Top 5 Curated Articles of 2018 from Microsoft Design
A collection of our most read and most loved articles of the year
Since 2016 we’ve had the privilege to share stories with you from many Microsoft teams and contributors. This year, we announced a design refresh for Microsoft Azure, explored how the Microsoft Outlook team maximizes productivity with GitHub, and most recently examined the Microsoft Office 365 icon update. Now, as 2018 ends, we’re looking back at some memorable medium articles. In no particular order, we’ve highlighted some popular audience favorites and a few staff picks. If your top choice didn’t make the list, please share it with us in the comment section! We look forward to looking back at another wonderful year of Microsoft Design with you.
What did we get ourselves into?
In January, Jonathan Foster shared the history of Cortana. From inception to reception, he takes you on a journey through the imaginary universe that Cortana inhabits and sheds light on the intersection between AI and UX. Creating a character that can respond to the full spectrum of human curiosity takes a lot of human ingenuity, but it’s not all kittens and rainbows. Even the comment section of this article is worth a read, as Jonathan continues the discussion of moral considerations for the digital assistant.
Skip User Research Unless You’re Doing It Right — Seriously
The Microsoft Research and Insight team is serious about improving research for everyone. Posted in August, this article about timeless research has even been adapted into a presentation that Matt Duignan gave at an IxDA event in Seattle. In addition to arguing for better research practices, the team champions the importance of organizing the information your team already has and curating your research efforts to build on what you already know.
Kill Your Personas
In one of our most-read articles of the year, Inclusive Design champions Margaret Price and Doug Kim pen a strong argument for moving away from the old model of manufactured user personas popular with designers and marketing teams. Instead, they propose a “user spectrum” to capture the full range of human needs. Inclusive Design takes many forms, and this is one step towards evolving practices to meet the complete demands of our modern society.
5 Steps for Building a Great UX Writing Portfolio
UX writing is a bit of a buzzword these days, and many people from different educational disciplines and professional experiences are looking to make their writing skills work in a new career focused on UX. Sara Schlagel, a UX writer at Microsoft, shares a step-by-step guide to crafting a memorable and professional UX writing portfolio. With easy and encouraging steps, this article is a great read for aspiring UX writers and those who work with them.
DIY: A Web Version of the Fluent Design System’s Acrylic Material
Design wizards, gather ‘round! Let Joe Day tell you the secrets of faking the Acrylic Material effect of Fluent Design on websites across browsers and operating systems. With a touch of humor and plenty of detailed instructions, this article is a must-read for anyone looking to expand their CSS repertoire and make beautiful Fluent-inspired websites.
We hope you liked these articles, too. With so many to choose from it was hard to narrow it down to just five, so share your top design story from 2018 in the comments — then browse the conversation for more reader favorites. See you next year!
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