Be honest: How often do you read a book inside of a role-playing game? Today, I bring you a fictional video game book so clever and fun that you can (and should) read it outside of its game. Ive included my favorite excerpt below.But first, let me just say, to folks who toss their books into the inventory never to be opened again, that I get it. Reading a few pages of backstory or exposition is a big ask of any hero on a world saving quest. One minute, youre slaying hordes of undead, your feet tapping uncontrollably because one more hit means doom. A few minutes later, youve sifted through all the corpses for treasures, and you try to read a sentence of dense lore from a dusty dungeon tome your heart rate at the tempo of a jungle track.Wanderstop, made by the indie developer super team at Ivy Road, is a roleplaying game in which the role youre playing is a burned-out perfectionist who needs to chill the hell out. Swap swinging swords, killing baddies, and saving the world with sitting on a bench, sipping tea, and reading.Books arent a contradiction of or a distraction from the adventure; theyre of a piece. What better way to force the player to stop pursuing goals than to hand them a serialized novella that has nothing to do with our heros journey?The tightly wound adventurer in the game and the quest-obsessed player outside the game will only bother to read a book if its entertaining or informative. Mercifully, Ivy Roads Davey Whedon manages to spin yarns that accomplish both. Youre probably familiar with Whedons work on both The Stanley Parable and The Beginners Guide. Hes adept at layering funny prose to conceal sharp criticism of the video game industry, the messiness of the life of an artist, and the complex relationships between creators and their audience.I asked Whedon if I could share one of my favorite stories from the game, the first installment in the works of fictional mystery writer D.B. Steele. Ive also included Whedons thoughts on handing readers dozens of fictional comedy-noir to read in a game about brewing tea. You can read both below.Davey Whedon on the inclusion of books like the tales of Dirk Warhard in Wanderstop:We already had the idea in mind of there being books that you can find and flip through if you want. This was a part of the games general direction of providing the player with intrinsically-motivated gameplay that lets you take things at the pace you want and waste time on idle tasks at your leisure. When it came to deciding what to actually write for these books, early on I knew that if we wanted our players to actually read these books, our best bet would be comedy. I think a lot of players have come to expect books in video games to contain lengthy (sometimes quite dry) exposition dumps of lore or backstory, so it felt like a fun surprise to give the player books that were totally optional and extremely lighthearted.I remember we had a team meeting one day about what kinds of books would be fun to include (initially the idea was to include a bunch of different styles of books), and someone mentioned how overly serious the Tom Clancy books are. For some reason it lodged something in my brain and I immediately sat down and wrote the first couple paragraphs of the first Dirk Warhard novel. It got an immediate response on the team, and I just found it very fun to write. So we ditched the other possible styles and just doubled down on Dirk Warhard. So much of our game is either dark or achingly sincere in tone, and that kind of writing is really demanding to produce, let alone to experience. It was important both for me AND the player to have something to balance the equation. I need to get some chances to write something purely stupid, and the player needs an opportunity to unwind and let their brains melt for a few minutes before going back into the serious stuff. I think Wanderstop is ultimately trying to find a balance between its many modes, and its this equilibrium that I hope makes it feel like a nuanced and fully-realized world. But also these books were just a lot of fun to write.Edge of a Bullet: A Dirk Warhard NovelBy D. B. SteeleIt was just another typical day for Dirk Warhard.Dirk Warhard had been undercover for thirteen weeks. In that time, he hadnt showered, shaved, or eaten a single time. This was the Dirk Warhard Undercover Method. The Dirk Warhard Undercover Method was a living hell for the initial four weeks. But on week five, without fail, his body would begin to buzz with a feverish euphoria, and a rigorous alertness that gave him the edge he needed to succeed.Because of the adrenaline it produced, he