Recently I realized I had been underestimating google. Facebook and Twitter ate their proverbial “social” lunch, search marketing budgets started to decline and the launch of Google + has been a modest success. That all changed this week, when I started my recent European trip in Hungary, this trip has been nothing short of a Google highlight reel. The best Hungarian web sites are written in (big surprise) Hungarian. Chrome immediately realizes this and offers to translate sites into English. I get great local content and no need for a crash course with Rosetta Stone. The fact that I took for granted the ability to browse pretty much any site in the world, in any language, and understand it immediately shows you how much we expect from our tech giants. The Google love fest continued as my brother and I navigated Budapest, I was in charge of navigation using Google Places to design our entire journey and he was in charge of communication using Google translate to capture local phrases, order off menus and to read street signs. I am sure we could have found a way to survive with alternative sites and tools, but the fact that we were able instantly understand our environment, navigate our new city and communicate (no matter how rudimentary) reminds me of the power, scale and genius of the company. I won’t make the same mistake again.
All too often, we as designers/developers are asked this question: “How long will that take you? Because we need it, like, yesterday…”
Even after many years in this profession, I have very rarely run into a situation where the team has been given the amount of time they would prefer to achieve their highest level of creativity. That may be because we always feel we could improve on things. Read more »
As I’ve noted before, it’s always good to be reminded of the basics, especially when those basics seem to be completely forgotten.
Here’s a nice bit about the importance of wireframes, and everything they really should be. Not to mention what they should NOT be.
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Android, as you’re probably aware, is dominating the smartphone race. As you’re probably also aware, that’s because there are a zillion android devices from various vendors, compared to just Apple and their iPhone/iPad/iTouch.
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On the heels of HP’s announcement today that they are going to be discontinuing their webOS devices, the good folks over at Mashable put their list of the top 10 tech flops back on their home page for all to enjoy.
As it turns out, the client may not have terrible taste after all. She may just be seeing a different blue than you are. And maybe the blue she sees really is ugly.
Interesting article here about color, or rather the lack thereof. Color is manufactured entirely by our own brains, they say, and is subjective. So my blue and your blue are not the same blue.
Our CEO has a horrible reaction to green. I wonder what he sees…
As a follow up to my previous post that brought you to this great documentary, please enjoy this awesome typography infographic!
Created for PBS’s “Off Book”, this documentary explores typography, its various uses and impact in society.
As the Decision Counsel team finds inspiration in all forms of art and design, I wanted to share the latest Billboard survey, that is being circulated around the office, Poll: Best Video of the ’90s.
From a business perspective, the Billboard survey also serves as a great example of how to leverage user-generated feedback on a topic that is universal to a broad audience. Surveys serve as a great qualitative research vehicle for marketing and product development teams to collect inbound consumer insight. One of the keys to a successful survey or poll is to find topics of interest that reach across multiple audiences, that is relatable and relevant. And in this day in age where our eyes and attention spans are conditioned to high-gloss imagery, it might not hurt to consider design that best presents your survey content.
Consider getting inspiration from all forms of music, art and design; even if it is only for a simple online poll.
Google + is quickly becoming the new “it” thing on the web. People are flocking to it and proclaiming it as the “best social site” and “better than facebook”. A recent article on Mashable, reveals data from Experian Hitwise on the rapid growth Google + is experiencing.
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