Rebecca Evans

In a competitive job market, leveling up your skills is crucial. I highly recommend this course at The Designership - it's a great and inexpensive way to enhance your design abilities. No kickbacks involved. Check it out here: https://lnkd.in/eGfV5kXC #Design #SkillDevelopment #CareerGrowth #productdesign

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I'll expect more from you if you tell me you want to make something accessible and §508 conformant. The 508 digital accessibility standards are mirroring WCAG 2.0 AA. That version of WCAG came out in December 2008. In other words, that standard is 16 years old... So I'm going to push for you to, at a minimum, adhere to the latest version of WCAG. That is, WCAG 2.2. By doing that, you'll still conform to §508, but you'll also make things more accessible for your end users. Also, remember, accessibility standards are the starting line, not the target.

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Been there Åsa and usually the information gathering + analysis of the needs is my first step to fully absorb the global status of the interactive pillars maturity. Then it is identifying scalable mental model from ongoing prototypes and identifying product owners so I can understand the context and the outcome. At this point things get smoother but it is always a challenge cycle of production adaptation and team alignment combined. Production roadmap, mvp features and game feature list (GFL) also helps to project the next steps on where we can fully get involved on new features.

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UX Designer’s Perspective on Improving Free Download Manager’s Download Folder Accessibility The Hidden Challenge for Video Editors 🎞 ✂ : Video editors often encounter a recurring issue with free download manager products: changing the download folder location. It may sound trivial, but for those juggling multiple projects, this small inconvenience can add up to a significant disruption. The Workflow Disruption: Professional video editors frequently work on multiple projects simultaneously, requiring the constant download of multimedia assets from platforms like Envato, Google Images, and Freepik. Unfortunately, each time they need to change the download location, they are forced to navigate through the main menu (hamburger menu) > preferences > fixed default download folder > change folder location. This repetitive task disrupts their workflow and consumes valuable time. The Personal Struggle: As a video editor, I’ve found this issue to be a consistent thorn in my side. The need to repeatedly adjust settings not only interrupts my creative flow but also leads to unnecessary frustration. Time that could be spent fine-tuning a project is instead wasted on mundane settings adjustments. Recognizing the impact of this problem, I decided to take the initiative to find a solution. 👇 #UX #UI #Redesign #Free_download_manager

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My top 3 project selection tips for design leaders doing portfolio presentations: 1. Pick projects that have a good mix of what you did directly plus what the team did. Very rarely is anyone looking for a pure people manager while hiring a design leader. Your personal contributions need to stand out in your work. It doesn’t have to be IC work (but if you do that, show it). It could be a doc you wrote, an insight you uncovered, a strategy you formulated etc. Differentiate between what you did yourself, what you directed the team to do, and things the team might have driven independently. Make this distinction clear as you present your portfolio. People want to see you can do smart stuff yourself, can direct a team well, but will also build a high functioning team that does good work. Also, if you would like I can do a separate post in these 3 modes of operation for any design leader. 2. Pick projects based on the role you’re applying for. It doesn’t have to be and most certainly won’t be a 100% match. But for example, if what the team needs is scaling a successful product, pick examples where you enabled scale. This needs to be deeper than “I’m applying for fintech so here’s another fintech project”. Your project selection should show you understand the challenges for the company and have transferrable skills. 3. Pick projects where you can show both macro and micro user insights. Scale the macro according to your seniority and level. For example, if you’re applying for a Director role, you better have projects that show you driving user insights at Director scale (for instance something that drove resourcing decisions). At the same time, the project should also show micro insights appropriate to role. For example, key interaction design flows redone by your team for the goal. Or even things like font/color selection and how that drove impact. Use these guidelines and apply the filter for what fits with your past experience and this new role. If you have the same portfolio presentation for completely different roles, something is off somewhere. You only need to present 2-3 projects in a presentation, pick the most appropriate ones. If this sounds complicated and like a lot of work, it is. Project selection is THE foundation for how your presentation will play out.

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Design Systems folks — when was the last time you shipped something that really felt impactful? Design Systems is in a quandary right now: somehow both a necessary part of building UI, and recognized as "not delivering value." DS teams were heavily impacted by layoffs, and as Noelle Lansford said in her great article recently (link in thread): > The teams I spoke with emphasized that there was a significant deficit between what the design system team advertised and what was delivered. However, perhaps the more concerning point they made was: Even if all of the success criteria was met, when it came to downsizing, the design system appeared redundant at best. Yikes. How can we know design systems are a powerful tool for delivering consistency, velocity, and efficiency, and also know that we’re not delivering on that promise? And forget "impact as business value" for a second — doesn’t it just feel good when someone uses your work and turns to you and says, wow, that made my work so much easier, thank you. The reality for a lot of DS practitioners is more like grinding for weeks on a component that maybe one team half-heartedly used – incorrectly? Or writing thousands of words of documentation that nobody looks at. I don't think we're "not shipping impactful work" because we're collectively bad at our jobs, or because design systems don't actually help teams move faster. I think we're focused on the wrong things.

