UI/UX Articles and Interesting Tidbits of the Week
March//25//2022
Here are some interesting finds on UI/UX of the week!
1.
Using the Right Data to Make Savvy Decisions. Not a typical highlight of this newsletter, this article is well worth reading through since its author, Sadia Zia, did a fairly thorough process of detailing the experience of utilization of both Miro and Mural, and then provided her opinion on both. These are tools that Product Design has relied upon for quite some time, but also products that got exponentially more relevant since the advent of the pandemic and the proliferation of remote working teams. The author looks at features, integration, multi-platform virtuosity, pricing, before getting to her recommendation. It’s always a good reminder of how far remote collaboration tools have come. Worth reading. Highlight of the article includes:
“The option to embed content on the boards let me have everything in one place when I was working on a project with my team. I could import files, media, and icons to map all this visual information on one board. I could easily embed videos and audios using the iFrame code and was surprised that I could even add spreadsheets, images, documents, presentations, web pages, and links with previews as well (both external and internal links). There was also an option to embed editable Miro boards on websites. Embedding content onto the board was extremely easy. I just had to drag and drop items from the desktop to my Miro board. Another way to upload content on the board is by using the left panel as I have tried to show below.”
2.
Good Design and Good Timing. Another great article from Vitaly Friedman, published courtesy of Smashing Magazine. This time around, the article focuses on the timeliness of certain design decisions, and how certain interactions, features, content, can either potentiate retention, or be a catalyst for product abandonment and client alienation. The article is also a prelude for the Smart Interface Design Patterns online course, which is being taught by Mr. Friedman. While I can’t vouch for the quality of the course, this article is nonetheless worth reading through and reflecting on. Highlight of the article includes:
“Over the years studies showed over and over how reluctant people are to respond positively to any promotional message that disrupts their current workflow. This goes for a modal, a pop-up, a notification and anything in-between. In fact, any interruption of a task at hand is seen as a major distraction that needs to be dealt with urgently. And urgently rarely works in favor of user experience. In the end, it’s all about the right timing. If we want a good response, we need to find the time in a user’s journey when we can almost guarantee that users will appreciate the disruption, and will respond positively. And that means being very thoughtful about the right time and the right places to surface our messages in a humble, respectful way.”
3.
Leading & Managing Polarizing People. Very interesting article from author Eric Pliner and The Fast Company, on the topic of managing people who have been coined with the terminology “brilliant jerks”. The article details the origins of that expression, but it also addresses tactics to work with this type of talent, which can be damaging to the long standing efforts and quality of work from a team. The author identifies tactics such as enrolling leadership champions, abandoning false dichotomies, and examining “leadership signals” to name but a few. Ultimately it bears pointing out, that independently of how brilliant people are, teamwork is the foundational aspect which allows for everyone to equally succeed. Allowing for toxic behavior to be accepted has its cost, one that becomes very visible very quickly. Worth a read. Highlight of the article includes:
“Rather than feeding more attention to the bad-behaving big deliverers, invest time and space in those colleagues at all levels who create psychological safety, role model great performance, and engage in productive, respectful behavior. Once you’ve enrolled others who are philosophically aligned to the ethical context that you wish to create, lean on them; share your expectations of a mutually created, positive dynamic and then give them space to show their exemplary leadership.”
