Smashing Newsletter: Issue #541

Editorial

Well, welcome to 2026! As we are kicking off new adventures this year, we thought we’d feature a few inspiring little websites to brighten up the mood and put a smile on your face. We hope you’ll find them useful.

And as we’re diving into the new year, we’d like to send you a lot of positive energy and optimism in hopes that 2026 will bring us all peace, stability, calmness, and plenty of wonderful and unforgettable memories. Don’t forget to keep an eye on our Smashing workshops and conferences (online and offline!) planned in the next months — we hope to see you there!

Friendly, inclusive, helpful. That’s our upcoming online workshops.

Here’s a quick overview of our upcoming online workshops:

Behavioral Design Workshop UX
with Susan and Guthrie Weinschenk. Jan 15– 29
Deep Dive On Accessibility Testing Dev
with Manuel Matuzović. Jan 19 – Feb 2
Building With AI For Everyone free
with Christine Vallaure. Jan 20
Design Patterns For AI Interfaces UX
with Vitaly Friedman. Feb 16 – Mar 2
Designing For Complex UI Masterclass UX
with Vitaly Friedman. Mar 3–17
Jump to all workshops →

Of course, if you are building something that you think other people would appreciate and find useful, please let us know! We’ll spread the word for sure.

Thanks for being smashing, everyone!
— Vitaly

1. World Map Of Human Ideas

From Control of Fire to General Relativity, from the automobile to GPS — where were the ideas that shaped civilization born? The World Map of Human Ideas lets you explore the birthplaces of discoveries and inventions in areas like science, technology, art, culture, society, philosophy, and more. A fascinating journey across the world and through the history of humanity.

2. PostHog

While many websites look pretty similar these days, the team behind the SaaS platform PostHog has taken a different approach. Navigating the site doesn’t feel like browsing a conventional website but rather interacting with a friendly desktop OS. Hedgehog illustrations sprinkled throughout the design add to the playful touch. A great example of a site that thinks outside the box to awaken curiosity and spark interest.

3. Portfolio Windows XP

Do you still remember the days of Windows XP? If you’re up for a trip down memory lane, be sure to check out Mitch Ivin’s professional portfolio. It is designed just like the good ol’ Windows XP, along with the characteristic welcome screen, startup sound, menu bar, and even the famous “Bliss” wallpaper. And of course, each page opens up in the style of a typical XP window.

4. The Scope Creep

Assume you’re a project manager tasked with delivering a website brief for a client. But nothing goes as expected. As you navigate the project phases, one unforeseen issue follows another, and you need to make the right choices to deliver the work. The Scope Creep is an interactive narrative experience that takes you through this exact scenario — but be warned, the descent into the abyss requires strong nerves.

5. AI-Assisted Creation Showcase

Whether you call it “AI-assisted development,” “agentic coding,” or “vibe designing,” when used carefully, AI offers exciting possibilities for engineers and designers. To showcase AI-assisted builds, inspiration, and how-tos, Cameron Moll and Adam Spooner created Varchive.

You’ve been tinkering with AI-assisted creation, too? Then feel free to submit your project to get featured in the collection.

6. Upcoming Workshops and Conferences

That’s right! We run online workshops on frontend and design, be it accessibility, performance, or design patterns. In fact, we have a couple of workshops coming up soon, and we thought that, you know, you might want to join in as well.

Smashing Online Events — With online workshops, we aim to give you the same experience and access to experts as in an in-person workshop from wherever you are.

As always, here’s a quick overview:

Behavioral Design Workshop UX
with Susan and Guthrie Weinschenk. Jan 15– 29
Deep Dive On Accessibility Testing Dev
with Manuel Matuzović. Jan 19 – Feb 2
Building With AI For Everyone free
with Christine Vallaure. Jan 20
Design Patterns For AI Interfaces + video course UX
with Vitaly Friedman. Feb 16 – Mar 2
Designing For Complex UI Masterclass UX
with Vitaly Friedman. Mar 3–17
How To Measure UX & Design Impact UX
with Vitaly Friedman. Video course
Jump to all workshops →

7. AI Map Maker

Whether you’re planning a trip or need a custom map for your business, PamPam makes creating custom maps a matter of just a few minutes. The AI map maker lets you add places, choose color themes, and customize the design without touching any code. Once your map is ready, you can share it with a link or embed it on your website, blog, or Notion page.

8. Semantic Art Gallery

Imagine an art gallery curated just for you, based on your mood and imagination. That is what the Semantic Art Gallery is all about. The AI-powered art search engine finds actual artworks from history that embody the emotion or idea that you type in, no matter how poetic or nuanced your query might be. A breathtaking example of what can be achieved with LLMs, beyond the typical prompt bar for generation.

9. Mobile Design Inspiration

Desktop websites are still the main reference for designers looking for web design inspiration. To embrace the mobile-first reality we live in, Loadmo.re showcases mobile websites only. There are currently more than 370 mobile sites waiting to be explored, with lots of creative ideas like experimental audio-reactive visuals or sites that play with gravity and draggable elements.

10. Audio AI Playbook

With audio AI finally good enough to feel human, the question is no longer whether you can make the system talk, but whether people will trust what it says and how it says it. To help you design trustworthy and safe voice and podcast features, Harsheen Vohra shares a seven-step framework that you can use to stress-test your ideas.

Designing Audio-AI People Actually Trust

11. Accessible UX Research, eBook Now Available For Download 📚

We’ve got exciting news! eBook versions of Accessible UX Research, a new Smashing Book by Michele A. Williams, are now available for download! Which means soon the book will go to the printer. Order the eBook for instant download now or reserve your print copy at the presale price.

Accessible UX Research is your practical guide to making UX research more inclusive of participants with different needs — from planning and recruiting to facilitation, asking better questions, avoiding bias, and building trust. Download a free sample (PDF, 2.3MB) or get the eBook right away.

That’s All, Folks!

Thank you so much for reading and for your support in helping us keep the web dev and design community strong with our newsletter. See you next time!

This newsletter issue was written and edited by Geoff Graham (gg), Cosima Mielke (cm), Vitaly Friedman (vf), and Iris Lješnjanin (il).

January 13, 2026 Smashing Newsletter: Issue #541

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