A” at the top to “Z” at the bottom. A list of numbers would start with 0 at the top and ascend to the highest value at the bottom. Descending is the reverse, counting down...
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Airblade
I finally had the opportunity to use a Dyson Airblade. My band always heads over to The Sharp Edge after rehearsal, and their restroom is equipped with one. I’ve used it twice. The first time, I stuck my hands into it as shown on the instructions. The problem is, it came on before I had inserted my hands all the way and pushed water up my arms. I couldn’t get them in far enough to blow that water...
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Beyond ⌘Z
These days, most desktop applications provide multiple levels of undo, although it was not so long ago that Photoshop had only one level. It is now one of a very few applications that visualizes the entire undo/redo stack. I dare say Photoshop’s history palette is the most robust undo feature I’ve encountered. It’s a useful study, not only for undo, but as a general model for navigating multiple,...
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Tales from the Field: Data Entry Popups & Keypads
Efficient data entry is arguably the most difficult goal to achieve in a mobile UI. While there are no methods as effective as sitting at a desk with a physical keyboard, there are models that work reasonably well in a mobile environment, and the on-screen keyboard is one. Apple has proven that it can be done well on a phone, and the iPad allows decent typing when propped in your lap. However, a...
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How many innovators does it take to replace a...
The lightbulb is both a commonplace, household consumable, taken for granted as a necessity, and a symbol of invention, innovation, and bright ideas. We’ve seen little enough change in the lightbulb. There are different sizes, shapes, colors, and wattages. We have a few different technologies, such as incandescent, halogen, and fluorescent. Some have longer lifespans, and some are more energy...
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Web Font Follies continued: other options
Yesterday, I canvassed a number of services that license web fonts hosted on remote servers. This post explores other options for using @font-face.
FontShop Now celebrating 20 years of business, FontShop offers web FontFonts for a one-time fee based on page view rates. Prices are high—a single typeface containing 17 fonts starts at $446 for up to 500,000 page views per month and raises to $6,690...
