Don Osborne

https://lnkd.in/g7NPEdey Material Design is becoming more flexible, but with that comes increased complexity for beginners.

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As I refine my hiring process I have question. What would you guys prefer? 1) In person/remote 30min white board session 2) Challenging design assignment done over a week 3) Mock podcast recording where we have a conversation about design.

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The second part of my article on the value of explicit design rules is here. In it I dive head first into example in layout, position, ordering padding and margins with examples from various design tools. In the end of this part there's also a treasure trove of links to other insightful people writing on adjacent subjects. Hope you find it interesting and be swayed to try tools that allow for more expressive explicit design rules. https://lnkd.in/dmGpUHU6

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Last minute, who else is virtually attending VS Code Day today? Registration is still available, it’s free, and it starts at 12:00pm Central Time. DM me if you go so that we can discuss after! // I’ve been using VS Code as I learn JavaScript. It’s a lightweight text editor that, with a combination of the right extensions and Chrome, has set me up with a great (and free) Integrated Development Environment (IDE) as I start writing JS. https://lnkd.in/gXPY_qgx

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Worth revisiting this article on the importance of Labels in Forms, from an accessibility perspective and overall product experience. https://lnkd.in/eSyAwf48 #design #designthinking #designbuild #designstrategy #product #producctdesign #productmanagement #productstrategy #designprinciples #innovation #designers #digitaltransformation #ux #uxdesign #uiux #uidesign #designinnovation #application #software #softwaredesign #usability #userresearch #research #usercentereddesign #productleadership #uxwriting #designsystems #empathy #interfacedesign #usabilitytesting #userexperience #productdesign #accessibility #ui

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Interesting integrations of AI into Adobe's InDesign product. https://lnkd.in/e3h-5uq4 #design #designthinking #designbuild #designstrategy #product #producctdesign #productmanagement #productstrategy #designprinciples #innovation #designers #digitaltransformation #ux #uxdesign #uiux #uidesign #designinnovation #application #software #softwaredesign #usability #userresearch #research #usercentereddesign #productleadership #uxwriting #designsystems #empathy #interfacedesign #usabilitytesting #userexperience #productdesign #accessibility #ui

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I've received countless terrible cold outreach messages from aspiring designers. I hope this is helpful for anyone who reads it: * Apply for the job before reaching out, then mention the role. * Ask a specific question your curious about instead of requesting time to "pick your brain" or "learn more about the team"—these are too vague. * Be concise, you get 2-4 sentences before you're tuned out. * Don't sound like a bot. Avoid formal language; write naturally and sincerely. * Provide value before you ask for it. Send a reference or idea that may be relevant to our product/brand. Keep it simple; i.e. don't go nuts re-designing our website, no one wants you to do free work. Brevity is a sign of intelligence, if you put in the work to edit your message down to the essentials, I'll put in the work to read it.

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If you're a designer trying to get up to speed on a new team or project, check out this quick talk based on a recent blog post I wrote for Lab Zero Innovations Inc. (https://lnkd.in/gDw4bR8Y)! Have you picked up any tips of your own? Let me know, or—if you're looking for a designer who's prepared for situations like these—reach out to us at info@labzero.com! #designteam #designteamwork #designthinking #productdesign #uxdesign

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Whether you’re a UX designer or a leader with an innovation project on the horizon, utilizing prototypes will help get your innovation ideas through to users and stakeholders. In "A Field Guide To Great UX Prototyping", Akendi's own Jonathan Pusic, UX Architect, shares how he thinks about prototyping, the benefits of different types of prototyping, and how to apply them to your own projects! 🗝️ Here are some key takeaways: ✔ Prototypes are meant to make your concepts visible ✔ Prototypes don’t have to be sophisticated or fancy ✔ Pick the right prototype for the right purpose, at the right time “Don’t add flames and a spoiler when you’re still deciding what kind of car to build.” How can you make the most of prototyping? Leverage dedicated experts to guide you through the product ideation and prototyping journey. Find out how to utilize the right prototype at the right time be reading the full article: https://lnkd.in/eb62kDDH #research #ux #blog #prototyping #experts

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I'm a big fan of Ben Callahan and the "The Question" sessions. I'm also a big fan of Dan Donald, who's co-hosting the "design systems failures" topic. On this topic of missing the mark with *building the thing your org actually needs* not "here's what the 'how to design system' article told me", I humbly submit this HFWNW (hopes, fears, working, not working) framework/model and activity as one of many ways to start that data gathering and synthesis journey. I was lucky enough to present it during Figma's Schema event last year. Give the talk a watch, if you're interested (its only 20m) and download the provided resources to try it at your org/with your team: https://lnkd.in/g-Jj6Ede

