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unpressable buttons: December 2014

http://www.unpressablebuttons.com/2014_12_01_archive.html

Green Man Plus" gives seniors more time to cross. Pedestrian crossing signals have a tricky balance to strike in giving people enough time to cross, but not so much time that it unnecessarily slows traffic. The problem becomes more difficult when considering the difference in walking speed between able-bodied people and the elderly or otherwise impaired: what's good for the former is insufficient for the latter. Singapore has an excellent solution called " Green Man Plus. Posted by Dave Gustafson. For th...

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Crossword Wrapping Paper |unpressable buttons

http://www.unpressablebuttons.com/2015/07/crossword-wrapping-paper.html

It's no fun when you need to wrap a gift for a 35-year-old dude, but find that your wrapping paper supply only includes leftovers from bridal- and baby-shower gifts. I've previously written about the versatility of silver for all purposes. But Fabio Milito has one-upped that with "Wordless" crossword wrapping paper. Simply highlight the relevant occasion, slap on a bow, and you're good to go! It's the Swiss Army knife of gifting - and one that you might want to keep handy. Posted by Dave Gustafson.

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Contribute |unpressable buttons

http://www.unpressablebuttons.com/2007/04/contribute.html

You don't have to have any experience with product design, engineering, or ID - just be observant, find those little things that matter, and have a desire to share the good, the bad, and the ugly with the world! Anyone can comment on the blog posts, so feel free to do so. And going off on tangents is encouraged, since a lot of these things are more related than they might seem at first! Just be nice, and keep an open mind. Posted by Dave Gustafson. June 15, 2007 at 5:19 AM.

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The Incredible Aluminum Can |unpressable buttons

http://www.unpressablebuttons.com/2015/06/the-incredible-aluminum-can.html

The Incredible Aluminum Can. It's a big accomplishment for any design to reach that level of maturity where it quietly does its job perfectly and reliably to the point where it becomes almost invisible. The aluminum beverage can has gotten there, and it's allowed us to forget all the amazing design and engineering that went into it. "Engineer Guy" Bill Hammack. And break the can's seal (much easier than pushing into. Is well worth 11:38 of your time! Posted by Dave Gustafson.

unpressablebuttons.com

unpressable buttons: October 2014

http://www.unpressablebuttons.com/2014_10_01_archive.html

Ugly Design: All Function, No Form. In the classic design battle of Form vs Function, Unpressable Buttons usually sides with "Function": style and fashion too often do more harm than good to usability. However, Core77 (who usually sides with "Form") points out that sometimes a focus on function results in seriously ugly. They use the perfectly repulsive example of the Miles Kimball Soap Dish. Posted by Dave Gustafson. Wireless sensing for better baby monitors? Sure - but hey, that's parenting. He gets in...

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unpressable buttons: January 2015

http://www.unpressablebuttons.com/2015_01_01_archive.html

Big Phones and Thumb Zones. When the era of all-touchscreen smartphones began in ye olden days of 2007, screens were smaller: holding the phone in one hand, your thumb could reach (almost) any corner of the screen. But now the trend is toward larger screens - and since people still prefer one-handed use, mobile OS and app designers need to accommodate the limitations of real-life thumbs. Mobile developer Scott Hurff has a wonderful summary of this new reality. Posted by Dave Gustafson. Comes along to rem...

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unpressable buttons: March 2015

http://www.unpressablebuttons.com/2015_03_01_archive.html

The mythos of Silicon Valley tech innovation is very much about ideas. Once you have the next great idea, success is assured and you'll change the world in no time. But it's just not true: execution is much more important. Julie Zhuo writes about it. Pointing out that Google wasn't the first search engine - nor was the iPhone the first smartphone, and so on. Execution of the idea makes all the difference - and critically, that means that past failures of an idea don't necessarily invalidate the idea.

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unpressable buttons: July 2015

http://www.unpressablebuttons.com/2015_07_01_archive.html

It's no fun when you need to wrap a gift for a 35-year-old dude, but find that your wrapping paper supply only includes leftovers from bridal- and baby-shower gifts. I've previously written about the versatility of silver for all purposes. But Fabio Milito has one-upped that with "Wordless" crossword wrapping paper. Simply highlight the relevant occasion, slap on a bow, and you're good to go! It's the Swiss Army knife of gifting - and one that you might want to keep handy. Posted by Dave Gustafson. Of th...

unpressablebuttons.com

unpressable buttons: April 2015

http://www.unpressablebuttons.com/2015_04_01_archive.html

Snuglet: The importance of the right force. The MagSafe power connector on Apple laptops has always been a great design: it prevents cord-yanking table dives of expensive computers, and makes the power cord snap eagerly into place when plugging in. However, many users think the latest version is a little too weak, detaching unexpectedly and causing a prematurely dead battery. Along came a Kickstarted fix called the Snuglet. Posted by Dave Gustafson. Taboo swaps buzzers for squeakers. Mass-customized furn...