Ewa Ding

Designers take note- it's not good enough to simply design great UX, we also need to deeply understand the technology its built on. Good design is: 1. In support of the business model — of course. 2. Leverages strategic technology bets the company is placing — wait, what? Mercedes rejected Apple's next-gen CarPlay because it didn’t fit the company's strategic software and compute architecture shifts. This example underscores a crucial point: what does a new technology architecture enable for the user experience that wasn't possible before?  Takeaway: Understanding the technology is essential for creating differentiated experiences. Mastery of the underlying technology can transform commodified design into great, innovative user experiences that leverage the investment your company is making. Agree or disagree?  https://lnkd.in/gQyvTY2Z #AutomotiveUX #UserExperienceDesign #HumanMachineInterface #SoftwareDefinedVehicles #TechInDesign

410

49 Comments

Wow, spot on… Also consider the complexity of a “design system factory” product intended to offer design system stability to the diverse clientele of a consultancy with vastly unique clients, all with critically important needs. I often describe(d) the design tokens and design system as the CENTER of the tech ecosystem, or at minimum on par with the most critical data APIs. Few were ready for what that would cost. Financially, technically and emotionally. #outofwork

2

The 4 Stages of AI Image Generation: An Experience Map #GenAI #UX #productDesign https://buff.ly/3VKxjKs

5

"Delight" often gets a bad rap when mistaken only as animations, sound effects, and confetti. Here's how I think about delight and its sibling, utility: Utility is the VALUE a user derives from interacting with your product. Value warrants the product’s existence and, much like profitability makes a business sustainable, utility makes a product sustainable. ↳ Utility creates loyalty. Delight is the SATISFACTION a user derives from interacting with your product. Whereas utility is “I need to use this product”, delight is “I want to use this product”, and in the best cases “I want others to use this product too.” Maximizing delight translates to higher app ratings, increased NPS, stronger brand affinity, and increased virality. ↳ Delight creates advocacy. Design, Product, Engineering must work closely to put utility first. But each of these — Design in particular — must also advocate for delight to transform product value from “need to” to “want to.” Prioritizing delight is another form of slowing down to speed up. Small investments in delight now can translate to exponential gains in 'free' advocacy later. #delight #utility #design

387

23 Comments

This episode of the Finding Our Way podcast articulates, with such clarity, what’s been on my mind about the value proposition of design as a function. A business could leverage creating a stellar user experience as a strategic lever to succeed in the market, or NOT. The latter is totally acceptable where designers primarily focus on production tasks (like UI designs) in an org that prioritizes churning out features. Yet, it’s a bitter pill to swallow for many designers. They feel disgruntled and get exhausted speaking to the deaf ears about how great an outcome design can bring to the table and how influential they could be outside of Figma. This podcast talks about how many designer leaders are struggling to deal with this reality. As someone who is not in a leadership position, I feel the struggle too. But if I were to stay positive and constructive while prioritizing my mental sanity, these would be some options to consider. - Get hired by a company that REALLY values design (think Airbnb, Linear) - Be extremely good at your craft and find fulfillment in it, regardless of its direct impact on the bottom line—as long as you remain employed 🤷🏻‍♀️ - Elbow your way into cross-functional discussions as much as possible, at least within your team, to find opportunities to demonstrate what you can do outside of Figma. You can help expand the perspective on design that your cross-functional partners have, one person at a time. https://lnkd.in/gjheYY_f

