SIGNAL VS. NOISE

Walgreens, a "Case" study

I was over at Walgreens yesterday to get a bottle of Advil. What I saw shocked me. Walgreens locked up all the brand name pain medications (Tylenol, Advil, and Aleve) in a plastic case and stocked the shelves with their own Walgreens-brand generics. Last time I was there, name brands and Walgreens-brands shared public shelf space. But now, if Walgreens had a self-branded competitor to a major name brand, the major name brand was locked in a case (which requires you actually find someone who works there to unlock it — good luck). I took a picture with my phone cam (quality sucks, yes, but if you look at the top of the shelves you'll see the plastic case where they keep the brand names locked up). I can't imagine McNeil, Bayer, and Weyth will stand for this.

Has anyone else noticed this? Is this a national strategy or just a local one? What's the deal, Walgreens?

Google Logo Idea

Shepard Fairey (of Obey Giant fame) imagines a new Google logo. He says, "I'm surprised they never thought to turn the o's into an infinity symbol. The number Google is finite, but it's so large that it is infinite for all practical purposes." [via Kottke]

"One Left" Behavior

From time to time, some good people bring donuts and coffee cake to the office for everyone to enjoy. Throughout the day I peer into the kitchen to check to see what's left. As the supply dwindles, people start taking smaller and smaller pieces until there's one "serving" left. Then the division begins. The remaining donut becomes the remaining half-donut. Then the quarter donut. Then the 1/8th donut. Then the 1/16th donut. I swear I've even seen crumbs divided. People are always afraid to take the last bit and clear it out. It always humors me. That's all. Bon Appetit.

Book: Sample Chapter, Table of Contents, Etc.

This is the third in a series of posts about our upcoming book “Defensive Design for the Web: How To Improve Error Messages, Help, Forms, and Other Crisis Points.” The book is scheduled to be published on February 27, 2004 (update: new release date is March 8). You can pre-order it at Amazon now. Or sign up to be notified by e-mail when the book is released.

Alright, the new, lower price is up at Amazon. It's only $17.49 (that's 30% off the $24.99 list price).

Let's take a closer look at the book's contents. You can now download (for free) Chapter 4, Bulletproof Forms (PDF, 569 KB). This chapter shows you how to use defensive design to create friendly forms that are easy to complete. It's represesentative of how the guideline chapters use examples and head to head comparisons to explain the ins and outs of defensive/contingency design.

What else is covered? Here's a complete table of contents for the book:

1. Introduction
Understanding Defensive Design.
2. Show the Problem
Display obvious error messages and alerts.
3. Language Matters
Provide clear instructions.
4. Bulletproof Forms - PDF, 569 KB
Create friendly forms that are easy to complete.
5. Missing in Action
Overcome missing pages, images, or plug-ins.
6. Lend a Helping Hand
Offer help that's actually helpful.
7. Get Out of the Way
Eliminate obstacles to conversion (e.g. unnecessary ads, registration, navigation, etc.).
8. Search and Rescue
Deliver the right results with smart search engine assistance.
9. Out of Stocks and Unavailable Items
Make sure unavailable items don't become dead ends.
10. The Contingency Design Test
Evaluate your site's defensive design.
11. Conclusion

Here's what Scott Heiferman, co-founder of Meetup.com & Fotolog.net, has to say about the book:

"Defend yourself — listen to 37signals! If useful web design is important to you, then how can you NOT pay attention to Defensive Design? Matt and Jason break new ground on a crucial part of web design that you don't hear much about elsewhere."

The Cheating Culture

Author Chuck Klosterman comments on our pirate culture:

There's an interesting new book by David Callahan called The Cheating Culture: Why More Americans Are Doing Wrong to Get Ahead. Callahan's premise is that modern people see almost no difference between "being smart" and "cheating creatively." This is not a commentary on Enron-style corporate thievery; that's institutional corruption. This is all about the individual. This is all about the cavalier panache of the lone rapscallion. Although Callahan ultimately expresses an anticheating worldview, even he dubs anyone who doesn't cheat a "chump": You are a chump if you pay your taxes, you are a chump if you never lie, and you are a chump if you still pay retail for CDs. This is the new paradigm. And this is why we love pirates: We have to. Our only options are to be "pro-pirate" or "pro-chump." We are pirates by default.

