http://grinblo.tumblr.com/

My first article on UX Booth

Tue, 04 Dec 2012 14:58:00 -0500

Mind maps have been very useful in our process at Future Workshops, and I finally got around to doing a post/tutorial about how they help us.

Very excited to be on UX Booth - one of my favorite UX blogs.

“Give me the strength to handle with compassion those who...

Wed, 21 Nov 2012 07:33:16 -0500

“Give me the strength to handle with compassion those who are full of ignorance and hate.” #MiddleEast

Hilarious blog by Cole Peters

Fri, 19 Oct 2012 12:39:41 -0400

Hilarious blog by Cole Peters

skeuit: this obviously draws from the early ipod prototypes,...

Fri, 31 Aug 2012 09:36:38 -0400

skeuit:

this obviously draws from the early ipod prototypes, where users touched a popsicle stick wedged in the chassis to assign random order to the playlists.

via pacificadreams

Speaking at #geekynight (thanks, @dcasarin) (Taken with...

Tue, 28 Aug 2012 18:47:18 -0400

Speaking at #geekynight (thanks, @dcasarin) (Taken with Instagram)

fata organa

Thu, 16 Aug 2012 12:09:45 -0400

dictionaryofobscuresorrows:

n. a flash of real emotion glimpsed in someone sitting across the room, idly locked in the middle of some group conversation, their eyes glinting with vulnerability or quiet anticipation or cosmic boredom—as if you could see backstage through a gap in the curtains, watching stagehands holding their ropes at the ready, actors in costume mouthing their lines, fragments of bizarre sets waiting for some other production.

Mind the Gap at Ignite Shoreditch, June 2012 That’s me —...

Mon, 30 Jul 2012 11:54:00 -0400

Mind the Gap at Ignite Shoreditch, June 2012

That’s me — hiding in the shadow, talking about weird shoes, men in skirts, and the importance of talking to people you make things for.

YouTube: bit.ly/LYRe0k

#London2012 (Taken with Instagram at Riverbank Arena)

Sun, 29 Jul 2012 14:52:05 -0400

#London2012 (Taken with Instagram at Riverbank Arena)

I started a new Tumblr today, filled with screenshots from a...

Thu, 26 Jul 2012 12:19:56 -0400

I started a new Tumblr today, filled with screenshots from a dusty folder in DropBox. Send over your own terrible error finds to hello [at] grinblo dot com.

errorwallofshame:

“Oops, you stepped on a landmine. By the by, it was fatal. Enjoy the rest of your day.”

These error message boxes are reminiscent of the scene in old war movies where an ill-fated soldier steps on a landmine while advancing across the rice paddy … as soon as he removes his foot from the mine, it will explode, taking some large and useful part of his body with it. Users get this feeling when they see most error message boxes, and they wish they were thousand miles away, back in the real world. — About Face 3

(Thanks, @AnnaTricity)

15 Things Charles and Ray Eames Teach Us

Fri, 06 Jul 2012 12:12:15 -0400

15 Things Charles and Ray Eames Teach Us:

userflow:

Keep good company

Notice the ordinary

Preserve the ephemeral

Design not for the elite but for the masses

Explain it to a child

Get lost in the content

Get to the heart of the matter

Never tolerate “O.K. anything.”

Remember your responsibility as a storyteller

Zoom out

Switch

Prototype it

Pun

Make design your life… and life, your design.

Leave something behind.

Content as Conversation

Thu, 31 May 2012 06:08:58 -0400

Content as Conversation:

theuxreview:

A bit of a different take on our usual post, but nonetheless, this is an insightful analysis of the value of creating excellent content.

takethecrosstown:

Site visitors and app users come for the content. Of course, the information architecture (IA) and the site search must make that content easy to find. The design must be attractive and usable. The technology must work. But IA, search, design, and technology are all there to support the content that people come for: the words and images that make up the conversations between your visitors and your site or app.

“Life’s too short to own an ugly pencil. Obsess...

Thu, 31 May 2012 03:04:00 -0400

“Life’s too short to own an ugly pencil. Obsess about the tools you use.”

Source: Notes on Design by Brendan Dawes (FOWD London 2012 Keynote) http://bit.ly/JBjrJt

I saw Brendan speak yesterday at Reasons to Be Appy (by @reasonsfestival) and he was brilliant. This is a set of slides from another one of his presentations.

Twitter: @brendandawes

Whoa :) littlebigdetails: Mac OSX - The world map displayed...

Mon, 21 May 2012 19:17:26 -0400

Whoa :)

littlebigdetails:

Mac OSX - The world map displayed within the Data & Time system preference panel changes with the seasons.

/via John Blackburn

IdeaPaint Makes Walls Into Whiteboards

Mon, 21 May 2012 14:06:00 -0400

IdeaPaint Makes Walls Into Whiteboards:

I want me some of this paint. Idea Paint by Behance can transform any wall into a whiteboard. Really, what else can a girl want?

Buy here http://bit.ly/KNrSOo but beware — you must have a U.S. address to order.

It’s good to see an app creator go so far to understand...

Sun, 20 May 2012 11:56:00 -0400

It’s good to see an app creator go so far to understand the context their product will fit into. Instead of taking a pic outside the tube station, going underground and emerging to see your photo loaded, with Instagram you come out of the station to read your friends’ comments. Makes all the difference.

jxnblk:

This is how you do mobile UX. (via @DuaneKinsey)

Great storytelling (Accordion girls)

Thu, 17 May 2012 08:21:00 -0400

Great storytelling (Accordion girls):

Great little window into the lives of people we pass by but not always see.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-accordion-girl,0,6856126.htmlstory

incisive:

Audio slideshows are one of my favorite things right now. Such economical, rich storytelling in some of these.

Working through a conceptual problem can require some old school...

Thu, 10 May 2012 13:35:46 -0400

Working through a conceptual problem can require some old school methods. And a baby blue pen.

"Happiness is not an accident. Nor is it something you wish for. Happiness is something you design."

Sat, 05 May 2012 08:04:00 -0400

“Happiness is not an accident. Nor is it something you wish for. Happiness is something you design.”

- Jim Rohn via www.twitter.com/YogaArmy

"Why do we assume that simple is good? Because with physical products, we have to feel we can..."

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 17:08:54 -0400

““Why do we assume that simple is good? Because with physical products, we have to feel we can dominate them. As you bring order to complexity, you find a way to make the product defer to you. Simplicity isn’t just a visual style. It’s not just minimalism or the absence of clutter. It involves digging through the depth of the complexity. To be truly simple, you have to go really deep. For example, to have no screws on something, you can end up having a product that is so convoluted and so complex. The better way is to go deeper with the simplicity, to understand everything about it and how it’s manufactured. You have to deeply understand the essence of a product in order to be able to get rid of the parts that are not essential.””

- Jonathan Ive, from the book, Steve Jobs, by Walter Isaacson)

Myth #14: You are like your users

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 07:37:40 -0500

uxmyths:

When designing a website, it’s easy to assume that everybody is like you. However, this leads to a strong bias and often ends in an inefficient design.

You evidently know a lot about your services and your website; you’re passionate about them. Your users, on the other hand, are likely to not care that much. They have different attitudes and goals, and just want to get things done on your website.

To avoid this bias, you need to learn about your users, involve them in the design process, and interact with them.

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