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Design Theory

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Stop Sprinting and Start Jamming

  • Design, Design Theory, Simplicity, Strategy, The rise of design, UX Education

Learn how jamming provides huge benefits to innovation efforts.

IDEAS IN BRIEF
Stop Sprinting and Start Jamming
  • Jamming when designing promotes experimentation and teamwork while sprinting can become misguided and unrealistic.
  • The author draws an analogy between the creative process of producing music and design and shows the number of benefits of jamming:
    • Jamming removes false expectations on the team to accomplish tasks within unrealistic deadlines.
    • Jamming promotes collaboration, curiosity, and experimentation.
    • Jamming allows people to have quiet time between jams to reflect and think by themselves; this gives rise to innovative ideas within the team.
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4 min read

The Rise of Relational Design

  • Behavioral Science, Design, Design Theory, Human factors, Psychology and Human Behavior, UX Magazine

What if we designed anything with relationships in mind?

IDEAS IN BRIEF
The Rise of Relational Design
  • The author believes that putting relationships first should be a common practice in every part of human activity.
  • The author sees a relational design as something we can anticipate in the nearest future. It can be applied in many cases – from designing cities to building any type of organization or system.
  • Relational design isn’t new in any way – the fact they are old makes them this powerful. With relationships in mind, we can start designing a new future.
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3 min read

Designers And Developers Pay More Attention To Human Autonomy

  • Behavioral Science, Design, Design Theory, Human factors

More autonomy and less dependency can improve our toxic relationship with digital technologies and benefit all of us, says Alexander Steinhart.

IDEAS IN BRIEF
Designers And Developers Pay More Attention To Human Autonomy
  • The majority of tech companies concentrate on attracting active users and increasing consumption. Additionally, their economic incentives conflict with our own values and aspirations as users. 
  • According to the author, we should adhere to the rules of responsible, ethical, and humane design referred to as Design for Human Autonomy.
  • There are 3 conditions to design for human autonomy:
    • The user and their interactions with others should be prioritized over their use of the digital service;
    • In the end, consumers are encouraged to navigate mainly without the software itself;
    • The app’s values are transparent, and it respects the users’ values and objectives.
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5 min read

10 Types of Cognitive Bias To Watch Out For In UX Research & Design

  • Behavioral Science, Design, Design Theory, Human factors, Interviews, Psychology and Human Behavior

Visualising 10 types of bias in 10 visuals.

IDEAS IN BRIEF
10 Types of Cognitive Bias To Watch Out For In UX Research & Design
  • The article covers how crucial it is to address cognitive biases for navigating daily life as well as UX research and design. Our judgment and thought processes become biased, which might distort reality in accordance with our preconceived notions.
  • The author illustrates 10 examples of real-life cognitive biases and their reflection in UX research.
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5 min read

Design Fictions

  • Design, Design Theory, Direct Observation Research, UX Education, UX World Changing Ideas
IDEAS IN BRIEF
Design Fictions
  • Nowadays, people tend to change their online behavior because of the constant feeling of surveillance – this phenomenon is called the “chilling effect”. It affects all users, however, younger Internet users are more aware of their privacy navigation.
  • Nothing is private now – every realm of human life stays on the Internet forever.
  • Under such circumstances, the design’s future trajectory is not something the author is comfortable with. She advises always considering whether what you’re building helps increase sustainability while making design decisions.
  • Technology should remain a tool, design should satisfy a need, and neither should cause a decrease in human agency by pandering to our primary instincts. According to the author, negative drawbacks are something a designer should always keep in mind.
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5 min read
Design Fictions

A linear thinker, a design thinker and a systems thinker walk into a bar…

  • Conversational Design, Data visualization, Design Theory, Human factors, Sketching, Strategy, UX Education, UX Magazine

Visualization of different ways of thinking about and solving complex problems.

IDEAS IN BRIEF
A linear thinker, a design thinker and a systems thinker walk into a bar…
  • The author provides a vivid example to demonstrate the differences between various types of thinking — linear, design, and systems.
    • Linear thinking divides the problem into smaller sections, addressing each one independently.
    • The search for the best solution starts with the user’s needs and behavior in the search for design thinking.
    • With a focus on interactions and relationships between things, systems thinking adopts a more comprehensive perspective.
  • We place a lot of emphasis on linear thinking as a society. The author believes that the key to the most effective solutions lies within all three types combined.
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3 min read
A linear thinker, a design thinker and a systems thinker walk into a bar

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