interface

Google+ updates its user interface, refines navigation and photos

interface, Internet News, Web Design 235 Responses »

Apr 112012

Google announced today a major redesign and a set of new features for users of its Google+ service. Navigation and several user interface features on Google+ pages have gotten a design makeover, and several new features aim to attract more users to share photos and promote more interactions with each other.

Google has overhauled navigation by making things simpler than its previous design. Pages now feature a cleaner, more minimalist look to match some of Googles more recent updates to other applications like Gmail. A new “ribbon” of icons for home, profile, pages, and photos simplifies access to some of its major features. These icons can now be customized to users individual preferences. The end result is that now pages have a very clean, streamlined look made up of app-like icons.

Google+s new look and features also emphasize photos now more than ever before. Photos are now displayed prominently, using more space on the browsers screen. The new layouts are larger and more elegant, and they resemble the photo displays on sites like Tumblr or Flickr.

Google’s new Chrome OS is like a hybrid between Windows and OS X

interface, Tech News 96 Responses »

Apr 102012

The master plan for Chrome OS was to move everybody into the cloud — away from file systems and desktops — and towards the Web browser as the operating system. Having failed to build much momentum, Google’s giving the OS a more traditional desktop experience — one that takes cues from Windows and OS X.

Google Operating System reports that the latest developer channel release of Chrome OS brings a “desktop, taskbar, apps on the desktop, wallpapers and overlapping windows” to the We browser-based Chrome OS.

Dubbed “Aura,” the new interface is a “hardware-accelerated user interface framework that offers rich visuals, large-scale animated transitions and effects.” It’s available for Samsung and Acer Chromebooks, but not Google’s own Cr-48 genericbook.

10 things every designer needs to know about forms

interface, Web Design 289 Responses »

Apr 072012

Forms, there’s nothing many designers hate more than forms. They don’t necessarily bring the creativity out, or do they? Maybe it’s time we looked at forms again and understand that a form, at its most basic, is a conversation between the user and the software.

Forget point and click, forms represent the richest interaction we as digital designers will face. Next time a form comes your way don’t think it’s just a matter of applying some nice CSS effects or adding a nice jQuery flourish. There’s much more depth to designing forms.

I’ve user tested hundreds of forms and designed some complex forms for insurance companies, holiday booking interactions and many more. Chances are you’ve used one of my forms in the last few months.

Here’s the lessons I wished I’d learnt before I began designing forms.

Find Out if Your Mac Has the Flashback Trojan — the Fast and Easy Way

interface, Tech News 231 Responses »

Apr 062012

According to a report Thursday, more than 600,000 Macs could be infected with the nasty Flashback trojan.

We’ve already detailed how to check your Mac to see if you’re infected — but that requires some command line code, and we know that not all users are comfortable doing that.

Now we’ve gone one step further and wrapped those commands into two AppleScripts.

The Tablet Economics Index: 45% mobile Sales from iPad

interface, Marketing, Your Brand 459 Responses »

Apr 062012

Check out this graphic. When it comes to sales from mobile devices, Apple’s ipad is King, bringing 45% of all mobile sales.

SEE GRAPHIC:

Online Marketing Trends: The Tablet Economics Index: 45% mobile Sales from iPad.

Ars browser shootout: which Web browser is best for business?

interface, Tech News 249 Responses »

Apr 052012

Most Web browser reviews focus on one thing: speed. Speed is all well and good, but browser benchmark scores fail to answer a fundamental question: which browser is best for business?

In an enterprise environment, speed is simply one concern among many. There are bigger questions: How secure are these browsers, and how well do they keep users from getting viruses or visiting fraudulent websites? How often are they updated, and how easy is it to apply these updates to multiple managed systems? How important do the companies behind these browsers think that the enterprise is? We set out to compare Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Apple Safari, and Opera to answer these questions and more.

For our purposes, we’ll assume that all else is equal in your environment—that your shop doesn’t live and die by a particular Firefox add-on or an Intranet site that won’t render in anything that’s not Internet Explorer 6. If you’ve got extenuating circumstances that dictate which browser you use, as many businesses do, consider these facts if you’re trying to decide on a secondary or alternate browser for your systems.

Protect your WordPress site with .htaccess | Tutorial

Education, interface 113 Responses »

Apr 052012

Aside from plug-ins there are a number of additions you can make to your .htaccess file which in conjunction with plug-ins and regular updates will tighten up your site’s security and give you that extra level of protection.Im going to cover a few of these that I feel protect some of the essentials in your WordPress install and show you how and where to add the code snippets; you dont have to use every single one, just whatever you feel would help you secure your site.

Get a DataJack MiFi Hotspot for $49.99

interface, Internet News, Tech News 237 Responses »

Apr 042012

For frequent and infrequent travelers alike, nothing beats the convenience of a mobile hotspot.

Folks who travel a lot will probably want something with unlimited data and 4G service, but occasional users may want to consider a more affordable solution.

Here’s one: DataJack has the MiFi 2200 mobile hotspot for $49.99, plus around $10 for shipping, when you use coupon code DEALNEWS1.

That purchase also entitles you to a free month of service, albeit with DataJack’s low-end, 200MB data plan. Thankfully, there’s no contract here, so you can let your service expire if you want, then reactivate it as needed.

Create an interactive liquid metal ball with WebGL

Design, interface, Web Design 435 Responses »

Apr 032012

So you want to create an interactive WebGL liquid metal ball? Glad you asked, programming wizard Paul Lewis has got just the thing!

Making websites is tons of fun, but sometimes you need to break free and do something a bit unusual. That’s what we’ll be doing today. We’ll be using the excellent Three.js engine to create an interactive metallic ball. As you click and drag the ball distorts and then slowly settles back to its original shape.

To do this we’ll be covering spring physics, 3D vectors and ray casting (and a few other things besides) all in an effort to create a compelling and fun interactive experience. Let’s start by looking at what we’re going to make.

The thing about experiments like these is that on the surface they don’t look to have direct commercial applications. You’d be forgiven for thinking the same about this one as well, and perhaps you’re right. But my philosophy is that as a developer you learn techniques and solutions to problems in these experiments that can help you in your day-to-day work. There have been many times where this has proved true for me, and I’m certain it’ll work out for you as well. In any case this is going to be tons of fun, so let’s get started on creating our scene.

LEARN THE CODE:

via Create an interactive liquid metal ball with WebGL | Tutorial | .net magazine.

4 smart tactics for brands on Twitter

interface, Marketing, Your Brand 245 Responses »

Apr 032012

And yet, while nearly every brand has its own Twitter account and regularly tweets, many brand messages get drowned out in the constant fire hose of tweets. To make themselves heard above the noise, brands are now racing to reach consumers in social feeds via paid media — using several marketing tactics to make sure their messages are heard. At my company, weve seen brands double their paid social stream advertising in 2011, and large brands have actually increased spend by more than four times.

But getting paid media on Twitter and other real-time social feeds right is no easy task. Which paid media strategies can brands adopt today to reach targeted audiences on Twitter? How can they reach these audiences in a measurable, scalable way — but also ensure consumers experience their messages as rich, engaging content instead of intrusive ads?

Since paid social stream advertising is so new, many brands are learning as they go. To get started, here are four concrete strategies to use social advertising to deepen your brand impact on Twitter.

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