Montreal vs. Portland. 2 cities. 2 parking meter signs. 1 UX fail and 1 UX win.
May 30, 2011
May 26, 2011
Twitter: To # or Not To #
Two people recently asked me to explain hashtags on Twitter (mostly related to search queries). To best understand that it's a matter of context, take a look at the following 2 examples, each with and without a hashtag.
Search "#Random": people tweeting about things that are random; random is the subject, or tag, the defines their tweet.
Search "Random": the word random so happens to be a word in their tweet and therefore displays in the results page.
In the above case, the # is important cause the context of the word is different in both cases.
Search "#fml": people tweeting about how shitty life is (fml = fuck my life; originated from www.fmylife.com); fml is the subject, or tag, that defines their tweet.
Search "fml": pretty much pulls up the same types of tweet cause fml only has one meaning so even if it's used without the #, it still pulls up similar results.
So, at the end of the day, the hashtag will likely give more accurate search results since people are tagging their tweet with a specific subject, vs just using the word in there.
I think the 2 images speak for themselves (click to enlarge).
Search "#Random": people tweeting about things that are random; random is the subject, or tag, the defines their tweet.
Search "Random": the word random so happens to be a word in their tweet and therefore displays in the results page.
In the above case, the # is important cause the context of the word is different in both cases.
Search "#fml": people tweeting about how shitty life is (fml = fuck my life; originated from www.fmylife.com); fml is the subject, or tag, that defines their tweet.
Search "fml": pretty much pulls up the same types of tweet cause fml only has one meaning so even if it's used without the #, it still pulls up similar results.
So, at the end of the day, the hashtag will likely give more accurate search results since people are tagging their tweet with a specific subject, vs just using the word in there.
I think the 2 images speak for themselves (click to enlarge).
May 23, 2011
Size Matters
Learn to eyeball sizes and weights. There are about three medium apples in a pound, about two large baking potatoes in a pound. Learn to recognize smaller amounts too. The next time you need a teaspoon of oregano, after measuring, dump the contents of the measuring spoon into the cup of your hand and learn what that teaspoon looks like. What a pleasure to be able to cook a sauce or casserole, adding spices accurately, yet without any measuring. When your recipe calls for a cup of shredded cheese, picture what a one cup measuring cup looks like. That will really help you recognize how much cheese you need. Learning all this takes a bit of practice, but really worth the effort.
May 22, 2011
May 21, 2011
Easy as one, two, three
One cup of rice, cooked with two cups of liquid, will yield three cups of cooked rice.
Arrow Confusion
Toronto Convention Center: Hmm, the sign says "straight ahead" but the arrow is saying "right".
May 20, 2011
Even Yogurt has UX
Am I the only one who never knew that these packages were designed to be flipped? So much for dipping the spoon on one side and then the other.
May 19, 2011
Measuring Cups and Spoons
So many people keep a coffee measure in their coffee tin. But for some reason, they just stop there. What I recommend, is go to the 99¢ store and buy a bunch of measuring cups/spoons. Then, keep them in all the foods you use often (or not even so often). I keep a half cup in with my rice (I usually make 1.5 cups at a time), in my sugar, flour, barley, quinoa, etc. A half teaspoon in my baking powder, baking soda, etc. It's both the convenience of not taking those extra steps to get the utensil, and then of course, no need to wash it after.May 18, 2011
Nowhere To Go But Down
Macy's in SF: If you saw this sign at Macy's next to a down escalator, wouldn't you assume that there was an up escalator to the right? Wrong. We were on the top floor.
AppleCare Protection Plan
I was contemplating (aka researching) getting Apple's extended warranty (AppleCare Protection Plan) for my new MacBook Pro and came across some good advice I thought I'd share...
Yes, it is recommended to get the warranty, however, since you can purchase it within the first year of device ownership, it's best to get it at as late as possible. This way, if you do something in the first year that would have voided the warranty (e.g. spilled liquid on it, dropped it, cracked the screen, etc.,), you won't have wasted your money.
Learn more about AppleCare here.
Yes, it is recommended to get the warranty, however, since you can purchase it within the first year of device ownership, it's best to get it at as late as possible. This way, if you do something in the first year that would have voided the warranty (e.g. spilled liquid on it, dropped it, cracked the screen, etc.,), you won't have wasted your money.
Learn more about AppleCare here.
