I’ll probably never get to eat at El Bulli, the restaurant many times over recognized as best in the world. For one it’s in Spain, for the other it’s closing soon; maybe to open again unrecognizably different. But it’s an amazing story I want to keep following.
“If you were trying to optimize the economic model, you’d change tons of things about it. But the brand is all of those things. These things that seem wasteful are, in fact, the things that are creating the experience. When you make it efficient, you make it like every other restaurant.” -Harvard Magazine
I can’t love this story enough. Determination, coincidence, joy, and application. But best of all, -a willingness to chase personal perfection fearlessly off of any cliff that gets in the way.
“Many people do not believe that it takes a person 10 seconds to switch contexts; the time is measured between the final command executed in the previous context and the first command issued in the new context. The hiatus is not noticed because the minds of the users are occupied; they are not aware of the passage of time. However, this phenomenon should be used carefully when designing an interface. If the work flow is such that a user makes a particular context switch repeatedly, so that it becomes habitual, the user makes the switch in far less time. – Jef Raskin, The Humane Interface
Attorneys, doctors and accountants all are required to have continuing education throughout their careers. Web developers? Nope. In fact, our noble profession doesn’t even require a specific degree. You just say you are one, -and you are.
At Paste we all have degrees related to our assorted tasks. But we have been lacking in a formalized way to continue our education throughout our careers. Sure. Most of us are avid readers of blogs, and keep well up on current events in our industry, -but what about the hard stuff? The hard-won little bits that come from the deep reading of the history and tenets of our profession?
We’re starting a new program today. We’re a really small company so it’s not like “programs” are hard to roll out. But in order to formalize it a bit better for posterity, and because some of you might want to do the same. Here it is.
For all Paste employees:
Purchase any design or programming related book.
Read it cover to cover.
Let everyone know about it.
The cost of the book will be reimbursed.
In addition you’ll get $50 for being a better employee.
If you write a blog post review of the book, you’ll get another $50.
q. Will anyone do it?
a. I hope so. And I think so.
q. Will we go broke doing it?
a. I don’t think it’s possible to go broke making your employees better.
q. Will it improve our products and our workflow?
a. I don’t see how it couldn’t…
You’ll put yourself ahead of the crowd if you switch your mentality from “I just want to get through this day at work.” to “I’m going to be really good at my job- where do I start?”.
A lot of conversation about modal editing recently brought our studio to a very simple conclusion- one that seemed undeniable the second we arrived at it.
The consequence of any action must be near the action itself to prevent confusion.
For example, when I’m in “Preview”, and I want to make a simple edit to an image, I click “Annotate”, but I don’t immediately see the result. That’s because it happened away from where I clicked, which is not what I expected. I have to search for it, which is frustrating.
Instead of popping up somewhere near the annotate button, a tool bar drops down from the bottom of the preview screen, which depending on how big your Preview window is, isn’t always readily visible.
This threw me off just enough to make me realize that other people probably have the same frustration/hesitation. It’s something many people take for granted and expect out of the apps they use- usability based on expectations.
It seems too simple to have to put into words, but I’m going to do it anyway. For every action, there should be a nearby reaction.
Don’t be a quitter is ingrained in us from very early on in our lives. Quitters are lazy. Quitters are something to be pitied or even despised.
I quit lots of stuff. There. I said it here in public, and not because I need pity. I’m proud of quitting- and I think more people need to give themselves the permission to guiltlessly quit things.
It used to be that every time I quit something, I felt like I failed a little. Like I left some incomplete portion of my brain behind. I became reluctant to start new things because I worried I wouldn’t finish them. Keep Reading
There are lots of ways to go about pricing your web application, and there may not be a single right answer for any single app. When considering pricing, it’s important to evaluate all the options. Here are a few less traditional methods we’ve been discussing.
Charge once.
Great for building momentum. Great for quick revenue. Maybe not so great for long term earnings.
Advertise within your app.
We’ll see more and more advertising fueled apps. It can work if done well.
More customers = higher pricing.
The more customers you get, the more you charge. Have to start really low… Pinboard does it. Keep Reading
This short article by Neven Mrgan reminded me of something I was always going to mention. The iPhone voice recognition system is not perfect, – but it’s the very first time I’ve ever used speech to control a device where I felt like it worked. From hands free calling, to picking playlists, it’s actually improved my life. For the record, I wholeheartedly second Neven’s additions of these new commands:
“What time is it?”
“New voice memo”
And I’d like to add to the list:
“Play Audiobook:”
Although the music selection is fantastically implemented, I always have to do a hack playlist to get an audiobook to play.
