Resolve to pay UX forward

Hey folks,

Here are the top 10 things I found worth sharing and your UX tip of the week.

UX tip of the week

Dedicate to find and help a UX peer entering or advancing in the field.

Whether they're seeking jobs, learning practical UX sklils, or advancing their careers, mentorship opportunities are close by. If you need assistance, join a Slack channel or Linkedin group to find a mentor.

• Newer UXers and those trying to break into the field have an uphill battle. Kathryn Brookshier shared data showing that UX job listings are decreasing. Meghan Wenzel shared a few reasons why it's hard to break into UX (includingrole and field complexity). Briana Bui shared 6 challenges junior folks will struggle with. IDF estimated 13% increase from 2010 to 2020 which would mean 120,000 UX professionals will be added to the US workforce by 2030.
  
  

• Seasoned UXers have affordances and should help. Jakob Nielsen shared that (A) higher-level UX salaries have held steady for 25 years and (B) generative AI enhances old users’ intellectual performance through wise winnowing.
  
  

Top 10 things worth sharing this week

1. Take advantage of this solid starting point for inclusive UX by Sneha Dasgupta. Use a free audit checklist and how-to article to design more inclusively.
   
   

2. Is there a missing diamond in the UX double diamond? Nomensa advocates for adding strategy. Iam Batterbee advocates for adding vision. Do we need needs-based behavioral archetypes too?
   
   

3. NNG compiled 23 free UX study guides worth a look.
   
   

4. In uphill thinking, John Maeda shared an insightful quote by artist Jessie Shefrin: “By the time you come to the perfect solution, the problem has already changed.” Explore more o Maeda’s thoughts on AI in How To Speak Machine and this discussion.
   
   

5. Michelle Sargent on how to pitch design ideas like a PM: "If a pitch begins with the what—an opinion about what’s on the screen—you’ll lose them. Instead, start with the why.”
   
   

6. Joey Banks provided a walkthrough of Figma’s new variables feature released at Config 2023.
   
   

7. Using wireframes in design has sparked debates in UX. Gain a new perspective with Wireframing for Everyone by Michael Angeles and Leon Barnard. Pick up a wireframe sketchbook.
   
   

8. “Companies fitted the creative and innovative practice from design into the same project management framework optimized for predictability and immediate output.” Chuánqí Sun speaks to root issues affecting designers.
   
   

9. Although fluid font scaling is the ideal, Oliver Schöndorfer shared a practical guide on healthy font sizes in web projects.
   
   

10. Redlines and Specs look like helpful Figma tools for code handoffs.

Thanks for reading!

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Sincerely,
Gerren