Simplification Archives

• 31 Dec 2009

  Fixing Twitter from the Other Extreme

  "What we need to do to design is to look at the extremes. The middle will take care of itself." —Dan Formosa, from the documentary "Objectified" When Twitter introduced features to address their retention problems with new users, they failed...

• 8 Jul 2009

  Create a Slick Site Map with SlickMap CSS

  No kidding. It's slick alright. And very simple to implement. SlickMap CSS

• 22 Feb 2009

  Using Inline-Block to Create Grid Layouts in CSS

  This makes me so happy, I could cry. Easily create a grid layout with variable heights using the CSS inline-block property (and an ie6 hack): Mozilla WebDev: Cross-Browser Inline-Block.

• 18 Jan 2009

  Insane GUI

  If it weren't for the ear, I'm not sure I could have figured out what this app does. Max Magic Microtuner via Daring Fireball

• 31 Dec 2007

  Media / File / Measurement Converter

  Wickedly useful online app, youconvertit will convert documents, media files even various units of measurement....

• 25 Nov 2007

  IE for OS X

  Install IE 5 through 7 side by side on OS X. Testing for IE on the Mac just got a hell of a lot easier: ies4osx. (For MacIntel machines only.)

• 25 Nov 2007

  Tooltips

  More tooltips than you can shake a stick at from css-only solutions to fancy javascript implementations. Via Smashing Magazine.

• 12 Nov 2007

  Simplified Forms

  Tips for Creating Great Web Forms includes table-less hints on handlng forms markup. Make sure to refer to Luke W's article on Primary and Secondary Actions in Web Forms for applying usability best practices.

• 28 Sep 2007

  CSS Sprite Generator

  Sprite Generator is a tool that allows you to upload a bunch of images and stitch them into a single image optimized for use as a CSS sprite.

• 27 Sep 2007

  Lorem Ipsum Plus

  Although the dummy *words* in this copyfitting application are a little too uniform, nevertheless, it's a great tool for estimating copyfit and character count: Dummy copy for copyfitting.

• 7 Mar 2007

  Repeat after me: Web users scan...

  You can never collect enough tips about effective copywriting for the Web: Does Your Copy Hold Up To A Quick Glance?

• 1 Feb 2007

  Featuritis or just fudged numbers?

  Two-thirds of Brits Use Just 4 Functions on their Phones. Pretty sensational. Except I'm not sure how many functions in total their phones had? Five? (If so, then 4 out of 5 isn't bad at all.) How useful were those other functions? For comparison, most people only use about 10% of the features of MS Word (and, no, this wasn't intended to be a jab at Microsoft). Frankly, who says the customer has to use all the features anyway? As long as they're happy with the product, who cares if he/she only uses one thing?

• 10 Dec 2006

  Don Norman's Heresy

  Don Norman makes a rather provocative assertion: Simplicity Is Highly Overrated. "Given a choice, [people] will take the item that does more. Features win over simplicity...

• 30 Nov 2006

  Forms up the Wazoo

  I really heart Smashing Magazine's well-curated collections of practical resources for designers. This time around, I stumbled upon a treasure trove of web forms resources: CSS-Based Forms: Modern Solutions.

• 8 Nov 2006

  Visualizing the Art of Complex Problem Solving

  The Art of Complex Problem Solving visually disentangled in a series of rollovers. Okay, so maybe it's still not that comprehensible. (Via Design Observer)

• 27 Sep 2006

  URL Best Practices

  Good reminders/advice on developing human-readable URLs: 11 Best Practices for URLs.

• 19 Sep 2006

  Customized Menu Using Shortcuts in a Folder

  In the old days before Mac OSes used Roman numerals, you used to be able to easily customize your applications list under the Apple menu to easily access files, folders, apps or utilities through a menu list. By adding shortcuts to a folder and then dragging that onto your dock, you can simulate that feature. Add Folders to Your Dock via Apple Pro Max OS X Tips.

• 7 Sep 2006

  Screen Type Preview Tool

  Easily visualize, compare and generate the CSS markup for screen typography with Font Tester: preview screen type. It has pretty hideous default settings but, hey, it's effective, comes with a good number of customizable properties and it's free!

• 24 Aug 2006

  Shorty: Improving URL Abbreviation Tools

  In the same vein as URL(x), Shorty produces human readable shortened URLs, but with a twist: you host it so you can track clicks and aren't dependent on someone else's server. Brought to you by Khoi Vinh and Reed Morse. Shorty.

• 24 Aug 2006

  PMS to RGB Decoder Ring

  A lookup table for converting Pantone colors to Hex values. Color Codes Matching Chart HTML (Pantone, CMYK, RGB Hex). Now if only someone would do the same for TOYO.

