For newcomers: StartupDigest Hacker is the members-only weekly email newsletter of the best resources in hacking.

You can become a member for free here.

Welcome back to StartupDigest Hacker, the members-only guide to becoming a better hacker every week.Starting with today’s digest we’ll be exploring a new format. Each week I’ll be sending you one essential tool or resource to add to your arsenal of skills and knowledge. If you have a link you’d like to share, please send it to john@startupdigest.com.

Along with the change in format, we’ll also be changing the schedule. The StartupDigest Hacker will now arrive on Wednesdays.

- John

StartupDigest Hacker is curated by:
John Sheehan – Developer Evangelist for Twilio
 
 

Introducing iOS Boilerplate, A base template for iOS apps

From iosboilerplate.com

This week’s link is inspired by the popular HTML5 boilerplate project. The iOS Boilerplate is a project template that helps you quickly get up and running building an iOS app. Some of the core features include:

- HTTP requests and an image cache (both in-memory and disk-based)

- UITableViews and UITableViewCells: fast scrolling, async images, pull-down-to-refresh, swipeable cells

- Maps and locations: directions between two points, autocomplete a location

Also included are JSONKit, SVProgressHUD, and helpers for Dictionaries, Strings and Data. iOS Boilerplate is developed and maintained by @gimenete.

For newcomers: StartupDigest Design is the members-only weekly email newsletter of the best articles in the design industry.

You can become a member for free here.

Happy Friday,

This week’s edition focuses on Google+ and their usability issues, how retailers leverage psychology to influence your purchasing behavior, optimizing the performance of your mobile app through design, and strategies for working as a designer in an agile development environment.

Check out the Site of the Week for some inspiration from the little details that make great user experiences.

Have a great weekend.

- Jeremy
@jeremymerle

StartupDigest Design is curated by:
Jeremy Merle – Creative Director, Brightcove
Enrique Allen - Founding designer, 500 Startups

 

 

What You Need to Read This Week

Why Google+ Will Succeed Wildly At First
By Bruce Upbin, Forbes

Google+ has had a flurry of positive reviews lately from the tech and design community, but is that their key audience? This article raises a good question about the broad adoption of the social networking site and usability of their core features.

Can We Ever Digitally Organize Our Friends?
From kevnull.com

Kevin Cheng from Twitter asks tough questions like “Why we need groups?” and highlights what Google+ does right and what it sucks at.

Psychological Manipulation In E-commerce Design
By Kristina Bjoran, UX Booth

Interesting and intelligent insight on how retailers leverage human behavior and design to motivate us to share, join, and spend more.

Seven Guidelines For Designing High Performance Mobile User Experiences
By Ivo Weevers, Smashing Magazine

Design choices affect performance and are critical to the success of your app. Here are seven actionable guidelines for optimizing the performance of your mobile app through design.

Change On A Dime: Agile Design
By John Anderson, UX Magazine

Integrating design into an agile development environment is tricky. Here are some tips for working as a designer in an agile environment.

 

Site of the Week

Little Big Details

Whenever someone asks me what differentiates good from great when it comes to user experience, I always say it’s about the details. This blog highlights the little details that make a product experience delightful to use.