Turning things around when everything sucks at work

Some tips to get overcome barriers and get things back on track Photo by Jackson Simmer on UnsplashSometimes at work, the same issues can crop up so many times we start to think that things will never change, which makes us tired and resentful. Getting to that point is dangerous — we become negative..

Understanding data feminism

A new way of thinking about data science and data ethics, informed by the ideas of intersectional feminism.by Catherine D’Ignazio and Lauren F. Klein Introduction: We wrote this book because we are data scientists and data feminists. Although we speak as a “we” in this book, and share certain identi..

Designers: mind your language

I sometimes wonder how the design community — a group of people who pride themselves on their empathy and ability to communicate clearly — have been able to create such an unapproachable profession. For outsiders, the litany of buzzwords, methodologies, and rules can at best confuse newcomers, and a..

Your new UX superpower: Business acumen

https://unsplash.com/photos/ArA3S3k0wTU“So, how do you decide between user needs and business needs?”I get this question all the time. Mostly, I hear it from people who are in the process of transitioning from a post-grad program into their first UXR job at a for-profit company. It hints at an under..

Do I know enough about the problem to prescribe a solution?

The prescription vs. the platform approach.Picture Jon. Jon is a first adopter (early consumer) of a startup that’s trying to design a better way to roast salmon using a toaster oven. He’s smart, 35, and a working professional. He spends his evenings answering work emails and watching Dora the Explo..

How to build tech that does things differently

Data ethics principles and processes are useful, but they are often of limited use when it comes to addressing the social and environmental harms of the data economy. This post is about using creative R&D to build data technologies that embed a different set of values from the ground up, balancing e..

Have we been building products all wrong?

Are opinionated products necessary for differentiation in a competitive market? Or do they impose undue limitations? Continue reading on UX Collective »

The principles of sensory design

Sight isn’t the only way to experience the world: Senses work in tandem to guide cognition, movement, and communication. Experts posit that humans possess between 9 and 33 distinct senses, yet digital design routinely ignores neurological factors beyond sight. Sensory design principles emphasize the..

A guide to statistics in UX: When qualitative research isn’t enough

Qualitative methods aren’t always the right methods. Sometimes we need to step back and take a different perspective to understand the… Continue reading on UX Collective »

How to convince company leadership to care about accessibility — a guide

Over 11,000 ADA lawsuits were filed in the US in 2019 and 26% of Americans have a disability. How do we get our leadership to take action? Continue reading on UX Collective »