Speaking: SxSW March 16th at 11:30-12:30

I'll be presenting at South by Southwest in Austin, TX on March 16th at 11:30-12:30. My presentation will be called "The Three Little Things" and will cover three topics that we take very seriously when we design interfaces and think about usability here at 37signals:

1. Context & Perspective (helping people relate to physical objects online — what does "3.3 x 1.1 x .8" really mean?)
2. Setting Expectations (helping people know what comes next — something interface designers usually do a horrible job at)
3. Contingency Design (helping people get back on track when something goes wrong — hint: offer suggestions, not dead ends).

I'll also be on hand after the presentation to discuss and demo Basecamp and sell you a shiny new copy of our book. If you see me I hope you'll come over and say hi. See you there.

The Next Middle East Oil Crisis

The NY Times is reporting that the Saudi oil fields are in decline. Yeah, today's Middle East is pretty screwed up, but the real problem is 50 or so years from now when oil is running dry. That's their only major export, their only source of power and influence. Without oil, the Middle East is another Africa — a poverty stricken region that the world barely cares about.

They're Off The Market

Congrats to Scott Upton and Michele Novosad on their engagement! Fall 2004 wedding at at least 8,000 ft. above sea level to follow.

Book: A Look Inside

This is the second in a series of posts about our upcoming book “Defensive Design for the Web: How To Improve Error Messages, Help, Forms, and Other Crisis Points.” The book is scheduled to be published on February 27, 2004. You can pre-order it at Amazon now. Or sign up to be notified by e-mail when the book is released.

Steve Krug, author of Don't Make Me Think, on the book:

"The folks at 37signals have created an invaluable resource: tons of 'best practice' examples for ensuring that Web users can recover gracefully when things — as they inevitably will — go 'worng.'"

Here's what the book will give you:

• 40 guidelines to prevent errors and rescue customers if a breakdown occurs.
• Hundreds of real-world examples from companies like Amazon, Google, and Yahoo that show the right (and wrong) ways to handle crisis points.
• An easy-to-perform test to evaluate your own site's defensive/contingency design and suggestions on how to improve it over the long term.

The guideline chapters are the real heart of the book. Like Design Not Found, these chapters focus on real world usage. Instead of just saying "do this," the book shows you why based on tons of positive and negative examples from around the Web. The guidelines also include "As If" metaphors that compare the online crisis points to offline situations and "Tech Tips" that offer advice on how to implement solutions.

These chapters also feature Head to Head examples where we see similar sites duke it out on the same issue. This sort of side-by-side comparison does a great job of hammering home what a difference effective contingency planning can make.

Jeffrey Zeldman, author of Designing With Web Standards, on the book:

"The best-laid plans of mice and web developers often go awry. No matter how artfully you structure, write, and design your company's site, someone is always going to hit the wrong button, type the wrong password, or make other normal human mistakes. Anticipating errors and helping customers bounce back into the site's flow can make the difference between success and failure. This clear, easy-to-read book tells how, with a depth no related title can match. Buy it, read it, keep it close to your monitor. The customer relationship you save may be your own."

In the next couple of days we'll post a table of contents and a sample chapter so you can really dive in and take a look.

The iPod People

The World at Ears' Length (NY Times) discusses iPod people and asks, "Could the iPod...be turning the vibrant sidewalks of New York into the pedestrian equivalent of the soulless freeway?"

Whatever. As an avid iPod pedestrian, I'm siding with this Billy Collins poem instead.

Man Listening To Disc
This is not bad --
ambling along 44th Street
with Sonny Rollins for company,
his music flowing through the soft calipers
of these earphones,

as if he were right beside me
on this clear day in March,
the pavement sparkling with sunlight,
pigeons fluttering off the curb,
nodding over a profusion of bread crumbs.

