“The simplest answer is that the user had access to reality—every company builds a bubble around itself, where the products get built and tested in a more controlled environment than they get used in. This is especially true of complex software. What the early users enabled Xiaomi to see was how MIUI actually worked when real (albeit unusually technically proficient) people tried to install it on a wide variety of devices.”
Source: Little Rice: Smartphones, Xiaomi, and The Chinese Dream
“There is more information available at our fingertips during a walk in the woods than in any computer system, yet people find a walk among trees relaxing and computers frustrating. Machines that fit the human environment, instead of forcing humans to enter theirs, will make using a computer as refreshing as taking a walk in the woods.”
“When a small, unassuming object exceeds our expectations, we are not only surprised but pleased. Our usual reaction is something like, "That little thing did all that?" Simplicity is about the unexpected pleasure derived from what is likely to be insignificant and would otherwise go unnoticed. The smaller the object, the more forgiving we can be when it misbehaves.”
Source: The Laws of Simplicity
“We believe that technology is at its very best; at its most empowering when it disappears”
“A good designer should constantly be looking for opportunities to learn from others’ mistakes. Instead of blaming the protagonists, we should try to put ourselves in their shoes and honestly answer these questions: What would lead me to design the same interface they did? What decisions led to this product being approved and shipped? How can I avoid finding myself in a similar position in the future?”
Source: Tragic Design: The True Impact of Bad Design and How to Fix It
“In love then and in love now
In love then and in love now,
The mind never protested,
And I fell in love,
Because the heart too never resisted,
Time grew on us together,
Both of us, she and I as well,
Almost like two different people bearing the same feather,
And thus, in love we fell,
She became the sun that only shone for me,
While I always believed I was something similar for her,
And we became eternal lovers, and that is how it was meant to be,
She loving me and I loving her,
Her skin, her lips, her eyes were the only beauty’s icons I wanted to feel and see,
And in moments of love I spilled over her like a wave of joy,
And I loved her with every part of me,
Like a child, like a man and at times like a youthful innocent boy,
So, I continue to love her everyday and today,
With the clarity of my mind,
Because my heart beats for her everyday,
And wherever I may see, it is her eyes, her lips and her, that I find,
And it shall be so today and tomorrow too, because it is a feeling pleasuresome,
To love her now as I loved her then,
And when I think of you Irma, time does not become burdensome,
Because somehow it feels now, as it felt then!”
Source: They Loved in 2075!
“When designing for digital mediums, it’s easy to become detached from how design decisions affect the end user. The word “user” itself can be a vehicle for that detachment. When the “user” doesn’t have a face and a name, it becomes a formless concept, blending in with other quantitative metrics and taking on any assumed needs to justify business decisions. It quickly becomes a number on a crowded dashboard, and its reaction to the product is just another metric to consider in an effort to increase revenue.”
Source: Tragic Design: The True Impact of Bad Design and How to Fix It
“Look deep into your user problem, and you will design better.”
“If the forest were covered with ten times the number of blue markers I had seen on my hike, the probability of my getting lost would certainly be reduced. One could imagine the markers organized in a more symbolic shape—say a real arrow, instead of a cryptic linear marker. And if we wish to go that far, why not just paint the more explicit text, "This way," on the rocks in 100-point Helvetica so there's no ambiguity whatsoever? Yet at some point, with the successive addition of more sophisticated elements, the true value of the untainted forest suddenly vanishes.”
Source: The Laws of Simplicity
“Usability plays a much wider role in our lives than most people realize. It’s not
just about using a website, a piece of software, or the latest technology. Usability is
about setting up a tent, relighting a furnace to heat a home, trying to figure out a
tax form, or driving an unfamiliar rental car. Usability impacts everyone, every day.
It cuts across cultures, age, gender, and economic class.”
Source: Measuring the User Experience: Collecting, Analyzing, and Presenting Usability Metrics