As UX designers, we have a lot on our plates. The term “UX Unicorn” exists for a reason. We are responsible for our clients’ goals as well as our users’ needs. You might ask then, why should you think about Accessibility in your UX Design process?Imagine going into a design workshop and telling your
For as long as we’ve been running the Interaction Design Foundation, we’ve been asked many of the same questions: for example, “I know nothing about UX Design; can I still benefit from your courses?”, or, “Can I use my graphic design experience to become a UX Designer?”.Rather than answering these c
Don’t Make Me Think is the title of a book by the HCI and Usability engineer Steve Krug. It teaches UX designers how to deliver great user experiences in a very simple and accessible way. Since its release in the year 2000 it has become one of the defining texts in the industry and an invaluable gui
It’s fairly safe to assume you want your products to actually work, right? Then you need to start the design process with empathy — one of the most important elements in both design thinking and the wider area of human-centered design. But what is empathy exactly, and why is it so vital? Let’s take
Learn to prevent negative emotions in the user experience of your product. As a User Experience (UX) designer, you want users to enjoy using your product by eliminating negative experiences and inducing positive emotion in your users. This article will teach you how to prevent anger and frustration
What does a UX designer actually produce? Here, we will explore the concept of UX deliverables, a term that describes the outputs of a UX design process during its various stages. The deliverables produced by UX designers vary according to their role in the design team and also depending on the meth
Most designers are familiar with non-disclosure agreements. Usually, your employer asks you to sign such an agreement to prevent you from revealing confidential information. But when you write your UX case studies, your NDAs suddenly seem like an obstacle. How should you write about your design proj
The SCAMPER method helps you generate ideas for new products and services by encouraging you to ask seven different types of questions, which will help you understand how you can innovate and improve existing products, services, problems and ideas. Here, you’ll learn how to use the method. SCAMPER i
Hybrid apps offer versatility across different operating systems, and web apps boast simplicity in development. However, certain users tend to have a better experience on native mobile apps. Since every type of app has different use cases, we will discuss the critical aspects of choosing between nat
The mobile web means many opportunities for start-ups, from bootstrapped home-based ventures to those with venture capital funding. But where do you start to get the ideas to build that first app? According to Steve Blank, you get out of the building. Only when you meet and understand potential cust
Now that we’ve started covering the topic of proportion in design (beginning with the Golden Ratio article), let’s look at another vital subject. Getting a firm grasp of the Rule of Thirds will empower you to fine-tune your eye to bring out the best of the elements in your design by placing them whe
Before you start planning for your UX research; you’ll need to start by creating some ideas for your plan. There’s nothing wrong with doing this process by hand. We’ve done many an initial brainstorming session for projects with nothing but a whiteboard or a flipchart. However, there’s also, perhaps
Have you ever come across a problem so complex that you struggled to know where to start? Then you might have stumbled upon a wicked problem. While wicked problems may not have a definite solution, there are certainly things you can do to mitigate any negative effects. When you learn how to tackle w
Your UX design portfolio is bait—and only bait—to get you into the first stage of your job application process. It’s what recruiters use to determine whether or not to call you in for a face-to-face interview or have a phone screener call with you. Many companies will spend less than 5 minutes to se
Have you tried communicating your designs to your colleagues and stakeholders, only to realize later they’ve misunderstood what you meant? Have you found yourself stuck in a design, unable to see alternative approaches? Are you sure you’re working on the most optimal solution, or are you working wit
The idea of “faking it, until you make it” is not new but it has a unique UX twist. The ability to develop and test prototypes at rapid rates of iteration lets you “fake” new products, get user feedback and make improvements without ever “making the product” until you have things just right. This ca
Once you’ve built your prototypes, it’s time to gather feedback from your users. It’s essential for you to optimize how you gather feedback, because you not only save time and resources but also learn more from your prototypes and test sessions. So, to help you maximize what you can learn from your
Service design is all about taking a service and making it meet the user’s and customer’s needs for that service. It can be used to improve an existing service or to create a new service from scratch. In order to adapt to service design, a UX designer will need to understand the basic principles of
It sounds so simple; take some light and turn it into an understanding of the world around you – we all do it every day; yet, there isn’t a single computer on earth, no matter how powerful, that can mimic the feat of vision to any real extent.Vision requires us to separate the foreground from the ba
Designing for mobile devices is not the same as designing for laptops or desktops. It's about creating a unique user experience that focuses on what matters to mobile users. To achieve this, it's important to focus on the tasks that users want to accomplish and ensure they can be executed efficientl
AI is replacing jobs everywhere, yet design jobs are booming with a projected 45% job growth. With design skills, you can create products and services people love. More love means more impact and greater salary potential.
At IxDF, we help you from your first course to your next job, all in one place.