Category Archives: design
The four Lessons of Lou Dorfsman
Over the course of his career, Lou Dorfsman was responsible for everything at CBS from its advertising to the paper cups in its cafeteria. Every bit of it was executed with intelligence, verve, glamour and taste. Trying to get good work done from inside a giant institution is supposed to be hard. How did Lou Dorfsman make it look so easy?
The Psychology of Color (a short primer)
In the world of UX, the color decisions you make in designing an interface directly influence how your product makes the user feel – upon the very first glance at the screen. In my own experience in usability testing labs, color can often be the critical factor that determines the user's level of comfort in interacting with what's onscreen. Poor color choices equal poor user experiences. At best, a person feels calm and comfortable, finding it enjoyable to move through the application at his own pace. At worst, harsh colors and combinations involuntarily pull the user's eye away from the areas she needs to see or interact with – so she feels tense or anxious, and possibly like she's unable to use the product.
Oldie but goodie: The Cost of Bad Design
This is an article from 2001 I kept about the cost of bad design and inattention to the details of user experience (even though no one was calling it then). Why do I still have it? First, it makes some very powerful points that still hold true seven years later. Second, the last three paragraphs [...]
The IM Interview
Had a conversation with a very good friend yesterday via IM, and it was one of those times where the conversation takes a turn toward the deep end. We got into this conversation about design and it struck me at the time that some very meaningful ideas came out of it, especially for young designers. While it may be a bit self-congratulatory, I think it sheds some important light on what the creative process is really like and I think it's a good read. I corrected for spelling and subsituted (laughs) for the traditional LOL. Enjoy.
A sure sign your product is too complicated…