super posting-serie auf Joel on Software über den OFF button in windows vista.
in vista gibts allein im “start”-menü [heißt das eigentlich noch immer so?] 9 möglichkeiten den computer auszuschalten, zusätzlich noch 4 fn-keys, den off-button und bei laptops zusätzlich bildschirm zu klappen = 15 möglichkeiten.
moishe lettvin erzählt in seinem blog über den entwicklungsprozess des off-buttons — in summe haben 25+ leute daran gearbeitet haben. [joel’s posting dazu]
shutdown-feature in os x
arno gourdol über den design prozess bei apple für das shutdown-feature.
and finally, how often do you need to manually set your computer to sleep? i just close the lid of my macbook and it goes to sleep: a simple mechanical, physical interaction: no need for a software command.
i frequently argue that it is the job of the software designer to make choices on behalf of the user. that’s what designing is all about.
in diesem zusammhang auch das buch von barry schwartz: the paradox of choice. ein heißer tipp für die christmas wishlist.
schwartz, drawing extensively on his own work in the social sciences, shows that a bewildering array of choices floods our exhausted brains, ultimately restricting instead of freeing us. we normally assume in america that more options [‘easy fit’ or ‘relaxed fit’?] will make us happier, but schwartz shows the opposite is true, arguing that having all these choices actually goes so far as to erode our psychological well-being.
