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Photo by PixabayMy VP of Product Management was frustrated. She didn’t understand why sometimes a design would take us a couple of days, and why sometimes it could take many people several months to complete. So I developed a model to explain it. On the first day that I started at the company, I drew a simple diagram on my whiteboard to describe the design process to one of the PMs I was meeting. The diagram had four words: Discovery, Design, Critique, and Validation. I drew arrows down between the four parts of the process, and then arrows on the side, going from Critique back to Design and from Validation back to Design, to demonstrate how feedback was the mechanism we used to iterate and improve our designs. I explained that this was nothing new or magical, it was a pretty standard process. Over the next 18 months, I drew that diagram a lot, and even made a slide that defined what I meant by each of the words: Simple diagram of the UX process and definitions of what is meant by each..

Image of a head with people in various mindstatesThe following article describes a framework that matches the way people think with; a need, an idea, a design or a message. It breaks down thinking into 5 mindstates, each based on how much attention and time someone has in any given moment. It has been developed over 8 years and complements existing profiling techniques. What is this about?We are fixated on people’s characters, attitudes and beliefs. But regardless of archetype, persona or even star sign, we all have the same ways of thinking, just in different proportions. People like to think of someone as having a fixed personality type because it’s easier to process and more predictable. However most of us, if not all, are more fluid as we respond to any particular situation. And that is most often based on how engaged we are with something and how much time we think we have to deal with it. What are mindstates based on?The mindstates framework is based on attention and time. From t..

Seeing creativity as a system simplifies the creative process & allows for better management of creative energy over time.As a creative, I’ve devoted the past seven years to mastering my craft, which I find endlessly rewarding. However, maintaining a steady flow of inspiration and output can be a challenge. This has been especially true during the last couple of years with all the turbulence and chaos in the world. Throughout this journey, I’ve pondered the concept of sustained creative energy and how to make it a constant in my life and work. Creativity is a mysterious and often elusive concept, but also one that is essential for progress in a variety of fields. From art and design to business and technology, creativity is a driving force behind innovation, change, and beauty in the world. The traditional view of creativity is that it is a matter of chance or talent, something that can’t be studied or understood. I disagree. I think it’s something we develop through our actions over t..

ChatGPT is an AI chatbot that answers most of your questions. Many people now try to use it instead of Google or as a copywriter. The… Continue reading on UX Collective »

Use Components, Variants, and Pages to provide different design versions your team members need Continue reading on UX Collective »

Invoking royalty and fashion across four centuries Continue reading on UX Collective »

Persuasive design techniques are a tool and with thoughtful application they can be a valuable addition to any designer’s toolkit.Danny DeVito as a slippery used car salesman in the 1996 movie “Matilda” (TriStar Pictures ©)“Persuasion or persuasion arts is an umbrella term for influence. Persuasion can influence a person’s beliefs, attitudes, intentions, motivations, or behaviors.” — Persuasion: Social Influence and Compliance Gaining — Robert H. Gass and John S. Seiter (2018)Persuasive design is a set of techniques used to influence user behavior in digital products. It has become increasingly popular as it allows companies to effectively inform and engage with their audience. Do these look familiar? “Only 2 left at this price. Order now.” “On sale for a limited time.” “7 others are looking at this.” According to Dr. Robert Cialdini, a behavioral scientist who’s studied the science of persuasion for more than 30 years — there are seven principles of persuasion. Scarcity (aka FOMO)Auth..

How to design a login form, including portfolio annotations and hierarchy strips Continue reading on UX Collective »

A coming change to LinkedIn exemplifies how social platforms often ignore the need for privacy as a default Continue reading on UX Collective »

A casual analysis of our current design industry compared to the old days and principles, and why it's important to step back and re-think our path.A brave new worldThere was a time when we had artists carefully crafting their deep, emotional and ground-braking music, with end-to-end concept and amazing poetic lyrics, further compiling the carefully recorded masterpiece into an album and shipping physical copies for the world to admire — and still being financially successful at it — or when Hollywood films had slow, beautiful openings, stunning photography and iconic soundtracks, with apes beating the floor with bones in their hands while all the wall-shaking drums and horns played in the background. Don't get me wrong, we do have amazing artists nowadays, but most of them are probably doing their art as a hobby and earning 30 cents a month from it while begging for likes on their social media. Our current world environment simply made it nearly impossible for people to actu..

PITTSBURGH - A woman who said she was brutally attacked by a group of black teenagers in Pittsburgh’s North Side Sunday said the girls savagely beat her while calling...

Philadelphia -- A new video has surfaced showing a group of teen girls attacking a worker outside City Hall in Philadelphia, myfoxphilly.com reports. The video, shot in May, shows...

An investigation is underway after a group of teen girls were caught on video attacking a woman on a SEPTA train Tuesday afternoon. Police say the incident took place on...

Taylor McFadden, 18, told NJ Advance Media that she and her two friends, Alexandra DeRusso and Tatum Bohanon, were allegedly attacked by two women over a parking spot. McFadden...

DEPTFORD TWP., N.J. -- The Deptford Township Police Department has released surveillance video depicting a vicious attack on three teenagers at the Deptford Mall over the weekend. "Seeing the video is...