Conducting high quality, rigorous research is tough, regardless of how seasoned you are, because each research project is completely unique. In addition to actually doing the research itself, aggregating and organizing research notes can be overwhelming. Making sense of research data during synthesis and writing up a research report takes a lot of time. And if you don’t organize research … Read the rest

Balsamiq

Balsamiq Studio has a unique sketching style that is hard to mistake for anything else. If you’re searching for a rapid low-fidelity prototyping tool that you can learn in no time, look no further. The first version of Balsamiq was released in June 2008, and now the tool comes in 3 versions — web, desktop app, and plugin. Balsamiq … Read the rest

Occam’s Razor is a problem-solving principle devised in the 14th Century that states that simplicity is better than complexity. It has many applications, running from detective work to deductive reasoning about the cosmos.

Think of Apple. Steve Jobs’ philosophy embraced Occam’s Razor. His iPad and iPhone, for example, are the proof: one button on the front of a seamless, self-contained … Read the rest

As the world becomes more digitised, ensuring accessibility in software is increasingly important. Accessibility refers to the practice of designing software so that everyone, including disabled people, can access and use them easily and effectively. This involves creating services that are perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust. In this article, we’ll explore what accessibility is, why it matters, and how we … Read the rest

A framework for designer–writer collaboration.

A lot has been written about UX writing (also known as content design). By now, many product teams understand the value of having dedicated UX writers to protect the product narrative. I’m an avid proponent, too.

Something that’s less often defined is what happens after a product team hires their first UX writer.

If … Read the rest

Objective Empathy in Human Centered Design

In nearly every conceptual, practical, or philosophical view of Everyday Empathy, popular culture is correct. Empathy is pretty great. Down the rabbit hole of popular Design theory, Empathy becomes considerably more nuanced.

tl;dr version can be found in the article summary.

Empathy as a Design Attitude

Who is the Human benefiting from the Design … Read the rest

The Best Way to Make Intelligent Decisions (~100 Models Explained)

This guide explores everything you need to know about mental models. By the time you’re done, you’ll think better, make fewer mistakes, and get better results.

On this page, you’ll we’ll cover:

• What Are Mental Models?
• Learning to Think Better
• Building a Latticework of Mental Models
• Mental Models
  • Core Thinking

… Read the rest

An MVP is a product that has just enough features to add business value. Typically you quickly learn from it to improve on subsequent releases or inform business decisions. MVP is also a buzzword and many have tried to constrain its definition. However, when people talk about MVPs, they mean different things. In this post, I describe the 3 types … Read the rest