Marci Ikeler

Featured Public Projects

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 19:38:04 -0400

Little Arrows is featured in LayerVault’s post on cool work with their new public projects feature. Check it out!

A week ago we released forking and free accounts. A little less than a month ago we released public projects. Tons of designers have since created public projects, watched others’ work, and forked projects. We wanted to pause for a moment to look back at some of the great stuff created over the last few weeks.

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"Make decisions quickly, but don’t fall in love with the answers."

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 10:23:22 -0400

“Make decisions quickly, but don’t fall in love with the answers.”

- Bob Pittman, venture capitalist in Fast Company, via 99U.

Weekly Reading 6/11

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 15:31:02 -0400

A bit late this week! Here are a list of long reads I enjoyed recently:

13 Design Trends For 2013 - Flat and beyond.
Free your Fitbit: can a ‘Human API’ liberate your health data from corporate overlords? - With our increasing quantification of self, the systems for managing our data are more important than ever.
The Launch is Dead - Modern design is about continuous improvement.
Disruptive technologies: Advances that will transform life, business, and the global economy - Macro trends.
A Working Definition of Product Design - Lovely article on what it means to be a product designer.

"Product Design is… 1. recognizing patterns of human behavior. 2. discovering the motivations and..."

Sun, 09 Jun 2013 20:50:06 -0400

“Product Design is…
1. recognizing patterns of human behavior.
2. discovering the motivations and impulses that drive those patterns.
3. creating tools that improve or elevate the output of those behaviors.”

- Keenan Cummings in A Working Definition of Product Design

"One of the finest protections against disappointment is to have a lot going on."

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 15:30:25 -0400

“One of the finest protections against disappointment is to have a lot going on.”

- Alain de Botton via Swiss Miss

Why is Flat Design So Popular?

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 14:38:00 -0400

I added a detailed post on this topic on Quora:

I believe that flat design is enjoying its popularity because of people’s increasing familiarity with digital interfaces.

The Early Days (1995-2003)

When I started designing for the web in the late 90s, only a certain class of professional workers was familiar with desktop software, let alone digital interfaces. That meant that we spent a good deal of our time working on making web site buttons, menus, and links jump out and look very “clickable”.

For a while, people in the field thought that the gold standard of web design would be to mimic desktop interfaces. Microsoft’s web access for Outlook, released in 2003, was thought to be an awesome example of what was possible with web design. Believe it or not, this was the standard that .NET and many AJAX libraries aspired to.

Image: Outlook Web Access, highly regarded in 2003.

Web 2.0 (2003-2010)

In 2003-5ish, the internet started to take off again (traction in adoption/innovation had been tremendously impacted by the Dot Com bubble collapse in 2001). We started seeing a whole host of new startups come out, and they made their interfaces to look hyper clickable.

Between 2003-2010 or so, shadows, bubbles, shiny glares, and huge drop shadows became hugely popular. Skeumorphism, particularly in Apple’s software and the iPhone, also was on the rise. To see a sign of the times, check out all the candy-coated, shiny goodness at this Smashing Mag design round-up: Web 2.0 Tutorials Round-Up.

These trends - also popularized by the iPhone - helped a large majority of people get really comfortable both with computers and the internet. The iPhone touchscreen wouldn’t have been intuitive for many people if it wasn’t super-clear what could be clicked and what couldn’t. Shiny buttons with huge drop-shadows helped this issue.

Mature UI Design (2010-now)

I believe that the flat design trend is a symptom of the growing maturing in the field of web and interface design. This maturity applies to our designers - who are getting better at making interfaces that encourage interactivity and engagement - as well as to our users. Internet penetration continues to grow, not only in the developed world, but also in the so-called third world - where mobile penetration has leap-frogged the internet.

This means that more people than ever are familiar with the idea of interactive devices. A square box with the word “Go”, without a huge bevel and drop shadow, is clearly clickable because we’ve become used to expecting interactivity on digital devices.

And Beyond?

In my opinion, the trend towards flat design is a reaction against years and years of being forced to put a shine on every button. “Look at me,” a flat design communicates. “I can convey all this information with a minimal amount of pixels. How cool.” The pendulum is swinging far to the opposite extreme.

And while I personally love flat design - as someone who also enjoys minimalism - I doubt that it will be a permanent trend. Right now flat design signifies modernity and newness, but that won’t be the case forever.

What’s next? I’m looking forward to finding out.

See the original question on Quora

"Think about the art first, if you’re hitting a stride and being expressive with it, the money will..."

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 18:30:43 -0400

“Think about the art first, if you’re hitting a stride and being expressive with it, the money will follow.”

- 15 Great Tips for Being Creative With Technology from my partner-in-crime Aaron Rutledge, published on Medium

Weekly Reading 6/2

Sun, 02 Jun 2013 13:27:29 -0400

A list of long reads I enjoyed this week:

Teehan+Lax - Defining Experience on Medium - This article on the design process that led to the creation of Medium is a must read. Also a great case study format.
Trying out Sketch - Believe it or not, I’ve been doing most of my wireframing in Keynote these days. This post inspired me to spend some time playing with Sketch this morning, and I’m intrigued!
The Planner Survey 2012/2013 - Heather’s survey is an annual staple. Even thought I’m no longer a planner or in the ad industry, it’s still interesting (particularly differences in male/female income at various levels).
Mary Meeker Peers Into the Future of Mobile, Wearables and Facebook - Another staple. Always good for ammo on digital and social behaviors across the globe.
The importance of sketching in product design - How sketching can be used to build consensus and move teams faster.
Minimum Viable Product vs. Minimum Delightful Product - Defining “viable” from a user point of view. Excellent points.

