The regularity of emails from Joel Spolsky has gone up of late, as he's started writing a set of articles under the heading Great Design, each of which I'm notified about. Some of it is lifted or derived from his book User Interface Design for Programmers, but that doesn't bother me as I've not read it.
So far, it's compelling stuff, certainly worth a read. The list of chapters gives sufficient insight for me to come back for more, but doesn't give the game away. The key take-away in today's lesson is that often, products are great in spite of their flaws: the instantly scratchable, battery-challenged iPod being a prime example.
In the series, he promises to explore some of the design principles of everyday objects, with a particular focus on gadgets and websites. Looking forward to it.
