UI/UX Articles and Interesting Tidbits of the Week
May//31//2024
Here are some interesting finds on UI/UX of the week!
1.
Automating Digital Documentation. Interesting topic from Adobe’s Design Blog and author Heather Whitlock, on the topic of Automation of Documentation in Federal Agencies. This is a brief but altogether insightful article, as it demonstrates the Digital Transformation that is occurring in Government afiliated agencies, the same way it has been occurring (with different levels of timeliness), across industries where paper based exchanges is still a baseline for any activity taking place (legal services for instance). The article focuses on Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Acrobat Sign, and Adobe Document Generation, as some of the solutions Adobe is providing to empower these journeys. Worth reading through. Highlight of the article includes:
“A growing area of innovation in Adobe Document Cloud is Adobe Acrobat Services, a suite of APIs designed to help organizations build new document solutions that can integrate with existing technology infrastructures. These plug-and-play, document-centric APIs can readily connect to government systems of record, like federal grants systems. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has been a leader in the federal grants management space, with $25 billion invested in various aviation programs through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The FAA has also invested in improving the grant process by leveraging Adobe Acrobat for PDF editing, Adobe Acrobat Sign for electronic signatures, and Adobe Document Generation API to automate grant document creation from templates.”
2.
The Generalist Revolution. Great article from the Dovetail blog, and author John Garvie, who is Uber’s Senior Design Manager, focusing on the evolution of specialists towards resourceful generalists. While I personally believe some of these observations and the trend the author is expressing, isn’t something particularly new, in all fairness the concept of Product Design Professionals who are generalists has been around for a while, the same going for other categories of professionals in the Software industry, the article does offer some well pointed views on how Human Centered Design, AI and Product Centric philosophies will alter how Software is shaped and released. Worth reading through and reflecting upon. Highlight of the article includes:
“The pace at which new research and insights tools are coming to the market has significantly increased. These tools are getting more powerful and easier to use, allowing any user to self-service more easily and get quicker and deeper levels of analysis and synthesis without experts. What’s more, AI is now supercharging these tools. In addition to off-the-shelf ones we’re familiar with, companies are building their own AI-powered insights tools which can provide even more capability to any role. This means a subset of questions that would have previously required an insights professional to answer can now be answered by anyone inside the product organization, radically empowering novices.”
3.
Fisker’s Case Study. This article from Sean O’Kane focuses on the narrative surrounding EV manufacturer Fisker. While not a typical highlight of this newsletter, it’s fascinating to read through the challenges this company has faced, from a multitude of perspectives, which has ultimately impacted this business and has resulted in hardships for many of its employees (who have been laid off) and clients (who have consumed products with various issues). Worth reading through. Highlight of the article includes:
“Taking Fisker’s first and only model, the Ocean SUV, from the sketchbook to the assembly line was no small feat. One look at the wreckage left by other EV startups that tried to recreate Tesla’s success illustrates how difficult it can be. The road to Fisker’s ultimate ruin may start and end with its flawed Ocean SUV, which has been riddled with mechanical and software problems. But it was paved with hubris, power struggles, and the repeated failure to set up basic processes that are foundational for any automaker.”