also hadnt slept in a month. His skull vibrated with a cocktail blend of indiscriminate rage and an unquenchable passion for justice. Time to get to work.Dirk Warhards undercover persona was that of Bobby Briggleston, billionaire playboy heir to the Briggleston family media empire. In fact, Dirk Warhard was himself a billionaire playboy much wealthier than his undercover persona. But hed play any role if it meant getting the job done.A wealthy local socialite was hosting a charity gala in her mansion home, which Dirk Warhard had been instructed to infiltrate. His limousine pulled into the mansion driveway around midday.As he stepped out of the limo, the sun shone brightly into his eyes. Dirk Warhard hated the sun more than he hated anything in the world. He had been told many times to stop looking directly into the sun, but to turn his back on an enemy was cowardice he could never forgive. Pulsing with rage from the Dirk Warhard Undercover Method, Dirk Warhard pulled a pistol from his tuxedo jacket and fired ten rounds directly into the heart of the sun. Case closed.He holstered the pistol and stepped into the party.Shortly after entering he was met by the host, Samantha Keylight. She was his target, a known perpetrator of underground organized crime, and the person from whom he was to extract sensitive information. Howdy, he said to her, my name is Bobby Briggleston.But his name was not Bobby Briggleston.That was only his undercover alias.His name was Dirk Warhard.Dirk Warhard thought to himself Im Dirk Warhard and then continued the conversation.Mr. Briggleston, it is the pleasure of pleasures to finally meet you! exclaimed Samantha Keylight, Ive heard so much about you from our mutual friend.The mutual friend she spoke of was Dirk Warhards handler, who briefed him on every mission. Dirk Warhard did not know this mans name, because Dirk Warhard disliked learning names. The only name he knew for certain was Dirk Warhard, and even that one was written on a card in his wallet for emergencies.A man in a servants outfit approached them with a tray of shrimp cocktails. Hors Doeuvres?The sight of food thrilled and angered Dirk Warhard. Hunger raged in his stomach, but he couldnt risk the mission. He stepped very close to the man holding the tray, and subtly pressed his pistol to the mans sternum. Youll remove the food immediately, and youll never show your face in this city again.The man began trembling violently, then nodded and turned for the exit. Dirk Warhard fired a warning gunshot at his feet, just to scare him. A hush fell over the entire party, but Dirk Warhard cooly holstered his pistol and said Saw some asbestos. The partygoers all nodded in appreciation, and a few began applauding.Now then, declared Samantha Keylight, may I show you around my home? A man of your distinction will surely admire my collection of art.Thats right, replied Dirk Warhard, I AM a man.And he was.The two of them stepped into an adjacent room, which was empty but for the paintings hung on every wall. Van Dorsens, mostly, said Samantha Keylight, though some on the far wall are by Ferriet. Do you have a favorite artist, Mr. Briggleston?Because there was only one name that Dirk Warhard truly knew, he replied Dirk Warhard.Several of the paintings looked to Dirk Warhard like food. To suppress the anger it aroused in him, he tore one of the paintings clean in half. Asbestos, he explained.Mr. Briggleston, said Samantha Keylight, I did not invite you here simply to admire my art collection nor to rid my home of asbestos. In fact, there is one particular piece of art I wish to show you that I think you will find very interesting.Dirk Warhard responded well to this statement, because he liked it when people gave him things that interested him.Samantha Keylight pulled a small parcel from a shelf, then turned to Dirk Warhard. But the parcel was not a piece of art. It was a gun. She pointed the gun at him.Thats right. I know exactly who you really are Dirk Warhard!Dirk Warhard quietly retrieved his wallet and checked the card inside. She was correct.You didnt think youd fooled me with this Bobby Briggleston nonsense, did you? Id know your scummy face anywhere. Samantha Keylight fixed the gun on his temples. Tell me who sent you, or the next piece to hang on my wall will be your brains!Time slowed to a crawl. Dirk Warhard played through every possible outcome of the situation in his mind, tactically assessing thousands of different strategic maneuvers. His mind raced with the efficiency of a cheetah nailed to a missile. And after a mere half second which to Dirk Warhard felt like