coffee, black

ignore the ignorants

2007-11-22T16:55:26+01:00

I have never seen anything good coming out of ui design where the designers think they are smarter than their users or that users are unable or simply not interested to learn a thing or two.

Someone smart, working in HR, said to me lately: People are by default motivated. Motivation is not the problem. Demotivating people is the problem.

I think this can be applied to ui design. If someone handles a user interface, he always starts motivated. He wants to do something, may that be reading the news or making a video or just listening to music. The demotivating starts then when the app asks for annoying confirmations, behaves incoherently and inconsistently and offers things the user just does not want to know. It then get's in the way and people wish it to get out of their faces again.

Good user interfaces are pleasing, and not entertaining. They are consistent and precise, and not surprising. They reward intelligence and do not treat everyone as a first time user.

get advice

2007-11-22T11:00:33+01:00

I just found the BGB (german civil law book) on my Amazon recommendation list and was wondering if Amazon knows something about me that I don't...

I suppose if Amazon and Google merge, it would start making sense to inform yourself every morning at Amazon what the day will bring.

wide or deep

2007-11-22T09:12:48+01:00

Exactly my experience as well. Nicely written.

the most annoyed iTunes user

2007-11-12T12:49:55+01:00

...is my seven year old daughter. Every time an iTunes updates comes and she logs onto my Mac (with her own account), she gets the legal gibberish when checking her favorite video podcasts.

We oldtimers have all for a long time getting used to the license agreements and confirm them without really looking at them (I mean, who has really read this things?). But for my daughter, these really get in her way, not to say face:

they are unpredictable. *She* has not installed anything - wo it is a complete surprise when they appear
even if she really tried, she could not understand them
even if she did, I am certain that it has no legal relevance for a seven year old

Which makes me think that user account with child/age flags would make sense for user interfaces. More and more children use computers every day, so why do we treat every user as an adult?

Technorati Tags: apple, itunes, user interface, user age

break

2007-10-31T13:18:40+01:00


  x = new ArrayLust();
  ...

I need a break.

http signatures

2007-10-12T11:08:17+02:00

Excellent work by James Clark.

Technorati Tags: signatures

amazon mp3

2007-09-26T09:47:33+02:00

Amazon mp3 store is super cool, nicely done. I can't wait for the german store to open.

Who wants to use the iTunes UI, when a really nice Web UI is available?

Technorati Tags: amazon, mp3

itches

2007-09-21T15:38:58+02:00

I cannot help but feel irritated by Apple these past weeks. Even John Gruber writes Apple needs competition..

First the ringtone silliness then the iPod video cable annoyance, now the Touch mail-lessness. This is not my idea of business. It gets in the way. Exactly the opposite of what I liked in the products so far.

Apple, your desire to please your new associates makes my skin itch!

Technorati Tags: apple, branding

pod thoughts

2007-09-06T08:55:21+02:00

The new iPod product line reminds me of the coca cola branding disaster of the 80s. The "classic" iPod's name is perceived as a prelude to death or at least something that will not develop any further. And the name "iPod touch" just, well, fizzles. And if you look at the iPod family picture, the touch looks totally out of place.

Hey, guys, what's up? Are the techies finally developing products faster than marketing can come up with names?

I think the problems mainly arise from the fact that the iPhone is called, well, the iPhone. Now the iPod touch is clearly in the same family as the iPhone, but it is not a phone. Whooops. May I use your iPhone? No, sorry, it's an iPod touch. Well, whatever you want to call it, can I have it to make a call? No. What do you mean: No? I let you have my phone the other day...

Personally, I was waiting months now for a new flagship iPod, since my old 40GB model is full and also acting up a bit. So, I definitely was not interested in any 8 or 16 GB model, however cool the interface. My main use of the iPod is at home and in my car and on both places I want my complete music collection. Period.

Now I have ordered the 80GB classic (black), but I must say it feels totally unhipp, uncool, old school to order that very nice thing. And mainly for that "classic" branding. A disaster: my first uncool iPod.

Update (2007-09-11): People expect the Touch to behave like an iPhone.

Technorati Tags: classic, coca-cola, uncool

simpsonizeme

2007-08-31T16:46:43+02:00

Yes, it's me.