In fact, I would say
my delight at being suffused
with phrases from his saxophone --
some like honey, some like vinegar --
is surpassed only by my gratitude

to Tommy Potter for taking the time
to join us on this breezy afternoon
with his most unwieldy bass
and to the esteemed Arthur Taylor
who is somehow managing to navigate

this crowd with his cumbersome drums.
And I bow deeply to Thelonious Monk
for figuring out a way
to motorize -- or whatever -- his huge piano
so he could be with us today.

This music is loud yet so confidential.
I cannot help feeling even more
like the center of the universe
than usual as I walk along to a rapid
little version of "The Way You Look Tonight,"

and all I can say to my fellow pedestrians,
to the woman in the white sweater,
the man in the tan raincoat and the heavy glasses,
who mistake themselves for the center of the universe --
all I can say is watch your step,

because the five of us, instruments and all,
are about to angle over
to the south side of the street
and then, in our own tightly knit way,
turn the corner at Sixth Avenue.

And if any of you are curious
about where this aggregation,
this whole battery-powered crew,
is headed, let us just say
that the real center of the universe,

the only true point of view,
is full of hope that he,
the hub of the cosmos
with his hair blown sideways,
will eventually make it all the way downtown.

Web Interface Design Tip: The Yellow Fade Technique

"Because something is happening here / But you don't know what it is / Do you, Mister Jones?" -Bob Dylan

A lot of web sites & applications make you feel a bit like Mr. Jones.
That's why we've pioneered the Yellow Fade Technique (YFT) in Basecamp. It's a nifty way to subtly spotlight a recently changed area on a page.

Why does this matter? When you edit or move something on a web page it usually forces a reload of that page. The problem is once the page reloads it's often difficult to spot and confirm the change (especially if the change occurred somewhere in the middle of the page). The YFT uses JavaScript to create a yellow highlight that briefly spotlights the change when the page reloads. Then, in a second or two, the highlight fades and the page reverts to its normal state. The YFT makes it super easy to spot edits/changes yet its unobtrusive nature lets people quickly get back to work once a modification is confirmed.

Let's take a look at an example.

Let's say I want to change the name of the second post on this Basecamp page from "CEO Photo" to "Jim Messier Photo."

First off, I'll go to the "Edit Post" page and change the post's title.

Once I save the change, the original page then reloads with the YFT (the yellow highlights the post I just changed). In the subsequent images, you can see how the yellow slowly fades out so it doesn't dominate the layout forever.

Voila, the page is back to normal within seconds.

To see it in action, sign up for Basecamp (you can try it for free). There, it's especially useful for page with lots of small items, like to-do lists and milestone pages.

American Express Pyrite Card

I don't mean to pick on American Express, but while I was reading the fine print for a card I was applying for, I bumped into this:

Gold Card Events are not available for American Express Business Gold Card, Business Management AccountSM, Optima Platinum Card, Gold Optima Card, or Gold Delta SkyMiles Business Credit Card.

Gold isn't Gold. Confusing, isn't it?

Book: Sales Soaring, Price Dropping, Cover Up

This is the first in a series of posts about our upcoming book "Defensive Design for the Web: How To Improve Error Messages, Help, Forms, and Other Crisis Points." The book is scheduled to be published on February 27, 2004. You can pre-order it at Amazon now. Or sign up to be notified by e-mail when the book is released.

Advance sales for the book are skyrocketing. Today it cracked the top 500 in Amazon.com sales ranking (454 at last check) and is currently #15 at the Computer & Internet top sellers page. Our publisher, New Riders, says this is "incredible for a book that hasn't yet been released." So to all of you who have purchased a copy already, thanks!

We're also pleased to announce that the book's price is dropping. Instead of the original list price of $29.99, the book will now have a list price of $24.99 (it will be 20-30% cheaper at Amazon, prices to be updated at the site shortly). This should increase sales even more. We're stoked that the book is truly going to be reasonably priced (especially compared to other titles in this category). And if you already pre-ordered the book, don't sweat it: You'll only be charged the new, cheaper price when the book ships.

