UX/UI Links of January 2019
UI is essential to UX, but UX is much more than UI. That’s the story of this month’s links. We’ve got some great reads about specific UI controls, but also picked some process and vision articles that are equally relevant to user experience. Hope you enjoy them.
How to work effectively with engineers
Even early on, donāt forget to involve the people thatāll actually be building the thing youāre designing.
- Jenny Wen, Product Designer
I’m a strong advocate for better communication and collaboration between designers and engineers. There are some great tips in How to work effectively with engineers that can help you bridge the gap in your company. (Also check out this article on the same theme.)
Design guidelines for mobile date-pickers
Without a clear indication of which of the two dates is currently being expected by the picker, the user can very easily enter a date in the wrong field without noticing.
- David Hamill, Freelance UX Researcher
I’ve been looking into flights lately and have used date pickers across a variety of sites and they’re nearly all poorly-designed. I hope that the designers of the sites I’ve been using read Design guidelines for mobile date-pickers. It’s full of sound and easy-to-follow advice.
Community-Based, Human-Centered Design
We propose a radical change in design from experts designing for people to people designing for themselves.
- Don Norman, UX Legend
Something of a manifesto, Community-Based, Human-Centered Design lays out a vision for communities to solve their own problems using design principles as a guide, instead of relying on outsiders who are missing critical context. A bold idea from a UX pioneer. (Also check out this related article.)
Using Comic strips and Storyboards to test your UX Concepts
Iām not simply showing the screens, or interactions that the user might move through. Iām actually showing the people involved, and what they might be thinking, saying, and communicating to each other.
- Chris Spalton, Designer
I was first introduced to the idea of using comics for UX storytelling over 10 years ago and am still a fan of the technique. In Using Comic strips and Storyboards to test your UX Concepts, we learn about the difference between storyboards and comics and see some great examples to learn from.
Select to Proceed
Vertical height restraints, copy length, imagery and number of options are all crucial factors.
- Linzi Berry, Design Systems Lead
Heads up! There’s a great publication that just kicked off this month, all about nitty-gritty UI design details, called Tap to Dismiss by Linzi Berry. The third installment, Select to Proceed, is my favorite so far. It’s about four kinds of selection controls and when to use them. Very useful!
Thatās it for January. Iāll be back again next month with our picks from February.
Want to read more of our favorite links? Check out the archives.