Category: Design

Design is the method of putting form and content together. Design, just as art, has multiple definitions; there is no single definition. Design can be art. Design can be aesthetics. Design is so simple, that’s why it is so complicated.

Wordle is a masterclass in product design simplicity

Some of the most fun I’ve had this year is playing Wordle with my friends and family. But I’m a product designer and a programmer, so as I played, I couldn’t help but notice some strange things about how it was constructed. I was right in the middle of making my own product School Morning Routine,… Continue reading Wordle is a masterclass in product design simplicity

UX fundamentals for web3, investing in design, automated UI variations

Weekly curated resources for designers — thinkers and makers. “Crypto-natives have been living and breathing Web 3 for years. They populate an enormous echo chamber of people speaking a language that most tech people can’t even understand, to say nothing of the general public. The sense of wonder and empowerment that comes from knowing you are building the future… Continue reading UX fundamentals for web3, investing in design, automated UI variations

It’s 2022: PMs and designers should be talking about ambient computing

Source: Google Web3. Metaverse. Crypto. Elon Musk. You’ve probably heard all of these tech buzzwords already. Let’s add a new one to our repertoire: Ambient Computing. Ambient computing refers to “always-on” hardware and software technologies that allow users to consume digital content and services by interacting with their surroundings. We’re still at the beginning of… Continue reading It’s 2022: PMs and designers should be talking about ambient computing

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Why blockchain and Web 3 user interfaces will suck for a while

How Web 2.0 grumpiness + Web 3.0 hubris are contributing to terrible user experiences on the cutting edge of tech. Statler and Waldorf definitely aren’t interested in Web 3. Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RF62EGPppFU My point in a nutshell: Web 3 people are generally not interested in lessons from the past, and experienced tech people don’t need Web 3… Continue reading Why blockchain and Web 3 user interfaces will suck for a while

How to Design better dashboards?

Before diving into the core topic let’s first understand what User Experience is? User experience is the way a person feels when interacting with a particular product, system or service. It refers to all aspects of the end-user’s interaction with the company, its services and its products. User experience design (UXD) is “the process of… Continue reading How to Design better dashboards?

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Decolonizing typography: creating a font for Afrikan writing systems

The driving force behind my relentless mission to create digital fonts for Afrikan writing systems, one letter at a time. In this case study I’ll walk you through the process of designing a font for the Bassa Vah Alphabet. The name ‘Bassa’ and a Bassa proverb. Background Bassa language is spoken by about 600 000 Bassa… Continue reading Decolonizing typography: creating a font for Afrikan writing systems

Visual forensics, impostor syndrome, UI color system, accessibility checklist

Weekly curated resources for designers — thinkers and makers. “User feedback is always a valuable source of information. But if product designers aren’t careful, user feedback can quickly become a to-do list of features organized by whoever yells the loudest and most often. This not only runs the risk of pulling a product team in dozens of different… Continue reading Visual forensics, impostor syndrome, UI color system, accessibility checklist

Critical Sankofa (transit) planning in the afrofuturist city

Transit planning in the Afrofuturist city is not a pipe dream. By examining Afrofurutist productions such as the series of comic books and blockbuster Marvel movie both named Black Panther, we can readily envision alternative approaches to transit planning. In the various images shown below, we see the “golden city” — Birnin Zana — a… Continue reading Critical Sankofa (transit) planning in the afrofuturist city

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Design and development during turbulent times

Usually we are talking about design in a perfect environment: stable internet connection, various tools to use, enough time and safe placement, but what if we erase all of those conditions and put war in your country instead of them? In this article, I will tell you how to design during a crisis. Hello, my name… Continue reading Design and development during turbulent times

The meta-learning capabilities that will help you beat automation

For many reasons, Google is a dream workplace for future knowledge workers. The company provides a challenging and stimulating environment that attracts top talent. But Google, like many innovative companies, is no longer looking for purely technical skills. In their recruitment process, they are increasingly leaving room for improvised problem-solving exercises, which involve group thinking.… Continue reading The meta-learning capabilities that will help you beat automation

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I neglected Duolingo for 20 days after signing up. Here’s every email they sent me.

About 3 weeks ago, I signed up to Duolingo intending to learn Swahili every day for about a month. Why? To learn something new, to make some progress with a language I’ve been casually interested in for some time, and to document to process from a UX perspective. What went wrong? Not to be dramatic,… Continue reading I neglected Duolingo for 20 days after signing up. Here’s every email they sent me.

Metaverse UX, designing with data, immature orgs, how to ask for gender

Weekly curated resources for designers — thinkers and makers. “I’m sure that you or someone else you know have worked somewhere in the past where you felt that UX people were out of place. After all, UX is an emerging discipline and a lot of organizations want to hire people from our field because no organization wants to… Continue reading Metaverse UX, designing with data, immature orgs, how to ask for gender

Should you ever NOT listen to user feedback?

The Betty Crocker phenomenon, and the difference between user feedback and user insights. Jessica Tenuta 8 hours ago·6 min read Image Credit: TudorTulok, via Wikimedia. User feedback is always right. Right? Well…yes, and no. Product designers are faced with a flood of feedback each day that can take many forms, from direct feature requests from… Continue reading Should you ever NOT listen to user feedback?

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The 5 types of Questions

The kick-ass framework for every Product Manager In my previous post, I had shared my story of how my manager taught me the greatest ‘a-ha’ lesson of my professional life. 👇🏻 My first ‘aha’ learning of my career TL;DR — The stakeholders are mostly clueless about their own needs, and they are totally allowed to be so. As a… Continue reading The 5 types of Questions

People are imperfect, design accordingly

Canvs Editorial 15 hours ago·5 min read Source: Magdalena Koscianska on Dribbble Designers have the opportunity to change mindsets and habits; however, more often than not, this is not the case. It’s up to the users and their interaction with products that determine the overarching impact. It’s a designer’s job to observe, see what the… Continue reading People are imperfect, design accordingly

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Does UX have an imposter problem?

8 reasons it might be them, not you. Illustrations throughout by Emma Clayton Eyes cast down, she whispered, “I feel like UX is a dance club that I can’t get a ticket into.” A heavy silence hung in the air. This, after two years working at one of the largest technology firms, in what most of us would consider… Continue reading Does UX have an imposter problem?

10 reasons why NPS is BS (and what you can do about it)

This popular business metric is hurting you. Kim Witten, PhD 22 hours ago·6 min read Organisations have blindly followed the NPS method for nearly two decades, with even the majority of FTSE 100 companies today proudly touting their scores. However, NPS is unscientific and meaningless. Here are 10 reasons to help you understand why, plus… Continue reading 10 reasons why NPS is BS (and what you can do about it)

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Why e-commerce is failing people and the planet

We need to stop designing with blinders and scaling solutions designed for the individual Illustration by Marie Dupuch Betting on convenience to grow e-commerce The number of parcels sent internationally has increased by 4.5 times in the last 6 years, from 43bn in 2014 to 131bn in 2020 (B2B, B2C, C2B). UK deliveries account for 4%… Continue reading Why e-commerce is failing people and the planet