While we are all excited abt the new year, I want 2 quickly remind us.
We do user research in other 2 discover people's real needs, make informed decisions abt our products & build usable, useful & desirable experiences.
Let's do more of research in 2021.
Happy New Year 🍾
Spoke with many friends recently, designers and engineers, all people who've been doing it for 20 years or more and had a lot of success doing it.
And they all say the same thing. The AI stuff is genuinely useful right now. It's fast and things that used to take a week take an afternoon. Things you never even attempted because there was no time, now you can just do them. It's the biggest enabler ever.
But in the same breath, every single one also says that it's the least fun they've ever had in their entire career. They also mention it makes no sense to do it the old way. They're all in.
It's a strange paradox which I feel myself. Everything is possible now and I've never cared less about any of it. Both things true at once.
Not sure if thats just the feeling of the current moment, or if I just talked to people who're tired of the computer (since all of them been doing it for a long time).
✲ Design Tasks ✲
Collection of real design take-home assignments I completed while interviewing for senior, staff, and founding product designer roles.
This resource gives you a closer look into my process as an experienced designer — from understanding the problem space to shaping the final outcome.
A lot of people sit around waiting for inspiration before they start creating, then blame “creative block” when nothing happens.
But most of the time, clarity comes through the act of making.
Iterating. Playing. Exploring bad ideas. Pushing things that don’t feel right yet.
That’s usually where the breakthrough is hiding.
If you hit a wall, go design something completely unrelated to the brief. Something fun. No pressure, no expectations.
You’ll be surprised how quickly it unlocks your brain again.
This is really neat but it’s not a design tool as much as it’s a design _production_ tool.
The practice of design is mostly about what comes before production.
There’s no doubt in my mind that all parts of software production will become automated very soon. Writing code, making web pages, putting pieces of a design system together etc.
And that’s fine. I think few people actually enjoy this kind of production work. Wouldn’t it be better if we spent our precious time in life on what is more meaningful?!
At the core, the practice of design is methodical; like architecture, not like art. In a nutshell: We find constraints, form comprehension of the whole and propose solutions that honor those constraints. First after that do we enter some form of production phase, usually prototypes first, learn about some constraints that were hidden before, loop back, prototype and then build the production-grade “final” artifact.
These last few tasks are quickly losing value because AI tools can do it much faster (not yet better though) than humans. It’s simply just what has the best RoI for a business.
Some companies and individuals will continue to spend human time on certain parts of the “production line” as a market differentiator, but it will cost them a relatively high price compared to competitors.
Anyhow, I still haven’t seen a tool better than Figma that supports the actually-interesting part of the design process.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Figma focused their products on that, maybe separating “products for production” of “products for ideation & exploration.” The latter would obviously still leverage AI, but not to do the work for me but rather to support my efforts the way a therapist helps me live a better life (not living my life for me.)
“Working visually keeps me close to the problem and is slow enough gives me time to think while I work. Moving things around, testing relationships, and refining structure is not separate from the thinking. It is part of how clarity emerges.”
Couldn’t have said it better.
I'm overdosed by AI.
I'm tired of keeping up with every new tool that comes out on a seemingly daily basis.
The information overload is crazy, the legitimacy of the content you see daily is already questionable, the entry bar is lowest it's ever been and it's only going to get worse.
Most things I see these days are the copies of a copy of another copy. Lifeless, sloppy, low quality work that does not spark interest or emotion. It's just dull.
I acknowledge the insane value and potential that AI brings to the table. I myself use AI in my work and outside of my work as well, as an accompanying tool. It's another means to make work more efficient. Just like we went from analogue to digital, from Photoshop to Sketch, Sketch to Figma, etc. AI is just another new step we are taking.
But like with any tool, it must not define the craftsman. I want to see more people use their head genuinely, innovatively, creatively and bring what they've got to show to the table instead of relying on machines to do everything for them.
I take the whole week off. More if I’m travelling.
I buy myself an 8inch cake at the minimum. I take myself shopping. I buy myself presents. I make my home extra nice. I stay in bed more than I usually do. I spend more time training than I usually do. I do whatever I want.
Most useful take on taste and AI that I’ve heard in a while. The quality of your prompts are dictated by the quality of your artistic vocabulary. If you’re not scouring material or untangling references and inspiration, you won’t have the sample range.
Bravo @DanielSWall@diplo
Jason Fried and David (DHH) (37Signal) are the closest to Steve Jobs for me.
They have built and still building. They have strong philosophies that they live by and you can see that in how they move.
I keep thinking I miss having someone like Steve Jobs in the industry.
He had some standards. He cared about quality, coherence, and making great products. He could be ruthless and he had plenty of flaws, but it still felt like he and Apple were trying to make something genuinely great above all else. They had their opinions and you could respect that. They didn't try to force you, but make their case why they think it's good.
Now tech feels driven by trend chasing, fear, scale, revenue comparisons, endless games and everyone talks their book. Investors come first, business goals next, and users last if not at all.
I wish there would still someone like Steve still around
vibe coded a fun little project this weekend: a bookshelf with some ambiance. In night mode, I give you a lil' flashlight 🔦
🔊 sound on
h/t @axayagrawal for the inspo!
My friend is hiring a Social media/content strategist.
Remote, full time with flexible hours.
If you’re interested or know someone who might be, send a dm to @PraizUx
Job details 👇🏽
https://t.co/MCyfUcNl1Y
“Designers and Companies used to care more back in the day. Many of them acted as moral agents. They told people "Look, I understand you don't care, but if I show you a better way, you may start to care".”👌
I too believe that as a maker, the moral responsibility is to make good
Send money home for the things that matter.
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