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What are usability heuristics? Developed by Jakob Nielsen, a prominent usability expert, usability heuristics are rules of thumb that can be used to evaluate user interfaces. These heuristics are based on principles of human-computer interaction and cognitive psychology. They serve as a checklist for designers, enabling them to create interfaces that enhance user satisfaction and reduce frustration, ultimately leading to a better user experience. The 10 Usability Heuristics by Jakob Nielsen 1. Visibility of System Status Keep users informed about the system's status through appropriate feedback in a reasonable time. This includes visual indicators, loading animations, or status messages so users know their actions have been recognized. 2. Match Between System and the Real World Use familiar language, concepts, and visual elements that align with users’ real-world experiences. Avoid technical jargon, and instead use terms users understand. For example, a magnifying glass icon indicates a search function. 3. User Control and Freedom Provide undo and redo options to empower users, allowing them control over their actions, especially when they select system functions by mistake. 4. Consistency and Standards Design should be consistent across screens and platforms. Users shouldn’t wonder whether different words, situations, or actions mean the same thing. 5. Error Prevention Prevent errors by using constraints, clear instructions, and confirmations for critical actions. For example, display password criteria to avoid mistakes in login forms. 6. Help Users Recognize, Diagnose, and Recover from Errors Provide clear, constructive error messages that use plain language and offer solutions, making it easy for users to understand and fix issues. 7. Recognition Rather Than Recall Reduce users' memory load by making objects, actions, and options visible, rather than forcing them to recall information from one part of the interface to another. 8. Aesthetic and Minimalist Design Avoid information overload. Strive for a clean, minimalist design that highlights key elements and avoids unnecessary clutter. 9. Help and Documentation If necessary, provide accessible help and documentation that is focused on the user's task and context. 10. Flexibility and Efficiency of Use Allow users to customize frequent actions. Provide shortcuts, accelerators, and customizations to enhance efficiency for experienced users while keeping the interface accessible for beginners. Applying These Rules While Designing Usability heuristics are invaluable tools for creating user-friendly interfaces. Conduct a heuristic evaluation by having a small group check your UI design against these principles. Follow up with user testing to observe real interactions, and make improvements based on feedback. Stay updated with industry trends to continuously improve your design skills.

Are you looking for a powerful and flexible way to build Elixir applications? Look no further than the Ash framework! In this blog post, we'll introduce you to Ash, explain why it's great for building applications, and show you how to get started. What is Ash Framework? Ash is a declarative, resource-based framework for building Elixir applications. It provides a set of powerful tools and abstractions that make it easier to build complex, data-driven applications while maintaining clean and maintainable code. Why Use Ash Framework? Declarative Design: Ash allows you to define your application's structure and behavior declaratively, making your code more readable and maintainable. Resource-Based Architecture: With Ash, you model your application around resources, which encapsulate data and behavior in a cohesive way. Built-in Features: Ash provides many built-in features like pagination, filtering, and authorization, reducing the amount of boilerplate code you need to write. Extensibility: The framework is highly extensible, allowing you to customize and extend its functionality to fit your specific needs. Integration with Phoenix: Ash integrates seamlessly with Phoenix, making it easy to build web applications with a powerful backend. Installing Ash Framework To get started with Ash in a new or existing Elixir project, you'll need to add the necessary dependencies to your mix.exs file: defp deps do [ {:ash_phoenix, "~> 2.0"}, {:ash, "~> 3.0"}, # ... other dependencies ] end Then, run mix deps.get to install the dependencies. For more detailed installation instructions and configuration options, check out the Ash Installation Guide. Key Features of Ash Framework Let's explore a few key features of Ash that make it powerful for building applications: 1. Ash Resources In Ash, you define your application's data model using resources. Here's an example of a simple Post resource: defmodule AshBlog.Posts.Post do use Ash.Resource, data_layer: AshPostgres.DataLayer, domain: AshBlog.Posts postgres do table "posts" repo AshBlog.Repo end actions do defaults [:read, :destroy, create: :*, update: :*] end attributes do uuid_primary_key :id attribute :title, :string, allow_nil?: false, public?: true attribute :body, :string, allow_nil?: false, public?: true create_timestamp :inserted_at update_timestamp :updated_at end end This resource definition includes attributes, actions, and database configuration. Ash takes care of generating the necessary database schema and provides a high-level API for interacting with your data. 2. Built-in Pagination One of the powerful features of Ash is its built-in support for pagination. Ash comes with both offset and keyset pagination out of the box. With just a few lines of code, you can implement pagination in your application. To setup keyset pagination in your resource, just add this, under actions: # A `:read` action that returns a paginated list of posts, # with a default of 10 posts per page read :list do pagination keyset?: true, default_limit: 10 prepare build(sort: :inserted_at) end And here’s how you can use it in your LiveView: defp list_posts(%{assigns: %{load_more_token: nil}} = socket) do case Posts.read(Post, action: :list, page: [limit: 10]) do {:ok, %{results: posts}} -> load_more_token = List.last(posts) && List.last(posts).__metadata__.keyset socket |> assign(:load_more_token, load_more_token) |> stream(:posts, posts, reset: socket.assigns.load_more_token == nil) {:error, error} -> put_flash(socket, :error, "Error loading posts: #{inspect(error)}") end end defp list_posts(%{assigns: %{load_more_token: load_more_token}} = socket) do case Posts.read(Post, action: :list, page: [after: load_more_token, limit: 10]) do {:ok, %{results: posts}} -> load_more_token = List.last(posts) && List.last(posts).