Everything’s a vibe: is it progress or just an illusion?
Weekly curated resources for designers — thinkers and makers.
“What started as casual slang is now everywhere — from how we code and market to how we pitch, design, and even write job descriptions. We’re witnessing a vibe-driven culture that replaces fact with feeling. And that raises a profound question: If everything’s a vibe now, are we building towards progress or just floating on emotional autopilot?”
Everything’s a vibe: is it progress or just an illusion? →
Insights are a question away →
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Editor picks
When users change their behavior to game the algorithm →
How our awareness is breaking social media feeds.The Roblox’s creator illusion →
How a platform claiming to empower kids actually extracts billions from them.Are Chinese factories quietly destroying the luxury brand image? →
Revealing the true cost of luxury.
The UX Collective is an independent design publication that elevates unheard design voices and helps designers think more critically about their work.
Japanese gradients for UI: an R&D project series →
Make me think
Impact, agency, and taste →
“Without taste, you’re likely to work toward the wrong thing. Without agency, even if you work toward the right thing, you’re likely to get nowhere.”The software engineering identity crisis →
“AI coding assistants aren’t just changing how we write software - they’re fundamentally transforming who we are. We’re shifting from creators to orchestrators, from builders to overseers. From engineers to something that looks suspiciously like… managers.”Building products that stick →
“The [current] focus is on delivering as many features and functionalities as possible to satisfy the needs and desires of competing internal departments, rather than providing a clear value proposition that is focused on what the people out there in the real world want.”
Little gems this week
The oppressive foundation of minimalist design →
The AI trust dilemma: balancing innovation with user safety →
Salesforce & Shopify CEOs just declared war on human-only teams →
Tools and resources
Design tokens for non-designers →
Understanding design tokens as a developer, PO or PM.How to stay compliant with new privacy laws →
Gimme some privacy.How to be strategic when picking a typeface →
Ratio, efficiency, shape & language support.
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