How can you do useful user research with social media? Social media is one of the dominant forms of interactions on the Internet. It allows researchers to tap into the recent experience of people without the formality of interviewing or user testing. Leading platforms such as Facebook and Twitter count hundreds of millions of users each month. In this article, Dave Ellender will show you how social media is a rich vein of data for user researchers.
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If you need a little inspiration kick to get your creative juices flowing, Cosima Mileke has something for you that could work: desktop wallpapers. Each month, artists and designers from across the globe diligently contribute their works to it. And well, it wasn’t any different this time around. This post features their artwork for March 2017. The wallpapers all come in versions with and without a calendar. All images can be clicked on and lead to the preview of the wallpaper. Time to freshen up your desktop!
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Typefaces are always telling us something. We receive information through typography. Type influences us, adds coloring to words, sets a mood and atmosphere, assists, teaches, scares us, brings us joy and inspires us. The contemporary world has its own rhythm, aesthetic and philosophy; while we are changing, everything is changing around us. In studying historical lettering in calligraphy, we can understand the character and potential of a writing instrument, and, as a result, we can manage its expressive means.
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What’s going on in the industry? What new techniques have emerged recently? What insights, tools, tips and tricks is the web design community talking about? Anselm Hannemann is collecting everything that popped up over the last week in his web development reading list so that you don’t miss out on anything. The result is a carefully curated list of articles and resources that are worth taking a closer look at.
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Data should be the cornerstone of everything you create. It makes it easier to account for edge cases, or things you might not have thought of otherwise. The easiest way to work with real data in Sketch is the with Craft plugin from InVision. It provides a wealth of predefined content, such as names and addresses, lets you scour a website for the required information, and enables you to feed in a JSON file and work with the provided data.
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While functional aspect of a design is key to product success, aesthetics and visual details are equally important — particularly how they can improve those functional elements. Shadows and blur effects provide visual cues that allow users to better and more easily understand what is occurring. When carefully applied, such elements can (and should) improve a functional aspect of design. In today’s article, Nick Babich will explain how visual elements, such as shadows and blur effects, can improve the functional elements of a design.
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JavaScript module bundling has been around for a while. RequireJS had its first commits in 2009, then Browserify made its debut, and since then several other bundlers have spawned across the Internet. Among that group, webpack has jumped out as one of the best. If you’re not familiar with it, in this article, Joseph Zimmerman will help you get started with this powerful tool.
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The mobile developer population has boomed, and the number of mobile apps in the market has hit new heights. Most studies show that in-app advertising is set to be a key driver of mobile growth over the coming years. In this article, Stacy Golmack will shed some light on the questions like: Is the average revenue truly growing? What are the most popular monetization models in the market today? Which ones will be driving growth tomorrow? Which models have outlived their time? She’ll try to present comprehensive answers, backed by statistical reports and expert opinion.
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What’s going on in the industry? What new techniques have emerged recently? What insights, tools, tips and tricks is the web design community talking about? Anselm Hannemann is collecting everything that popped up over the last week in his web development reading list so that you don’t miss out on anything. The result is a carefully curated list of articles and resources that are worth taking a closer look at.
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To celebrate mankind’s urge to explore, the creative folks at Vexels created a set of 30 adventurous icons that take you on a journey from the ground of the sea right up to outer space. The set offers all the building blocks you’ll need to create your own little universe and become an explorer yourself. Strange deep-sea fellows, hot air balloons, meteors, and much more. Nature and technology beautifully united!
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