Gamification, where serious business apps use game-like elements to boost engagement, is generating both hype and skepticism. Part of the problem is that many examples of gamification take the easy way out [More]

A design approach that results in strongly centered products that exude wholeness, consistency, and uniqueness. It's an introduction to a larger design philosophy. [More]

Your team is building the next great whatever to replace the last great whatever. You’ve got requirements, use cases, user stories, personas, and all that stuff in full production. If they call you to a status meeting you’ll have lots of proof that the project is going someplace…iteratively of course, since you practice good Agile. But is your next great whatever any good? Stakeholders might be involved in every stage of development, but what about all the little things, the smallest of decisions? Does your product exude wholeness, consistency, and a strong center? Will the product resonate with the people who use it? Is it nice? Is it fun? Does it smile? [More]

It was born at IDEO before the pandemic media coverage that spanned Harvard Business Review, Business Week, Forbes, Fast Company, and other mags talking about the phenomena called “Design Thinking”. Now, a few years later, what can we say about Design Thinking? Is it real or just hype for design agencies to pitch services? Do designers in black turtlenecks and square-rimmed glasses actually think differently than suits or polo shirts? Is Design Thinking something genuine or just a tool for shifting power in R&D organizations towards the “creatives”? [More]

Tech isn’t just about geeks anymore. The next software you write might become a pop culture status symbol. People of all ages and walks of life make value decisions every day about software and technology. The talent mix of those developing software is changing just as quickly. Keeping the right talent mix in your studio is important if your development organization is to survive as an innovator. [More]

From early looks it seems content delivery apps are going to be a serious challenge on iPad. None of the first-round attempts have any magic, and some (NYT) are awful. App designers are going to be seriously challenged to deliver content via apps, it’s a new branch of app product design. [More]