Design Better

In the latest issue of The Brief from Design Better we look at the best way to avoid losing your job. Become irreplaceable. Read or listen to this article [Paid]: https://lnkd.in/eJD_4cFn Become a Design Better premium subscriber: https://lnkd.in/eGDnAU42 #design #UX #career #AI

Many designers right now are understandably afraid of losing their jobs. Want to learn how to become irreplaceable? In this month's issue of The Brief from Design Better, we discuss what you can you do to make yourself indispensable to your team. https://lnkd.in/gDCsv_Vz As always, if you are between jobs, or are a student, reach out to us at [email protected] and we'll give you a scholarship so you can access the full article.

Many designers right now are understandably afraid of losing their jobs. Want to learn how to become irreplaceable? In this month's issue of The Brief from Design Better, we discuss what you can you do to make yourself indispensable to your team. https://lnkd.in/gDCsv_Vz As always, if you are between jobs, or are a student, reach out to us at [email protected] and we'll give you a scholarship so you can access the full article.

Today on Design Better, Aarron Walter and I chat with the artist Trenton Doyle Hancock. We spoke with Trenton about his neurodivergent approach to the world, how collecting influences his visual sensibilities, and how chaos becomes precise order in his work. Below are a few insights from the interview, head over to our Substack (https://lnkd.in/gupHGBx2) to catch them all: 1. Creative Process: From Chaos to Order Trenton has a unique approach to organization, allowing what appears as chaos to those outside to have its own internal structure: "It's sort of like going from chaos to order in your life... I think there's this idea of order that needs to happen. And it's a different target for everyone." He describes how he organizes his collections meticulously once they become part of his creative canon. For designers, this suggests embracing the messy middle of creative work while developing personal systems for managing information and inspiration. 2. The Power of Collecting and Visual Archives Trenton's process heavily involves collecting objects that may or may not make it into his work: "Some material is very close to what we would consider just art material... But then there are other things... that you found on the street. Receipts, all kinds of other things, toys... whether they make themselves physically present in a finished artwork or it might just be the essence of something, the color, the texture, something about it, an attitude, will make its way into a work." This speaks to the importance of maintaining visual libraries, reference collections, and inspiration archives—something particularly relevant to designers building design systems or reference materials. New habits to try ?? Create a "Collector's Mindset" -Daily Collection Ritual: Set aside 10-15 minutes daily to collect digital or physical artifacts that spark interest—screenshots, color combinations, textures, UI patterns, or physical ephemera. -Visual Journal: Maintain a physical or digital scrapbook without immediate purpose—just collect what resonates and review periodically for unexpected connections. "-Inspiration Walks": Schedule regular walks specifically to photograph textures, colors, and patterns in the environment that could inform design work. ?? Implement "Just Get to Work" Sessions -15-Minute Warm-ups: Begin each day with 15 minutes of "no stakes" design work—sketching interfaces, playing with typography, or exploring color combinations without project pressure. -Timer-Based Creation: Use the Pomodoro technique (25 minutes of focused work) to push through creative blocks by focusing on process rather than outcomes. -Morning Pages for Designers: Adapt the writing exercise to visual thinking—create three quick sketches or design concepts before checking email or starting meetings.

