Microcopy is supposed to guide users—but let’s be real, half the time it’s gaslighting us. From cheery cookie banners that secretly rob your data to “Oops!” error messages that tell you nothing, these tiny words are the web’s most manipulative tool. Designers call it *delight*, but users know it’s just UX in a clown suit.
Burned out from proving design’s value? Let’s change the conversationContinue reading on UX Collective »
Ornament and cultureInterface as social signifier.Villa Müller in Prague by Adolf Loos, 1928–30.. © Flickr User adamgut, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0In 1913, at the height of the Art Nouveau movement, Adolf Loos, an architect and theorist, was appalled and aghast. Everywhere he looked, ornamentation was spoiling his beloved Vienna.Loos was a believer in the future. Inspired by his visit to the Chicago World’s Fair, he became a devotee of the Sullivan mandate of “form follows function”. In Loos
Web design is still clinging to its graphic design roots, but AI doesn’t care about grids or poster aesthetics—it cares about adaptability and performance. To stay relevant, designers need to cut the cord and embrace a future built on systems, outcomes, and generative design.
Developing product discovery judgment through psychological safety, collaboration, and systematic practices.Diagram created by author using Google Gemini AI text-to-image creatorHow do you develop the judgment to decide what software is worth building when AI makes building it faster and cheaper?This article explores how to systematically strengthen discovery judgment, whether you’re building solo or as a team. For background on why judgment becomes the critical constraint when AI accelerates ex
Fewer people than ever are willing to dig through old customer insightsContinue reading on UX Collective »
I'm honestly shocked at how bad the current Facebook interface has become. I’m trying to delete a Page I own, and the platform basically makes it impossible. The options have moved or disappeared, the Page Settings menu leads to the wrong profile, Business Suite doesn’t show the Page, and the “Access and Control” section doesn’t list it at all.Facebook keeps bouncing me between: – personal profile settings – business portfolio settings – Meta Business Suite – classic Page UINone of them giv
A great time to innovate democracy, while the technology is in place.Wireframe illustrating how comments could be rated for clarity, insight, and inclusiveness in real timeAbout twenty years ago, just after turning eighteen, I tried to follow politics because I cared about living in a fair society. I wanted everyone to have food, healthcare, safety, education — the basics any decent person wishes for others. But politics felt toxic: shouting, accusations, and no real progress. Even the word bega
In the quiet corners of our technological revolution, there is a crisis no one is naming. We are building systems designed to augment human capability whilst simultaneously dismantling the very expertise needed to govern them. This is not a story about job displacement. It is about a category of work we have not yet learnt to value.The cake you cannot fixI often explain responsible AI development through baking. If you bake a cake with salt instead of sugar, you cannot fix it afterwards. You hav
Trust me, I’m (not) a robotContinue reading on UX Collective »
A case study on false affordance and the hidden costs of deceptive UI feedback.illustration by authorBack in September, I was at the airport preparing to fly back after a few days of work deadlines, more travelling and little sleep. Normally, I pride myself in being an organised traveler — I always check in online beforehand and download my boarding pass to my phone wallet so that I have less things to think about while at the airport.This time, however, I couldn’t find my boarding pass. Natural
This article is a sponsored by CloudwaysIf you build or manage websites for a living, you know the feeling. Your day is a constant juggle; one moment you’re fine-tuning a design, the next you’re troubleshooting a slow server or a mysterious error. Daily management of a complex web of plugins, integrations, and performance tools often feels like you’re just reacting to problems—putting out fires instead of building something new.This reactive cycle is exhausting, and it pulls your focus away from
Is infinite scrolling a dark pattern? What’s the most effective intervention for screen addiction?Continue reading on UX Collective »
Backstory: As a developer who spent years in front of screens dealing with stress and focus issues, I found most meditation apps either too childish or too commercial. I wanted to create a minimalist, developer-oriented tool that treats meditation as a productivity and mental health necessity rather than a trendy accessory. After optimizing the neumorphic design, SEO performance, and curating a library of natural soundscapes, I'm excited to share this with the HN community. What ma
Your privacy shouldn’t be a scavenger hunt hidden in settings menus. In the AI era, every default switch is an ethical stance—and too many companies still choose exploitation over trust. If you think “opt-out” equals user consent, think again...
Weekly curated resources for designers — thinkers and makers.“Imagine your best friend (we’ll call her Mary), had a perfect, infallible memory.At first, it feels wonderful. She remembers your favorite dishes, obscure movie quotes, even that exact shade of sweater you casually admired months ago. Dinner plans are effortless: “Booked us Giorgio’s again, your favorite — truffle ravioli and Cabernet, like last time,” Mary smiled warmly.But gradually, things become less appealing. Your attempts at va
How powerful stories turn hidden value into something people can see, feel, and believe in.Continue reading on UX Collective »
They are the invisible grammar behind every interface, the logic that makes visual language readable and coherent.Ebbinghaus illusion — Example created by Maxim KichWelcome, my dear reader! Perhaps, just like me, you’ve searched the internet for different sources about the Gestalt principles and found that there are many, each slightly different from the others. That’s why I decided to bring several of them together, analyze and group them, and highlight the fundamental ones, the core laws that
Understanding and mapping B2B customer journeyThis article follows my previous one where I described B2B journeys as living ecosystems that are constantly changing. Based on this theoretical framework, I prepared an execution plan in our team, and this is what the content of the next article will be. I will present you with a step-by-step framework of how I proceeded when mapping the customer journey in five countries with multiple actors.I would like to emphasize that the following framework re
The design field is evolving. It’s been proven that aside from driving business success and delivering beautiful and successful products, design can be pivotal to solving complex human issues. For instance, GE Healthcare used Design Thinking to improve the MR scanner experience for children—which is oftentimes very unpleasant—and patient satisfaction rates went up 90%. As a designer, you have the opportunity to leverage your skillset and apply your design know-how to tackle major global challeng