Product Design & UX Articles
How AI, Design, and Creativity Landed Me 2 Weeks of ClusterTruck Lunches
Some contests are worth more than the prize, and this was one of them. Indy Design Week recently hosted a poster competition to help ClusterTruck revamp their promotional flyers for Dine to Donate events. The prize? Two weeks of free ClusterTruck lunches. The challenge? Taking a bland Illustrator template and transforming it into a design with bite. Spoiler alert: […]
Leverage AI for Promising UX Results: 2025 is the Year to Begin
I get asked all the time if I am worried about artificial intelligence (AI) replacing my job. There’s a common misconception that AI will wipe out the need for user experience (UX) designers. This way of thinking fails to consider the expertise that UX designers bring. AI is powerful. But, it lacks the critical thinking […]
Competitive Audits: 3 Key Wins to Amplify Your Product
Comparison is the Gateway to Growth Whenever I hear the phrase “competitive audit,” it initially feels uncomfortable. Growing up as a ballerina, I constantly compared my skills and appearance to others, and the saying “comparison is the thief of joy” was ingrained in me. But as I’ve advanced in my career as a UX designer, […]
Why We Critique: How to Make Peace with Your Fear of Design Critique
Designers, no matter their practice, have gone through some form of design critique in the past. Someone had to critically point out how the work needed to improve during the educational years. University programs are specifically structured with formal critiques in their curriculum; these help students get critical feedback to expand their thinking and learn […]
Types of Design Research: 8 Ways to Get to Know Your Users
Research is a critical step in the product development process. It ensures we’re solving the right problems for users and finding the right, viable product opportunity for a business. Understanding the humans who will use the product and the business’s investing needs is critical to a successful product outcome. And it will come as no surprise […]
Design Configuration Management: The Awesome Best Practice You Didn’t Know You Needed
We’ve had a design practice at SEP for over a decade but didn’t have an official Design Configuration Management (DCM) process until recently. For most of that time, we’ve been a pretty small group of designers who typically had their hands full doing good work for our clients. Historically, designers on a project would hit […]
Optimizing Discoverability in 5 Simple Steps: Unmatched IA in UX Design
In user experience (UX) design, taxonomy and ontology are two powerful—yet often overlooked—tools. Taxonomies organize information into logical groups, while ontologies define relationships and concepts within a domain. Together, they form the backbone of effective information architecture, making products easier to navigate and more intuitive to use. Before we dive into applying these principles to […]
Harnessing UX Competitive Analysis: A Product Playbook for Strategic Domination
In the digital colosseum, where businesses duke it out for supremacy, User Experience (UX) emerges. It navigates the treacherous road of SaaS, firmware, and B2C/B2B software ventures. Don’t think of design as a trusty sidekick but as a gladiator in its own right. Understanding the immense value of UX in our strategic arsenal is more […]
Systems Thinking: Chaos or Clarity? Improve Your Product Design
Exploring the Power of Systems Thinking in Product Design Ever notice how every new project feels like navigating uncharted territory? In many ways, it is. Product design means working within a web of relationships where every decision creates ripple effects, both visible and hidden. To make sense of that complexity, we rely on a powerful […]
UX Writing Best Practices: 8 Principles to Improve Your Product Design
User experience (UX) writing is an often overlooked, but extremely important aspect of any digital product or service. It involves the deliberate use of words and language to guide users through a User Interface (UI), helping them achieve their goals while also providing them with a frictionless and even an enjoyable experience. No matter what […]
Avoid the Hidden Costs of Taking Shortcuts in Software Design
In today’s risk-averse economy, businesses often adopt conservative spending strategies to mitigate risk. This cautious mindset prompts questions about what expenses can be trimmed, delayed, or replaced with more economical alternatives. We have all experienced meetings where questions such as, ‘Is it a necessity?’, ‘Could we postpone it to a later date?’, and ‘Is there […]
Storyboarding for Client Meeting Success
Storyboarding as a UX Designer One of the most intimidating parts of being an Associate UX Designer is leading client meetings about ideas and interactions. How do you communicate concepts clearly, acknowledge client needs, use your expertise to guide decisions, and keep the conversation focused? There is no universal formula because every client is different, […]