https://ixdf.org/blog UX Daily - User Experience Daily en Mon, 23 Mar 2026 10:28:33 +0000 https://ixdf.org/literature/article/use-circular-design-to-reverse-harm Nature is circular. Nothing ever goes to waste. The banana peel we discard degrades into nutritious compost for plants. Even the remains of deceased animals and humans disintegrate into the soil. Human engineering and design, on the other hand, are linear processes. And that has put us on a one-way highway to a global wasteland. How can we move from linear economies to a more natural, circular one? Grand old man of UX design, Don Norman answers in this video.[[video:1433]]Circular DesignThe circular economy requires circular design. The three principles of circular design are:Eliminate waste and pollution, including toxic substances that harm the soil and water and reduce emissions. Design p... https://ixdf.org/literature/article/use-circular-design-to-reverse-harm Sat, 21 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0000 https://ixdf.org/literature/article/recycling-is-not-enough-let-s-design-for-reuse “We live in the age of technology and luxury, but we also live in the age of waste,” Don Norman explains. In this video, the grandfather of User Experience Design, Don Norman unpacks the world of waste we have collectively generated. He examines aspects of our daily lives that we take for granted and sheds light on the consequences of modern life. You’ll learn that we can and should make a difference when we design products. It’s not good enough that we design for recycling. We have to design in a way, so our products can be reused.”[[video:1430]]The Take AwayModern technology has made our lives more convenient than ever before. We can enjoy grapes grown several thousand miles away and deliv... https://ixdf.org/literature/article/recycling-is-not-enough-let-s-design-for-reuse Sat, 21 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0000 https://ixdf.org/literature/article/tree-testing-ux Tree Testing reveals where users lose their way in your navigation. It’s a focused approach to evaluate a site's navigational structure. But it’s more useful in certain scenarios—so, you need to understand where you’ll benefit from tree testing the most. Learn about the pros and cons of testing tools so you can make informed decisions about their application.Did you know that unclear navigation is one of the things that can drive customers away? Forbes revealed that vague website labels lead to confusion and lost business.Fortunately, that's where tree testing comes in and handily offers a method to streamline and validate site navigation—and you can use it to make sure that your labels and... https://ixdf.org/literature/article/tree-testing-ux Sat, 21 Mar 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://ixdf.org/literature/article/how-to-design-ethically-expert-advice-from-guthrie-weinschenk As UX designers, we wield immense power to influence our users’ lives. We have the dual responsibility of catering to the interests of our users, as well as that of our sponsors (employers, clients and other business stakeholders). This can sometimes put designers in uncomfortable situations and raise questions about the ethical implications of our work. From social messaging platforms and games that bombard users with notifications and advertisements, to applications that analyze every aspect of users’ lives to suggest their next workout routine, connect them with people they might have known in the past, or recommend the next news story to read — at what point do digital applications go f... https://ixdf.org/literature/article/how-to-design-ethically-expert-advice-from-guthrie-weinschenk Thu, 19 Mar 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://ixdf.org/literature/article/anything-artificial-we-can-design-better If you look out the window, you’ll realize many things you see are artificial—buildings, cars, parks, electricity posts, water pipes, etc.—and most of those things were designed by humans. Founding father of UX, Don Norman introduces you to artificiality and how designers shape the world.[[video:1425]]The Take AwayMany aspects of our daily existence are artificial, not just the products we use, but how we travel, eat, and how we get electricity. Consider the seasons of the year or the standard hours of the workday—these concepts are human-made, yet they are so deeply ingrained in our daily lives that we may not even recognize their artificial nature.Logically, anything human-made is also hum... https://ixdf.org/literature/article/anything-artificial-we-can-design-better Tue, 17 Mar 2026 10:00:00 +0000 https://ixdf.org/literature/article/stop-the-generic-portfolio-trap-design-a-stand-out-portfolio-for-your-ux-ui-niche Your UX/UI portfolio is your ticket to your dream job, brief or client. It’s your opportunity to show off your expertise, creativity, and the tangible impact of your work. No matter your niche, your portfolio should be as innovative and polished as the projects it represents.Think of your portfolio as your personal design project—it needs a clear strategy, attention to detail, and a focus on user experience to make an impact.In UX design, every mistake is a learning opportunity. Watch this video with Morgane Peng, Design Director at Societe Generale CIB, to uncover common pitfalls and learn how to avoid them—set your portfolio up for success from the start.[[video:1816]]With that foundation,... https://ixdf.org/literature/article/stop-the-generic-portfolio-trap-design-a-stand-out-portfolio-for-your-ux-ui-niche Sat, 14 Mar 2026 14:00:00 +0000 https://ixdf.org/literature/article/enter-the-world-of-social-vr Our metaverse is big—as in massive and expanding, to be more exact—and there’s plenty of room to trailblaze inside of all of that digital space, so if virtual reality (VR) can teleport, catapult, and integrate human users into brand-new worlds of excitement, discovery, and learning (which it can, by the way!), then you’ve got social VR as an awesome vehicle to take things even further. What that means is, dear designer as you keep reading this piece, you don’t just get to immerse users in interactive virtual environments but seize on a golden—if not, platinum!