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If we're not talking about design maturity, agile process, or craft, then us designers are probably talking about ✨quality.✨ I certainly see my interviewer's eyes light up when I mention this magical word. "Design is the one that has to hold the quality bar," I tell them. But what if that didn't have to be true? For a truly high-quality product, I don't think it should be design holding the line. It has to be something baked into the organization - everyone holds the quality bar. Even though "quality" is a slippery thing to define, if we can define it and hold ourselves to it, we can reduce the tension in the org and start to think less about the mere baseline quality for the product and more about raising that bar - delighting the user. I very much enjoyed Luke Anthony Firth's take on how they folded quality into their product building process. Have a read! https://lnkd.in/g4SenmYZ #designleadership #productprocess #productdesign #productquality #designquality #opentowork

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Friendly reminder: names/architecture/conventions/syntax matter. The specifics matter less than you might think, but it's crucial to make decisions, stick to them, document them, and cultivate shared understanding. #frontend #uxdesign #designsystems #uidesign #digitaldesign #development

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I wrote this article awhile back, but still find it to be a helpful reference to share with our clients from time to time — especially after requesting a vector graphic and receiving a file titled something like 'vector-graphic.jpg' or 'logo.png.pdf'.

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This is likely why your product sucks. You are cramming way too many features into one interface. I have a rule. It’s called the “Rule of Two”. You are only allowed two OBVIOUS features per interface. Obvious features dominate visual and mental space. They’re pricey. They’re pricey in terms of real estate. They’re pricey in terms of cognitive load. They’re pricey in terms of attention span. You’ve used products with more than two “obvious features. How did they make you feel? Anxious? Frustrated? Lost? For example, take a look at the remote control on the left. Overwhelming anxiety. Don't be the brand that gives your customers overwhelming anxiety. Don’t be the brand that makes "SB-IR Remote-HH." Master the subtle art of feature prioritization. You'll destroy competitors. And, you will make your customers fall in love with you. sinpl rlly 🥂

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Personas have been a bone of contention in the UX world for quite some time. Many product teams struggle with personas because they have some flaws. Check out the latest video on Blatz Chatz where I talk about what I do not love about personas.

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GitHub makes collaboration and communication easy when it comes to design systems. We use issues and discussions to track bugs and questions, it helps us build a knowledge base. These tools are surprisingly absent in our design tools, and this needs to change. I am going to change that. #ux #designsystems #equalityintools

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We're so excited to welcome over 10k attendees to Config next week! We know that people may or may not ignore pre event emails 😉 but you can't hide from me here. Here are all the absolutely must knows for Config next week if you're joining us in person! I'm about to use so many emojis (I think that's legally required on LinkedIn) so buckle up! ------- 📆 Do I have to build my agenda and grab spots at sessions ahead of time? Yes! We ask that you build your agenda before coming to Config. We'll be scanning badges at each session so if you haven't grabbed a spot ahead of time, you won't be able to go to that session. Build your agenda on the website. 🎟️ Can I cancel or transfer my ticket? You can cancel your ticket for a full refund up until June 25th at 6am PT. You are ✨not able to sell or transfer your ticket ✨ to another person. Please note that we require government issued IDs at check in. If the ID doesn't match the ticket name, you won't be able to enter. 🚪 How will I check in? Don't forget to bring a government issued ID! To check in and pick up your badge, you will need your ID and your unique Config QR code, which you can find in your ticket confirmation email. The name on your ID and the name on your Config ticket must match. Badge pick-up will begin on Tuesday, June 25th at Moscone South. Full hours below: Tuesday, June 25: 11:30AM-7:30PM PST Wednesday, June 26: 7AM-4:30PM PST Thursday, June 27: 7AM-4:30PM PST 💃🏻 What other Config events can I attend? Join us at Config Commons on Tuesday, June 25th to network, find your community, and play before Config officially kicks off on Wednesday. For more info and to check out more Config events, head to the "community events" footer on the website. 🌯 Is there food at Config? We'll be serving lunch on both days, as well as coffee and small snacks throughout the day. Please note we won't be serving breakfast. 🎧 Will there be language support? We are so excited to offer live translation support for our attendees in Korean, Japanese, French, German and Spanish. Please download the Interprefy app and bring your headphones for the best Interprefy experience. More questions answered at:

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Discover three effective strategies for managing visual complexity in applications and websites. Enhance user experience and streamline your design process with these expert tips! https://lnkd.in/gnY9riDR

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