SIGNAL VS. NOISE

Thank you

...for the blog time as guest poster for May.
I havent been a very good poster the last week or so - Im sorry. Work got hectic. One thing Ive learned from this experience is RESPECT for the 37 crew. I thought blogging would be so easy but it was a lot of work to find good subjects and I got burnt out fast! Its so easy to be a "commenter" and to respond only when you feel like it. Being a poster is a totally different story. Thanks for the eye-opener and the fun I had harrassing the public! :-)

XTYH62Y-TXXHBWW-SXXMHA0WSV-VV1KI70-17I3WH

What's the deal with software serial numbers? I registered a product today and received the following registration code: XTYH62Y-TXXHBWW-SXXMHA0WSV-VV1KI70-17I3WH. Not only is this unnecessarily long, but it's mixed with 1's and I's and 0's and O's. If you ask me, it's pretty damn confusing. Plus, since this particular app doesn't allow me to paste in the serial number, I have to retype it by hand. I used to author a few shareware apps, and the serial numbers I issued my customers were equally long and confusing, but I never really thought much about it until I became the customer. What's the deal developers?

Everyone Loses With Unclear Instructions

Few things piss me off more than following the directions perfectly only to be told I did something wrong. So, yesterday when I checked my mail and found a notice that said...

We received your Automatic Payment Authorization Form. Unfortunately, since it was not accompanied by a voided check or a savings account withdrawl slip we were unable to accommodate your request at this time.

...I got pissed. Why am I pissed? Well, when I filled out this little form U S Bank sent a few weeks ago, the only instructions on the form were:

You'll notice that there's no mention of including a voided check or a savings account withdrawl slip. The form had a spot for my checking account number, my bank name, and my bank's routing number -- which I filled out completely -- but no mention of sending in anything else besides the form.

Everyone loses here. I lose because I have to go through the hassle of sending in something I wasn't asked to send in the first place. They lose because they have to process the form, churn out a form letter, pay someone to stuff the envelope with the form letter and the original form I filled out, pay for postage (to me, and then back to them), and process the form again. All this because their instructions were unclear and/or incomplete. As I've said before, it's the little things, the details, that make the biggest difference.

New From 37signals: 37express

Major redesigns and site overhauls are becoming less and less common. Big hitters like Amazon, Yahoo, Google, and eBay know that quick, effective, subtle revisions are the new "secret weapon" for improving your site's design, usability, readability, and overall customer experience. 37express is the first service of its kind tailored specifically to this emerging need.

The 37express concept builds on the success and popularity of the 37Better Project. In essence, it's the 37Better Project for hire. If you know your site (or a key page) can be better, and you don't want to invest a lot of money, time, and risk getting there, 37express is the perfect solution.

Capturing Demand: A Win-Win Situation

Yeah, we all know that Amazon does a lot of things right, but here's an especially great one that demonstrates their industry-leading dedication to the customer: They "stock" products that don't even exist. And I'm not talking about a book that's planned, but not yet released... I'm talking about a product that simply doesn't exist ("The studio is not currently producing this title on DVD").

So, rather than saying "no results found" when I search for "Microcosmos DVD" (like bn.com does), they send me to a dedicated page that allows me to sign up to be notified when the product is released (which will hopefully lead to a sale for Amazon). And, even better than that, they encourage me to sign up by letting me know that when I sign up, I'm also "voting for this release" (they'll let the studio know how many customers are waiting for this title -- hopefully encouraging the studio to bring the product to market). Amazon is the best at creating win-win situations. Got any other examples of these sorts of win-wins?

IHT Online

I like the (CSS, javascript combo) 3-column design of articles in IHT.com. Instead of scrolling you just turn the page and you can change format and text size below. The whole interface design feels good to me.

But as you turn the pages, the dotted lines (above and below) break up. And whats up with all the misspellings in this article?

