Design Critiques

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.”

OpenDyslexic Font cover image by Abbie Gonzalez

Assistive Technology: OpenDyslexic Font

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Dyslexia – a lifelong condition that affects reading, writing, spelling, and speaking. It is estimated that approximately one in five people are impacted by this disorder. It is crucial to ensure that individuals with dyslexia have access to assistive technology that enhances their accessibility and OpenDyslexic- by Abbie Gonzalez does just that. In this blog post, we will explore the OpenDyslexic Font, a typography innovation designed with dyslexic individuals in mind.

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LinkedIn Design Critique

Design Critique: LinkedIn Website

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Introduction: LinkedIn is a professional social networking platform designed primarily for career development and networking. Users can create their custom profile to showcase their skills, experience, and education. They can further connect with industry peers and potential employers, making it a hub for job searching, recruitment, and business networking. It also allows the users to

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Design Critique: Goodreads iOS App

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Introduction Goodreads is a social book cataloging app, a subsidiary of Amazon that allows users to add books to their personal bookshelves, rate and review books, get recommendations, and connect with other readers. This article will critique the design of the app based on the usability concepts mentioned in Don Norman’s Design of Everyday Things.

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Assistive Technology: Otter.ai

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Revolutionizing Transcription and Note-Taking with AI and Accessibility Otter.ai is a transcription and note-taking platform using artificial intelligence (AI) to transcribe spoken content into written text automatically. It makes it easier for individuals and businesses to capture and organize spoken information during meetings, interviews, lectures, and other verbal interactions. When I first encountered Otter.ai and

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image of Sony Playstation's Access controller from above

Assistive Technology: Playstation the “Access” Gaming Controller (for PS5)

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Sony’s the “Access” controller is an accessible controller for the Playstation console that will be released December 6, 2023. The Access controller is a highly customizable gaming controller made for people with disabilities to play games with the PS5 console. The Access controller follows the functional solutions model of disability by identifying the problems which

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Design Critique: Airtel Direct To Home Service – Web Portal + App Feature

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I have often wondered if a telecommunication company of such large scale business doesn’t realize the errors of their website, and corresponding actions on the App, which is part reason why I conclude it could also be because of a (read lapse in) responsive design that has not been streamlined for different devices, in my case an Apple MacBook Pro M1 (2021), and an iPhone XS Max (2019). I also feel the devices that are discontinued and also the older Apple devices face Usability issues often because they fall out of the designer’s consideration category. This is a big problem that is often being left unanswered in the digital domain, and it’s not a new one, but a recurring case. I’ll explain why.

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