Google has poured a lot of money into trying to compete with Facebook with Plus. Despite the fact that history has shown time and again no amount of money can create a successful social network from thin air, that’s exactly what Google has been attempting. What they should have done from the beginning was crank up the social engagement on YouTube. That may finally be happening. This is the first article in a series on Google’s ongoing struggles with social.

Full story

You may have read my previous article on Hipmunk, in which I audited the website’s surprisingly well-executed UX. It wasn’t easy but I did come up with a number of usability issues, each of which I addressed with a proposed solution. Hipmunk indeed have implemented a number of my recommendations. If that isn’t the definition of “on the ball”, I don’t know what is.

Full story

The Netflix design introduced last year rankled a lot of people. But aside from the shock of something new, and the cumbersome layout, there was a more sinister undertone behind the redesign. It seemed like a deliberate attempt at dumbing down their product and weakening what made them strong in the first place. If it seems implausible, read more.

Full story