Web design trends have changed rapidly in recent years, with some things disappearing for a while and then making a gradual comeback. That’s the case with gradients. So, what are gradients, and why are they so valuable to designers? One thing is for sure: Gradients are making a comeback, and we can already see this trend on many websites. In this article, Manuela Langella brings you a tutorial on how to create a simple web layout with linear and radial gradients.
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User research should be a core part of every designer’s activity. There are a number of research methods that can help designers to both design new products and, as will often be the case, redesign existing products. In this article, Christopher Murphy will take a closer look at the importance of undertaking user research.
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In an ever-changing discipline, it can be hard to keep abreast of everything as a user experience designer. It’s a challenge! An understanding of core design principles, however, will stand the test of time and serve you well throughout your career. In this article, the second in a series of ten sponsored by Adobe XD, Christopher Murphy provides an overview of universal principles of UX design, ensuring your skillset is built on firm foundations.
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In experience design, friction is the newsletter signup overlay covering the actual content, the difficult wording on a landing page, or the needless optional questions in a checkout flow. It’s usually the opposite of being intuitive or effortless. However, that doesn’t mean that it’s always bad for the users. In this article, Zoltan Kollin will show you when and how friction can be an efficient tool to actually design better experiences.
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Personal reflection enables us to process and make meaning of all of the great (and not so great) learning and working experiences we’ve had. Everyone stands to gain from engaging in some type of reflection. We can also encourage others to grow through personal reflection. In this article, Victor Yocco will cover some of the benefits of personal reflection, as well as methods of reflecting that you can incorporate into your routine.
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Sometimes it’s good to think outside the box. The Mozilla Developer Roadshow gave Markus Seyfferth the opportunity to get up close with developers in Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia and Hong Kong. How do they work? How do they learn? And what are their local communities like? Let’s find out!
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Knowing who your competitors are is pointless unless you do something with that information. Learn how to build your own competitive analysis matrix that organizes your collected information into useful, usable data. In this article, Amanda Short elaborates how you can start improving your mobile app today.
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A grid is like invisible glue that holds a design together. Even when elements are physically separated from each other, something invisible connects them together. Grids help designers to build better products by tying different design elements together to achieve effective hierarchy, alignment and consistency, with little effort. If executed properly, your designs will appear thoughtful and organized. In this article Nick Babich aims to give you a good understanding of grid systems, what they are, and how they can be applied to your design process. Understanding how to use grids will come from practical experience.
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Links make the Internet what it is. A robust visual design is essential to making the user journey joyful. While underlining has its downsides, it remains one of the most explicit ways to indicate the presence of a link. Underlining text makes links both easy to find and easy to understand for visitors. In this article, Nick Babich will explain the concept of underlining and provide a few tips on how to use it to improve the web experience, and help you find out when and why underlines should be used in our digital products.
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Integrating prototyping deeply into your creative process can be transformative. It can make for a more positive, enriching team culture. In this article, Jamie shares his experiences and advice on how prototyping can help you work on a wider variety of projects much faster. He’ll provide some prototypes that he created for a game he made, Melody Jams, which got featured by Apple in 130 countries and was the number one kids app in the store for a brief time.
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