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Are iOS apps for real users, or just for us?

Forget the philosophical question. When I see sales figures, hear that 100% of our developers have iPhones (e.g. I had to test on BB or Android for them) and then go out on the streets and see even...

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Seeking a Definition of Clean Design

For some years now, but increasingly lately, there has been a trend to discuss digital designs as "clean" vs. "cluttered."These are reasonable adjectives on their own, but both do us no good at all as...

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Camera/Phone

When I first heard of the possibility of a Galaxy camera, I hoped they just forgot the "phone" part. Just before the iPhone made everyone abandon their innovative form factors and features, and go with...

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Know your medium, but don't be a factory worker

Yes, that old argument. This discussion on LinkedIn is interesting, but will not die. Someone asked a good question today, and it led me to an interesting place.I am basically putting it up here so I...

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Respecting user choice

We have long known that a developer's strength lays in his confidence in his powers, and all designers are elitist jerks who want to impose there sense of style on the world. But I had thought we were...

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Mobile payment: Apps or services

I waited overnight to make sure I was still bored to tears by the iPhone 5 launch, and yes I still am.But one thing really struck me as odd. Like, really odd. It's related to the lack of NFC, but not...

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Seriously, enough with FAQs

I have plenty of problems with the assumption that every product needs help, because it lends to an assumption that any gaps can be filled by RTFM. So, it's okay to have crappy gaps in your design.But...

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I am not even sure if this is what airlines call good service, but it sure...

As I turn off my many and varied electronic devices, I realize the problem. Flagging down a passing flight attendant, . "I know it's too late to get it, but I left my phone in the terminal. I know...

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Mental models, expectations and mobile OSs

Say you are in a Twitter feed (on your mobile device) and see a link. You want to know more so click it. It opens in a new app, the browser. Now, you switch apps to go answer an SMS. After a bit, I...

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It's a wonder any of us are even alive

In the early days of steam-powered travel, you were really taking your life into your hands in exchange for the speed and convenience. They blew up with some regularity.So,  if you complain the subway...

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MNOs vs. MVNOs

This came up at work the other day. It's sort of important to know for things like testing, or even how many test devices to get on different operators.The refrain I heard is "there are hundreds of...

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Types of Devices

Nothing crazy and philosophically UX-ish today, just basic, basic phone terminology:Smartphone:Anything with a named OS, on which you can install native applications.Featurephones:Proprietary OS, can...

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Sketching in Device Scale

Okay, this is a great example of how I am totally mediocre at promoting myself. These Zurb Sketchsheets are... well, a good idea, but I sorta don't get why you need an unlabeled sketchy-looking...

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I am a designer

My preferred title is interaction designer.Sure, I do a lot of other things on a day-to-day basis. Etc...  ... But at the end of the day, I'm still most comfortable being an interaction designer.This...

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Parts, forums and revenue

Long ago I had a forum up here. I didn't moderate it, because even back then I didn't have the time for that. And eventually the site got too popular so it was over-run by stupidity and bots. So, when...

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Apple: market creation vs. invention

I cannot believe I keep reading articles like this.Compare the Apple of 2012, then, to the Apple juggernaut of 1998 to 2010. That Apple didn't react to markets. It created them. Who wanted a tablet...

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Mobile Input Methods

Published on UX Matters November 1, 2011I often say that desktop computing—and especially the desktop Web—made the practice of interaction design lazy, by promulgating assumptions that are not always...

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I wish this was my resume

I am a designer. I am not a developer, but have been a DBA, and written code, including neat stuff like the first CSS for a Fortune 50. I can specify, report bugs and speak developer.I am mobile. If...

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You probably don't know what a featurephone is, and that's bad

Yes, something about my brain tends to nitpick, want to take contrary positions, etc. I do have a happy side, and am pleased with many things even in the mobile UX realm. But thisonehere really pisses...

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All my devices, and how they are changing our behavior

A lot of you have seen the huge pile of devices that I used as examples when writing the book. Often I get the question of "which one do I actually use," which of course misses the point of even a...

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