Real stories from the frontlines of user experience work. We share what we've learned building interfaces that actually work for people, not just look pretty in presentations.
Last month, I watched a junior designer spend three hours perfecting button animations in Figma. The client hated the entire layout. Could've discovered that in twenty minutes with sketches and sticky notes. Sometimes the old ways stick around because they actually work better.
Continue reading →Things we've learned the hard way so you don't have to. Short, practical bits you can actually use tomorrow.
Watch what they do instead. I've seen dozens of user interviews where people say one thing and their behaviour shows something completely different. Your job isn't to be a waiter taking orders.
You can fix a mediocre design with better type choices. Can't fix bad typography with anything else. Spend time here. It matters more than most designers think.
Not "we'll squeeze it down later." Start with the smallest screen. Forces you to figure out what actually matters. Desktop version becomes easier, not harder.
Six weeks working on real client projects with direct feedback. We start with research, move through prototyping, and end with something you can actually show employers. Limited to eight people because proper mentoring takes time. Applications open in July.
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Forget lectures and theory slides. You learn by doing, getting feedback, and doing it again. Here's how that works in practice.
Week one, you get a brief from an actual business. Not a made-up scenario from a textbook. Real constraints, real deadlines, real consequences if you miss the point.
Nobody opens Figma for at least two weeks. You talk to users, map journeys, find the actual problem you're solving. Most juniors want to jump straight to mockups. That's how you build the wrong thing beautifully.
Every Thursday, everyone presents. We tear it apart constructively. You learn more from seeing others get feedback than from your own reviews. Takes thick skin but that's part of the job.
Final project goes live. Real users interact with it. You see what works and what doesn't. Nothing teaches humility like watching someone struggle with your "intuitive" interface.
The software and frameworks that earn their place in our daily workflow. No fluff, no sponsored recommendations.
Figma for high-fidelity work, but honestly? Paper, sharpies, and a phone camera still solve most problems faster. Digital tools come later in the process than you think.
User interviews, usability testing, analytics review. In that order. You need all three. One alone gives you blind spots big enough to drive a truck through.
Build your own before reaching for Material or Bootstrap. Understanding why those systems work matters more than knowing how to implement them. Steal principles, not pixels.
WAVE and axe DevTools catch the obvious stuff. But you still need to actually use a screen reader yourself. Automated tools miss context. Your judgement can't be automated yet.