By now you probably know that the emoji you send on an iPhone might not be the emoji that is received on a Nexus. Since emoji are designed differently across platforms, sometimes your text messages might get lost in translation. But how differently might your well-intentioned emoji be displayed? The reality might…

Something I was watching closely as the Apple Watch was revealed today: Which typeface would grace this shiny, tiny new device? Well, it's not Helvetica, the troublesome font that Apple recently adopted for its iOS and OS applications. It's a brand-new typeface that was designed for excellent readability—by Apple.

Two years ago, as Google first showed off Android Jelly Bean, we sat down with then-Director of Android User Experience Matias Duarte to discuss where the operating system was heading. Fast forward this week's Google I/O, where Duarte—now Google's Vice President of Design—introduced Material Design. We had the chance,…

I love Wikipedia, but too often the articles are just not that easy to read. It's not that my English isn't good enough. My English good. There is Simple English Wikipedia, but it doesn't cover as many topics and it's not as thorough.

Yesterday, Google's desktop search page got a redesign. Now it looks the same as Google's mobile and tablet search pages—bigger titles and, notably, no more underline for linked text. Did you notice? And if you did, which do you prefer?

Today, Android published a helpful blog post offering up a list of design tips for developers slaving away over new app icons, encouraging them to use shadows, textures, and micro detail. We're watching Android grow up into its own distinct visual identity—independent even from Google mothership.

For three decades, most of us have interacted with computers in exactly the same way: We point with a mouse (or a finger!), click, and watch the screen. In one way, it's the most outdated element of human computer interaction around. But in another, it's the thing that's shaped every operating system and device…

One of the wonderful things about getting your first iPhone was the sheer self-sufficient simplicity of the thing—here was a device that served as a map, mp3 player, notebook, phone, and anything else you might need, all crunched into a beautiful little package. But if this year's WWDC was any indication, that era of…

With iOS 7 a little over a week away, it's worth taking stock of the fact that this is Jonathan Ive's first WWDC as Apple's Head of Human Interface (HI). But what does it mean for an industrial designer—someone who works with atoms in three dimensions—to be put in charge of a team that works with electrons in two…

Capri, the next 3D sensor by the makers of Microsoft Kinect, will bring precise, fast motion tracking to everything—from laptops and TVs to elevators, robots and appliances everywhere. Basically, it will turn everyone into Jedis or wizards, allowing you to casually wave your hand to make machines do whatever you…

Android 4.0 (a.k.a. Ice Cream Sandwich) is the prettiest, most intuitive version of Google's mobile OS yet, but hardware manufacturers still insist on dirtying it up. Android skins are inevitable, but who does it best? See for yourself.

I love Windows Phone 7's start screen: neatly organized square tiles that clearly show information in real time—from emails to photos to weather to travel progress—without having to click on applications. With Windows Phone 8 Microsoft has solved my only criticism: not enough information density. And it have done so…

Victory! Apple has fixed the weekdays placement in iOS 6's Calendar app after we complained about it a few months ago. I'm not surprised, because it was so impossibly bad that it probably had Steve Jobs rolling in his grave. This user interface agression just couldn't stand, man.