rhygar's comments

rhygar | 13 years ago | on: Stop Using The Cup of Coffee vs. $0.99 Cent App Analogy

This seems like a poor argument for being cheap.

"Starbucks Coffee is a Trustable Experience" Not true - I've had mixed results depending on time of day and what barista is making my drink.

"Your $1 App is a Total Gamble" Nope. You have every opportunity to read the reviews, look at screenshots, use Google, etc.

"Starbucks Has No Free Alternative" and "Free Apps Are Often A Great Alternative" I'm not sure how this matters - if you're cheap, it doesn't matter how good the app is. Do you tip waiters? After all, the alternative to tipping is great - you get to keep your money!

"Starbucks Craftsmanship Is On Full Display" Not really. I don't think anyone would agree that "craftsmanship" goes into making a Starbucks drink.

"App Craftsmanship Is Hidden Away" Like I said before, you have ample opportunity to read the app description, check out app store rankings, read user reviews, and look at screenshots.

rhygar | 14 years ago | on: Ubuntu for Android

This is cool from a gee whiz/novelty standpoint, but in practice this will have very poor usability. Why? Good touch apps have terrible UI for keyboard & mouse interaction.

For example swiping, pinch to zoom, etc. Many apps use a swipe to the left or right to perform and action. How would this work with a mouse?

rhygar | 14 years ago | on: A Happy, Flourishing City With No Advertising

Admit it - you have no evidence other than anecdotes to prove that signs cause material harm, and therefore externalities.

This is government red tape that hurts the economy in that city.

rhygar | 14 years ago | on: A Happy, Flourishing City With No Advertising

The cost of this is a loss of jobs for sign makers (and their suppliers), marketing agencies, and a loss of income for new businesses (and their suppliers) that want to make their presence known. Basically, the economy in that city is worse off overall as a result, and there are fewer jobs to go around.

rhygar | 14 years ago | on: Watch other people code

Wow. Posting the textbook definition of MVP gets downvoted. The Redditization of Hacker News.

rhygar | 14 years ago | on: Watch other people code

Unfortunately MVP is one of those terms like "pivot" that got out of control. An MVP is "the minimum viable product is that version of a new product which allows a team to collect the maximum amount of validated learning about customers with the least effort."

http://www.startuplessonslearned.com/2009/08/minimum-viable-...

This is a great example of an MVP. If nobody signs up, he knows there is no demand for this product.

rhygar | 14 years ago | on: Google Flight Search

Hipmunk.com says depart/return and Iflyswa.com says departing/returning. Your claim is 0/2 so far.

rhygar | 14 years ago | on: Google Flight Search

The whole thing has "designed by an engineer" all over it. From hidden UI that reveals itself by clicking/hovering on various elements, to the entire process being limited to one screen which various pop-out elements and transformations. There is little consistency in the design, and poor or no usage of contrast to separate information visually.

When clicking the large blue button to the right of a flight, several rows of return flights drop down below that. The only visual distinction between these specific sub-rows and the other departing flights below is a thin blue/gray border on the sides.

Going from A to B is called an "Outbound flight", while going from B to A is called a "Return flight". Copy is very important in UI design. It should be outbound/inbound or depart/return, not some mix of different terminology.

Durations are always "-- Xh -->". What is the point of the arrow if it is always pointing to the right? Why is the duration a lighter shade than the rest of the text?

The left column is a Gawker/Gizmodo style static column that locks in place when scrolling down. The Google search results page doesn't do that.

These are basics, and a company the size of Google with as many employees as it has should be able to get these things right.

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