Rajeev Subramanian

This screenshot is the agenda for Figma's 2024 Config closeout from 7:30-8:30P. Does that last session with Jason Ballard really say what I think it says? #RewirewithAI #futureHuman #buildingHumans #buildingHumansinFigma

Wow, it is nice to see some of the impact the course I authored with Designlab is having on teams both big and small. Emilyann Gachko thank you for sharing this case study and how it was received by the team at The Home Depot :) If you are interested in increasing your design skills through #usability and #accessibility check out the course. #ux #design #hcd https://lnkd.in/gEdC3NBV

11

✨ It's not about the artifact, it's about the insight. ✨ Heidi Trost shares her experience with personas that made an impact. 📝 Instead of complex deliverables, she focused on capturing core insights in a few simple phrases in an infographic. These insights tied behaviors to business goals – and that’s what resonated. 📊 It wasn’t about how it looked, but how well it communicated across the team. 🌟 #UXResearch #BusinessGoals #EffectiveCommunication

4

Config last week was packed with amazing sessions. Here are 5 of my favorite quotes and takeaways 👇🏻 🎙️ Pitching Accessibility like a Pro “Designers aren’t as empathetic as we say we are. If we were, our products would be accessible.” - Tregg Frank Tregg challenged us to empathize with our entire user base, as well as our stakeholders and teams, to promote value and adoption of accessibility best practices within our organizations. 🎙️ A new opportunity to make great software “All around you there are things that may feel solved, but could you do it better if you did it differently today? - Henry Modisett Henry called us to view AI not just as an add-on to top off your processes, but as a reset button to reevaluate the foundation of your processes. 🎙️ How pigeons led to emergency room optimizations “Who do we prioritize - the happiness of our supply or doing what’s best for the citizens? We do what’s best for the citizens.” - Zulhilmi Icksan Zulhilmi inspired us to radically design our products, especially government products, for the public good to impact lives. 🎙️ Unlocking opportunities: building your brand with side projects “The value of side projects doesn’t often come immediately, but in the opportunities that it creates and the personal growth that it ignites.” - Matt D. Smith Matt encouraged creatives to pursue passionate side projects for both the foreseen and unforeseen outcomes they lead to. 🎙️ Defining the relationship (between humans and AI) “The future and things we can create [with AI] is still up for grabs. We can think of something perhaps even better than what we’ve seen in media.” - Sam Whitmore, Jason Yuan Sam and Jason gave us hope that thoughtfully designed AI products can preserve and empower our humanity. You can watch all the Config sessions online here → https://lnkd.in/gXdWy-Ch What were some of your favorite learnings from Config? - - - - - I’m Brendan, and I talk about what it means to be a UX designer, in and out of the 9-5. Follow to join the conversation! #uxdesign #uxui #productdesign #design #figma #config2024

23

1 Comment

I couldn’t have said it better. Design and UX are often seen as nice-to-have resources, leading to their undervaluation and insufficient staffing on Product teams. As a result, we frequently find ourselves stretched thin, doing our best to keep up with demands. Instead of being recognized for our contributions, we’re often labeled as bottlenecks, with teams opting to go around us. Worse yet, we’re sometimes told to spend less time on solving problems and merely focus on making things "look pretty". To my fellow UXers: seek out organizations that genuinely value your work and the contributions you make. I understand that times are tough, and we’re all doing the best we can with limited budgets. However, if a company claims to prioritize user experience, they need to back that up with real investment.

15

1 Comment

I recently wrote about design system metrics, including adoption. Adoption can be pushed as a mandate. Having seen hundreds of design systems up close Dan Mall points out that there is no definitive evidence that high adoption doesn’t hurt. But, it certainly doesn’t differentiate between useful design systems and that frankenstack monster that has documentation in Excel with hundreds of links to a private Git repo along with multiple swim lanes with infinite scroll. The only reason why adoption persists as a common metric is because even really bad design systems have the ability to generate significant value. Full article in the comments.

