It’s not enough to do the work; you also have to get paid. One of the biggest challenges facing freelancers and business-to-business entrepreneurs alike is how to handle that moment when a client fails to pay. The good news is that, by and large, it’s a painless process which shouldn’t lead to a big
The ability to harness GPS data and map data on smartphone platforms offers designers a chance to enhance the user experience of their products. However, in order for maps to deliver better experiences for users – it’s important to integrate these features with UX in mind. There are some sensible ru
If you’re going to design for mobile, then it’s a good idea to have a grasp of what makes up the modern smartphone in terms of hardware and software. You can then start to think about the possibilities these offer when creating user experiences. The better you know the device, the more you can explo
When you’re designing a new website, application, or other product, you always start with the global idea and structure before addressing more detailed issues. Designing the navigation on a website is no different. Getting the global navigation right is the first step in designing a great user exper
Parallax design, contrary to some information online, has been around for a while. In fact, it was first found in computer games back in the early 1980s. The title Jump Bug, 1981, had elements of parallax design and both Moon Patrol and Jump Bug, 1982, had complete parallax design implementations.To
This article, the one that you are reading, is part of a learning experience. Learning experiences aren’t a matter of classroom delivery – they are any interaction with a user/customer/individual in which the person is going to learn something (which we hope you will in this article).Products contai
Mobile apps aren’t a new thing but the latest research estimates that people spend 30 hours a month playing with apps now. That makes for a substantial opportunity for UX designers but once the product’s finished; how do you market it? Getting the marketing right is the key to market acceptance of y
Defining your design challenge is probably one of the most important steps in the Design Thinking process, as it sets the tone and guides all of the activities that follow. In the Define mode, you should end up creating an actionable problem statement which is commonly known as the Point of View (PO
So you’ve got piles of data gathered from the inspiring empathy research activities you’ve undertaken, and you’re blankly staring at the data thinking, “Where to from here …?” and “What do I do with all this information?” It’s time to bring all the research you’ve collected together and make sense o
Research can be compared to interacting with the ocean. On the surface, we may see calm beauty or turbulence; however, we can only fully understand the bigger picture once we submerge ourselves and go much deeper. In order to gain a holistic, empathic understanding of our users and the problem we ar
We’re now going to look at a subject that’s especially relevant to web design. Specifically, we’ll see how the user’s eye makes sense of web pages according to where it expects to find elements comfortably. Understanding Fitts’ Law (sometimes called Fitts’s Law) will give you a key to unlock another
There’s an easy way to start your marketing for your freelance business or your business-to-business start-up – using freelance brokerage sites such Upwork, Guru and Freelancer. Unfortunately, this isn’t as clear cut as it might appear at first glance, and there are potential downsides to this form
If you run a business—you need a website. There’s simply no excuse in the information age for a freelancer or entrepreneur not to have a website. It’s important to know what your options are when it comes to developing a website for a start-up business and, as importantly, how to keep your costs und
Learn about the limits of your user’s short-term memory by understanding how the serial position effect works and how you can manipulate it in the context of user experience design. Many of the most successful designs out there, produced by highly successful companies like Apple, Electronic Arts, an
Facilitating ideation sessions involves an understanding of human thinking and mental modes as well as a whole range of factors like creating the right environment and goals, which we’ll introduce you to here.“Ideation is the mode of the design process in which you concentrate on idea generation. Me
We think that whoever, decided that UX designers should need a portfolio, should have their head read. UX design is not graphic design and the creation of a UX portfolio does not mean that would-be clients or employers are going to be wowed by the visual aspect of the content. However, despite this
It’s important to remember that while we may use the same methods for mobile usability research as we use for other types of usability research; the mobile environment is different to the environment at the desktop. This means being aware of the context and adapting research to take advantage of tha
Changing careers isn’t as hard as it’s often made out to be, especially if you’ve got the right resources to help you make the change. For many web designers, now is the perfect time to make the switch into UX design. To start with, there’s the monetary boost that comes with the change in career. Ac
In your role as a designer, coming up with creative and innovative designs and ideas that should have a positive impact on both users and business is part of the job description, whether you are employed, a student or an entrepreneur. Sometimes, though, devising the next great idea can be a challeng
At the base of Maslow's hierarchy of human needs we find the physiological level, which encompasses the basic, yet self-preserving needs, such as sleep, water, and shelter. The ability to work our way further up the hierarchy, to satisfy our more complex needs, is based on fulfilling the physiologic
