Monthly Archives: April 2010

The 80/20 Rule

By Ashley Towers | April 14, 2010

The 80/20 rule, also known as Pareto’s Principle, states that 80% of an observable effect is caused by 20% of the variables at play. The first recognition of this rule was by Vilfredo Pareto, who in 1906, recognised that 80% of Italy’s wealth was owned by 20% of Italy’s population.
The same 80/20 split can be [...]

How to write an alert box

By Ashley Towers | April 7, 2010

Alert boxes are a user interface element that pops up to alert the user of some critical piece of information. This post explains how to write them.
Lets start off by getting something out of the way. Don’t use alert boxes. They are jarring, often steal focus, interrupt the flow of what a user is doing [...]