That Will Never Work may not be a book for designers at first glance. As I delved deeper into the journey that Marc Randolph went through to found Netflix, I realized that the book is actually full of amazing real-life examples of product thinking and idea testing. It’s a great read for not just aspiring entrepreneurs, but also product designers and managers.
Continue readingAuthor: Simon Li
Designer
How to Pick Sophisticated Colors to Create Better Designs
Colors create vibes and convey tones of voice. Oftentimes, rookies designers pick those that are too saturated while the more experienced are able to select the more muted ones to create a vintage and sophisticated look and feel. This is not to say that we should always use muted colors. One exception, for example, is kids products. That said, choosing sophisticated colors is one of those skills that I believe if you master, it’ll catapult your design to the next level.
Continue readingShould You Break into UX with a Master’s Degree?
If the major of your bachelor’s degree isn’t any UX related field such as graphic design or human-computer interaction (HCI), one possible pathway to break into UX is to study HCI in grad school. A good master’s degree in HCI gives you a solid foundation in UX design, some practical experience of working as a UXer for a real client, and a pretty good credential for landing a product design job. That said, grad schools are not a prerequisite for being a UXer. They tend to be expensive and not that easy to get into. Having been a graduate student in HCI, I wanted to give you a glimpse of my experience and help you make an informed decision.
Continue readingSmall is Powerful: Why You Should Use Sprites in Your Design
Sprites are small images on their own inside a page or screen that typically contain a single object with a transparent background, just like the satellite receiver, the TV and the profile pictures in the following examples.
Continue readingTips on Creating Meaningful Designs - Fast
As product designers, one of the challenges we often face is to come up with new products or features quickly, whether that’s at work or during a job hunt. More often than not, the prompts of these assignments tend to be brief and the problems are likely open-ended. Without a lot of specifics, how can we create something meaningful without designing haphazardly and feeling overwhelmed? Having gone through multiple projects like this, I’ve learned to stick to the 3 principles below so I can navigate these situations more easily. I’m sharing them here and hope you’ll find them helpful.
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