Recently a company I work for had the request to build a similar two-column design and turned it down, stating it wouldnt work. Now Im wondering if thats because it doesnt adhere enough to standards. Any thoughts?

Usability/Design Tip: Context and Perspective

I smile when I see context. Unfortunately, the majority of sites still don't do a good job of putting their product specs in context. Sure, we understand what a medium or large t-shirt fits like (usually), but how big is a "4.2 L x 1.9 W x 0.8 H inch" cellphone? And, what does 4.8 ounces really feel like (in fact, what does one ounce feel like)? In the physical world we can pick objects up, place them in our own hands or pockets, compare them to other things we already own (a new cell phone to a phone we already own, for example), but in the online world, we really need some help.

Above you'll find some good examples of putting products in context. On the left, the new Pentax Optio S 3 megapixel camera is so small that it fits inside an Altoids tin. Isn't that a lot better than just saying it's "2.0 x 3.3 x 0.8 inches" ? Upper right, the new Motorola V70 is just a bit bigger than a Doublemint package (with one stick extended a bit). And, at lower right you'll find an example from Kicksology -- putting weight in perspective (and weight is one of those things that really needs to be put in perspective). I hope more sites pick up on this trend. Yeah, it's a pain in the ass to do this right, but it's the little things like this that make a huge difference in the purchasing decision.

Peter Drucker

Ive been a big Peter Drucker fan for a long time. The "Godfather of Modern Management" is in his 90s and hes still at it. Amazing. He was one of the few who recognized early on that Germany was on the road to destruction in the late 30s and got out before the unspeakable happened. He always had a knack for being able to tell the future, and in this (older) interview he again hits it on the nose about the internet and our society. Theres a lot to be said for wisdom that comes with age; respect.

"The cultural impact of the Internet is far greater than the economic one. The important effect is on the middle classes in these half-developed countries. They don't see themselves as part of their economy, but as part of the worldwide developed economy. This may be the next development: the emergence of psychologically global middle classes.

The Internet is also forming new communities. The engineer whose specialty is bonding materials and plastics, his community is a few hundred engineers spread worldwide, but they are probably in contact every day. The economic impact is probably the least important. The social impact is the most important."

Typepad Screenshots and First Look

So, the talk of the blogtown is the preview of Typepad -- the new hosted blogging service from the makers of Movable Type. I've already received three emails this morning asking if we designed the UI. Nope, it wasn't us, but we're really glad to see that it's clean, simple, functional, and focused.

Do you think Typepad's apparent simplicity and approachability will help push blogs into the mainstream, or are "pay-to-blog" systems (like Typepad and Blogger Pro) forever relegated to the hard core crew? Also, what happens when AOL or Earthlink offers a simple blogging system as part of the AOL subscription? Is there really a large enough, sustainable market for a pay service when free alternatives are good enough for most people? What do you think?

Dating

So, I've noticed there's basically two schools of date stamping your blog entries. On one hand you have Zeldman, Camworld, Doc Searls, What Do I Know?, Nick Denton, etc. that group their posts prominently by date. And then there's Kottke, Megnut, Acts of Volition, A Whole Lotta Nothing, etc. that put the date at the bottom of each post or just set it in small, inconspicious type (almost as an afterthought). As blog readers, do you really care when something was posted as long as you know it's new?

History Scanned

A beautifully moody gallery of 50 black & white shots from Chicago's famous, and now defunct, junk/treasure market known as Maxwell Street. [link cred: Coudal]

Media Ownership

"On June 2, the FCC plans to vote on whether to relax the rules for owning American news media.

If further media concentration is allowed, the likely stampede of mergers would give a handful of large corporations greater influence over what isand is notreported in the news. The publics ability to have open, informed discussion with a wide variety of viewpoints would be compromised."

"In any other western democracy, it would be the subject of intense public debate and 72pt newspaper headlines. But this revolution is not being televised, and even the best newspapers barely give it a (column) inch."

What is Natural?

