Do Not Use FAQs
I can't stress this enough. I'm often asked by customers to do this, mostly because they remember seeing them so frequently in the early days of the web. it's a pernicious memory that refuses to fade.
Read MoreThe Ethics of ‘Facebook Live’
In the absence of a method to prevent the live streaming of murders and other violence, Zuckerberg remains personally responsible for the consequences of this service offering. By not suspending the service until a screening system is in place and functioning, he has made the decision that the ethical problems associated with Facebook Live are subordinate to the monetary benefit it confers to his company.
Read MoreThe Ethical Designer's Dilemma
The modern designer is faced with an ethical dilemma: follow an employer’s demands for a money-making app that turns the user’s smartphone against them...or mindfully develop apps that put the smartphone back into the service of its owner. Turn it back into a tool instead of an invader.
Read MoreA Moment of Micro-fame
On April 22, 2017, I gathered with my wife, my sister-in-law, brother-in-law, and a few thousand amiable strangers in New York City to draw attention to an issue of concern for all of us: the move away from rationality and fact-based decision making in America and Europe. We gathered to participate in the international March for Science.
Read MoreThe Disappearing User interface
How is it that some designers and developers who rely so heavily on the good design of their iPhones, Androids, and other consumer technologies still deliver solutions that aren't easily understood without a manual, special training, or a call to the help desk?
Read More(Yet Another) Agile/Waterfall Comparison
Does the world need another blog post that attempts to explain the differences between agile and waterfall methods in project management? Maybe not, but I was asked to put one together anyway. So now I share it with you.
Read MoreProject Management: Famous Film Failures
Few human projects are more carefully planned than those involving manned spaceflight. We can assume that the flight of the Discovery, the ship dispatched to Jupiter, has been planned to the very last detail...with the exception of the most important aspect of the mission: finding whatever there is to find near Jupiter. That the mission's planners could not have known what would be found there must have been considered a significant unquantifiable risk.
Read MoreWhy Links Should Never Say “Click Here”
I have a visceral reaction to the use of "click here" in interface design. I feel like a rubber band should be snapped on the wrist of the content author every time it happens. I've never seen a great reference that sums up why it's a bad idea and what the better alternatives are.
Read MoreThe Job of a Content Strategist
This is an old favorite of mine: a slide I put together for a presentation describing the role of the content strategist in major website redesigns. Of course, the sentiment in this slide is true at any stage of a website's lifecycle. Please make sure you're not just churning out sausages that no one wants.
'Peak Thought'
The marketplace is flooded with books and articles that emphasize the importance of personal brand management. Now that the means of mass communication are in everyone’s direct control, we’re all expected to show our skills in action, not simply through a static CV or résumé, but through an ongoing stream of social media and blog posts. Prove that you know what you say you know...continually.
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