Psychology | Web Guy

If You Have Users, Simplicity is Paramount

Web Guy — Tue, 06 Dec 2016 13:17:54 +0000

If you’ve created something that users, customers, players, readers, fans, whatever will be interacting with, primarily a website for example, ease of use, perhaps above all else, is the most important element to keeping people happy and greatly improves the chances that they’ll actually take action. This of course all starts with what their immediate ... If You Have Users, Simplicity is Paramount

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The False Equivalence that Simple is the Same as Ugly

Web Guy — Tue, 14 Jun 2016 20:55:54 +0000

As a minimalist web designer, this has been an uphill battle throughout my entire career, and I’ve heard simple designs referred to in every derogatory manner imaginable: plain, bad, boring, ugly, broken, stupid, dated, unprofessional, incomplete, and on and on. The truth is that minimalism is a philosophy, a very carefully considered methodology. Like a ... The False Equivalence that Simple is the Same as Ugly

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The “S” in https Stands for Sexy

Web Guy — Mon, 06 Jun 2016 16:02:48 +0000

I wanted to run-down a quick analysis on our recent obsession with that green padlock that gives us the warm and fuzzies all over. What exactly is it; what exactly does it mean; what exactly does it do? When you see https (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) alongside a solid padlock with no error messages in ... The “S” in https Stands for Sexy

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How to Disagree without Arguing

Web Guy — Sun, 06 Mar 2016 20:30:45 +0000

While the English language is very precise, it’s still very difficult to communicate with others with understanding and proficiency. Across culture, the very meanings of words don’t always hold. Take the word argue, perhaps a word with the most incorrect negative connotation there is, and while the header of this article is probably the most ... How to Disagree without Arguing

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First Impressions are Meaningless — I Like to Give People an Actual Chance

Web Guy — Tue, 23 Feb 2016 04:00:19 +0000

Of course, when any generalized statement like this is made, it should be a given always that it falls within reason, as there are always exceptions to the rule and extremes to consider. For example, whether it’s a job interview or a first date, showing up without having taken a shower, with mustard stains all ... First Impressions are Meaningless — I Like to Give People an Actual Chance

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There is No Right Way Or Wrong Way to Do Anything

Web Guy — Fri, 04 Dec 2015 06:59:05 +0000

…only the popular way. To do something only for the sake of it being the popular way, even though it otherwise doesn’t fit your best interest or desires is not a good reason to choose that route at all. My whole life I’ve been told that I was doing it wrong, that things must be ... There is No Right Way Or Wrong Way to Do Anything

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Check it Once, Check it Twice, Check it a Million Times… You’re Still Going to Make a Mistake

Web Guy — Fri, 27 Nov 2015 10:18:40 +0000

What I’m getting at with that header is a lesson in both work ethic and humility. “To err is human; to forgive, divine.” — Alexander Pope About a month ago a blue-collar guy walked past me at a family member’s house as I worked on my laptop and asked what I was doing. I replied: ... Check it Once, Check it Twice, Check it a Million Times… You’re Still Going to Make a Mistake

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The Outcome of a Decision Doesn’t Dictate Whether it was the Right Decision

Web Guy — Wed, 11 Nov 2015 22:40:34 +0000

This may in fact be my most frustrating pet peeve. Professional gamblers probably understand this lesson better than no one else, but many people follow a more limited and linear logic. You bet on red and it lands on black, they say: “Should of gone with black.” You bet on black and it lands on ... The Outcome of a Decision Doesn’t Dictate Whether it was the Right Decision

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Life is Full of Mistakes, Business is No Different

Web Guy — Tue, 27 May 2014 05:40:07 +0000

I’ve made mistakes my whole life, as I will until the day I die, no different from you or anyone else that ever did, does, or will exist. Yet, despite this commonality of all human beings being fallible, which one could argue, is essentially the human condition, most of us fight, irrationally, ignorantly, and egotistically ... Life is Full of Mistakes, Business is No Different

