This article describes a procedure on how to create images that are shaped like puzzle pieces, like I did on some of my pages. Not that I’m so presumptuous as to think anyone would want to copy my idea. So let’s say I wrote this article mostly for myself, in case years from now I’ll be scratching my head “how the hell did I do this”? Which happens to me a lot!

However, in a year since this article was written, Gimp has changed significantly, and not all for the better. I’m saddened that they got rid of the Dynamic Text filter. I guess its functionality is supposed to be incorporated into Text tool, but, alas, the Text tool isn’t nearly quite as good. It often locks up in mysterious ways and doesn’t seem to have as much functionality as Dynamic Text filter. Still, I think the things described in this article should be possible to do with the Text tool. It’s just that I’m not going to rewrite this article (not in the near future, anyway), to start refering to the Text tool instead of Dynamic Text filter. And keep in mind that everything in this article refers to the older version of Gimp (I’m too lazy to investigate which version it was. I don’t have it on any of my computers anymore.) Hence, some menus and keyboard shortcuts may be inaccurate.

June 1, 2007 lecture by Bill Buxton for the Stanford University Human-Computer Interaction Seminar (CS 547). Designing for experience comes with a whole new level of complexity. This is especially true in this emerging world of information appliances, reactive environments, and ubiquitous computing, where, along with those of their users, we have to factor in the convoluted behaviors of the products themselves. In this talk, Bill discusses the design process itself, from the perspective of methods, organization, and composition.

At an 1 hour and 29 minutes, this is a lengthy video, but is an excellent deep dive into some of the topics in Buxton’s book, Sketching User Experiences. Buxton’s discussion of the necessity of sketching and ideation in the design process ultimately describes what design is about. While engineering might be about getting the design right, design is about getting the right design. To arrive at the right design, we have to be willing to produce many ideas, to present and argue them, and to want to be wrong so that we can learn and improve on what comes out of the design critique.

Many myths float around the internet concerning creative people and creative thinking. Many of these myths probably come from outdated business practices or mindsets, but others are honest-to-goodness public perception of creative people.

HABITS are a funny thing. We reach for them mindlessly, setting our brains on auto-pilot and relaxing into the unconscious comfort of familiar routine. “Not choice, but habit rules the unreflecting herd,” William Wordsworth said in the 19th century. In the ever-changing 21st century, even the word “habit” carries a negative connotation.

As a tool or skill, sketching has its role in the design process. That role will vary depending on the end-product being created, the size and scope of the project, the individual designer’s style, experience, and workflow, and the client’s expectations. Find out more about how sketching is used in the design process within multiple design disciplines.

From the writer of Presentation Zen

If you have ever looked back at the previous day / week / month and realized that you didn’t get as much done as you wanted to then you might want to look at your productivity and make some improvements. Making better use of your time can help grow your business, make you happier, give you more income, and allow for more time to yourself and your family. The following list represents the top 50 blogs on productivity from around the Internet. Reading through them will help give you the tools to make your life and business more productive and allow you to reap the benefits.

How to Get a Lot Done – 7 Tips to Achieve More
Editor’s note: This is a guest post by Collis Ta’eed, co-founder of AudioJungle, FlashDen, many other sites. You can find him on Twitter.

Have you ever written out a list of goals you’d like to achieve and thought, ‘How can I get all this done’? Or seen an opportunity that you’ve had to pass by because you are just flat out? Life is a torrent of choices and possibilities, and often it’s hard to let them go. Should you compromise? Or do you just need a better game plan?

Paper prototyping lets you conduct informal usability tests with real users early in the project, before the design is cast in concrete code. Here are six signs that your project could benefit from paper prototyping.