Design

Startup Versus Enterprise Design

One of the things I’ve been thinking about this week as I’m preparing for my upcoming UXPA Boston 2021 talk is this… What makes a successful Enterprise Designer? Is it different from a Startup designer? Having done both, I figured I’d share my experience about the differences. Startup Design I started my career in a […]

White, red, green abstract art by Social Cut, featured on Unsplash

Windows 11 Quick Design Impressions

If you haven’t heard, Microsoft recently announced Windows 11, a free upgrade for Windows 10 users. After seeing the event, here were my Windows 11 design impressions. Aesthetic It’s clear that they’ve spent a ton of time redesigning the core look, but it also feels like the natural (or ‘borrowed’) result of recent design trends. […]

Uncommon Design Tokens

If you’ve worked on design systems at all, more than likely you’ve heard of design tokens. If you haven’t heard of design tokens, they are the essence of what makes your system feel unique, often stored as variables in some sort of tech-agnostic format like JSON. Even this site uses a form of design tokens […]

Blue Gray Violet Wheel (from series, the Mathematical Basis of the Arts), (ca. 1934) painting in high resolution by Joseph Schillinger. Original from The Smithsonian Institution. Digitally enhanced by rawpixel.

Respect Font Preferences 2 – REM Isn’t the Answer

In part 1 of Respecting Font Preferences, I discussed how in almost every major browser, users have the option to adjust the font family and sizes of their fonts to meet their unique needs. However, just because one font family is set to an equivalent of 16 pixels (the common default), does not mean another […]

Lychees (1941) Chinese painting in high resolution by Ding Fuzhi. Original from The MET. Digitally enhanced by rawpixel.

Respect Font Preferences 1 – What’s Possible

Content is king. So respecting how users choose to consume that content is absolutely critical. (PS: If you’re just here to see how to scale iOS font sizes to respect user preferences, click here for that and the TLDR) Out with the old Early in my career, I consistently chose a fixed pixel size for […]

Two Paintings of Deer Antlers (ca. 1762–1767) by The Qianlong Emperor. Original from The MET Museum. Digitally enhanced by rawpixel.

Are Billboards Accidental Propaganda?

This article is more of a musing than anything in-depth. I just returned from the most magical place on Earth, Disney World & Universal Studios. The execution of the work, scenery, rides, immersion in the newer areas of each park was baffling to the point of feeling cathedral-like. While returning from the hotel to the […]

Rooftops and Trees (1918) painting in high resolution by Charles Demuth. Original from National Gallery of Art. Digitally enhanced by rawpixel.

Common animation transitions

A while back when reviewing common animation transitions for pages & elements I compiled a massive list of web-based motion and how I recommend you use them. Remember, using a ‘prefers-reduced-motion’ fallback doesn’t mean you must remove all animation. Reduce X or Y pixel movement and keep transition speeds gentle. Crossfades, color shifts, and blurs […]