“It appears the more we have learned about user behavior, and the better technology has become regarding analytics and data, the more websites have morphed into neutered cookie-cutter versions of their former free-spirited roots. Akin to our open-minded younger selves tamed by education, responsibilities, and peer pressure, convinced that the only way to succeed is to blend in.”
Contemporary design has lost its soul →
The UX Collective is an independent ad-free design publication that elevates unheard design voices, reaching over 400k+ designers every week. Curated by Fabricio Teixeira and Caio Braga.
Editors’ picks
What do we call this thing? →
A tactical playbook for user-centered product naming decisions.Interfaces should be about feeling →
Humans take actions in the world, and the world responds.Do profile pics affect hiring decisions? →
Smiling can make us look more competent.
FastCompany just announced the winners of its Innovation by Design awards.
Make me think
A content model is not a design system →
“Remember when having a great website was enough? Now, people are getting answers from Siri, Google search snippets, and mobile apps, not just our websites. Forward-thinking organizations have adopted an omnichannel content strategy, whose mission is to reach audiences across multiple digital channels and platforms.”A gentle introduction to graph neural networks →
“Neural networks have been adapted to leverage the structure and properties of graphs. We explore the components needed for building a graph neural network - and motivate the design choices behind them.”The power of pen and paper sketching →
“When designing for digital spaces, it’s natural to default to digital mockup tools, but doing so cuts out a world of possibilities. Analog drawing can unleash your imagination and allow you to focus on what’s most important at the start: the ideas.”
Little gems this week
Layout in ancient writing: UX inspiration from history →
Gill Sans: the sacred and the profane →
Tools and resources
Pluto app →
Access XR applications, and use them with anyone.Motion.dev →
A new animation library, built on the Web Animations API.Building better leaderboards →
Understanding one of the mainstays of video games.