UI/UX Articles and Interesting Tidbits of the Week
November//3//2023
Here are some interesting finds on UI/UX of the week!
1.
Adobe’s Accessibility Principles. Hailing from the Adobe Blog, this article on their Accessibility Principles is worth highlighting, since it showcases their focus on the subject, but also how that actually trickles into their product strategies and ultimately in the empowerment of creatives (Designers, Artists, and so on). While Jace Johnson’s article is slight in terms of content, it nonetheless demonstrates through the principles that are enumerated, which includes Partnership, Transparency and Innovation, the thought process that is going into Adobe’s strategy. And while that strategy is of course driven by market share numbers and specific business goals/milestones, Adobe has recognized that the best way to keep evolving throughout the years is by creating a sense of community with Designers, Artists, Brand Strategists (and the roster of roles continues), since they are not only their users, but also these are the professionals who create a wave of awareness that is undeniable in this industry. Hopefully these principles will also trickle to other parts of their business, including Behance (whose curatorial process remains an enigma, the same going for the “Best in Show” showcases) and to all their products (hello Figma). Highlight of the article includes:
“Partnership — We co-create with the community of people with disabilities to enable everyone to fully engage in the art, culture, and commerce of modern life.
Transparency — We are open about Adobe’s accessibility philosophy, goals, and progress. We bring our customers into the journey and work with our community to design and implement technology that respects our customers.
Innovation — We invent new inclusive technologies and collaborate with communities dedicated to digital equity to deliver outstanding experiences.”
2.
Customer Journey Map. An essential artifact to the Product Design Process and Journey, Customer Journey Maps are something that are a staple for any solutioning endeavor that is set in motion. This article from the User Testing blog is a good reminder on what comprises Customer Journey Maps, namely The Actor/The Scenario/The Journey Lifecycle, and what those chapters actually mean and entail. It’s not only a reminder of the importance of this artifact, but also how to effectively create it and use it to shed light on Customers, their habits, desires and ultimately, decisioning mechanism. Worth reading through. Highlight of the article includes:
“If the scenario is what you create, the journey phases are what your customers surface when they interact with your property. The experience of your brand or product will involve many different journeys undertaken by many different people, but you will have to decide which one to focus on for your journey map. You may want to focus on the most common one, in order to smooth over any rough edges. Or you’ll want to explore a more unpopular one, in order to bring it up to speed with the rest of your journeys. The phases within these journeys will help you paint a comprehensive view of the entire customer lifecycle.”
3.
Employer Ghosting. Ghosting is something any Designer in the workforce has probably, more than likely, experienced. In all the years I’ve been working in the field, the volume of ghosting experiences I’ve had throughout the years is considerable. And also perplexing. It’s inexcusable to make candidates jump through hoops and loops, and in the case of Designers that includes the requirement for Design tests to be performed (which is another reason I always recommend for people to not do them for free, or simply not do them at all), only for the ghosting to quickly follow. This article from Glassdoor’s Research Blog showcases data which paints the picture of how ghosting has continued to be a strategy on hiring journeys. Worth reading through. Highlight of the article includes:
“Stopping all communication with a candidate with no explanation is obviously poor form, so it’s not surprising that 87 percent of interview reviews mentioning ghosting report an overall negative experience with prospective employers. With this type of behavior on the rise, we dug into the data to look at how it’s trending. Does the interview source play a role? Ghosting is mentioned in 5.4 percent of interview reviews where the candidate obtained an interview opportunity through a recruiter — making them 1.4 times more likely to be ghosted than candidates who simply applied online (3.8 percent of those reviews mention ghosting). That means candidates who received direct comms from a recruiter are more likely to complain about ghosting than those who applied blindly, perhaps because they feel even more disappointed or disrespected to be ghosted. What about candidates with a referral? They’re less likely to be ghosted, but ghosting is still mentioned in 2.2 percent of referral-based interview reviews.”
