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.”

Design Critique: Splitwise (iPhone App)

Splitwise (version 4.4.12 for iOS 9.0 or later) is an Apple iPhone application designed to “split bills and expenses the easy way.” This app functions as a bill splitting and record-keeping tool for roommates, friends, or any group of individuals with shared or borrowed expenses. Splitwise provides an appealing and simple digital interface that makes […]

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Design Critique: Amazon Kindle (Android app)

Amazon Kindle is an application for reading electronic books. It takes advantage of the affordances offered by touch screens, including pressing and swiping on the screen. The app’s design is simple, with different operations completed by enabling modes through touching the screen. However, its simplicity does not translate to understandability.

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