Magic, According To Jonathan Kamm

kammagic:

Wether the card is revealed first or not doesn’t matter. All that matters is does it look magical. If you create something ask yourself “If I really had magical powers is this how I would do it?” Most magicians who make the mistake of performing to other magicians all the time often create very mechanical, tedious, boring, non magical effects. An effect should look effortless. It should appear as if you do nothing and magic just happens. The less moves the better.

This guy is an incredible cardician on a technical level. Yet, he hasn’t been tempted to turn into the stereotype he describes. Even though Kamm has some of the best card handling around, he strives to not use it. The focus is on simplicity, not showing off.

These principles translate well to great app design, too.