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I just spoke with Elijah Woolery and Aarron Walter of the Design Better podcast about the hidden forces that drive product adoption and behavior change. Here's what product managers and growth leaders need to know: ???? Humans don't act rationally, and the environment affects behavior more than attitudes, preferences, or beliefs. This isn't just theory—it's the foundation of effective product design. A few insights worth noting: ?? Your biggest competitor isn't who you think. It's the status quo—what users are already doing. The biggest predictor that I'll exercise today is whether I exercised yesterday. ??? Don't ask users what they want; watch what they do. Brazil's stock exchange thought their users needed better information about expiring bonds. The problem? People don't remember expiration dates from 10 years ago. By focusing on the behavior (reinvestment) rather than awareness, we increased bond reinvestment 5X. ?? For truly successful product engagement, focus on what I call "uncomfortably specific key behaviors" rather than abstract metrics like retention or engagement. At One Medical, we increased bookings by 20% not by asking people to "get care" (who thinks that way?) but by recommending a specific doctor. ? Your users don't come in with fixed preferences—you help create them. The Significant Objects Project sold junk shop items on eBay with compelling stories, turning $50 worth of items into $3,500. As a product leader, it's your job to help users understand value, not assume they already know it. ?? Present bias is real: Chime switched from "save money on overdraft fees" (future benefit) to "get paid two days earlier" (immediate benefit)—and saw dramatically better conversion. I run Irrational Labs, a behavioral economics consultancy with Dan Ariely, where we apply these principles to help products drive meaningful behavior change. What hidden forces are affecting your product experience? Listen to the full conversation here: https://lnkd.in/efB6FD_6 #BehavioralEconomics #ProductDesign #GrowthMarketing

For anyone who gets a twinge of nostalgia looking at these animated GIFs, the guest interviewed for Design Better today will make you smile...we were lucky enough to talk to the creator of Prince of Persia and Karateka, Jordan Mechner. My 3 brothers (Alex Woolery, Hart Woolery, and Gavan Woolery) and I grew up playing these games together in the 80's and 90's, so it was a real honor to chat with Jordan, who also just released a great graphic novel about his family history and his own work called "Replay." The episode will be coming out in the next month or so.

Do you remember where you were the first time you saw this iconic OK Go video? Our TNM Spotlight: Show of the Week goes out to the brilliant team at Design Better—Aarron Walter and Elijah Woolery—who welcomed none other than OK Go's founding members, Tim Nordwind and Damian Kulash, to the podcast not long ago. Designed (pun intended) to explore the intersection of design, technology, and the creative process with thought leaders from a wide range of fields, this show continues to deliver inspiration and insight with every episode. Check out the episode: https://lnkd.in/eijxVitb

This Week in Design – Your Roundup of Cool Stuff Has anyone else been madly juggling half term holidays and work this week? I've been reading design articles and listening to podcasts while playing dinosaurs and picking up jellybeans off the floor! Here is my (extremely exhausted) summary of this week in design: 1?? Tool: Adobe has launched a Photoshop iPhone app, which is more powerful than the existing PS Express app and ideal for editing and posting on the go. ?? https://lnkd.in/euusKY_i 2?? Podcast: In the latest episode of Design Better, Elijah Woolery and Aarron Walter explain what designers can learn from writers and storytellers. ?? https://lnkd.in/eAD74kXy 3?? Training: If you're in the Sunderland area, Creators Academy is running a FREE one-day training course on Adobe After Effects, on Friday 7th March. ?? Message Paul Sanderson for more information. 4?? News: This week the UK's creative industries launched their "Make It Fair" campaign, highlighting how government proposals to weaken copyright laws will result in their intellectual property being used for free by AI companies. ?? https://lnkd.in/enJ8u52X 5?? Radio: Sir Jony Ive was on BBC Radio 4's "Desert Island Discs" programme, talking about his work at Apple and his optimism around AI. ?? https://lnkd.in/esHvtsxD Questions, comments? Let me know your opinions??? If you like design, let's connect! ??

Every month, Design Better?premium subscribers?receive our newsletter?The Brief, which assembles wisdom gleaned from our interviews with creative thinkers like David Sedaris, Kamasi Washington, Ed Catmull, Eileen Fisher, and many more. It’s a chance to go deeper into salient topics like creative collaboration, the ephemeral nature of designing software, and how other creative people in music and film solve problems. But inboxes are busy places—an issue might slip past you. And everyone learns differently. Some of us learn best by listening. We’re always looking for new ways to support your learning. :) We’re now creating narrated versions of?The Brief?released as a podcast in your feed. Want to check it out? We’re releasing the first episode from our most recent issue of?The Brief,?"What do many creative people have in common? ADHD." We hope this new feature helps you continue your educational journey into design and creativity.