October 4, 2009

Weekend Links

iA’s Tages Anzeiger Redesign

Popular Swiss newspaper «Tages Anzeiger» has recently been redesigned, and I don’t like it (get off my lawn, etc.). However, something good has come out of it: iA was among the companies which pitched a redesign, and they have written a most excellent blog post about their pitch.

Old Tagi and iA's Tagi

I especially like their fixed version of the newspaper’s logo.

BumpTop Multitouch Gestures

BumpTop, the desktop enhancement for Windows, has received a bunch of interesting multitouch gestures.

BumpTop Multitouch Gestures

I’m not sure whether BumpTop is actually a good idea, but it’s definitely an interesting idea, and these new gestures make it all the more interesting.

Springboard Exposé

I really like Ocean Observations’ suggestion for a way of zooming out the iPhone’s application list (via Release Candidate One).

This retains and reinforces the iPhone’s spatial arrangement of applications, while at the same time allowing for quick access to each application screen.

Restraint

And finally, UsabilityPost has a neat essay on minimalist design.

If you require a short url to link to this article, please use http://ignco.de/191

designed_for_use_small

If you liked this, you'll love my book. It's called Designed for Use: Create Usable Interfaces for Applications and the Web. In it, I cover the whole design process, from user research and sketching to usability tests and A/B testing. But I don't just explain techniques, I also talk about concepts like discoverability, when and how to use animations, what we can learn from video games, and much more.

You can find out more about it (and order it directly, printed or as a DRM-free ebook) on the Pragmatic Programmers website.