The Daily Index — Thursday, November 2, 2023 · TLDR Index

NEWS & TRENDS

TLDR Design

TLDR Design

GOODBYE, TOUCH BAR, YOU HELD INCREDIBLE PROMISE

When the Touch Bar launched, it felt like touching the future. It was an OLED strip that recognized touch and replaced the function row of keys on the 2016 MacBook Pro. The problem was the Touch Bar never quite got out of the proof-of-concept phase, despite being in the majority of MacBook Pros made between late 2016 and 2019. Due to its low interest among developers and low usage among Apple’s laptop users, the TouchBar has been discontinued in the new line of MacBooks.

theverge.com · 4 min

TLDR Design

HANDS ON WITH THE APPLE TV APP REDESIGN IN TVOS 17.2

The tvOS 17.2 beta introduces a redesigned Apple TV app that focuses on Channels and app navigation. The update includes a new sidebar with improved content sorting, dedicated pages for Channels and apps, and a more integrated experience for services like Disney+. While some apps like Netflix still operate separately, the redesign aims to enhance ease of use and encourage more apps to join Apple TV Channels, making Channels and apps more equal within the TV app ecosystem.

appleinsider.com · 2 min

TLDR Design

USE THE ACCESSIBILITY SHORTCUTS ON IOS TO SPEED UP YOUR TESTING WORKFLOW

Switching VoiceOver and Voice Control is cumbersome if you are in the process of testing an app or website. Siri can make this easier. You can invoke VoiceOver by using the command “Hey Siri, VoiceOver on”. Switching VoiceOver off works by issuing “Hey Siri, VoiceOver off.” These and other accessibility features can also be enabled by a shortcut, from the control center, with a back tap, or with the action button.

yatil.net · 3 min

TLDR Design

PIXELS OF INFLUENCE: BREAKING DOWN PERSUASIVE DESIGN PRINCIPLES

People make thousands of decisions every day, with some sources suggesting upwards of 35,000 decisions per day, though this number is somewhat suspect as it is difficult to estimate something predicated on personal bias. Understanding how and why people interact with products and employing persuasive design principles based on that information can ease decision-making anxiety and improve overall user experience.

toptal.com · 9 min

TLDR Design

A MORE FOCUSED, PRODUCTIVE SLACK

The design team at Slack explored many different concepts and approaches to improve user focus, including a literal focus mode. In the end, the optimal tab set included Messages, Activity, and Later. They kept the number of tabs as small as possible, requiring that each addition provide a place to focus on a certain task.

slack.design · 5 min

TLDR Design

DOORDASH NOW WARNS YOU THAT YOUR FOOD MIGHT GET COLD IF YOU DON’T TIP

In 2019, DoorDash restructured its payments to drop the controversial “tipped wage” method and pay a base rate with 100 percent of tips going to drivers. However, this resulted in orders without tips being less appealing to drivers. DoorDash has added a pop-up in its app warning customers that orders with no tip might take longer to get delivered. According to DoorDash, this is something that it's currently testing to help create the best possible experience for all members of its community.

theverge.com · 4 min

TLDR Design

CANVA LAUNCHES AI TOOLS FOR EDUCATION

Magic Write is a generative AI tool that allows students and teachers to access quick actions from a dropdown menu, including summarizing text, expanding short text into longer formats, rewriting text, and changing the tone. Another feature, Magic Animate, allows students and teachers to turn static text into moving text and automatically add transitions to presentations. Magic Grab automatically detects separate elements and objects within an image — say text within a classroom handout or diagrams — and lets the user automatically move, resize, and reposition them, even if they were not separate elements to begin with.

venturebeat.com · 6 min

TLDR Design

SHUTTERSTOCK WILL NOW LET YOU TRANSFORM REAL PHOTOS USING AI

Shutterstock’s new Magic Brush feature lets you tweak images by brushing over areas and describing what you want to change. You can also use the AI-powered background removal tool and smart resizing features to resize an image to your desired dimensions automatically. Shutterstock is updating its AI image generator, which it launched in beta in January, with OpenAI's DALL-E text-to-image generator.

theverge.com · 2 min