Miroslav Damyanov, MSc’s Post

It's still such a pleasure helping InReach with UX insights to develop and improve its app for safe and verified LGBTQ+ resources in North America. Consider donating. You will help this mission driven project live longer.

After an epic 9-month quest at Arkadium, it's time for me to level up and look for a new challenge. From the very first feedback session on our gaming platform vision to diving deep into MTX, gamer motivation, and social sharing, it's been an unforgettable journey. With the help of my colleagues, I navigated daily challenges, conquered bi-weekly Agile sprints, and unlocked some incredible achievements with business impact: - Conducted 40+ user interviews 🎤 - Surveyed 10k+ players 📊 - Launched 3 unmoderated tests with 130+ users 🚀 - Analyzed 223 Hotjar video recordings 🎥 - Conducted 5 competitor and comparative analyses 🕵️♀️ Every research initiative felt like gaining XPs, and with each level, I learned more about our users and supported our design decisions. The ultimate reward has been my colleagues' recognition and trust. As I leave with an Arkadium badge, I’m grateful for all the memories and milestones I achieved together. Last but not least, this opportunity wouldn't have happened without the support of Hyphen Digital Experience. Hit me up if you have a UXR project in any industry where I can bring a similar level of success. Game on! 🎮

How many of you count steps, track learning goals, or boost your dating profile on apps that have nothing to do with games? Gamification is everywhere, and it’s transforming how we interact with non-gaming apps! From health to learning to dating, these mechanics are driving engagement, diversifying revenue, and attracting new users. Here are 5 popular gamification mechanics I learned while working in gaming: 🏆 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐛𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬: See your ranking compared to others. Fosters competition and motivates improvement. Examples: Strava, QuizUp, Fitbit. 🎯 𝐋𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐬/𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧: Show your advancement over time. Creates a sense of progression and long-term engagement. Examples: Habitica, Elevate, Duolingo. 💪 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬/𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬: Complete specific tasks within a timeframe. Encourages deeper engagement through structured goals. Examples: Nike Training Club, Todoist, MyFitnessPal. 🏅 𝐁𝐚𝐝𝐠𝐞𝐬: Earn rewards for milestones and goals. Recognizes accomplishments and motivates users with visible symbols of success. Examples: Coursera, Foursquare, Khan Academy.. ⚡ 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐬/𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫-𝐔𝐩𝐬:Activate temporary enhancements for advantages or accelerated progress. Adds excitement and variety. Examples: Tinder, Nike Run Club, Headspace. However, be wary—overusing these can annoy non-competitive users or those with limited budgets. It's all about balance and deeper user insights. What's your experience with gamified apps? Share your delights and frustrations below! ⬇️

What a great IRL meet up to talk about #quant #UX methods! Benchmarking is crucial for tracking design changes and even comparing competitors. Behavioral 3rd party studies are some of my favorites especially if you have a tool to conduct unmoderated tasks on multiple platforms. When it comes to the use of #GenAI, I think prompt engineering is the key besides asking the right questions (machines aren't so good at it yet) and knowing your data set.

🇪🇺 𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐗 𝐨𝐟 𝐕𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐃𝐮𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐌𝐄𝐏𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐀𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐝: Today, June 6th, Dutch citizens vote for their European Parliament Representatives. Contrasting with the confusion in Portugal's March election, Dutch authorities use infographics, numbers, color-coding, and instructions to ensure every vote count: 🇳🇱 𝐂𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: 1. 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Voters received a postal voting certificate, a white envelope, and an orange return envelope. 2. 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐆𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞: An email in May provided the vote bulletin and a booklet with candidates. Simply color empty circles on the vote bulletin to choose a party and candidate number. 📋 𝐌𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬: 3. Place the completed vote bulletin in the white envelope. 4. Insert the white envelope, your ID, and the signed postal voting certificate into the orange envelope. 5. Send the orange envelope to The Hague or deliver it in person or via mail to a Dutch embassy/consulate. ⏲ 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭: 6. Send your letter in advance to ensure it arrives by 15h CET, June 6th. 7. Elections are on June 6th 8. Support is available via phone or email. Curious to see the impact of this #UX and service design this year. Have you had confusion voting at elections or referendums before? Share where the difficulties stemmed from.