We can also reveal the actual front cover design now too. The design process was a tricky one since the cover needed to accomplish a few tasks. It needed to stand out on a crowded bookshelf in order to draw in bookstore eyes (yes, people do still buy books offline). It also had to quickly explain the potentially unfamiliar concept of defensive/contingency design. And it needed to be consistent with our usual 37signals style. The result is this simple yet striking cover -- a bright yellow background featuring an alert icon that links to several of the topics covered in the book (i.e. crisis point messages like invalid entry, out of stock, 404 file not found). We could've gone for something more flashy (originally, we considered using an illustration) but in the end we liked the impact and clarity of this version best.

Stay tuned: In upcoming days, we'll share quotes from some notable reviewers who read advance copies and also give you a sneak peek at the book's interior.

The New Audi A6

So, Audi's out with the new 2005 A6. From some angles the car looks amazing, powerful, sleek, and modern. And from others it looks like, well, a Camry (well, ok, not quite, but sort of). Check out these photos (and these too) and post your thoughts.

I personally wish they would have gone with these front and back lights, but oh well. Overall, I think the new A6 is a very bold statement. And, like most Audi's, this one probably doesn't photograph as well as it shows in person.

Basecamp: New Features Are Live!

We've been hard at work listening to your suggestions and improving Basecamp on a daily basis. Today we unveil a bunch of new features. You can read about them at the Everything Basecamp site. The most significant new feature is the brand new Projects Dashboard. The new Dashboard gives you a much better global look at what's going on across all your projects.

If you haven't checked out Basecamp yet, find out what people are saying then take a look for yourself. 30-day free trials are available.

The Pareto Principle

The history of the 80-20 Rule: Vilfredo Pareto (1848-1923) was an Italian economist who, in 1906, observed that twenty percent of the Italian people owned eighty percent of their country's accumulated wealth. Over time, this theory came to be called Pareto's Principle. It states that a small number of causes is responsible for a large percentage of the effect, in a ratio of about 20:80.

A-Rod Link Perk

Buck up Red Sox fans, at least you've got the Patriots. The Yankees get A-Rod and the rich get richer. My friend Tim suggests, "Teams like Detroit and Minnesota should be able to play against the Yankees with ten guys on the field. Maybe a 'roamer.'"

Part of the deal is interesting though...

In exchange for the alterations, which devalue the present-day value of the contract by $5 million, Rodriguez will receive a hotel suite on road trips, have the right to link his website to the Yankees' site and get a guarantee that the deferred money won't be wiped out by a work stoppage.

When did linking your site to the team's site become a perk worthy of millions?

Idea for the Airlines

Complete the flying experience by ending on a high note: Have a bowl of mints or gum at the gate as people are deplaning. Dry plane air and mouths don't mix well. Sure, the concessions aren't going to like it, but what's more important: showing your customers you're thinking of them or not annoying the vendors? I'd pick the customers. A mint or a stick of gum is a small gesture, yes, but it shows that you understand the customer's "next steps" (which are often getting off the plane to meet a loved one, friend, or business contact — and fresh breath counts big in these situations).

Customer Support: "the human element"

The 12 online retailers rated "best-of-breed" for their support (according to a study by e-tailing.com): Ann Taylor, CompUSA, Crate & Barrel, Crutchfield, JC Penney, J. Crew, Lands' End, Men's Warehouse, Orvis, Petco, Powell's and RedEnvelope.

"Online, people need help more, not less, and the human element is something that can be really a great differentiator for a brand," says Lauren Freedman, one of the folks behind the study, in this NY Times article about online customer service.

A Kerry Affair: Infidelelectability

Drudge drops a bomb: CAMPAIGN DRAMA ROCKS DEMOCRATS: KERRY FIGHTS OFF MEDIA PROBE OF RECENT ALLEGED INFIDELITY, RIVALS PREDICT RUIN.

