Design Details

By Brian Lovin, Marshall BockTechnology Arts Design

Design Details episodes

November 28, 2018274: Well... It's Free ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
This week, we discuss sign-in walls and the design patterns behind offering free-ish content on the Internet. In News, we praise Samsung's new One UI for its strict adherence to Fitts' Law. And as always, we share a couple cool things, including a video game competition and a major update to a podcast app.
Sponsor:
This week's episode was brought to you by DuckDuckGo
DuckDuckGo helps you take back your privacy with their private search engine, mobile apps, and browser extensions. And right now they're hiring remote positions for Senior Product Designers! Make the internet a safer place, designing new products at DuckDuckGo.
Follow-up:
Green Bean Casserole makes Thanksgiving Thanksgiving, as far as Marshall's concerned
Our sincere apologies to Kevin Gutowski for the public shaming last episode. He replied with a link to the plugin pretty much immediately.
Get Kevin's Toggle Layers plugin if you want to set a different shortcut for Show/Hide ## Layers in Sketch
News:
Samsung One UI is designed to help you focus
Fitts' Law says that the closer and bigger a target is, the easier it is to hit
The top two-fifths of the screen is just the app name in system apps like Notes, Settings, and Messages
Video: "Samsung One UI walkthrough: Coming to Galaxy X"
Mojave puts a light stroke around windows in Dark mode
Video: "WWDC 2018: Introducing Dark Mode" — Seek to 7:34 for a rundown on the thought process behind the window strokes and shadows in Mojave
Point/Counterpoint:
Dribbble has a sign-in wall, and we're not sure how we feel about that
One Cool Thing:
Marshall shared "The Classic Tetris World Championships Explained" by aGameScout, a breakdown of the professional Tetris competition
Video Playlist: "Classic Tetris World Championships 2018"
Brian shared Pocket Casts, a popular podcast app that's been nicely overhauled in v7.0
Design Details on the Web:
We are @designdetailsfm
Brian is @brian_lovin
Marshall is @marshallbock
@Sarahberus and @Luperdev make us sound smarter than we are
Join the conversation on Spectrum or leave us a review on iTunes
BYEEEEEEE!
55 min
November 14, 2018273: Bespoke, Artisanal, Single-Batch Blog Post
This week, we talk about the uncanny sameness of the web and debate uniqueness in site design. In News, we discuss the pros and cons of sharing your early, in-progress work with non-designer colleagues. And as always, we share a couple cool things, including an immersive gaming experience and a new feature proposal for React.
Self-sponsor:
This week's episode was brought to you by the Spec Job Board
If you're a designer or a developer, or if you're looking to hire one, check out the Job Board on Spec.fm. With listings at $100/month, it's super affordable to find your next hire through Spec.
Follow-up:
The Dunning-Kruger Effect features "Mount Stupid and the Valley of Despair," not "Stupid Mountain and the Valley of Doubt." Pretty close, though.
Video: Apple October Event 2018 (1:10:00) - A very precarious grip method on the new iPad
The new Smart Keyboard for iPad, when in tablet mode, doesn't feel so great with the keys on the back
Kevin Gutowski might have a workaround for the Cmd-H issue in the future. Stay tuned :)
Video: "DOZENS!"
Article: "New Chrome Feature Prevents Those Didn’t-Mean-To-Quit Blues"
Jakob's Law
News:
Josh Hemsley tweeted a screenshot of collaborating with non-designers in Figma
Morgan Knutson had a thoughtful response
17:06 - Note: Marshall says "parallel." He meant "serial."
Article: "Why Do All Websites Look the Same?"
Article: "Skeuomorphic Design — A controversial UX approach that is making a comeback"
Claudio Guglieri has a very nice personal site
We found Claudio's lost blog posts!
Article: "Why Game Accessibility Matters"
Graceful degradation versus progressive enhancement
One Cool Thing:
Marshall shared Red Dead Redemption 2
Video: "11 Of The Most Amazing Details In Red Dead Redemption 2"
"Red Dead Redemption 2's 80 Second Rule"
Morality in Mass Effect provides the extremes of Paragon and Renegade
Brian shared React Hooks
Design Details on the Web:
We are @designdetailsfm
Brian is @brian_lovin
Marshall is @marshallbock
@Sarahberus and @Luperdev make us sound smarter than we are
Join the conversation on Spectrum or leave us a review on iTunes
BYEEEEEEE!
