In user experience design, if you want to go beyond visuals and move to the next level, a critical concept you’ll need to know is the user mental model, because it can help you create smooth interactions.
Continue readingChallenge Limiting Beliefs: How I Created 100 Illustrations
I recently posted my 100th illustration on Instagram. 100 — a number I never thought would be possible. It took me two years to reach this milestone. Through this journey, my illustration skill improved quite a bit, and I created many pieces I liked, but more importantly, I learned to challenge my limiting beliefs, and practiced self-compassion.
I Tried usertesting.com, and It Was a Breeze
Two weeks ago, I tried usertesting.com for the first time because I needed to conduct a usability test. It was a tool recommended by a coworker, and I found it really helpful. If you’re a UX researcher or designer out there who need to conduct interviews or user studies, give it a try and you could be happily surprised.
Continue readingWhy Certain Graphic Design Techniques Won’t Work in UI Design
A large part of UI design is graphic design. Many of the techniques in graphic design, such as the use of a grid, the CRAP principles (contrast, repetition, alignment, and proximity), and color theory etc, are transferrable and can be applied to UI design as well. However, there are certain techniques that don’t work quite as well. I didn’t realize this until recently. Those techniques fell flat when I tried to use them to design the UI of a feature. I reflected on why it backfired and here are the two reasons.
Continue readingWhat Do Designers Really Do?
Design is a vaguely defined term, and people tend to have misconceptions about what designers do. When you tell people you’re a designer, especially those outside of tech, chances are they will think that your job is to sit in front of a monitor, pushing pixels and make things look beautiful.
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