Let your irrational mind wander, then find it during creative hour

Hey folks,

Here are the top 10 things I recently found interesting:

1. “Creative patterns shift throughout the week, getting later in the day as the week progresses.” Optimize your schedule for the most creative hour of each day. Spend time  envisioning ecosystems and framing how design delivers value over the long-term in creative short stories within these topics.
   
   

2. On user research: Erika Hall self-released Just Enough Research (sample chapter) and created tie-ins to the Jobs-To-Be-Done framework. Emma Craig shared perspectives on Embracing the Evolving Role of User Research. Michael Margolis shared his “bullseye customer” approach on Lenny’s podcast.
   
   

3. Mapping out trees (e.g. driver tree, value tree, problem/issue tree) for products and services can be highly useful. That being said, this problem might be at the top of the issue/problem tree every time: “Website users only read around 20-28% of the words on a site during an average visit.”
   
   

4. On UI best practices: Revisit why and how to design UI cards with Saadia Minhas. Leverage “spacing friendship” and the 8-point grid system for consistent UI spacing (see also: Figma responsive grid). Try this successful landing page formula.
   
   

5. If assets are properly optimized, we may see a resurgence of analog aesthetics in web experiences as a reaction to AI just as Canva predicts for 2025.
   
   

6. I’m a fan of behavioral science and Irrational Labs, so I highly recommend checking out the new podcast that Kristen Berman is launching this weekend on Spotify called The Irrational Mind.
   
   

7. A miscellany of handy Figma plugins: Redlines, Wireframe, RemoveBG, Mockuuups Studio, Web Accessibility Annotation (1, 2, 3). If you’re feeling adventurous, play with these: figma.to.website (design to live site), V0.dev(AI prompts that build product), Visual Electric (Gen AI for designers), and Sprrrint (Figma library).
   
   

8. “While most companies choose between power and simplicity at every turn, the best understand that the right answer, as always, lies somewhere in between — and they find a way to maximize both utility and usability.” Avi Siegel ruminates about how users want results, not compromises.
   
   

9. Up for debate: should managers of UX teams only role be to hire, mentor, and protect their team, or do they also need to co-create strategy at the relevant level of their organization with their cross-functional leader peers and UX team too? I think it has to be both. Related: The Servant by James Hunter.
   
   

10. Ignite new ideas by exploring visual inspiration via same energy, deck gallery, supahero, call to inspiration, the component gallery,  recent.design. Also, try Soot to elevate your own inspiration collecting.

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Sincerely,
Gerren