How to specify your components so that your team can implement them with ease.
Overview
As modern designers, we have a responsibility to design components that not only look good and behave correctly, but that our teams, devs specifically, can implement with relative ease.
Listen, you don’t want your devs to have to mess with styling, spacing, placement or interaction states more than absolutely necessary.
When you deliver styled, completely specified, flexible components to your devs as part of your design system/pattern library, they’re going to love you for it, and you will more than likely save your team a boatload…
The creeping, dangerous problem with Figma variants that most designers don’t know about.
Overview
Variants in Figma are an absolute game-changer, and can save you a ton of time when designing across multiple platforms, formats, and use-cases.
The trouble is that Figma variants have a few fatal flaws that can cause serious issues for you and your team later down the line if you don’t know how to properly address them.
Today, we’re going to go over:
- What variants in Figma are
- How variants work
- The trouble you can get into with variants, and
- How to get yourself out of/work around…
How to setup responsive layout grids for virtually any project.
Overview
For designers, the grid serves as a foundational tool for essentially every project we touch.
The problem is, things have gotten a lot more complicated since the days of strictly print design, and with the advent of the modern web, cross-platform, responsive, multi-device experiences are now the standard.
To that end, today we will be going over:
- What grids are and what they’re for.
- The types of modern digital layout grids, and their differences.
- How to setup a basic 4pt grid with vertical baselines.
- How to align content to your…
The three golden principles of UX design that will help you take your practice to the next level.
Overview
As UX professionals, we have to contend with a deluge of responsibilities on an essentially daily basis.
To that end, here are three practical, actionable, and battle-tested principles that you can apply to your practices to get better results.
#1. You are NOT your user
Stop assuming that you are, and stop assuming that you know what they want.
This is the number one mistake of most design teams and it will absolutely kill a product before it ever sees the light of day.
Other things that aren’t…
How to quickly and easily create flow diagrams using Tiles.
Overview
For designers, flow diagramming can be almost a daily occurrence.
Many times you have to put together a flow diagram quickly that is simple, and communicates your project’s needs in a way that is easy to follow.
Today, I am going to show you how to use a Figma library that I created which will help you do just that.
What Tiles contains
Tiles was designed for the UX practitioner in mind. You need to get flow diagrams generated quickly, efficiently, and without a whole lot of fuss.
To that end, Tiles comes…
How to hijack your PC’s external monitors to change their brightness quickly and easily.
Overview
We’re designers, we stare at screens all day. The last thing you want is to get yourself a migraine, or to strain your eyes.
Today, I’m going to show you how to adjust the brightness on your PC’s external monitors, independently, without having to touch a single button.
Let’s get to it.
Monitor Control
- The very first thing you’re going to want to do is download and install the Monitorian app from the Windows store, you can get it right here.
Why I am a firm believer in using Bootstrap as a boilerplate style & pattern library for your next project.
Overview
Imagine this: you JUST finished your UX work and you’re ready to move into hi-fi mocks and prototypes.
There’s just one problem: how do you know that what you’re making will be reproducible, translate to code well, and be easy to work with on the developer side?
Today I’m going to make a case for why I believe Bootstrap is a great choice for a boilerplate style and pattern library for your team’s next project.
What is Bootstrap?
Crucially, Bootstrap is just a…
How to get through any design book you need to read in days, not months.
Overview
Let’s face it: as designers, our industry changes constantly.
To fully grasp the entire scope of the UI/UX field, while staying relevant and competitive, we are called to study as much as possible.
Today, I’m going to share with you a dirty hack that I’ve developed which can cut your study time with books (and possibly video courses too, weirdly) by well over half, while increasing your information retention, and giving you actionable items that you can incorporate into your daily practices.
How to read books fast
Yeah, every book…
These three books will help you take your UX game to the next level.
Overview
In a world full of nearly infinite content, how do you know what to spend your time on? What do you learn, and how can it help you grow as a designer?
After over a decade in the design industry, I can tell you beyond the shadow of a doubt that the following three books may just be, legitimately, the most hard-hitting, impactful, and game-changing books that I have ever read.
This is not a sales pitch, take it with a grain of salt, and I…
How to take advantage of a psychological phenomenon that will keep your users coming back, every time.
Overview
It’s no secret; as UI/UX designers, we have to help craft products that keep our users coming back.
Today, I’m going to share with you a simple, but effect tool that you can use to engage with your users, and increase their desire to come back to your product, even if they’ve been away for a while.
The Casino Effect
This particular phenomenon is a combination of several psychological effects that can occur in tandem within the human brain, but most notably occur within the setting…
