372: Saving People from Themselves

372: Saving People from Themselves

Author: Brian Lovin, Marshall Bock November 11, 2020 Duration: 28:40

This week, we brainstorm design patterns that help save people from themselves. From stopping the spread of misinformation, to saving eardrums, to screening spoilers, these design ideas are often clever and non-obvious. In the Sidebar, we discuss why radio and checkbox inputs are the way they are, and how to use them well in your designs.

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The Sidebar:

The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. You can subscribe starting at $1 per month for access to full episodes going forward! Sign up at https://patreon.com/designdetails.

In this week's Sidebar, we discuss why radio and checkbox inputs are different, and how to think about designing patterns to make form fields obvious to your users.

Follow up:

  • Jesse Box tweeted about a process that works for building a culture of excellence at their company:
    • Include design quality tickets in each sprint
    • QA lots of small tasks rather than one huge task
  • Michel van Heest tweeted: Also, @brian_lovin should write a book or something, or they should just transcript @designdetailsfm

Main topic:

Divya Tak asked on Twitter: Not sure if this has already been tackled, but what are things that you do to "save the users from themselves" along the lines of @gamemakerstk's video for same thing for game design.

Cool Things:

Design Details on the Web:

And that's the way it is!


Every week, Brian Lovin and Marshall Bock settle in for a thoughtful, often meandering chat that pulls back the curtain on how things are made. Their Design Details podcast lives in the rich space where technology and the arts intersect, focusing less on polished case studies and more on the real, sometimes messy, work of design. You’ll hear them dissect the nuances of product decisions, debate the evolving culture of creative teams, and share personal stories from their own experiences in the industry. It feels less like a lecture and more like eavesdropping on a conversation between two deeply knowledgeable friends. The discussions regularly venture into the philosophical side of craft, examining why certain choices resonate and how design shapes our daily interactions with the world. For anyone curious about the thinking behind the pixels and interfaces, this show offers a consistent, grounded perspective. Tuning in provides a sense of community and a candid look at the process, making it a staple for designers and creators who appreciate substance over flash.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Design Details
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