418: Fictional User Interfaces

418: Fictional User Interfaces

Author: Brian Lovin, Marshall Bock November 3, 2021 Duration: 30:59

This week, we talk about the weird and beautiful world of fictional user interfaces: why do futuristic UIs look so cool? And why aren't they usable? Is the future really going to look like this? In The Sidebar, we share our must-have macOS apps that are always installed first on a new machine.

Golden Ratio Supporters:

Play is the first native iOS design tool made for teams creating mobile products. Design, prototype, and collaborate, directly from your phone. With Play you can experience your design as you create it while taking full advantage of native iOS features not found in other design and prototyping tools. Full access invites available for the first 25 people here.

Plume empowers a billion smart devices in homes and small businesses through a suite of adaptive WiFi, AI security, and parental control. They're hiring product designers to build the future of smart home services. They're hiring product designers with 2-5 years of experience shipping products — learn more at designdetails.fm/plume. Oh, and they just raised a $270m series E, so now's the time!

Sympli brings its modern design handoff and design version control tools to your secure environment. Upgrade your collaboration workflow with Sympli's self-Hosted option. Learn more at Sympli.io.

The Sidebar:

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

Latest VIP Patrons:

  • Jayanta Banik
  • Wayne Dahlberg
  • Kintu Bhandari
  • Lisa Gorn Rivkin
  • Binhao Yang

Main Topic:

This week, we talk about the weird and beautiful world of fictional user interfaces: why do futuristic UIs look so cool? And why aren't they usable? Is the future really going to look like this?

Cool Things:

  • Brian shared Dune, the 2021 adaptation of Frank Herbert's seminal science fiction novel — yes, it's a beautiful movie. Read Dune.
  • Marshall shared To Sleep in a Sea of Stars, a new epic science fiction story from Christopher Paolini. During a routine survey mission on an uncolonized planet, Kira finds an alien relic. At first she's delighted, but elation turns to terror when the ancient dust around her begins to move.

Design Details on the Web:

Byeee!


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
Podcast Episodes
373: Designer or Developer? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 21:38
This week, we discuss the career paths and tradeoffs for someone who wants to do both design and development. In The Sidebar, we recap the Mac event and share our first impressions of the new iPhones.Latest VIP Patrons:J…
372: Saving People from Themselves [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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.…
371: A Culture of Excellence [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:31
This week, we dig into practical steps for creating a culture of design excellence. In The Sidebar, we share strategies for designing adaptive interfaces that work well on any screen size.Golden Ratio Patrons:Float Float…
370: Designing for One Hand [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:06
This week, we discuss the tradeoffs and challenges of designing interfaces for one-handed use. In The Sidebar, we talk about strategies for collaborating effectively with brand and product design.Golden Ratio Patrons:Flo…
369: Shallow Design Culture [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:53
This week, we talk about the shallow parts of design culture, where superficial work tends to generate far more attention and praise. We dig into potential solutions for this, too. In The Sidebar, we recap and share our…
368: Teaching Design Fundamentals [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:23
This week, we discuss strategies for teaching design fundamentals and how to make the process engaging and fun for new designers. In The Sidebar, we discuss the pain of noticing problems right before you ship.Golden Rati…
367: Effective Brainstorming [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:03
This week, we talk about how to have effective brainstorms: what does good prep look like, and what should be done alone or with a group? In The Sidebar, we share our spicy takes about brutalism in interface design.Golde…
366: Closing the Gap to Senior [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:02
This week, we discuss options for designers to close the gap to becoming a senior. In The Sidebar we try to identify what is the duct tape of design.Golden Ratio Patrons:Float Float has been a lifeline for teams working…
365: UX Research ft. Danae Holmes [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:09:31
This week, we sat down with Danae Holmes, a UX researcher at YouTube Gaming to talk about everything UX research. We dig into research methodologies, effective collaboration with design, tips to get better at user resear…

«1...678910