As a UX researcher I have lately touch-based with marketing to help them understand our audience. I learnt that marketers often struggle to identify and utilize the most effective content types and channels to engage diverse audiences and drive meaningful interactions. HubSport and Glimpse published a report on consumer trends in the USA in 2024. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐲𝐩𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐝𝐨 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐞? · 𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐃𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞: Visual content, such as images and infographics, is favored by 52% of consumers, particularly among Gen Z (53%) and Baby Boomers (58%), making it essential for impactful social media strategies. · 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭-𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐕𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐨 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐥: Short-form videos resonate with 45% of consumers, with the highest engagement from Gen Z (55%), Millennials (52%), and Gen X (52%). Relatable, informal videos outperform polished, sales-focused content. · 𝐋𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭: Live videos attract 35% of consumers, especially Millennials (40%) and Gen X (36%), offering real-time interaction and trust-building opportunities through Q&A sessions and product demonstrations. · 𝐍𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐋𝐨𝐧𝐠-𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐕𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐨𝐬: Although less popular (24%), long-form videos hold value for Millennials (39%) by providing in-depth information and fostering deeper connections through interviews, how-to guides, and storytelling. · 𝐓𝐞𝐱𝐭-𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐔𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲: Text-based content on platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and Reddit is preferred by 18% of consumers, enabling brands to engage in meaningful conversations and trend-driven marketing. · 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞: Email newsletters are appreciated by 17% of consumers, especially Baby Boomers (27%), serving as a reliable medium for regular updates and in-depth market analysis. · 𝐒𝐄𝐎 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐯𝐢𝐚 𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐬: Despite only 14% preference, blogs are crucial for SEO and establishing thought leadership, with Gen X (20%) engaging the most. Unique, EEAT-compliant content enhances search visibility and authority. Share your experiences and tips on creating effective content for your audience. Which channels are more effective in your industry? #MarketingTrends2024 #ContentStrategy #UXResearch (c) image HubSpot

Even with the buttons, labels and signals representing the affordance and visual feedback, the user experience for my 85+ granny and dad, who both have cognitive and motor limitations, isn't great. My granny will sometimes cry in desparstion and blame herself she is stupid while it's the system that doesn't providr understandable feedback for the user to recover from errors. I even tried to label the most used programs in Bulgarian, because they don't understand English, to make the washing machine more usable. It's just another example of how testing with aging population is of great importance for UX. #UX #washingmachine

Last year I tested the usability of light vs dark mode for a platform. My discoveries were similar to what Stephanie shares. Glad to see her scientific deep dive. In my research with majority being senior citizens, I found that: 𝐍𝐞𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐝: User preference for light or dark mode varies based on individual needs and contexts. 𝐌𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐞: 𝐑𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐄𝐲𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧:  Many users find dark mode easier on the eyes, especially in low-light environments or in the case of head injury. 𝐁𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐄𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲: On OLED screens, dark mode can extend battery life. 𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭: Dark mode can reduce glare and blue light exposure, but as Stephanie mentioned beware of some health conditions. 𝐌𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐋𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐞: 𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲: Light mode often makes text and content more readable in bright environments. 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐕𝐢𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐲: Colors appear more vibrant, aiding in the clarity of images and graphics. 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐭: Some users noted that thumbnails and smaller elements can blend into the dark background, suggesting a need for improved contrast in dark mode. 𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬: 𝐔𝐬𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞:Offering both modes allows users to choose what best suits their eyes and usage patterns. 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐔𝐬𝐞: Consider the lighting conditions, users'health issues and typical use cases of your target audience. 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲: Ensure that both modes meet accessibility standards, providing sufficient contrast and readability. #UX #DarkMode #accessibility