3

It’s Thursday! Let’s talk about DESIGN DISCOVERY and how to make it PRACTICAL. Discovery is an essential part of the design process. In discovery, designers build a shared understanding of the problem and the design direction, establishing a foundation for all future design decisions. What does that foundation look like? In PRACTICAL DESIGN DISCOVERY, I describe three kinds of things to put into this foundation: → Principles: Enablers that help you make decisions → Concepts: Ideas that establish a big picture or north star → Models: Representations of the user experience When you draw a conclusion from user research, that’s a principle. When you say “our product is like a concierge for kids activities,” that’s a concept. And when you sketch out a flow chart or wireframe an important screen, that’s a model. Each of these contributes to the foundation that informs further design decisions. You’re not just creating these for yourself. The other people on your team – product managers and business stakeholders and developers – need to contribute to this foundation. These things – principles, concepts, and models – are the way you draw others into the discovery process. Sometimes managers tell designers to cut principles and concepts out of their process. I get it: Models are accessible because they are tangible representations of the final product. Even a flow chart is easier to react to than an unmoored design principle or a big idea. In discovery, however, you can’t model every aspect of a product. The point of discovery is to set the direction. Models provide enough of a view into the final product to get buy-in on that direction. But they’re not the whole picture. Principles provide guidelines for making decisions that the models do not cover. They establish constraints on the design process. Concepts align everyone around the product’s purpose or essence. They paint a picture of what the world looks like with the product in it. Both are helpful for decision-making. You don’t need to break the bank creating principles or concepts, or even models. Use a text file to capture statements as they jump out during the design process, like “never show a data visualization without context or explanation [a principle]” or “this is a mash-up between a to-do list and a calendar [a concept]”. Use models to illustrate principles and concepts. When folks provide feedback on the models, ask them about the concepts and the principles. “You said you were worried about the fields on this screen, but it aligns with our principle of ‘only ask for information when needed.’ Are there circumstances when the principle doesn’t apply?” Every part of the foundation – principles, concepts, and models – is a hook for a conversation with the entire team about the direction of your product. Looking for more ways to refine your discovery practice? Grab a copy of PRACTICAL DESIGN DISCOVERY! https://lnkd.in/dtar-e2

38

2 Comments

Really annoyed at Figma's price gouging here. There is no reason other than greed: https://lnkd.in/gfdrEiWH Oh, and I emailed them about it and this line from their reply was particularly poignant: "Additionally the minimum for enterprise is a $5k invoice minimum. 6 enterprise seats or made up with other products." To put that in context... our monthly Adobe bill (for 8 CC, 7 PS, 6 Acrobat licenses) is ~NZ$2k... Amazing how quickly enshittification sets in... #Figma #Design #SoftwareLicensing

8

3 Comments

This principle holds true for nearly every industry.

1

🚀 The Future of User Interface Design: Personalized and Predictive with Generative UI In the evolving landscape of digital design, the concept of generative user interfaces (GenUI) stands poised to revolutionize how we interact with technology. Moving away from one-size-fits-all solutions, GenUI promises a future where every digital experience is tailored uniquely to the user’s needs. 👤 Imagine This: A frequent flyer, Alex, uses her airline app tailored to her specific needs, including accommodations for her dyslexia. The app not only presents flight options that prioritize her preferences like cost and travel time but also integrates real-time adjustments based on external factors such as events impacting her travel dates. This is the power of GenUI – a dynamic, intuitive interface that changes in real-time to create a deeply personalized user experience. 📈 Why It Matters: Today, designers focus on creating universal solutions that cater to broad user bases. Tomorrow, with GenUI, the shift will be towards intent-based outcome-oriented design. This means prioritizing user goals and crafting experiences that dynamically meet those needs without the user having to navigate unnecessary complexity. 🔧 The Designer's Evolving Role: As we embrace GenUI, designers will transition from crafting detailed interactions to setting strategic parameters that guide AI in creating these bespoke experiences. This doesn’t diminish the designer's role but rather elevates it to orchestrate user interactions at a macro level. 🔄 Challenges Ahead: Despite its potential, GenUI introduces complexities. From increased demands on processing power to potential privacy concerns and the fundamental shift in user experience due to ever-changing interfaces, the road ahead is paved with both innovation and obstacles. 🌟 What’s Next? As we look towards a future dominated by AI-driven customizations, embracing GenUI could significantly enhance how we design for accessibility and inclusivity. However, the journey will require us to rethink design principles and adapt to new tools that can handle the dynamism and complexity of user-centric, personalized interfaces. 💬 Let's Discuss: What are your thoughts on the shift towards personalized digital experiences through GenUI? How do you see it impacting your industry or field? Read more about it in this Nielsen/Norman article: https://lnkd.in/enPhQjq4 #UserExperience #UX #UI #UserInterface #DigitalDesign #GenUI #AI #GenAI #GenerativeAI #Innovation #TechTrends

