October 2017 Archives

Article — 31 October 2017 — 308 words

Stop adding complexity – be an undesigner

How do you make something better? Human instinct often tells us we should add something to improve it. But this evidence shows we should stop adding complexity.

Linknote — 31 October 2017 — 33 words

User experience — Web

How booking.com uses stress to rush your decisions

I was vaguely aware of the dark patterns used by Booking.com, but I didn’t realise quite how pervasive it is across the website.

Linknote — 27 October 2017 — 51 words

Human-centred approaches — User experience — Web

Making the case for ‘boring’ UX design – Roxanne Abercrombie, Usability Geek

When something works fluently and fluidly, users do not tend to notice ‘boring’. They do, however, see annoying and intrusive.

I have argued previously that web design should be boring. I am an undesigner as much as a designer.

Article — 26 October 2017 — 382 words

Why you shouldn’t follow your passion

Business — Society

It’s something we want to believe. But if work was meant to help you follow your passion, you wouldn’t have to be paid for it.

Linknote — 26 October 2017 — 53 words

Business

Why you can focus in a coffee shop but not in your open office

It transpires that a moderate level of noise helps you concentrate. I find listening to music helps. This year I have started working in an open plan office for the first time, which is taking some getting used to.

Linknote — 25 October 2017 — 24 words

Media

Stuntvertising — Seth Godin