Designing for Post-Connected Users — Part 1, the Diagnostic (Antoine Lefeuvre)

I toured the world twice—first in 2009–10, then in 2013–14. Only four years between the two trips, but it felt like a century internet-wise. Where I had to go wifi-hunting in 2009, in 2014 the web was absolutely everywhere—even in places with no mobile coverage, such as remote El Chaltén in Argentine Patagonia. Yet, I had the feeling this advent of a truly connected world wasn’t much cause for celebration. Indeed, I met many who struggled with an increasing need to disconnect. (alistapart.com)

The rise of the meta-designer, and the use of algorithmic design systems. (Rune Madsen)

Until recently, the term Graphic Designer was used to describe artists firmly rooted in the fine arts. Aspiring design students graduated with MFA degrees, and their curriculums were based on traditions taught by painting, sculpture and architecture. Paul Rand once famously said: “It’s important to use your hands. This is what distinguishes you from a cow or a computer operator”. At best, this teaches the designer not to be dictated by their given tool. At worst, the designer is institutionalized to think of themselves as ideators: the direct opposite to a technical person. (runemadsen.com)

Design is Valued. Now What? (Luke Wroblewski)

From an outsourced last step to the forefront of strategy, the value of design has undergone a transformation in the software industry. Today's UI designers have a new set of challenges born of increased pressure and expectations. (lukew.com)

Best Practices for Accordion Interfaces in Web Design (Jake Rocheleau)

The word “accordion” typically conjures a mental image of your favorite polka band. Although polka music can offer a rip-snorting good time, the term is associated with something different in the realm of web design. User interface accordions might refer to menus, widgets, or content areas which expand like the musical instrument. These interfaces have grown a lot more popular in recent years with the expansion of JavaScript and more prominently jQuery. (webdesignledger.com)

The Art of Questioning as a UX Skill (Jason Grant)

When starting any design project, you’re going to need to ask a lot of questions. The perceived problem and the actual problem may not be the same. So how can you get better at asking the right questions? I decided to brush up on my questioning skills by reading A More Beautiful Question by Warren Berger. Berger illustrates how questioning is an inherent skill we’re quite adept at during childhood. He notes that children haven’t developed a “mental model” of the world, so they question everything. But as we go through standardized education, we begin to suppress our curiosity. (uxmovement.com)

Responsive Web Design for eCommerce Web Sites (Janet M. Six)

Imagine that your company has chosen you to be part of a team that is going to design and build or update an ecommerce Web site. The budget and deadline are tight, and the boss wants to know what is the minimum that you can do to create a strong, profit-building machine. What would you tell him? Would you stay focused only on your existing desktop Web site—or if you’re creating a new site, build for the desktop first—and let your mobile customers deal with it as best they can? Would you build a Web site that is somewhat different on and adapts to each type and size of device? Would you insist on developing a mobile app? And how would you plan to maintain the solution? (uxmatters.com)

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Personas Make Users Memorable for Product Team Members (Aurora Bedford)

The field of user experience centers on the idea that we must design products around people, rather than teaching people how to use products: user-centered design (UCD), not technology-centered design. In order to do so, we must understand people—their behaviors, attitudes, needs, and goals. Whether the final product is a website, software application, mobile app, or interactive kiosk, a user-centered design can only be achieved if we know who is going to use it and if that knowledge informs our design. An entire arsenal of user-research methods can be employed to achieve a user-centered design. Personas are yet another tool that can be used to encourage decisions based on a real person’s needs, and not on those of a generic and undefined “user.” (nngroup.com)

Embracing Uncertainty in UX Research (Matt Gallivan)

When you spend your days studying how people use products, your intuition around such things gets pretty well-honed. You start to see patterns and themes. You get to a point where you can point to an observed behavior, ask “What might this mean?” and generate some great high-level and philosophical discussions with your stakeholders. People start to seek you out for answers to their questions about users, even when you haven’t done research that could answer those questions. (medium.com)

