Michał Jankowski

Is 🇱🇻 Latvia's 112 app doomed to fail? As a product designer, I am always fascinated by the intersection between design and social good. Recently, I explored the 112 Latvia app, which connects Latvians to emergency services. Although the concept is great, the user experience has room for improvement. 🙄 I delve into some usability discoveries and propose ways to transform the app into a truly user-centric tool. 📖 Check out the full story here: https://lnkd.in/dbn-V4vw

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This chat with Larry ties together a few of my latest articles about design process and outputs - because how we work is inseparable from what we end up producing. Give it a listen! 

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I have reviewed hundreds of UX case studies in my career. Most of them suffer from: - Lack of polish - Poor scannability - No engaging narrative - Failing to show the impact - Focusing too much on the process The solution is quite simple: 1. Create a story 2. Lead with the impact 3. Share your process at a high level 4. Keep it short and polished; optimize it for scanning 5. Share it in a format that is easily accessible and shareable The following cheatsheet will help you structure your case studies in a concise, engaging, and impactful manner. If you found this useful, consider reposting to your network ♻️ -- Bonus tip: If you weren't able to measure the impact, try some alternatives: - Show the metrics you expected to move, even if you don't have the numbers - Did you test the new flow/feature? Show the results #productdesign #uxdesign #uiux

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Good news for anyone who likes insight driven decision making 🌟🌟🌟 There are many disturbing trends in the newly released State of User research report by User Interviews. It is clear that many UX colleagues struggle with layoffs and anxiety. But there is also good progress. I am a solo researcher at a small startup, and I feel very fortunate that my managers 1) Identified that need in the organisation chart, and 2) Keep prioritizing UXR despite layoff times. For a kids finance app like us at Gimi, good UX is a competitive edge that makes us stand out. When larger banks and organisations battle with technical legacy and long decision processes we can be fast moving and base our product on contineous user insights. Not all companies value UX that way. The excellent newsletter Built for Mars has made this very clear when comparing established banks with challenger banks in the UX of banking case study. The differences in development and usability are remarkable. With this in mind I got very happy to see the survey with 7️⃣ 5️⃣ 9️⃣ researchers showing a significant improvement in the buy-in from stakeholders! It has become more and more easy for researchers to get heard. The insights mindset is growing 🌱 * * Report: https://lnkd.in/dZfivnTT Built for mars: https://shorturl.at/fX1BG * * Gimi – Financial Superskills for Life

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📝Case studies in your portfolio need to tell a story. Here’s a cheat sheet that can help you achieve this.

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interesting study of the common user patterns for scanning content https://lnkd.in/dBmTf2dA

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A successful product is an outcome of lot of allignment and brainstorming between the designers, the product managers and the developers. It is not an easy task to bring all those perspectives together, and that is why we need a shared product vision. It helps each of these teams to understand the goals and identify their contributions to success. #uxdaily #productstrategy #productdesign #teamwork #vision

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Unfortunately, Figma is still accessible to users in Russia. This is not right. Russians are utilizing Figma for both professional work and propaganda purposes. The income generated through this work contributes to the Russian economy, subsequently funding the criminal war against Ukraine. By continuing to allow access, Figma indirectly supports the financial mechanisms that perpetuate Russian violence. We have seen precedents where companies have taken decisive action. For example, Shopify suspended services for Russian users in March 2022, demonstrating a commitment to ethical business practices. It is now time for Figma to follow suit and block access to users in Russia. This step is not just about corporate responsibility; it's about standing in solidarity with the people of Ukraine and opposing the use of technology to further aggression. I urge Figma to take immediate action and align with the global efforts to promote peace and security. #Russia #War #Ukraine

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Check out our last article on "Dark patterns: The slippery slope to losing customer trust" by Maciej Owsik. Discover the dark world of UX design with patterns that are considered unethical and are meant to mislead their users. Dive into the examples of such patterns and learn how to recognise and avoid them in your designs. Which one do you dislike the most? #darkpatterns #ux #ui