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Most Annoying 4-Word Sequence in the Entire English Language: “But, the computer says…”

Web Guy — Sat, 08 Feb 2014 03:38:45 +0000

This article is years in the making and I guarantee I’m not the only one that has been frustrated to anger by this brain-cell-killing issue. Here’s the scenario: you call up customer support for say an unpaid bill notice that you know for certain, you damn-well paid. The conversation may go something like this: Customer ... Most Annoying 4-Word Sequence in the Entire English Language: “But, the computer says…”

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The Coding Brain

Web Guy — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 04:03:55 +0000

Learning a coding language, in my opinion, is very similar to learning a spoken language. You need to learn how to read and write it well (perhaps not fluently, but well) in order for yourself, as well as others, to understand what you’re communicating. The way a server or browser might not be able to ... The Coding Brain

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Why Are Most Companies’ Support Staff So Dumb?

Web Guy — Sat, 22 Dec 2012 03:34:08 +0000

I don’t think there’s a normal functioning adult alive today that hasn’t experienced the painfully dumb customer support rep who knows less about the given service than they do, at at least one point in their lives. You’d think with these companies that are making millions (maybe billions of dollars), that they would have figured ... Why Are Most Companies’ Support Staff So Dumb?

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User vs Customer

Web Guy — Sat, 18 Aug 2012 05:39:01 +0000

Many services (especially web-based ones) offer both free and premium services and products. While there is a clear line between a free tool and a premium one (you’d remember paying for something), users tend to conveniently forget that fact when it comes to support. Let’s break down the differences… User A user, as you would ... User vs Customer

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Websites Holding Your Info Hostage

Web Guy — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 11:18:51 +0000

I want to clarify upfront that all the points found throughout this article are not necessarily aimed at any company specifically. Although, I mention a few examples in part, it’s important to understand that they merely sparked the idea for this article and most of the information found throughout are simply my generalized observations from ... Websites Holding Your Info Hostage

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The Customer is Always Right? Wrong.

Web Guy — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 23:52:08 +0000

In fact, the customer or end-user is often wrong. I imagine when the phrase was coined its intended purpose was almost purely marketing, as in to make the customer feel like they’re right even when they’re wrong. Not to be literally taken, although this I’m sure backfired in some cases. In the very least, this ... The Customer is Always Right? Wrong.

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Wikipedia vs Books

Web Guy — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 07:45:06 +0000

I’m sick and tired of people trying to discredit information found on the internet. That thought is, in and of itself, in fact, what is ignorant. Knowledge is knowledge, wherever it is found. Whether you read it in a fifty-year-old respected text book, on a Wikipedia page, or in a bathroom stall, words are words, ... Wikipedia vs Books

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Story of the Internet Troll

Web Guy — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 07:01:44 +0000

Where in the real world, many people are average, boring, conservative consumerists, that dress alike and think alike, drive the same cars, and listen to the same music in an almost pathological “I’m completely normal and socially acceptable, so please don’t look at me or judge.” kind of way, the internet is a totally different ... Story of the Internet Troll

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Pixel Perfect, Code Perfect, Graphic Perfect

Web Guy — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 07:49:20 +0000

A good web designer obsesses over every pixel. Symmetry is everything in design, any kind of design. The way an interior decorator places furniture in a room whilst keeping a clean buffer zone for walking, shelves, and other practical housing functions and decor is very similar to the design of a page on a website. ... Pixel Perfect, Code Perfect, Graphic Perfect

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Portfolios: One Tough Psychological Cookie

Web Guy — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 04:05:22 +0000

There’s no arguing that it’s vital for any professional, of any kind, to have a portfolio. You just have to have one. However, even when you have one, a substantially large portfolio even, it will still be a battle every now and then. I think the biggest issue is that when it comes to technology, ... Portfolios: One Tough Psychological Cookie

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