Design Articles

We’re curious people by nature. And we love to teach others what we’ve learned. So explore our blog to gain fresh insights from our expertise in areas ranging from culture to AI.

SEP Wins TechPoint’s 2024 Innovation Service Partner of the Year Mira Award

SEP Recognized as Indiana’s Top Innovation Service Partner, Winning TechPoint’s Prestigious Mira Award Westfield, Indiana - SEP has been named the Innovation Service Partner of the Year by TechPoint at the 25th annual Mira Awards. The Mira Awards, Indiana’s largest…
Read Full Post

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 […]
Read Full Post
two women review content on a computer screen

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 […]
Read Full Post
team high fiving and celebrating over a laptop

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 […]
Read Full Post
View of the inside of a three-story library with curved walls filled with books

Optimizing Discoverability in 5 Simple Steps: Unmatched IA in UX Design

In user experience (UX) design, taxonomy and ontology are two important but often overlooked tools. Taxonomies organize information into groups. Meanwhile, ontologies focus on relationships and concepts within a specific area. By understanding these concepts, we can enhance a product’s information architecture. First, let’s start by discussing the basics of taxonomy and ontology. Then, once we […]
Read Full Post
gladiator helmet outside stadium

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 […]
Read Full Post

Chaos or Clarity? Improve Your Product Design With Systems Thinking

Embarking on the Adventure of Systems Thinking Hey there, product professionals! Ever feel like you’re embarking on an epic adventure when crafting products? That’s because, in a way, you are! Product design is like navigating through a galaxy of intricate relationships. Each decision made sends ripples through this cosmic web. This shapes our creations in […]
Read Full Post
Smartphone showing the dictionary definition of design

How to Talk About Design Like a Designer

Design is everywhere in our lives, whether you notice it or not. We experience it both in the digital world through software, and also in the physical world through things as simple as door handles. Most of the time, these designs and experiences go unnoticed. However, the most memorable experiences are often the bad ones. […]
Read Full Post
A blog image and title blend smoothly and quickly in a similar direction

How Designers and Developers can use Shared Element Transitions to Improve UX

What are Shared Element Transitions? Shared Element Transitions are animations that move elements from one screen to another within an app. They help users understand how the interface changes when navigating between screens. They are particularly effective when users are browsing diverse content and frequently switching back and forth between screens. These transitions can be […]
Read Full Post

The Building Blocks of Design Hierarchy

Creating beautiful, well-laid-out screens may seem like design magic, but you don’t have to be a designer to know how to structure your content well. With just a few key fundamentals of hierarchy, you can drastically improve both the visual appeal and usability of your designs. What is hierarchy and why is it important? According […]
Read Full Post
1 2 3 ... 5 Next ›

Explore Our Services

Cloud

Elevate your big ideas sky-high. Migrate enterprise systems or build native cloud apps with a trusted partner like SEP.

Desktop

In the lab, on the runway, and by the hospital bed, clients trust us to craft reliable desktop software.

Embedded

We have the know-how to build secure embedded systems – whether it’s custom hardware, bare metal, or embedded Linux.

Mobile

Tackle any challenge in your app’s journey with our expertise in building cross-platform and native apps.

Web

Front-end, back-end, or end-to-end, we build incredibly rich web experiences.

Ready for what's next?

Whatever industry you’re in, our custom software development services can help you tackle your toughest challenges. Let’s develop something extraordinary together.  ›
Explore