The hottest UI Design Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Technology Topics
Thoughts 19 implied HN points 11 Feb 24
  1. Skeuomorphism was a popular UI design concept that mimicked physical objects, making interfaces user-friendly for those new to technology.
  2. Affordances in digital interfaces, as seen in skeuomorphism, help users interact intuitively, like how door handles suggest pushing or rotating.
  3. With AR/XR devices gaining popularity, there's potential for a comeback of skeuomorphism in a more functional form, bridging virtual and physical worlds.
A Good Interface 59 implied HN points 16 Nov 23
  1. Understanding player expectations is crucial for designing intuitive in-game menus. Players have certain expectations for content and structure, deviating from which can lead to frustration.
  2. Menu navigation and flow are essential in creating a user-friendly experience. Design clear paths, group similar items, and prioritize important actions for quick and easy navigation.
  3. Consistency in iconography, terminology, and design elements, as well as testing with real players, feedback, and iteration, are key to crafting a well-crafted in-game menu that enhances the player experience.
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A Good Interface 39 implied HN points 06 Oct 23
  1. Size your buttons correctly: Follow guidelines like 10mm x 10mm for mobile games and 44px / 48px for non-touch screens for optimal user interaction.
  2. Text matters too: Ensure text size is at least 16px for readability and paragraphs have 50-75 characters per line. Line spacing should be at least 1.5 times the font size.
  3. Provide user options: Let players customize their experience, like font size, to cater to diverse preferences and enhance accessibility.
A Good Interface 19 implied HN points 20 Sep 23
  1. Modal windows are design elements in video games used to highlight important information while keeping the current context for the player.
  2. Modal windows should be displayed sparingly and for specific reasons like conveying essential information, blocking progress until required input, and collecting new settings.
  3. Best practices for modal windows in video games include initiating them through user actions, providing an emergency exit, having a clear title, and including a call to action with appropriate sizing.
The API Changelog 3 implied HN points 23 Jan 24
  1. No-code allows users with little or no coding experience to build software solutions, especially integrations between applications.
  2. Visual UIs in iPaaS solutions simplify the process of creating integrations without code, but may lack troubleshooting capabilities for non-technical users.
  3. An emerging trend involves intent-based UIs powered by AI, enabling users to control APIs and connect applications using voice commands.
Robert’s Substack 2 HN points 11 Feb 24
  1. Voice-to-text functionality on devices like the Vision Pro can enable easier coding and design processes.
  2. Tools like Rendition can turn text descriptions into functional UI components, aiding in the development process.
  3. Combining AI with voice commands allows for efficient creation of software interfaces, offering a glimpse into the future of development.
Shubhi’s Substack 0 implied HN points 17 Mar 19
  1. Built a domain-specific language (AXL) to help domain experts write logic, reducing codebase size by 80% and time taken to write code from several days to 2-3 hours.
  2. Focused on creating a DSL with simple, English-like syntax, built-in domain knowledge, and extensibility to allow importing libraries and reusing components.
  3. Implemented the language using Python, with modules for Lexer, Parser, and Interpreter, and developed a UI called 'The AXL Playground' for easier usage by non-technical users.
Barn Lab 0 implied HN points 17 Mar 23
  1. Serial graphers are tools for data visualization and analysis using data from a serial port.
  2. Alternatives to Arduino IDE Serial plotter include Serial Port Plotter, Processing Grapher, and SerialTest, offering different features and capabilities.
  3. SerialTest stands out for its versatility, allowing sending and receiving data over various protocols, customizable UI, and dark theme.
Microfrontends, Architecture and Trade-offs 0 implied HN points 14 Apr 23
  1. Consider the nature of the task to determine the most effective interaction mode, as chat may not always be optimal.
  2. The improvement of Large Language Models (LLMs) could lead to a world where UIs are generated on demand based on user intent.
  3. Generative UIs could self-assemble based on user requests and adapt to tasks, offering a dynamic and efficient user experience.