Collected articles - Week of Jan 4, 2016

Scroll behavior across the web

By Josh Schwartz of Chartbeat

Anonymous data from 25 million user session across the web suggest (strongly) that most time is spent "at or below the fold" and about 30% of people start scrolling before the page is even loaded.

Super summary:

1. People scroll before the page finishes loading (missing or skipping what's at the very top).
2. There's a sweet-spot just above the fold where visibility is at its peak across a large audience. (Assumes a 700px fold.)

I wonder how these numbers have changed since 2013? Tweet more recent numbers @andrewjwright.

Everybody Scrolls.

By Rebecca Gordon of Huge

Yes, people scroll web content. But... certain interaction cues can help.

Two methods that appear to work:

1. Use an image that isn't as tall as the viewport so that people can sense additional content.
2. Use a down arrow or button to cue scrolling and indicate there is more content.

Honestly, the "scroll indicators" like down arrows and buttons seem like an interaction hack so that designers can use full-viewport images. Thoughts?

Book: Eloquent Javascript

By Marijn Haverbeke

Do you write javascript? Do you want to be better? Read this book. Buy it | Online (free).

I finally understand map() and reduce() now. :)

Also, what a beautiful cover!

How to implement change without making your employees hate you

By Mark Lukens of Fast Company

Seems obvious, but this article has some good advise.

Employers and employees want fundamentally different things—not just out of the workplace but out of their relationship with one another, too. Most management advice tends to downplay those differences rather than bridge them. But it doesn't have to be that way.

— excerpt from "How to implement change without making your employees hate you"

The most important design jobs of the future

By Suzanne Labarre of Fast Company

Suzanne has drawn on a number of industry thinkers to compile 18 jobs of the future that today's designers are likely evolve into.

The one that really stands out for me is the Conductor described by Bill Buxton. Here's just a snippet...

Without the Conductor’s input, we are on a fast path to hitting the complexity barrier, since the cumulative complexity of a bunch of simple things—regardless of how delightful, simple and desirable they may be—will soon exceed the ability of humans to cope.

— Bill Buxton, principal researcher, Microsoft Research

... now go read the rest and figure out which one you'll aspire to!

Simulating the world (in emoji)

By Nicky Case

Artist Nicky Case tries to help us understand complex systems using simulation (and emojis).

Disclaimer: I haven't had a chance to read this one yet (or play with the simulator). But I will definitely come back to it.