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The latest issue of Relentlessly Curious and Deeply Engaged is out! This one is full of news about Claude, shockers like it helps if you're deliberate about how you design work, and lots of signals from the edge of AI and #futureofwork. #learninganddevelopment #training #innovation https://lnkd.in/eJZ4C3qG

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Apple is previewing iOS 18 by highlighting a host of new accessibility features included in the update. Eye tracking assistive technology is very expensive so it will be interesting to see how well Apple's eye tracking works especially with third party applications. I think Vocal Shortcuts will be very useful for people with aphasia. As someone who gets motion sickness when looking at my phone I wonder how effective Vehicle Motion Cues will be. #accessibility https://lnkd.in/guYEvD2R

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I love that accessible gaming is getting more and more awareness. The Last of Us 2 was a milesteone and things are getting better and better! NOTE: NPR's podcast page doesn't provide a transcript, so if you need to read the podcast, I recommend turning on Chrome's Live Caption feature - it'll generate the captions for you on the fly (and will feed into a refreshable braille display). #a11y #accessibility

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I dawned on an article from February 2024 about Electronic Arts (EA) ���s continued pledge to accessibility (since 2021) and it’s nice to see them continuing to own this! They’ve added 4 more features to this patent pledge that include: 1) Automated Player Control Taker - I would personally love to see what my play style is personally when I go away from controller! 2) Adaptive Gaming Tutorial System - classic tailored advice to allow for smooth gameplay 3) Route Navigation System - definitely awesome for people who have difficulty remembering or navigating a very large space or environment! 4) Animated and Personalized Coach - This sounds kind of like a personal trainer, except in the gaming world! Guessing AI and behavior based. This totals out to at least 15 publicly announced patent pledges (5 from 2021 and 6 from 2022 according to article) of technology from EA into the continuous improvement of games to allow people with disabilities and medical conditions to further have access to video games. Again, being a former special education professional and seeing the array of disabilities, this is music to my ears and brings me joy and inspiration to be working towards this aspect of the industry with time. What an incredible time that we live in right now for games and we are only just beginning to scratch the surface. Jeffrey Rousseau thank you for sharing and writing this in your awesome short article and definitely look forward to more! Article here: https://lnkd.in/g8-iJKSQ Cheers, Stephen Lenz #accessibility #videogames #videogaming #technology #motivation

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#conversational #design is the path forward. DM to get your product started and on the road to revenue. Reach out for help with #Aivoiceagents or #AIproductdesign implemention and strategy🔥 #Triggers #userfirst

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I recently hired a designer and we're collaborating on a UI refresh for Google Colab. As part of that I've been revisiting my design philosophy after 15 years of PM across startups + Google, from Google Photos to the Assistant to Colab. Here is my design advice to live by: * Start with problems not solutions. Too many times we artificially constrain ourselves by settling on a specific approach too early. "Fix this button" becomes "what goal does the user have?" * Sometimes the most creativity is found in enumerating the solution space. Design is the process of prioritizing tradeoffs in a high dimensional space. Understand that dimensionality. * Good design is honest. Don't oversell it. Be honest with what the product can do. * Good design is consistent within a broader system. Don't subvert convention, use those conventions to reduce friction and cognitive overhead. * Good design is straightforward. It may require a learning curve, it need not be minimally complex, but it must be straightforward to understand and use. * Beauty is only skin deep and won't take you very far. Good design exists on a spectrum between utilitarian and beautiful, and while you should seek beauty, it will not save you from your sins. * Good design is opinionated. While a product can have many uses and many paths, start with an opinion about the best. As a corollary, only add settings under extreme duress; they are such a pain to manage for users and you. * Words are great. Use them. So many uninterpretable icons out there. If you're searching for an icon to express a complex concept, try a word instead. * Good design is succinct. We live an overwhelmed existence. Adding delight is good, overwhelming with frivolity is not (I'm looking at you, every restaurant website ever). Be as succinct in your design as possible. * Good design is conservative. When adding to your product, consider how you can integrate it within the existing space vs. creating more net new product surface area. One of my favorite design exercises of my life was a months-long debate about how to invoke the Assistant on mobile phones: how to express to the user the notion of active listening, thinking, and response, when the mic was live, vs. when you needed to invoke. A swiss designer spent an hour telling me about his grandfather who made watches and how his love of that cold mechanical precision informed the warm minimalist but complex designs. He perfectly personified every principle above in a design that billions of people have seen but likely never spent a moment to appreciate its perfection. Lastly: never blame the user. When someone makes a mistake, try to understand what in the design process might have failed, and what can be improved. When you use a product next, look at all of the details, analyze what the opinion of the designer was, and see if you can spot where design might be improved, or find the hidden beauty.

