The year’s worst tech trend: complexity

In 2011 the entire tech ecosystem descended toward entropy. Devices and services had a harder time playing together, and simply choosing what to use became an occasion for a flowchart. Some of the simplest tech questions — How should I send a text message to a friend? Which video phone service should I use? — are now hopelessly fraught.

There’s a big opportunity, in 2012 and beyond, for startups that attempt to solve the complexity problem.

Usability week ending August 21st

Friday, 19th August, 3:36 PM
Key principles of digital #typography: http://j.mp/nEhiny #fonts #css #webdesign

Wednesday, 17th August, 11:33 AM
@ericasadun Your app page clearly shows it has OneStar, but your app didn't automatically call 911 after my car accident. ONE STAR

Tuesday, 16th August, 6:39 PM
What if nobody knows what your icons mean? Guess what -- chances are, they don't: http://j.mp/rj02xj #ux #ui #icons

Tuesday, 16th August, 12:25 PM
@ericasadun have a look at StarFall HD http://j.mp/q5EvFv and the more complex SpaceStation: Frontier HD (40% off) http://j.mp/qhNfnX

Monday, 15th August, 11:23 AM
NYT paywall is porous, but that’s a feature, not a bug. Allows anybody to read any article they like, makes NYT inviting: http://j.mp/qjWDVH

Monday, 15th August, 10:07 AM
To be competitive, Google+Motorola first have to design amazing integrated products, which neither's really done before: http://j.mp/mSFXLa

Sunday, 14th August, 4:59 PM
It's not that PC manufacturers are quitters. It’s that they have the entirely wrong mindset to build must-have products: http://j.mp/pPcj6p

via twitter.com/terretta

Usability week ending August 7th

Friday, 5th August, 2:43 PM
@sugarsock content aware fill, woo hoo! #cs5

Friday, 5th August, 2:04 PM
Game mechanics a part of #design and #usability, takes understanding users wanting gratifying flow: http://j.mp/cJB4b0 #ux #gamification

Thursday, 4th August, 2:25 PM
Understanding how users learn can help us design experiences that support the user throughout the entire process: http://j.mp/oDUGly #ux

Wednesday, 3rd August, 5:05 PM
British government says #copyright over-regulates to the detriment of the UK, wants to make "format shifting" legal: http://j.mp/pwEdsO

Wednesday, 3rd August, 3:48 PM
Like Horseshoe crabs or those giant flies in the jungles of South America, fax machines have proven nearly unkillable: http://j.mp/qOtLw9

Tuesday, 2nd August, 1:23 PM
@sugarsock Yes http://t.co/ca7gW24 is a side project to make vid hosting simple. Thanks for checking it out. Let us know what you think.

Tuesday, 2nd August, 1:06 PM
@sugarsock Best luck with the talk. Do you have a little Flip video or Kodak Zi8 to record it? Post it on sugarsock.vive.ly!

Monday, 1st August, 11:54 PM
@sugarsock today mine was 39 days out of warranty. fell on stone, shattered face, they replaced free, in & out under 5 mins, & easy restore

Monday, 1st August, 11:49 PM
@sugarsock On ITVfest Hollywood theme, u wrote "not dressing"... "don't keep a lot of... clothing on". Twitter matching isn't too smart.

Monday, 1st August, 11:21 PM
@sugarsock I think, to be fair, both Nokia and Samsung make no-profit phones for pay-as-you-go services. But I like Apple's model better!

