Design
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Brent Simmons:
The stock Mac UI is designed by Apple, the best designers in the world, and do you really think you can do better? Really?
The app world is full of people who think they’re better and they’re really, really, really not.
This is the same way I feel whenever I see a Porsche with a giant after-market spoiler on it. Do folks really think they can do better than Porsche?
He’s talking about Mac apps here, and I feel similarly about iOS apps.
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The smart home has reached a tipping point. Many of its early pioneers are aging out — a decade plus is a long time for a startup. Most have been bought by bigger companies, likely attracted by the shiny thing but then quickly dismayed by the bottom line. Back then, a cloud server was cheaper to build than a local hub, but servers continue to cost money, and once a company decides to shut down a product, reasons to keep paying fade rapidly.
Definitely for me a consideration when buying products, especially smart home products, is whether they can keep working even after the company shuts down.
Also, the same thoughts have crossed my mind when I was rebuilding Little Memory to 2.0. If a bus hit me today, would the app still keep working without me? I don’t want folks getting stranded without me and losing access to their diaries. For me, it’s a matter of respecting the user and their data.
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I, too, have been concerned about the vertical tab bar on the iPhone Duo not having space for labels. But looks like tap and hold reveals them. Nice solution.
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September 6, 2026Rewarding the user for wondering and trying
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July 25, 2026Poka-yoke
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July 25, 2026Day One wants you to chat with AI
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June 3, 2026MUJI Car 1000
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April 21, 2026Tron-pilled
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April 21, 2026The Sacred and Exhausting Rotation of "Again"
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April 20, 2026Technology is not enough
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April 17, 2026A Netflix concern, not a user concern
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April 14, 20263AM: Bring the Car Seat
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April 14, 2026It's like gonna have like this tab
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April 7, 2026Seafoam Green
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April 5, 2026Design in Mega Man X
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March 21, 2026Uncomfortable Design
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Brent Simmons:
Computer programming is really about communication: communicating with the machine, yes, of course — but if you’re not just coding but making an app, as I am, it’s mostly about designing the app so that it communicates with the user. So that it’s easy to understand and fun to use.
Coding’s the easy part — making a useful app that people like is the challenge and is such a reward when it works. Like any other popular art form, it’s about connecting with humans.
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May 18, 2021Anduril 1: UI Diagram/Flowchart
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November 8, 2020Don't be a liar
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May 16, 2020Adding an Instructional Overlay for first time users to your app in iOS