Category Archives: design
Looking at Ubuntu Brainstorm: Idea #25801
The Ubuntu Technical Board is currently conducting a review of the top ten Brainstorm issues users have raised about Ubuntu, and Matt asked me to investigate Idea #25801: Help the user understand when closing a window does not terminate the app. In other words, figure out to signal to the user that an application will [...]
So, you want to provide an API for the world to use?
I conducted 5 qualitative interviews with developers and here are some findings.
You have two problems. The first problem is to design the API. The second is to help people learn to use it.
Great API design
Is consistent, predictable, learnable. You are creating an API that developers will interact with. In the same way that a [...]
Unintended consequences
Two stories.
1) A former colleague of mine did a research project for a power company on one of those machines you have in your house that goes red if you are consuming lots of electricity. One participant started boiling water on the gas hob when she was making tea because that way she could keep [...]
Design by enthusiasm
As many of you are most probably aware I work for Canonical and some of my blog posts from here are syndicated to design.canonical.com. I was asked a rather interesting question on that blog and partly due to the impatience of the asker decided to respond by way of a post. My other motivation for [...]
Guadec Day 2: In pursuit of critical mass
Today I was reminded of this quote by Jane Goodall:
If everyone could think a little bit about small choices they make every day: What do you eat, does it result in animal cruelty? What do you wear, how was it made, does it damage the environment? When people start thinking like that they do change. [...]
Guadec Day 1
This week I am at Guadec in Den Haag. For those less familiar with working on open-source projects Guadec is the annual gathering of developers, users and businesses primarily focused on GNOME. GNOME, for those of you who don’t know is the core desktop element of Ubuntu.
Explanations for the uninitiated now delivered, I will proceed [...]
Design and the art of walking up hills
I quite enjoy the challenge of taking on long distances; mostly walking, sometimes bicycle. There is something enormously satisfying about getting to the end. In order to be fit enough to undertake these efforts I exercise quite regularly. I cycle wherever and whenever I can and I go for short runs when I don’t have [...]
Art in the open
Are you a musician? Do you make beautiful illustrative wallpapers? Do you take amazing photographs? Do you make clever and inspiring videos or animations?
You may be interested in the Ubuntu Free Culture Showcase.
Do you make open-source tools for creating any of the above?
I hope you will be interested in the Ubuntu Free Culture Showcase.
Do you [...]
Reasons to celebrate 29th April 2010
One of the first things I did when I joined Canonical just over a year ago was conduct some user research. The idea was to identify some broad areas that needed to be addressed and so I devised sessions that included topics like dealing with music and photos, browsing the Internet, chatting with friends, etc. [...]
Surveying contributions