48 min
November 07, 2018272: Stupid Mountain
This week, we debate the use of the term "junior" and look back on Stupid Mountain from the Valley of Doubt. In News, we discuss the announcements from the latest Apple event, including the new iPad Pro product page. And in Cool Things, Brian shares a thorough article on Apple's Maps improvements, and Marshall rants about keyboard shortcuts.
Follow-up:
The Dunning-Kruger Effect is a cognitive bias in which people of low ability have illusory superiority and mistakenly assess their cognitive ability as greater than it is.
Here's a graph of the effect, featuring Stupid Mountain (aka Mt. Stupid) and the Valley of Doubt (aka Valley of Despair)
Event Recap:
Watch the full Apple Event or a 9-minute edited version
Check out the new products: iPad Pro, MacBook Air, Mac mini, and Apple Pencil
You should play with the iPad Pro product page on your phone in landscape orientation to know what we're talking about for most of this segment
Sycophant, n. - a self-seeking, servile flatterer; fawning parasite
r/fellowkids
Article: "Apple's new MacBook Air and 2018 MacBook Pros disconnect the microphone when you close the lid to stop hackers from eavesdropping on your conversations"
Video for Marshall's reference to "diamond-cut chamfers"
Article: "Apple Launches Special Event Page for October Event With Dynamic Set of Apple Logos"
One Cool Thing:
Brian shared "Apple's New Maps" by Justin O'Beirne
Marshall shared Keyboard Maestro, a productivity booster for Mac
Article: "⌘ + Q: I didn’t mean to do that"
Design Details on the Web:
We are @designdetailsfm
Brian is @brian_lovin
Marshall is @marshallbock
@Sarahberus and @Luperdev make us sound smarter than we are
Join the conversation on Spectrum or leave us a review on iTunes
BYEEEEEEE!
44 min
October 31, 2018271: Principles of Design
This week, we dive deep on several design principles that will help you make better decisions when creating interfaces and interactions. In Follow-up, we discuss the etiquette of responding to recruiter emails, and in News, we cover Twitter's latest exploration into presence and status. And as always, we share a couple cool things, including an innovative basketball shoe and an updated personal site.
Self-sponsor:
This week's episode was brought to you by the Spec Job Board
If you're a designer or a developer, or if you're looking to hire one, check out the Job Board on Spec.fm. With listings at $100/month, it's super affordable to find your next hire through Spec.
Follow-up:
Here's Morgan Knutson’s tweetstorm again, for reference
News:
MG Seigler tweeted: "As redundant as it may sound at first, I love the Twitter “status” idea. A throwback to OG Twitter too! (Still don’t love the idea of presence though.)"
Article: "Twitter tests new profile features, including presence indicators and ‘ice breakers’"
Site: Spec.fm now has a "global player" that continues playing as you browse
Listener Question:
Dmitry Veremchuk (@d_ver on Twitter) asks: "Is there a limit to number of the side projects one takes on? Because personally, I am interested in animation, video editing, illustration, programming, photography, and many more things. Starting projects in all of these fields would be daunting and of a low quality."
Discussion:
Site: Jon Yablonski collected these Laws of UX
Fitts' Law: "The time to acquire a target is a function of the distance to and size of the target."
Article: Luke Wroblewski wrote "Designing for Large Screen Smartphones"
Material Design: Floating Action Button
FABs in Material Design 2.0 can be centered for better reachability
Action sheets in Apple's Human Interface Guidelines
Jakob's Law: "Users spend most of their time on other sites. This means that users prefer your site to work the same way as all the other sites they already know."
Loren Brichter introduced pull-to-refresh in Tweetie
Video: "Loren Brichter on Tweetie"
Apple uses scroll-jacking on their Mojave site
Bock's Law: "Most people don't have the newest shit."
