July 2016 Summaries

Simple design emphasizes functionality and user experience by creating a straightforward path for users to achieve their goals, often emerging from complex requirements and ideas. The process, termed "Vagueness to Clarity," involves deeply understanding the problem, which leads to a seemingly intuitive product that hides the extensive thought and iteration behind it. The design journey begins with a vague concept and, through continuous questioning and collaboration with engineers, transitions into a complex understanding that can feel overwhelming. Overcoming this complexity involves prototyping and simplifying, where the focus shifts to removing non-essential elements to ensure a frictionless user experience. This iterative process not only clarifies the design but also results in a better product that delights users by making it appear effortless and intuitive.

We're big fans of REPLs because they accelerate learning and are more productive by cutting out the need for UIs or scripts. We include a `repl.sh` script in every medium-to-large project, which starts a REPL with preloaded libraries, custom commands, and database connections when necessary. In NodeJS, we use the built-in `repl` module to create a custom eval function that can process and parse code before calling a callback. We also use async/await with Babel in the REPL to make it easy to update or delete from a development database. By creating shells and REPLs for projects, developers can gain a productivity win.