Reader's Corner No.6: Accessible Typefaces, Dogfooding, Estimates, and Mapping Population

In the office this week we read about accessible typefaces, dogfooding, estimates, and mapping population.

Worm Day

Jay Roberts

Source: Procedural World

Takeaway: Test a complex system by letting an informed but non-expert user interact with it to complete a task. Where does the tool succeed and where are the pain points in the process. As a developer, running a real-world dogfooding test can be a great way to check your work.

Tags: #Programming, #Dogfooding


#NoEstmates and the System of Profound Ignorance (SOPI)

Michael Nicholson

Source: Herding Cats Blog

Takeaway: The #noestimates movement in project management asserts that small, incremental progress can be made without estimating costs, efforts, or outcomes and can lead to increased efficiency in producing a shippable product. The author of the post (Hank Rainwater) asserts that the #noestimate movement operates under a SOPI (System of Profound Ignorance) and as such avoids meaningful data, operates under significant uncertainty, and does a poor job of delivering value to clients.

Tags: #Project Management


Four Million Commutes Reveal New U.S. ‘Megaregions’

David Gouch

Source: National Geographic

Takeaway: An interesting redrawing of America that ignores state boundaries and instead focuses on population centers and commute data. They use a clustering algorithm (so some places are extremely rounded up to get 50 regions) but the general alternative perspective is really fascinating.

Tags: #maps, #population


Accessibility Whack-A-Mole

David Minton

Source: A List Apart

Takeaway: Dyslexia blurs the line between accessibility and usability; what helps those that have difficulty distinguishing letter shapes helps us all. Pick up some insight on how to select typefaces with an eye toward accessibility and inclusiveness.

Tags: #Accessibility, #Usability, #Typography, #Dyslexia


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