ENTRIES TAGGED "usability"
Something big is missing from Flipboard and iBookstore
Flipboard is a great discovery channel for books, but where are the samples?
Flipboard (which I adore) and Apple’s iBookstore (which I rarely think about) have teamed up. Sort of.
A new books section in Flipboard highlights titles from iBookstore. It’s a nice idea, but it doesn’t go far enough.
Instead of doing the obvious thing — publishing full samples — the Flipboard / iBookstore section only shows the book cover, author and publisher’s description. That’s like lining the shelves of a physical bookstore with book jackets, not the books themselves. Why would you do that?
Now available: "Breaking the Page" preview edition
The big question: How do we make digital books as satisfying as their print predecessors?
The three chapters in the free preview edition of "Breaking the Page: Transforming Books and the Reading Experience" focus on browsing, searching, and navigating.
Links on the side
A simple solution for including hyperlinks without undermining focus.
Digital documents that help readers focus are the ones that we're most likely to remember. Those that send us scampering around the web will be more easily forgotten.
Six ways to think about an "infinite canvas"
How would content look, feel and act in an unlimited space?
Imagine a canvas that's elastic and infinite. Now consider the content that could exist in this domain. How would it work? How would you interact with it? Pete Meyers considers these questions and more.
Linking in ebooks: How much is too much?
Ebook hyperlinks don't always lead to a smooth reading experience.
Ebook producers must decide if the destinations behind embedded links are worth the disruptions they might cause.
The making of a "minimum awesome product"
Flipboard's Evan Doll on design and the importance of being inherently social.
In this podcast, Evan Doll, the co-founder of Flipboard sat down with Joe Wikert to discuss Flipboard's focus on design and social integration.
At its best, digital design is choreography
Liza Daly on why digital design elements should move in concert.
In this brief interview, Threepress Consulting owner Liza Daly tackles a question about formatting content for browser publishing. She says for design to succeed, authors, artists and developers must work together.
Why an ebook still needs an index
An index in an ebook offers a level of discovery search can't touch.
Why should digital publishers invest in index creation? Because ebooks that give readers efficient ways to access what they need are ebooks that will sell.
Searching in ebooks: A unique use case that requires a unique approach
Ereader search tools need to limit disruption and incorporate web search best practices.
The current crop of ereaders handle ebook searching in a variety of ways — some are useful and creative, some aren’t. Here, Pete Meyers looks at the state of ebook search and how it can be improved.
Open question: Are ereaders too complex?
The trend toward more ereader features seems to undermine the simplicity of reading.
More and more features appear in new and updated ereader apps and devices. But are those features functional to reading, or are they just extraneous toys that obfuscate the core purpose?