Interaction Designing

Browse Mintfoto anywhere!

Thu, 02 May 2013 10:53:00 -0700

I used Twitter Bootstrap (which is still buggy) to make my latest responsive website. I had more elements to design but I feel that its still a bit clunky to use. There were still a few unresolved bugs on their end of which I had to spend time working around (or Googling it to discover that it was their bug not mine). On average it takes about 25%-50% more work to make the responsive version of a website - also depends on level of complexity of the content and how much polish you want. I think I polish a bit too much sometimes.

Next project I’m going to try using Foundation (by Zurb) instead. We’ll see how that goes! Meanwhile, please check out Mintfoto which helps couples find the perfect wedding photographer. Do the Photographer Style Quiz to matchmake with 100+ photographers listed from Vancouver and Toronto.

explore-blog: Seth Godin and other cultural mavens on the...

Thu, 02 May 2013 10:36:17 -0700

explore-blog:

Seth Godin and other cultural mavens on the psychology and sociology of branding.

explore-blog: Fluid dynamics for the artistically inclined: To...

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 19:18:02 -0700

explore-blog:

Fluid dynamics for the artistically inclined: To create his astounding Black Hole series, which shows paint modeled by centripetal force, photographer Fabian Oefner dripped various shades of acrylic paint onto a metallic rod connected to a drill. Once the drill is switched on, the paint swirls away from the rod, creating astounding structures. Oefner writes:

The motion of the paint happens in a blink of an eye, the images you see are taken only millisecond after the drill was turned on. To capture the moment, where the paint forms that distinctive shape, I connected a sensor to the drill, which sends an impulse to the flashes. These specialized units are capable of creating flashes as short as a 1/40000 of a second, freezing the motion of the paint.

(↬ It’s Okay To Be Smart)

West Kowloon project in Hong...

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 15:24:00 -0700

West Kowloon project in Hong Kong

lessadjectivesmoreverbs:

Cities Without Ground: A Hong Kong Guidebook by Adam Frampton, Jonathan D Solomon and Clara Wong.

Axonometric maps revealing Hong Kong’s multi-layered elevated walkways, ramps, elevators and infrastructure interchanges. Definitely enbiggen.

(read more on the guardian and randomwire)

Ben Kamens: Breaking down Amazon's mega dropdown

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 09:35:17 -0700

Ben Kamens: Breaking down Amazon's mega dropdown:

bjk5:

The hover effects on Amazon’s big ‘ole “Shop by Department” mega dropdown are super fast. Look’it how quick each submenu fills in as your mouse moves down the list:

It’s instant. I got nerd sniped by this. Most dropdown menus have to include a bit of a delay when activating submenus….

Sometimes people just want to know the answer.

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 10:52:55 -0800

Sometimes people just want to know the answer.

Ideation and Brainstorming

Fri, 15 Feb 2013 14:56:20 -0800

Here are some tools that designers use to help with the ideation phase of a project - creative problem solving + lateral thinking! (from here)

Mental Notes

keywords: psychology, motivation, game mechanics, behavioral economics

“Mental Notes brings together 50 insights from psychology into an easy reference and brainstorming tool. Each card describes one insight into human behavior and suggests ways to apply this to the design of Web sites, Web apps, and software applications.” (sample cards)

ThinkCube
keywords: brainstorming, ideation, SCAMPER

“ThinkCube, a new idea generation tool from Kes Sampanthar, takes the idea of a brainstorming card deck to the next level. Not only does it provide you with a diverse selection of thought-provoking stimuli, it also incorporates a simple innovation process that should result in a higher quality of ideas.” (about ThinkCube: Handbook & card samples)

ThinkPak
keywords: ideation, brainstorming, SCAMPER, creative thinking

“This pack of brainstorming cards was developed to assist people in stimulating their creativity and foster new and different ideas. It is a tool for coming up with creative ideas for developing new (or changing existing) products, services, names, businesses, processes, marketing materials, etc.” (google books preview)

Design Methodology: 6 Thinking Hats of brainstorming

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 11:42:48 -0800

Design Methodology: 6 Thinking Hats of brainstorming

Affordances of everyday items

Mon, 31 Dec 2012 10:30:02 -0800

99 Life Hacks to make your life easier!

"UX is the intangible design of a strategy that brings us to a solution.The interface is not the..."