hours the only strategy with even a glimmer of hope was clear to him.Well? snarled Samatha Keylight, Whats it going to be? Are you going to start talking, or do I have to-Samantha Keylight exploded.Blood and innards splattered across every inch of the room, drenching the various works of art and substantially lowering their value at auction. Dirk Warhard wiped a finger from his eyes. Weeks ago, he had secretly planted a bomb inside Samantha Keylight, triggered by a switch inside the ring on his left hand. This was one of Dirk Warhards signature techniques, and it had saved him dozens of times.He stepped over to where he vaguely recalled she had been standing, then adjusted his shirt cuffs and said What you didnt know is Im actually Dirk Warhard!He then pulled out his pistol and said it again while holding the pistol, which he decided was cooler. He repeated it while firing the gun several times, and that felt coolest of all.Dirk Warhard still had no idea what role Samantha Keylight played in the perpetration of organized crime. But it wasnt his job to know things. The less Dirk Warhard knew, the more quickly he completed each mission. And this one had been done in record time. He pressed the mechanical implant on his neck to inform his handler that the mission was a success.Dirk Warhard stepped back into the party, where guests were in a panic over the sound of the explosion and gunshots. They turned and froze as he entered the room, dripping with Samantha Keylight.Dirk Warhard strode confidently toward the nearest servant holding a tray, grabbed a shrimp cocktail, and stuffed it into his mouth with a beastly vigor. Someone in the crowd yelled Oh my god! Its Dirk Warhard!Dirk Warhard attempted to yell What you didnt know is Im actually Dirk Warhard! but his mouth was too full of shrimp. So instead he just fired his gun into the air several times. The partygoers began cheering and making out with each other. Then the president emerged from the crowd. Dirk Warhard, said the president, youve saved us once again! I award you ten thousand dollars cash!The crowd cheered again, and Dirk Warhard still couldnt speak so he kept firing his gun. One of his bullets accidentally hit the president, who gave the thumbs up as he bled out, grateful to have been killed by the famous Dirk Warhard. But the presidents death didnt bother Dirk Warhard, who knew that there would always be another president, but there would never be another Dirk Warhard.He stuffed another shrimp into his mouth, then crowd-surfed his way back to the limo as he yelled his famous catchphrase: Nobody survives Dirk Warhard!Justice as cold as the shrimp. It was just another typical day for Dirk Warhard.

Dead by Daylight has a roster of murderers stacked with both creepy original concepts and licensed legends from other franchises. Developer Behaviour Interactive has brought characters like Pyramid Head, Freddy Kreuger, and even Dracula to the asymmetrical horror game. On Tuesday, Behaviour shared the next licensed Killer coming to the game: Ken Kaneki from Tokyo Ghoul, who is living a terrible alternative timeline.In Dead by Daylight, a team of four Survivors works together to escape a battlefield haunted by a single Killer. These Killers have been primed and prepared for their duty by an extraplanar evil god known as the Entity. The Entity stalks timelines and universes, looking for the perfect prey to turn into ruthless Killers.Though Kaneki is the protagonist of the popular manga and anime, he should make for an ideal Killer. In the series, kindhearted human Kaneki is transformed into a half-ghoul after being attacked by one of the flesh-eating monsters. Though he initially tries hard to maintain his humanity, Kaneki undergoes a dramatic personality shift after being captured and tortured at the end of the first season, and fully succumbs to his ghoul nature. The resulting battle is easily the animes peak, with Kaneki tearing through his enemy with a merciless abandon, and using the abilities of the ghoul powers (including regeneration and tentacles) to their full extent.If Dead by Daylight can capture a sliver of that version of Kaneki, hell make a formidable (and fun) opponent. The Tokyo Ghoul collection will include other references to the anime as well, including four outfits and masks.The Tokyo Ghoul crossover will only contain a Killer; it is not a full chapter with a matching map and Survivor. However, the new Killer could have a big influence on the games meta. His trademark tentacles make him a very mobile threat that could strike from any angle. The update is set to go live on April 2.