Sell in iTunes Music Store

Jon Gales wants to see a "Sell in iTunes Music Store" option in GarageBand. His idea is to let the public do the vetting by allowing people to rate streaming versions of uploaded songs (the highest rated make it through to the store).

I'd settle for a non-DVD installer for GarageBand so I can install it at home. Grrrr.

Who Was General Tso?

Some yummy Chinese food the other night got me wondering: Who was General Tso and why are we eating his chicken?

General Tso never ate the dish named after him. The great warrior, the prop of the Qing dynasty, the subduer of rebels and uprisings who carved his name into Chinese history at the point of a sword, had to wait more than 100 years for an inventive expatriate chef to award him his American triumph and make his name famous in the West.

Rules for Arguments

A Rulebook for Arguments by Anthony Weston lists 44 rules for injecting logic into argumentative discourse. He writes, "It is not a mistake to have strong views. The mistake is to have nothing else." Also, "If you can't imagine how anyone could hold the view you are attacking, you just don't understand it yet."

Predictable design in infrastructure

Since 1983 the 'dankort' has enjoyed a near monopoly in payment cards and associated terminals in Denmark. That monopoly gave way to an incredibly consistent user interface, which conditioned the entire nation on the layout of keys and swiping.

Now as decades of protectionism has fallen, there's a swarm of new terminals on the market. And are they designed to mimick the ways of the old monopoly? No. Just today, I had to use yet another design where I managed to commit three errors and had to receieve an instruction tour by the clerk. By the tone of his voice, it was obviously not the first time.

You can't design terminals in a vacuum for a population with 20 years of tacit mental patterns to unravel.

Should I Apply for The Apprentice 2?

I'm seriously considering applying for The Apprentice 2. Should I?

Filter-via-pulldown

It ain't all that pretty but the filter-via-pulldown functionality that's right upfront at Rusty Zipper (i.e. you can drill down to clothes via a combination of any/all ofthese fields: Gender,Era,Item Type, Size, Price Range, and Keyword Search) is powerful. A lot of online stores could learn from the way this small retailer lets visitors quickly eliminate unwanted items and focus solely on relevant items. And dontcha think Jason would look nifty in this shirt?

Basecamp Launches

Basecamp has launched!. Check out the site for a tour of the app w/ screenshots, example uses, and training info (including free Chicago workshops). And it's free for 1 project plus a 30 day free trial for paying plans.

Thanks for all your wonderful and useful feedback over the past few weeks on the feature previews. We've made some changes based on your comments, and plan on tweaking current functionality and adding lots of new features based on customer feedback. We have a lot planned (1.1, 1.2, and 1.3 are already in the works), but our ears are open. Wide open.

A few quick and random thoughts...

Basecamp strives to provide the tools for a more human form of project management. With Basecamp it's not about tons of stats, charts, numbers, and graphs — it's about two-way communication, conversation, simple scheduling, and to-do lists so you don't forget the little things (and projects are often comprised of thousands of these little things).

Basecamp is the perfect project management tool for freelancers or small shops that don't have dedicated project managers. Although plenty of shops with dedicated project managers have already signed up and are using it right now.

Basecamp is yours. There's no mention of 37signals or even "Basecamp" on your own project site. Plus, you can customize the colors and upload your logo to make it as consistent as possbile with your own brand. We've even made sure that all emails that your clients receive from the system (new post notifications, for example) come from your email address, not ours.

You may think your collection of random emails, napkin scribbles, IM chat transcripts, post-it notes, and handwritten notes are organized but what do your clients think? When you work with a client, do they feel like you are organized? Do you they feel like they are important? They're paying the money, but do they feel like they are in the loop? Basecamp helps make them part of the process.

Project management often suffers when clients aren't involved. Basecamp brings them into the fold by allowing them to post and comment. It gives them a greater sense of ownership and ends up producing a better end product.

"Projects" just aren't web development projects. They are group projects (for school, for example), home improvement projects, family projects, "looking for a new job" projects, "keeping track of what the competition is doing" projects, and more. Basecamp can be used by all sorts of people for all sorts of projects.