Sun, 30 Dec 2012 16:56:40 -0800

“UX is the intangible design of a strategy that brings us to a solution.The interface is not the solution.”

- UX is not UI

explore-blog: Delightful typographic birdhouses by designer...

Fri, 09 Nov 2012 11:19:29 -0800

explore-blog:

Delightful typographic birdhouses by designer Nishant Jethi.

(ᔥ Quipsologies)

"Beauty and brains, pleasure and usability — they should go hand in hand."

Tue, 06 Nov 2012 10:14:14 -0800

“Beauty and brains, pleasure and usability — they should go hand in hand.”

- Donald Norman, 2003

The Alessi line is the artistic creation of award-winning...

Mon, 29 Oct 2012 11:13:55 -0700

The Alessi line is the artistic creation of award-winning architectural and fashion designer Alessandro Mendini. Mendini is a designer famous for mixing different cultures and forms of expression, and has a strong presence in Asia, Europe and abroad. The Alessi Anna pen is a unique and stylish pen licensed by Uni Japan and targeted at women. The body is made of ABS plastic and the pen is made of chrome plated brass. Twist the head figure to the left for red ink and twist to the right for black ink. Body has a balanced weight and measures 5.5 inches (14 cm) long. Five body colors available.

"I guess, I’ve always believed that nothing is withheld from us what we have conceived to do. Most..."

Thu, 13 Sep 2012 14:57:16 -0700

“I guess, I’ve always believed that nothing is withheld from us what we have conceived to do. Most people think the opposite – that all things are withheld from them which they have conceived to do and they end up doing nothing.”

- Russel Kirsch

“Wait”, I said, pausing at his last sentence ”What was that quote again?”

“Nothing is withheld from us what we have conceived to do.”

That’s good, who said that?

God did.

What?

God said it and there were only two people who believed it, you know who?

Nope, who?

God and me, so I went out and did it.

Conversation between Russel Kirsch (creator of the world’s first internally programmable computer) and Joel Runyan.

boogiesbc: Window phone concept Is it a window, is it a phone?...

Wed, 01 Aug 2012 10:17:44 -0700

boogiesbc:

Window phone concept

Is it a window, is it a phone? No. Actually, it’s Window phone and this is the part where you are saying “Whaaat? What are you talking about?”. The phone is actually a concept with extraordinary features. Surely if this could be actually put into production, it would set a new standard for the term “cool”.

"Imagination needs to be challenged and stimulated, however, or else it remains latent and unused...."

Tue, 31 Jul 2012 10:26:55 -0700

“Imagination needs to be challenged and stimulated, however, or else it remains latent and unused. Disagreement, especially if forced to be reasoned, thought through, documented is the most effective stimulus we know.”

- Peter F. Drucker, The Effective Executive (1966, 2002)

How Did I Get Here? by Ian Swinson (from SalesForce User...

Thu, 19 Jul 2012 10:25:04 -0700

How Did I Get Here? by Ian Swinson (from SalesForce User Experience)

UX VPs didn’t exist 10 years ago. Career path of interaction design to management:

Skill transition where individual design work ↓ and management conceptual work (strategy) ↑

Preparing
Set Goals. Start small & expand. Get a mentor. Ask if its for you.

Transition
Be Selflessness. Let go–trust your people. Stay connected to your craft. Facilitate design process/output.

Performing
Listen & Learn. Translate business problems into design opportunities. Facilitate. Process & people. Strategy & tactics. (meta-level design)

”..in a hierarchy every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence.”
– Peter Principle, 1969

↓

“In a hierarchy every employee should rise to the level of their passion.”
– Arnie Lund (UX VP, Microsoft, 2012)

"Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that...."

Sat, 30 Jun 2012 15:14:44 -0700

“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

- Howard Thurman (via laterothinking)

"Intelligence, imagination, and knowledge are essential resources, but only effectiveness converts..."

Thu, 28 Jun 2012 10:27:36 -0700

“Intelligence, imagination, and knowledge are essential resources, but only effectiveness converts them into results. By themselves, they only set limits to what can be attained.”

- Peter F. Drucker, The Effective Executive

Alessi flagship store in Soho, New York designed by Asymptote...

Wed, 27 Jun 2012 10:30:44 -0700

Alessi flagship store in Soho, New York designed by Asymptote Architecture. I really love the color and the layered angles along the wall.