GIMP 2.6.0 Released

No Comments Written by steve on October 3, 2008 in design, recommended, usability.

The GIMP team has released a new version that includes some much needed user interface and window management improvements, as well as better handling of menus, toolbars, and docked tools.  There is a Windows installer available, but Linux users will have to install from source for now

GIMP – Downloads


A List Apart: Articles: Findings From the Web Design Survey

No Comments Written by steve on October 22, 2007 in design, development, recommended, usability.

A List Apart has recently released the results of a survey they compiled in April of this year.  It contains some great insight on the current state of the web design industry from the people who know best, those of us working to make the web a better place every day.

A List Apart: Articles: Findings From the Web Design Survey


Warning Messages Are Evil

No Comments Written by steve on August 5, 2007 in development, usability.

We’ve all run across this problem, you need to give the user some kind of warning when he is about to do something irreversible so that you can be sure of his intentions. Deleting an item from a list, removing a user from the database, or any other permanent and potentially bad action has traditionally been dealt with through the use of a warning message. You know, that ‘OK’ button that most users just click through in an effort to move the stupid box that’s now in the way only to realize a half second later that whatever action they just submitted to the system was not, in fact, ‘OK’. A List Apart has a great article on some alternatives that solve the problems of action confirmation much better than our old friend the message box.

“Warnings cause us to lose our work, to mistrust our computers, and to blame ourselves. A simple but foolproof design methodology solves the problem: “Never use a warning when you mean undo.” And when a user is deleting their work, you always mean undo.”

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