UX Lift roundup – the best UX & design links from the last few months

Articles

Personas – how they started, how they’re going – What personas are and when they can be useful.

The end of the free tier – Changes to the previously-generous free tier are often the beginning of the enshittification cycle (hi Figma). Here’s how to do a free tier well.

Typography variables in Figma are here – As well as what else is new from Figma’s annual event. (This would have been timely if I sent the newsletter when I first found this link.)

The polish paradox – The unseen effort to perfect every hidden aspect elevates products from good to great.

You can’t systematise creativity – Efficiency and creativity run on different operating systems and require different software.

The big difference between digital product and web design – Designing for digital products requires a different mindset than traditional websites.

Voice and tone in product design – Our product is an extension of our brand. We use visual design to shape how our brand looks like, and voice & tone to shape how it sounds.

Discovery study guide – Unsure where to start? Use this collection of articles and videos to learn how to run successful discovery efforts in your UX-design process.

How to defend your design process – Ever felt pressure to speed up your design process? Here’s how to address unrealistic expectations and foster a shared understanding with stakeholders.

Standing out from the crowd as a UX Designer – What can you do to stand out in what seems like an over-saturated field, especially when good opportunities are getting harder and harder to find?

How do generative AI systems work? – Brief explainer of LLMs and AI in a non-technical manner.

Cool tools

Popcorn Style – Bravely claiming to make meetings more fun.

NotebookLM – Interesting AI experiment from Google. Upload documents to search and ask questions of them via LLM. Even creates podcasts if that’s your thing.

Cool stuff

How to monetise a blog – Big changes coming for UX Lift following the advice in this article.

Fridge poetry – Drag around words to make sentences. Like your fridge, but online.

The Millennial Captcha – How many can you get right?

Rude Captcha – Prove your humanity by swearing at your computer.

Latent Scape – Wander through an infinite landscape of images, generating your own similar versions as you go. Fascinating and slightly baffling.

One Million Screenshots – Zoom into a lot of websites.

Thanks for reading! Don’t forget to visit UX Lift for your daily dose of UX news and links and I’ll do my best to get this newsletter out more regularly from now on.