For the past couple months a team of designers has been neck deep in user research and exercises designed to help us absorb and synthesize everything we’ve learned. We started from curiosity: how can we better solve the problems small business owners are facing? We got the chance to talk with over 30 small business … Continue reading Seeking a broader perspective in design
A few years ago I hit a creative block. Now, I know this is nothing new. Whether it’s a short block specific to a project or a longer period of burnout, everyone has those times where they’re feeling uninspired. I’ve certainly had my share of times where I felt it since then, but this particular … Continue reading Finding inspiration in the mundane
Assumptions can be difficult to overcome. Many times we don’t even realize we’re making them. As an experienced product designer, I find it easier to make these assumptions. They more easily creep into my work subconsciously because I have more knowledge and experience of “best practices” and “what worked before”. So how can we keep … Continue reading Keeping product assumptions in check
Error messages. Those little things everyone hates to see. As designers, we like to design the best possible experience for getting users through the task at hand. But it’s our job to put as much consideration into error states as we do the success flow. Any error messages we show to users should provide helpful … Continue reading Sending the right message with form validation
This post was originally published on the new Automattic design blog. Have you ever signed up for a new site or product, forgotten about it, only to remember later when you check your inbox and see the welcome email? What if that email looked nothing like the service you signed up for? It would lead … Continue reading Don’t forget the emails
A product’s checkout page is one of the most important things for both the user and the product team. It’s important for the user because it’s the page that will instill trust in the product. It’s important for the product team because it’s the last barrier of acquiring those users and all-important revenue.
Continue reading “Designing a new checkout page for Akismet”
“Improve the payment experience with animations” by Michaël Villar This article is a few months old but it’s great at illustrating the importance of subtle animation in web and app design. It outlines some of the animations Stripe Checkout uses to improve user understanding and experience. With the right animations, you can make things clearer, … Continue reading Improving user experience with animation
After I redesigned the “How Does Akismet Work” page, I realized the spam sorter graphic was just itching to be animated. Converting the main machine box into a gif with some flashing lights was easy enough. The conveyor belt is what gave me some trouble. I’m posting my solution here because the bug I came across was something so simple to fix and I just didn’t see it.
Dan Hauk 