Spotify Historically, UX designers were seen as problem-solvers and usability experts. They conducted research, crafted personas, built prototypes, and ensured interfaces were clean and intuitive. But as AI becomes embedded in everything from recommendation engines to automated diagnostics, UX designers are becoming stewards of far more than usability — they’re becoming stewards of trust....
Continue readingRedesigning for Growth: How Reddit Can Broaden Its Reach Without Losing Its Core
Spotify As designers and strategists, one of the most interesting challenges we face is helping platforms evolve beyond their niche without alienating the people who built them. That starts with understanding the demographics behind the experience, who is using the product, who is not, and why. Take a look at the numbers: I zeroed...
Continue readingThe Art of the Alert: Perfecting the Push Notification User Journey
Spotify Push notifications are a double-edged sword. On one hand, they’re direct lines to a user’s attention, offering immediacy and relevance. On the other hand, they’re intrusive, demanding consideration in an already attention-saturated world. For a platform like Facebook, where notifications range from friend requests to event invites to specific mentions of friends, optimizing...
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 readingGoPro Needs a New iPhone App: Why UX is Holding Back the Experience
Spotify GoPro has built a brand around adventure. It’s the go-to camera for athletes, travelers, and creators who want to capture the moment in all its high-octane glory. But for a product that lives at the bleeding edge of action, the iPhone app experience feels… stuck. The GoPro hardware is incredible. The footage is...
Continue readingTacking Toward Excellence: What Sailboat Racing Teaches Us About UX
Spotify I was sailing in the annual Red Grant Regatta when I made two epic mistakes. The kind that don’t just slow you down — they potentially cost us second place. We were on track to take second place overall. But a bad tack and an override that trumps all overrides turned a strong...
Continue readingThe Digital Whisperers: A Whimsical Journey into the Art of UX
Spotify Oh, dear traveler of the pixelated plains, have you ever wondered why some apps feel like a warm embrace while others feel like a bureaucratic dungeon? It’s not mere chance. Nor is it magic. But it is something close. Behind every effortless interaction, there exists an unseen guild, an ancient order of digital...
Continue readingThe Unsung Hero: Why Empathy is the Cornerstone of Great UX
Spotify In the bustling world of product development, where deadlines loom and features multiply, it’s easy to get lost in the technicalities. We talk about wireframes, prototypes, analytics, and agile sprints. Yet, amidst the jargon and methodologies, one fundamental principle often gets overlooked, despite being the bedrock of truly exceptional user experiences: empathy. Empathy...
Continue readingPlayful Error Messages: Turning Frustration into Delight
Spotify Nobody wants to see an error message. Not the user. Not the designer. Not the team sweating behind the scenes. But in the world of UX, errors are inevitable. Connections fail. Pages disappear. Things break. What isn’t inevitable? How we respond to them. Enter the unsung hero of user experience: the playful error...
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...
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