User-First Design

28 posts

Linear vs Hierarchical Navigation
When making custom interfaces I’ve seen it over an over again where the interface becomes a linear “story”. You might have seen it yourself – ever had software that has a lot of next/previous/back but…
3 Jan 2025
Users Want Small Tasks: Designing for Busy, Distracted People
Users are busy. They’re juggling notifications, errands, meetings, and a hundred other priorities. In this chaotic environment, the last thing they want is to encounter a giant, time-consuming task wh…
23 Dec 2024
Avoiding AI Gimmicks: Designing for Real User Needs
I’m going to start with a Steve Jobs clip. In it, he says “you’ve got to start with the customer experience and work backwards to the technology. You can’t start with the technology and figure out how…
19 Dec 2024
Why Good Typography is Good Product Design: What Typography Can Teach Us About Product Design
Good typography is a cornerstone of excellent visual design. Its influence extends far beyond aesthetics. The principles that guide effective typography – such as hierarchy, structure, and clarity – a…
13 Dec 2024
The Emphatically Empathetic User
Design is at its most powerful when it’s personal. Product people talk endlessly about understanding the user – but how often do we truly become them? Walking in their shoes isn’t just an exercise in …
9 Dec 2024
What is Dynamic Interaction?
Dynamic Interaction or dynamic interactivity in terms of user interface design refers to the real-time, responsive relationship between a user and a system where the interface reacts or evolves based …
28 Nov 2024
Rethinking: Are LLM chat interfaces really what users want for search?
Why are LLM chat interfaces being used to display search results? With the rise of AI-powered tools, many apps are now using large language models (LLMs) in chat interfaces for search. But I question …
17 Oct 2024
The Texas Sharpshooter Fallacy: Why Having a Hypothesis Matters in Design
Imagine you’re playing darts, but instead of aiming at a pre-drawn target, you throw darts randomly at a blank wall. After throwing, you draw the bullseye around the cluster of darts that hit the wall…
1 Jul 2024