Note: The "grandparent phone" Marshall was thinking of is called Jitterbug
Wenni's Principle: "Don't move tap targets."
The Doherty Threshold: "Productivity soars when a computer and its users interact at a pace (<400ms) that ensures that neither has to wait on the other."
Article: "Improved Perceived Performance with Skeleton Screens"
Hick's Law: "The time it takes to make a decision increases with the number and complexity of choices."
Video: "The paradox of choice | Barry Schwartz"
Book: "Thinking Fast and Slow" by Daniel Kahneman
"Faster Horses" is a quote by Henry Ford
Miller's Law: "The average person can only keep 7 (plus or minus 2) items in their working memory."
Gestalt Grouping
Law of Common Region: "Elements tend to be perceived into groups if they are sharing an area with a clearly defined boundary."
Law of Proximity: "Objects that are near, or proximate to each other, tend to be grouped together."
Law of Similarity: "The human eye tends to perceive similar elements in a design as a complete picture, shape, or group, even if those elements are separated."
Image: iOS Settings
GIF: Emergency Alert System
Image: Don't Dead Open Inside
r/dontdeadopeninside
Affordance: "the qualities or properties of an object that define its possible uses or make clear how it can or should be used"
Book: "The Design of Everyday Things" by Don Norman
Article: "Norman Doors: Don’t Know Whether to Push or Pull? Blame Design."
Video: "It's not you. Bad doors are everywhere."
Article: "Affordances and Signifiers in Mobile Interface Design"
GIF: Apple Music's Now Playing sheet
Image: Confusing segmented controller (Which one is selected?)
Did we miss your favorite law, rule, or principle? Do have one of your own principles? Let us know on Twitter :) or Spectrum
One Cool Thing:
Marshall shared the new Air Jordan XXXIII
Note: Marshall mistakenly called it the "Flight System," but it's really called "Fast-Fit". Way off.
Brian shared his updated personal site
Design Details Blog
The Internet Archive Project
Design Details on the Web:
We are @designdetailsfm
Brian is @brian_lovin
Marshall is @marshallbock
@Sarahberus and @Luperdev make us sound smarter than we are
Join the conversation on Spectrum or leave us a review on iTunes
Stinger:
Master P - Make 'em Say Ugh (Ft. Fiend, Silkk The Shocker, Mia X & Mystikal)
BYEEEEEEE!
1 hr 3 min
October 24, 2018270: Onward Into the Dark
This week, we discuss the tradeoffs of sensor-laden home devices and the future of personalized advertising. We also follow up on Morgan's tweetstorm with a chat about "dream jobs" and navigating workplace politics. In cool things, Brian shares a workout tracking app and Marshall is bullish on shoes.
Self-sponsor:
This week's episode was brought to you by the Spec Job Board
If you're a designer or a developer, or if you're looking to hire one, check out the Job Board on Spec.fm. With listings at $100/month, it's super affordable to find your next hire through Spec.
Follow-up:
Thanks to @tomato_glue and @divya_tak for tweeting the nice tweets :)
Charlie Deets is just one man
Here's Morgan Knutson’s tweetstorm for reference
Video: "With great power comes great responsibility"
Video: “Be water, my friend”
News:
Site: Facebook's Portal is a smart hands-free calling device
Article: "Facebook Portal’s claims to protect user privacy are falling apart"
Discussion:
Image: Mark Zuckerberg with a taped up laptop
Article: "Alexa Wants to Know How You’re Feeling Today"
Article: "Spotify can tell if you’re sad. Here’s why that should scare you."
Video: "Minority Report Mall Scene" shows the future of personalized advertising
Video: "HYPER-REALITY" shows the future of advertising when it's just fucking everywhere
Video: "Minority Report Eye Surgery Scene" (NSFL)
Site: Apple Homepod doesn't have a camera fwiw
One Cool Thing:
Brian shared Fitbod, a personalized workout tracking app for iOS
Site: Tonal is a wall-mounted home gym
Article: "GymKit is the best thing to happen to treadmills in a long time"
Marshall shared StockX, a stock market for shoes and other gear
Site: OXO POP containers are great for organizing your pantry
You can even buy the Nike Air Mag from that scene in Back to the Future II (for like $10,000 USD)
Video: "Shoes the Full Version" (NSFW)
Design Details on the Web:
We are @designdetailsfm
Brian is @brian_lovin
Marshall is @marshallbock
@Sarahberus and @Luperdev make us sound smarter than we are
Join the conversation on Spectrum or leave us a review on iTunes
BYEEEEEEE!