• 17 Aug 2006

  CSS Optimizers Tested

  Blogging Pro does a great job of testing a handful of free CSS optimizers so you don't have to: CSS Optimization: Make Your Sites Load Faster for Free

• 29 Jul 2006

  WYSIWYG Web2.0 Editor

  Just found Aptana -- a free WYSIWYG XHTML/CSS editor for those of us who don't mind taking shortcuts. It comes preloaded with a number of javascript libraries such as Prototype, script.aculo.us, Dojo, etc. Available for Windows, Mac even Linux. Via blog.wired.com .

• 13 Jul 2006

  Password Exporter Extension for Firefox

  I haven't installed any Firefox extensions in a while but this one is an exception. "This extension allows you to export and import your saved passwords and rejected sites between computers. Your passwords will be exported to an XML file and can be encrypted." Password Exporter 1.0.3 via Lifehacker.

• 10 Jul 2006

  Simplicity is about focusing on fundamentals

  In Simplicity demands difficult choices, Jerry McGovern points to Apple and Google as examples of simplicity done right -- by focusing on the user experience for the most basic, common tasks.

• 8 Jul 2006

  Code Snippet Motherload

  Snipplr Code 2.0 is searchable community-driven database for source code snippets, similar to koders (mentioned last 11/04).

• 8 Jul 2006

  W3C's Draft Spec for Columns in CSS3

  The proposed spec outlines a more simplified approach to defining columns with new column properties such as column-count, column-width, column-rule and column-gap: Multi Column layout in CSS.

• 3 Jul 2006

  Feature Fatigue

  Gerry McGovern waxes about feature fatigue as a shortsighted strategy: Complexity delivers short-term gain but long-term pain.

• 28 Jun 2006

  Get Your Daily Dose of Widgets

  I just found widget heaven: Widgetoko: Your daily dose of widget-y goodness.

• 23 Jun 2006

  Investing and Simplification

  Interesting study by Adam Alter and Daniel Oppenheimer shows there's a correlation between simple company names and their market performance: BPS Research: Why you should invest in shares with simple names.

• 22 Jun 2006

  Quicksilver Cheat Sheet

  Be even quicker with Quicksilver! TUAW found a a great cheat sheet for Quicksilver -- the must-have productivity tool for OS X users! Quicksilver cheatsheet and user manual.

• 13 Jun 2006

  Taming the Spaghetti Monster

  I so love this Lifehacker tip on how to conceal your workspace's unruly cable mess: Hack Attack The Cordless Workspace (sort of).

• 13 Jun 2006

  Universal Packing List

  The Universal Packing List is an online form that generates a list of stuff you need to pack for your trip based on climate, activity, accommodations, etc. Wish it had a category for techie travellers -- I always forget chargers for gadgets.

• 12 Jun 2006

  Jakob Tackles the Inbox

  Jakob Nielsen just published a number of findings on email newsletter usability (updated from a February 2004 report). This time, the study also includes usability findings for RSS, err, news feeds: Email Newsletters: Surviving Inbox Congestion.

• 12 Jun 2006

  Car Design: Luxury and Complexity

  According to a study by JD Powers, the high price tag for premium features on many luxury cars apparently don't include usability. How Do You Turn On The #@!&% Air?

• 31 May 2006

  Web-Stalking, Simplified

  Ooh, I'm really enjoying Stalkerati.com. It lets me snoop on people efficiently! (What does this say about me?) :)

• 29 May 2006

  Online Compression Tool

  Compress/decompress files through Krunch, a simple, online web utility that supports .zip, .rar and .gzip file formats. Krunch.

• 28 May 2006

  Pixel to Em Converter

  Nice little tool helps you convert your CSS markup from pixels to ems: Em Calculator.

• 23 May 2006

  Banish "www."

  Typing it is annoying. Saying it is even more cumbersome. Let's face it, there's no need for it: www. is deprecated.

• 22 May 2006

  Del.icio.us Color Swatches

  Use del.icio.us to save or browse through color palettes: del.icio.us/tag/ColorScheme

• 21 May 2006

  Microsoft's 4,000-Page Open XML Draft Standard

  "At 4,000 plus pages, a 6.7MB Microsoft Word document, the Open XML draft standard is less of a standard and more of a painfully detailed description of how Open XML could be used to display almost any possible Microsoft Office...

• 17 May 2006

  Tech Speak

  I advocate simplicity in everything. But articles like this, Why the Tech Industry Needs to Change Its Language, only tell half the story...

• 8 May 2006

  Complexity and the Noodle

  Technology is supposed to help make things simple. And it often does, though at times, it comes at an expense. Take the Biang Biang noodles, for instance. The Chinese character "Biang", made up of 57 strokes, is one of the most complex Chinese characters in contemporary use...

• 2 May 2006

  Poor Usability for Mobile TV

  Research conducted by Amberlight reveals that while consumers want mobile TV, they are "put off by poor design and user experience." picturephoning.com: Poor user experience puts consumers off mobile TV in droves.

• 1 May 2006

  Design for Invisibility

  Good design disguises the complex mess that runs behind things. "To be truly successful, a complex technology needs to 'disappear'". Now you see it, now you don't | Economist.com.

