I always enjoy browsing the web in search of new design inspiration, but after browsing Dribbble, Instagram, Uplabs, etc. it’s hard not to feel that all designs look very same-y. And it’s only natural, it’s hard not to unconsciously follow trends. When you see design patterns everywhere as they become popular, they seep into yourContinue reading “Looking for design inspiration somewhere else”
Category Archives: Design
Chris Do on working while in college
In today’s entrepreneurship craze, studying is seen like the lame/lazy thing to do. You’re encouraged to drop out and start your own thing. So you’d think that Chris Do would go with the trend and advocate that designers do the same and skip school or focus on working while in school to get a headstartContinue reading “Chris Do on working while in college”
Sweating the details in design
Businesses prioritize what they can measure. Because what you can measure, you can improve. But not everything can be measured easily. If you only focus on what you measure, you miss out on the small stuff. The stuff that doesn’t make sense from an ROI perspective. But it just makes your product a joy toContinue reading “Sweating the details in design”
Jared Sinclair’s design review of AnyList from 2014 is still worth your time
Design trends move quickly, so you might think that an app review from 2014 would be irrelevant today. But good design principles are timeless and you can still learn from old content if it’s good. iOS designer Jared Sinclair has a great series of design reviews from a few years ago that I find myselfContinue reading “Jared Sinclair’s design review of AnyList from 2014 is still worth your time”
Alan Cooper on the ROI of UX
Alan Cooper writes in What’s the ROI of UX [emphasis mine]: Return on investment is a manager’s term. Understanding it, tracking it, and increasing it are a manager’s job, not the practitioner’s. The designer’s job is to design, to make the product effective and desirable. It’s the manager’s job to make sure that money isContinue reading “Alan Cooper on the ROI of UX”
Remote design sprints: proven tips by seasoned sprinters at AJ&Smart
If you’re trying to learn anything about design sprints, it’s hard not to come across content by AJ&Smart. In less than 2 years of putting out content, they’ve managed to become the authority on all things design sprints, whether it’s their generous free content on YouTube and their CEO’s podcast with Sprint author Jake Knapp,Continue reading “Remote design sprints: proven tips by seasoned sprinters at AJ&Smart”
How designers can use their skills to get a seat at the strategy table
Luke Wroblewski, 2006, Defining the Problem: Q&A with Jamie Hoover (emphasis mine): Q: From my experience, defining problems has been a doorway for designers into the world of product and corporate strategy. Have you experienced similar results A: By having success at bringing an awareness and clear description of actual problems to others through visualContinue reading “How designers can use their skills to get a seat at the strategy table”
Design for communication within a company
Luke Wrobleswski, 2005, Design is communication. Use it as such: However, as designers and design organizations move up the design maturity continuum (outlined by Jess McMullin) from pure stylists to problem solvers and framers, they’ll have to increasingly apply their skills toward communicating strategic direction to high-level stakeholders. At which point, understanding how to effectivelyContinue reading “Design for communication within a company”
Luke Wroblowski on the unique perspective designers can bring to business strategy
Luke Wroblewski, 2006, Defining the Problem: how can design become part of the strategic process? As outlined above, my response is “by helping to define (or redefine) the problem your business needs to address.” Because they research and dissect user needs, designers are in a unique position to define a problem through the eyes ofContinue reading “Luke Wroblowski on the unique perspective designers can bring to business strategy”
The simple fix to the iOS media control buttons in control
Ever since Apple introduced Control Center iOS 7, they’ve pretty much updated it with each OS release. While iOS 8/9 had minor updates, iOS 10 was a major one which moved to using different cards for system, playback, and HomeKit controls. Then in iOS 11, they gave it another overhaul which moved everything back toContinue reading “The simple fix to the iOS media control buttons in control”
Amr Khalifeh 