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.”
For the past year or so, I’ve been wearing a WHOOP band: the screen-less fitness band that measures strain, recovery, and sleep solely via a companion app. It’s a particularly compelling case study for Don Norman’s The Design of Everyday Things because WHOOP made a radical bet: take away the display and put all the
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Chipotle is a fast-casual restaurant that serves build-your-own Mexican inspired meals, including burritos, tacos, bowls, and quesadillas; and the app is designed to recreate the in-person ordering experience digitally. Don Norman, in his book, The Design of Everyday Things, argues that good design goes beyond aesthetics. An interface should have clear mapping of what a
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Canvas is one of the top learning management platforms used by schools and institutions. With over 30 million users worldwide, Canvas helps organize digital classrooms and support online learning. It serves as a central hub where students and teachers communicate and manage coursework, including assignments, quizzes, and grades. Image Source: University of Chicago Academic Technology Solutions, “Five Tips for Using Canvas as a Student.”
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Focus Friend is an app created by online educator Hank Green in collaboration with Honey B Games. It is a cute focus timer app that allows users to restrict all or selected app usage for a period of time so they can “focus” on a needed task. The app’s main functions are its focus timer
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When you move away from traditional cable, switching to a web-based live TV service should feel simple and intuitive. For YouTube TV, a good desktop experience should make it easy to find and play a channel while clearly showing what’s playing or recording. YouTube TV brings familiar TV conventions into a clean digital interface, but a few design choices make basic actions more difficult than they need to be.
Design Critique: YouTube TV (Web Interface) Read More »
AMC Theatres is one of the biggest movie theater chains in the U.S. cinema industry. The AMC Theatres iOS app is an online service platform that allows users to search for showtimes for movies and special events and buy tickets, food, and drinks online in advance. This app streamlines the process for users before watching
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Apple created a mobile messenger app called iMessage which enables users to send text messages, images, videos, and files through Wi-Fi or a cellular network. This app has evolved significantly through Apple’s iOS updates, introducing new ways for users to communicate and interact with others. This critique focuses on the most recent version of iMessage.
Design Critique: iMessage (iOS 26) Read More »
How We Feel is a free app created by the scientific nonprofit How We Feel Project to help users effectively journal, track, and regulate emotions over time.
Design Critique: How We Feel App- iOS Read More »
What if ordering your morning coffee did not require a cashier? The Luckin Coffee (U.S. iOS app) turns the entire ordering process into a cashier-less digital experience. Users can choose a store, browse the menu, apply offers, pay in the app, and pick up their order, making the interface an integral part of the ordering experience.
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Introduction: FoodPanda is a popular food and grocery ordering application, available on the iOS and Android stores. The app was initially launched in 2012 in Singapore but has since then expanded to 10 countries across Asia with over tens of millions of users. While the basic version of the application is free to use, the
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