Spotify Venmo was once a breath of fresh air in the fintech space, breaking the mold of sterile banking apps with a colorful, social approach to peer-to-peer payments. It gamified splitting a bill, normalized emojis in finance, and turned transactions into conversations. But over time, the experience has become bloated, noisy, and, ironically, less...
Continue readingDesigning a Compelling News Site for Today’s Generation
Spotify Understanding How Millennials (and Gen Z) Consume and Share News In a world of headlines competing for swipes, taps, and fleeting attention spans, designing a modern news experience isn’t just about content; it’s about culture. Today’s consumers don’t just read the news; they react to it, share it, comment on it, and remix...
Continue readingThe Unsung Heroes of Patagonia: A Buttoned-Up Tale of Textile Triumph and UX Nirvana
Spotify Ah, the humble button. Often overlooked, frequently frustrating, yet utterly essential. But what if I told you there’s a company out there that has elevated the button, not just to a functional fastener, but to an art form? A company whose meticulous approach to securing a tiny disc of shell or metal to...
Continue readingWhich Is Better: Strava or Apple Watch Workout?
Spotify As someone who has logged thousands of miles and analyzed just as many screens, I’ve concluded that not all fitness apps are created equal. Strava and Apple Watch Workout are two of the most widely used platforms by amateur athletes and casual movers. But when it comes to user experience, motivation, data, and...
Continue readingAugmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) in UX: Designing Immersive and Interactive Experiences
Spotify AR and VR have crossed the line from hype to reality. What used to be seen as “experimental tech” is now shaping experiences in healthcare, retail, sports, travel, automotive, enterprise tools, and more. Yet too often, when it comes to UX design, teams approach AR and VR like they would a mobile app...
Continue readingVoice User Interfaces (VUIs): Designing Conversational Interfaces for Voice-Activated Devices
Spotify Voice is no longer a novelty. It is becoming an expectation. Smart speakers, in-car systems, mobile assistants, healthcare apps, enterprise tools—voice-first experiences are everywhere. Yet, the UX discipline is still catching up. Designing a Voice User Interface (VUI) differs from designing for screens. Most VUI experiences fail when designers treat them like just...
Continue readingMuscle Memory in UX: Why Familiar Patterns Drive Better Products
Spotify When you design a new app, your first instinct is to make it fresh. Unique. Different. New. But here’s a UX truth we don’t talk about enough: New isn’t always better if it breaks muscle memory. In fact, one of the fastest ways to tank onboarding and retention is to design a product...
Continue readingHow UX Has Changed Products: From Utility to Loyalty
Spotify There was a time when product design focused almost entirely on function. Get it to work. Make it fast. Keep it stable. But over the past two decades, user experience (UX) has quietly, then loudly, reshaped the way products are conceived, built, marketed—and ultimately, loved. UX has changed the game from “Does it...
Continue readingWhen to Roll Back a UX Change That Isn’t Working
Spotify UX teams are wired to move forward—ship the new design, refine, iterate, and evolve. But sometimes, forward isn’t the right direction. Sometimes, the brave thing to do is roll back a UX change that isn’t working, even when it’s already in the wild. This isn’t failure. This is product maturity. Because knowing when...
Continue readingUX Campfire: Where Broken Flows Go to Get Roasted
Spotify Let’s have some fun! Welcome to UX Camping—where we trade our laptops for lanterns but never stop redesigning the world around us. Picture this: And of course: Because even in the wilderness, friction still exists. Final Thought UX isn’t just for screens. It’s in the zipper that jams, the flashlight that defaults to...
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