Making News
iPhone Killer: The Secret History of the Apple Watch
Apples goal for their Watch is to ‘free people from their phones’. This article from WIRED shares some insight into how they plan to do so.
US smartphone use in 2015
64% of American adults now own a smartphone and 7% of the population relies heavily on one for online access. Pew Research Center’s in-depth report presents some great insights on smartphone usage and demographics in America.
Thoughts and ideas
On meta-design and algorithmic design systems
Exploring algorithmic design systems and the rise of the meta-designer.
What designers can learn from project managers
Facebook Product Design Director Julie Zhuo shares some of the things she's learned from years of working with top Project Managers.
The interface layer; when design commoditizes tech
Scott Belsky suggests that a new breed of design-driven companies is emerging to fill the ‘interface layer’ between services and utilities, and that ease (and speed) of use will be their competitive advantage.
The tyranny of the minimum viable product
‘Minimum Viable Product’ is a phrase we use to focus and accelerate product development, but what does that mean for the internet of things?
Showcase
MOTION for the web
This pen demonstrates the fidelity possible with javascript based animations. No doubt the chrome animations tools will advance this further.
Dear web designer, let's stop breaking the affordance of scrolling
Rodrigo Muniz builds upon the HUGE everybody scrolls piece, and suggests an animated alternative to the lazy scroll indicator.
Resources
How to create an icon collection
A look into the inspiration behind Ego, a new icon set from Webalys. Their research explored multiple eras of art history including 80’s Geometric New Wave and Urban Modern Art.
How Periscope onboards new users
Samuel Hulick's handy lessons in user onboarding will save you signing up for every product and service. His latest walkthrough takes us through the good, bad and occasionally weird moments of Periscope’s first run experience.
That's it for the week, thanks for reading! If you’ve enjoyed this issue you can send it to a friend, share it on Twitter, or tweet us with your feedback. If you've got a product design story to share, we'd love to hear it.