46 min
October 17, 2018269: The Ignorance-Is-Bliss Thing
This week, we discuss Morgan Knutson's tweetstorm regarding his time working on the sunsetting Google+, and we extract some nuggets of wisdom worth exploring, especially negotiating one's starting compensation at a new job. Then we share a couple cool things, including another little Mac productivity utility and a beautifully useful camera app for iOS.
Follow-up:
Check out the Spec.fm Job Board if you're looking to hire or get hired
VSCO is hiring a senior product designer
Game Maker’s Toolkit's latest entry in his Designing for Disability series is about "Making Games Better for Players with Motor Disabilities"
Time Travel (introduced in watchOS 2) was removed in watchOS 5
Thanks, UXOrigami! And you too can leave us an iTunes review :)
News:
"Google is shutting down Google+ for consumers following security lapse"
Morgan Knutson aired some "dirty laundry" in a tweetstorm about his experiences working on Google+
Discussion:
Buffer has a transparent salary system
Tyler Galpin was kind enough to point out that it's now illegal in California for employers to ask applicants about their prior salary
Patrick McKenzie wrote "Salary Negotiation: Make More Money, Be More Valued"
One Cool Thing:
"RIGBY"
Note: For future reference, "It's Not New, But It Is Cool" will be shortened to "INNBIIC"
Marshall shared Yoink, a drag-and-drop utility for Mac
Fitt's Law says that the time required to rapidly move to a target area is a function of the ratio between the distance to the target and the width of the target
Brian shared Halide, an iOS camera app developed by Sebastiaan de With and Ben Sandofski
"What Does It Mean When Apple "Sherlocks" an App?"
Design Details on the Web:
We are @designdetailsfm
Brian is @brian_lovin
Marshall is @marshallbock
@Sarahberus and @Luperdev make us sound smarter than we are
Join the conversation on Spectrum or leave us a review on iTunes
BYEEEEEEE!
42 min
October 10, 2018268: I Want It That Way
This week, we discuss user preferences and whether a lot is too much. In News, we talk about Sketch's new site, recap the Figma contest fallout, and conduct a requiem for Path. And as always, we share a couple cool things, including a wireless mesh network and tchotchkes in plastic bubbles.
Sponsors:
This week's episode was brought to you in part by ProtoPie:
ProtoPie is a tool that makes prototyping as easy as pie, and they have a special offer for Design Details listeners. Use the code DESIGNDETAILS by October 30, 2018 to get a 17-free day trial and a 30% discount.
This week's episode was also brought to you in part by Asana:
Asana is growing, and they’re looking to hire 6 new product designers and design managers via a few days of interviews in Chicago and Austin. Find out more by clicking on the links at the top of https://asana.design.
Follow-up:
Photo: Podcasting is serious bizznizz
We got some new iTunes Reviews from some wonderfully kind folks! Feel free to leave your own :)
We tweeted out a couple polls on last episode's vehicles
News:
"Dark Mode, Data, a brand new look and more in Sketch 52"
"The new website is really nice." —NiceboyTM
"Introducing: Figma’s first API Challenge"
"We made a mistake with our API Challenge, and we’re sorry"
Path Blog: "The Last Goodbye"
Path's (+) button animation on YouTube
Here's a video review from back then, which shows the timeline, scrollbar clock, and reactions
Point/Counterpoint:
Shadow of the Tomb Raider on YouTube Gaming (plug lol)
Doom difficulty spectrum
Tomb Raider difficulty spectrum
Spectrum (plug lol)
Apollo app has a lot of customization options
God of War difficulty spectrum
Spider-Man difficulty spectrum
"You're holding it wrong"
Vintage Burger King Commercial - Have it Your Way - 1974 on YouTube
Backstreet Boys - I Want It That Way on YouTube
"You've been sherlocked"
"Sketch sherlocked Midnight with 52." —Marshall
f.lux
One Cool Thing:
Marshall shared eero
Brian shared gashapon
"Life's a journey, not a destination" —Steven Tyler
Steins;Gate
Fidget Cube
Design Details on the Web:
We are @designdetailsfm
@Brian_Lovin and @MarshallBock are the talky boys
@Sarahberus and @Luperdev make us sound smarter than we are
Join the conversation on Spectrum or leave us a review on iTunes
Tell me BYEEEEEEE!
