Little Big Details
littlebigdetails.com · Group blog · on HN since 2010
Little Big Details is a curated collection of small, thoughtful design touches found in apps, websites, and products.
What HN saysHN commenters link it as a source of design inspiration, saying that careful small details build an emotional connection and that software has become less playful.
45HN people shared it
28linked it in comments
20stories submitted
333story points
1 year agolast shared
2010people per year2026
Most-shared posts
- 1Little Big Details32 people · 298 points · first shared 2010 · 18 comments on HN
- 2Google MapsGL shadows are relative to the current position of the sun2 people · 2 points · first shared 2012 · discussion on HN
- 3OS X - Adjust the volume in 1/4 increments1 people · 13 points · first shared 2013 · 11 comments on HN
- 4The lego character covers his eyes when a user types in his password1 people · 11 points · first shared 2011 · discussion on HN
- 5Inspect the console on SoundCloud (easter egg)1 people · 4 points · first shared 2013 · discussion on HN
- 6Chrome – The offline screen turns into a game when you press your space button1 people · 2 points · first shared 2015 · discussion on HN
- 7Little Big Details: the 404 page is a complete example of the service1 people · 1 points · first shared 2013 · discussion on HN
- 8Kleenex tissues – change the color of the tissue... | Little Big Details1 people · 1 points · first shared 2014 · discussion on HN
- 9Facebook – Opening the developer inspector1 people · 1 points · first shared 2015 · discussion on HN
- 10Akismet when you right click the logo it shows1 people · first shared 2012
- 11Password1 people · first shared 2014
- 12Invision blog when you read an article on1 people · first shared 2017
- 13Chrome if a result is behind the search form it1 people · first shared 2011
- 14Pinterest before image is loaded the background1 people · first shared 2015
- 15Offcial twitter app for iphone dragging down the1 people · first shared 2011
What HN people wrote when they linked it
gkoberger · 2020-07-01
I love this so much.
Software has gotten so boring. OSX used to have a ton of fun weird little things (like the poof when you removed an app) that have all been removed. Same with Google. I miss it.
One of our company values is "Err on the side of whimsy," and it's my far my favorite one... life's too short to not make things a bit weird fun and interesting.
(Also, for people who haven't seen it, also check out https://littlebigdetails.com/ )
lgilchrist · 2012-07-31
More design pattern inspiration: http://littlebigdetails.com/
http://mobile-patterns.com/
Also, Smashing Mag has occasional great articles on design patterns and ux.
joshhepworth · 2011-02-10
It really is amazing how much making sure the little things are right can help. I think it helps develop a slightly more emotional connection for the user as they find themselves subconsciously enjoying various elements that the designer/developer took the time to polish.
To that effect, http://littlebigdetails.com/, is a great list of 'little things' that can be great for inspiration / a list of innovations. Quora is on this list for a few elements.
bosky101 · 2024-09-22
That time of the year when everyone can see there is craftsmanship in the tiny details.
https://littlebigdetails.com is exactly that
andrewmcwatters · 2021-05-03
I don't believe it's updated anymore, but there was an entire website dedicated to this.[1]
[1]: https://littlebigdetails.com
sova · 2020-12-18
For an ongoing list of good, helpful, usually somewhat hidden and quirky UI improvements, check out https://littlebigdetails.com/
basicallydan · 2020-05-17
I like your blog! It reminds me of https://littlebigdetails.com/ except it’s the opposite. Bookmarked!
_eric · 2018-05-14
This website reminded of littlebigdetails[0] when it comes to analysing user interfaces. The difference is that the latter points out what's good about them.
[0] http://littlebigdetails.com/
RickS · 2017-11-13
Agreed. Less thorough and more informal, but you might like http://littlebigdetails.com/
joekrill · 2017-09-05
There's also Little Big Details (http://littlebigdetails.com/) which does something similar.
mtmail · 2016-06-17
http://land-book.com/ collects beautiful landing pages. http://littlebigdetails.com/ has a newsletter for small details
tommoor · 2015-07-03
For some more recent good examples check out http://littlebigdetails.com/
chrismarceloph · 2014-04-20
Thank you very much!
http://littlebigdetails.com/ is close to what I'm looking for, and looks like they are organized well by tags (e.g. http://littlebigdetails.com/tagged/password)
And it doesn't have to be UI only; it would be a good idea to list down the different ways to authenticate for example (passwords, optional passwords, auth through email).
s12chung · 2013-07-25
I use RSS to follow my frequently used sites. My startup related stuff is design-y, but my top 5 recommendations are:
http://sidebar.io/ - most frequent, always bump into something new
http://worrydream.com/ - of course
http://littlebigdetails.com/ - collecting little patterns into my brain
http://theindustry.cc/ - see the reviews, probably the best site for app reviews that I've seen. allows me to know what's new.
http://penny-arcade.com/patv/show/extra-credits - look forward to this every single week
I'd include http://www.paulgraham.com, but you probably already follow that
starpilot · 2013-02-11
http://littlebigdetails.com shows some really exceptional examples of ergonomic design.
tbrock · 2012-11-08
I constantly check this website for nice little touches that usually go unnoticed: http://littlebigdetails.com/
s3b · 2011-10-01
If you're interested in this sort of thing, there are lots of examples here : http://littlebigdetails.com/
JamesDB · 2011-04-19
This blog showcases some awesome little UI features - http://littlebigdetails.com/
danilocampos · 2011-01-25
I'd argue this Twitter item is cute but a bad example:
http://littlebigdetails.com/post/2922618704/offcial-twitter-app-for-ip…
There's absolutely no indication that doing this is possible. Clever UI is neat but if your users never know it's there, you're wasting your time. A little handle, some sort of visual indicator that an action is possible would make for a better interface. Twitter (neé Tweetie) is my favorite Twitter app for iPhone or OS X, but this kind of easter egg functionality is sprinkled throughout and it just makes me sigh.
sarupbanskota · 2022-04-17
Reminds me of https://littlebigdetails.com/
vntok · 2021-05-30
See also: http://littlebigdetails.com
currysausage · 2017-09-05
Wow, this is a total antipattern: http://littlebigdetails.com/post/164521719457/invision-blog-when-you-r…
I want the title to tell me which article I might want to return to, not that I should.
philfreo · 2015-02-04
Pinterest does something really clever related to this - not so much for data placeholder but for images. They have precomputed the dominant color for each image and show that color while the image loads.
http://littlebigdetails.com/post/56782380031/pinterest-before-image-is…
jamessb · 2014-04-20
There are several UI pattern libraries, eg.
http://ui-patterns.com/explore
http://littlebigdetails.com/
http://patternry.com/patterns/
http://www.welie.com/patterns/index.php
http://developer.yahoo.com/ypatterns/
ZeroGravitas · 2012-06-14
Shadows cast by the buildings in Google MapsGL are correct for the local time:
http://littlebigdetails.com/post/23796537654/google-mapsgl-the-shadows…
helipad · 2012-04-12
I've seen this done a few times before.
Akismet is one example:
http://littlebigdetails.com/post/6493183632/akismet-when-you-right-cli…
csulok · 2011-05-31
"The search field covers the content of the site, if you were searching and a match was under the field, or you wanted to click a link/button under the search field, you’re out of luck."
or are you?
http://littlebigdetails.com/post/6000057345/chrome-if-a-result-is-behi…
mickeyben · 2011-01-26
There's also a nice transition when using the search
http://littlebigdetails.com/post/2939190835