How To Weight Data To Make More Balanced Decisions (Jeff Sauro)

Rarely is a customer population made up of a homogenous group of customers who share the same attributes. Consequently, our samples contain a mix of customers who may or may not reflect the composition of the customer population. (measuringu.com)

Back Pocket Apps: Let’s Reconsider the Wireframe (Golden Krishna)

Charles feels like he has mobile apps for everything in his life. He’s tired of having to launch apps to do mundane things. He’d like to talk to people face-to-face instead of looking at his smartphone’s screen. He’d like to take advantage of the latest technology without needing to hunch over his mobile device. He wonders: can this powerful computer in my pocket make my life easier, instead of giving me more to do? (uxbooth.com)

How To Prevent ‘Sudden Client Designer Syndrome’ (Addison Duvall)

We’ve all been there: a client really, really wants to make a change to your design that, as a designer, you can immediately tell will result in disaster. It happens to every designer, and, as far as I can tell, there’s no real way to avoid it. However, there is a method you can use to mitigate the problems caused by what I like to call “Sudden Client Designer Syndrome.” It has to do with User Experience (UX). Contrary to popular belief, UX is useful not only to web developers, but to any designer who designs any kind of product, information, or experience with a “user,” “consumer,” or “customer” in mind. (speckyboy.com)

Design Strategies for Information Dashboards (Sreeram Sreenivasan)

An information dashboard is a single-page display that presents key performance indicators in real-time. To make its content easier to read, a modern dashboard will often utilize information graphics such as charts and tables. When designed well, a dashboard should help you quickly see critical information and discover data patterns. (sixrevisions.com)

Inside Goal-Directed Design: A Two-Part Conversation With Alan Cooper (Caroline Kraus)

While it’s common today in the design industry to talk about user experience, according to Cooper’s founder Alan Cooper, that wasn’t always so. When he entered the business in the 1970s, software design engineers were writing code only for other engineers. As software began to transition to personal computing, users without advanced computer science degrees were left with a decidedly poor experience, baffled and left to fend for themselves. (cooper.com)

How To Redesign An Iconic Typeface For Arabic (John Brownlee)

Hermann Zapf, the designer behind popular typefaces such as Palatino and Optima, was born in Nuremberg, Germany, almost 100 years ago. The typeface that bears his name, Zapfino, is in many ways his most personal design. A calligraphic font with the elegant loops and strokes worthy of a dandy, Zapfino is based on a sample of Zapf's own handwriting from 1944, which was then turned into a typeface almost 40 years later. (fastcodesign.com)

Considering the Consideration Funnel (Chris Risdon)

The transaction funnel. The moment you hope a customer is sure enough of what they’re buying that they’ll go through all the necessary steps to complete the purchase. We work to reduce friction, hoping to improve the rate at which people starting down the funnel complete it. We’ve come a long way in understanding the science of the funnel and the factors that affect someone’s likelihood for completing the transaction. (adaptivepath.com)

How To Navigate Usability Evaluation (Anamaria Andrei)

Usability Evaluation aims to asses how well users are able to learn and use a product in order to achieve their goals. It also encompasses the level of satisfaction that the user amasses from the entire process. The primary source of information for usability evaluation comes from user feedback about an existing product or about plans for a future product. (topdesignmag.com)

Why coding is not the new literacy (Chris Granger )

Despite the good intentions behind the movement to get people to code, both the basic premise and approach are flawed. The movement sits on the idea that “coding is the new literacy,” but that takes a narrow view of what literacy really is. (qz.com)

Soft skills advice from design leaders (Andy Pratt)

Why do your colleagues want to work with you? And why do clients come back? Maybe it’s because of your talent, or your bullet-proof process. Or maybe it’s because of the brilliantly simple user interfaces and interactions you design. (medium.com)

Redesigning Or Creating A Website? Here’s Why Information Architecture Should Be Priority #1 (Shari Thurow)

