WELCOME
Designerly habits foster innovation. and this issue of Being Designerly focuses on innovation, including responsible innovation.
Read about how ALIEN thinking leads to innovation, why Google maps will not always show you the fastest route, frugal design, how to keep your design mind fresh, ways to get anonymous UX feedback, and a sweet ending with Cadbury's Easter Egg Hunt...
FEATURE
What we can learn from James Dyson’s approach to innovation
‘I often get irritated with things that I use in my life, and that’s where I find inspiration - James Dyson.
This article is by the authors of ALIEN Thinking, who say that ALIEN thinkers are more likely to bring breakthrough ideas to life because they see the world differently. ALIEN stands for Attention, Levitation, Imagination, Experimentation and Navigation. This article explains how Dyson used the framework to invent the bagless vacuum and transform it into a worldwide best-seller.
linkedin.com
The 10 most innovative design companies of 2021
This year’s selections for the Most Innovative Companies in Design balance cutting-edge breakthroughs with grounded perspectives including impact on the environment and human equity.
Read about Adidas, Google, Seventh Generation among others.
fastcompany.com
Google Maps will start showing you slower routes. Here’s why
Speaking of design being grounded in impact to the environment, Google will soon change the logic of Google Maps. Instead of showing you the fastest route from point A to point B by default, it will show you the greenest route by default.
fastcompany.com
The rise of ‘frugal design’—and what it reveals about the future of innovation
Frugal designs offer sustainability and suitability for low-resource environments. An example is the Foldscope, a low-cost paper microscope used to improve medical diagnostics and science education in low-resource settings.
The article has more examples.
fastcompany.com
CURIOSITY
Keeping Your Design Mind New and Fresh
Seeing a situation with new eyes takes practice, and you can still create the opportunity to see something by not taking your surroundings for granted.
How do we do this? The author adopted a philosophy of being WOQE: watching, observing, questioning, and exploring...
alistapart.com
EMPATHY
How can brands design 'human' customer experiences in an AI-dominant world?
Can the path to customer satisfaction and loyalty really be as simple as activating the basic elements that define us as humans? According to the author, yes, provided brands adhere to three key components through the course of the customer journey: empathy, anticipation and authenticity.
mycustomer.com
VISUAL
This psychedelic data viz shows the wild evolution of the internet
The Opte Project uses real IP data to visually show how the internet has grown from 1997 until now. This Input Mag slideshow is a nice starting point, before you head over to https://www.opte.org/the-internet
inputmag.com
UX
As Robinhood IPO nears, critics say app design includes ‘subliminal messages’ to make users trade more
Robinhood's trading and investing app has come under scrutiny from critics alleging that the company employs techniques in the user interface that cause users to trade more often than is in their financial interest.
“Robinhood seems to have perfected the gamification of trading, providing the user with the perception that investing through the app offers recreational game playing with little or no downside risk.” - Rep. Nydia Velazquez, Democrat from New York:
marketwatch.com
TOPICAL
Cadbury's virtual Easter hunt lets you hide an egg 'anywhere in the world'
One of our Easter traditions include Cadbury Easter Eggs - yes, the super sweet gooey caramel chocolate eggs. This year, Cadbury has a virtual egg hunt that lets people hide an Easter egg "anywhere in the world."
The campaign uses Google Maps Street View to let the hider place an egg in any location of their choosing. They can then share a personalized clue with a loved one to help them find their egg. The hider has two options: purchase a special physical one for delivery by Easter (past that deadline), or simply hide a virtual Easter egg for free for a loved one to find.
You know where to send your hidden Easter eggs...
adage.com
Effective Design Communication in the Time of Zoom Fatigue
How would you reimagine design communication?
Read about one approach to improve meetings by exploring scalable, asynchronous, and engaging ideas.
uxmag.com
TOOLS
UI Feedback - Free anonymous feedback for UI/UX designers
The UI Coach anonymous feedback platform allows UI/UX designers to post their work and receive feedback and critiques from other designers from all around the world. UI Coach helps you create better designs and grow your skills by allowing you to get the feedback you need when you need it most.
producthunt.com
Bitwarden - a great alternative after LastPass introduces restrictions
Popular password management app LastPass introduced restrictions last month that have many users looking for a new option.
If you haven't heard of or considered Bitwarden, now's a great time! And it's free!
ktla.com