"Before you get too excited about hacking stuff out and getting live fast, take a step back and show..."

Sat, 01 Jun 2013 12:30:27 -0400

“Before you get too excited about hacking stuff out and getting live fast, take a step back and show some respect for your users. Work through the problems associated with creating a delightful product at the same time you keep the functionality to a minimum and come to market as fast as you can within the constraints you face.”

- Adam Berrey on Minimum Viable Product vs. Minimum Delightful Product

Weekly Reading 5/27

Mon, 27 May 2013 15:21:30 -0400

Here’s a list of the long reads I enjoyed this week:

Hacking Habits: How To Make New Behaviors Last For Good
The Design That Conquered Google - The New Yorker covers Google’s expanding interest and influence in the world of design.
Daniel Dennett’s seven tools for thinking - Seven techniques to make you a more critical thinker. Must read.
Every startup needs a story - We see this a lot in our work - smart people with good ideas who can’t communicate their products quickly. Tell a story, folks.
What Really Happens On A Teen Girl’s iPhone - Fascinating/terrifying case study of one.
What Is the Theory of Your Firm? - Great article on the shift in business from pure growth strategy to something broader (not sure if “theory” is the right word but the concept is a good one).

"A leader’s most vexing strategic challenge is not how to obtain or sustain competitive..."

Mon, 27 May 2013 00:30:00 -0400

“A leader’s most vexing strategic challenge is not how to obtain or sustain competitive advantage—which has been the field of strategy’s primary focus—but, rather, how to keep finding new, unexpected ways to create value.”

- Todd Zenger in HBR

"The measure of intelligence is the ability to change."

Thu, 23 May 2013 09:39:36 -0400

“The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.”

- Albert Einstein via Swiss Miss

Something I’ve been thinking a lot about - how...

Mon, 20 May 2013 08:00:39 -0400

Something I’ve been thinking a lot about - how entertainment and technology companies can Solve the challenge of digital TV.

Weekly Reading 5/19

Sun, 19 May 2013 18:41:00 -0400

Here are my recommended long reads for this week:

How, When and Where Will The First Truly Great Digital Design Studio Emerge? - The digital agency landscape is changing rapidly, and small shops are ascendent. Good summary of the current landscape.
A Guide to Practical Compassion - I’m interested in all aspects of mindfulness and one area that I’ve found I really need help with is compassion - for myself and for others.
‘Invisible biometrics’ detect user identity by how they use the device - I’m fascinated by alternative, passive interfaces, and this a great example of a future use case.
Why Every Business Should Consider Innovation Teams - The skunkworks model of innovation continues to be popular, and this article displays why.
Is design a part of mainstream startup culture now? Absolutely. - Good article on the importance of design in startup culture.
Creative People Say No - I love this article. It explains why creative people have to be good at filtering distractions from their primary work - and that means saying “no”. Great read.

"Time is the raw material of creation. Wipe away the magic and myth of creating and all that remains..."

Sun, 19 May 2013 10:07:08 -0400

“Time is the raw material of creation. Wipe away the magic and myth of creating and all that remains is work: the work of becoming expert through study and practice, the work of finding solutions to problems and problems with those solutions, the work of trial and error, the work of thinking and perfecting, the work of creating. Creating consumes.”

- Creative People Say No

"AirBnb baked design in from day one — taking the time to design the entire user experience from the..."

Sat, 18 May 2013 10:10:05 -0400

“AirBnb baked design in from day one — taking the time to design the entire user experience from the maps to the review forms. Warby Parker? Same thing. CEO and co-founder Dave Gilboa thoughtfully discussed that they spent a year and a half designing a beautiful site, thick card stock printed elements in their packaging, and a really polished product. And Medium? They’re competing for designers because, as Williams stated, “they’re no longer a nice-to-have.””

- On-the-nose article about the increasing role of design in start ups.

Weekly Reading 5/12

Sun, 12 May 2013 20:12:00 -0400

Here’s a lis of the long reads I’m enjoying this week:

The Money Shot - Very interesting and in-depth profile of Instagram’s meteoric rise.
“Second Screen” Industry In Prime-Time - I’ve been fascinated by the ways in which the so-called “second screen” is both replacing and augmenting the entertainment experience. This article has numbers to back it up.
The grand ambitions of Google Ventures - The interactions between VCs and startups are always interesting - and even more so when a big company like Google gets in the mix.
From Beethoven To Woody Allen—The Daily Rituals Of The World’s Most Creative People And What You Can Learn From Them - Inspiring (and humbling).
Haruki Murakami and the Art of Japanese Translations - A discussion of one of my favorite authors and translations both lingual and cultural. Great read.

Google Glass 101: How Glass Currently Works

Sun, 05 May 2013 11:16:00 -0400

Google Glass 101: How Glass Currently Works:

"Startups ask almost everything of you. They are entirely consuming. If you don’t deeply care..."

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 10:02:42 -0400

“Startups ask almost everything of you. They are entirely consuming. If you don’t deeply care about and deeply believe in the thing that you’re trying to do, the things, the problem that you’re trying to solve, I don’t know how you can sustain the pain and the energy requirements.”

- Gentry Underwood and Scott Cannon, founders of Mailbox. Via Fast Company.

Silent Ambassador

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 09:51:58 -0400

Silent Ambassador:

via swissmiss