Mary Ann (MJ) Jawili

Very useful animation showing automation of Figma designs based on a PRD. The thread talks about the development process from ChatGPT 3.5 to ChatGPT 4o, with visuals that highlight the results. Imagine what will be possible with ChatGPT 5 this summer. https://lnkd.in/dDqj2Dke

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Interesting article from the Shutterstock blog on the topic of color accessibility. Helpful reminders abound. https://lnkd.in/evC2SfhH #design #designthinking #designbuild #designstrategy #product #producctdesign #productmanagement #productstrategy #designprinciples #innovation #designers #digitaltransformation #ux #uxdesign #uiux #uidesign #designinnovation #application #software #softwaredesign #usability #userresearch #research #usercentereddesign #productleadership #uxwriting #designsystems #empathy #interfacedesign #usabilitytesting #userexperience #productdesign #accessibility #ui #ai #genai 

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Exciting to learn a new European Accessibility Act (EAA) is enforced. It is crucial for those designing products for EU market! US has Americans with Disability Act (ADA) UK has Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) Australia has Disability Services and Inclusion (DSI).Act EU now has European Accessibiliy Act (EAA) #accessibility #disabilityact

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Episode 237 of The World of UX is now available! In this potpourri segment, Darren addresses four topics: 1) Clarifying skill needs for those interested in UX freelancing or consulting; 2) an overlooked critical need for those building an in-house UX team; 3) identification and management of strawman discussions and 4) the need to view UX job postings with a critical eye. Enjoy! https://lnkd.in/eQRBjRDV

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Modern accessibility-focused frameworks are always a great starting point. However, delivering genuinely accessible websites requires thinking beyond components. This article points to the other half or the problem. Design Implementation. https://lnkd.in/et5sUNNN #uxdesign #designsystems #accessibility #UX #inclusivedesign

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I just read Longing for Less: Living with Minimalism by Kyle Chayka, and it got me thinking about the power of minimalism—not just in art and architecture that you hear so much about, but in how we experience the world. Chayka's core message is that minimalism isn't just about reducing clutter—it's about creating space for clarity, intentionality, and deeper meaning... principles that really resonate with me and the UX design discipline. Here are some thoughts looking at Minimalism through the lens of user experience design: https://lnkd.in/gnmJGfyM

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I’ve expanded on my earlier post with examples and deeper insights in a new Medium article. 🚀 In this extended version, I dive deeper into balancing autonomy with strategic alignment, guiding teams like a fleet of ships, and setting the stage for cross-functional success. If these leadership themes resonate with you, I’d love for you to explore the full article here : https://lnkd.in/g_q2Yxfk Let me know your thoughts!

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👋🏽 UX folks in and around the Richmond, VA area? We need your help. The UX Census (RVA) Survey is crucial for understanding how UX is practiced in #RVA. Unfortunately, participation is down a bit this year and we only have 5 days left to gather the insights we need. Please take a moment to fill out the survey and encourage at least 3 of your friends or colleagues to take the survey. Why should you complete the survey? - Your Insights Matter: Your insights help deliver a comprehensive report that provides information on job titles, skills, salaries, industries, tools,  etc., how jobs are changes, and more. - It’s Quick, Easy, and Anonymous: The survey takes less than 12 minutes. - Prove UX Happens in RVA: It’s an opportunity to get counted and show depth and breadth of the local user experience community from Designers and Researchers of all types (#UX, #CX, #Product, Experience, etc.) to Information Architects to Content Strategist and UX Writers to UX/UI and UI/UX, and more. Special Thanks to: Our Donors Our Sponsors: VCU da Vinci Center, ServiceEase, and Rosenfeld Media Promotional Partners: Ladies that UX Richmond, Richmond Design Group, and RVA Content Strategy. #design #informationarchitecture #rvatech #uxcareers #uxd #uxr #richmondva #technology #ui

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🚀 Are Companies Cheating UX Maturity with Design Systems? In a recent blog post (https://lnkd.in/etYdAjDW), I shared how some companies attempt to fast-track their design maturity by adopting a design system before determining the best designs to use in the system. The result is a false sense of UX sophistication followed by surprise, and the system doesn't meet expectations. In a recent conversation, a startup was eager to purchase an out-of-the-box design system but still needed to define their product market fit, audience, or user flows. It's like handing over the keys to a Lamborghini to a first-time driver—exciting but potentially disastrous. Imagine trying to build a spaceship without a blueprint—you might end up with a shiny but ultimately useless rocket ship. A well-defined UX process ensures you have the right tools for your specific product needs suited to your brand. How is your organization focusing on the tools or cultivating a culture? If you need guidance on integrating a design system or getting your organization ready for one, feel free to reach out to @Akendi. We're here to help you navigate the journey to design maturity effectively. 🌟 #DesignSystems #UXMaturity #ProductDesign #DesignCulture #Startup #Akendi #UXDesign