—chance to redefine what communication, connectedness, sociability, and collaboration mean, plus you get to bring people together from... https://ixdf.org/literature/article/enter-the-world-of-social-vr Mon, 09 Mar 2026 07:00:00 +0000 https://ixdf.org/literature/article/8-talks-by-women-to-inspire-ux-designers User Experience design, like so many other disciplines, has a lower representation of women as compared to men. Things are changing now, though. Slowly, but surely. From strategy to tactics and from ideas to actionable tips, here is a curated playlist of talks by, and stories of just some of the most influential voices in business, technology and design.“How often do you use a voice assistant like Siri, Alexa or even Cortana?” asks Kriti Sharma in her talk, How to keep human bias out of AI. Each of these voice assistants, she continues, is designed to behave like female servants, at whom you can bark orders, such as “play music” or “switch off the lights”. On the other hand, “male” AI assist... https://ixdf.org/literature/article/8-talks-by-women-to-inspire-ux-designers Sun, 08 Mar 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://ixdf.org/literature/article/ux-storyboards In user experience design, we use techniques like workshops and interviews to understand users. We turn our research into user stories and process flows. We use personas and wireframes to share our ideas with our teams.But it’s important to remember the real people we design for. We need to know what happens in their lives. We must see how our product can improve their lives. And that’s where a UX storyboard can help us.What is a UX Storyboard?A UX storyboard is a visual tool—one that illustrates a user's experience with a product or service. Designers use storyboards to understand and address user needs as they move forward in the UX design process. Each one consists of sequences of drawing... https://ixdf.org/literature/article/ux-storyboards Sun, 08 Mar 2026 07:00:00 +0000 https://ixdf.org/literature/article/top-6-tips-to-make-your-ux-portfolio-stand-out Whether you’re a UX designer looking for your first UX job or a seasoned designer looking to further your career, your UX portfolio is arguably one of the most important projects you’ll work on. Your portfolio is the first touchpoint you have with the recruiters; it’s your chance to make an impactful first impression, spark their curiosity and get an invitation for an interview.Your portfolio is much more than a visual showcase of your skills; recruiters will review your portfolio expecting a glimpse of yourself. They’ll look for what you can do and how you do it. Put yourself in the shoes of a hiring manager. They’re looking for someone who’ll be a good fit for the team even if they need to... https://ixdf.org/literature/article/top-6-tips-to-make-your-ux-portfolio-stand-out Sat, 07 Mar 2026 13:00:00 +0000 https://ixdf.org/literature/article/3-reasons-why-accessible-design-is-good-for-all Most designers probably agree that accessibility matters: We want to create designs and interfaces that don’t exclude users with disabilities. There are plenty of obvious moral reasons that accessibility matters, but, unfortunately, accessibility considerations are often one of the first things to get cut when resources or time becomes scarce. From a business perspective, it seems reasonable that it’s better to release something that the majority of people will be able to use, than to delay a product or website launch. After all, users with disabilities only make up a smaller percentage of the customer group. As you might already suspect, the truth is a lot more complex, and choosing not to... https://ixdf.org/literature/article/3-reasons-why-accessible-design-is-good-for-all Sat, 07 Mar 2026 11:30:00 +0000 https://ixdf.org/literature/article/stop-the-generic-portfolio-trap-design-a-stand-out-portfolio-for-your-ux-ui-niche-ux-writing A picture may be worth a thousand words, but in UX design the right words are priceless. UX writing guides users, simplifies complex concepts, encourages desired actions, and creates a sense of delight. But how do you demonstrate you can do all of these things? How do you get noticed by hiring managers and potential clients? Let’s explore how to translate your UX writing powers into a stand-out portfolio.In this video, Design Director at Societe Generale CIB, Morgane Peng explains what a UX design portfolio is and why it is your most important design project.[[video:1810]]UX writing is an emerging specialization within the discipline of UX/UI design. It’s also referred to as content design o... https://ixdf.org/literature/article/stop-the-generic-portfolio-trap-design-a-stand-out-portfolio-for-your-ux-ui-niche-ux-writing Fri, 06 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0000 https://ixdf.org/literature/article/learn-from-ixdf-design-thinking-course Think about a new user experience (UX) design project at work that your team needs fresh ideas for—you want to create a winning digital product for your users, one that’s desirable, economically viable, and technologically feasible. To start with, you try to understand market trends and consumer behaviors, but as complexities and uncertainties arise, you’re going to have to turn to a powerful ally—design thinking—which guides your team through idea generation and promotes iterative prototype testing. Learn more about the design thinking process with the IxDF course, design thinking.Have you ever tried to take on a project and suddenly felt overwhelmed by how it’ll call for some seriously nov... https://ixdf.org/literature/article/learn-from-ixdf-design-thinking-course Fri, 06 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0000 https://ixdf.org/literature/article/customer-journey-mapping-tools As the digital world continues to change, you must know more about your customer's journey. Customer Journey maps help you see and analyze how customers interact with your brand. You can improve marketing strategies and customer experiences using them. Let's explore customer journey