UX Design

Trends / 27 Sep 2021

Design Trend: Voice UX – Are You Designing for It?

Voice interfaces and user experiences are a trending topic in the world of website design because user behavior is demanding it.

Just think of how often you ask Alexa, Google, or Siri for help on any given day. Think about the push for more accessibly designed websites that work more effectively with devices such as screen readers. Then think about whether these things are coming into play during the design and development process.

They should be.

It is more important than ever to integrate voice UX into your design process.

UX Design / 2 Sep 2021

Everything You Need to Know About Design Tokens

Design tokens are a way to easily identify and understand the elements in a design system. As more designers and companies adopt use of design tokens, their value will continue to grow.

The key to design tokens is that they facilitate cross-disciplinary collaboration. More people on a team can understand and use design values without specificity, but with accuracy. They’ve already been adopted by design giants such as Adobe.

Here’s everything you need to know about design tokens.

UX Design / 12 Jul 2021

Responsive vs. Adaptive Design: Everything You Need to Know

It’s a no-brainer for most website designers that your finished product needs to look and work on every type and size of device. Gone are the days of creating multiple designs to accomplish the same goal.

It all comes down to choosing a responsive or adaptive design model to achieve a consistent website design at any size.

But what’s the difference between responsive and adaptive? Are they really just the same thing? Let’s take a look and explain everything you need to know.

Graphics / 24 Jun 2021

An Introduction to Custom Cursors in Web Design: Tips, Ideas + Tutorials

One of the biggest trends in web design these days is custom cursors. At first glance, a custom website cursor may look like just another stylistic element. But there’s much more to this design concept.

When viewing a website from a desktop device, the cursor is the main component that bridges the gap between the user and the website. If you’re creative enough, you can actually use this cursor to your advantage to boost website interaction and engagement rates like never before.

In this guide, we take a closer look at what custom cursors are all about, why you should use them, and offer you a few tutorials for designing your own custom cursors.

Let’s get started.

Accessibility / 24 May 2021

8 Ways to Design Clever Error Messages

Question: What happens when someone gets lost on your website or when someone stumbles upon a bad link or missing content?

Answer: They get to see your 404 page.

Now here’s the real question: Is that 404 page a well-designed Easter egg that will help users on their journey or did you forget to add design or informational elements?

Clever error messages and 404 pages are a website design art form. Some designers sneak these little nuggets in, to surprise and delight users. One thing is common, good error microcopy and design can actually help users connect with the content when they might otherwise bounce, making it important to use this element to your advantage.

UX Design / 18 May 2021

What Is Rapid Prototyping & Why Use It? (+ 5 Best Tools)

Rapid prototyping is one of the most important segments of the product development process. It’s what ultimately decides how your product will perform and how it will be received by the end-user.

Whether you’re working on a mobile app or website design, rapid prototyping should be part of your project. It will help you avoid catastrophic product launches as well as avoid the embarrassment of delivering a broken design to your clients.

In this guide, we take a quick look at what rapid prototyping is all about and how it can be beneficial for your projects. We’ll also suggest a few great rapid prototyping tools for you to use.

UX Design / 17 May 2021

7 Elements of a Highly Usable Landing Page

A highly usable landing page design is one that compels visitors to act in some way.

Sounds pretty simple, right?

Many websites include multiple landing pages for different audiences with different conversion goals. Here are seven elements that almost every successful landing page includes.

Just for fun, we are using examples of landing pages from different music streaming services for you to compare.

UX Design / 22 Apr 2021

7 Ways to Use Emotion in Web & Graphic Design Projects

The first impression a user has of your design can make or break their experience and determine if they continue interactions. According to WebFX data, 94% of first impressions relate to the design, making the visual and emotional connection you create of utmost importance.

Further, 75 percent of your business, brand, and website credibility comes from the design. And it all connects to the emotional response from a user. The visuals tell them what to think and feel to establish a relationship with you, making it vital to use emotion well in your website and graphic design projects.

Here’s a primer on how to do it successfully.

UX Design / 20 Apr 2021

The First Fold: A Story About Tact

The battle for user attention happens in the first fold of a website. It’s no secret anymore – user attention is getting shorter and flakier.

What was a 20-minute video earlier has become a 6 second Tik Tok today. Content is getting shorter, snappier and there is so much more content out there to fight for our time. Making the choice to where to spend our time is getting increasingly challenging, and more often than not – we choose the path of least resistance.

As a result of this, content on the internet is using all their might to make sure their resources are as easily digestible as possible.

Accessibility / 6 Apr 2021

Love, Hate & Pop-Ups: How to Use Them Well

The first response you’ll hear from others about using pop-ups on your website is a long sigh.

Many people discount the idea before it really gets off the ground, but when done well, pop-ups are a valuable conversion tool for websites. (Note the phrase “when done well.”)

They get a bad reputation because so many people use them poorly or implement pop-ups with dark patterns that trick and annoy users.

A good pop-up is actually helpful and helps users on their website journey. Let’s dive in and learn how you can still use these well.

UX Design / 1 Apr 2021

10+ UX Design Courses, Tutorials & Tips for Web Designers

As a web designer, it’s your job to design websites that users can explore without getting lost or frustrated. To accomplish this goal, you need to understand how users behave and design systems that offer the best experience.

That’s why you should learn about User Experience Design (UXD). In fact, we believe everyone should have at least a basic understanding of user experience design. Because it’s all around us and it’s part of our lives.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a web designer, graphic designer, or someone working on a PowerPoint presentation, you should learn about UX design. Our handpicked collection of UXD courses and free tutorials will help you get started.

UX Design / 18 Feb 2021

SEO for UX Designers: Ideas to Incorporate Into Every Project

Almost everyone you talk to is interested in search engine optimization. And for good reason: You want as many people to see your website as possible and find it in relevant search results.

But did you know that user experience can be one of the most important factors that contribute to SEO and overall search rank? So, you have to start thinking about it at the design and development level or you’ll never get ahead of the SEO game.

Here, we’ve got a few ideas that UX designers can incorporate into every project to help boost search.