TLDR DesignMay 21, 2024

TLDR DESIGN 2024-05-21

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01NEWS & TRENDS

AFTER ADOBE COLLAPSE, FIGMA DEAL ALLOWS EMPLOYEES TO SELL SHARES AT $12.5 BILLION VALUATION

Current and former Figma employees will have the chance to sell shares in the company as part of a tender offer that values the company at $12.5 billion. This is up 25% from the valuation the company raised in 2021 but below Adobe's unsuccessful acquisition attempt of $20 billion. a16z, Sequoia, and Kleiner Perkins are among the 25 existing and new investors who support the tender, which is expected to be worth $600 million to $900 million.

cnbc.com2 min read

ADOBE FORCES VIDEO GAME EMULATOR TO IMMEDIATELY CHANGE ITS LOGO

Adobe has filed a claim against game emulator Delta over its logo's similarity to Adobe's stylized 'A.' Delta quickly responded by temporarily changing its logo into a broken version of itself to avoid legal repercussions. Despite the playful response, Delta plans to release a final version of its new logo soon.

creativebloq.com2 min read

REDEFINING PRODUCTIVITY

The new Outlook for Windows emphasizes personalization, craftsmanship, and intelligence to enhance user experience. It aims to balance advanced professional features with user-friendly customization by integrating Copilot features, refined motion design, and customizable themes. Its new design focuses on reducing cognitive load, providing intuitive interactions, and leveraging AI for smarter email management.

microsoft.design6 min read

02OPINIONS & TUTORIALS

WHAT TELEPHONES CAN TELL YOU ABOUT GOOD DESIGN

Bell Labs designed the touch-tone phone keypad in the 1950s to increase accuracy and reduce connection time. The layout aligned with natural writing patterns and placed frequently used keys for optimal hand positioning based on Fitt's Law. This design, used around 40 trillion times, has saved approximately one million person-years and underscores the importance of understanding user preferences and cognition in product design.

links.tldrnewsletter.com5 min read

THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS AND THE DETAILS SELL

Small interactions can significantly impact user experience and differentiate a product. Examples like simplified link creation in Notion, natural language date input in Things, and predictive text in Gmail illustrate how small details can enhance usability. These seemingly minor features become essential as users rely on them, building loyalty and setting apps apart, making them more appealing and competitive.

links.tldrnewsletter.com3 min read

DESIGN INTERVIEWS

Designers should introduce themselves lightheartedly to stand out in interviews. They must describe the project context, including the deadline, team size, and responsibilities. They should highlight research methods, share sketches and solutions, and discuss constraints, user advocacy, and lessons learned to showcase their problem-solving and adaptability.

robinrendle.com4 min read

03LAUNCHES & TOOLS

DESIGN TOKENS NAMING PLAYBOOK

An interactive guide and playbook for naming tokens.

thedesignsystem.guideTool

DESIGN BEAUTIFUL PATTERNS FROM ENDLESS VARIATIONS

PatternPad is a free tool for creating customizable patterns for branding, presentations, social media posts, and product customization. It offers unlimited design variations with easy-to-use features, including hand-picked color palettes and export options in SVG, PNG, and JPG formats.

patternpad.comTool

AI PROMPTS MADE AND SHARED BY THE CREATIVE COMMUNITY

Kreated.ai provides free AI-generated visual prompts created and shared by the community.

kreated.aiTool

04MISCELLANEOUS

HOW TO CREATE YOUR UX DESIGN PRINCIPLES

Creating UX design principles helps teams align, ensuring consistent, high-quality work. The process involves running a workshop to define and prioritize values, refining these into clear principles, naming and formatting them, and setting criteria to measure success. Visualizing the principles and driving their adoption across the organization ensures they become integral to the design process, fostering a cohesive and user-centered approach to design.

rachel-mcconnell.medium.com5 min read

ON LEADING MARKETING AND DESIGN

Combining Marketing and Design enhances end-to-end user experience and should be unified under one leader for efficient decision-making. Companies should focus on customer experiences from awareness to product championing, fostering collaboration, and "Yes, and..." thinking across departments.

proofofconcept.pub4 min read

CAN AI DESIGN TOOLS REPLACE HUMAN DESIGNERS?

AI design tools, like Midjourney, DALL-E, and Adobe Sensei, enhance the design process by handling repetitive tasks, analyzing data, and generating ideas. While they offer speed and efficiency, they lack the human touch needed for emotional and cultural nuances. The future of design lies in blending AI's capabilities with human creativity, allowing designers to focus on strategic and creative aspects and creating more impactful and emotionally resonant work.

noupe.com6 min read