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.

Drawing a stunning landscape in Figma

[unable to retrieve full-text content] Figma is my tool of choice for designing user interfaces. Extremely simple to use, the learning curve is a fraction of what’s required for any given Adobe Creative Cloud software. But, that simplicity comes at a price: Figma’s primary focus is not illustration or graphic design, and many designers still… Continue reading Drawing a stunning landscape in Figma

User research and UX research: Any difference?

[unable to retrieve full-text content] On my first interview for a User Researcher role as an intern, I was asked this question by my mentor: Continue reading on UX Collective »

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3D worlds and the future of UX: A review of “spatial interfaces”

[unable to retrieve full-text content] “Games and entertainment have pointed us toward a new way of thinking about interacting with software: spatial interfaces.” — John Palmer, Spatial Interfaces Spatial Interfaces presents a vision for the future of UX, in which “lots of the software we already use can be augmented by spatial interfaces”. Palmer envisions “spatial environments,… Continue reading 3D worlds and the future of UX: A review of “spatial interfaces”

The Olympics and the evolving ideology of sustainability

[unable to retrieve full-text content] Source: Karen Christoph on Dribble The Olympic Games, at least the ones held in the past, used to symbolise extravagance and wastefulness. That was until the 1992 Olympics held in Barcelona, where sustainability was a critical factor. Since then, there has been an increasing relevance to making sure this event was… Continue reading The Olympics and the evolving ideology of sustainability

The typographic voice of London

[unable to retrieve full-text content] Edward Johnston’s diamond-shaped “tittle” and the origins of a classic typeface design Continue reading on UX Collective »

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How to survive a design career and avoid burnout (Part 2)

[unable to retrieve full-text content] Hi, people in the UX Design and Product world. This post is the second in a series I’m writing, based on conversations I’ve had with Product and Experience Designers and leaders in the field, who prosper despite working in some really harsh environments. And when I say “harsh”, I’m talking… Continue reading How to survive a design career and avoid burnout (Part 2)

How to start and manage design systems

[unable to retrieve full-text content] So you want to start your own design system? Congratulations! That means you reached the point where you have a set of components, behaviors, rules, and principles that are ready to be wrapped as a “north star” for the design, product, and dev teams on future implementations. No more simultaneously… Continue reading How to start and manage design systems

Can design instinct survive modern UX methods

[unable to retrieve full-text content] Designers must embrace data and learn how to communicate effectively as UX research continues to drive design decisions Continue reading on UX Collective »

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Building micro-interactions in Adobe XD

[unable to retrieve full-text content] The beauty about micro-interactions is that it’s a digital conversation users can initiate with the system or the system can initiate with the user. Let’s start with what they are Micro-Interactions are a heuristic approach to meaningful feedback responses that let users know when an action is performed. Simply put, the user… Continue reading Building micro-interactions in Adobe XD

7 classic laws of UX

[unable to retrieve full-text content] A tried-and-true collection of proven principles that can help designers build better interfaces. Continue reading on UX Collective »

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Custom neural voice: designing for human-centered policy

[unable to retrieve full-text content] Co-authored with Josh Lovejoy Credit: Delivering the benefits of Custom Neural Voice What’s in a voice? What is it about the way someone speaks that makes them memorable? Why do subtle imperfections in speech — like the thoughtful pauses and false starts when thinking on one’s feet — help us perceive a person as sincere or… Continue reading Custom neural voice: designing for human-centered policy

Real design thinking: learning to be more mindful can benefit your practice

[unable to retrieve full-text content] Reflections on a one-year road test of mindfulness meditation Murrumbidgee river, NSW, Australia. The cynical marketing of mindfulness as a panacea for a world of corporate ills have made many of us sceptical about its proclaimed benefits. Mindfulness as a tool for overworked executives. Mindfulness as a relief valve for… Continue reading Real design thinking: learning to be more mindful can benefit your practice

Design lessons from the National Football League (NFL)

[unable to retrieve full-text content] While growing up in Western PA, like most kids, I grew up loving and playing football and becoming a Pittsburgh Steelers fan. As NFL devotees, we endured a surreal 2020 football season with the pandemic from empty stands replaced by cardboard fans to injury reports containing COVID19 infections. Yet, with… Continue reading Design lessons from the National Football League (NFL)

The UX of video game tutorials

[unable to retrieve full-text content] What decisions a designer will run into while designing learning experiences. For a long time, it has been customary for tutorials to be a part of the First Time User Experience (FTUE). Usually, this meant that the journey would start from installing the game, followed by a rundown of the… Continue reading The UX of video game tutorials

Analysing micro-expressions from a (failed) user testing session

[unable to retrieve full-text content] In a recent professional experience, I was unexpectedly sent to Spain for a user test of a system I did not design with the promise of a translator. Once there, no translator. Nice. But the possibility of capturing the video of the faces of the users and their interactions with… Continue reading Analysing micro-expressions from a (failed) user testing session