49 min
October 03, 2018267: Don't Wanna Yuck Anyone's Yum
This week, we look at a few different concepts of what a car could be if you didn't need to drive it. In News, we discuss the new Mailchimp redesign and shout out Design+Code for Framer X. And we share a couple Cool Things, including a few Google app features that are great for travelers and some fancy lights that go behind your television.
Sponsors:
This week's episode was brought to you in part by ProtoPie:
ProtoPie is a tool that makes prototyping as easy as pie, and they have a special offer for Design Details listeners. Use the code DESIGNDETAILS by October 30, 2018 to get a 17-free day trial and a 30% discount.
This week's episode was also brought to you in part by Asana:
Asana is growing, and they’re looking to hire 6 new product designers and design managers via a few days of interviews in Chicago and Austin. Find out more by clicking on the links at the top of https://asana.design.
Follow-up:
"Seven days"
We talked about Sketch 52 Beta on the previous episode
Kyle Mitchell tweeted that he appreciates our show notes
Note: If you're reading this, Marshall says hi :)
You can search Spec.fm for anything mentioned in the show notes of an episode, such as, say, I dunno, maybe "Tactile Paving"
News:
"Mailchimp Has a New Look"
"Evolving the Dropbox brand"
"RIGBY" [NSFW Language]
Mailchimp landing page
Postmark landing page
Mailchimp Yellow: #FFE01B
Postmark Yellow: #FFDE00
Three Thumbs Up illustration
Stair Leg illustration
Bruno Serdo's Online Gallery
Mushrooms illustration
Magnifying Glass Guy illustration
QWOP and Getting Over It are both made by Bennett Foddy
Meng To of Design+Code has a new course for Framer X
Device Review:
"Volvo's 360c Concept Has Softened My Cynicism About Autonomous Cars"
"Concept Vs Reality: 15 Concept Cars Way More Sick Than The Versions We Got"
Marshall's first car looked something like this. He was very popular.
"The 360c: 360º Safety" video
Stephanie Engle talked about the driver-pedestrian contract on Design Details Episode 251: Hip-Hop & Horses (feat. Steph Engle)
"Jaguar is adding artificial motor sounds to its all-electric I-Pace"
"Nio Eve: Our vision for an autonomous car of the future"
Lexus 2054 from Minority Report
"The Mercedes-Benz F 015 Luxury in Motion"
Three very serious white people doing business
Check out @designdetailsfm to weigh in on the poll
One Cool Thing:
Brian shared Google Translate and Google Maps' offline feature
Babel fish is a Hitchhiker's Guide reference
Marshall shared Dreamscreen
Design Details on the Web:
We are @designdetailsfm
@Brian_Lovin and @MarshallBock are the talky boys
@Sarahberus and @Luperdev make us sound smarter than we are
Join the conversation on Spectrum or leave us a review on iTunes
BYEEEEEEE!
55 min
September 26, 2018266: Stay Warm Out There, Tauntaun
This week, we debate the line between constructive and malevolent criticism, discuss some sunsetting news, and briefly preview the new Sketch beta. And as always, we share a couple cool things, including a Reddit app alternative and a logistical nightmare.
Follow-up:
"Guidance on the Use of Tactile Paving Surfaces"
Here's a great rundown on the experience of eating at Ichiran Ramen (now with two locations in NYC!)
Respect to @chrisd008 for beating us at the Helvarial Quiz
"Stay warm out there, Tauntaun"
1-star 5-star
"Richard is a nice guy, but y'know" (NSFW Language)
The Infograph watch face
Infograph face with Digital Clock sub-dial
23:37 - Marshall says "phone" here, but he meant "watch." His apologies. He blames jetlag.
