What makes some designs good and others bad? Why do some designs work while others don’t? Posts in this category offer thoughtful design critiques of modern digital interfaces, with commentary inspired by Don Norman’s “The Design of Everyday Things.”
Imagine stepping into a luxury camping tent, where you have a comfortable mattress perfectly made out for you, while listening to the sound of your campfire and the forest, as you drift away into ultimate relaxation. That’s the essence Tide aimed to capture by integrating sleep, meditation, relaxation, and focus for better physical and mental care. […]
Design Critique: TIDE (iPhone app) Read More »
Finch is a self-care pet app where users care for a virtual pet by completing daily self-care goals. It helps users improve their mental health and maintain a positive attitude through various self-care exercises. Quests include breathing, reflection, mindfulness, and more. The target audience includes individuals struggling with mental health and enhancing their self-care routines.
Design Critique: Finch (iOS App) Read More »
Are.na is a social media platform that allows the user to save and organize different digital content like images, videos, and links. It serves as a toolkit to manage and sort information about different topics. The main feature of the product is to create channels and add pieces of information (Blocks) in them. Users can
Design Critique: Are.na (Desktop Web) Read More »
Co-Star is an astrology app that uses data from NASA, interpreted by humans and applied by AI, to generate customized readings based on the user’s natal chart. This hyper personalized app “provides an experience centered on the self” by offering daily horoscopes and astrology charts, compatibility reports with other users and friends, and other tailored
Design Critique: Co-Star (IOS App) Read More »
Hopscotch is a mobile coding app designed to teach children aged 10-16 to code by creating games, stories, and art. The primary users are kids, parents, and teachers, though the app is more directly designed for children and adults rather than educators. The browser-based version, ideally used by teachers, offers a variety of tutorials and
Design Critique: Hopscotch (iOS app) Read More »
Pokémon Go is a location-based Augmented Reality (AR) game that involves players catching, training, and battling Pokémon; it was developed by Niantic and launched in 2016. It utilizes your smartphone’s GPS and camera to overlay Pokémon into the real world, encouraging you to walk, and to explore your surroundings. Introduction I have not watched the
Design Critique: Pokémon Go (iOS App) Read More »
Beli is a restaurant ranking and recommendation app for rating and discovering the best dining spots. Users can create a network of food critics by following their friends to see where they are eating. The app also allows users to create their own list of dining spots that they have already been to or want
Design Critique: Beli App Read More »
Guidebook is an platform that lets you create guides for events and places. It is commonly used by conferences, forums and universities to share schedules and maps that attendees can follow to get to their events on time. For this critique, I will be taking the example of a new student at Pratt Institute who
Design Critique: Guidebook (iOS App) Read More »
Instacart is a grocery delivery and pick-up app that connects users with local stores and restaurants. Instacart connects users with personal shoppers to pick up items and deliver them straight to the user’s home, giving constant feedback and updates of the shopping process. Selecting a store: Upon opening the app, the user is greeted by
Design Critique: Instacart (Mobile App) Read More »
In a world filled with capitalists commercializing anything and everything, LiChess offers a refreshing free, ad-free and open source platform that allows players to play chess online. It’s without a doubt loved by every chess user.
Design Critique: LiChess (iOS app) Read More »