In the 1960s, American neuroscientist Paul MacLean formulated the 'Triune Brain' model, which is based on the division of the human brain into three distinct regions. MacLean's model suggests the human brain is organized into a hierarchy, which itself is based on an evolutionary view of brain develo
Unmoderated Remote Usability Testing (URUT) is a technique designed to help you overcome the downsides of moderated usability testing. While moderated usability testing is undeniably useful it suffers from the fact that it’s time consuming, it takes a lot of effort to recruit participants, the costs
The Reptilian BrainThe human brain may have developed to endow us with capabilities far beyond the reach of other animals, but this does not mean we are any less driven by the same desires. These desires are manifested in our behavior, and, if you use the right approach to trigger our primal desires
Esteem needs encompass confidence, strength, self-belief, personal and social acceptance, and respect from others. These needs are represented as one of the key stages in achieving contentedness or self-actualization. While esteem is an internal quality, we are affected by external factors, such as
Lean UX is an incredibly useful technique when working on projects where the Agile development method is used. Traditional UX techniques often don’t work when development is conducted in rapid bursts – there’s not enough time to deliver UX in the same way. Fundamentally Lean UX and other forms of UX
For most freelancers and newbie design owners, their most powerful marketing tool will be their portfolio. A portfolio is simply a collection of samples of your work that you use to demonstrate to clients that you have the experience and competence to handle their projects.As there are an awful lot
Let’s look at a topic that deals with, oddly enough, how we look at designs. Once you understand how the human eye processes these, you’ll find yourself better able to arrange your elements more effectively.Content in any digital page layout will follow a specific hierarchy. Headers appear above bod
There are plenty of places to find information online about running a business and starting out as a freelancer or entrepreneur. We gathered 10 of the very best resources to get you started.Seth Godin’s BlogSeth Godin is a business guru. His material is remarkably well written (it should be – his bo
There is no device more personal than the smartphone but how do you connect the wider social world available on the mobile web to your own app or website? Social interaction on the mobile web is a key part of creating great user experiences. There are some simple actions you can take to increase the
Mikal Hallstrup,, the Chief Visionary Officer of Designit says; “The world doesn’t necessarily need more products, it needs better solutions.” While a solution may commonly be a product or a service, it’s more likely to be a combination of the two in many instances today.The combination of a product
It’s getting better and better but, still, how many times have you had to justify why user experience matters and what it actually means? To be prepared, as part of your UX toolbox, you should have a set of examples and visuals to ground your arguments. Case studies are great ways to exemplify the r
The prospect of winning a new client is something that leaves us all a little excited. Yet, the more clients we bring on, the more we realize that there are great clients and there are clients with whom every interaction sucks our will to live. Signing the former is a great shot in the arm and leave
Social proof (sometimes referred to as informational social influence) is a psychological concept. It refers to the tendency of human beings to follow the actions of others when making decisions and placing weight on those actions to assume “the correct decision”. It’s a concept that can be used in
Content fried is the point we reach when we subject ourselves to too much data. It commonly affects content curators but it can affect any of us. The “always on” Internet may be a blessing much of the time but it can also be a curse. The term “content fried” was defined Beth Kanter, who is a traine
In any type of research that involves human participants, it’s important to consider the ethics of the research project. That is also the case when you do user research. You are responsible for your participants’ wellbeing, for representing them honestly, and for keeping their personal information s
What type of designer are you? Do you have a set of principles, checklists, or methods that guide your designs? Or do you prefer to start from scratch and analyze afterwards with a checklist? If you feel more comfortable looking forward, looking backwards– or if you’re a perfectionist who likes to d
Abraham Maslow has provided one of the most prominent accounts of human motivation with the 'Hierarchy of Needs', representing his most well-known contribution to psychology. Maslow researched both 'exemplary people' from the past, such as Albert Einstein and Eleanor Roosevelt, and elite college stu
Eighty percent of what we do is pretty much pointless. Twenty percent of our efforts yield 80% of the results. The Pareto Principle is the idea that 80% of our output comes from 20% of our efforts. It’s a measure of where we can devote our efforts so as to increase our productivity and performance.
The idea of the minimum viable product (MVP) has been around for some time. The term itself was coined by Frank Robinson but was made popular by two influential names in product design – Steve Blank, a serial-entrepreneur and academic, and Eric Ries, the pioneer of the Lean Startup movement.What is
Life’s busy isn’t it? Many of us spend so much time racing on to the next challenge that we fail to reflect properly on the things that we’ve learned reaching the last objective. One of the best ways to address is this is to develop a personal development log.What is a Personal Development Log?Autho
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.
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