"Is biotechnology changing our relationship with nature? Are humans part of nature or have we risen above it? Last week, four leading thinkers went head to head over what "natural" means to them... So, does the distinction between natural and unnatural even matter?"

This article got me thinking about something Im confronted with often: Can you accept and even enjoy something which you know is "fake" and not a "natural original"? Can you enjoy a plastic Christmas tree that saves a tree each year, but lacks the pine smell and feeling of tradition? Do you enjoy theme parks where natural settings are rebuilt and immitated? Does fake wood flooring really feel and look the same as real wood flooring? Are silicone breasts a good substitute for real ones?

Autographed 8x10's

Question: how do restaurants, delis, pizza joints, etc. get those autographed 8x10 photos of the celebrities (or pseudo-celebs) who have dined there? Do these celebs carry around 8x10 headshots all the time, just in case? Maybe the celeb mails the photo at a later date? Anyone?

The 1,000 best movies ever made

The 1,000 best movies ever made (up until 1999), according to the New York Times. Seems like it would be quite handy to sync this with, say, your Netflix DVD rental list (a la bookstores using the NY Times bestseller list).

Novo Nordisk

In an industry that is typically looked down upon for thier "unethical" practices (Pharma), Novo Nordisk is a shining star. Their website is well-structured and pleasing; it has a thorough and informative Investor Relations section AND Sustainablility section. They seem to have mastered the art of keeping all stakeholders in the loop with open dialog, interaction and optimal use of the internet.

Here's What I Said

Jesper asked. I answered. A little "Under the Iron" interview with yours truly. Here are the other interviews in the series so far. Thanks for asking me to be a part, Jesper. Good luck with your future interviews.

2004 in May 2003

Hasn't 2004 come a little early this year? The 2004 Nissan Maxima and the 2004 Lexus RX330 are already available at your local dealer. I know next year's cars come out before the current year is over, but I don't remember them coming out before the current year's half-way point.

Copenhagen and Berlin

I'm on my way to Copenhagen and then Berlin next week. Anyone have recommendations on things to do, places to eat, or other fun stuff?

BTW, Oanda, "the currency site," offers a nifty little Travelers' Currency CheatSheet that you can print, cut, and stick in your wallet. Dollar to Euro isn't too challenging, but it's handy for something like Dollar to Danish Krone.

Chicago Wants Homeless Shelter Land for School

Now here's a tough one... The city of Chicago wants property currently occupied by the Pacific Garden Mission homeless shelter [N.Y. Times] for a new gymnasium and library for the adjacent Jones College Prep High School. The area is gentrifying, the neighborhood is changing, the school needs more land to expand. It would be one thing if the land was being taken for a new high rise with million-dollar condos, but it's being taken to help expand a school. But, on the other hand...

"One of the reasons we see the numbers that we do, being the largest shelter in the city of Chicago, is we are downtown, we are close to temporary work," said Mr. Kwiatkowski, 39, who has worked for 15 years at the shelter. "If we were put somewhere in a neighborhood that was far away, would we have the clientele that we have? Would we be able to minister to them like we do now?"

In the end, I think you have to do what's best for the school. You have to favor land used for the education of young people than for homeless adults -- even when the shelter houses "...140 men who have temporary residential status and are enrolled in computer training, general equivalency diploma and job placement classes with the hope of moving out on their own."

Photocase

Ive downloaded many print-quality photos for free at photocase. You can download up to 3 a day for free, and if you submit a photo which gets accepted, youll earn points, which allows you to download even more. Click on "pictures" to browse. Then click on "Mit Kommentaren", "Sortiert nach Downloads" and "Sortiert nach Rating" in the left column to see the best shots.

Know of any english-speaking websites like this?
(If any of you are interested in downloading photos, let me know and Ill help you with the german)

The Body Ugly

We spend a lot of time figuring out how things function. What are the best solutions? How does one thing interact with another? What methodologies and processes make the most sense? How can I get the optimum out of my job, my time, my life? We optimize everything and constantly strive for perfection.