The goal of effective information architecture (IA) is to make the products, services and information on your website easy to find. The main goal of site navigation is to enable task completion. Both information architecture and site navigation are critical for a positive user experience. They also affect your website’s bottom line. (marketingland.com)

In Apple, Elon Musk has finally attracted a worthy competitor (Steve LeVine)

For a couple of years now, Elon Musk has done everything but get on his knees and beg rivals to produce cool, competitive electric cars. He even essentially open-sourced the technology underpinning Tesla, his own electric car company. (qz.com)

Six eCommerce Design Trends for 2015 to Level up Your Online Shop (Ioanni Mitsakis)

Just like any other type of web design, eCommerce design is subject to certain trends. If you have been planning to change your design, this is the right time. The trends of 2015 can turn your eCommerce website into a beautiful sales machine. You can put our examples on the next meeting agenda with your designer. With these trends, your site will be well-prepared for the next two to three years. And the big advantage is that they are not only beautiful but also user-friendly and perfect for mobile use. (noupe.com)

Why Design Students Should Freelance (Austin Price)

One of the most valuable things I learned fairly early in my college career was the importance of freelancing as a design student. The value of this became more obvious every year until I graduated by seeing the work done by students who freelanced versus students who did no more work than they were assigned to do for class. (thenuschool.com)

The ultimate guide to information architecture (Cameron Chapman)

Information architecture is equal parts art and science. Whether you hire a dedicated IA professional, or just sort of let IA happen on your projects, if you’re designing things with content, you’re using IA. (webdesignerdepot.com)

Degrees don’t matter anymore, skills do (Miles Kimball)

If I were to make a nomination for the most destructive belief in our culture, it would be the belief that some people are born smart and others are born dumb. This belief is not only badly off target as a shorthand description of reality, it is the source of many social pathologies and lost opportunities. (qz.com)

Why Design Needs Entrepreneurship (and Entrepreneurship Needs Design) (Christina Wodtke)

In my opinion, there are two conversations that are a waste of time. One is “should designers learn to code”. The other is, “should designers learn the language of business.” The first is easy to answer. Architects learn to pour concrete. Painters learn to stretch canvas. You just have to know your medium to design well for it. Getting an understanding of code will make you better at Interaction design, and getting an understanding of databases will make you better at information architecture. And then you do not need to do it again, until your medium shifts. Which it does. (eleganthack.com)

6 Lessons from an Unemployed Designer (Jessica Phan)

Growing up I was taught not to talk strangers, but I totally disagree. Go, get out there. Have the courage to meet and chat with strangers. Make use of your Twitter and LinkedIn, and connect with people. You will be surprised with how much you can learn from strangers and be inspired by their stories. (ohjessica.com)

My Concerns about Value Pricing (Andy Budd)

While I think the argument for value pricing has a logical constancy, and sounds great in theory, I worry how it will end up being applied in practice. My main concern is the effect this approach will have on the practice of design and our relationship with clients, although I have a number of practical concerns as well. (andybudd.com)

What Will Save Us from the Dark Side of CSS Pre-Processors? (Lyza Danger Gardner)

Writing CSS by hand for a site or app of any considerable size seems quaint these days, in the way that shaping a piece of wood with an adze seems quaint. Admirable, perhaps, but even if it gives you a tangible connection to the exact outcome, the vestigial quirks, limitations, and tedium of that workflow make it feel archaic. (alistapart.com)

The Fold Manifesto: Why the Page Fold Still Matters (Amy Schade)

What appears at the top of the page vs. what’s hidden will always influence the user experience—regardless of screen size. The average difference in how users treat info above vs. below the fold is 84%. (nngroup.com)

Strategy Versus Tactics (Liam Friedland)

