September 2018’s UI & UX Roundup
‘Roundup’ is the collection of things stuff we’ve either been reading, discussing or working on during the month at Avenue. Our focus is on UI & UX, but we also occasionally delve into anything else that’s interesting within the world of design & digital, such as design methods, which makes a few appearances in this month’s roundup.
Here’s September 2018’s collection…
Empowering architects
We’ve been working closely with one of the world’s best architectural cladding firms, Sculptform, redeveloping their website. UX workshops, wireframes, extensive UI design and development later, we’re excited about a site that highlights the creative inspiration their products allow architects, combined with deep technical and design information.
Your fingerprints are all over the screens you design
Fabricio Teixeira, Founder of UX Collective, has written this thought-provoking article from the UX Collective Medium blog where he reminds designers of digital experiences that their decisions have lasting impact, and leave a legacy they need to be mindful of.
Immersive Design: the next 10 years of interfaces
Fascinating article from Gabriel Valdivia, a Cuban product designer based in New York, who specialises in VR and entering technologies. In this article Gabriel discusses the concept of ‘Immersive Design’, where interfaces will move beyond devices and place content in the world itself.
Designing illustrations for small screens
This is a fantastic article from Meg Robichaud, a Canadian illustrator who presently works at Lyft as a product designer and illustrator. From her Medium blog Meg outlines key tips on illustrating for use on mobile screens.
The ultimate guide to proper use of animation in UX
For every UI & UX designer, this is pure gold. Taras Skytskyi has written an article where key rules concerning the animation of interfaces are clearly and practically described.
Focus groups suck
Focus groups have for ages been seen as a perfect model for user research. But does this methodology actually work? Nikki Anderson, a qualitative user experience researcher, outlines why she hates focus groups, and proposes “Unfocused groups”, where a broader range of opinions and feedback can be achieved.
Let’s put a bunch of people in a room, they said. It will be fun, they said…
Avoiding an obsession with design methods
We read a lot from Fabricio Teixeira this month. Here’s another great article where he outlines how despite design methods having great ability to assist the design process, far too often designers obsess about them, and in doing so forget that problems can be solved without having to follow the latest patented, jargon riddled methodology.
Designing for international audiences
Niamh Parsley, a UX Designer at Audible.com, explains that paying attention to details of culture differences is key when designing for international audiences. Using her own professional experiences, she outlines how designers need to challenge their own cultural biases and ensure their work is accessible beyond personal cultural bounds. A good read.
How Instagram Rose Into a Cultural Powerhouse
The New York Times explain how Instagram’s co-founders, Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, both who recently resigned from their posts 5 years after the Facebook acquisition, presided over a company that boomed with help from technological advances and societal changes.
Inspiration from the Grid
Our favourite creative post from Inspiration Grid in September is the stunning illustration work of Oriol Massaguer, a Spanish artist and illustrator, whose work is focused on advertising, editorial, art, fashion and characterized by colors, volumetric soft shapes and plasticine.
