90% Of Everything: Links

The problem is that Axure generates a new HTML page for each wireframe, so large projects can easily generate 20+ pages.  Inserting the Protonotes script into the header of each one every time the prototype is recreated isn’t really feasible.  To that end, I wrote a small program that will allow users to automatically insert a script into the header of each HTML file for their prototype.

Just download and extract this Zip file.  Generate your Axure prototype and drop the HeadInsert.exe file into your prototype directory.  

"Have you read any grey books recently? I mean, have you read any books that use grey text or that have black backgrounds? Or, for that matter, have you read any print newspapers or magazines that use grey text? It's well documented that it's harder to read on a screen than in print. So why do designers deliberately create webpages that make reading even harder? Simple, really. Many web designers are more concerned with how the page looks than how it reads and functions." - Gerry McGovern

[...] would Mercedes runs ads saying their customers retooled the engine of the new E-class? Of course they wouldn’t, they’d look like idiots.

In one ad, a girl in a coffeeshop says it was her idea to make the operating system less prone to, you know, ha ha, crash. In another, a woman sitting on porch says it was her idea to make the system less prone to, you know, smile widely, allow your personal information to get ripped off.

You mean, not one person who draws a paycheck from Microsoft noticed those little issues?

I don’t want Woody, Angela and Summer designing my computer’s operating system, for crying out loud. I want professionals, engineers, people who know what they are doing. An operating system that is notorious for problems is going to get better because some college kid in a coffeehouse redesigned it?

An even bigger problem is the ads take their cue (”I’m a PC”) from a competitor’s ad that do nothing but make fun of Microsoft and point out how lousy its products are. In the Apple ads, “I’m a PC,” means “I’m a bumbling idiot that can’t tie my shoelaces, much less produce reliable software.” And Microsoft’s new ads confirm that impression by bragging about a software system designed by people who know as much as Coldplay as coding.

They are letting their competitors define them. Somebody should be fired for this campaign.

Before: multiple calls-to-action & poor conversion rate

0.2% Conversion Rate (2834 Trials, 6 Conversions)

After: strong primary call-to-action, 3x conversion rate improvement

0.8% Conversion Rate (2836 Trials, 24 Conversions). Note the magic word "Free" has also been added to the primary button and the secondary button has been de-emphasised.

Holy shit, a whole new column!

• The “Everything” default selection is awesome. Good choice of words, and that’s what you’ll want most of the time.
• The icons suck. First of all, Google isn’t known for using icons (they usually don’t), and second, they’re really bad icons. I mean, look at this: ! You couldn’t find a better icon for photos? Search for it! I predict they’ll drop those. Don’t want to give those designers too much power either, Google! The only icon that’s useful is the “+” sign. And if they don’t drop them, please make them nicer.
• The “See also” section kind of clutters up this design. Especially because it’s mixed in between the filters (Time filter is below, other filters are above).

After nine months of research and nearly two years in the making, my book, Prototyping: a practitioner's guide has launched. I wrote Prototyping for anyone who's involved in the process of designing (software) products. If you're a designer, developer, or business person involved in designing and building products, chances are you'll find something beneficial in Prototyping.

Our first two A/B tests have seen double-digit engagement improvements — 33% on the First Run page and over 50% on the What’s New page

Candy Chang has designed a set of flash cards meant to demystify the often-confusing tenant laws in New York City, e.g. "What is my landlord required to repair? How does rent stabilization work?"