These days, everyone is trying to figure out how to connect with other people. It used to be simple, you just placed some ads in whatever newspaper that was most suited to your product, but now that world is becoming ever more irrelevant. So how do you connect with other people today? And more importantly, how do you do it tomorrow? »
Life was simple in the old days and designing for the internet was pretty straight forward. But today, or more importantly, tomorrow, things have change quite a bit. »
Every single year, ICANN have a meeting, and on the agenda is ‘what new top level domains should we introduce'. And every single year a number of groups propose their own top-level domains. For instance, Al Gore, along with some Hollywood celebrities, are proposing .eco. But do we really need new domains? »
What is the most important change when it comes to understanding the new web? The answer to that is rather simple. The most important change is "choice". Or more specifically the number of choices you can make. »
Earlier today I posted an article about how you should use the social movement to your advantage (instead of just running a campaign). Tapping into the power of people is simply more effective than any other means of communications. »
Aren't ad-blockers great? If you got one, your internet experience is almost ad free. No annoying blinking windows, no in-page pup-ups that obscures part of the page, no videos suddenly playing without you asking for it. But there is a flip side to all of this, and it affects you too. »
One of the most important lessons I have learned from making web experiences, is that the little things are much more important than the big stuff. It is the little things that kill you. »
One of the big "issues" for a lot of people on the internet is how do I become a success? How do I become the best? How do I beat the competition? But, you know, it is not that hard, unless your definition of success is to be "bigger than Google". »
Yesterday was a day full of exciting new announcements. First we got Adobe CS 4, and later in the day, T-Mobile also announced the first Google Android phone. »
It is amazing that what used to be science fiction is now pretty much reality. The inventions have already been made, the innovative ideas have been put forward, the technology is more than capable, and the cost is not a problem either. So what is the problem? Why don't we yet live in the sci-fi future we dream of? »
If you give me two glasses of good red wine, I will probably be able to tell them apart - and I will certainly be able to tell which one I like the most. But that doesn't make me a wine connoisseur. While I can tell which one I personally like, I cannot tell you which one is actually the best one. To do that, I need experience. »
I often write about efficiency because it is the most important element in creating a great user experience. But efficiency is not just about getting things done, or doing something as fast as possible. Efficiency is really about optimizing the user experience. »
Creating a usable product is one of the most important things you can do. Where would Apple's iPhone be if it wasn't because it was so damn usable? But many products have a kind of hit-and-miss approach. There is no overall plan; usability is done in areas that seem right at any given moment. »
The question of online privacy is a very hot topic. Many people have an opinion, many companies talk about it - but few really protect your privacy. »
Security companies and IT people constantly tells us that we should use complex and difficult passwords. This is bad advice, because you can actually make usable, easy to remember and highly secure passwords. In fact, usable passwords are often far better than complex ones. »
Imagine if we lived in a world where Blue was the only color. All our houses would be painted Blue, we would have Blue cars, Blue shoes, (Blue-ray), Blue refrigerators, and Blue sidewalks. Many people even have Blue hair and makeup. Blue is how the world works. »
Comment spam is undoubtedly one of the most annoying aspects of running a website. It literally sucks the joy out of it. The spam is everywhere, and everyone has problems with it. But, there is actually a way to solve the problem. »
Having the right tools for a job is just as important having a great idea - especially on the web. We see something new all the time and in many cases it is made with technology we know nothing about. »
2007 is here, and so it is time to look ahead and provide some wild guesses as to what will come. »
Within the usability community we constantly hear the mantra "make it easy", but lately more and more products are made too easy for their own good. Take something like Apple's Remote. It is incredible easy to use, but at the cost of essential functionality. Just a few more buttons, and a few tweaks to the interaction would make it much better. »
As you might have noticed this site has gone pink, and it is not because I have suddenly developed feministic tendencies - it is about something much more serious. Breast Cancer Awareness Month. »
As you might know, I got strange hobby. I design full-cover advertisements to put on cars, buses and even planes. Most of it never makes it out of the computer, but occasionally my designs becomes real. »
Should you publish at regular intervals, or does it really matter? In my opinion it doesn't. But, you shouldn't make your publication plan too irregular either. »
Updated: Added fun comic...