• 25 Apr 2006

  Photoshop Browser Templates

  If you ever need to show mockups within specific browser environments, then you'll want to download this free Photoshop template: Free Photoshop browser templates for webdesigners and screendesigners | webdesignerstoolkit.com.

• 25 Apr 2006

  Thumbs Up for ThinkFree Online Office

  You get 1GB file storage. You can create, edit, collaborate and share Microsoft-compatible word processing documents, spreadsheets and presentations. Did I mention that it's entirely free? ThinkFree. I've only just started to play with it so I'm sure there are more features that I haven't uncovered yet. It probably makes coffee too.

• 24 Apr 2006

  Consequences of Erudite Vernacular Utilized Irrespective of Necessity: Problems with Using Long Words Needlessly

  Once again, complexity takes a back seat to simplicity as studies confirm that readers are more impressed by simpler writing: ScienceDaily: The Secret Of Impressive Writing? Keep It Plain And Simple.

• 21 Apr 2006

  DonorsChoose Gets Blogging

  DonorsChoose has tapped bloggers to help raise money for learning materials and experiences that schools cannot afford through their Blogger Challenge. You can help public school kids by funding my Kids and Technology Challenge at DonorsChoose. Or, you can help spread the work by blogging about the challenge or submitting the DonorsChoose Challenge to Digg and other similar sites.

• 17 Apr 2006

  Essential Word Tips

  As much as I loathe Word, I can't avoid getting/exchanging Word docs from clients. I find that the docs I receive are often riddled with telltale signs of their lack of knowledge of Word's features. So I'm naturally grateful to...

• 15 Apr 2006

  Samsung's Virtual Screen for Mobiles

  Samsung has applied for a patent on a virtual, projected screen as an alternative input mechanism to QWERTY thumb keyboards, according to a report from unwired.com. View illustration of proposed concept

• 14 Apr 2006

  Rounded Corners Generator

  Sitepoint: Generate Corners (beta) does just what it says. It generates CSS-based rounded corners with no javascript. It does, however, require four small images (GIFs).

• 10 Apr 2006

  Simplified Feed Publishing

  Feedo Style - Feed formatter for RSS and ATOM feeds offers a simple way for bloggers and content publishers to display RSS feed content into their websites. No programming or markup knowledge required.

• 4 Apr 2006

  OnlyWire Functional Improvements

  I've been using OnlyWire, a handy tool/bookmarklet that allows users to post to multiple bookmarking sites. They recently made a number of improvements to the application including the ability to mark bookmarks private and to select from your pre-existing tags which are now displayed. OnlyWire: The Only BookMarklet You'll Ever Need.

• 22 Mar 2006

  Latest Version of NetNewsWire Lite Released

  Just announced: Ranchero Software: NetNewsWire Lite 2.1b18 released today...

• 6 Mar 2006

  The Case for Simplification

  Complexity causes 50% of product returns, according to scientist Elke den Ouden in her thesis findings. On average, American consumers spend about 20 minutes trying to figure out how to work a new device before they give up...

• 6 Mar 2006

  Sitening SEO Tools

  Free SEO tools from Sitening SEO Tools

• 5 Mar 2006

  Sanscons Icon Set

  Nicely executed bitmap icons for general web/blog functions are available for free download and use at Sanscons: SOME RANDOM DUDE. Aside from being free, these icons' background colors can easily be customized via CSS. Nice work!...

• 1 Mar 2006

  SimplifierLab's RSS Feed

  For some reason, my FeedBurner feed started acting up and kept prompting subscribers for a username and password so I switched to FeedBlender to manage my aggregated blog feed. Somehow I wound up with the feed number 666....

• 1 Mar 2006

  DIY Tag Cloud

  ZoomClouds offers a fuss-free way of incorporating a tag cloud into your blog/site....

• 2 Jan 2006

  URL(x): Short, Smart URLs

  Developed by Dan Phiffer, a fellow ITP alum, URL(x) is a URL shortening (no, not shortening like Crisco ... more like abbreviating) service similar to TinyURL or SnipURL. However, instead of creating completely cryptic URL aliases, URL(x) leaves the domain...

• 17 Nov 2005

  The Spirit of Giving

  As Thanksgiving approaches, I'm reminded of how blessed I am. And reminded that there are so many others who aren't as fortunate. So, in the spirit of giving, I thought I'd share a few of my favorite giving organizations. DonorsChoose.org...

• 21 Aug 2005

  Simplified News

  Imagine your favorite newsstand. In Manhattan, there are quite a few of them, often crammed in those interstitial niches between skyscrapers, their narrowness just perfect for aisles of news racks. I love pawing through the magazines, particularly enamored with the...

• 28 Jun 2005

  Do you navigate like a girl?

  While working on a project for AOL (circa 2000), we commissioned a study to help us understand our users' online habits. One subset of the findings related to gender differences with respect to online navigation. Whether on a website or...