mapping tools and top templates that you can use to understand customer behavior better and create customer-centric products and services.A customer journey map is a visual storyline of a customer's experience with a brand—from initial contact to long-term engagement. Such maps are crucial for you to understand and improve customer interactions. With the right tools, creating these maps becomes easier and more ef... https://ixdf.org/literature/article/customer-journey-mapping-tools Fri, 06 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0000 https://ixdf.org/literature/article/rating-scales-for-ux-research Picture this: you’re designing a new app or website and want to know how users feel about it, but you want a good way to get actionable insights from those feelings, fast. Feedback is vital—and the sooner you get it, the better—and that’s why something as direct and visual as a rating scale comes in mighty handy when you want to get responses in and analyze them for fast and useful data, as you’ll find as you keep reading now.What is a Rating Scale?© Interaction Design Foundation, CC BY-SA 4.0In UX (user experience) design—and UX research in particular—a rating scale that runs from poor to excellent can help you understand user opinions and preferences in a way that’s faster to access than,... https://ixdf.org/literature/article/rating-scales-for-ux-research Fri, 06 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0000 https://ixdf.org/literature/article/3-reasons-why-your-users-love-or-leave-you As a user experience designer, you want to solve their challenges and problems. You research your target users, prototype your ideas, test your products for usability ... And importantly, you want your end users to benefit from your products. After all, what is the point of your efforts if no one will use what comes of them? Even the most user-friendly products can get snubbed by people. Let’s take a look at the three major reasons why users love some products over others, and what you can do to make sure they keep coming back to you!Whether you sell freemium software or manage a personal blog, you will be interested in knowing how many people interact with your offering — download the appli... https://ixdf.org/literature/article/3-reasons-why-your-users-love-or-leave-you Fri, 06 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0000 https://ixdf.org/literature/article/creating-emotional-connections People form emotional connections and associations with the things they use and come across throughout their lives. These connections and associations help guide our behavior and determine how we perceive the world. Designers must grasp how to encourage emotional connections between users and their products. In order to influence emotions, you must have an understanding of general factors that impact all users, regardless of the product, and factors specific to your product.Our experience of emotion is something we largely take for granted. For the most part, emotions are sensations, feelings, and physiological states that are not under our control. We experience emotion as a direct and imme... https://ixdf.org/literature/article/creating-emotional-connections Fri, 06 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0000 https://ixdf.org/literature/article/key-question-in-user-experience-design-usability-vs-desirability The question of usability compared to desirability comes up a lot in UX design, and it’s important to distinguish the two. Why? Because usability is the base level of the user experience, it is difficult to create a worthwhile user experience without it. However, without desirability, it’s unlikely that the user experience will be memorable or recommendable to others. Here we’ll look into the differences between usability and desirability and how to consider them in a successful mobile user experience (UX) design strategy.Four simple levels of UX were defined by the Nielsen Norman Group Conference in Amsterdam in 2008. They are:UtilityUsabilityDesirabilityBrand ExperienceThe UX designer has... https://ixdf.org/literature/article/key-question-in-user-experience-design-usability-vs-desirability Fri, 06 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0000 https://ixdf.org/literature/article/reports-of-content-s-demise-may-have-been-exaggerated-content-is-king-for-mobile-too People use their devices in search of content: to solve problems, get information, consume entertainment, or do work. Therefore, content must be the primary consideration for UX design. Learn how to prioritize content to ensure the longevity of your mobile web content or app.In 1996, Bill Gates wrote the essay "Content is King," in which he suggests that profit comes with content creation. Several years on, the phrase "Content is King" continues to ring true. Consider two of the most popular content websites in the world: Reddit and Wikipedia. While these sites may not have the most visually stunning designs, they have high-quality content that keeps users engaged and returning for more.“Ult... https://ixdf.org/literature/article/reports-of-content-s-demise-may-have-been-exaggerated-content-is-king-for-mobile-too Fri, 06 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0000 https://ixdf.org/literature/article/10-free-to-use-wireframing-tools Wireframes help you quickly ideate and test your ideas. While paper wireframes are the fastest to create, digital wireframes look more polished and presentable. If you are looking for a pocket-friendly wireframing tool, look no further.Whether you prefer browser-based apps or offline desktop tools, are working on a small or large project, or need to collaborate and share your work with others, there are plenty of free wireframing tools available. We’ve compiled a list to help you choose the right one, along with advantages and use cases for each one.For the most part, you'll be able to work comfortably using the free versions. However, as your project grows, you may need to upgrade to unlock... https://ixdf.org/literature/article/10-free-to-use-wireframing-tools Fri, 06 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0000