Being Designerly 28

WELCOME

This issue of Being Designerly has articles related to top inventions, AI in usability, transparency in design, creativity, ideas for different types of workshops, credit cards that are inclusive in design, dark patterns and free Figma tools.

FEATURE

TIME - Best Inventions of 2021

TIME Magazine's list of 100 groundbreaking inventions includes vaccines for COVID-19 and malaria, an emotional support robot for hospitalized children, an environmentally friendly dye for jeans and a brand new pasta shape—that are changing how we live, work, play and think about what’s possible.

Do these 5 things and you’ll never run out of new ideas

Innovation is a state. It’s something you practice. So if you never want to run out of ideas, here are five ways to stay in a constant state of innovation.

Setting the stage for creative performance

The challenge for organizational leaders is to know what they can do, and how much they should do, to shape that ecosystem, to provide the space for their organization to be creative. Leaders need to think carefully about where to focus their and their organization’s efforts to create a more creative ecosystem, and how to be sure that these efforts are worth the investment.

If nothing else, read the article for the definition of creativity in terms of novelty and usefulness.

UX

AI applied to Usability Testing

I co-authored this chapter of a research report, about AI & Usability Testing (and it was released on World Usability Day 2021). While recent advances in AI have made it possible for machines to observe and interact with humans, we believe we are a long way from AI conducting end-to-end usability testing.

The Hidden Dangers of 'Buy Now, Pay Later' Apps

“BUY NOW PAY Later” apps give people the chance to instantly purchase what they want, then pay off the item in installments. But consumer protection advocates worry they may lead people into buying more than they can afford.

I'm all for new models and options, but they should be upfront with fees and impact - kind of like credit cards now have to show how much you will end up paying over the lifetime if you only pay the minimum...

8 Workshop Ideas to Activate Insights & Align Stakeholders

A few UX professionals share a collection of workshops with details on when to use it, how to set it up, and best practices for making it a success.

The ideas include: Synthesis collabs, Persona passports, Brain-picking sessions, Agenda-setting brainstorms, Positive pressure workshops, Ideation workshops, Idea stretcher workshops, and Research planning workshops

INCLUSIVE

Department of Justice to companies with inaccessible websites: We’re back!

Read about the takeaways from the Rite Aid accessibility settlement by an accessibility advocate

Mastercard Introduces Accessible Card Design for Blind Users

The new Touch Card will use distinct notches to help distinguish between a debit, credit or prepaid card. A good callout from an accessibility advocate as to why an obvious solution may not be the right answer (re: Braille) ...

MOBILE

Design to Code: Turning Handoffs Into High-fives

Material Design is teaming up with Figma to create a design to code workflow in the coming months. The workflow is built with both designers and developers in mind, and introduces some new ideas for how to describe, exchange and iterate UI.

Sign up now to participate.

Design Car: Visualize your personal garage full of dream cars

A new app by Porsche Digital, DesignCar allows you to visualize your dream cars, and virtually store them. Kinda like Jay Leno but you won't need to rent airport hangars.

Me? A car takes me from place A to B. But if these were LEGO minifigures, that would be a completely different story!

TOPICAL

Human-centered AI to build a trustful customer experience in retail

This article discusses Human-centered design (HCD) as an approach to designing AI systems that serve people’s needs.

I like how the author suggests not making AI a starting point, prototypes with non-AI, and considers potential harm.

TOOLS

Crit Stickies - Free Figma tool from the Doordash design team

Remote silent critiques led the Doordash team to create a tool for Figma that they're now sharing with the world. Read about the origin, how they use it and then use it!

Heurio 2.0 - Turn any website into the canvas of ideas

This chrome extension allows you to collaborate and get feedback on any website. Try the professional version free until the end of November, and if you don't need all it has to offer, there is a limited free plan instead.

INSPIRATION

Meet your meeting persona

A quiz from Mural to help you find your meeting persona. We each have a unique meeting persona and understanding yours can help you and your team get the most from your meetings. Find out your meeting persona and start collaborating even more effectively.

If you're looking for a Chef de Efficiency for your meeting, you know how to reach me!

NEWS

'Dark patterns': Regulators eye tech tricks that hurt consumers

Members of Congress, consumer protection agencies, nonprofit watchdog groups and academic researchers have all announced plans this year to increase the scrutiny they give to dark patterns, laying the groundwork for possible legal action and promising to bring more clarity and fairness to how people navigate the internet.

UNTIL NEXT TIME

I hope you enjoyed this issue of Being Designerly and the curated articles related to top inventions, AI in usability, transparency in design, creativity, ideas for different types of workshops, credit cards that are inclusive in design, dark patterns and free Figma tools.

If you think someone would benefit from Being Designerly, please forward it to them.

I'm looking for feedback, of the brutally honest kind, so this can improve over time. You can reach me at lycerejo (at) gmail.com - thank you!