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DESIGNER NEWS IS DEAD

Designer News, once a prominent hub for product designers, has officially shut down, marking the end of its unique, text-focused discussions on nuanced aspects of product design. Initially thriving and exclusive, the platform deteriorated after opening registration to everyone, leading to a decline in post quality and an influx of spam.

TESLA’S CARS JUST GOT ‘RECALLED’ OVER A FONT

A recent recall from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on Tesla cars was prompted by a very peculiar reason: the font on the touchscreen display is too small. The NHTSA says people might have trouble seeing the ⅛-inch warning sign for the automaker's brake system. It claims that the international standard for that text is 3.2 millimeters and anything less may pose a safety risk. The issue, which affects 2.2 million cars, can be fixed with a simple software update.

THE APPLE VISION PRO IS A REVOLUTION IN AR/VR INTERFACES

The Apple Vision Pro represents a significant advancement in mixed-reality interface design. It utilizes visionOS to seamlessly integrate eye and hand tracking for intuitive control without needing external devices. This interface offers unparalleled accessibility and ease, making it the most user-friendly AR/VR experience to date.

KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM AIRBNB’S WINTER REDESIGN

Airbnb’s latest launch shows us how great designers can develop simple solutions to the two big pain points: it created the “Guest favorite” feature to increase users’ trust and reorganized the listings tab to improve the hosts’ listing experience.

THE PROBLEM WITH DIGITAL INSTRUMENT CLUSTERS AND HOW TO DESIGN A BETTER ONE

Most new cars today have digital instrument clusters without physical constraints, which should be a benefit, but most carmakers use it to add unnecessary complexity. Clusters should adapt to different contexts, for example, they should be simple and controlled by the driver when driving at night.

CARD SORTING: UNCOVER USERS' MENTAL MODELS FOR BETTER INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE

The card sorting study is a tool in which users organize topics into groups to create an information architecture that suits their expectations. Designers can pick between open, closed, or hybrid card sorting, moderated or unmoderated, and in-person or remote.

SITEMAP BUILDER AND WEBSITE PLANNER

Octopus enables you to create website maps or application structures, add notes, specify page content, and use color schemes to improve your site map design or implement website development or content planning.

WEBSITE DESIGN INSPIRATION

With InspoVault, you can discover and collect live website design inspiration and trends.

VISION PRO TEARDOWN—WHY THOSE FAKE EYES LOOK SO WEIRD

Apple wanted to achieve something particular when it designed the EyeSight feature for its Vision Pro: an animated, 3D-looking face with eyes. It had to make very strategic design choices and compromises to accomplish this. Yet, the result is a slightly creepy animation that requires another screen, more connectors, and points of failure.

ART OF SYMBOLS

Symbols are integral to our design vocabulary, so we must know where they come from and what they mean. This website teaches you about the meaning of many symbols over the past 40,000 years and how they were used throughout human history.

USING SF SYMBOL RENDERING MODES WHEN DESIGNING YOUR APP

Apple's icon set, SF Symbols, features four distinct rendering modes with different colors and appearances: monochrome, hierarchical, palette, and multicolor. These rendering modes and icon features make designs using SF symbols feel infinitely customizable.

EXPLORING 3D TYPOGRAPHY WITH BOGDAN DREAVA'S ALPHABET ART

Dive into 3D and typography through Bogdan Dreava's Alphabet Illustrations. Discover how depth and shadows bring letters to life in a monochrome palette.

WHY GOOD UX IS NO UX

The evolution of car keys, from basic mechanical devices to sophisticated, app-based systems, mirrors the progression towards more intuitive and frictionless user experiences. Good UX design is unobtrusive and integrates seamlessly into daily life, making technology feel like a natural extension of our routines.

USING AI FOR 3D RENDERING—A PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR DESIGNERS

The slow, meticulous process of creating high-quality renders is often incompatible with the fast pace required from early concept ideation. On the other hand, the ease of iterating with AI-generated images is unmatched - even a slight tweak in a prompt can lead to a significant shift in visual style.

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13 DESIGN OBSERVATIONS ABOUT THE APPLE VISION PRO

GOOGLE LAUNCHES AN AI-POWERED IMAGE GENERATOR

Google has introduced ImageFX, an AI-powered image creation tool developed by its DeepMind team. ImageFX offers a unique "expressive chips" feature for creative experimentation. It implements safeguards to prevent misuse such as limiting problematic outputs and using digital watermarks for identification.

