“Why did you make that choice?” As a new designer, my answer to this was an on-the-spot attempt at justifying something that hadn’t really been a conscious choice at all. I didn’t recognize that there was a choice to be made, and so I hadn’t thought about its motivation until…

When I was just starting out in design, the phrase “needs improvement” always had a weight attached to it. Upon hearing it applied to my work, I felt judged, unworthy, and less-than. It wasn’t until I started using this phrase as a speaker that I started to understand the sentiment…

A blank artboard is intimidating to a new designer, yet this is how I would start projects when I was just getting started in UX. …

Have you ever been especially fond of a design element that wasn’t entirely driven by user needs? If so, then you’ve probably had a “darling”. I still find them in my work, but thanks to generations of writers, I know how to handle them. Writers “kill their darlings”. Designers stand…

A good narrative elevates a prototype from merely demonstrating task flows to an artifact that unites the team, describes the actions afforded, and promotes user empathy. The narrative unites the team because every team member can relate to it. Humans are hard-wired to understand information in the form of narrative…

Why it’s easier to understand this skill in terms of practical application. — Almost every UX Designer job listing includes some form of “articulate design rationale” as a required skill, and that requirement is there for good reason. It’s also a really vague description that offers a readily accessible, but perhaps naive, interpretation of what it means to do this. I’ve developed a…

Imagine you’ve been tasked with mapping the best kayaking route through an unexplored river. Paddle in hand, life jacket at the ready, and supplies for the trip are secured in your vessel. Your paddle even has a magic ability: when directed to, it will teleport you back to an established…

Recently, my organization put out a call for examples of journey maps and user flows. I had just reached the completion point of a flow I was really proud of, and I sent it in with a brief explanation. This flow covered several decision points for key personas and outlined the opportunities to create value for our users. To my delight, the example was accepted! Except, not as a user flow. It was accepted as a journey map.

Grammar is the system that underlies the cognitive information of a language and allows a speaker to be fluent. If that language is visual design, then established UX patterns are our grammar, and they’re what make our users fluent in the interfaces we design. I…