When I start any UX project, typically, there is very little confidence in the successful outcome of my UX initiatives. In fact, there is quite a lot of reluctance and hesitation, especially from teams that have been burnt by empty promises and poor delivery in the past.Good UX has a huge impact on business. But often, we need to build up confidence in our upcoming UX projects. For me, an effective way to do that is to address critical bottlenecks and uncover hidden deficiencies the ones that affect the people Ill be working with.Lets take a closer look at what this can look like.This article is part of our ongoing series on UX. You can find more details on design patterns and UX strategy in Smart Interface Design Patterns with live UX training coming up soon. Free preview.UX Doesnt Disrupt, It Solves ProblemsBottlenecks are usually the most disruptive part of any company. Almost every team, every unit, and every department has one. Its often well-known by employees as they complain about it, but it rarely finds its way to senior management as they are detached from daily operations.The bottleneck can be the only senior developer on the team, a broken legacy tool, or a confusing flow that throws errors left and right theres always a bottleneck, and its usually the reason for long waiting times, delayed delivery, and cutting corners in all the wrong places.We might not be able to fix the bottleneck. But for a smooth flow of work, we need to ensure that non-constraint resources dont produce more than the constraint can handle. All processes and initiatives must be aligned to support and maximize the efficiency of the constraint.So before doing any UX work, look out for things that slow down the organization. Show that its not UX work that disrupts work, but its internal disruptions that UX can help with. And once youve delivered even a tiny bit of value, you might be surprised how quickly people will want to see more of what you have in store for them.The Work Is Never Just The WorkMeetings, reviews, experimentation, pitching, deployment, support, updates, fixes unplanned work blocks other work from being completed. Exposing the root causes of unplanned work and finding critical bottlenecks that slow down delivery is not only the first step we need to take when we want to improve existing workflows, but it is also a good starting point for showing the value of UX.To learn more about the points that create friction in peoples day-to-day work, set up 1:1s with the team and ask them what slows them down. Find a problem that affects everyone. Perhaps too much work in progress results in late delivery and low quality? Or lengthy meetings stealing precious time?One frequently overlooked detail is that we cant manage work that is invisible. Thats why it is so important that we visualize the work first. Once we know the bottleneck, we can suggest ways to improve it. It could be to introduce 20% idle times if the workload is too high, for example, or to make meetings slightly shorter to make room for other work.The Theory Of ConstraintsThe idea that the work is never just the work is deeply connected to the Theory of Constraints discovered by Dr. Eliyahu M. Goldratt. It showed that any improvements made anywhere beside the bottleneck are an illusion.Any improvement after the bottleneck is useless because it will always remain starved, waiting for work from the bottleneck. And any improvements made before the bottleneck result in more work piling up at the bottleneck.Wait Time = Busy IdleTo improve flow, sometimes we need to freeze the work and bring focus to one single project. Just as important as throttling the release of work is managing the handoffs. The wait time for a given resource is the percentage of time that the resource is busy divided by the percentage of time its idle. If a resource is 50% utilized, the wait time is 50/50, or 1 unit.If the resource is 90% utilized, the wait time is 90/10, or 9 times longer. And if its 99% of time utilized, its 99/1, so 99 times longer than if that resource is 50% utilized. The critical part is to make wait times visible so you know when your work spends days sitting in someones queue.The exact times dont matter, but if a resource is busy 99% of the time, the wait time will explode.Avoid 100% OccupationOur goal is to maximize flow: that means exploiting the constraint but creating idle times for non-constraint to optimize system performance.One surprising finding for me was that any attempt to maximize the utilization of all resources 100% occupation across all departments can actually be counterproductive. As Goldratt noted, An hour lost at a bottleneck is an hour out of the entire system. An hour saved at a non-bottleneck is worthless.Recommended Read: The Phoenix ProjectI can only wholeheartedly recommend The Phoenix Project, an absolutely incredible book that goes into all the fine details of the Theory of Constraints described above.Its not a design book but a great book for designers who want to be more strategic about their work. Its a delightful and very real read about the struggles of shipping (albeit on a more technical side).Wrapping UpPeople dont like sudden changes and uncertainty, and UX work often disrupts their usual ways of working. Unsurprisingly, most people tend to block it by default. So before we introduce big changes, we need to get their support for our UX initiatives.We need to build confidence and show them the value that UX work can have for their day-to-day work. To achieve that, we can work together with them. Listening to the pain points they encounter in their workflows, to the things that slow them down.Once weve uncovered internal disruptions, we can tackle these critical bottlenecks and suggest steps to make existing workflows more efficient. Thats the foundation to gaining their trust and showing them that UX work doesnt disrupt but that its here to solve problems.New: How To Measure UX And Design ImpactMeet Measure UX & Design Impact (8h), a practical guide for designers and UX leads to measure and show your UX impact on business. Watch the free preview or jump to the details. Video + UX TrainingVideo onlyVideo + UX Training$495.00 $799.00Get Video + UX Training25 video lessons (8h) + Live UX Training.100 days money-back-guarantee.Video only$250.00$395.00Get the video course25 video lessons (8h). Updated yearly.Also available as a UX Bundle with 2 video courses.

