UX Files: Recent Episodes

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We kick off this episode with an unplanned review of Disney+’s user experience (and a mini-review of WandaVision), we try to understand GM’s new logo, we discuss the White House’s new dark mode, and InVision’s fall from grace.

# Show topics

• WandaVision on Disney+

• Discussion of Disney+’s UI

• GM’s new logo

• The White House’s new website has a dark (high-contrast) mode

• The rise and fall of InVision

• [Article] I don’t know anyone using InVision Studio, and that’s too bad

• [Report] UXTools 2020 Design Tools Survey

• Brief review of this weekly summary table from a time management tool

# Recommendations

• Keychron K3 ultra-slim mechanical keyboard

• Peters Design Co. shop

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We’re kicking off the new year with a quick 2020 retrospective and our predictions for the biggest 2021 design trends. We’ll also discuss the sudden closing of Simple bank (maybe they listen to the show?), and Tory will give us the low down on a side project that recently shipped, the process behind the design, and the challenges in effectively communicating value.

# Show topics

• 2020 UX Files retrospective

• Simple bank is being shut down

• Predicting design trends in 2021

• Dark mode will become even more ubiquitous

• The rise of 3D illustration and motion graphics

• Continued move away from flat design

• Growth in the need for user research

• Retro futurism

• Increase in diversity

• Tory’s shipped something: Fitness Totals

# Recommendations

• The Expanse TV series

• Figma’s Approach to PRDs

• Eagle — Organize reference images and inspiration

• Burger King’s new (and old) logo and identity

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We’ve got a few more Big Sur topics to cover on this episode (for hopefully the last time), including some of the improvements to the user experience found in the new OS. We also briefly discuss some key new features of iOS14 like the experience of managing widgets and confusion around Messages replies. That, plus Field Notes’ latest limited edition release featuring 999,999 unique illustrations.

Show topics

• Behind the Scenes: Sketch’s Icon Redesign for Big Sur

• Field Notes’ Snow Evening notebooks featuring 999,999 illustrations

• UX Lessons from Big Sur article

• Managing widgets on iOS14

• The UI for Replies in Messages on iOS14

Recommendations

• Articulating Design Decisions by Tom Greever

• Scaling remote collaboration for digital product teams by InVision

• Simplifi Money financial management app

• MS Paint Ugly Sweater by Microsoft

We'll be taking a break for the holidays. We'll be back with new episodes in the new year. Happy holidays!

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On this episode, we’re taking a second look at the design of Apple’s Big Sur icons. Has Apple lost its way? We’ll also explore how background color, spacing, and border styling can lead to an odd visual phenomenon in which elements that are technically the same height look different. Finally, we will discuss the whether designers should use the much-maligned hamburger menu.

Show topics

• Figma variants
• Big Sur icons
  • Article: Fantastic to fugly: All the new app icons in macOS Big Sur
  • Tory’s visual phenomenon on forms
• Hamburger menus
• Article: Hamburger Menus and Hidden Navigation Hurt UX Metrics
• Article: The Ultimate Guide to the Hamburger Menu and Its Alternatives
• Article: The state of the hamburger menu
• Article: Hamburger menu UX: too ubiquitous to fail?
• Hamburger menu on Xerox Star

Recommendations

• Using Data to Design Equity-Centered Cities
• Designing User-Friendly Data Tables
• Check - a customizable to-do app
• Audio Branding: Now’s the Time for Brands to Invest in Their Sonic Identity
• Mario-themed Amazon boxes
• KFC Movember campaign

Post show

• The Mandalorian honest trailer

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On this episode, we review Medium’s new brand identity and Google’s updated product icons. We discuss the the difference between coherence and conformity in design and how an over-reliance on uniformity can affect the user experience.

News & Reviews

• Medium’s new logo and brand identity
• Google’s updated product icons
• Twitter thread: Unity vs. Uniformity
• Article: Design for Coherence, Not Consistency
• UX IRL: Fine-O-Meter
• UX IRL: Dunkin’ drive thru tracker

Recommendations

• Raycast
• Accidentally Wes Anderson
• Twenty Bits I Learned About Design, Business, & Community by Dan Cederholm
• ProDogTV

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On this jam-packed episode, we discuss the industrial design of the next-gen Xbox and Playstation consoles, we talk the price of design and how pre-made design “services” may be hurting the freelance economy. We also dive deep into the user experience of HEY, a new take on email. All that and we introduce a new segment during which we share design-related articles, podcasts, videos, tools, etc. that we’re into right now.

News & Reviews

• Xbox Series X vs. Playstation 5 hardware
• System 1 icon set for iOS 14
• Anyfn - a collection of pre-made logos available for purchase
• HEY email service
• Dribbble’s controversial UI updates

Recommendations

• Quicksand, The Art of Getting Unstuck by Airbnb
• How to Become a Design Mentor
• How to Find a Design Mentor
• My Mind bookmarking service
• Good Movies as Old Books by Matt Stevens
• Adobe MAX 2020 is all online and free

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On this episode we’re discussion some of the controversial UI changes coming with Apple’s latest operating system, macOS Big Sur. Also, we review Slack’s latest update and Tory shares the user experience of... parking tickets. 

• macOS Big Sur
• macOS Big Sur UI comparisons
• Tory’s parking ticket
• Slack’s UI update

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Welcome to the inaugural episode of the UX Files, where three designers talk experience and design.

Show notes

On this episode, we're discussing Simple (the online bank) and their newly updated Expenses feature.  

• Simple bank and their Expenses feature
• Corndog.io

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