📰 3 ARTICLES
Advice for Making the Most of An Indirect Path to Design
- Heidi Meridith, Senior UX Designer at Adobe, offers insightful advice for switching careers into design, pulling from her own experience of realizing she wanted to be a designer and taking charge of her transition into UX.
- Meredith emphasizes the importance of our human experiences, imploring readers to dive deeper into the things that make them who they are, whether that’s education, travel, hobbies, or passions—and find ways to use them to stand out in their new roles.
- “When I think back about becoming a designer (still a work in progress) I think about how the threads of my experience are uniquely woven. It feels more valuable than ever to have taken a less obvious route to design. It was a little messy, and I was sometimes a little bit unsure, but I wouldn’t be the designer I am today if my course had been more direct.”
How to Manage Dangerous Actions in User Interfaces
- UX/UI designer Viktor Ponamariov discusses strategies for managing "dangerous" actions in user interfaces: irreversible or critical tasks that can be accidentally completed due to poor UI—such as accidentally taking out a loan because a bank app lacked confirmation steps.
- To mitigate these types of interactions, designers need to be aware of techniques like modal dialogs, inline confirmations, and two-factor authentication, all of which help with error prevention and emphasize user safety.
- “Good error messages are important, but the best designs carefully prevent problems from occurring in the first place. Either eliminate error-prone conditions or check for them and present users with a confirmation option before they commit to the action.”
A Guide to Fighting
- Designer Rafael Frota examines problems in the workplace, suggesting that all roadblocks can instead be framed as challenges, allowing for insightful investigation into failure and creating more space for an intentional approach when navigating workplace obstacles.
- Frota argues that reframing problems as challenges lead to better motivation and focus, while embracing failure allows for personal growth.
- “When we seek meaning instead of rewards, our choices become mechanisms of self-discovery. If it works, I did it. If it doesn’t, I learned. It’s a win-win.. if you want to fight for something you truly believe in, don’t love the solution, the outcome and even the problem — simply love.”
💜 PORTFOLIO INSPIRATION
Naomi Ncube, a UX Academy graduate, puts together a powerful portfolio backed by thorough research and strong UI design. With “Kinks & Coils”, she creates an end-to-end app that, through inviting branding and an accessible interface, helps users gain control over their natural hair routine. In her responsive design for “Oratile”, a shoe brand specifically for babies, she uses strong competitor research to create a highly usable and visually appealing experience for online shoppers.
Got a portfolio you love that you’d like to share with our audience? Email your suggestions to hello@designlab.com.
💡 INTERESTING STUFF...
- 6 Habits to Improve Your Mental Health as a Creative
- Funky Retro Typeface Designs
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When typography is one point, words become images. — Shawn Lukas (artist and designer)
🧪 FROM THE LAB
🚀 UX Academy Foundations Launching Monday
Our next cohort of UX Academy Foundations launches this coming Monday, October 7th. Don’t miss your opportunity to join this cohort and learn all the skills you need to jump into our award-winning career accelerator, UX Academy.
You’ll work through hands-on projects to learn visual and UI design fundamentals while also gaining proficiency in Figma – all while being supported by 1:1 mentorship with an industry expert, and our dynamic student community.
Spaces are limited—enroll today!
🎤 Advanced Courses Launching Soon
We have a slate of advanced courses launching next Friday, October 11th. Want more information on our courses? Attend one or more of the course webinars taking place ahead of the enrollment deadlines:
- October 9th, 12PM ET: AI for Visual Design
- October 9th, 12:30PM ET: Advanced Figma
- October 10th, 12PM ET: Data-Driven Design
Sign up to learn more—even if you can’t attend, we’ll send you a recording.
👀 Missed Our Latest Design Talk? Check It Out Below!
We were thrilled to welcome Hang Le, a design leader with extensive experience in B2B software and current Head of Design at Eppo, to our community for the design talk “Paths to Design Leadership”.
This talk explored the different ways a designer might grow in their career towards a leadership position. Le provided concrete examples of job roles, activities, and their impact, and gave insights into carving your own path to leadership by assessing design maturity, building support, and executing strategy within your company. This talk was very well received!
Check out the recording, which includes the full talk as well as a dynamic Q&A at the end.
🤩 Upcoming Webinar with Optimal Workshop
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