Sharif York

Designers MUST understand generative AI. And not in theory: you must roll up your sleeves and work hands-on with these tools and materials. This is not a passing fad but a deeply transformative set of technologies.

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High-fidelity UX mockups are fantastic - but they come with a dark side. The more time you invest perfecting them, the more attached your team gets - and the harder it is to change course. Save yourself the trouble. Test your core ideas first using low-fidelity storyboards that show your customer using your product over time. You'll learn 10x faster once you see your end-to-end concept in front of real users. Watch the full video at: https://lnkd.in/gPfwsJhY #mockups #productdesign #prototype

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As designers, we get asked about our opinion on the quality of a digital experiences pretty regularly. Much of the time there’s a lot of variables that make it difficult to give people a straight answer. Other times, the experience actually does have some standards of what you should expect from it. Data tables are an absolutely vital enterprise UX pattern - so the P&P crew actually assembled some standards you can use to assess your UX for data tables. We recently created a web page for our UX checklist for data tables, so I wanted to share it (it’s in the comment below). I hope it’s helpful! #enterpriseux

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A designer's true seniority is not determined by their title, but by their proficiency in both execution and strategic thinking. The trait of a truly senior designer lies in their ability to seamlessly navigate between these two critical roles. 😊

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Great insights on job search from the hiring backstage. Read those tips and take them to heart when applying for a design job!

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Me: “can I take a look at your mock-up, so I can better answer your question?” Designer: “okay, but IT’S NOT FINISHED YET” **proceeds to show me the most amazing design I’ve ever friggin seen** -- I knew I needed to double down on development when I took a design class and saw the INCREDIBLE designs my classmates produced! I loved designing websites, but I gravitated toward development. I decided that if I was going to focus on one thing and get *really* good at it, it was going to be helping these designers bring their visions to life. Thus, Dev Days were born! Dev Days for Designers are my VIP-style, one day development day where I develop your design in Squarespace 7.1. One Dev Day is perfect for the designer who offers sprint-style website packages. But, don't worry if you have a larger, custom project, you'll save $$ when you book more Dev Days with my package rates. Dev Days are low lift, low commitment, and perfect for the designer looking to team up with your Dev Bestie. It's me, I'm your Dev Bestie. Booking May - June 2024 Dev Days now:

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Paras, and I are on a mission to give back to the community! We'll be offering weekly portfolio reviews for designers. Check out this sneak peek of our portfolio clip and catch the full video here: https://lnkd.in/edttHqnP. If you're looking for valuable feedback on your portfolio, drop it in the comments below! 🚀 Our focus is on providing actionable insights and practical advice, no jargons, just real, helpful feedback. Let's grow together! #DesignCommunity #PortfolioReviews #designers

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Figma reimagined in Apple Vision Pro OS . Imagine the unlimited possibilities that can be unlocked when using figma in the apple vision pro. I made this video to show how Figma might look inside Apple Vision Pro. Let me know your thoughts. Follow Atif Abbasi for more. #UIDesign #UXDesign #AppleVisionPro #Figma #InterfaceDesign #UserExperience #DesignTools #CreativeSoftware #Innovation #DesignThinking #Prototyping #Collaboration"

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In my 20+ year design career, I've never heard a design client say... I'm looking for someone more: • Creative • Strategic • Data-driven • Collaborative • User-centred And yet, if you open 100 design agency websites, you'll see some variation of these 5 descriptors. I noticed this discrepancy a few years ago. So, I started taking notes every time a design client complained about design and design services. The truth is, none of the above ever showed up in my notes. Instead, here are the top 5 concerns: 1. Communication Issues 2. Slow Design Cycles 3. Scope Creep 4. Disagreement on Design Decisions 5. Difficulty Measuring ROI Here's my full summary note: Communication Issues: Founders may feel that designers don't understand the technical limitations of the product or the business needs of the company. This can lead to frustration on both sides, as founders may feel like designers are designing products that can't be built, and designers may feel like founders aren't giving them the freedom they need to be creative. Slow Design Cycles: The design process can be slow, especially for founders who are used to moving quickly. This can be frustrating for founders who need to get products to market quickly. Scope Creep: SaaS products are constantly evolving, and founders may feel like designers are constantly adding new features to the product, rather than focusing on the core features that will drive user adoption. This can lead to products that are bloated and difficult to use. Disagreement on Design Decisions: Founders and designers may not always agree on the best way to design the product. This can lead to disagreements that can slow down the development process. Difficulty Measuring ROI: It can be difficult to measure the return on investment (ROI) of design decisions. This can make it hard for founders to justify the cost of hiring designers. I hope this helps you the next time you pitch your service. #design #ux #productdesign #designservice #copywriting

