📰 3 THINGS TO CHECK OUT
🎤 EVENT 🎤 Design as Strategy: From Established Brands to Innovative Start-Ups
- Join us on March 17th at 6pm ET for a talk by Designlab mentor and entrepreneur Samantha Clark, who will discuss how design serves as a core part of business, not just a visual layer.
- Samantha will share practical examples from her work with large tech brands like Google and Apple, in-house examples from direct-to-consumer brands, and her new YC startup, Pointhound, showing how strategic design thinking impacts business growth and user engagement.
- This talk is suitable for all experience levels, from those starting out in the field to more advanced designers. Register here to attend live or receive a recording!
Why Everyone Can (And Should) Be a Great Storyteller
- Carly Ayers, editor at Figma, highlights the importance of storytelling in professional settings, dispelling the common misconception that many are poor writers despite their capability to clearly express complex ideas verbally.
- The article offers practical tips on improving writing skills and overcoming common challenges, advocating for the idea that everyone has the potential to be a great storyteller.
- “Why do so many of us believe we’re bad writers? Often, it’s because we’re comparing our messy first drafts to polished final pieces. Every writer starts somewhere… The difference between 'good’ and ‘bad’ writers is their willingness to embrace feedback, work with editors, and put in deliberate practice.”
How to Effectively Sell Your Design to Management
- Product design Nick Babick breaks down six strategies for designers to effectively present their designs to management, aimed at ensuring stakeholders understand and support design initiatives—which can ultimately lead to securing investments and endorsements.
- Emphasizing tactics such as aligning design goals with business objectives and speaking in business language rather than design jargon, the article drives home how effective planning and communication are essential for cross-functional success.
- “Your ultimate goal when presenting design is to convince management that it’s something they should invest in—make it easy to say yes.”
💜 PORTFOLIO INSPIRATION
Afore Hsieh, a UX Academy graduate, creates a more seamless user experience in her redesign for Human Research Consultancy, a group dedicated to working with organizations that combat human trafficking. With her redesign, the mission and services of the org become clearer, and she adds accessibility features, such as multilingual options for site displays. She also worked through a conceptual feature addition to the New York Times app, allowing users to customize their news experience. Both projects offer extensive user research and clean, inviting UI.
Got a portfolio you love that you’d like to share with our audience? Email your suggestions to hello@designlab.com.
💡 INTERESTING STUFF...
- Sony's World Photography Awards
- Into the Darkness
- Am I Falling Behind?
- Improving UX for Users with Epilepsy
You don't have to be 'a creative' to be creative. — Drory Ben-Menachem (product designer)
🧪 FROM THE LAB
🤩 Big Updates for UX Academy 🤩
Last week we announced that starting with the March 24th cohort, we’re introducing two key additions to make UX Academy even stronger: UI Accelerator and Client Capstones.
- UI Accelerator – A brand-new module designed to strengthen students' UI design skills. With 20+ hands-on projects, expert mentor feedback, and collaborative peer sessions, UI Accelerator ensures students develop the polished UI skills that today’s job market increasingly demands.
- Client Capstones – All UX Academy students will now work on real client projects, gaining valuable industry experience. These collaborative, portfolio-worthy projects provide the hands-on practice needed to stand out in the job search.
Are you a prospective student who wants to learn more about these exciting updates? Join our next UX Academy Informational Webinar, running this coming Tuesday at 6pm ET. We’ll chat through the new features and more, including mentorship, curriculum, financing options, and offer a live Q&A at the end.
Are you a current UX Academy student interested in including these additions to your UX Academy experience? Contact our customer experience team today.
💰 Share Designlab with Your Network
Do you know someone who would benefit from learning with Designlab? From courses for beginner designers just starting out, to those in the field looking to grow their skills, we offer something for everybody. Spread the word about our programs and earn cash doing it through our Affiliate program.
Sign up today and we’ll send you dedicated links so it’s easy to share our info with your network—and with our new UX Academy features, there’s never been a better time to sign up! Earn up to $725 per enrollment that you send our way.
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