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Speaking at conferences is a fantastic way to advance your career. (The practice of presenting, of articulating my thoughts and seeing how they play with an audience, has also helped me immensely in honing my point of view on topics I care about.) If you're thinking about speaking at a conference, you should check this out.

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Just one more episode... Why is staying motivated to create so difficult? Mark Pullyblank and I chatted about what has motivated us through the years. While it's a little different for everyone, there were a few themes that surfaced that can be helpful to those getting started: 1. Finding pleasure in the craft 2. Bridging the taste/ability divide 3. Constraining yourself for success What techniques did you use to stay the course when first starting?

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Check out this awesome article written by Jess Sattell, Lynn Hao, and Angelie Herreria- Tagle with help from Sue Garibaldi on lessons learned from bringing Spectrum 2 from idea to reality.

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📣 Hey friends! After a year and a half, 3 rounds of fundraising and building out the design practice at MotherDuck I'm ready for new opportunities! I joined as the Head of Design and the first hire back in fall 2022, and helped shape what design means for the company. I hope you can feel the 'ducking' awesomeness through the product and brand. Now, I'm looking to explore head of design or staff roles in early to growth stage companies and even larger organizations. Can't wait to connect with compassionate founders seeking a design leader versed in UI, UX, IXD, UXR. But first, let me share some startup lessons I've learned over the last 14 years: 1. 🗺️ Have a clear vision A clear vision, articulated and illustrated through design, is a powerful tool. It's the magic that unites your team and customers, helping them SEE where you're going. Design leaders, in sync with the CEO and CPO, can bridge the gap between user expectations and their dream come true. 2. 💎 Quality matters when it matters With limited resources, small teams need to be strategic. A design leader should understand when to focus on the details or backlog them. Foster a culture of experimentation and user feedback. Remember, even as an SME, you might have bias. Listen to your users carefully. 3. 🌟 Lean into your super powers Knowing your strengths and weaknesses is key. If you have the right team, rely on their technical abilities instead of trying to be an expert at everything. It’s tough when you're small, but encourage adaptability and ownership. 4. 📂 Get organized Small messes grow into big ones, which turn into big expenses. Establish clear processes for documentation, meetings, note taking practices and sharing information. Standardize things at the company level and stay organized to scale efficiently. 5. 🤗 Lead with compassion Trust is hard won and easily lost. Leaders who put their ego aside and lead with compassion create a more open culture. Deep relationships, compassion, and a willingness to take a hit for your team will reap rewards in the long run. 6. 🙋 Know your users Get to know your customers and users. Invest time and money in foundational research around their needs and use cases. Share insights and find themes. Eventually, you might have a research function to do this at scale. Until then, let your users lead the way. You'll be amazed at what you learn. 7. 🥳 Have fun If you’re not, you’re not in the right place, find the team that will make you happy, healthy and hoping for more. If you’re constantly stressed, losing sleep, or finding yourself in the hospital for stress induced blood clots then you need to get out. Find partners that get your craft, respect it’s value and hold you up. Life is short, love those around you and make the world a better place. If you’re a compassionate founder with a goal to make amazing things with amazing people let’s design a better world together. https://raphaelhyde.com/

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‘Conducting #Accessibility #Research In An Inaccessible Ecosystem’ by Michele A. Williams, PhD at Smashing Magazine. Including some useful guidance on ways you can accomplish #Prototype based research activities while working around inaccessible prototypes. 𝟷. Use a survey. 𝟸. Conduct a co-design session. 𝟹. Test with a similar system. 𝟺. Build your own rapid prototype. 𝟻. Use the Wizard of Oz method. https://lnkd.in/gK3jsZH5

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Resharing Episode 211 of The World of UX. Ever heard someone say "Stop drinking the Kool-aid?" This metaphoric statement refers to a tragic event in American history where people either blindly or through coercion ingested something self-detrimental. Check out this episode to learn how and why this metaphor applies to UX today. https://spoti.fi/3KkIbs3

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