ADOBE'S NATIVE VISION PRO APPS COULD BE A GAME CHANGER FOR CREATIVES

Adobe has launched native versions of its Firefly and Lightroom apps for Apple's mixed-reality Vision Pro headset, marking the first time Adobe's generative AI tools are available on an XR device. The apps offer immersive features, allowing users to generate artwork and arrange images in real-world spaces. More enhancements are planned, including wrap-around panoramas and 360-degree environments, all with AI content labeling.

ENHANCING EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE THROUGH UX

User experience (UX) principles can be incorporated into employee experience (EX) to improve engagement, productivity, and retention. UX design can contribute to creating a workplace that is attractive to top talent and helps retain them. Companies can create an environment where employees feel valued, understood, and motivated by using iterative cycles of design and feedback, evaluating the usability of internal tools and systems, and mapping employee journeys.

HEY GOOGLE, I WAS USING THAT BUTTON!

The microphone button in Google Assistant, a UI equivalent of the “Hey Google” voice command, is being removed along with other 17 “underutilized” features. Users who want to use the voice command must find a workaround, rewire their muscle memory, or accept it.

HOW PRE-TESTING QUESTIONS HELP UNCOVER USER MOTIVATIONS FOR ADOPTING A PRODUCT

Understanding user adoption is crucial for a successful product and involves more than just good UX. It also requires taking into account time sensitivity, seasonality, user frustration, scaling, and pricing. Pre-testing questions can help uncover user motivations and critical insights for onboarding tutorials while capturing the user journey. It can help designers visualize and bring things to life.

UI KIT AND DESIGN SYSTEM FOR FRAMER

Segmented UI features 100+ variations of styles, components, interactions, layouts, transforms, and more to speed up your workflow in Framer.

WEBSITE POLICIES THAT AUTOMATICALLY UPDATE AS THE LAWS CHANGE

Use Termageddon to automatically comply with privacy laws such as the CPRA, GDPR, UK DPA, CalOPPA, and PIPEDA.

INSPOTYPE

Test font pairing on the fly and see how it looks on a website.

TEN COLOR INSPIRATION HACKS REVEALED BY WEB DESIGN EXPERTS

Colors are potent mood-setters and storytellers in online experiences. These ten simple tricks by experts in the industry will help you select the perfect colors for your website.

RESPONDING TO DEVS WHEN THEY SAY "NO": FOUR KEY QUESTIONS

Whenever engineers say something can't be done, know that 9 out of 10 times, that's not the case. Engineers want to deliver high-quality, fantastic products as quickly as you want. You'll be surprised at what happens as you shift your focus from what can't be done to what can.

EXPLORING TYPOGRAPHY AND MOTION DESIGN WITH CAVALRY

The fusion of typography with motion design has opened new frontiers for creativity in the ever-evolving graphic design landscape. A stunning illustration of this trend is Mario De Meyer's "Type In Motion" project, where he uses Cavalry, an advanced animation tool, to bring letters to life, transcending traditional static design.

15 WOMEN DESIGNERS WHO HAVE SHAPED THE ESSENCE OF PRODUCTS AND SPACES

Women have played a massive role in shaping products, spaces, and experiences, yet they're often underappreciated. This historical dive into the role females played in the world of product design acknowledges the contribution they made.

I AM A CREATIVE.

Creativity is a mysterious process that can’t be forced. Creatives aren’t artists. They recognize and respect each other and often compare themselves to others they deem great. Creatives emphasize the importance of intuition, passion, disagreement in the creative process, and fear of losing their creative abilities.

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HOW APPLE’S USEFUL PODCAST TRANSCRIPTS HELP STRANGLE THE OPEN WEB

Apple is adding automatic searchable transcripts to all podcast episodes, but they’ll only be available to users of Apple's own Podcasts app. It is a massive win for accessibility and knowledge sharing, but Apple's approach is typical of today's platforms, which prefer to lock up user-generated data for competitive advantage.

THE ARC BROWSER IS GETTING BETTER BOOKMARKS AND SEARCH RESULTS, ALL THANKS TO AI

The Browser Company has enhanced its desktop browser with AI-powered features following the release of its mobile app, Arc Search. New functionalities like "Instant Links" and "Live Folders" aim to streamline internet usage by directly embedding search results and dynamically updated content into the browser. The browser offers an AI-driven 'Browse for Me' feature that creates tailored webpages based on user queries, potentially transforming the broader internet landscape.

NEW IPAD AIR WITH 12.9-INCH DISPLAY AND REDESIGNED REAR CAMERA DESIGN SHOWN IN PURPORTED LEAKED SCHEMATICS

The new iPad Air will feature a 12.9-inch display, similar to the iPad Pro, aligning with Apple's strategy of offering larger screens at mid-range prices, as seen with the iPhone and MacBook Air. There are minimal design changes, but it will have a redesigned rear camera. Launch dates remain uncertain, but a new iPad Pro with OLED displays and updates to the iPad mini and base model are expected soon.

