Blog

Notes on design, product, and building apps.

The Beginning of the End for Figma? Building Prototypes with Vue.js as a Designer
For years, Figma has been the dominant tool for UI/UX designers. But with AI-assisted coding, powerful UI libraries, and a growing need for real interaction in prototypes, many designers are discoveri…
5 Feb 2025
How do you design explainability in Complex Systems?
AI has become a driving force in software from personalised recommendations to critical decisions in healthcare and finance. This creates a challenge for users: how do we ensure that AI systems remain…
28 Jan 2025
The Importance of a Tangible Interface
Humans are tactile creatures. We’re wired to understand the world by touching, feeling, and interacting with the objects around us. We pick things up, turn them over, bash them together, and toss them…
27 Jan 2025
Designing from 0 to 1: Meet Users Where They Are
When designing a new product or feature, the excitement of innovation can tempt us to jump straight to the “big idea.” But if we skip the crucial step of understanding where users currently are, our l…
13 Jan 2025
Product Design is a Technical Pursuit
Product design is the intersection of art and science. It requires creativity and intuition, but it is also deeply technical, based on research and hypotheses. Balancing these elements is what makes p…
9 Jan 2025
What is Product Design?
Product design is about making (digital) things. Apps, generally. Whether you’re solving a problem, presenting information, or helping users complete a task, the focus is the same: creating with purpo…
7 Jan 2025
Linear vs Hierarchical Navigation
When making custom interfaces I’ve seen it over an over again where the interface becomes a linear “story”. You might have seen it yourself – ever had software that has a lot of next/previous/back but…
3 Jan 2025
Users Want Small Tasks: Designing for Busy, Distracted People
Users are busy. They’re juggling notifications, errands, meetings, and a hundred other priorities. In this chaotic environment, the last thing they want is to encounter a giant, time-consuming task wh…
23 Dec 2024
Avoiding AI Gimmicks: Designing for Real User Needs
I’m going to start with a Steve Jobs clip. In it, he says “you’ve got to start with the customer experience and work backwards to the technology. You can’t start with the technology and figure out how…
19 Dec 2024
The Difference Between Usability and Accessibility
I’ve seen people use the terms “usability” and “accessibility” interchangeably, often surfacing in discussions about user experience. However, these concepts, while related, are not interchangeable. U…
17 Dec 2024
Why Good Typography is Good Product Design: What Typography Can Teach Us About Product Design
Good typography is a cornerstone of excellent visual design. Its influence extends far beyond aesthetics. The principles that guide effective typography – such as hierarchy, structure, and clarity – a…
13 Dec 2024
Why we design
Designers and builders face a dilemma: trying to predict what users want. Build first, ask questions later is a great way to get started, to get moving. Move fast and break things. Great. Keep doing t…
10 Dec 2024
The Emphatically Empathetic User
Design is at its most powerful when it’s personal. Product people talk endlessly about understanding the user – but how often do we truly become them? Walking in their shoes isn’t just an exercise in …
9 Dec 2024
Designing for Trust in AI Applications
I’ve been looking into how we can make user perceptions of AI systems more positive when it comes to trust. This is particularly crucial in fields like healthcare, finance, or any area where AI decisi…
3 Dec 2024
What is Dynamic Interaction?
Dynamic Interaction or dynamic interactivity in terms of user interface design refers to the real-time, responsive relationship between a user and a system where the interface reacts or evolves based …
28 Nov 2024
The Power of Narrow Inputs and Outputs for Language Models
Yes this is about generative AI. Large language models (LLMs) have become versatile tools capable of handling tasks ranging from creative writing to detailed technical analyses. I wrote recently about…
25 Nov 2024
Rethinking: Are LLM chat interfaces really what users want for search?
Why are LLM chat interfaces being used to display search results? With the rise of AI-powered tools, many apps are now using large language models (LLMs) in chat interfaces for search. But I question …
17 Oct 2024
Portfolio tips for designers
Hiring: Midweight Designer at Faculty – Portfolio Tips At Faculty, we’re currently looking for a talented midweight designer to join our team. As a product designer, being well-rounded is key. Working…
1 Oct 2024
Empowering Users: The Impact of iOS 18’s Distraction Control Feature
I am completely convinced that empowering users remains a cornerstone of effective UX and UI design. Apple’s latest innovation, the iOS 18 Distraction Control feature, epitomizes this principle. We’ve…
8 Aug 2024
The Texas Sharpshooter Fallacy: Why Having a Hypothesis Matters in Design
Imagine you’re playing darts, but instead of aiming at a pre-drawn target, you throw darts randomly at a blank wall. After throwing, you draw the bullseye around the cluster of darts that hit the wall…
1 Jul 2024