Issue 18: Greet matchmaker, captain, diplomat, cheerleader, gardener and coach
Typography in the context of a data visual; Five new and updated fonts; Who is a design lead, how to become and be one and way more!
Hello, dear readers! 👋
In this issue, among other things:
Who is a design lead, how to become and be one
Onboarding as a user retention tool
Typography in the context of a data visual
Video based on the neural network scenario
Neurotypography
Five new and updated fonts
Research vs Vision
Adobe case: The Psychology of User Offboarding
Quotes from "The Shape of Design" book by Frank Chimero
Enjoy reading!
📚 Book quotes
For this issue, I chose quotes from the book by Frank Chimero "The Shape of Design". Read them and decide if it's worth your time.
A person is not a closed system, they can never be fully self-sufficient. We need each other because we cannot make everything ourselves. Everything was invented, but it was not done alone, so we should revere the times we are able to fill this complementary role for others, and cherish when others do so for us. It's the words of others that teach us to speak, the expressions of life by other people that teach us how to express ourselves.
I believe in the two-way bridges we build that connect us to one another. I believe in the deep interconnectedness of everything, in the benefits of our codependency, and in the opportunity of today when we believe in a tomorrow. I believe in the gift that creative people are given and in the obligation to use it. I believe that we have done well, but I think we can do better. I believe we can do much, much better. There is more making to be done. There are dreams out there that must be made real.
The actor can learn from the painter about the emotive power of facial expressions. The painter from the designer, about the potential of juxtaposing images and words. And the designer from the poet, who can create warmth through the sparseness of a carefully chosen, well-placed word.
You don’t get to decide the truth. Other people have their own experiences, just as valid. This is easy to forget. Your slice of life seems so large and unmistakeable, like a mirage of wholeness from where you stand. But it is your job to know better and not confuse your small piece for the whole, even if you sometimes forget. Life is big—much bigger than just yours. This is the only note to self: other people are real. That’s all there is to learn.
Projects that seem cold or excessively composed are more indicative of a lack of understanding than a mark of professionalism.
Yes, four in the morning is both too early and too late. Anyone awake must be up to no good, so let’s not ask any questions.
The hand axes record the first moment that we understood that the world was malleable – that things can change and move, and we can initiate those transformations ourselves. To be human is to tinker, to envision a better condition, and decide to work toward it by shaping the world around us.
Design doesn't need to be delightful for it to work, but that's like saying food doesn't need to be tasty to keep us alive.
It is easier to recognize failures of technique rather than those of strategy or purpose, and simpler to ask "How do I paint this tree?" than to answer "Why does this painting need a tree in it?
Creative people commonly lament about being “blocked,” perpetually stuck and unable to produce work when necessary. Blocks spring from the imbalanced relationship of How and Why: either we have an idea, but lack the skills to execute; or we have skills, but lack a message, idea, or purpose for the work. The most despised and common examples of creative block are the latter, because the solution to a lack of purpose is so elusive.
🗞 News and articles
Onboarding is a customer retention tool
Translation of Ajay's article from Opera, in which he told how to build onboarding so that it helps to retain users.
In summary:
Don't try to cause a wow effect. Talk as simply as possible about the basic and desired features (according to the Kano model)
It is important to explore and understand the context in which the user exists and interacts with the product: physical, emotional and social. Ethnographic research will help
Onboarding does not start in the app, but when a person finds it by name or in a category and reads the description
Onboarding tools: static slides before starting work, interactive slides in the context of use, hints, empty states and data examplesEmpty states help to organically tell about features and push to the right actions
Onboarding should not talk about the capabilities of the product, but about how it will help the user achieve his goal
User onboarding is product management
What to consider when using text in data visualizations
Practical tips for working with text and typography in the context of data visualization.
What to consider when using text in data visualizations
What Is the Job of a Design Lead?
A good article for those who have not yet grown up to a leadership position, do not want to know what is happening there and how to be a good design lead.
Here are very briefly six roles in which a design lead should perform:
Matchmaker — correlate people's experience and knowledge with business needs
Captain — see the big picture and set the direction for the team
Diplomat — represent the needs of the team, understand the needs of the client and manage his expectations
Cheerleader — recognize the merits of your teammates and support their involvement
Gardener — to create a safe environment in which employees could grow and develop
Coach — support and guide the team to ensure high quality work
And this is an article about design leadership already for existing leads, with an applied look. Juliane Monteiro describes specific strategies, practices and tools for the design team to work with minimal need for ceremonies and calls.
Research vs Vision: the origin story of Sony Walkman, Mini Cooper, and the iPhone
The story of three products that owe their success to the fact that they offered people to do the usual thing in a new way.
Research vs Vision: the origin story of Sony Walkman, Mini Cooper, and the iPhone
Adobe: The Psychology of User Offboarding
An excellent analysis of the disgusting process of unsubscribing from Creative Cloud. With an indication of specific shoals, and, most importantly, the offer of adequate alternatives.
Adobe: The Psychology of User Offboarding
⚡️ Briefly
5 best UX practices in the design of online clothing stores, which are not followed by 94% of sites
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