10

Craft infuses everything we do at Slack, across all functions. It's been that way from day one. It helps us make people's working lives more simple, productive, and pleasant. It's something we can always improve upon, and that we are ever committed to. Tomorrow I share my perspective at #config2024 on how care and attention to craft leads to great software design. But if you don't want to wait, you can read about my perspective here, on our Slack.design blog. Craft is a commitment we all have to our customers. It's something software makers should care deeply about. If you have ideas, questions, or feedback on the topic, drop them in the comments and let's get the conversation started!

216

5 Comments

So immensely proud of such an amazing group of people who've been working so hard on this big set of launches at Figma for #Config2024. ICYMI what we launched today, this blog post recap covers it well: https://lnkd.in/gX3KSWj3 I wanted to share a couple fun tweets from a few of the fantastic designers/leaders that worked on some of the things you may have seen in our keynote this morning. * This is not even close to an exhaustive list of those who worked on today's launches, but just a quick lil glimpse showcasing a few who happened to post about them today (also linkedin obscures the links for some reason, but they're all just fun behind the scenes tweets not shady sites I promise lol): Figma Slides - Keeyen Yeo: https://lnkd.in/gmxBH3wq - Mihika Kapoor: https://lnkd.in/gr54Upnu - Natasha T. / Ryan Reid: https://lnkd.in/gd-v9gE3 Redesigned Figma (UI3) - Ryhan Hassan: https://lnkd.in/g868XAze (can't wait to watch the behind the scenes talk with him and Joel Miller and KC Oh as well as Wayne Sun's when they come online later) - Tim Van Damme: https://lnkd.in/gQyvqzYr - Nikolas Klein: https://lnkd.in/ge_kKyvD Figma AI - Jordan Singer: https://lnkd.in/gXmFeXTM - Oscar Dumlao: https://lnkd.in/gkACVY_c - Marco Cornacchia: https://lnkd.in/gMt3BvVY - Vincent van der Meulen: https://lnkd.in/gCrHvcVu - Jediah Katz: https://lnkd.in/gMxEu7i8 - Giorgio Caviglia: https://lnkd.in/gCNVQrKC And more: - Jenny Wen (pages design by rocky chen ✌️): https://lnkd.in/gd_6RHAv - Soundharya Muthukrishnan: https://lnkd.in/gsnibt-j - Daniel Destefanis: https://lnkd.in/gu6mYBe6 - Becca Ramos: https://lnkd.in/gqM7RGKQ We hope you enjoy these updates, and excited to meet more of the amazing community at Config for Day 2 tomorrow! I'm particularly excited for Marcin Wichary's talk tomorrow at 3:40 https://lnkd.in/gvJNNerg

87

5 Comments

Interesting stuff from Clutch. In this era of hyperpersonalization, its refreshing to see First Name and Last Name as optional during their sign up process! #ux #design #personalization

29

2 Comments

The Design Graveyard: 🪦 Buried Myths & Misconceptions (Intriguing and challenges assumptions) As designers, we all have our design pet peeves. But are some "rules" more myth than magic? Let's debunk some common design misconceptions: Myth #1: Centered everything! (Insert eye-catching image showcasing unbalanced, yet effective design) Balance is key, but asymmetry can create dynamism and visual interest. Myth #2: More fonts, the merrier! (Insert image of cluttered design with multiple fonts) Consistency and hierarchy are crucial for readability. Myth #3: White space is wasted space! (Insert image of a visually heavy design with minimal white space) Negative space creates breathing room and guides user flow. What design "myth" do you find most frustrating? Share your thoughts in the comments and let's spark a design revolution! #designtrends #mythbusters #uiux #creativity #designprinciples #linkedin