13

5 Comments

Episode 235 of The World of UX is now available! Unrealistic expectations abound in today's UX landscape. In this episode, Darren covers a few of the more commonly occurring, such as the need for level-headedness among entry-level UXers, being ghosted after applying for a job, thinking every job posting actually reflects an "opportunity," and more. Ready to have your bubbles burst? Check out this session! https://lnkd.in/gj8yTfgu

11

3 Comments

This week, I watched a roundtable on connecting design systems to business value organized by Into Design Systems Community & Conference. A big thanks to the experts for sharing their knowledge! Elyse Holladay, Staff Design Engineer @ Color Marcela Rodriguez Joos, Design System Leader @ UPS Adam Lagerhausen, Sr. Product Marketing Manager @ Omlet Brian Alfaro, Design Lead @ The Washington Post It’s not always easy to directly connect the value of a design system to business metrics like conversion rates. However, here are a few key business benefits: 💥 Scalability: Supports product expansion with minimal redesign efforts. 💥 Reduced Maintenance: Lowers future costs by minimizing tech debt and keeping designs up-to-date. 💥 Reduced Tech Debt: Lowers long-term maintenance by standardizing code and design assets.

13

Skipping strategy in UX design isn’t just missing a step—it’s missing the chance to lead. My latest post explains why UX strategy is essential to project success and how it transforms designers into strategic partners. https://lnkd.in/gtmnFA7a #userexperience #uxstrategy #businessalignment #productdesign #leadership #designleadership

3

Somtimes the content that can up your UX game comes from unlikly sources. This article puts into context some of the best places to start!

10

How has the concept of a design service subscription model hurt the economics of the UX Designer and Researcher labor force? I'd love to hear your take on this.

5

1 Comment

Highlighting my newest article on Making Research outputs actionable. https://lnkd.in/eS48shQz #design #designthinking #designbuild #designstrategy #product #producctdesign #productmanagement #productstrategy #designprinciples #innovation #designers #digitaltransformation #ux #uxdesign #uiux #uidesign #designinnovation #application #software #softwaredesign #usability #userresearch #research #usercentereddesign #productleadership #uxwriting #designsystems #empathy #interfacedesign #usabilitytesting #userexperience #productdesign #accessibility #ui

4

Determine high-priority features in less than an hour. Get everyone in a room. Pass out stickies. Document every task users perform on your app. One task per sticky. Write furiously for 15 minutes. Group similar stickies into feature sets. (Below you’ll see a photo of a workshop I led where we condensed ~70 tasks to 17 features.) Vote for the 3 features you believe are most important to the user. Initial beside your desired feature to cast a vote. The two features with the highest vote count are your high-priority features. Congratulations. 1. Document 2. Group 3. Vote sinpl rlly 🥂

20

1 Comment

The problem with many UX bootcamps / courses is that they make design careers look easy. Like it is simply a series of steps that you go through as part of a process. Like there is just going to be a job waiting for you at the end The truth is that it is hard to break into and good design is is a bit like an iceberg. What you see is the end result. But getting that RIGHT end result often requires a lot of experience. The work you don’t see under the surface is: - Navigating political battles - Overcoming internal roadblocks - Encouraging collaboration - Telling the right story when presenting - (and lots more) As far as I am aware, these aren’t the things that Youtube videos and bootcamps are teaching or preparing their students for. Don’t get me wrong. I love that they are helping to spread awareness about design but now I wonder if they are causing more harm by setting false expectations and churning unprepared juniors out into an industry that is not in a position to accommodate them (for the most part). Thoughts? ↓ #Design

169

70 Comments

As a design leader, you work for your team—not the other way around. Learn how to keep your #UXteam happy, creative, and always on schedule. https://lnkd.in/eksZbUXM #DesignLeadership #TeamManagement #UXDesign #Productivity

3

If you want to be really, really good at UX... Focus on what really matters and avoid making dumb mistakes. What matters: -Stakeholder buy in and commitment -Good user research -Iterative design + testing with users -Detailed specifications and robust component libraries -Extensive QA testing to flush out the bugs before shipping Dumb mistakes: -Berating design suggestions from non-UX team members -Behaving like design prima donnas, thinking that designers can do no wrong -Whining about not having a seat at the table when you have neither earned it nor demonstrated the capacity to sit there -Criticizing engineers and PMs for behaving like engineers and PMs Note: both lists are incomplete, but hopefully they give the gist #ux  #userexperience  #userresearch #design

39

10 Comments