There’s no doubt that working on something we care about is both rewarding and exciting, especially if it aligns with a purpose close to our hearts. Sometimes though, our day jobs can’t always provide us with engagement on this level. For instance, only 30% of the U.S workforces report being enthusiastic and committed to their work. With 62% of 18–26-year-olds… Read More ￫

Approaches to collect addresses in a globalized world Internationalization and localization are broad topics, which have large implications on the web. This article examines techniques to internationalize address fields. The example on the left shows two methods for collecting a phone number. As I wrote about in Design Better Input Fields, the structure and length of the field communicates what… Read More ￫

The rules for mixed reality content creation are still in flux. This is an exciting time to be working in mixed reality because there isn’t a standard way of designing yet. Once more content is created, the audience for mixed reality will grow, and we’ll be able to see which designs work and which don’t. Working as a group named… Read More ￫

The assumption that designers and developers sole role is to either make things look pretty or to be a cog in a machine with no soul. Making this article look pretty with a pretty image by: Joanna Kosinska, on unsplash. NOTE: This article is based on a conversation I had with Jake Archibald for a new youtube series called “Designer Vs… Read More ￫

Literally 300 times a day, I have a conversation like this: Person: So what do you do? Me: I’m an illustrator. Person: Oh my goodness! How wonderful! I can’t draw. Not even draw stick figures! First of all, a stick figure is a drawing. You just think it’s a bad drawing. And that’s the problem. You Believe You Can’t Draw The… Read More ￫

13 ways to present forms and the future of data input From complex ERP systems to Facebook, applications make meaning out of input. The form — in its many manifestations — provides a gateway for user submission. This article illustrates 13 different ways to present forms, and explores the future of data input. Modal Simple modals work well for forms with… Read More ￫

Testing is a critical part of building usable digital products. A testing environment with relevant content encourages more thoughtful feedback, that can then be used to craft a more tailored user experience. What is Lorem Ipsum? Lorem Ipsum is dummy text used by publishers and designers when the original copy is not available. They use it to keep the work flow… Read More ￫

When a company gets as big as Atlassian is now, and has always had a good track record in innovation, it’s easy to get complacent. Nobody ever intends to, but there is a balance to be struck in terms of spending time on making what we already have better vs. breaking new ground. We noticed that our teams could push… Read More ￫

Apparently, UX people love to argue. There are always topics that end up in endless debates. Just try one of the following questions as a conversation starter when meeting a designer: “Is material design good or bad?” “What is the best prototyping tool?” “Should I really never put a carousel on a website?” What you’ll find is that responses might… Read More ￫

Many of us have solutions to problems stored in our heads, maybe even app ideas that can make each other’s lives easier. The problem comes when taking these ideas and then turning them into a reality. Of course pitching ideas in the conversational route is the first step, but in the digital realm, it really pays to show, not tell…. Read More ￫

When I was young, I’ve always had an answer for when people were asking me what my favorite color is. It was blue, but then after a couple of years it turned to purple, and then turquoise, and then yellow when I got older… “Relationships with colors are affected by our experience with them.” Colors are like music genres, some… Read More ￫

In this post, I’ll share some simple design and UX facilitation methods I use on the job in order to create definition, expedite the design process and create transparency with various stakeholders and team members on any given project. These design and UX facilitation methods are highly collaborative. I’m a huge fan of collaboration design and facilitation because it’s such… Read More ￫