The making of a "minimum awesome product"


This post is part of the TOC podcast series, which we'll be featuring here on Radar in the coming months. You can also subscribe to the free TOC podcast through iTunes.


When the Flipboard iPad app first arrived, it helped us to look at the tablet user interface in a whole new way. Suddenly, those ugly RSS feeds became beautiful, and they could be navigated alongside Twitter and Facebook streams. Flipboard's co-founder, Evan Doll (@edog1203), recently sat down with me to talk about how the app was designed and where it might be heading. Key highlights from the full video interview (below) include:

  • A key to design at Apple: Every time you present the user with a non-essential decision to make, you have failed as a designer. [Discussed at the 1:00 mark]

  • Steve Jobs and user interface design: All those rumors are true. Steve Jobs has indeed played a significant role in even the tiniest of user interface design decisions. [Discussed at 1:20]
  • Exceeding customer expectations: Focus less on producing a "minimum viable product" and more on making it a "minimum awesome product." [Discussed at 2:28]
  • Anonymized data is a crucial tool: You may not like it, but your browsing habits are being studied. Don't worry though — it's not some big brother conspiracy, but rather the Flipboard team looking for ways to improve the user experience. [Discussed at 4:05]
  • Focus on being "fundamentally social": The social component of your product needs to be organic, not something that's tacked on later. Flipboard is an "inherently social browser." [Discussed at 5:15]

  • You can view the entire interview in the following video.

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    Related:

  • Aggregation apps respond to consumer personalization demands
  • The evolution of data products
  • The iPad's ripple effect
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    Arduino-powered lighting system infuses your LED with some Ambilight-like pizazz (video)


    Why spend your hard-earned money on one of Philips' Ambilight displays when you can just make your own, using some Arduino-based wizardry and a little bit of elbow grease? Fortunately, Minty Boost creator ladyada is here to help. All you'll need is a strand of digital RGB LED pixels, a five-volt DC power supply (along with a female power adapter), any USB-equipped Arduino micro-controller and, of course, the appropriate Processing programming environment. You can find the full how-to at the source link below, but the results are pretty impressive -- a capture-based sketch system that's compatible with just about any media player. See it for yourself in the video after the break.

    [Thanks, Phil]

    Continue reading Arduino-powered lighting system infuses your LED with some Ambilight-like pizazz (video)

    Arduino-powered lighting system infuses your LED with some Ambilight-like pizazz (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Oct 2011 06:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

    Permalink   |  sourceLadyada.net  | Email this | Comments
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    Invisibility cloak made of carbon nanotubes uses 'mirage effect' to disappear


    If the phrase "I solemnly swear I'm up to no good" means anything to you, you'll be happy to know that scientists have come one step closer to a Potter-style "invisibility cloak" so you can use your Marauder's Map to the fullest. With the help of carbon nanotubes, researchers have been able to make objects seem to magically vanish by using the same principle that causes mirages. As anyone who's been especially parched along Route 66 knows, optical illusions occur when heat changes the air's temperature and density, something that forces light to "bend," making us see all sorts of crazy things. Apply the same theory under water using nanotubes -- one molecule carbon coils with super high heat conductivity -- and scientists can make a sheet of the stuff "disappear." Remember, it only works underwater, so get your gillyweed ready and check out the video after the break.

    Continue reading Invisibility cloak made of carbon nanotubes uses 'mirage effect' to disappear

    Invisibility cloak made of carbon nanotubes uses 'mirage effect' to disappear originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Oct 2011 00:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

    Permalink i09  |  sourceIOP Science  | Email this | Comments
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    Webmaster Tools in Google Analytics for everyone


    Back in June, we announced a pilot program to allow users to surface Google Search data in Google Analytics by linking their Webmaster Tools accounts. We’ve been busy making some improvements and tweaks based on user feedback, and today we’re excited to make this set of reports available to all users.

