Creative challenges are great opportunities to improve your craft, build portfolio and be part of a vibrant community of makers. Here are eight tips for getting the most out of the experience! — Over the past month I took part in the classic Inktober challenge which sees thousands of artists from around the world sharing their ink drawings in response to daily prompts. I’ll be honest, this wasn’t my first rodeo. I tried Inktober and a whole bunch of other design and illustration…

Design systems are quickly becoming a must-have for large and small organisations alike. They promote consistency, speed up the design and development processes, and ensure every part of the digital interface is built on the same principles and values. I researched some of the best-in-class examples and identified six shared principles of great design systems. — 1. They are built on company values

As a product design mentor, I get asked variations of the same questions time and times again. Of course, my exact answers will depend on the individual’s unique circumstances, but some advice will be relevant for most aspiring designers. — Whether you are looking to improve your UX skills, catch the recruiters’ eyes with a shiny CV and portfolio or land your first (or second, or third) design gig, here are my answers to some of the most frequently asked design mentoring questions.

Questions to consider when designing inclusive digital experiences. — Inclusivity is at the heart of user-centric design approach, which considers not just the average user, but all users. The alternative is best summarised in the words of accessibility engineer Billy Gregory, who famously tweeted: That said, inclusivity isn’t an on/off switch you can magically flip in an instance…

User experience design is full of technical jargon that can be hard to decipher. This personal project is a growing library of UX terms and their definitions. Please leave a comment to suggest a term you would like to see explained. — A/B testing A research methodology that consists of randomised experiments with two variants (the “A” and “B”). It can be used during the main testing phase or post launch but requires a large sample size for accurate results.

Having a mentor can be invaluable in helping you grow and progress in your career, and a little reflection and preparation can go a long way. Here are seven simple tips for getting the most out of mentoring. — The best examples of mentor-mentee relationships represent the most beautiful aspects of human nature: curiosity, humility and yearning for improvement from a mentee seeking guidance, and wisdom, patience and dedication from a mentor who volunteers their time to pass on the knowledge. Unfortunately, too many of these relationships fall short…

Identity verifications are part of many application journeys. From internet banking to online dating, they make virtual interactions safer for all by ensuring there are real humans behind digital profiles. — There are many reasons why digital ID checks cause friction: they interrupt the workflow; require elaborate setup, equipment, and skills; force us to reveal our unedited faces on the internet, and make us feel like suspects in a criminal investigation.

Address forms are incredibly common on the Internet, yet very few sites do them right. Here are some things to consider when designing an address form. — Whether you were buying a pair of trainers or registering to vote in a local election, chances are, you came across an online address form before. They can range from single input field to multipage questionnaires, but all share the same usability principles.

You may have heard of a user experience (UX) audit and wondered if this is something your company should look into. Or you may have noticed that your website isn’t performing as well as it should and are considering if an audit could help you to locate and fix the problem. Here are my answers to the most common UX Audit questions asked by clients. — This post was originally written for and published on the Make it Clear blog.