Hello Friend 👋
Here are Seven Things I was curious about this week:
Product development: You don’t need a designer or researcher to create products in a human-centred way, but every team should cover the basics. However, learning online can be overwhelming. Where to start?
To help, I’m recording a mini-series on the basics of user research. It won’t be 100% by the book but should help you get results fast, no matter what silo you think you’re in. Listen to the latest Product Nuggets on User research essentials.User research: Since we’re on the topic, you might enjoy this endearing story (and illustrations) on what you can learn from cats.
Web development: Much ink has been spilt over the need to know the basics of code. Interesting is hard is the real deal when it comes to simple intros to coding but if you’re in a rush, Web design in 4 minutes is for you.
Self-driving cars: A test ride of the “Android of autonomous cars” is off to a bad start, but goes on much more promising.
Writing: If writing of any kind plays a role in your life (it probably does), you might find these 7 sweeps useful.
Value of Design: The repeated ask for the ROI of design had me somewhat incensed last week, but - as so often - Nielsen Norman have a more constructive answer to steering the conversation in the right direction. Read their Three Myths About Calculating the ROI of UX. Indeed, “value” doesn’t need to be monetary.
Interaction Design: OCD alert - here’s an analysis of some of the barely visible details that make iOS as smooth as it is.
PS: Apologies for skipping last week. I was on holiday and committed to fully and truly switching off. I hence wasn’t curious about much that wasn’t related to what I found in the wonderland that is Porto and its surroundings, and didn’t want to send you hastily googled content. I hope you had a chance to switch off this summer too. 😊
To make up for it, here’s a bonus Thing:
The staircase in “The world’s most beautiful book shop” is definitely all cake!
Thank you for being curious with me. 💌 Please consider forwarding this newsletter to a friend. ✍️ If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe here.
Disclaimer: Any opinions expressed are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of any current or previous employers.