The power of empty stateshow Slack drives user activationOnboarding, delightful copy and the element ofsurpriseDo you know the dinosaur?The Lonely T-Rex ofChrome.Or perhaps youve seen the Blue screen of death onwindows.Image sourceOr maybe Apples Spinning wheel of deathPre-auto save these signalled the end of the world. Lost files. Reboots. Frozenscreens.Seeing these stirs feelings of frustration and dread (as the names suggest).These are what we call emptystates.Empty states are what you see when a page or area that could be blank. Like a search bar before youve started searching, a chat before youve sent a message, an error state or a new document youveopened.They are non-spaces where theres technically nothing to display. As a result, these are spaces that are often overlooked in productdesign.However, theyre actually incredibly important in creating positive user experiences. Why? Well,because:Without them, people get confused (often thinking theres a bug)They can communicate system status, giving a users a sense ofcontrolThey can be used to show people next steps or how to use the product in a subtlewaysAccording toNNGroup:Totally empty states cause confusion about how and whether the system is working. An empty screen leaves people with questions: Is the system finished processing the request? Is content still loading? Did an error occur? Did I set the wrong filters or parameters?The overarching goal of empty states is to build confidence that your product knows what its doing, show youre in control and show people nextsteps.What better way to explore this unloved area of UX than to look at one of the best examples.Slack.Well look at four types of empty states from Slack and show how they help onboarding, product adoption and reduce confusion throughout the experience, namely:Feature defaults to encourage engagementFirst use states to onboard andactivateEnd states to congratulate and give a dopamine hit post-taskError states to admit when theres been an issue and help with nextstepsBefore we dive in, heres a recap of Slacks growth from origin through unicorn, and from acquisition tonow.Slacks rather bumpy ride from 2013 to2025Slack is one of the startup worlds biggest success stories, having gone from nothing to unicorn status ($1bn) in as little as 8months.It started as an online multiplayer game called Glitch in 2009, however the team struggled to gain traction; the game was too complex, too slow and ultimately flopped.Instead, the team noticed that their internal communications tool theyd built to create the game was much more interesting.And hence, Slack wasborn.After launch in 2013, Slack grew 510% weekly in the first year and reached unicorn status not long after in2014.By the time I tried it first in 2019, Slack had reached 10 million daily activeusers.Slacks strong growth was due to a mix of factors: timing (as remote work grew), brand (goodbye stuffy enterprise tools, hello fun), strong backing (from Silicon Valley) and product-led growth (easy to get going and share withothers).In 2021, Salesforce bought Slack for $27.7 billion. Funnily enough, after the acquisition growth slowed. TechCrunch reported that growth dropped rapidly, from 46% YoY in Q3 2023 to just 16% in Q42024.Nevertheless, in 2025 Slack now has 200,000 paying customers across 150 countries, including 77% of Fortune 100 companies.Still eye-watering numbers, despite the growthslump.Ive been using Slack for five years at this point. One of my earliest memories of the UI is the empty states in their best feature: the searchbar.Empty states in searchI remember the first time Slack surprised me with its empty states. I was typing in the search bar, when I saw some entertaining copy:Surely thats around here somewhereHuh?So casual. Sounusual.The next time I hit the search bar, Iread:Search high andlowThe default copy in the search bar changes on each clickit cycles through various weird, fun and (occasionally) usefulcopy.It feels almost crafted instead of engineered.What this does is two-fold:It acts as a variable reward meaning that each time we visit, its new. Like a slot machine coaxing people back into thearcade.It creates a curiosity gap where intrigue is created through riddles, gaps in information or unusual experiences, leading the customer to seek out the nextstepBoth of these tactics drive engagement, as well as improve awareness about the searchfeature.Its a great example of how to turn mundane UI elements into engagement opportunities and memorable micro interactions.The injection of fun and personality into mundane, functional elements is one of the reasons Slack has been able to differentiate in a crowdedmarket.First use onboarding emptystatesMore recently, I created my own Slack workspace for the firsttime.I needed to use Slack connect, and so created Rosie Hogggmascalls workspace to accept invites to newclients.It was the first time in five years I felt like I was seeing Slack with fresheyes.The first thing I saw was the empty states within channels.Notice how theres no blank page. Instead, I see activity (myself joining), templates, a welcome message and direction of what totype.Without taking any action, my workspace feelsactive.I also see that not one, but three channels have been created forme.All with their own empty states, including:Passive onboarding tips for me to get started (nothing too in-your-face)Visuals to help me understandCore messaging to reiterate the value ofSlackDefault copy, helping me know what to type ( Hi everyone!, Roll call! Whoshere?)The