UI/UX Articles and Interesting Tidbits of the Week
December//31//2021
Here are some interesting finds on UI/UX of the week!
1.
Design Trends for 2022. I typically stay away from listing articles focused on trends, mostly because trends as the designation indicates itself, are somewhat fleeting and most of the times, these articles seem to repeat the same trend from year to year (and how these trends are identified and quantified is always suspiciously vague). This article from the Invision Design blog, while rather very succinct (almost exceedingly so), substantiates their findings in the research that Invision did with Designers during 2021. It mostly focuses on the shifts that are occurring in the workplace, the job market dynamics, among a few other trends. Highlight of the article includes:
“As some design team members left for new jobs, their colleagues spent last year making do — picking up half-complete work and taking time to train their replacements. Project deadlines were delayed, feedback loops left open, and user research completed haphazardly. Every day, designers looked for opportunities to reconnect with their craft — but there simply wasn’t enough time. 2022 brings a formal return to creativity as design teams iterate on their workflows. From remote exercises like icebreakers to put the human back in human-centered design, to creating a space where design work can be shared whenever the mood strikes (and feedback shared whenever a colleague has a spare moment), designers will creatively accommodate both the art and science of design in a way that hasn’t been possible in recent history.”
2.
Gender Inclusivity in Design. Very pertinent article hailing from the Marvel Design Blog, focused on the topic of Gender Inclusivity, and how that percolates across different aspects of Product Design. As the world also becomes more educated on what gender truly spans, that has implications on how product narratives, language and specific elements of those experiences are crafted. This article sheds light on these topics ultimately advocating for a gender inclusive language for product solutions going forward. Highlight of the article includes:
“Inclusive design is simply designing a product/service that is equally as accessible, engaging and effective for as many different users as possible. When we define this around gender, it’s ensuring the same for all who may be outside of the socially constructed binary gender markers (male/female). The best way to ensure any design is gender inclusive, is to include the awareness within the design process itself.”
3.
Design Audits, Systems and Building a Foundational Design Language. Finally and since this is the last newsletter of 2021, I’m listing one of the articles I wrote that has resonated with readers, but that also remains an important topic when it comes to Product Design and Consistency in Product Offerings. Design Systems, which is really the manifestation of a Design Language that is crafted within an organization, is an initiative of tremendous importance, since it ultimately defines the way everyone communicates, and builds solutions, independently of their level of complexity. Highlight of the article includes:
“A Design System obviously can’t exist without the context of the Brand that is associated with. The Brand is where it all starts, since that’s essentially the story an Organization is crafting, with the language that underlies it being the operational component which allows for the brand narrative to be consistently communicated. These days, in order to craft a useful and usable Design System, many Designers and Strategists have been pouring and have been inspired by the work of author Brad Frost, who coined the terminology “Atomic Design”. According to this author, a Design System should contain Atoms, Molecules, Organisms, Templates and Pages.”
