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Hello All

Happy PI day! Dr. Stephen Hawking passed away early today. Many have marked his passing, although I always thought one of best traits that I always admired was his penchant for life. Never give up no matter what happens, the possibilities are always up to you.

Many great UX posts to share this week covering 404 pages, Cognitive Load, Daylight Savings Time, Cryptography, Car Subscription Models, and how making simple verbal changes at work can be successful.

Have a great week.

M

1. Stephen Hawking Dies At 76; His Mind Roamed The Cosmos
“When you are faced with the possibility of an early death,” he recalled, “it makes you realize that life is worth living and that there are a lot of things you want to do.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/14/obituaries/stephen-hawking-dead.html

2. The Richest People In Cryptocurrency
“In the world of cryptocurrency, fortunes can be made overnight, and the winners of this digital lottery differ from those in previous manias. The shadowy beginnings, at once anarchistic, utopian and libertarian, have drawn an odd lot of pioneers—from antiestablishment cypherpunks and electricity-guzzling “miners” to prescient Silicon Valley financiers and a larger-than-usual assortment of the just plain lucky “hodlers,” the typo-inspired crypto jargon for “buy-and-hold” investors.”
https://www.forbes.com/richest-in-cryptocurrency/#1676c2a11d49

3. The Case Against Google
Critics say the search giant is squelching competition before it begins. Should the government step in?
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/20/magazine/the-case-against-google.html

4. Fair Is Not The Default
Why building inclusive tech takes more than good intentions
https://design.google/library/fair-not-default/

5. A Comprehensive Guide To Mobile App Design
“The difference between a good app and a bad app is usually the quality of its user experience (UX). A good UX is what separates successful apps from unsuccessful ones. Today, mobile users expect a lot from an app: fast loading time, ease of use and delight during interaction. If you want your app to be successful, you have to consider UX to be not just a minor aspect of design, but an essential component of product strategy.”
https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2018/02/comprehensive-guide-to-mobile-app-design/

6. 6 Best Practices For 404 Pages With Killer UX
“Urgh, a 404 page! No one likes that, right? But hold on a minute. 404 error pages don’t need to be a total UX nightmare. When designed to delight and direct users, 404 pages can transform from sources of frustration to opportunities for conversion and branding. Good UI design, a focus on user experience and a little human empathy can go a long way towards improving 404 page design.”
https://uxplanet.org/6-best-practices-for-404-pages-with-killer-ux-d9305db19ad9

7. 38 Brilliantly Designed 404 Error Pages
“Clicking on a broken link is a pain, but a witty and well-designed error page can sweeten the pill. Here are some designs to inspire you.”
https://www.creativebloq.com/web-design/best-404-pages-812505/2

8.Minimize Cognitive Load To Maximize Usability
“Just like computers, human brains have a limited amount of processing power (as further discussed in our course on The Human Mind and Usability). When the amount of information coming in exceeds our ability to handle it, our performance suffers. We may take longer to understand information, miss important details, or even get overwhelmed and abandon the task.”
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/minimize-cognitive-load/

9. 5 Words And Phrases That Can Transform Your Work Life
“A Stanford design and engineering professor says making simple changes to the words and phrases we use can empower us to achieve our goals.”
https://www.fastcompany.com/3057149/5-words-and-phrases-that-can-transform-your-work-life

10. Your Next Car Might Be A Subscription
As car companies see people willing to ditch their vehicles, they’re responding by offering more flexible options. Instead of owning one car, what if you got whatever car you want, just when you needed it?
https://www.fastcompany.com/40538266/your-next-car-might-be-a-subscription

11. Daylight Saving Time Isn’t Worth It, European Parliament Members Say
“EU says holdover from post-WWI efficiency efforts isn’t relevant in today’s world.”
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2018/02/daylight-saving-time-isnt-worth-it-european-parliament-ministers-say/