The idea behind my new UXmatters column, 3 x 5 UX is an idea that formed several years ago when I was preparing for a Pecha Kucha event. I wanted to document a handful of key UX concepts and share them with the UX team that I lead. Simple visualizations seemed like a promising approach. To constrain my slideware exuberance, I hit upon the idea of using 3 x 5-inch note cards and simple, hand-drawn visualizations as an expressive medium for this content. To keep my drawing skills intact, I typically use 3 x 5 cards to capture ideas, manage my daily to-do lists, and dash out quick sketches. Creating visualizations at that size for my presentation required a minimalist approach and was both challenging and fun. My team enjoyed the presentation, and I thought these cards might have value for a broader audience. Pabini Gabriel-Petit, publisher of UXmatters, agreed and 3 x 5 UX was born. (uxmatters.com)

How to avoid ux design trends and why you should (Lars Damgaard)

As digital designers we make design decisions all the time, but sometimes we don’t. Sometimes we just imitate trends in order to make something look cool instead of reflecting or thinking. (larsdamgaard.com)

UX Design Techniques Or What Mobile App Design Is All About (Kate Abrosimova)

If you think that digital design is that shaded part delineated by the Photoshop frame, I am afraid you are wrong. We have already talked about the job of a product designer, and judging from works and talks of our designers I’m saying that there can be no successful project without talented folks employed in the position of a designer. Correct me if I am wrong. (yalantis.com)

User Flow Patterns

You'll find interesting user flow patterns at http://userflowpatterns.com (userflowpatterns.com)

The Independent Discovery of TCP/IP, By Ants (Rosie Cima)

What does the internet have in common with an ant colony? More than you might think. It doesn’t have much in common with the common ant, of course. As the anteater in Douglas Hofstadter’s Gödel Escher Bach puts it, “Just as you would never confuse an individual tree with a forest, so here you must not take an ant for the colony.” (priceonomics.com)

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Iterative Sketching (Roxy Koranda)

Photoshop is a pretty sophisticated piece of software, but let’s face it — it’s not super speedy and presents a handful of limitations when it comes to getting your ideas out. I don’t even want to mention how the general tidiness of my layers suffers when I’m in serious idea-barf mode. Luckily, there’s another, less complicated option: sketching. (atendesigngroup.com)

Enterprise Productivity Apps for Remote Teams (Megan Gallagher)

It’s an exciting time to be a designer. With almost unlimited connectivity, designers and firms can work together without needing to inhabit the same space. Many designers and web professionals love the ability to be mobile, and luckily for them, more and more companies, particularly startups, are starting to embrace a remote workforce. (speckyboy.com)

The When, Why and How of Designing in Browser (Brooke Kao)

If you’re a designer in the tech industry, you’ve probably been exposed to or read articles about a hot topic in design today: designing in browser. The concept is as simple as it sounds. Rather than spending hours, days, weeks and months designing those pixel-perfect comps in Photoshop, a mainstay in a waterfall-oriented development process, designing in browser allows you to take whatever sketches and preliminary work you’ve conducted and enables you to jump right into the text editor and emerge with shippable code. (medium.com)

How Not to Commit This Awful Landing Page Error (Neil Patel)

Landing pages are a fixture of paid search. It’s virtually impossible to go a day without seeing a paid ad. But have you clicked on any of these landing pages recently? One common error presents itself again and again. If you’re in the business of making landing pages, advising people about landing pages, optimizing landing pages, or purchasing paid search, this article is for you. (kissmetrics.com)

Designing Digital Strategies: Connected User Experiences (Sofia Hussain)

Offline and online experiences can interact and overlap easily in today's world. In Part 2 of this 2-part series, author Sofia Hussain shows us how to turn an ecosystem map into a tool for creating truly holistic experiences. (uxbooth.com)

Getting Started with Style Guides (Jake Rocheleau)

Branding is a pivotal aspect of launching any type of company. Although design seems like an afterthought, it’s really a very important piece to the overall puzzle. Style guides are just one method of organizing design & brand concepts into a unified location for easy access. (envato.com)