Andrei and Design by Fire is back. That is a good thing because he always has some interesting views (although I do not always agree with him). Like in his "I'm back" post where he takes a swing at a number of popular web services. »
I have now had the chance to use Office 2007, and I have created a number of documents with it and analyzed how much more efficient the new interface is. The verdict? It is a revolution in terms of efficient usability. »
In January I reviewed Google Video. In short I beat it with a virtual stick until I was satisfied that it was no good at all. Google Video is a hyped up piece of wasted efforts. »
Music videos are traditionally something you either see or listen to - or both. But is that really the only way? What if you could touch it? Interact with it? »
Audi has created a movie about the legendary 24 hours of Le Mans, from Audi's perspective. It is a thrilling story, about what it takes to be a part of this amazing event. Definitely worth a look, if you are into this sort of thing. »
One of the most disturbing trends on the internet are ‘geo-targeting'. It is a way for you to identify where people are from. It can improve the experience if used right, but it can also destroy your business if done wrong. Sadly, many companies don't get it and use it to add restrictions. »
You know, I have never really liked Facebook. I use it, and a like the interaction between people, but I absolutely hate the ‘usability'. They just don't get it. »
I am very much against any form of piracy. Whether it is people from Somalia capturing a ship, or ordinary people downloading content over the internet. But there are two kinds of pirates. One is the real pirate, who plunders and rapes our society because they want to. The other, which accounts for nearly 95%, is people who turn to piracy out of necessity. »
You might have heard about the "Atheist Bus Campaign" by the British Humanist Association. They have placed banners on 800 buses and subway stations in England, saying "There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life". »
Every year I try to predict what will happen in the year to come, and this year is no different. So without further ado, here is the Web Trends to look out for in 2009. »
My new MacBook Pro arrived a few days ago, and while I have always had a Mac, my work is centered on Microsoft technologies. So my main computer, for the last 8 years, has been a Dell computer (at home), and an IBM/Lenovo ThinkPad at work... But now I can do everything on the Mac thanks to virtualization, and it is so cool! »
One of the main reasons why I don't like open-source is that it tries to compete in an already saturated market. It is like trying to make "an alternative to wine" in the wine districts of southern France. It is not going to work. »
I finally finished setting up Baekdal.com on Facebook, and it is now the official channel in the social networking sphere. »
I have been talking a lot about multi-touch, and I am very excited about how you can use it to directly manipulate something - as opposed to having a detached interaction. But the time for most of the wild experiments are over. We have indentified which areas that don't work very well and now multi-touch is moving into mainstream use. It has matured. »
People have been talking about the mobile internet revolution for many years. And even though almost anyone owns a mobile phone, mobile internet has not been that spectacular. That is until now. The mobile internet revolution has begun, and very little stands in its way. »
Back in 2006 I wrote the article "The Battle between Usability and User-Experience", where I illustrated that usability and user experience are two different things. Since then, I think, the problem has grown in proportion. »
There has always been a lot of talk about simplicity. "Make it simple" is a very common approach to creating better products. But, unfortunately a lot of people think that you can achieve simplicity by removing features and creating less. This is rarely the case. »
As you might have noticed this site has gone green - at least for the duration of this month. The purpose is to raise awareness to the "planet crisis", more specifically that we need to do something to prevent global warming. »
Gerry McGovern recently wrote that the best websites are the ugly ones - he is wrong. Only cheap companies can have ugly websites. »
We often discuss design. Should it be simple or complex? Should it be colorful or grayish? Do you make it low-tech or media rich? The answer can be found by looking at how design breathe. »
Carmine Coyote has written an excellent article on multitasking and how ineffective it makes us. »
A while ago I looked into what browser sizes people use to... well... browse the internet. I have received a good amount of feedback both as comments on the website, but more so in form of emails. With this article I will try to make sense of it all, and explain why the whole discussion about fluid vs. fixed layout is irrelevant. »
Viral marketing (word-of-mouth marketing) is a really cool thing. Just think about it... instead of spending an insane amount of money on newspapers ads, TV commercials or banner ads, you spent nothing - and let your fans do all the work for you. »
Update: The final report is ready.
