April 2016 | Ice cream edition
Last month I shared an article about designing for a device’s thumb zone (#2 in last month’s newsletter). I like this article’s take on the thumb zone even better because it’s full of visual examples showing how to effectively employ bottom navigation and provide a great mobile experience for your users.
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THE THUMB ZONE AND BOTTOM NAV
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THE NEXT TECHNOLOGICAL LEAP
Where is the next big leap in tech going to take us? When you graph the history of technological eras, we’re due for the next innovative, life-changing technology to explode onto the scene in the next few years. This article explores what that tech might be (hint: AI will likely be involved). Related to the-future-is-now, read this fascinating article that follows Oculus’s intricate design process for creating a comfortable virtual reality headset.
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WILL NIGHT SHIFT SOLVE YOUR SLEEP PROBLEMS?
With iOS 9.3’s Night Shift settings, you can warm up the overall screen color on your iPhone or iPad between specified hours. Will it help you sleep better on nights you use your device before bed? Maybe. Maybe not. I’ve tried it, and I like it. The other night, I couldn’t sleep, and I didn’t have a good book handy, so I read an article on my phone with Night Shift’s warm hues turned way up, and then I went right back to sleep and slept till my alarm surprised me awake some hours later.
Related: Can airlines eliminate jet lag using fancy light therapy during flights? I’m game to try that.
The latest to-do list replacement idea seems manageable: 2 hours per day focused on one big thing, 3 hours each on three medium things, and 15 minutes each on two little things.
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ONE BIG THING
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PSA: APRIL 12 IS FREE CONE DAY
Free Cone Day at Ben & Jerry’s occurs annually from 12-8 on the second Tuesday in April. I’ve gone every year for a decade. Go. You will not regret it.
Atlanta folks: If I’ve mapped the Atlanta offices properly, your (formerly) nearest Ben & Jerry’s has permanently closed. The only scoop shop I can find in all of Georgia is in Athens. Driving an hour+ to stand in line for a small scoop of ice cream (albeit free) is not worth it. The only solution is to drown your sorrows in a pint purchased at your nearest grocery store. Then, obviously, it’s time to start looking at job openings in Redmond.
Redmond folks: We live in the land of ice cream. Our weather may tend toward drizzle and cloud cover, but we buoy our spirits with ice cream, gelato, and frozen custard made with ingredients sourced from local farms. (Atlantans, are you feeling the urge to move west yet?) Molly Moon’s is setting up shop in Redmond and opens this Friday at 3 p.m. We can walk there from our offices in less than 5 minutes. (I have been freaking out about this for approximately a month already.) Ben & Jerry’s (and Free Cone Day!) is available with a view along the Kirkland waterfront, or you can hit up the locations at Green Lake, Issaquah Highlands, or the Southcenter Mall (or all four).