Inspiring post on the craftsmanship of UI design and building— Read on blog.jim-nielsen.com/2024/sanding-ui/ Also consider Usability testing. Discussion on HN
Author Archives: savolai
Open Source UX: reviewing Joplin and Ocenaudio
In this post, we’re diving into two compelling open source projects, Joplin (task management) and Ocenaudio (audio editing), which are redefining user expectations and providing strong alternatives to proprietary software. These applications not only challenge the dominance of established players but also showcase a commitment to improving usability and functionality in ways that appeal to […]
Python script for producing Finnish hourly calendar for a single week
SVG sample output below, shows cropped here but in reality the entire week gets output. See also: online web app (PHP, in Finnish)
Clipping: empathizing with real users on the streets
It would be wonderful if such stories were more prevalent and lauded in the overall industry: it’s about how we end up affecting concrete lives. Human-computer interaction as a research field is all about this; seeing the others’ perspective. More context (HN link) leshokunin Disclaimer: I was a PM on Angry Birds. […] vvoyerNice, what’s […]
Public service announcement: youtube links have tracking
Public Service Announcement: YouTube links now include an SI source id at the end which is unique to your account if you share link on another non-Google platform. Be sure to delete everything from the “si=” onward or it will be easily traceable to your Gmail @OldRowSwig on X
reNamer.click: recovering files from your e-ink tablet (Windows app)
2023-11: Download is upcoming! An e-ink tablet is great. It’s your digital notebook, your portable sketchbook, and your go-to brainstorming device. But what if you need to export your stuff to another device, or a backup? There is no mass export function for files or folders in human-readable form, and that’s where reNamer comes in. […]
Why I do software or anything at all
In my work as designer and developer I keep coming back to this question: How do I present all that I do such that it might make sense to others… that they might understand; it’s all about the same thing! However different software development as a discipline might seem from design or from teaching or […]
The Why and the How: Usability testing
When creating a digital service, there is often a rush. Often we want user-friendly experiences where users can interact with your product without a second thought. You want to make sure that your customers can find your service, and that things go smoothly. But there may not be much time or resources available. However, often […]
Conceptual Modeling: A key to better communication while building complex systems
Understanding the core concepts and their interrelationships is the foundation of any software system. Misunderstandings or misconceptions about these concepts can lead to system failure. To avoid such pitfalls, it’s crucial to communicate the conceptual system using a model. This model serves as a common language for professionals from different fields to discuss the core […]
Desktop: Industrial Measurement Solution + Realtime automation
Sincere words about impact + practice
Surrender Coronavirus has meant that I haven’t swam in months. It was warm today in Helsinki. So I decided to go to the beach. I took a few strokes, but didn’t really swim. I found myself watching the waves coming at me, feeling into what that was like. Feeling the forcefulness of the sea. Though […]
Desktop: JPEG Autorotate photo rotating app
“Ever had the problem of pictures taken in portrait showing up in landscape in emails, on your blog or on your mobile device? JPEG Autorotate is the solution. It’s quick, it’s simple, it’s free.” -Raquel JPEG autorotate: read reviews & download to try it yourself Published around 2005, still has 5-10K downloads per year in […]
The Risks of Modal User Interfaces: A Deep Dive
I love how much power understanding the fundamentals of UI/UX design can give you to build experiences that really flow smoothly! One of these fundamentals is modes – and how to use them well. Modes are sometimes necessary, but they can be a risky choice in a user interface. This is true especially if the […]
Product & framework thinkers: Case studies. And how about AI?
2023-06: Updated to include concrete examples and to discuss AI/Large Language Models (LLMs). Developers and UX professionals often seem like beings from different planets. I’ve found that shared understanding about software project goals can sometimes be hard to achieve. Have you ever taken a moment to consider how software gets designed and developed? You might […]
Design and Learning theories: Giving a workshop on UX
I received my original education in the field of HCI (Human-Computer Interaction). In educational learning theories, some of the same fundamental principles are central. A product designer, like a teacher, cannot assume much about the recipient of the experience they create. A product proves to be good only when a real person has demonstrated through […]
Rethinking Usability Education: Bridging Theory and Practice
Introduction During my working life I’ve taught some trainings and lectures on UX and courses on software development. Here’s some reflections on what I found central. Usability or User Experience (UX) education plays an indispensable role in bridging the gap between the theoretical principles of design and their practical applications. This post explores the essence […]
Qt: Adjust QTableView height according to contents
In my layout, my dynamically generated QTableViews seem to get resized to only show one row. I want to have the container of the table views to have a scrollbar instead of the individual table views, which should show full contents. Qt doesn’t have anything built in for this apparently, you need to calculate and […]
Merge Qt .ts files
Moved to different url See also: A Practical Guide to Changing Default Language in a Qt Project Small desktop app to solve a practical developer issue. It allows combining the translation files of multiple separate Qt projects, so they can use a common file. April 2017 View on GitHub Other Qt things on GitHub
User Experience Design in Open Source: Inviting the Users
In any software project, we need to understand the people who will use the product. There are many different points of view onto what approach we should take. Spool: Vision, feedback, culture Some promote approaches to usability practice alternative to User Centered Design (UCD). Spool (2008, 2009) calls the attention of the usability community to the […]
Getting Twincat XAE to function on MacBook Pro
I finally got sick and tired of all my windows laptops breaking physically one way or another. First there was ThinkPad Edge, then there was the ultrathin Sony Vaio (bought just before Sony sold the business and discontinued the thing). Developers, Linus Torvalds included, online seemed to agree that MacBooks are the best hardware on […]