HOW SHOULD DESIGNERS CODE?

Designers who want to get involved in the development process should consider pair programming, reviewing pull requests, fixing bugs, scaffolding UI, and building prototypes with code. They should pair with engineers, work together, and earn trust - doors for further and better collaboration will open.

CRAFTING A CAREER PROGRESSION FRAMEWORK FOR DESIGNERS. WHERE TO START?

A well-constructed Career Progression Framework (CPF) allows for objective assessments of designers’ levels and skills, facilitating the creation of personalized development plans and establishing crucial team guidelines. Design managers can use it to foster a culture of creativity and support, motivate the team, and become the design leaders that the company needs.

ARE DESIGN SYSTEMS A ZERO-INTEREST RATE PHENOMENON?

Design systems are not a “zero-interest rate phenomenon” but rather a proactive solution to potential problems down the road. They may not have an immediate “hair on fire” problem to sell to management, but they can prevent future maintenance nightmares.

WIREFRAME EXAMPLES

Find all the wireframe examples you need as inspiration for your next project. Save hours coming up with layouts on your own.

TRUE ICON SET: PHYSICAL

This set of 52 icons includes six different styles and two modes, enabling you to represent fitness items and concepts.

DECK GALLERY

Explore beautifully curated decks, slides, keynotes, and guidelines.

A FREE ONLINE CONFERENCE FOR FRAMER BUILDERS

Framer will hold a free online conference for its builders' community on February 22. A world-class panel of speakers will discuss how to create a high-converting funnel in the platform, advance Framer skills, and what users can expect shortly.

THE ART AND SCIENCE OF ANNOTATIONS IN DEV MODE

Figma’s Annotations feature in Dev Mode aims to streamline designer-developer collaboration by providing a complete spec for both use cases by reducing clutter on a Figma canvas. Dynamic changes in annotations and measurements help keep annotations up-to-date as designs change, making designers and developers more efficient.

REGULAR PRACTICE REBRANDS ONLINE ESTATE AGENCY PURPLEBRICKS OVER A DECADE AFTER LAUNCH

Regular Practice felt that the rest of its identity was tired and neglected despite having a memorable name, distinctive purple brand color, and a decade of consistent TV advertising, so it chose to bring the brand to life with a new moving identity, color palette, photography, and logo – all underpinned by the simple phrase: 'Own It.'

THESE ARTIST-DESIGNED UMBRELLAS WILL BRIGHTEN DREARY DAYS

Three artists have reimagined the classic accessory in collaboration with Shed Rain. The special series showcases Alex Proba's use of organic shapes and vibrant colors, Lisa Congdon's bright taxi yellow-based lining, and Katie Merz's graphic patterns that mix graffiti and blueprints.

THIS MIXED REALITY DJ-ING APP FOR APPLE VISION PRO BLEW MY MIND

djay is a digital music-mixing app that lets you mess with digital turntables, faders, and more. The Apple Vision Pro version of the app boasts an incredibly realistic experience that uses hand-tracked gestures to control 3D turntables and faders.

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ADOBE THROWS XD OVERBOARD AFTER LOSING OUT ON $20BN FIGMA DEAL

In the fallout of a deal that saw the company placed under the microscope of competition authorities in Europe and the US, Adobe has confirmed it has “no plans to further invest” in its UI/UX web design software. Support will continue for existing users. Adobe remains open to new product design partners.

MICROSOFT’S NEW ONEDRIVE DESIGN STARTS ROLLING OUT FOR CONSUMERS

Microsoft is introducing a new design for its OneDrive cloud storage aimed at consumers. This upgrade offers visual and functional enhancements to simplify file access and content organization. The revamped interface introduces a people view for finding files through familiar faces, improved filters, and simplified options for file uploads and document creation.

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT DEV MODE

Figma is officially launching its Dev Mode out of beta to enhance product development efficiency. Dev Mode is designed to create a workspace that facilitates collaboration between designers and developers. It offers features like annotations, diff comparisons, plugins, and integrations with tools like VS Code. The launch aims to bridge the gap between design and development, fostering a more seamless and collaborative process.

PETER YANG’S 10 RULES FOR MAKING PRODUCTS THAT CUSTOMERS LOVE

Good “product sense” needs to be cultivated, use empathy to diagnose problems, plan before you get lost in the day-to-day, know when to take a break or change direction, use AI to automate work that gets in the way of work, learn to wear multiple hats, address the weaknesses that your superpowers shadow, make customers part of your team, make decisions async, and remember why you got into this work in the first place.