Monday, 1st August, 1:37 PM
What profits can look like when people love, and evangelize, your product's user experience: http://j.mp/rdGroN #iphone #stats

via twitter.com/terretta

Usability week ending July 31st

Friday, 29th July, 6:53 PM
House committee approves bill requiring ISPs to spy on their users: http://j.mp/nafBhD #eff #privacy #internet #legal

Thursday, 28th July, 3:09 PM
With an LP, I possessed something tangible. When I download from iTunes, I can listen, but I possess nothing I can touch: http://j.mp/pLrhZf

Thursday, 28th July, 12:31 PM
Rethinking ad supported vs. web subscription differentiation as the difference between Coach and Business Class: http://j.mp/oNZng6 #ux

Tuesday, 26th July, 3:31 PM
How Apple Computer became Apple Inc., illustrated in 3 graphs: http://j.mp/p8Cmzo #apple

Tuesday, 26th July, 3:14 PM
New data indicates that #HTML5 is not just going to be big, it’s going to be huge: http://j.mp/ppGc6K

Monday, 25th July, 7:04 PM
There's a good chance that with enough data analyzed smartly enough, many events are predictable with useful accuracy: http://j.mp/pa1yNX

Monday, 25th July, 5:54 PM
Five popular web strategies to get you noticed that don't work, and one that does – be remarkable: http://j.mp/puPv13 #strategy #business

via twitter.com/terretta

Usability week ending July 24th

Friday, 22nd July, 1:25 PM
Chosen is a fantastic #javascript plug-in for #jQuery and #Prototype to make long select boxes usable: http://j.mp/pULEaN #ux #ui

Wednesday, 20th July, 7:49 PM
Tom Anderson, MySpace founder, on whether Google will favor an algorithmic or user-controlled approach to your stream: http://j.mp/qYWDd6

Wednesday, 20th July, 1:07 PM
Picking apart the TechCrunch redesign with a user test: http://j.mp/oOkuHc #ux #design #usability

Monday, 18th July, 9:11 PM
The #iPhone Home Button shows how intuitive a single simple action can be if performed in context: http://j.mp/qf9s92 #ui

via twitter.com/terretta

Usability week ending July 17th

Friday, 15th July, 5:27 PM
Developer attention to #Android has dwindled significantly over first and second quarters of 2011: http://j.mp/nFecuF #stats #ios

Friday, 15th July, 5:24 PM
How web designers can handle the variety of #font weights available in professional quality web fonts: http://j.mp/oDAEJU #css #typography

Friday, 15th July, 5:21 PM
Amazon, Facebook, Apple, and many other online companies are using game developers' techniques to keep you coming back: http://j.mp/qiUV4A

Wednesday, 13th July, 11:36 AM
Functionality, #gamification, and feedback loops -- using evidence, relevance, consequence, and action for #UX #design: http://j.mp/rrYm91

Tuesday, 12th July, 7:03 PM
“This is how ‘Planet of the Apes’ truly began. First you give the apes #copyright, then they take over the world.”: http://j.mp/rnDfdO #law

Tuesday, 12th July, 6:01 PM
20 yrs before #sparklines took off, Edward Tufte developed a different type of data visualization, the #slopegraph: http://j.mp/oeIt00 #ia

Tuesday, 12th July, 6:00 PM
A mid-2011 survey of wireframing and prototyping tools, some offline, some online: http://j.mp/qwxeGo #ia

Monday, 11th July, 3:32 PM
What not to do -- some of the *worst* pieces of #design ever done (plastic clamshell packaging tops the list): http://j.mp/q34mWl #ux

via twitter.com/terretta

Usability week ending July 10th

Friday, 8th July, 6:17 PM
User testing in the wild -- when your user has never used a computer: http://j.mp/psldVH #usability #ux #testing

Thursday, 7th July, 7:37 PM
The inscrutability of Gmail Detailed Technical Info and Yahoo Error Code 15 http://post.ly/2M1dZ

Thursday, 7th July, 5:18 PM
How building a great admin #dashboard can lead to an amazing product: http://j.mp/p1Tv8i #ui #saas /via @MapleButter

Thursday, 7th July, 2:20 PM
YouTube gets finger friendly usability redesign: http://j.mp/pE7xJi #youtube #ux #ui #vod

Wednesday, 6th July, 3:23 PM
Thoughts on Google+ attracting users and influence through intuitive #usability: http://j.mp/qlUD4j #googleplus #ux #facebook

