The Daily Index — Wednesday, September 13, 2023

NEWS & TRENDS

TLDR Design

U.S. ANNOUNCES OFFICIAL WEB DESIGN SYSTEM

The US federal government now has its own design system crafted to make government online services accessible, legible, and consistent. USWDS is also an active open-source community of government engineers, content specialists, and designers.

boingboing.net · 1 min

TLDR Design

DOUBLE TAP GESTURE, FASTER PERFORMANCE

Apple has unveiled the Apple Watch Series 9. The watch features the new S9 chip, which enhances performance and introduces a gesture called Double Tap, allowing users to interact with the watch without touching the screen.

cnet.com · 4 min

TLDR Design

CRM APPS

Einstein Copilot, a new generative AI conversational assistant, is being integrated into Salesforce's CRM and all supported apps. It will automate account updates, help prepare meetings, generate customized content, and more. The feature will reach other consumer-facing channels, like websites, to power real-time chat, Slack, WhatsApp, and SMS.

venturebeat.com · 4 min

TLDR Design

HOW TO MAKE CHARTS AND GRAPHS MORE ACCESSIBLE

People experience charts and graphs in different ways and even with other senses. Alternative text should be used to describe the visualization's purpose. Pairing graphs with a table element enables users to navigate data better. Color and contrast are also vital aspects, but they shouldn't be relied upon as the only way to communicate meaning. It's essential to consider HTML structure, keyboard navigation, and how screen readers will display information to users.

blog.pope.tech · 10 min

TLDR Design

THE COMPLEXITY OF PRODUCT DESIGN IN SAAS COMPANIES AND STARTUPS

Product designers in SaaS companies and startups face a challenging but rewarding journey in the fast-paced tech industry. They must balance agility with quality, cater to diverse user needs, collaborate closely with development teams, embrace iterative design, and maintain a balance between aesthetics and functionality to shape the future of the tech world.

uxplanet.org · 8 min

TLDR Design

Untitled entry

There are many different types of illustration and it's challenging to master them all. This list is a good starting point. These ten illustration books cover a range of topics, from the basics of art theory to the secrets of an Oscar-nominated legend.

creativeboom.com · 7 min

TLDR Design

WHAT SEPARATES GREAT DESIGNERS FROM GOOD ONES?

Adam Glynn-Finnegan, Staff Product Designer at Netflix Studio, shares the most valuable learnings from his career and what separates great designers from good ones. Key lessons: deeply understand the content, describe it in a way that resonates with the individual user, and present it in a highly personalized way. As career advice, Glynn-Finnegan believes in being pragmatic and flexible.

uxdesigninstitute.com · 7 min

TLDR Design

USABILITY AUDIT OF THE ZARA WEBSITE

Zara is a global brand that is based in Spain with a broad audience. The company offers its customers an unparalleled shopping experience. This in-depth examination of Zara’s website surfaces problems like overemphasizing the mobile experience, insufficient filtering options, a lack of sorting options, and a lack of consistency with buttons.

uxmatters.com · 13 min

TLDR Design

GRADIENTS, BLEND MODES, AND A REALLY COOL HOVER EFFECT

CSS gradients can be used on other elements around the hovered element. While hovering over one item, this effect triggers visual changes to other items.

smashingmagazine.com · 7 min

TLDR Design

8 CSS SNIPPETS FOR CREATING STYLISH DROP CAPS

Recreating drop caps in web design hasn’t always been simple, Early implementations were often clunky and required various hacks. Modern CSS makes this easier. Here are eight unique implementations that show what’s possible.

speckyboy.com · 3 min

TLDR Design

THIS SERIF TYPEFACE HONORS TIANANMEN SQUARE PROTESTORS

Drawn from a poster seen at the 1989 protest, Vocal Type is a typeface designed to honor those who perished in the Tiananmen Square protests. Created by Tré Seals, the initiative was the result of asking his Instagram followers what movement, person, or event they’d like to see a new typeface pay homage to.

fastcompany.com · 3 min

TLDR Design

PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENTS

Polypane is a web browser for designers and web developers who need to create websites that work well across different devices and screen sizes. The latest release brings a rebuilt browser panel with its own tabs, search, and autocomplete. It also introduces an online search through the address bar in the redesigned browse panel.

polypane.app · 8 min