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On double dipping: AKA Figma's shame Hey Figma. I remember it wasn't too long ago that you were the fresh faced favorite. You brought simple, elegant, quick design and prototyping within reach for even small consulting organizations. You were affordable and open. We were on your side and excited to see were you would go. Now you've defeated the competition. You've nestled into your comfortable and ever more complex corner of functionality and new billing models. Your flavor is a little less sweet for us every day. Your billing model is double dipping. We wind up paying for full seats for client collaborators who are already filling paid seats with their employers. It's hard for us to expense these costs and it seems your price is going up every day. Curious where you think this will lead. We've watched our other former partners (who started at the same place as you - e.g. iRise, inVision, Sketch, etc. etc.) pull the same sort of stuff. I see it as the beginning of the end. When you're focus is more on billing seats for your enterprise customers, and less on long term value and fairness for the design partners who introduced you to enterpise, you have to ask if you haven't lost your way. I know we all love profits but the creative professions are about more than money. This industry was built by folks who love design and want to keep it agile, open and collaborative. Making collaboration something that only enterprise can afford is like killing the roots of a tree and expecting it to keep growing new leaves. I hope this message comes across and you start thinking of a better way to work with the small, highly innovative and talented people that were your big advocates before you were a big brand. We'll be here for the long haul. Will you? cheers! Brian #Figma # Figjam #collaboration #design #designtools #uxdesign #designprototyping

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Being one of those with ADHD these are things that I try to think about while designing products.

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In our modern age, where a wealth of knowledge is just a click away, persistent myths linger in the collective consciousness. However, our focus today isn't on fantastical creatures or magical realms. Instead, we turn to the enduring discourse surrounding User-centred Design and its core components: UX and UI. Despite years of exploration through books, debates, blogs, articles, and various media, misunderstandings persist, particularly when it comes to defining job roles within companies. UX, which stands for User Experience, and UI, which stands for User Interface, are closely intertwined concepts, yet they operate independently, each fulfilling distinct roles within the design process. UX is tasked with identifying and addressing user problems, while UI involves translating these solutions into tangible interfaces that cater to user needs. These distinctions are vital in ensuring effective design outcomes. A UX Designer is not necessarily a UI Designer, and the other way around. A UX/UI Designer can bridge the gaps and differences between them in one single role, but can't be always the solution. The design process requires a team that can cover all the necessities of this journey, carve the answers and put them into production while covering every possible aspect of the user experience.

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One of the most powerful habits for a designer is keeping a work journal, but you might not know that Figma has a cool feature that I use to do just that and more! 👀 When it comes to remembering what I was doing in my design files, hindsight is definitely not 20/20! 🫣 This hack has really helped me and my students when it comes time to create their case studies or prepare for interviews. Watch the full video here for more tips 👉🏽 https://lnkd.in/gbPkyxAJ 💬 Do you use Figma's version history and checkpoints? #figma #uidesign #workjournal #designtips #uxdesign #uxui #uxuidesigner #productdesigner #designproductivity #productivity

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Here's how to use AI in your UX day-to-day. AI lets us access a ton of scenarios instantly. With the right prompts, you can tap into a historian of user behavior. By leveraging advanced algorithms to predict user behavior and analyze massive datasets, AI anticipates needs before users even realize them. Think of Google's search engine suggesting queries in real-time—that's the power of AI in UX. At Upstory, AI-driven tools aren’t a crucial step in our flow, but we’ll use them on occasion as an extra step in our research process. We prompt our AI with the right story, intended user, and goals, then run through various scenarios to catch potential user behaviors we might’ve missed. This doesn’t replace actual user interviews, but it’s a great way to get quick insights for projects on a tight timeline or budget. AI won’t replace you (yet?), but it can definitely make you better. 🤖

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The process of designing a website Read the transcript here: https://lnkd.in/ee-BznVx

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If something is bastardized, it has been changed in such a way that it no longer represents the values and qualities that it is intended to represent #genai #lumaai #openaisora #videoai #imageai #plagiarism #veralevel

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You're using too much screen real estate. What does that mean for product design? Whitespace. People often see it as emptiness or wasted space. I think of it as breathing room. If you walk into a cluttered and messy room, you’ll find your attention split between a hundred different things at once. A messy design has the same outcome – it distracts people from where their attention should be. Focus is key. Whitespace helps create this focus and clarity, making your message stand out. • It avoids clutter. Without ample space, elements become distracting. • It ensures clarity. Every element on the page is easy to read and understand. • It guides the user. It leads a reader's eye naturally from one point to another. • It directs focus. Increased space around an element attracts more attention to it. Give your designs the room they need, and you’ll create better experiences. Less is more.

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Last week, I had nearly a dozen 1:1s with early-career designers seeking portfolio reviews and advice. Here's a quick recap of common questions and answers. Q: What are my thoughts on fake portfolio projects? A: I love fake projects because they give you the freedom to create work you want to do and the flexibility to experiment with new skills and styles. It helps if they look real. As you progress in your career, the goal is to replace the fake projects with real projects. Q: Should I share process/early iterations of ideas in case studies? A: Yes, this gives a glimpse into your creative process and your ability to filter and evolve ideas. Pencil sketches and screen grabs of explorations are fine. Q: How can I better my odds of getting interviews or work opportunities? A: Try to be so good they can't ignore you. If you were motivated to get into graphic design because you love creating, then be relentless in creating and sharing work. Be loud. Be vulnerable. Then, you'll notice that opportunities will come to you.

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