I’ve noticed that the amounts are designed to make you tip more than 20%. I’m sure they have done a bunch of research on this and figured out where people tip. I wish their algorithm for this were public because there are so many questions:

• Does the time of day factor into how they pick tip amounts?
• Does the weather? Do people feel like tipping better when it’s raining?
• Is the driver rating attached to how they pick the number of quantities?
• Is ride length or base fare a stronger predictor of tip amounts?
• Is car type a factor?
• Are tip amounts the same for each rider? And if not, is it possible to group riders by demographic to better predict amounts?
• Is the tip amount used to offset driver pay amounts?

These are just the top of my head questions. Some of the things I’ve seen, and I wish I had been screenshotting this screen, but the left-most value is usually a little too low, the middle amount is higher than 20% (the standard for tipping in the US), and the item on the far right is only slightly higher than the item in the center. The custom amount button is smaller and hidden under the buttons. The custom amount also has a generic number value to enter instead of something quicker.

My hypothesis is that they put an item too low on the left, and then have a bigger jump between that and the middle. The thought process here is that people don’t want to be seen as cheap, so they’re likely to avoid the item on the left and opt for the middle. The gap between the middle and right item is smaller, so people won’t think about giving a slightly higher tip if the ride was good. Often, for me, the amount I think is right is NOT listed in the buttons. But I find myself selecting a button rather than entering a custom amount if I’m in a rush, because it takes me more work. This can be problematic if I’m in a rush to get to my next ride.

Secretly, I’ve always wanted to be a designer. It’s not that secret because I’ll tell anyone. The truth is that technology is not helpful unless it is easy to use.

To that end, I’m a font nerd. I’m currently reading Comic Sans, a book about a font people love to hate. I’m also a member of the Secret Type Club, run by the famous Dan Cederholm of SimpleBits.

Today, I want to talk about three different font things:

Back Slant

I’m redesigning my resume. A new one is coming. I want to reverse the italic text for one of the parts of the resume. The image I pasted was:

People in the STC chat came to the rescue and sent me links to things called backslant. With links to the following examples of fonts that have back slant options:

• https://publictype.works/font/cinegenic/
• https://hoodzpahdesign.com/product/beverly-drive-font/

I’m not sure if it is “back slant” or “back slant.” It’s a new vocabulary word for the win.

New Website and Font From Jason Santa Maria

Jason Santa Maria is at the same level of fame as Dan Cederholm. Both wrote foundation books when I was learning web design. I have referenced him before:

• Logo Idea Take 1
• Photo of the Day wavecrest on the end of focus (broken photo link)
• NYCs Best Cheesesteaks

In addition to the links above, JSM was part of the team that launched A Book Apart. I’ve read many of the titles, including the one he wrote.

After taking a break, JSM is back online and posting again. His site is awesome. He also does this amazing thing where he keeps old versions of his site alive. The Cheesesteaks link still works.

Citywide is in the shop section of his site. I’ve seen a preview of this font before in an STC meeting, but I’m super excited to have access to it now and use it in a couple of projects. Check it out.

Font Awesome 7

Misophonia Warning: The video on this page has trigger sounds of people eating. Don’t let the footage prevent you from seeing the font.

Symbol fonts have been around for a bit, but the one I’ve used at the past couple of startups I’ve been with has been Font Awesome. It’s a font that effectively allows you to find images for a specific type of noun or verb and put them on your site with a simple <i> tag or svg.

They have recently released news about the upcoming version 7 of their font. You can pre-order today for 20% off. The new version has three main pieces:

• Updated style for all fonts
• Faster delivery of fonts with improved technology
• Custom style packs with 200 standard icons.

And your purchase today means you will get 20% off on renewals.