I am going to publish my report on "Actual Browser Sizes" (see preview) in a about week. While you wait, I want to answer a question many people have asked: "how do you collect browser size statistics". »
Security are ruining our life. It is terrorizing user experience making "computing" less and less desirable. I think that instead of waging a "war on terror", we should wage a "war on security". »
There has been a lot of buzz lately about "Google Apps for your domain". It is said this will move Google into the enterprise world, and Microsoft will soon lose its dominance. »
Also available in Spanish
How do you get a high ranking on search engines? Well, here is a story of how you don't. »
The main reasons why it is so hard to create usable products is that there is a conflict between a high-usability level and great user-experience. You might think this as strange, but there is a important difference between the two. »
Today is big day. It is redesign day. This particular redesign has been underway for more 6 months. »
Manipulating your computer is, in general, not a very efficient way to work. Using the keyboard to - say "print the first page, in 4 copies, of a document", involves around 6 to 21 keystrokes. Using the mouse is not much better. »
If there is one thing I have learned over, and over, and over again, is that speed matters a lot. I have also learned (usually the hard way), that speed matters more today, than it did 10 years ago - even-though we now have broadband connections. »
Baekdal.com now features a completely redesigned commenting system that tabs into the power of social networks. Instead of manually typing in your name, you simply press a button. How amazing is that... »
Two days ago I wrote an article about "top-level domains", and I came up with the idea that we should simply eliminate them, and base the internet on digital identities. In short, instead of baekdal.com, my address would simply be ‘baekdal'. »
The big news during the last several months is that the blogs are dead. Now it's all about micro-blogging, and social networking. But is the blog really dead? Or is the death of blogs greatly exaggerated? »
A lot of internet professionals see President Barack Obama as a person that can show the world the importance of the internet. That the internet is not just a secondary way to communicate, but has to be treated as an essential, and all important way to connect to the people. »
The last thing I expected to happen this January was to see a product from Palm that would be really impressive. But the unexpected sometimes happens, and the new Palm Pre is very cool - especially from an interactive design perspective. »
To make a great product, you need to pay attention to the little things. You should stay away from "things" that get in the way, but at the same time, embrace those that help you progress. »
Over the last few days a story has floated around the internet, that Obama will have to be disconnected from the internet when he moves into the White House. I find that idea to be revolting. »
It is rare that I get to show you some of the things I do for a living, but today is an exception. I recently finished a project for 5 fashion companies. It is a special web experience for the iPhone. And it is something that I am quite excited about. »
Unless you have been living under a rock (or don't care about Apple), you probably already know about the new MacBook lineup. »
Online backup has, so far, been a joke. Most online backup solutions either limit your space to a couple of gigabytes, and if you need more (like everyone does) it costs a gazillion dollars. But, now HP has released Upline. »
It is 2008 and time for my annual look into the foggy future of the thing we call "the web" »
Adobe has pre-released a new version of the Flash 9 Player which includes support for HD quality video including hardware acceleration. This is big news for video on the Web but how close are we really to HD in our browsers? The short answer is... not that close. »
Bloomberg is undoubtedly one of the biggest players in the financial industry offering a wide range of products for people in and around Wall Street. One of their products is the Bloomberg Terminal. It is a 17" dual screen setup that displays the financial information from Bloomberg Profession Services - all in one tightly packed system. »
Making usable graphs is not as simple as it sounds because usable graphs are highly rich on detail, while showing a general trend. But, adding too much detail will make it hard to read, and you see the wrong trends if you don't. »
One of the worst things you can do is to not design for real people and real content. It is obvious in the same way that you will freeze if you sit in a freezer. That, however, doesn't seem to stop people from making a mess of everything. »
Second life is undoubtedly a big phenomenon, and it is an interesting example of social interaction mixed with massive capitalism - which is by no account a bad thing. But it is not the next web. It is not going to change how we interact in general. It is simply a brilliant example of wasting time on a massive scale. »
How do you create great products? Those kinds of products people really like to use, that they want other people to use and that has long-term potential? »
Digg.com is a fantastic site, it has an amazing influence on making stuff popular. But, it is also a constant burden on website owners. If you get "dugged" you got to have a very good hosting plan in order to stay online. »
Many write and publish on a daily basis - like the journalists at newspapers. But, whereas the journalists have an editorial staff, we have to do it all by ourselves. »
Update: The final report is ready.
For years we have seen statistics telling us the size of people's screens. We know that 1024x768 is the dominant screen size, and that large resolution screens are coming. »
I have been speaking out against the use of synchronous interaction principles on this site, and other places. It is has mostly been trough to use of words, but I really wanted to illustrate it instead.
The difference between asynchronous and synchronous interaction is that when it is synchronous you have to do each step at the time. You cannot do two things - or what is called multitasking. »
Windows Vista has been released for public testing (last week). But, none of the major anti-virus companies support the new operating system - yet. »
Update: Download NY Times Reader for Vista.
Microsoft and New York Times have revealed a new "PC based software application for news distribution" - or in short a desktop application for reading the newspaper. They call it the "Times Reader", and it is so far limited to Windows Vista. »
In January I wrote about the coming ActiveX update that will change how embedded content will be handled in Internet Explorer. In short, things like Flash movies will have to be activated (clicked) before they can be used. »
