NUMMI → permalink
This week on NPR’s This American Life, was an interesting story about how Toyota joint ventured with their competitors teaching them the Toyota way of manufacturing small automobiles.
This methodology, Kanban/Kaizen, was Mary Poppendeik’s inspiration for lean software development.
You can stream the episode or download it to listen to later.
Top 10 Tools for Designing Intelligent User Interfaces
Building intelligent user interfaces is not about tools, it’s about processes. In my experience, the best tools are the ones that encourage me to think and encourage me to design iteratively. My goal is to build between 5 and 20 low fidelity concepts, test them on real people and use the feedback to improve on the design.
I use the following “tools” everyday without fail, and I could not run my business without them. I’ve listed the most important tools first.
WARNING: If you are here looking for the latest in cool technology, this is not the place for you.
Amazon Previews it’s Kindle for iPad app
Today Amazon announced it’s iPad application. I was disappointed by last weeks release of the Kindle for Mac application, but it’s clear Amazon has focused their Apple developers on the iPad app. It looks quite polished.
I’ve been rather vocal about my love for the Kindle since the day it came out. It’s one of the best gadgets I’ve ever owned.
The iPad version looks like it contains all of the major features of the Kindle hardware.
Why wireframes belong to the past → permalink
David Gonzalez poses an interesting proposition to eliminate low-fidelity wireframes. I disagree.
Low-fidelity wireframing is most important part of my design process. I don’t mean low-fidelity in the sense of Balsamiq Mockups, but rather paper and marker wireframes.
Designers rarely get the design right the first time, second time, and as it is often in my case, the 19th time. For that reason, I want to keep the cost of change as low as possible. Few things are cheaper than low-fidelity wireframes that you can crumple up and resketch quickly.
Once the low-fidelity is good, we get real and don’t typically create high-fidelity wireframes at all.
How to pace yourself through laborious books.
I read books for two reasons: for entertainment or to learn something new. Occasionally, I’m fortunate to get both from a single book.
ReadMore, the new iPhone application from Navel-Labs helps you get through those books you need to read, but your mind refuses to concentrate on.
The premise is simple. Track your reading and gauge your progress. The application estimates the number of sessions it will take you to finish reading and about how much time that will take.
iPad Application Design → permalink
The iPad is not just “a big iPhone.”
Technologically speaking, it is very similar. The way you interact with it, however, is different. The applications don’t feel like mobile apps. They are robust, full featured and intuitive.
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