May 17, 2011
Tip for kitchen newbies
Always adding salt and pepper? Save time by filling a shaker with salt AND pepper. Three parts salt to one part pepper or whatever proportion you like. Then, you only have to reach for one shaker, instead of two.
Bathroom Smarts
Love it. The Bathroom at Nordstrom has small sheets of paper towels and a trash right by the door, while the main bathroom uses air dryers. You really get the best of both worlds.
Leave it Nordstrom to even have great bathroom UX!
Leave it Nordstrom to even have great bathroom UX!
Note Taking App: Evernote
Evernote has been my preferred note taking app for a while now. It allows you to write, and more importantly, access your notes, on any of your devices.
Is it perfect? No. It kind of holds your content "hostage" in that you can only view your notes from the app or on the web-based version. However, for me, the convenience outweighs this drawback.
Notes are saved in notebooks, which is especially useful for work purposes. I have different Notebooks for each project I'm working on. There are some other neat features like the ability to record audio and attach them to notes - something that has come in handy in meetings. You can also save actual webpages to a notebook in Evernote (I personally don't use this feature).
Anyhow, if you're looking for a good cloud-based note taking app, try this one out. As a simple alternative, Plain Text is a basic note taking app that synchs with Dropbox.
Let me know if there's another one you prefer.
Visit evernote.com or get the app here.
Is it perfect? No. It kind of holds your content "hostage" in that you can only view your notes from the app or on the web-based version. However, for me, the convenience outweighs this drawback.
Notes are saved in notebooks, which is especially useful for work purposes. I have different Notebooks for each project I'm working on. There are some other neat features like the ability to record audio and attach them to notes - something that has come in handy in meetings. You can also save actual webpages to a notebook in Evernote (I personally don't use this feature).
Anyhow, if you're looking for a good cloud-based note taking app, try this one out. As a simple alternative, Plain Text is a basic note taking app that synchs with Dropbox.
Let me know if there's another one you prefer.
Visit evernote.com or get the app here.
May 16, 2011
MacBook Pro: Changing Folder Icons
Changing a folder icon is a fun way to customize your computer.
A. USING ANY IMAGE:
*The quickest way to do this is COMMAND+SHIFT+4, while holding the CONTROL key, use your mouse to select an image (or part of an image) that you like. Let go of your mouse. Your selection is now ready to paste.
My desktop:
A. USING ANY IMAGE:
- Find an image you want to use as your folder icon (I like to use google images) and copy it to your clipboard*
- Select the folder whose icon you want to change and click CONTROL+I (or right click and select Get Info)
- Select the icon in the upper left
- Click CONTROL+V (or Edit>Paste)
- In Finder, select the folder whose icon you want to use (there are a bunch of interesting options in your App folder) and click CONTROL+I (or right click and select Get Info)
- Select the folder icon in the upper left and click CONTROL+C to copy it (or Edit>Copy)
- Now, in Finder, find and select the folder whose icon you want to change and click CONTROL+I (or right click and select Get Info)
- Select the folder icon in the upper left
- Click CONTROL+V (or Edit>Paste)
*The quickest way to do this is COMMAND+SHIFT+4, while holding the CONTROL key, use your mouse to select an image (or part of an image) that you like. Let go of your mouse. Your selection is now ready to paste.
May 15, 2011
Drink @ Checkout
BRILLIANT. At the check out out at Ikea. You can pay for your soda when you pay for your items and fill your drink at the soda fountain on the way out. This allows you to bypass the huge line at the Bistro.
May 14, 2011
Macbook Pro: Multi-touch Trackpad
I love my MacBook Pro. Mostly, I love the mutli-touch trackpad.
Many friends who also have this computer aren't making the most of the all available features. Here's a reminder of the great things you can do with the trackpad. (3 finger horizontal scroll is my favorite - never use the Back button again!)
Click images below or watch the demo video here (demo is with a MacBook Air).
Many friends who also have this computer aren't making the most of the all available features. Here's a reminder of the great things you can do with the trackpad. (3 finger horizontal scroll is my favorite - never use the Back button again!)
Click images below or watch the demo video here (demo is with a MacBook Air).
Parking Garage Fail
Sherman Oaks Galleria: How uncreative were these garage planners? What about a letter and a number. Or a color. Or a cartoon character. Or a famous movie. Did I park on FG or GF?
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