As if people need another reason to keep eyes affixed to their phone, Google now has a live view feature. I especially like the on screen safety message warning users to “…keep your phone down while you walk”.
photo from Citylab
I’m not sure how effective this sort of augmented reality display is if the phone isn’t held up. It seems like it might be even less safe to hold it at waist or chest level. Maybe it’s better to pull over when looking at your phone, even while walking.
via Citylab
Working on a voice app? Check out Dave Rupert’s Anthology of Mute Buttons in Voice Chat Apps and get an excellent overview of all the confusing ways the mute function is presented. Mute has existed for a long time, we all use it, but it is so hard to get right.
He really is on to something with the push to talk idea. That should really be the default for conference calls and group chats.
Nielsen Norman Group’s Top 10 Application-Design Mistakes is a good reminder of common pitfalls when creating complex applications. This is recommended reading for everyone (not just designers) working on these sorts of applications. As they point out, it’s challenging to get this right.
This one is going on the UX Bookshelf.
Josh Clark’s Only One Deliverable Matters hits on a lot of important points (e.g. design tokens!!!).
…we are clear-eyed that those artifacts are merely drawings of websites—aspirational watercolors of imagined interfaces.
The best products are created when everyone is focused on the thing rather than the interim artifacts. I’ve found that the bigger the team, the easier it is for everyone to concentrate on polishing their deliverable rather than putting that energy into the actual end product. Regardless of team size, this is a good reminder that we should pay more attention to the end result than our design artifacts.
via Brad Frost