2

🎨 Ever thought a Bento grid could do more than just sit there looking pretty? No, me neither! But I figured I'd give it a go anyway 🙃 Here's how to use Figma and Weavely to design and publish an interactive Bento grid, working form elements and all! #figma #uxui #Bento #webforms

16

1 Comment

This was wrong. Full stop People need opportunities to reinvent and rebrand themselves. With a number like 1,800 layoffs, no doubt this was done in a 9 box fashion and those who landed in the three bottom left boxes were eliminated. Even though the CEO said that 1,050 were low performers, he just branded all 1,800 the same…because, who knows what box they fell into. Regardless of the box, this was impersonal and unprofessional. Bad form Intuit. I believe in people. I believe in their potential. Take the high road. Be a leader. #leadership #leaders #layoffs

5

1 Comment

How do design system teams prove their value? Finding hard metrics around the impact of design system teams has historically been a challenge. A year ago, I met the design system team at Eventbrite who could confidently say that they saved 534 days of engineering effort with their design system. Here's their calculation: Time spent to develop a component pre-design system - time spent to install the design system component = Time saved In order to extrapolate this number, though, you need to know how many times a component has been used. And, that used to require a savvy dev on the team to build something custom. That's no longer the case. We built something at zeroheight that will allow you to track component use in a single repo or across all of your repos. This should help teams show how valuable they are, plus do things like: see which components to prioritize based on use see which product teams are adopting As an added bonus, anyone using the new feature set can also monitor design system packages, allowing them to quickly see which teams are using outdated packages. On a personal note, I'm hoping with data like this, more teams can confidently quantify their impact. And along the way, we'll get better as design system practitioners at identifying the right things to work on. This new feature set is in beta and totally free. Even if you aren't using zeroheight to document your design system, you can use it. Takes like 15 minutes and you've got rich data. Here's the sign up:

7

4 Comments

Probably the case outside of engineering as well. (Written) Communication is a hard skill.

19

1 Comment

For your viewing pleasure! Here’s my talk introducing Sentient Design. If you and your design team are trying to figure out how to create actually meaningful applications of AI in your product work, I hope this helps. I’d love to hear what you think. Sentient Design is what I call the already-here future of intelligent interfaces: experiences that feel almost self-aware in their response to user needs. Sentient Design moves past static info and presentation to embrace UX as a radically adaptive story. These experiences are conceived and compiled in real time based on your intent in the moment—AI-mediated experiences that adapt to people, instead of forcing the reverse. I think it’s a fun talk! It’s clear-eyed about what AI is crummy at, along with its special strengths and curious characteristics. Turns out that what most of us THINK generative AI is good at is actually what it's worst at. There are other, better opportunities. This is so much more (and in exciting ways, so much less) than chatbots, text prompts, and systems that can write, speak, or draw. In a nutshell, Sentient Design is all about the new opportunities to add intelligence to our interfaces (sometimes just a dash, other times a heaping spoonful). Some of this is so familiar that you might consider it just plain dull (content recommendations or prediction), but there’s a lot of surprising new possibility here, too. It’s all part of our kit as designers now—and especially powerful in combination. Sentient Design describes the form of this new user experience, but it’s also a framework and a philosophy for working with machine learning and AI as design material. And! It’s ALSO a book—or will be soon. More details to come, but I’m writing the Sentient Design book with Veronika Kindred for Rosenfeld Media. But first, the talk. It’s available at the link below in video, audio, text, and slides. (And hey: big, big thanks to Friends of Figma, Miami for hosting the talk and for providing and sharing the video.) https://lnkd.in/ecgWrG5J

69

9 Comments

AI is the buzzword of the day, but it's simply the next step in our technology evolution. Evolving generative AI interactions are repeating human-computer interaction history. Remember those green screens and books filled with computer prompts, or learning how to use a search engine? Perhaps you do, maybe you don't, but either way AI has modified the way we do this by using natural language! #AI #technologyevolution #naturalanguageprocessing

6