Craft is noticeable in the tiniest of things

Weekly curated resources for designers — thinkers and makers.

Mar 11, 2024

You might have heard or said before: “I’m not really strong at craft, I’m more of a strategic designer.” Our industry tends to put craft and strategic thinking on opposite sides of a spectrum, sometimes in an attempt to diminish the value of craft. Be careful not to fall into that trap. One can be strategic and deliver work that is well-crafted, polished, and thoughtful—in fact, isn’t that what everyone should strive for?

On craft →

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Editor picks

In response to Jakob Nielsen →
We should challenge fragmentation rather than foster it.
Navigating the DesignOps wilderness →
How to define a compelling roadmap and build the trust you’ll need.
90% of designers are un-hirable? →
Why your cookie-cutter portfolio doesn’t cut it and how to fix it.

The UX Collective is an independent design publication that elevates unheard design voices and helps designers think more critically about their work.

Framer components inspired by Dieter Rams' design principles →

Make me think

The rebalancing of design management →
“In the design profession, this swing made a ton of sense when it started. I've experienced first-hand the negative culture and work-quality impact a dictatorial, micromanaging Creative Director can have. And I've hired many designers who were trying to escape a toxic management culture.”
A dozen thoughts about AI →
“Am I bad at prompt engineering? Is that why I don’t “get it”? I can never quite craft the right query to match what I see in my imagination. Am I asking the wrong questions or getting the wrong answers? Am I creating too high of a standard? Weird I’d even consider putting the blame on myself.”
Why the Tokyo Metro plays bird whistles →
“Based on these guidelines, station ticket gates and above-ground entrances and exits of subways will emit “ pin-pon ” or similar non-audio sounds, while platform stairs will produce non-audio sounds resembling bird whistles.”

Little gems this week

Creating unsafe driver experiences →

Font finds: bold, elegant, and not just for memes →

The research "impact” problem →

Tools and resources

Emerging UX patterns in Gen AI →
Looking back at history to help us design for the future.
ChatGPT + Pantone →
Suggestions for a contrasting data color scheme.
Designing limit tests →
How to ensure your designs work if you can't access sample data.