All posts tagged
interface

The Post-Mac Interface

HCI giants on whose shoulders we stand.

“In 1996 Don Gentner and Jakob Nielsen published a thought experiment, The Anti-Mac Interface. It’s worth a read. By violating the design principles of the entrenched Mac desktop interface, G and N propose that more powerful interfaces could exceed the aging model and define the Internet desktop. It’s been almost 20 years since the Anti-Mac design principles were proposed, and almost 30 since the original Apple Human Interface Guidelines were published. Did the Anti-Mac principles supersede those of the Mac? Here I reflect on the Mac design principles of 1986, the Anti-Mac design principles of 1996, and what I observe as apparent (and cheekily named) Post-Mac design principles of 2016… er, 2015.”

Adam Baker a.k.a. @twomonthsoff

Showing passwords on log-in screens

The UX of security and privacy is a serious design challenge.

“Why show passwords? Passwords have long been riddled with usability issues. Because of overly complex security requirements (a minimum number of characters, some punctuation, the birthdate of at least one French king) and difficult to use input fields, password entry often results in frustrated customers and lost business.”

(Luke Wroblewski a.k.a. @LukeW)

The future of user interfaces

Minority Report in laymen’s terms. HCI for academics

“We are web designers and developers. As obvious as our work is (we build interactive media applications) there’s a deeper meaning to what we do. We analyze design problems and explore different concepts to solve them. This also means that we think of the communication between a device and the user. We develop that communication. We design what the user sees and does.”

(Sven Lenaerts a.k.a. @svenlen ~ tut+)

Transitional interfaces

Animation conveys meaning.

“Folks keep throwing around the word ‘delight’ when referring to animation and cute interactions. Cool and great for those guys. Guess what though? Animation can be used functionally too. It’s not just an embellished detail. Animation leverages an overlooked dimension – time! An invisible fabric which stitches space together. You don’t have to be a math dork to understand this. Let’s take a look at some simple ideas.”

(Pasquale D’Silva ~ Medium Design/UX)

No to NoUI

When you use it, it has an interface. Even a paper book has one, the text

“Of course the interfaces we design may become normalised in use, effectively invisible over time, but that will only happen if we design them to be legible, readable, understandable and to foreground culture over technology. To build trust and confidence in an interface in the first place, enough that it can comfortably recede into the background.”

(Timo Arnall)

How ‘Minority Report’ trapped us in a world of bad interfaces

Getting from off the track to on the track.

“And at the end of the day, it’s visual accessibility driving this trend. Hopefully one day we’ll reach the point where filmmakers don’t want computers to look like conducting an orchestra, and we’ll be able to back out of this interface cul-de-sac and find our way forward into a genuinely natural way of using our devices.”

(Christian Brown a.k.a. @DeepOmega ~ The Awl)