UI/UX Articles And Interesting Tidbits Of The Week
May//15//2020
Here are some interesting finds on UI/UX of the week!
1.
Ways Design Systems Can Fail. A topic always worth revisiting and highlighting is of course Design Systems. This is a tool that essentially allows and empowers Organizations to be limber, consistent, seamless, orchestrated, collaborative, optimized in their efforts, and fuel their innovation stance. The perils and the fallacies of not understanding the power of Design Systems are illustrated in this article, which includes devoting attention to aspects such as sporadic investment, lack of efficiency in communication, overly complex systems and inflexibility, to name but a few. Highlight of the article includes:
“A design system is a product of a company and, as such, needs to be supported and nurtured at all levels. When this doesn’t happen, the impact of a design system starts to fail. This is an issue that is compounded by a lack of investment in it. At the heart of lack of support is lack of understanding as to what a design system is and why’s it is needed. Potential users need to understand why it is being implemented. Key to this is for everyone from the top-down and the bottom up to understand the benefits it will bring so that this can be communicated. Will a design system, for example, better position the company within its sector? Will it drive growth and open up new markets? In everyday working, what will it provide and, most importantly, how do users access it? How are they part of its development and maintenance?”
2.
Design in Times of Crisis. Not a typical selection for this newsletter, this is nonetheless a highly topical and relevant article, in the sense that it further potentiates and demonstrates what lies with effective Design. It’s imperative that as Government and State Officials communicate with citizens, they do so in a way that is accessible and clearly understandable to all audiences and across all demographics. Design as a discipline, and their professionals in particular, have an opportunity to clearly define the problem and identify opportunities to provide valuable information in a compelling manner. Worth reading and reflecting upon. Highlight of the article includes:
“The campaign is based around “four key behaviours” which align with a slogan: Keep Your Distance (maintain physical distance), Wash Your Hands and Clean Your Desk (improving hygiene practices), Making Meetings Virtual (reducing interactions) and Say If it’s Not Okay (encouraging staff to speak up/report). These are based on the idea of protecting employees’ colleagues, as each poster begins with the message: Your Colleagues Need You To. They are available as digital assets or to print, and the posters are available to edit for specific organisations. Each design is customisable for specific workplaces. “Bold” typography, and two colour palettes — yellow and blue — have been chosen for “straightforward” messaging.”
3.
Accessibility. Another topic I devote attention to, and one always worth revisiting: accessibility. This article hailing from the Adobe Blog, courtesy of author Andi Galpern, is a compendium about accessibility standards. It includes highlights on topics such as keyboard accessibility, color contrasting, hierarchy with typography and tags (though it is somewhat light on clear forms, white spacing, descriptive code, supportive text, orientation cues). The author also lists quite a few online resources worth going through in order to gain further context and insight. Well worth a read. Highlight of the article includes:
“Assistive technologies help people who have trouble seeing, hearing, reading, writing, and those with physical disabilities consume the same content. In the digital world, assistive technologies include voice recognition software, screen readers, screen enlargement applications, and text-to-speech applications. In order to create an equal user experience, seek out people who regularly use screen readers and assistive technologies. It’s not enough to learn how to use a screen reader on your own. Like all great design, it’s important to do research, create a prototype, and test with a person who would actually use your product.”
