WELCOME
Being Designerly 86 has carefully curated content to help you think, feel and act like a designer. Read about Amazon's Rufus GenAI search, Apple Vision Pro gone wild, Google's most searched playground, empathy beyond Valentine's Day, Google Pixel's Super Bowl ad, design in a product company, and type trends.
FEATURE
Do shoppers actually want Amazon’s GenAI?
Amazon announced Rufus, an AI-powered shopping assistant trained on the e-commerce giant’s product catalog as well as information from around the web. Rufus lives inside Amazon’s mobile app, helping with finding products, performing product comparisons and getting recommendations on what to buy.
The author questions: who’s clamoring for it really?
Here Are Wild Ways Folks Have Been Using Their Apple Vision Pro
There's a lot of misinformation about Vision Pros being used at high speeds, but some users have found even better uses for Apple's $3,500 headset at home.
The last issue showed it being used on the streets of NY, and this article has that and many more (working out, cooking, driving to name a few). The $3K price-tag does not include common sense...
CURIOSITY
The Most Searched Playground
Google created an explorable world where you can uncover 25 of the most searched people, places and moments of the past 25 years — along with a lot of hidden gems from Google’s history. Using trends as their compass, they dove headfirst into the world's most searched queries, and from that treasure trove, they hand-picked 25 trends that capture the zeitgeist, spark global curiosity, and span every corner of the spectrum. There's something for everyone, zoom in enough and you’ll see.
Where's Waldo?
Five Future Roles for Designers
The author believes that in the future, digital systems, not people, will do much of the craft of (screen-level) interaction design. To provide value, designers will need different skills and mental models. He outlines some possible roles for designers in a world where our object of focus isn’t stuff happening on screens.
EMPATHY
Why You Should Live with Empathy Every Day — Not Just on Valentine's Day.
Valentine's Day, traditionally dedicated to expressing love and affection, but why limit this sentiment to just one day? And why limit it to just our personal lives? Consistent consideration and empathy can forge stronger, more meaningful connections in both our personal and professional spheres. This article explores the profound impact of empathy and making every day a chance to show we care.
VISUAL
The type trends that will rule 2024
Serifs are in, simplicity is out, and nostalgia is back with a vengeance.
Serifs are making a comeback.
Not that they ever really left, but after years of simple, minimalist design and sans-serif typefaces, forecasters at Monotype sees the return of the serif as one of 10 trends shaping the look of design in 2024, as outlined in its annual type trend report.
UX
Apple Vision Pro: exclusive interview with Apple Design Team
With no set deadline or pressure to be brought to the market, Apple Vision Pro has been in the works for years. On a recent visit to Apple Park, Alan Dye, Apple’s Vice President of Human Interface Design, and Richard Howarth, Vice President of Industrial Design, sat down together to explain how hardware and software came together in an unprecedented way to make an idea a reality.
What is design accountable for in a product company?
This article describes the challenges faced in defining and ensuring accountability for design quality within organizations. It emphasizes the need for clear definitions of design quality and its connection to business goals. Collaboration across disciplines, shared responsibility, and clear understanding of design's contribution to overall success are important.
INCLUSIVE
Why Google's Heart-Wrenching 2024 Super Bowl Pixel Ad Captured The Internet's Heart
Google's Pixel 8 Super Bowl commercial showcased a feature called Guided Frame, designed to assist individuals with low vision in capturing high-quality images using AI and voice prompting.
There's also a behind-the-scenes look at the production.
I'm not crying, you're crying....