Posted on

The different user experiences among streaming services

by Shelby Anderson
Streaming services have changed the world of entertainment by giving viewers more freedom than ever before. People are able to buy a subscription and watch what they want, when they want to and often without commercials or other advertisements. That being said, the basic concept of a streaming service is pretty simple. So what features...
Posted on

The Issues With Instagram’s New User Interface

by Sara Hamidi
As technology advances and social media continues to evolve, platforms are constantly adding features and changing up their user interfaces to adhere to the needs and desires of their stakeholders. However, society tends to resist change, and Instagram’s new shopping feature has faced a lot of backlash from its users.  Prior to the addition of...
Posted on

How To Start Your UX Portfolio

by Sara Hamidi
When you are trying to look for an opportunity as a UX designer, whether it be an internship or a job, it is important to provide the employer with a portfolio full of your previous work so that they are able to gain insight into your style, strengths and weaknesses, and overall skill set. Having...
Posted on

Design Processes Go Beyond “User-Centered Design”

by Sara Hamidi
In the field of UX, the most popular and commonly used design approach is “User-Centered Design.” However, there are a variety of different design approaches that have risen in recent years, such as “Value-Sensitive Design” and “More-than-Human Design.” Each of these approaches are beneficial for a variety of different purposes, but in order to be...
Posted on

Spotify Vs. Apple Music: Whose UI is Best?

by Sara Hamidi
The rivalry between Apple Music and Spotify is a battle that music-lovers fight about everyday, but what exactly makes these two music streaming platforms so powerful, yet so different?  One of the key differences between these two platforms is the music player interface itself. While Spotify utilizes a dark background, Apple music goes with an...
Posted on

Why Psychology is a Vital Tool for UX Designers

by Sara Hamidi
One of the most important aspects of the design thinking process is the designers’ ability to empathize with users of their products. Without the keen ability to understand the user’s emotions, desires, and concerns, it’s difficult for designers to be successful. As a result, psychology is a highly relevant, yet overlooked field that can be...
Posted on

5 Top UI/UX Trends for 2021

by Sandhya Iyer
The field of UX is constantly changing, and we should expect nothing less in 2021. Here are five of the top design trends you should keep an eye out for (and look to implement) this year: 1) Motion Graphics — Animated elements on both mobile and desktop apps engage the user so much more than...
Posted on

Skills Every Budding UX Designer Should Have

by Sandhya Iyer
UX design is a field that’s always changing — the tools and softwares used, the guidelines for effective design, needs of consumers and clients — so in order for designers to build the best user experience, their “skill Rolodex” constantly needs to be up-to-date. Here are the current top skills all designers should know or...
Posted on

Improving UX Design with AI

by Sandhya Iyer
Artificial intelligence has been the biggest tech buzzword of the last few years. The idea of AI sometimes is daunting and reminiscent of science fiction, but it’s rapidly becoming integrated into different products and into the daily lives of many people. The more obvious examples of AI include Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri, Google Home and...
Posted on

Increasing Diversity in Design

by Sandhya Iyer
Design, specifically UX and UI, lies at the intersection of understanding people, technology and branding. You can’t build effective, easy-to-use products and platforms without connecting with the end-user and understanding their needs, desires and pain points. So, technically, the more diverse a design team is — with regards to gender, race, thought, experiences, abilities and...
Posted on

Designing for Accessibility

by Sandhya Iyer
The Interaction Design Foundation succinctly summarizes the importance of accessible design: “A design is only useful if it’s accessible to the user: any user, anywhere, anytime.” People often think the need for accessibility is only targeted at people with disabilities, but really, it’s just about making sure that anyone can understand, interact with and contribute...
Posted on

Article.com Streamlines Login/Registration Experience

by Sandhya Iyer
The best changes to UX are those that satisfy needs you don’t even realize you have. Nearly every site you visit to purchase a product or read a few articles requires you to login to or create an account. But most login and registration experiences are over-complicated, with multiple options and the sign in versus...
Posted on

Designing Against Misinformation

by Sandhya Iyer
With our current 24/7 news cycle, we’re subject to new information from publications and across social media platforms nearly every second of the day. It’s overwhelming to begin with, but it becomes even worse when you have to sort through fake news as well, something most people didn’t realize was so prominent until the 2016...
Posted on

5 Tips to Stand Out in the Competitive Online Shopping Sphere

by Sandhya Iyer
Due to lockdown restrictions, many people have shopped online more in the last few months than they have their whole lives. But even during non-pandemic times, the ease and convenience of online shopping is often just too good to give up — does anyone really like to scavenge through clothing racks or wait in line...
Posted on

Gamification in Design

by Rachel Anderson
Today, the gaming industry in the United States and across the world is a multi-billion dollar industry. There are conferences, competitions, and communities everywhere you look. From Mario Kart to Fortnite, the global interest in games is obvious and intriguing. Given the stunning success of this hobby, how can other industries model the same? How...