Issue 85

The cost of stoned cats

Hello, dear readers! 👋

In this issue, among other things:

• The consequences of personalizing content on the Internet

• How to design a digital car dashboard

• The differences between the three main ways of indicating the state of the system

• Comparing the effectiveness of a mobile menu with and without icons

• How LLM is used to communicate with humanoid robots

• A selection of basic shader lessons in Blender

• What is the difference between hue, saturation and brightness?

• How computer vision works

• …and much more!

Enjoy reading!

🗞 News and articles

The Cost of Personalization

An important article about the consequences of personalization of content on the Internet, which works through user data collection and generative models.

In particular, when using social media, we are constantly improving recommendation algorithms and getting highly personalized content. This binds us even more to the platform and allows companies to sell more ads, as well as loops the flow of information we receive, which is based on our own biases.

The authors point out that algorithms should expand human capabilities, and not take him into "digital captivity". As a solution, they propose to give users the opportunity to fine-tune recommendation algorithms, as well as create systems that will limit data collection and the amount of time spent in front of the screen.

Performance of mobile users with text-only and text-and-icon menus in seated and walking situations

Khalid Majrashi published a study in which he and his colleagues compared the convenience of menus on mobile devices with and without icons.

Their research showed that in the menu with icons, people find the right item about a second faster and make fewer mistakes. At the same time, the biggest difference in results was when people used the menu on the go.

The Problem With Digital Instrument Clusters and How to Design a Better One

Kasper Kessels has written about designing digital dashboards for cars. He analyzed the pros and cons of digital panels compared to analog ones, and also pointed out the disadvantages of panels from large automakers and limitations in their development.

In the second part of the article, Casper talked about designing his own digital panel concept. He explained in detail the choice of interface structure, graphics, colors, fonts and other details.

Indicators, Validations, and Notifications: Pick the Correct Communication Option

NNGroup has written in great detail about the three main ways to report the status of the system: indicator, validation and notification. They explained what their fundamental difference is, how to choose the appropriate way of communication depending on the context and why the wrong choice can lead to irritation of users.

Three types of messages:

• The indicator is the visual selection of a page element. It can look like an icon, text selection, resizing, or animation. It is most often used to draw attention to any changes. It does not require any actions from the user and is strictly context-specific. For example, highlighting unread messages is an indicator

• Validation — error messages when entering data. They require actions from the user and are linked to the context. For example, a message about incorrect card number entry. In the message, it is better not only to point out the problem, but also to suggest how to solve it

• Notifications are informational messages about changes in the system. Unlike validation, they are not directly related to the input of information or user activity. They are delivered even when the user is outside the application. They can inform about the need for action or be of a reference nature

⚡️ Briefly

How to nail product market fit with clear Jobs‑To‑Be‑Done. Growth Design has dismantled the mechanics of the Letterboxd application, in which users share their movie preferences. They pointed out a number of shortcomings that cause users to waste extra time and lose progress, and also showed how this can be fixed.