How can we access UI components and instances thematically as designers? — The concept of the ‘design system’ Let’s first look at the meaning of each word: de·sign /dəˈzīn/ = a plan or drawing produced to show the look and function a product before it is constructed. sys·tem /ˈsistəm/ = a set of things working together as parts of a mechanism (ie, drawing/design) and its interconnecting network. In…

Expand into skills you’ve only dreamed of before — Often, at the beginning of a new year, I like to conceptualize new guiding principles, in one or two words, that will anchor me in my dreams and goals for the next 12 months. As visual, UX, motion, and code designers, we know that design is ever-expanding. With new cloud-based…

Discovering common themes and topics in these 5 best performing UX articles — On overview In 2022, thus far, I wrote 52 stories, roughly 1 per week, mostly about UX, design, animation, CSS, and art. Out of the 52 articles, 5 stories received more than 1K views and a good number of claps, the #1 story received more than 3K views and a nice number…

5 insights to make this powerful tool easy to use — The concept of affinity mapping ‘Affinity’ describes the overarching idea to link topics, themes, or concerns that have a likeness or similarity to each other. ‘Mapping’ means the analysis of all items linked through affinity to recognize patterns, themes and trends. Probably every UX designer has been asked to show an affinity map as part…

Keep your sails steady — As captain of your own creative boat, you’ll have to make many macro-decisions before you launch your great adventure across the content-filled ocean. And while on your sea-faring journey, each day will bring varying winds and weather conditions. Numerous creative micro-decisions will need to follow your macro-decisions. Those decisions, macro…

…and how not to fear your presentation content flow — No matter how large or small your team, these methods can render every meeting a success Are you tentative or scared when a meeting with a client or teammate looms on the horizon? Or, do you find yourself unprepared to organize a logical meeting set-up to confidently take the lead? If so, you are not alone. Everyone has moments of doubt when it comes to defining…

Embrace this artistic power tool and start creating ideas — These days, we’re unhealthily focused on being digital zombies. Everything we produce is through a device. We’re creating while being device-dependent. If we actually pause to think about what that means, we realize that in a creative ideation phase, or during initial concepting, our device-centric approach can only take us…

My mid-way review of the 7-month program — Answer upfront: Absolutely yes. (Disclaimer: I have no marketing affiliation with neither Google nor Coursera.) This is my interim review of Google’s UX Design certification course. I’m at the 50% mark after about 3+ months. I’m persevering, staying the course. Why did I sign up in the first place? I’ve…

A deeper look at individual KPIs — How many times have we heard the word KPI and never really grasped what it actually means? I bet at least a few dozen times, if not more. I know I have. In UX design, KPIs are a part of research. Even though we might identify with the creative or…