But when it comes to the amazing vehicle inwhich we are able to exist in this world, we dont give a shit. We throw processed crap, alcohol, antibiotics, chemicals and harmful, unknown substances into it without thinking. We dont give it enough fruits, vegetables, vitamins & minerals or excersize. We even deprive it of water - its life substance. We treat our computers and cars better than we treat our bodies and the payback is a hard blow when it comes. Its not a question of "if", but "when".

No wonder that the aboriginal people on this earth dont have any of the diseases of modern man; no cavities, no cancer, no heart problems, no disease. While we sit here figuring out how to optimize the user interface of some project, they have already long ago mastered the optimization of the body, the only machine that we cant live without.

New Zeldman Book: Designing With Web Standards

Snoop Zeldy Zeld's new book, Designing With Web Standards is now available for pre-order at Amazon.com. Do everyone a favor and buy a copy. And, oohhh... At $24.50 it misses Amazon's free shipping offer by $0.50, so be sure to buy something else too.

Browsing By Time

Why can't I see a meta history of all the files I've worked on? I'm trying to find a file I worked on last week. I don't remember the name, I can't remember where it might be, but I know I worked on it last Friday. I know some apps have a menu of recently opened files, but files opened last week are quickly pushed off the list. Someone, somewhere, somehow needs to come up with a tool (for OS X, please) that shows me a history (much like web browsers do) of the files I've opened, moved, saved, deleted, etc. over a specified time frame. In fact, this should be built into the OS.

I'd really love it if I could filter by date (show me all the files I worked on on April 25-28), by application (show me the files I opened with Photoshop in the past 2 weeks), by time of day (show me the files I worked on in the afternoon in the past 5 days), by action (show me everything I printed or saved or deleted or duplicated, etc. last week)... I realize OS X's "Find" feature can do some of this (searching for modified files in a certain date range, etc.), but it's not quite enough.

More thoughts... I'd really appreciate iTunes Smart Playlist type functionality, but system wide. So, I could create a folder that would automatically be populated with aliases to every file I worked on last Friday. Or, a folder that would point to every file I've opened in Photoshop over the past 90 days. Basically I'm looking for dynamic folders that populate themselves based on a set of predefined criteria. Now that would be useful.

Clay Conan

On Thursday, "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" will broadcast a rerun of an entire episode in claymation. The opening, monologue, guests, all of it in clay. And it's even got Mr. T. Should be a doozy.

Couloir Sneaky Peek

It's been a long time coming (and it's still not finished!), but Couloir rides again, complete with a table-free design. Take a look around, put it through its paces and drop your comments here or directly to [email protected]. A more complete version of the site will launch in June.

Usability Tip: Setting Expectations

One of the things I don't hear enough about from many usability professionals/pundits is the importance of specific interface elements setting expectations. "What happens next after I click this button?" "Can I cancel this order later?" "What if I can't do what this button is asking me to do?" "What do I need for step 3 of this four step process?" The answers to these little questions are absolutely critical when it comes to building a great customer experience online.

And, it's no surprise that Amazon leads the pack. Sure, their little text-based "under button" messages (see below) could be considered clutter or ugly by some, but their immense value should not be overlooked. Amazon's "Not cancelable" blurb under a "Buy with 1-Click" button proactively answers a frequently asked question. The "fully refundable" blurb under the "Click to Give" button lets people know they can get their money back after making a donation (which probably leads to more people making donations). The "select your credit card" blurb under the "Pay Now" button lets people know the next step in the buying process. These little blurbs are beautiful things and I hope more sites follow Amazon's lead in this area in the future.

Good Design Gets My Business

Ok. So I've made a life decision -- I'm going to always spend a little extra to support companies that are doing great work. I spend my time trying to convince people that good design matters so I figure it's only fair that I practice what I preach.

