Dieter Rams: Design by Vitsœ Speech delivered in December 1976 to an audience at Jack Lenor Larsen’s New York showroom: The designer must be the gestaltingenieur or creative engineer. They synthesise the completed product from the various elements that make up its design. Their work is largely rational, meaning that aesthetic decisions are justified by an understanding of the product’s purpose.
Seth’s Blog: Naming a business First, (…) The LESS it has to do with your category, the better. Second, please pick a real english word, or a string of them. (…) Third, be sure it’s easy to spell AND pronounce. (…) Fourth, don’t obsess about getting a short web name. (…)
Design Principles | Android Developers These design principles were developed by and for the Android User Experience Team to keep users’ best interests in mind. Consider them as you apply your own creativity and design thinking. Deviate with purpose. Enchant Me Delight me in surprising ways Real objects are more fun than buttons and menus Let me make it mine Get to know me Simplify My Life Keep it brief Pictures are faster than words Decide for me but let me have the final say Only show what I need when I need it I should always know where I am Never lose my stuff If it looks the same, it should act the same Only interrupt me if it’s important Make Me Amazing...
Starters Guide to iOS Design (…) I find that many designers struggle with the transition to UI work, or with the different processes involved in iPhone and iPad app design. In this guide I’ll describe the deliverables you’ll be expected to produce, outline the constraints of the medium and introduce fundamental iOS and UI design concepts.
First and foremost, all we really did was our best implementation of what Chris Phin asked all App Makers to do in his talk at NSConference 5 . Our “perfect press release,” was literally just a point for point copy of the ideal press release from his talk, which I hope nobody will mind me sharing here. (via Launch Thanks | mur.mu.rs )
73.6% of all Statistics are Made Up — How to Interpret Analysts Reports The problem of skewing results: (…) How is it skewed? There are so many ways to present data to tell the story you want that I can’t even list every way data is skewed. Here are some examples: You ask a small sample set so that data isn’t statistically significant . This is often naiveté rather than malicious You ask a group that is not unbiased....
Three useful one-liner anchors to use on e-mail | Ricardo Clerigo I also find that starting text with a “> [Keyword]” combination works great, as in: Agreed: text Follow-up: text Action: text
(via Memorizing a programming language using spaced repetition software | Derek Sivers ) I’ve been doing this for a year, and it’s the most helpful learning technique I’ve found in 14 years of computer programming. See also: Janki Method – Using spaced repetition systems to learn and retain technical knowledge. Effective learning: Twenty rules of formulating knowledge Software: Anki – friendly, intelligent flashcards
Writing Email Subject Lines: 6 Ways to Improve Your Open Rate – Copywriting by Copy Hackers So, what can you do to improve your open rate so you stand a better chance of converting your list? Get Permission – Clean Lists Are Worth the Work Only Send Emails Where There Is More Value for the Recipient Than for You Use Words the “Lizard Brain” Hears Make Sure They’re Expecting Your Email Remind Them That They Know + Trust You Keep It Short and Casual, Like a Friend’s Subject Line
Email on Mobile Devices | MailChimp Right now, people strongly view mobile email as a filter, and we’re all trying to avoid getting deleted too fast, because our emails are awesome. Follow these best practices regarding engaging content and building trust with your audience, and take into consideration the design tips we’ve unearthed through our research. Your audience will thank you with its increased engagement.