Why designing terrible solutions makes you a better designer
Weekly curated resources for designers — thinkers and makers.
“Designer portfolios share only the most pristine of examples. And we’re taught about efficiency and time savings. Best practices tell us to move fast, fail fast, and get to good solutions quickly. So why waste your time thinking about the worst possible option?”
Why designing terrible solutions makes you a better designer →
Level up your design career this fall →
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Editor picks
The future of design in a transitioning economy →
Designing interactions that resist enclosure.Three hours of vibe design →
Thoughts on process, problems, and possibilities.Adult verification: an impossible design challenge? →
The risk of cybersecurity threats.
The UX Collective is an independent design publication that elevates unheard design voices and helps designers think more critically about their work.
Introducing Areal, Are.na’s new typeface →
Make me think
The national design studio is a scam →
“There’s a growing list of “business-minded” men granted unfettered access and authority over sweeping government initiatives under Trump who have achieved nothing other than self-enrichment. AirBnB has already disrupted hospitality; their next expansion will likely require the kind of regulatory flexibility that only comes from having allies in high government positions. Now they’ve got a man on the inside.”Designing for ephemerality →
“There’s a melancholy in watching software die. One day, it’s the tool you swear by, shaping your work and your life. The next, it’s sunsetted, acquired and dismantled, or quietly abandoned in a forgotten GitHub repo. (…) The paradox is that we build with pride, obsessing over design and architecture, as if our product will outlast us. But deep down, we know the truth: software is ephemeral.”The illusion of alignment →
“Misalignment in digital projects often hides behind surface-level agreement. Cultural norms like politeness, power imbalance, and rushed decision-making lead to fragile consensus. Real alignment takes trust, open challenge, and shared definitions before delivery, not after.”
Little gems this week
Tender leadership with a bit of mischief →
How free food incentivises workers to return to the office →
Tools and resources
Raycast for designers →
Not all design happens in Figma.Co-constructing intent with AI agents →
Beyond the confines of a simple input field.Storyboarding in AIUX →
Why user-centered design matters more than ever.
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