suggested actions feel subtle and easy, thingslike:Share aGIFTake a coffee breaktogetherPersonalise a welcomemessageHowever theyre all driving to core actions that help you engage, onboard and get setup.Theres even an empty state for a DM withmyself.The default copy Note to self and Tomorrow, I should.. makes me feel so seen, given thats what I typically use a self-DM for in whatsapp, messenger orSlack.What these do is avoid users drawing ablank.Opening a new page is akin to walking through a doorway: you forget what you come for. You draw ablank.Thats what these empty states are avoiding.They are simultaneously:Helping you navigate a new workspaceShowing you how to usefeaturesGiving you a head start by taking steps foryouAvoiding writers block / blankstaresCreating a sense of activity from thestartNotice how Slack anticipates and solves for common friction points before theyarise.By avoiding friction, providing structure and reducing cognitive load, Slack creates motivation and momentum that carries new users through critical activation steps (like first message and channel creation).Whats key is that they feel helpful rather than intrusive. Instead of tooltips, repetition or popups, the use of entry states to onboard users feels like the natural flow of theproduct.Cleared End-goal emptystatesNext up: task complete emptystates.On Slack mobile, theres a feature called catchup.Its a tinder-like style summary of the messages you need to catch upon.Once youve swiped through your messages, youre met with a little congratulations message.Similar to the variable reward we saw in the search bar copy, this copy also changes every timemoving from cool, to hype-man, tochill: AllClearBoom. Youre up todate.All caught up. Whatsnext? Youve read everything you needed to. Take amoment.(Not sure why theres an applethere?)Again, these small, quirky messages inject personality.These consistent moments of personality across different features help create a cohesive brand experience, which is distinctly cooler, more casual and different from competitors (Teams would never say boom).As well as being important for brand, theyre also functional. These messages signal task = complete, and provide closure. Marking the dopamine hit of a complete task creates a mini reward, reinforcing the habitloop.Next: errorstates.Uh oh error emptystatesTo test error states, I do twothings:Turn off mywifiSearch for a non-resultFor the first, I see whats called a skeleton stateIts a loading state that shows what the UI would look like if there were results. Giving the perception that things are moving, filling the void instead of leaving it blank and removing the jump from blank white toerror.Overall, it feels less jarring and looks like the product is trying in the background, giving the labour illusion effectWhen I have no wifi, the empty state reads asfollows:Were having trouble loading your workspaceThis is one of those times when were not sure what went wrong, but we do have some suggestions that mighthelp.- Restart slack. Sometimes thats all ittakes- Check the Slack service to make sure that its not a Slackissue- Try our suggestions for troubleshooting connection issuesWhat I like here is the UX writing: clear admission that Slack doesnt know whats wrong and helpful advice to troubleshoot.When I search for something that doesnt exist, Isee:Nothing turnedupYou may want to try using different keywords, checking for typos or adjusting your filters. Learn more aboutsearchNot the results that you expected? GivefeedbackHere I like the conversational language.Users are often tired of Uh Oh, or Oh Snap. The new error messaging here feels almost refreshing.Again, Im given some helpful suggestions but note how Im also invited to feedback. This gives the users a sense that the product is open and theres people behind the scenes. It avoids the dead end feeling of many empty states, by giving multiuple exitpoints.Slack is using this real estate as an opportunity to build trust. Transforming potential areas of frustration into experiences that feel human andhelpful.Transparency + guidance = an excellent formula for an errorstate.In conclusion: empty states as strategic UXI love thisexample.The devil is in the details, and once you start paying attention to empty states you see them everywhere.What I take away from Slack is twothings:Be personable: state when you dont know, inject personality and brand voice, avoid any over-used phrases (avoid oh snap like the plague). Think: how would I like to be spokento?Be present: most importantly dont leave a blank. Dont leave dead-ends, or people hanging. Largely because youre missing out on really good opportunities to drive engagement.In terms of how to implement this, Id suggest fivesteps:Audit your empty statesmap all places where users might encounter blank screens, errors, or completion states in your productjourney.Add personalityuse variable rewards and conversational language that aligns with your brand to create a human connection with yourusers.Reduce cognitive loadprovide clear next steps, templates, structure and guidance that anticipate user needs before frustration setsin.Create momentumthink about how you can exite people and help them get to aha moments. Use empty states to guide users toward key activation actions without relying on more intrusive onboarding methods like tooltips.Be transparent When things go wrong, be honest about what happened and provide clear paths forward. Stating the obvious can give a sense of control, which