__metadata__.keyset socket |> assign(:load_more_token, load_more_token) |> stream(:posts, posts, at: -1, reset: socket.assigns.load_more_token == nil) {:error, error} -> put_flash(socket, :error, "Error loading posts: #{inspect(error)}") end end This implementation allows for efficient loading of posts as the user scrolls, creating an infinite scrolling behaviour. 3. Ash.Notifier Another powerful feature of Ash is the ability to broadcast changes in resources using Ash.Notifier. This is particularly useful when you want to update the UI in real-time when data changes. Here's an example of how to set up a notifier: defmodule AshBlog.Notifiers do use Ash.Notifier def notify(%{action: %{type: :create}, data: post}) do Phoenix.PubSub.broadcast(AshBlog.PubSub, "post_creation", {:post_created, post}) end end This notifier broadcasts a message whenever a new post is created. Then, add the notifier to your resource: defmodule AshBlog.Posts.Post do use Ash.Resource, data_layer: AshPostgres.DataLayer, domain: AshBlog.Posts, notifiers: [AshBlog.Notifiers] # <-- add this # ...rest of your code end You can then subscribe to these notifications in your Phoenix LiveView to update the UI in real-time. 4. Integration with Phoenix LiveView Ash integrates seamlessly with Phoenix LiveView, allowing you to build reactive user interfaces. Here's an example of how to use Ash with LiveView: defmodule AshBlogWeb.PostLive.Index do use AshBlogWeb, :live_view alias AshBlog.Posts alias AshBlog.Posts.Post @impl Phoenix.LiveView def mount(_params, _session, socket) do if connected?(socket), do: Phoenix.PubSub.subscribe(AshBlog.PubSub, "post_creation") form = Post |> AshPhoenix.Form.for_create(:create) |> to_form() {:ok, socket |> assign(:page_title, "AshBlog Posts") |> assign(:load_more_token, nil) |> assign(:form, form) |> stream(:posts, [])} end # ... other LiveView callbacks and event handlers end This LiveView lists posts, handles pagination, and updates in real-time when new posts are created. To see a complete example of an Ash-powered blog application, you can check out this sample AshBlog project on GitHub Conclusion Ash framework provides a powerful and flexible way to build Elixir applications. Its declarative approach, resource-based architecture, built-in features like pagination, and integration with Phoenix make it an excellent choice for building complex, data-driven applications.To learn more about Ash and dive deeper into its features, check out the following resources: Ash Documentation AshPhoenix Documentation Phoenix LiveView Documentation Phoenix Framework Guides Happy coding with Ash framework!

In the ever-evolving landscape of software development, it's essential to keep our tools lean, efficient, and up-to-date. We're excited to share the latest updates to phx.tools, the complete development environment for Elixir and Phoenix. If you’ve been following our journey since the initial release (as documented in our previous blog post), you’ll appreciate the enhancements we've made to streamline and modernize the toolset. Removal of Unnecessary Software One of the primary goals of this update was to eliminate any bloatware that didn’t contribute directly to the development workflow. We took a closer look at the included software packages and some of the removed packages are: Chrome and Chromedriver: While these tools are useful in some contexts, they aren't always needed for the Elixir and Phoenix development tasks. By removing them, we've reduced the overall footprint of phx.tools, making it more efficient and less resource-intensive. Docker: Docker is a powerful tool, but it’s not a necessity for all developers. Recognizing that not every project requires containerization, we’ve removed Docker to simplify the environment. Developers who need it can still easily install it separately. Node.js: Node.js is a powerful tool, but it’s not a necessity for all Phoenix projects. Recognizing that not every project requires Node.js, we’ve removed it to simplify the environment. Developers who need it can still easily install it separately. These removals not only slim down the installation but also reduce potential security vulnerabilities and maintenance overhead. Updated Software Versions In addition, all the remaining software has been updated to their latest versions. This ensures you have access to the most recent features and improvements, providing a more robust and up-to-date development setup. mise: A Superior Replacement for asdf In this update, we've also replaced asdf with mise as our tool for managing language and package versions. Mise, available at mise.jdx.dev, offers a more streamlined and efficient experience compared to asdf. Performance: Mise is optimized for speed, significantly reducing the time it takes to switch between versions of Elixir, Erlang, or other tools. It also installs multiple tools in parallel. This performance boost helps you maintain your flow without the delays often encountered with asdf. Simplicity: Mise has a more intuitive setup and fewer dependencies, making it easier to configure and use. Unlike asdf, which often requires additional tools like direnv to manage environment variables, mise natively reads your .env file, eliminating the need for external software and simplifying your workflow. Erlang Build Support: When building Erlang, mise automatically takes into account your ~/.kerlrc configuration file, ensuring that your custom settings are applied seamlessly. By adopting mise, we've made phx.tools faster and more user-friendly, ensuring that you have the best possible tools at your disposal. Shell Flexibility Perhaps the most user-friendly update is the change in how we handle shell environments. Previously, we "forced" users to adopt the Zsh shell. While Zsh offers many powerful features, we recognized that forcing a specific shell setup could disrupt developers who were accustomed to their existing environments. phx.tools now automatically detects your current shell configuration and uses it, whether you’re working with Bash or Zsh. This change ensures a smoother, more personalized experience, allowing you to work in the environment you’re most comfortable with. Conclusion The latest update to phx.tools represents our commitment to creating a streamlined, up-to-date, and user-friendly development environment. By removing unnecessary software, updating the remaining tools, and introducing shell flexibility, we’ve made phx.tools more efficient and adaptable to your needs. We’re excited to see how these changes enhance your development experience. As always, we welcome your feedback and look forward to continuing to evolve phx.tools to meet the needs of the Elixir community. Stay tuned for more updates, and happy coding!