My first purchase will be a Googie Drive as a back-up FireWire drive. What beautiful stuff. Only problem is, which one do I pick? The pill-shaped, portable, "it can't be a hard drive" Clamshell, the aluminum surfaced, sleek, and silent (it's fanless) Sandwich, or the monolithic, soothing Twist. Good design is so thirst quenching, isn't it?

Reckless or Bold?

With all the hype surrounding the climber who cut off his arm to save his life, I feel like this is a good opportunity to ask if he should be praised for his courage or berated for his recklessness for getting into that situation in the first place.

Spending time in the wilderness alone can be a rewarding, sprititual, and educational experience -- I encourage everyone to do a solo hike at some point in their lives. But could this entire incident have been avoided by having a partner, by having a long-range radio (or mobile phone), or by leaving a detailed itinerary with a responsible party back home? It certainly gives me pause when I think about my next solo mountain adventure. What do you think?

Waging Peace with Intelligent Design

A half-year-old but beautiful article. Just a dream?

CEO For A Day

If you were in charge of 37signals, what would you do differently? Are we focusing too much on one thing and/or not enough on another? Are we missing opportunities or mostly getting it right? How does it look from the outside? What say you?

Savage on Bennett

Dan Savage weighs in on the whole Bill Bennett gambling revelation (Bennett was one of the inspirations for Savage's novel "Skipping Towards Gomorrah").

Bennett defended himself against charges of hypocrisy by pointing out that he never hurt anyone else, that he didn't break the law, and that he views gambling like he views alcohol. "If you can't handle it," Bennett said, "don't do it." The trouble with all three of Bennett's defenses is that they can be used to defend all the sins, pleasures, and vices that Bennett made millions condemning, from open relationships (don't do it if you can't handle it) to smoking pot (doesn't hurt anyone else, don't do it if you can't handle it) to getting blowjobs from interns in the Oval Office (the trifecta).

Savage is even coming out with a deck of Bill Bennett playing cards that say, "If you see me gambling, please alert my wife".

It's Not Just Me

"If you do this kind of work," says interaction designer Gitta Salomon, "everything bugs you. Your car, your cordless phone, your home entertainment system - you hate everything."

This from Gitta Salomon, a woman intimately responsible for the much anticipated, and highly-rumored, "piles" (flash demo | article) UI in Mac OS X 10.3. [link credit: J. Law]

The Sandwich Experience

When I say no tomatoes, I mean no tomatoes. Not two instead of four. Not one instead of three. Zero instead of more than one -- that's what I mean. You see, I love tomato sauce, but I can't stand the texture of whole/sliced tomatoes. But, for some reason, the "no tomatoes please" request almost always falls on deaf ears. Sigh...

2-Line Cell Phones?

Are there any cell/mobile phone providers in the US that allow you to have two numbers on the same phone? Seems like there would be a pretty large market for this -- especially for small business owners. I'd like to have one cell phone with a number for business calls and a number for personal calls (distinctive rings would let me know which line is calling). Anyone?

Take That

Is this guy (WMV file) auditioning to be a dancer in the next Fatboy Slim video?

Lavalife

One day I came across these really cool illustrations of little male and female hipsters in a pop-up window. They looked very similar to Kirsten Ulves work, which I love. I clicked not paying much attention to the words. It led me to lavalife. I lost myself for the next half hour discovering what so many do to meet. I didnt realize how many people use these online dating services. Many of them didnt look like sleazy pimps which led me to believe that normal people like you and me try online dating services too. Is it really that hard to meet people the old-fashioned way? Or is Lavalife just so great?

Spring Skiing

The feeling of bombing down a 13,000ft. mountain on skis after hiking to the summit can't be beat. (1.4MB AVI movie). Whoosh!

