As we close the door on Cantina’s 12th year in business, we wanted to take the time to reflect and share the most popular articles that our team wrote in 2019. From building augmented reality apps to lessons on privacy and security, here are the posts that made a big splash with our readers this year.
1. BUILDING AN AUGMENTED REALITY APP WITHOUT CODE
This post from March guides you through setting up your first AR app using AR Foundation, ARKit, and custom components, all without writing any code. You will learn how to build a simple AR app that will find horizontal planes and place objects wherever you tap.
2. THE UX OF ANIMATION
In June, John Hurley wrote about how interface animations help inform – or delight – users when using a product, website, or application, explaining how to use animation to create a better user experience.
3. RETHINKING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SERVICE DESIGN AND SPACE DESIGN
At the end of January, this post considered the impact of physical spaces on service design, and how to orchestrate multiple touchpoints to create a web of impactful experiences.
4. KOTLIN/NATIVE: NAUGHTY OR NICE
In May as Spring arrived, so did this post introducing Kotlin/Native, a new product from JetBrains. We began with an overview of the Kotlin/Native tool chain, created a simple “Hello World” app, and then discussed a more substantial port from Kotlin to Kotlin/Native.
5. COMING OUT AT WORK: BRAVERY DOESN’T COME EASY
Research shows that coming out at work is an important step to achieve higher levels of work satisfaction and self-esteem. Colleagues wrote this post during Pride Week in June to talk about what coming out at work was like for them, considering both the ups and downs.
6. DESIGNING FOR VOICE USER INTERFACES AND CONVERSATIONAL EXPERIENCES
As summer sauntered into August, this post did a head-to-head comparison of four voice assistant tools meant to assist with conceptualizing and building better voice experiences. Read our takeaways.
7. CANTINA ANNOUNCES NEW OFFICE SPACE IN DOWNTOWN BOSTON TO SUPPORT GROWTH
Cantina’s move to a larger, state-of-the-art office space was announced via this post. The exponential growth of our team and new areas of expertise and service offerings for our clients were a match made in heaven in time for Valentine’s Day.
8. SIGN IN WITH APPLE IS A BIG WIN FOR DATA PRIVACY
Among the announcements at Apple’s annual developer conference in June was the feature called Sign In with Apple. In this post, we described why we feel Apple continues to be a pioneer in online privacy.
9. GUIDING PRINCIPLES OF INCLUSIVE DESIGN
The day after New Year’s, it was out with the old (ways) and in with the new. In this post, Cantina considered why, when you’re aiming for inclusiveness in designing your product or service, ensuring access to a product is not enough. You also need to consider inclusivity and accessibility.
10. LESSONS FROM ZOOM ON PRIVACY AND SECURITY
The concepts of privacy and security were certainly at the fore in 2019! In July we responded to the Zoom video-conferencing debacle, and how in its botched handling of a security feature Zoom made an impressive number of missteps, all avoidable.
What was your favorite article? Did it make our list? Reach out and let us know! From all of us at Cantina, please have a wonderful New Year and see you in 2020!
