emotional design Articles & Videos

  • Handmade Designs: The New Trust Signal

    In an era of AI-generated-everything, AI-fatigued users want designs that look like they were made by a person.

  • Analyzing Good Designs: Figma’s Shortcut

    In Figma’s Shortcut, typography and other elements are aligned to a grid, a clear visual hierarchy is established, and various design elements are used consistently in the design.

  • Good Visual Design, Explained

    To create appealing designs, align type and elements to a grid, build a clear visual hierarchy, use color intentionally, and stay consistent with every design choice.

  • The Edge Cases that Break Hearts (And Products)

    Edge cases aren't rare; they're real life. Design for messy situations like name changes, shared accounts, and bad actors from day one.

  • Why 90’s Designs Are Coming Back

    Understanding the cyclical nature of design trends allows us to build on the past and fulfill the evolving needs of users. 3 examples of returning trends are neumorphism, dark mode, and gradients.

  • Don’t Trick Users: 2 Ways to Avoid Deceptive Design Patterns

    Deceptive patterns harm your organization’s long-term goals. Ask yourself these 2 questions to proactively avoid deceiving or tricking users.

  • What is Whitespace?

    Whitespace is an effective principle to achieve a balanced design, making it easier for your users to scan and read. Consider using a consistent spacing system and the proximity principle to achieve a balanced use of whitespace.

  • Skeuomorphism

    Skeuomorphism involves designing digital interfaces that imitate physical elements, reducing the learning curve for unfamiliar interactions.

  • Psychology for UX: Study Guide

    Unsure where to start? Use this collection of links to our articles and videos to learn about principles of human psychology and how they relate to UX design.

  • Visual Design Hacks for the Non-designer

    Make your work look visually compelling by using these visual-design hacks: preexisting color palettes, cohesive icons, and grids for alignment.

  • Choosing a Color Palette

    Colors in an effective color palette work together, follow your brand’s color guidelines, and avoid overwhelming users.

  • Basic Psychology Is Essential for UX Practitioners

    Basic psychological principles can guide you as a UX designer because most users share many common characteristics. Consider learning more about: motivation, attention, memory, persuasion, learning, decision making, emotion, sensation, perception, or cognitive biases.

  • The Anatomy of a Good Design: An Analysis of 4 Sites

    Visually pleasing designs use consistent type styles and spacing, create a visual hierarchy, and utilize an underlying grid structure.

  • Three Pillars of User Delight

    Delight can be experienced viscerally, behaviorally, and reflectively. A great design is supported by all three of these pillars and is best evaluated with specific research methods.

  • Models Matter: A Case for Using Diverse Models on Ecommerce Websites

    Not only do shoppers appreciate model diversity, but they also feel more confident in their purchasing decisions when they see many different people wearing a product.

  • How K-Pop Apps Create the Illusion of Private Messaging with Celebrities

    K-pop’s private messaging apps’ psychological and emotional UX tactics are building an unprecedented digital communication experience between fans and artists.

  • Visual Hierarchy

    Visual hierarchy can help users decide where to look in a user interface: what's most important can be shown by color and size, and what things belong together can be shown by proximity and common regions.

  • Using Color to Enhance Your Design

    Color is an influential tool in user interface design. Here are 3 guidelines for applying color in your design.

  • The 3 Levels of Emotional Processing

    People react user experience at 3 levels of emotional processing, as defined by Don Norman: visceral, behavioral, and reflective. Understanding these different levels is important for better UX design.

  • Autonomy, Relatedness, and Competence in UX Design

    Addressing these 3 fundamental psychological needs in our products increases user motivation and well-being. Users will be more engaged and more likely to use our designs.