The Move

We'll be a little quiet over the next few days while we complete the move into our new office. For your records, our new address is:

37signals
400 North May Street, Suite 301
Chicago, IL 60622

The Sierra Nevada & Owens Valley

I was born and raised in Bishop, California, located in the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Its an area made up of contrasts; hot summers - cold winters, magestic mountains - dry desert, old cowboys - young skibums. In a recent search I stumbled upon this website created by the Pigmy Packer. What a gem! It contains the rich history of the Owens Valley from the early settlers of the valley to the beginning of the Sierra Club. It also contains some of the sad chapters of High Sierra history like the Manzanar disgrace and the LA Auqeduct scandal. Some of you will flinch from the interface design, but just try to look past that at the wealth of information instead.

I really liked his vintage cowgirl pin-up collection :-)

Itchy, burning welts = insanity

So Ive spent the last week with a curious, itchy skin allergy that has pushed me to the limits of sanity. At first I thought it was a new washing detergent that my skin didnt like. (washing detergents are very aggressive for your skin) But it seemed that I got these "hives" also when I used my skin lotion. My legs and butt were breaking out in what looked like big red misquito bites - they multiplied each day and itched like crazy. I tried everything - eating healthier, taking calcium, no alcohol or coffee, no skin creams, washed my clothes again and again in "skin-friendly" detergent - everything. It seems that the detergent switch helped a lot but it somehow stuck around and got even worse. I finally broke down and went to the dermatologist who prescribed me anti-histamines. I was leery of them but overjoyed to get some relief and to finally get some work done. Ive never taken anti-histamines and the next 24 hours was spent in a dizzy, dazed stupor. I was flying high - all the side effects hit me like brick upside the head. I stopped taking them to think straight again and the hives came back one day later. Now Im on a half-dose (5mg) which seems to still make me dizzy but at least not dazed.

Needless to say, Im still searching for a solution as to what has caused this. Ive been reading everything I can get my hands on and what Ive discovered is that our world is extremely toxic. Our food, detergents, soaps, lotions, carpets, walls, clothes and everything else which comes into contact with our bodies contains some chemical or unnatural substance which has the potential to make us sick. When you really examine what you use, eat and come into contact with everyday, its really scarey. No wonder cancer is so widespread.

Who out there has had a cross-allergy (two substances which in combination, cause allergies), a skin allergy, or any other skin sickness from environmental factors? Do you suggest any books or methods?

City, suburban designs could be bad for your health

After reading this article (link credit = Jeff Veen), I got to thinking about how valuable walking is. I remember my swedish boyfriend slamming me for driving my car a couple blocks to the supermarket; "You americans are so lazy, its unbelievable!" He proceeded to give me this long lecture which ended up in a fight: I WAS NOT LAZY. I went to the gym 5 times a week and jogged, it was just that I had to buy some groceries and couldnt schlepp all those groceries home on foot. I thought he was just being a jerk.

Today living in Germany, I often schlepp my groceries on foot the same distance, and I never forgot that fight. I have to hear this again and again at social gatherings, how lazy americans are. On one hand, most of our cities were built after the discovery of the automobile, and are therefore not human-friendly but car-friendly. On the other hand, when we do have the oppertunity to walk somewhere, we drive instead out of habit. In the US, our streets are wider, paking lots are bigger, most stores are cut off from residential areas, we lack pedestrian-friendly town centers and many cities lack enough sidewalks and bikelanes.

Have our city planners in the US screwed us out of a healthy lifestyle? What would be your ideal city plan?

Tell Me About The Pigeons

Bill Simmons, the sports guy, hangs with Mike Tyson and his pigeons on a rooftop in NYC. The whole pigeon thing has a definite "tell me about the rabbits, George" vibe to it.

[Tyson] I've been doing this my whole life, longer than anything I've ever participated in besides breathing ... This is basically my office from six o'clock in the morning 'til two o'clock in the morning ... It's like one of those boyhood diseases that you can't get out of your blood... I know people think I'm crazy because I'm a black, young, rich millionaire and I'm here flying pigeons, but this is what I've done all my life -- I'm gonna die doing this.