Tuesday, 5th July, 3:27 PM
Why the WSJ Mobile App gets such terrible customer reviews, and how to fix it: http://j.mp/mDmYMP #ux #design #iphone #usability

Tuesday, 5th July, 3:13 PM
The imprimatur of the creator/publisher/distributor/retailer is its reputation for selecting/producing works users enjoy: http://j.mp/lVXDtx

via twitter.com/terretta

The inscrutability of Gmail Detailed Technical Info and Yahoo Error Code 15

I'm fascinated by the usability decisions of the web giants. With their volumes of users, effects of even the tiniest change can become the stuff of usability buzz. But sometimes their messaging has me scratching my head, wondering if the total lack of useful information must be deliberate. Perhaps it is purposely devoid of helpfulness as a way to brush users off without making them irate: "Oh, I got Error Code 15? Well, what are you gonna do..." 

Today Gmail ran into an issue while I was checking mail, and offered me a closer look at the problem:


I'm technical.  I like detailed info.  What the heck, let's try that Show Detailed Technical Info link...


Gee, thanks, Google.  Thoughtful of you to let me hide Numeric Code: 7 again, too.

Maybe Google should take some cues from the Yahoo experience.  Here's an "unexpected, temporary problem" that I "stumbled upon" while using Yahoo Mail this morning:


The problem did persist, so I contacted support about Error Code 15, but then Yahoo wasn't sure if they really wanted to hear about it:


I decided on not letting them know.  A couple hours later, I tried again, and found myself much further along:


Well, I've gotten from Error Code 15 to Temporary error: 14. But at least it's only temporary.

Usability week ending July 3rd

Friday, 1st July, 4:36 PM
#Android "freeloaders" don't believe in paying for content; #Apple customers an "ideal paying demographic": http://j.mp/jrZvWs

Thursday, 30th June, 11:41 AM
Demystifying #Android screen densities, learning fundamentals of Android #design patterns, taking #screenshots: http://j.mp/kHMjcl

Wednesday, 29th June, 1:05 PM
How sausage is made -- a detailed IA, UX, and UI design case study, on designing GitHub for Mac: http://j.mp/iT6key

Tuesday, 28th June, 6:32 PM
The new #Google experience is founded on 3 key #design principles: focus, elasticity and effortlessness: http://j.mp/mE7PYk #ux

Tuesday, 28th June, 6:02 PM
Why we share what interests us -- rethinking real-life sharing for the web at http://plus.google.com -- video: http://j.mp/m7toYf #ux

Tuesday, 28th June, 3:15 PM
#Google Swiffy converts #Flash #SWF files to #HTML5. Repurpose Flash content for devices like iPhone w/o Flash player: http://j.mp/m11zgs

Monday, 27th June, 10:23 PM
Invent your *own* category… "consumers are not interested in form factors that deviate from the benchmark set by Apple": http://j.mp/kbZNjZ

via twitter.com/terretta

Usability week ending June 26th

Friday, 24th June, 12:09 PM
If you exclude Facebook from the rest of the Web, minutes of use shrank by 9% from March 2010 to March 2011: http://j.mp/klRnSG #socialweb

Friday, 24th June, 11:05 AM
How to be an easy read -- making type look interesting: http://j.mp/lnRj3j #ux #ui #webdesign

Wednesday, 22nd June, 6:41 PM
A "portent of doom" for anyone that relies on multiple #cookies for tracking, customer service, analytics, advertising: http://j.mp/m8ctqc

Tuesday, 21st June, 2:32 PM
Users are making a transition from using the "mobile web" to spending more of their daily time in #mobile #apps: http://j.mp/im0m2l #stats

Tuesday, 21st June, 12:03 PM
Learn something new -- escape your search engine "Filter Bubble": http://dontbubble.us/

Monday, 20th June, 9:56 AM
When personalization goes too far--Google reminds users to "Call Dad", makes users angry: http://j.mp/mhrhbq

via twitter.com/terretta