font rendering
I’ve finally determined What’s Wrong With Apple’s Font Rendering. As it turns out, there actually wasn’t anything wrong with Apple’s font rendering, per se. Apple simply chose a different font rendering philosophy, as Joel Spolsky explains: Apple generally believes that the goal of the algorithm
information retrieval
I’m currently reading through Peter Morville’s excellent book Ambient Findability. It cites some papers that attempt to explain the search behavior of web users, starting with the berrypicking model: In a 1989 article entitled “The Design of Browsing and Berrypicking Techniques for the Online Search Interface,” Marcia Bates
consumer behavior
James Surowiecki, author of The Wisdom of Crowds, writes about the paradox of complexity and consumer choice in a recent New Yorker column: A recent study by a trio of marketing academics found that when consumers were given a choice of three models, of varying complexity, of a digital device,
authentication
Dare Obasanjo’s May 26th thoughts on the Facebook platform contained a number of links to the Facebook API documentation. At the time, clicking through to any of the Facebook API links resulted in a login dialog: It struck me as incredibly odd that I had to login just to
programming languages
Dennis Forbes took issue with my recent post on C# and the Compilation Tax, offering this criticism, pointedly titled “Beginners and Hacks:” Sometimes [background compilation and edit and continue] are there to coddle a beginner, carefully keeping them within the painted lines and away from the dangerous electrical sockets along
design principles
Khoi Vinh, the design director for the New York Times, explains how essential grids are to web design in his SXSW presentation with Mark Boulton, Grids Are Good (Right?). So much web design work relies on establishing a grid and the constraints on that grid: ad sizes, display size, browser
usability
Tantek elik recently wrote a great entry on cognitive load in user interface, comparing instant messaging and email: To instant message (IM) someone, you merely: 1. switch to your IM client 2. double click their name 3. type your message 4. press return To email someone, you have to: 1.
design
Recently, Joseph Cooney and a coworker both recommended the book Designing Interactions to me at the same time. A strange confluence of events that’s got to be some sort of sign. I immediately ordered the book. And I’m so glad I did. It’s a wonderful, beautiful book
user experience
Asa Raskin, the son of the late Jef Raskin, recently gave a presentation at Google on the work his company, Humanized, is doing. It’s largely a continuation of the work of his father. One of the most interesting aspects of Jef’s work was zoomable user interfaces. Asa’s
programming languages
In my previous post, I urged developers to learn a mainstream graphics editing program. This is purely a mechanical skill, so it seemed reasonable for developers to give it a shot. If we can absorb extremely complex development environments, compilers, and databases, why not a graphics editor? But as a
programming languages
One lesson I took from MIX is that software development and graphic design are increasingly interrelated disciplines. Although they are very different skillsets, its important for developers to have some rudimentary design skills, and vice-versa. There’s a lot of useful cross-pollination going on between developers and designers. You can’
software development
If I told you to choose between two technical books, one by renowned Windows author Charles Petzold, and another by some guy you’ve probably never heard of, which one would you pick? That’s what I thought too. Until I sat down to read both of them. Take a