UX Newsletter: The state of User Experience 2019
Every user experience has its equal, opposite reaction
Happy 2019, UX Friends!
As we look back at all that’s happened this past year in the world of technology it’s hard to miss the effects inherent in all the technological progress we’ve made. For all the advancements from voice control to virtual reality, we also saw tech companies testify in front of Congress and studies exploring the negative impact of our tech tools on our mental health. How did we get here?
It used to be as simple as: make good experiences for users. Instead, we need to make experiences good for users. Beyond creating personalized, engaging and dynamic experiences, we need to make space and prioritize the simple adage: do no harm.
Volume 9
In this month’s newsletter you’ll see design trend predictions, new technologies that are helping to shape web experiences in 3-dimensions, and a candid look at the industry of user experience and web design as a whole.
New Year’s Design Solutions
Agnieszka Cieplińska, a designer at 10clouds, walks us through her predictions for the popular design trends coming to a device near you in her article UX Trends for 2019. From gesture navigation to voice control and to the increasingly popular augmented reality, Agnieszka has some great examples of where these ventures are going and how they can serve us.
The path ahead
It’s never been more important to pay attention to how we build digital products than it is today. Beyond empathy; how are we intentionally and ethically building systems and products for and with users in mind? In 2019, it’s important to avoid getting lost in numbers and lose the humanity that design and tech must serve. In the article Where Digital Product Design is Going, Tanner Christensen (Product Designer at Lyft) gives a great run down of how we can build better products – through human design.
Reality bytes
As retailers look to “innovate and improve the shopping experience” having the ability to place a product in-home or customize a product in a virtual way that increases purchase confidence is a goldmine to be reaped. In the article “Is augmented reality the future of UX?“, product designer Danny Sapio gives some great examples of where Augmented Reality is breaking boundaries, but also reminds us not to get lost in the shiny-new-toy of tech and lose sight of the users needs.
Read about AR and the future of UX
Looking back to go forward
“The State of UX in 2019” by Fabricio Teixeira and Caio Braga is hands down my favorite “year recap” design article that is as pleasant to look at as it is informative and thoughtful. Designers and writers Fabricio and Caio break down where we stand now when it comes to general practices, what designers have accomplished (or what they’ve wrought), stylistic trends, what tools we depend on and why, how design sits in the technosphere, and where we’re going. Bonus – at the end of the article they feature great examples of UX, Portfolios, Tools, etc. Enjoy!
Featured UX Tool
Whimsical
The plan was to build a tool that would let people collaborate on ideas visually in a way that’s simple and enjoyable. A bit like Dropbox Paper but you get flowcharts and wireframes instead of plain text.
Never miss an update!
The UX Newsletter is a monthly email that serves up my favorite UX articles. Each month I feature 4 articles or videos and share great tutorials for those interested in learning more.
Feature Image is a collage sourced from various images found on these Pinterest Boards.