Designed for Humans
After participating in and leading many painful software design meetings, I have come to the realization that the best way to sell the top design idea is to first share some of the alternative and inferior ones.
Crafting Great Software Features Part-1
Most failures in software usability can be attributed to poor decisions at the executive level, which are promulgated due to a culture of silence. Developers and designers should be encouraged to think critically about their work and be provided with official channels for expressing their opinions (in a non polemic manner).
The Anti-Virus Virus
Another interesting observation—which is not without its irony—is that large vendors such as Microsoft are completely unaware of the malware distribution platforms and are aggressively purchasing advertising space on these sites.
Developers Just Wanna Have Fun
The greatest engineering feats are the ones we don’t notice. The hallmark of a great designer is his ability to translate complexity into simplicity. The automatic transmission in a car represents significantly more engineering effort than a manual transmission, but it positively transforms the average user experience. The best consumer electronics always focus on hiding complexity, not showcasing it.
To Make Errors is Human, to Handle Them is Divine
Its not enough to capture and display errors. Real quality of service goes beyond just acknowledging your application’s faults. My rule of thumb is that there is no such thing as an “informative error message”. A good error is one that has been eliminated through error-handling code and product design.
Only the Racially Pure Need Apply
On February 20, 1939, over 20,000 American supporters of the Nazi party packed Madison Square Garden in New York City. They anxiously awaited the appearance of Fritz Julius Kuhn, the newly anointed American Führer of the German-American Bund. The event took place two days before George Washington’s birthday and a 30-foot-high portrait of the first president (who was described by Fritz as the first Fascist) hung behind the podium along with Nazi flags and swastikas.