Pumika
UX
1: 16 Prototyping Tools, and 4 Questions to Make Sense of Them.
Instead of asking what is the best prototyping tool around, this article proposes the question: “what is the best prototyping tool for this specific task?”. This small, but substantial distinction provides categorization for 16 of the most popular tools using four questions. Go find out what your current project needs!
So many platforms, so little time to choose? 4 questions and you’re done.
User Research
2: AirBnB Says Ni Hao China
China is one of the largest and most challenging markets for tech products. On the one hand we’re talking about a huge arena, with an ever-growing technological leadership, and on the other- an entirely different cultural ballgame, which challenges the conformities of modern design. Jessie Chen took to analyze AirBnB’s Chinese website UX, through market research, personas and experience design. The final product walks a thin line between adapting to the local market (defualt Chinese language interface, Weibo and Wechat login instead of Facebook) and maintaining the product’s experience and design branding.
AirBnB China, a delicate balance between global branding and local appeal.
Product Design
3: Getting from A to B without @#!%
Transit maps are of the hardest design tasks in existence. The final product is required to be aesthetically pleasing and inviting as well as clear and functional. This post shows a side-by-side analysis of three map apps: Maps (Apple), Google Maps, and Transit, a Canadian transit app.
Same junction, same transit lines, three different solutions
Same junction, same transit lines, three different solutions
News
4: (Yah)ouch – Yahoo! Sold for 5 Billion Dollars.
Had this been 2004, thing would have been different (you know, a minor 200 billion dollar difference). On July 25, Yahoo! announced that they were bought by Verizon, for a laughable 5 billion dollar. Marissa Meyer, Yahoo! CEO, made a valiant attempt at making lemonade out of the news, in her published letter to Yahoo!’s employees. In this infographic spotlight in the New York Times, the data points out why Yahoo! was such a cheap buy.
To look at the infographic spotlight >
Design
5: Facebook (Finally) Aligns its Website Design with Messenger.
It’s not always the case that we celebrate a design change on Facebook. This time, however, Facebook does the right thing by connecting the chat’s design language with their Messenger App aesthetic. This somewhat updates their rather outdated website design, until a wider design update is rolled out (we hope). Among the changes – the ability to highlight a friend in a distinct color, so you never send your boss the unicorn emoji you intended for your sister.
To read more about the design changes >
An example to how certain friends can be highlighted.
Bonus Reading
6: Instagram Makes a Move for the Millennials with a Snapchat-like Feature.
Instagram announced a new feature which is a rare exit from their distinctly defined concept – allowing users to add additional layers of communication onto images and videos. Sounds familiar? According to Instagram’s CEO, Snapchat Stories are a smart, innovative format for which they (Snapchat) “deserve all the credit”. However, he also points out that it isn’t always about who invented the format but rather what spin each network gives it. Considering the vast overlap in the two apps’ demographics, adopting these snapchatty elements is a logical move to maintain the ever-so-elusive millennials’ attention. In another sharp turn towards Snapchat’s features, Facebook is also testing out a MSQRD-based selfie-cam feed to go on the very top of it’s app’s main usage feed. Looking forward to see how this plays out.
Snapchat’s main feature, Stories, is imported into Instagram. Stay Tuned.