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Breaking UXR Rules in a Good Way: the Dreaded "Leading Question" A classic bit of UXR wisdom is that it's bad to ask leading questions. To avoid biasing the respondent, we ask questions in a neutral way, that does not presuppose an answer. For example, rather than ask "did you find X helpful?", we might ask "To what extent did you find X helpful or unhelpful?" But when we turn simple, conversational questions into more laboriously worded and formal ones, this can create its own problems. Therefore, I suggest it is a rule we can sometimes break with good reason. To explain this, lets note that different methods and research strategies have different needs. For example, large scale surveys need many people to answer questions in a consistant way. Perhaps surveys will be translated into multiple languages, and the survey should still read consistantly. If we introduced colloquial or chatty language here, it's likely to create inconsistencies. Clarity, replicability, consistency: these are all priorities for this type of approach. Also, the researchers may have no direct contact with the respondents, and cannot see any subtle cues that give context to the answers. Therefore, I do not advocate breaking the rule here: keep language neutral. But other methods, like ethnographic interviews, involve the researcher stepping into the world of the respondent, developing rapport, and maintaining a dialogue whereby they feel comfortable to reveal themselves. We use techniques like mirroring back their language, through active listening, so they feel encouraged to keep sharing their thoughts. We are gently entering the landscape of their experience, treading lightly, yet being actively curious and exploratory. But they should not feel interrogated: it should feel like a pleasant conversation. Here is the point: to use formalized survey language, all of a sudden, can shift the tone, can suddenly remind the participant that they are being "researched", can underline the distance between researcher and participant, and make it more likely they more terse and guarded answers. So, it may be better to ask a simply-worded question like "you mentioned getting X, did you find it helpful?" rather than "to what extent did you find x helpful or unhelpful?" My experience over the years is that as long as a good sense of rapport, and a freedom to say positive and negative things has already been established, then people understand that they are being invited to give their honest opinion. They may feel LESS heard if we rigidly stick to neutralized language, and this means they'll share less with us. That makes for ineffective research. Interviewing and rapport is not easy. I am not advocating throwing away the "no leading question" rule. Rather, I suggest we become sensitive to how neutralized language can, at times, create a disturbance in the force. So it is a rule to break.

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#design #ux Interesting post from Dante AI. They are introducing unlimited AI messages for Chatbots integrated inside a website. Powered by Llama 3. Dante is one of the best tool for smart AI agents. Other alternatives: ChatBase, ChatThing.

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Fridays with Design System (on Monday). I am back, for the longest streak yet. Last week I briefly introduced what design systems are and why design teams love them. You can read that here (https://lnkd.in/dTVJArEs) Now let’s discuss one of the biggest drawbacks of design system implementation. First, I need to set the ground by saying that design systems are like any other product. It has users (designers, devs, PMs), and with that comes needs and problems, it has deliverables (components, guidelines) and it has people constantly working on it. Setting up a design system takes a loooong freaking time. To plan, audit, design, document and on, and on. It may depend on how well design is integrated into the organisation, but generally, there are two paths. For teams that start from a clean plate (startups, new projects) it might seem easier as they don’t have to audit any existing designs and/or decide which elements need to be removed. In other words, they don’t have to clean the mess before making the place look good. For established organisations, it may be a pain in the ass to audit all the mess that comes from not having the system and then have everyone use the most brilliant thing ever created. It’s like having to sort all the Lego pieces from 5 different sets. The worst thing is that even if you have an established design system in place, you still have to spend time taking care of it, addressing feedback from the team and updating whatever new design elements your teams decide to make. Basically, it’s a never-ending journey you agree to go on. So with all the good that design systems bring, there first needs to be a significant time (with time I mean money) investment, a lot of decisions to be made and constant updating even after the release. It does not matter what size organisation you have, it will require a lot of effort to run the design system smoothly. In other posts, I will try to discuss other problems teams face when working with design systems and suggest possible solutions to overcome them. More resources on this topic: General overview of design systems: https://lnkd.in/dsdW5EkR A great survey of people actually using design systems and sharing their experience: https://lnkd.in/dkKHSwNP Design system pitfalls: https://lnkd.in/dG9F8SAw #designsystems #pitfalls #designops

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Flippin' simple but most people get it wrong... In a world where complexity often reigns supreme, it's refreshing to be reminded that sometimes the simplest approach is the most effective. Case in point: the power of showcasing a glimpse of your capabilities, rather than trying to reveal all your cards at once. As I recently shared in my post on product design and UX/UI, the key to capturing your audience's attention lies in teasing your potential, rather than overwhelming them with too much information. By embracing this approach, you'll not only pique the interest of potential clients and collaborators but also demonstrate your ability to distill complex ideas into actionable insights. So, go ahead and share a snippet of your expertise – and watch how it can open doors to new opportunities and connections!