News:
"Inbox is signing off: find your favorite features in the new Gmail"
"Gaming gets a new home on YouTube"
ColorBox by Lyft Design
Tool Review:
Download Sketch 52 Beta
Sketch 52 Beta release notes
Here's a screenshot of the Properties panel in dark mode
33:13 - Marshall says "page titles" here, but he meant "artboard titles." Again, jetlag.
Here's that example of snapping Marshall mentioned
Midnight is a pre-Mojave dark mode plugin
One Cool Thing:
Marshall shared a Reddit app for iOS called Apollo
Daniel Hooper makes Principle
Leave feature requests and bug reports at r/apolloapp
Brian shared the Terracotta Army
"No one man should have all that power"
Design Details on the Web:
We are @designdetailsfm
Brian is @brian_lovin
Marshall is @marshallbock
Sarah is @sarahberus
Drew is @luperdev
Join the conversation on Spectrum
Leave us a review on iTunes
This week's episode was also brought to you in part by ProtoPie:
ProtoPie is a tool that makes prototyping as easy as pie, and they have a special offer for Design Details listeners. Use the code DESIGNDETAILS by October 30, 2018 to get a 17-free day trial and a 30% discount.
This week's episode was brought to you in part by Asana:
Asana is growing, and they’re looking to hire 6 new product designers and design managers via a few days of interviews in Chicago and Austin. Find out more by clicking on the links at the top of https://asana.design.
49 min
September 19, 2018265: Travel Edition
This week, we're both trotting the globe, so we discuss some interesting accessibility features we've encountered during our travels. And Apple had a event announcing new iPhones and a new Watch, so (of course) we talk about that stuff.
Follow-up:
Brian owes Marshall a Coca-Cola for losing a bet made at the very end of the previous episode
Event Recap:
Apple launched new iPhones and a new Apple Watch in their latest event
Apple's event invite had Marshall thinking it was a reference to the coil in the AirPower wireless charging mat
"Apple’s AirPower wireless charging mat reportedly plagued by overheating issues"
John Gruber's shares his "Thoughts and Observations on Apple’s iPhone XS/XR and Series 4 Apple Watch Introductory Event"
Steve Jobs on the Apple product matrix
LifeCall (not Life Alert) commercial: "I've fallen, and I can't get up!"
Apple's new GiveBack program
Travelogue:
Note: After doing a little research, it's clear the story Marshall told about the origin of "The Land of the Morning Calm" is actually apocryphal. Well, shit.
Percival Lowell, a businessman and scientist, is credited with coining the phrase
The Forbidden City
Tactile Paving
Here's a 108-page design document on the proper installation of tactile paving
The percentage of visually impaired people in Japan was 1.3% in 2007
Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto talks about solving multiple problems with a single solution
Here's a great video by Mark Brown of Game Maker's Toolkit on multipurpose design solutions in the game Downwell
Crossing signals
Here's a (warning: very shaky) video showing these pedestrian crossing signals
Seven-segment display
Here's a video of the crossing sounds, sometimes accompanied by bird chirps
"China's Obsession with QR Codes"
Alien Tommy Lee Jones Japanese Commercials
"Meiwaku and Gaijin: Politeness and Group-Mentality in Japan"
Note: It's actually pronounced may'-wah-koo
Design Details on the Web:
We are @designdetailsfm
Brian is @brian_lovin
Marshall is @marshallbock
Sarah is @sarahberus
Drew is @luperdev
Join the conversation on Spectrum
Leave us a review on iTunes
This week's episode was brought to you in part by Asana:
Asana is growing, and they’re looking to hire 6 new product designers and design managers via a few days of interviews in Chicago and Austin. Find out more by clicking on the links at the top of https://asana.design.
This week's episode was also brought to you in part by InVision Studio:
InVision Studio is the world’s most powerful screen design tool that brings together design, prototyping, animation, and collaboration all in one place. Check it out and get started for free at https://www.invisionapp.com/studio.
52 min