Can a bridge be unethical?
Weekly curated resources for designers — thinkers and makers.
Moses, the so-called “master builder” of mid-20th century New York, was very concerned that white-only spaces in America (like beaches) might eventually be opened to all people. When designing the Grand Central Parkway in the late 1920s — a road intended, in part, to give New Yorkers “an easy way to reach Jones Beach’’ — Moses purposely made the bridges over the parkway too low for buses to travel under.
At the time of the parkway’s construction, Black Americans predominantly relied on public transport, which made it very difficult for them to access Jones Beach.
Editor picks
The problems with screens →
The positive and negative sides of screen development.Will AI burn down your house? →
Public and professional perceptions of artificial intelligence.A human rights crisis →
The role of social media UX in social injustice in Iran.
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Make me think
Today’s design influencer: quick tips get hits →
“The roadmap to becoming a thought leader in today’s world is to create well-designed ‘flashy content’ that can be consumed as a snack. It’s a granola bar verse a healthy well, balanced meal. There isn’t anything wrong with a granola bar, but we need more meals.”On being a slow thinker →
“When someone asks me a deep question, I say, “Hmm. I don’t know.” The next day, I have an answer. I’m a disappointing person to try to debate or attack.”Lecture note on design theory: Dieter Rams vs. Virgil Abloh →
“Look at any practicing designer’s portfolio and you’ll find consistent style, even if there are no words. Nobody needs to sit and write down their Design Principles if they are working alone. But nobody can pull off this kind of volume and diversity flying solo. You need more than two hands.”
Little gems this week
The storytelling power of simple design solutions →
Perceived progress: motivating users through design →
Skillshare embraces badges: how gamification promotes learning →
Tools and resources
Right-to-left UI →
Tips and tricks for designers.5 steps for tackling design debt →
Why it exists and how to deal with it.Design system breakdown: checkbox & radio →
Decisions and tradeoffs that go into these components.
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