reduces doubt and helps ease frustration.Have a go, and let me know how it goesThe power of empty stateshow Slack drives user activation was originally published in UX Collective on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.The M3 lineup of MacBook Air laptops is already seeing big discounts before the release of the new M4 MacBook Air laptops tomorrow. You can get the 13-inch MacBook Air laptop with 16GB RAM and 256GB SSD storage for $794.99 (originally $1,099) after an additional $54.01 on-page coupon on Amazon. This is the lowest price this MacBook has been since its release, according to price-tracking tools. M3 MacBook Air 13-inch Laptop (2024) $794.99 at Amazon $1,099.00 Save $304.01 Get Deal Get Deal $794.99 at Amazon $1,099.00 Save $304.01 If you're looking for longevity in your laptop, the 16GB RAM on any MacBook Air is vital and will last you a long time. All "older" MacBook Airs, including those with M2 and M1 chips, have good discounts right now (if you can find them in stock), but if you can afford to upgrade to the new M4 MacBook Air that comes out tomorrow, March 12, you'll be getting a better value for your money, according to Jake Peterson, Lifehacker's Senior Technology Editor. It's an even better value than the M4 Pro. However, if you prefer to save yourself some $200, the M3 is still a capable and powerful laptop in 2025. You can see the full breakdown of the M3 MacBook Air in CNET's review.The M2 is also deeply discounted, but it's not easy to find a new one in stock right now. Keep in mind the M3 chips have almost double the read speeds of the M2 and 33% faster write speeds. If you're not sure if it's worth upgrading from the M2 or are undecided about which one to get, you can read our breakdown comparing the two. One of the advantages of getting the M3 over the M2 is the dual monitor support on the M3 MacBook Air, a feature that used to come only from the MacBook Pro lineup.

My Boox Palma is one of the most easily lovable pieces of tech I've ever usedan e-ink reader with a phone-like form factor that isn't locked down to one specific retailer's ecosystem. It has helped me read more and waste time on social media less, but as much as I appreciate it, it can also be weird and finicky. For example, why is it so tricky to use it to listen to audiobooks?Like most people, before I got the Palma, my phone was my main driver for audiobooks, music, and podcastsit was always with me and the apps made it super convenient. But I'd find myself pausing my book every time a notification pinged in my headphones, so I decided to shift that "content" over to my e-reader as well. Then I hit a snag: Every time I closed the protective cover that came with the device, it would go to sleepshutting off the screen and the front light, disconnecting my Bluetooth headphones, and pausing the audio.While the Palma looks like a phone and runs on Android, it doesn't always act like a phone. And while my iPhone never gave me any problems playing audio with the screen off, doing the same on the Palma (or any other Boox device) requires some tinkering.Three settings to changeWhile it would be nice if the Palma could play audio with the screen off right out of the boxas has been the case for every phone I've used since I got my first smartphone in 2010you'll need to change a few settings to make it happen.Keep your audio apps active in the background Credit: Screenshot by Joel Cunningham The first thing you'll need to do is adjust your settings to allow apps that play audio to continue running in the background. In the interest of preserving battery life, the Palma OS turns this setting off for every app you download from the Google Play store, but you can fix that in one of two ways.First, you can long press the icon of any app on the home screen. This will bring up a menu with a few different options. Tap Optimize. From the next pop-up menu, select the Others tab, then make sure the slider next to Stay active in the background is turned to On."Unfreeze" your audio apps Credit: Screenshot by Joel Cunningham Next, you'll need to stop the Palma's OS from "freezing" audio-playing apps running in the background. You can make this change globally, or on a per-app basis. Freezing apps improves battery life, so keep that in mind as you make your decision.To unfreeze a single app, open Settings and scroll down to Apps and Notifications. Tap Freeze Settings, find your audio-playing apps in the list of installed programs, and turn the slider to Off.To unfreeze all your apps, from this same menu, turn the Do not freeze apps running in the background (such as audio/input method) slider to On. You can also stop the Palma from automatically freezing newly downloaded apps by turning the slider next to Automatically enable freezing after installing an app to Off.Keep your headphones connected Credit: Screenshot by Joel Cunningham The last thing you'll need to do is keep the Palma from turning off Bluetooth and disconnecting your headphones after the device goes to sleep. To do that, open Settings and scroll to Power. On the next screen, tap Bluetooth Status After Sleep and select Stay Connected from the pop-up menu.(I'd also suggest turning on Always turn Bluetooth on when the device starts up from this menu, so you won't have to manually turn Bluetooth on every time you want to connect your headphonesthough, again, that will affect your overall battery life. Now that that's taken care of, here are other settings you should consider changing on any Boox device.

