August 2010
1 post
Tempus Fugit
In five minutes, I’m going to tell you everything you need to know to never forget something important again.
GTD, OmniFocus, Things, Day Planners, etc, etc. They all have four fatal flaws.
They all require management
They all require that you spend time reviewing what’s there
They are all too slow
They all suffer from bloat
After trying just about everything under the sun (including the...
March 2010
6 posts
Prototype Power
“Don’t think it through. Don’t talk about it. Don’t plan it. Dive in and start making it happen.”
-SUPERBROTHERS
I absolutely have to share this. I’m not going to embellish much, because it’s such a fantastic article. But the point made in Less Talk More Rock perfectly illustrates the power of the prototype.
It’s a must read.
Killing the User-Accessible File System in Three...
Just following up on my last article, these are three things that Apple did in order to be able to hide the file system in their new iPhone OS.
Step One
Flush the file browser and reinforce the convention of “the app and all its stuff.” Get rid of the idea of “files” as much as possible. Almost everything the user needs is connected to the app that created it. Rely on the Internet for file...
/the/path/of/most/resistance
“The only intuitive interface is the nipple. After that, it’s all learned.”
-Bruce Ediger
By releasing the iPhone OS, Apple is putting a bullet in the head of a long standing convention that most folks could do without. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
The Phrase “Blood is Thicker Than Water” is Creepy
A few years ago, I got tired of fielding support requests from family members and started...
Mystery Solved
And just like that, the Donut Phenomenon is no longer a mystery. Thanks to a tip from a reader, the source turns out to be Horizon Snack Foods.
I drove by the place just to verify and two Horizon employees were walking out. When I asked them if the factory was the source of the “donut” smell in Salt Lake, they flashed huge knowing smiles and a hearty “yep.” They also informed me that the...
2 tags
The Donut Phenomenon
This is not a post about design, business or user experience.
This is a post about a mystery.
There’s something strange happening in downtown Salt Lake City Utah. On certain days, and in the grid of streets around North Temple, there is a distinctive smell of donuts in the air.
But there are no bakeries that I’m aware of and no other food establishments that would obviously produce this...
Seductive Branding
Yesterday, Sam, Pete and I visited Tami of Dough Girl. While sampling her newest creation (a key lime cookie), she told us about how she got started.
The whole thing began when her competitive nature got the best of her. She described it as a competition with all the other Mormon moms she knew. It was an unspoken cage match to see who could rock the kitchen and Tami was absolutely sure she could...
February 2010
4 posts
The Best Client
“It’s a great design. Beautiful, classic, elegant and sleek. It hits everything on our wish list, can we add in some cheetah or leopard print?” -Client From Hell
Anyone who has worked as a freelance contractor in any visual design discipline knows the exasperating effect of a bad client. Spend just two minutes on this site and all the pain resurfaces.
Why are great clients so rare? Why are...
Nimble Design
This is my inaugural post in my new home. Have a seat and I’ll grab you a drink.
Stockholm Syndrome
Ok, so it’s circa 2002 and I’m watching a new detective show on TV about a guy with OCD. As I ponder how a person can possibly function with so many issues, my mom calls. 1
“Hi, it’s your mom.”
“Hi Mom.”
“You busy?”
I glance earnestly toward the stream of electrons across the room. “Uh, I guess not.”
“Great, can you help me with a computer thing?”
“Oh, um, sure.”
“Well I just got...
On iPads, Grandmas and Game-changing
The darndest thing happened in the last five days and I was fortunate to be privy to it. Apple has gotten people excited about computing.
But this time, it’s not nerds or geeks and certainly not IT industry analysts. It’s everyone else.
I had a curious set of three conversations this week. One with a grandma, one with a technophobe and the third with a self-proclaimed luddite.
Grandma
My...
January 2010
2 posts
1 tag
Accessibility to the Face
“Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way when you criticize them, you are a mile away from them and you have their shoes.” -Jack Handey
Pattern Recognition
Have you ever considered buying a new car and then started seeing that car everywhere you go? Or perhaps you learned a new word and it seems you started hearing it more than you ever did before?
...
1 tag
Hi.
My name is Rob.
I like design. I like art. I like business theory.
I like writing about these things.
Except when I don’t.
I like writing about other things.
If I feel like it.
I’m wary and skeptical of the following things:
Man-made Processes.
Ideology.
Groupthink.
Decoration.
The unnecessary.
The superfluous.
The novel.
Noise.
Agendas.
Technology.
I like the...