Polymer Studios::Web Consulting

Can I hear an “Amen?” The gospel of design

14. November 2007

The UK-based Design Council has put up an interesting site called Managing Design. It’s appears to be an effort to sell design to the MBAs who might be saying, “yeah, but how will it improve my bottom line?” The site includes some interesting articles on the design process as well as some profiles of companies [...]

Color me amused

27. October 2007

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Festive Quechuas, by ruecian, at colourlovers.com Three fascinating links related to the color on the Web: How Pantone missed the Internet boat, according to Tim Bray at ongoing. Via xBlog. Imagine that! A social networking site for colour lovers. I think I’ve found my favorite palettes. Because not everyone sees in Technicolor, there’s Sim Daltonism, a color blindness [...]

The only thing to fear…

26. October 2007

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When we work with clients on UI redesigns for existing sites, one of the considerations that invariably comes up is how much change current site users will tolerate. Sometimes the fear of disrupting the current experience, however flawed that experience might be, has the potential to stifle innovation and prevent breakthroughs that could really benefit [...]

Gaming for fun and profit, but mostly fun

24. October 2007

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It looks nothing like the games they do for Adult Swim on Cartoon Network (Viva Caligula, Bible Fight, etc.), but here’s a great demo that NYC-based Pop & Co. produced for LEGO. I’m guessing it didn’t take half the effort of one of their full-fledged games, but stylistically, it’s a gem. Makes me nostalgic [...]

May I take your order, please?

14. October 2007

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In & Out Employees, uploaded by SeraphimC When desigining a user interface, we often take into account the motivation level of our users. It’s a critical factor in determining just how likely Joe or Jane Employee will be to learn and use, say, the new touch-screen order-taking system. Even if users are required to use [...]

Design for Good and Profit

12. October 2007

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When most people think about “design,” we generally think of “style”. Cool looking phones, electronics, appliances, clothes, cars, etc. Often times companies apply only a shallow, surface design to these products—either to cover the products shortcomings or to help it stand out in a entire category “me-too” products. Style is only one facet in the broader [...]

Maps: not just for geography geeks anymore

2. October 2007

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In this era of Mapquest, Garmin and Google Earth, I wonder if we take maps a bit too literally. They appear objective. The seem authoritative. That is, until you try to follow directions and realize you just drove five miles and four turns out of your way. The Strange Maps blog has helped to give [...]