Basecamp can be a great sales tool. Set up a project site for a client and include the URL and log-in information with your proposal. Show them you're already on the ball — even before you get the project.

Jim Coudal said this about Basecamp's client retention abilities: "Not only does Basecamp improve client communications it also improves client loyalty. Once clients start using the tool they'll never want to go back to the old way of doing business. Your client's experience becomes completely proprietary. This leap forward in project tracking becomes a large part of their relationship with your firm and they'll have to think long and hard about giving that up if they decide to switch creative resources."

We worked hard to make Basecamp affordable. The Basic plan, which allows you to manage up to 10 active projects at a time, only costs about 65 cents a day. 65 cents a day to keep you organized and your clients in the loop. And the Premium plan, which allows you to manage unlimited projects, is under $2/day.

Basecamp isn't revolutionary. There's nothing brand new about blog-like posts, to-do lists, and milestones. But, it's the integration of the three ways you think about a project (what to say, what needs to be done, and keeping track of the little frustrating things that often get lost in the shuffle), that makes Basecamp special. Plus, it's very fast and streamlined. No bloat. Lean code. CSS/XHTML. Intuitive and useful. The overall experience is the appeal.

Basecamp incorporates new technology when it's useful, not just to flaunt it. RSS feeds let you stay on top of your projects without having to stay logged into Basecamp (we have a lot more planned for the RSS integration angle). Auto-updating Apple iCal integration allows you to subscibe to your milestones/schedules and to-do lists. You can even "complete" milestones or check off to-do list items from within iCal. And, since iCal can sync with Palms, and there are RSS newsreaders for mobile devices, you can take a lot of your Basecamp with you.

So, that's it for now. We'll be posting here and at Everything Basecamp often. Stay tuned for new feature announcements, updates, and observations.

And, of course, thanks for everything and good luck on your projects (hopefully managed with Basecamp ;)

Where was Bon Jovi?

Seems like they were the only thing missing from the unspectale that was the Super Bowl. Good thing it was a great game because the rest of it was awful. The commercials were way too bland and boring (a dog biting a man in the groin was the viewer favorite), the halftime show featured songs popular two years ago and was generally groan inducing (despite the "wardrobe malfunction" - which, of course, was a complete accident), and what kind of deal with the devil did Aerosmith sign so that they appear at every single sporting event and awards show? It's sad to watch these "events" that are made to try to appeal to everyone yet actually appeal to no one. The only entertaining thing I saw all day (other than the game) was Deion Sanders riding a longhorn bull in the parking lot while wearing one of his 5-button gangsta pinstripe suit.

Meetup is Looking for Design Help

Our friends at Meetup are looking for a talented NYC-based freelance/contract designer to help them with their redesign and feature expansion. More details on their jobs page. Scott, Peter and the rest of the crew have been a pleasure to work for (we designed the original Meetup site and some other stuff for them), so if you're looking for a good gig and a chance to work for/with great people, this could be the one. Good luck.

iTunes & Pepsi: Enter your 40-digit Pepsi code

Apple and Pepsi's 100 million song giveaway page on the iTunes Music Store asks you to enter your 10-digit Pepsi code exactly as it appears on the inside of the bottle cap, but presents you with a looooong 40-character field to do so. Nitpicking? Yes. But why give 40 when you're only asking for 10? Why open it up for mistakes? If you just provide 10 slots, it's much easier for people to tell if they've entered the code correctly (they'll see their data entry "fit" or be too short or too long). File this little lesson under Defensive Design.

Help Wanted: Freelance Ruby Developer

We're looking to establish a relationship with a freelance Ruby developer to help us work on various web-based applications/services we are developing. This is not a full or part-time position, but will be an hourly contract or project-rate position. You'll be working remotely with our primary developer. Location or formal education isn't important — your skills, passion, attention to detail, and real-world experience are. If you think you're right for this, please introduce yourself by sending an email to ruby [-at-] 37signals.com. Thanks.