Ghost in the Pixel

Collection of some articles and postings that provide intriguing insights on some of the possibilities and limitations of designing apps for the upcoming iPad. Luke Wroblewski in particular has captured an extensive set of design resources on his blog, which I highly recommend! Bill Scott has also catalogued an array of nifty interactions that were showcased in the original iPad keynote video, also highly rec.

>> iPad Design Tools and Resources by Luke Wroblewski

>> iPad Application Design by Matt Legend Gemmell

>> New Multitouch Interactions in the iPad by Luke Wroblewski

>> iPad UX Interactions (Interesting Moments) by Bill Scott

>> iPad UX Guidelines article on UX Magazine (note: the official iPad UX Guidelines are copy protected and only available to iPhone Dev Program Members)

Just quickly summarizing some of the better design books I’ve picked up in the past year into one single post for easier reference to friends and colleagues. Highly recommend each of these for different purposes, largely around the notion of “design thinking” and “design culture” and getting non-design stakeholders (like PM’s, VP’s, Eng Directors, etc.) into the vibe of what design is about as a practice and profession. Enjoy!

>> Innovation X by Adam Richardson : nicely practical articulation of “wicked problems”, proposing a methodology for tackling such problems, as opportunities for breakthrough competitive innovation

>> The Designful Company by Marty Neumeier : compact nifty exploration of design culture, how to get “design mindfulness” into your company’s DNA at a strategic level, impacting people/process/attitudes/behaviors, etc.

>> A Fine Line by Hartmut Esslinger : a good easy read about the Frogdesign founder’s journey as a designer, filled with lots of anecdotes about the power of design, conveying just how difficult “good design” is to achieve, but with wonderful results if you stick through the journey.

>> Do You Matter? by Robert Brunner : an inspiring read with great anecdotes and quotes about the value of design in product development, with examples from across the board: ikea, target, OXO, samsung, etc.

>> Inside Steve’s Brain by Leander Khaney : not your usual gossip book about Steve Jobs, this is a brilliantly compact look into the business strategy and tactics that underline Apple’s success. Excellent lessons summary at the end of each chapter.

Pulling together various online user interface pattern libraries into one place for folks to link to and use for their projects. Enjoy!

>> flickr set by FactoryJoe : fantastic sets of screenshots from modern recent websites, apps, etc. highly rec!!

>> Smashing Mag’s UI Pattern Lib article

>> 43 essential controls for web apps by Theresa Neil

>> Designing Interfaces by Jenifer Tidwell (based upon her book)

>> Designing Web Interfaces by Bill Scott (based upon his book)

>> RIA screen design patterns by Theresa Neil

>> Ultimate Guide to Table UI Patterns by Janko (Theresa Neil has a follow-up)

>> Yahoo Pattern Library

>> UI Patterns.com

>> UI Patterns.net

>> Welie

and lastly (sigh) Quince. Why do I sigh? It requires Silverlight 3 (here’s the plain HTML site), and in my view is a mess of interface design: visuals, information design, and the various interactions. Clearly built by (MSFT?) geeks for geeks in a pastiche manner. But it is a popular aggregator of UI patterns which are useful, that can’t be denied.