Here is a CSS recipe to display any ordered or unordered list in multiple columns.


<style>
.fourColumns > li {
min-width: 25%;
float: left;
}
/* This will clear the floating in standards compliant browers... might not work in IE */
.fourColumns:after {
display: block;
content: '&nbsp;';
clear: both;
}
</style>
<ol class="fourColumns">
<li>An item </li>
<li>Another item </li>
<li>A different item</li>
<li>Item four </li>
<li>etc </li>
<li>An itme </li>
<li>An item </li>
<li>Another item </li>
<li>A different item</li>
<li>Item four </li>
<li>etc </li>
<li>An itme </li>
<li>An item </li>
<li>Another item </li>
<li>A different item</li>
<li>Item four </li>
<li>etc </li>
<li>An itme </li>
</ol>


That all becomes

1. An item
2. An item
3. Another item
4. A different item
5. Item four
6. etc
7. An itme
8. An item
9. An item
10. An item
11. Another item
12. A different item
13. Item four
14. etc
15. An itme
16. An item
17. An item
18. An item
19. Another item
20. A different item
21. Item four
22. etc
23. An itme
24. An item
25. An item
26. An item
27. Another item
28. A different item
29. Item four
30. etc
31. An itme
32. An item

Byte Level Research sells two very cool looking maps of Internet TLDs (Top-level Domains). The maps show the two-letter country codes (e.g. ‘.ca’, ‘.ru’, ‘.uk’) for the countries of the world, which each code shown on a geographical map over the country it represents. The map also includes an index that maps the country codes to actual country names for handy reference.

I recently heard a fellow student ask a good question: “What exactly does ‘user-centered’ design?” The also asked, “Everything is designed for users so how could something not be user-centered?”

Wow, that is a great question! One of my favorite answers to this question comes from the book “The Psychology of Everyday Things” (P.O.E.T.) by Donald A. Norman. Norman says that user-centered design is “a philosophy based on the needs and interests of the user, with an emphasis on making products usable and understandable.” (ch. 7, p. 188)

Norman further states that

Design should:

• Make it easy to determine what actions are possible at any moment (make use of constraints).
• Make things visible, including the conceptual model of the system.
• Make it easy to evaluate the current state of the system.
• Follow natural mappings between intentions and the required actions; between actions and the resulting effect; and between the information that is visible and the interpretation of the system state.

In other words, make sure that (1) the user can figure out what to do, and (2) the user can tell what is going on.

• Norman, D. A. (1988). The Psychology of Everyday Things. New York: Basic Books.

The Psychology of Everyday Things is available from:

• Edmonton Public Library
• NEOS Libraries
• Chapter.ca

Note: The Psychology of Everyday Things was reprinted under the title The Design of Everyday Things. I am quoting page numbers from the 2004 edition but I believe they are the same regardless of title.