Philip Haine's articles on Product Vision, Innovation and Design

Commentary

Editorials & news on current topics. Okay, it’s a blog. There, I said it.

Spotlight on Spotlight

Blending the best of desktop and web app user experiences

Why must we have internet-based apps OR a modern user experience?

Innovation in audio volume UI

Wow, the upcoming Chumby has an incredibly simple and intuitive UI for adjusting volume: just turn the dial.

No unlocking to make the volume UI available.  No having to ensure that you are in the right mode.  You can feel for it and operate it without even looking, with instant response. What a great idea!
Hmmm… come [...]

How to fix the stationery feature in Mac OS X

Stationery is broken in the Mac OS. Here’s the fix, and a workaround in the mean time.

The irony of Apple’s Magic Mouse

Apple’s dubious track record of mouse design

Remember my workspace on different display arrangements

iPhone vs. Pre vs. Treo

Et tu, Palm?

The Network Heater

If you’re going to generate all that heat, why not do something useful in the process?

Apple laptops: Stop the Throb

Idea stolen: Audio UI for Audio Players

Idea stolen: Ansel Adams in one click

How to transition online newspaper readers to paying customers

If newspapers are going to attempt to charge for content, how should they go about it?

iPhone gripefest 2009

Now that the iPhone has been around a while, it’s time for Apple to go back and fix the basics they missed in v1.

Make websites readable on small screens

Accurate webpage renderings on mobile devices are nice to look at, but unacceptably hard to read.

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Blending it in versus bolting it on, and Alt-Tabbing

Maintain simplicity over time by blending in new functionality rather than bolting it on.

Alt-tab order?

Goodbye, historic body of work

GM’s brand: Save it or squelch it?

Brand reputation is established primarily by the customer’s experience, not PR.

Crash Course in Learning Theory

Valuable lessons for those who profess.

Use a wiki for documentation, not a word processor