    The Webmaster Tools section contains three reports based on the Webmaster Tools data that we hope will give you a better sense of how your site performs in search results. We’ve created a new section for these reports called Search Engine Optimization that will live under the Traffic Sources section. The reports you’ll find there are:

    • Queries: impressions, clicks, position, and CTR info for the top 1,000 daily queries
    • Landing Pages: impressions, clicks, position, and CTR info for the top 1,000 daily landing pages
    • Geographical Summary: impressions, clicks, and CTR by country
    Queries report
    To start using the reports you first need to link your Google Analytics and Webmaster Tools accounts. You can get step by step instructions and additional information on the reports in this Help Center article. If you’re not already using Webmaster Tools, we highly recommend you start. It’s a free tool that helps you understand how Google sees your site. Sign up on the Google Webmaster Tools homepage. Enjoy the new reports, and let us know how they’re helping your analysis.


    Posted by Kate Cushing, Associate Product Manager, Google Analytics team

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    After iPhone 4S Siri Announcement; Vlingo Voice App Now Free, Hints at “Next Gen” Product This Fall on iOS


    Vlingo iphoneOne of the biggest pieces of news that came out of Apple’s highly anticipated iPhone event was the announcement of ‘Siri,’ a new iPhone 4S feature that lets you complete tasks on your phone by talking to it. For example, you can ask your phone the weather and it will actually tell you the weather. Siri combines artificial intelligence with iPhone voice commands by introducing semantic engines and natural language processing, something that has yet to be perfected but is currently being worked on by another mobile company not quite as big as Apple.

    Cambridge based Vlingo, the maker of the Vlingo voice app has alarming similarities to Siri and they know it. In a blog post published yesterday by the company’s CEO Dave Grannan, he talks about the increased competition and the need for user choice, but more importantly he pointed at that the Vlingo app will now be free for all.

    “While there is no debating Apple’s ability to package technology in a way that transforms it into a standard for consumers, we think that we have a unique ability to drive innovation within the industry as the last truly independent player….When Google Voice Actions came out, we felt it was unfair to ask our users to continue to pay for our application.  We wanted them to be “free to compare.”  We feel the same way about our iPhone product, and have pushed a new version to the App Store that will enable the full Vlingo functionality at no cost. “

    This is an important move for Vlingo to make. When given the opportunity to use a free integrated feature on the iPhone or a paid application in the app store, I will use the free native feature every time. Vlingo understands this and better yet is lining up to go head to head with Siri in the next few weeks.

    In addition to making the current Vlingo application free, Vlingo hinted at a “a brand new, next generation voice product that we will release on the iPhone platform this fall.”

    Many might question why we would choose iOS to launch this new product as Apple prepares to make a big splash with new native functionality.  Truthfully it was a question we thought about deeply ourselves.  The last few years Apple has continued to surge past its competitors by delivering products that technically beat user expectations.  So why would we try to compete?  The answer is simple. Vlingo delivers choice that you simply cannot get from these “OS integrated” options.

    We’ll be keep our eyes peeled for the new Vlingo release this fall. Have you used Vlingo? Let us know in the comments.

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    Who Ruled the Social TV Airwaves in September? [STATS]


    social tv image


    September is always a huge month for TV with a slate of show premieres and returning favorites. But which networks ruled social TV? We’ve got a fresh set of data from Trendrr, a realtime social media tracker.

    The big broadcast winner was FOX with a 29% share of the social traffic voice in September. Surprisingly, the CW had the lowest share of voice (13%) but had the highest growth (up 7% between August and September).

    SEE ALSO: The Most Social Shows on TV in July [STATS]

    MTV came away as the top cable network with 19% share of social traffic. The top broadcast show was Glee (FOX) with 16% share and the top cable show was — wait for it — Jersey Shore! (MTV) with 18% share in September. The Charlie Sheen Roast only took up 4% of the share, which might have to do with the fact it was a one-off event. Trendrr’s metrics clearly favor sustained performance even though the Roast had a huge social media presence.

    Trendrr compiles data from public profiles on Facebook, Twitter, Miso and GetGlue. It then ranks that data using buzz, checkins, posts and tweets for terms associated with TV shows. Take a look at some of the numbers below. Surprised to see some shows or networks on top or bottom? Let us know what you think in the comments.


    Broadcast Network Winners



    Top Broadcast Network Shows



    Broadcast Network Percent Increase



    Cable Network Winners



    Top Cable Network Shows


    Image courtesy of Flickr, mattedgar

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