Breaking: A Big Tech company is ramping up its AI development. (Whaaat??) In this case, the protagonist of this now-familiar tale is Meta, which Reuters reports is testing its first in-house chip for AI training. The idea is to lower its gargantuan infrastructure costs and reduce its dependence on NVIDIA (a company that apparently brings out Mark Zuckerberg's "adult language" side). If all goes well, Meta hopes to use it for training by 2026.Meta has reportedly kicked off a small-scale deployment of the dedicated accelerator chip, which is designed to specialize in AI tasks (and is, therefore, more power-efficient than general-purpose NVIDIA GPUs). The deployment began after the company completed its first "tape-out," the phase in silicon development where a complete design is sent for a manufacturing test run.The chip is part of the Meta Training and Inference Accelerator (MTIA) series, the company's family of custom in-house silicon focused on generative AI, recommendation systems and advanced research.Last year, the company started using an MTIA chip for inference, a predictive process that happens behind the scenes in AI models. Meta began using the inference one for its Facebook and Instagram news feed recommendation systems. Reuters reports that it plans to start using the training silicon for that as well. The long-term plan for both chips is said to begin with recommendations and eventually use them for generative products like the Meta AI chatbot.The company is one of NVIDIA's biggest customers after placing orders for billions of dollars' worth of GPUs in 2022. That was a pivot for Meta after it bailed on a previous in-house inference silicon that failed a small-scale test deployment much like the one it's doing now for the training chip.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/meta-is-reportedly-testing-its-first-in-house-ai-training-chip-174550664.html?src=rss

Our favorite kleptomaniac prince is back. Theres a new Katamari Damacy game coming to Apple Arcade on April 3. Katamari Damacy Rolling Live is being developed by franchise steward Bandai Namco and, as the name suggests, brings those familiar rolling gameplay mechanics to iOS devices, Mac computers and Apple TV.The Apple Arcade exclusive doesnt look all that dissimilar to previous entries. You play as the prince, rolling up objects until they grow large enough to become stars. Its Katamari. The big difference here is the plot. The old games typically had you creating stars for the noble purpose of rebuilding the galaxy. This time, the stars are created for the benefit of the kings burgeoning career as a livestreamer.Bandai NamcoThats right. Successful runs boost the kings subscriber count and this leads to positive comments from in-game fans. Once the viewership reaches a certain threshold, you unlock new stages. Thats a fairly odd twist, but its not as if anyone plays Katamari for the plot. You play for the satisfaction of rolling over stuff to get bigger.Apple promises a captivating soundtrack that blends different genres. Itll be tough to beat the OG soundtrack, which is one of the all-time greats, but well just have to wait and see. Its been around eight years since weve had any new Katamari game and around a decade since weve had a good one. Bandai Namco did release a remaster of the original title back in 2018 and the sequel in 2023.This isnt the only Apple Arcade news today. The platform announced an update to the well-received Skate City: New York that brings 30 new levels and 90 new objectives. Itll be available on March 27. Theres also a new Space Invaders game coming on April 3.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/the-first-new-katamari-game-in-years-is-coming-to-apple-arcade-in-april-173045224.html?src=rss

If you've been putting off upgrading to the new HomeKit architecture, you'll soon be forced to take the plunge.

AI-powered characters could feature in future PlayStation games, and the Horizon series could be the testbed with an AI Aloy.