March 2018 - Visual Identity

Exploring the Gestalt Principles of Design aside

Negative space has long been a staple of good design. Leaving white space around elements of a design is the first thing that usually comes to mind. But then there are designs that use that white space to infer an element that isn’t actually there (the arrow hidden between the E and X in the FedEx logo immediately comes to mind as an example). The “E” and “x” in the FedEx logo create an arrow within the negative space between them. The human brain is exceptionally good at filling in the blanks in an image and creating a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. It’s why we see faces in things like tree leaves or sidewalk ...

Never Call Yourself a UI Designer: UI is UX aside

UI and UX are two very common design terms; however, these terms often get thrown around in the wrong context. Meanwhile, traditional job titles such as “website designer” and “app designer” are far less common nowadays, despite being perfect descriptions of the design services that a designer might offer. What is this fascination with the word “UI” all about? And why do some designers call themselves “UI designers” or “UX/UI designers”? Isn’t the UI a part of the UX? Why has “UI” become such a buzzword? UX vs. UI We, as designers (and as human beings), are obsessed with how things look. We know that it’s “what’s on the inside that counts,” but we still parade ourselves in front of the mirror every morning, trying to ...

UX Testing for the Masses: Keep It Simple and Cost Effective aside

User experience design (UX design) is the practice of design that focuses on the user and a product’s usability in order to deliver the most satisfying experience. While some aspects of user-centered design can be intuitive or rely on UX best practices, delivering great user experience requires deep insights into the user’s needs, goals, and pain points. Uncovering these insights requires UX testing. User experience testing is one of the most misunderstood yet crucial steps in UX design. Sometimes treated as an afterthought or an unaffordable luxury, user research and UX testing should inform every design decision. In order for UX testing to be effective, it must involve the most important people—your users/customers. For UX designers, running tests with actual users may seem ...

The Comprehensive Guide to Information Architecture aside

As a standard part of the UX process, designers create information architecture when building products. Defining every avenue and path that users can take through an app or website, information architecture is much more than just a sitemap to show what page leads where. Similar to building architects using a blueprint to construct every part of a house, from physical structures to more complex inner workings like electrical and plumbing, information architecture describes the hierarchy, navigation, features, and interactions of a website or application. And just as blueprints are the most valuable document for an architect to use in the construction of a building, information architecture can be the most powerful tool in a designer’s arsenal. However, developing one isn’t ...

Net Promoter Score Isn’t Enough: You Need User Research aside

Net Promoter Score (NPS) is a common consumer insight method used to track customer loyalty. Advocates of NPS maintain that if someone is highly likely to recommend a product or service to a friend, they are also highly likely to be a loyal customer and will generate revenue for a company through referrals. It’s a single question that goes something like this: “On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend this product or service to a friend or colleague?” Net Promoter Score (NPS) asks users how likely they are to recommend a product or service. How Net Promoter Score Works Net Promoter Score tracks one thing and one thing only: how likely a customer will be ...

Monthly ArchivesMarch 2018