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About Ian's book: It's really well written and I am actually *wanting* to read it. (That makes all the difference because I rarely leave the house without coming home with a book, new or second hand. My "booklog" is such that I've started stashing them horizontally in the bookcase). Also - having worked variously as a producer, researcher, content designer, service designer, service manager, product lead, I'm highly selective about whose books I read in earnest. I've known Ian since the '90s and I know he walks the talk. This is guidance from a proper, 30-year career practitioner, as opposed to someone who's read other people's stuff and is good at PR.

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Launching our first #thUXrsday series!! 🎉 Sharing simple tips that make big impacts!

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Hey, Linkedin community👋, just recently we released a case study about one of the most unusual projects in our studio — redesign of the interface of self-service checkouts ❣️. The case turned out to be tasty and interesting, so I want to share some insights on how to befriend cases on Behance, without spending invaluable years of your life working on them: ➡️ 𝗦𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆. Behance is a visual platform and you don't need large canvases of text (no one will read them), so storytelling with an emphasis on visuals is your friend here. Structure the information about the project, throw away three volumes of text about research, tell the story about the result of your work. ➡️ 𝗗𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗿𝘂𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆. Everyone likes to work with references and draw pretty images, but in the first stages it's important to work with big brushstrokes — it can be a blank rectangle with the title of what you plan to put in its place. In the first stages it's important to work with meaning, to show structurally how you're going to lead the reader by the hand through the case study. ➡️ 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗨𝗫/𝗨𝗜 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗿 — create a series of techniques that you can reuse. Take out of the case 2-4 techniques that you can use, and make a couple of variations of them (mirror, increase/decrease volumes, play with block layout). Work with them like a lego constructor, combining the components with each other. ➡️ 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱. While studying architecture we were taught to always step away from our work once in a while to look from the outside — it's a similar situation with use cases, open a 1-to-1 prototype and get back to work in a few minutes. Drop the design, put yourself in the user's shoes and follow the narrative. Is it clear what this block is about? What does this caption tell you? ➡️ 𝗘𝘃𝗼𝗸𝗲 𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀. As I have already said — Behance, a platform about visual, everyone comes there to look at beautiful pictures and show themselves. "Have a party" on the cover and first screens, let the pictures evoke emotions (even if negative, that's cool too), declare the result, get the reader interested in what will happen next. In the body of the case study, dilute your designer with an emotional photo, large text blocks, animations, change of plans. ➡️ 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆, 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝗮𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗼 𝗶𝘁 𝗯𝗮𝗱𝗹𝘆! Sometimes it's important to do bad to come up with something good. Don't limit ourselves in your own head when there are no external boundaries. And you can take a look at our new case study on Behance right now https://lnkd.in/gbkQRR3A Likes, comments are very welcome 🤭

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Ensuring good design in apps, programs, and websites is crucial, but what about our public spaces? Living in Poland, I've often pondered their user-friendliness. Recently, during a visit to a friend in the hospital, I encountered a modern parking facility. Multiple floors packed with cars, bustling with traffic typical of a busy public hospital. However, there was a thoughtful feature: upon ticket issuance, you enjoyed a complimentary 30-minute parking window. Convenient, right? But here's the flip side: modern doesn't always equate to accessible. Imagine this: You're racing against the clock, realizing you have just 5 minutes left of your free parking time. You dash to your car, but there are no signs indicating how long it will take to reach it. The parking structure's layout, with separate paths for entry and exit, only adds to the confusion. Finally behind the wheel, you navigate the ramps downward, each minute passing by in a blur. As you approach the exit gate, your heart sinks. Swiping your ticket, you hope you've made it in time, but you're just one minute late. Now there's a line of frustrated drivers forming behind you. It's a frustrating ordeal, made worse by the lack of clear signage and guidance. Simple informational cues can make a world of difference in such situations. Consider the common practice in airports, where signs indicating '15-minute walk,' or '5-minute walk' help travelers plan their route and time accordingly. This absence of clear guidance underscores the significance of implementing user-centric design principles in public spaces. While innovative features are commendable, providing clear and helpful information ensures a smoother and more inclusive experience for all users. Let's strive for environments that prioritize clarity and inclusivity, ensuring a smoother experience for all. #UserExperience #UXDesign #PublicSpaces #DesignInnovation #Accessibility #InclusiveDesign #UserCentricDesign #UrbanDesign #CustomerExperience #DesignThinking #UrbanMobility #ParkingExperience #UserFriendly #DesignChallenges #RealLifeExamples

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