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🎙️ New Episode Alert: The Future of UX Research: AI, Advanced Methods & Jobs 🚀 Today, I’m chatting with Lawton Pybus and Thomas Stokes, UX Research veterans and founders of Drill Bit Labs, a research strategy consultancy. They have also researched and authored several UX industry meta-reports and educational articles that can help UX researchers, designers, and UCD leaders stand out from the crowd. In this riveting episode, we explore: 💼 The evolving UX industry job market: insights into the skills, roles, and opportunities defining the next generation of UX researchers. 🤖 AI's growing role in UX Research: how artificial intelligence is reshaping our methodologies and deliverables. 🔬 Essential and more advanced research methods: tried and tested, and innovative techniques that are pushing the boundaries of marrying user needs with tech advancements. And much more. You can find this conversation on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, any other major podcasting platform (search “experience designed”) and of course via this link on YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gbcxwTKh If you’ve enjoyed this conversation, don't forget to share this episode with your friends and colleagues—it's a conversation worth spreading! #ux #uxresearch #userresearch #podcast #uxstrategy #designresearch #productdesign

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Wow, it is nice to see some of the impact the course I authored with Designlab is having on teams both big and small. Emilyann Gachko thank you for sharing this case study and how it was received by the team at The Home Depot :) If you are interested in increasing your design skills through #usability and #accessibility check out the course. #ux #design #hcd https://lnkd.in/gEdC3NBV

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Worthy Read: The UX Research Reckoning is Here by Judd Antin In the recent waves of tech layoffs, Judd Antin explores why UX researchers have been so impacted. He argues this “reckoning” is due to UX researchers focusing too much on what he calls “middle-range research” that centers on user understanding and product development. It’s worth reading this post as well as his follow-up based on the robust discussion it generated. Check it out here: https://buff.ly/44td5r5 ❓ What do you think is the biggest challenge facing UX researchers today: balancing business value with user insights, or shifting focus between micro, middle-range, and macro research? #prodmgmt #ux #engineering

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According to Forrester's recent CX Index rankings, "US Health Insurer CX Quality Plummets To A Five-Year Low Customers" and "Even perennial high scorers such as Humana and Kaiser Permanente had statistically significant declines." The numbers get this low from stories like the one below involving Kaiser. Everyone these days has 1, 2 or 9 stories of customer experiences are getting worse and paying outsized time, money, and stress trying to get simple transactions done or issues resolved (aka "Unpaid Customer Labor"). Check out my new book "Today is the Perfect Day to Improve Customer Experiences!" to understand how customer experiences are going wrong in healthcare, banking, retail, public utilities, and government (available 7/18). Preorder now: todayistheperfectday.com #customerexperience #userexperience #healthcare #customerfirst #unpaidcustomerlabor

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#Config24. There's nothing quite like it when designers and makers gather to share, learn, and nerd out about our craft. Thank you Amperity for supporting our design team to take on this experience together at Figma's annual conference. There is so much to soak in, both from the presentations and chats across the community. Here are a few first takeaways: • Go faster with AI. From reducing tedium (auto-naming layers) to the emergent ability to turn flat UI into interactive prototypes with a click of a button. This philosophy is shaping the experience of designing in Figma. • There is a healthy and important debate in the design community about the implications of this AI-powered future. I love that it will lower the barrier for entry however agree with Jenny Arden: AI can get to good but as it can only remix what's been done before, it takes humans to get it to great. • Intentionality, creativity and craft matter even more. This theme came up throughout the two days. Tools should augment your process, not automate your favourite parts. • Shake the idea that difficult equals important. Simone Giertz overcame her performance anxiety by choosing enthusiasm as a driver for her work, resulting in a lot of fun and unexpected outcomes. • Aspire to be the team that sets the bar for quality. Peter Yang challenges PMs and people who care about product craft to choose quality and speed over scope. Cut features not quality corners to deliver beautiful products to customers, and quickly so you can learn. • How you structure your EPD teams will be reflected in your product. Resist symmetry. Nan Yu makes a great case for "heirloom tomato" teams that vary in size and shape in order to create an org chart you want to ship. • Figma redesign incoming. Figma's UI3 has been built on the core belief that way we design has evolved, requiring more immersion in the canvas. Minimizing UI aims to keep designers in flow, then make it easier to show and present work. On that... • Hello, Figma Slides. It just makes sense to show the work from the tool you built it in — and Slides (or Flides) will streamline this with speaker notes and quick layout features. • Does your design leave fingerprints? How might you weave traces of people, stories, acknowledge what you bring as a designer with a story of your own. Thank you Karla Mickens Cole and Nashilu Mouen from The Browser Company for this people-centered prompt.

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Craft is work done with intuitive expertise - learned deeply by conscious practice through mentorship. Craft is expensive. The mimicry and pattern replication of AI will upend digital craft much like the Industrial Revolution did for physical craftspeople (only faster). It will likely be CFOs who crush craft like origami as they optimize balance sheets. If you love your craft, find a complex niche whose business model is based on value creation not eyeball acquisition. Government especially needs you.

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Well that’s a wrap on Config! It was so great to see so many folks that I’ve worked with, admired, hired, managed, led, followed and best of all loved to work and be around in one place. Last year was epic but this year was sublime. And what a delight it was to see Figma’s new design magazine and little ole’ me playing a small part in this community publication! I’m talking about my favorite topic - data. With the pomp and circumstance of LLMs and “look what I can do,” brag of GenAI people are falling silent on the most important part of all this new technology - the data that fuels it. We’re forgetting the labor that goes into collecting, labeling and making data machine ready and the class of people who aren’t getting fairly compensated for this work. We’re forgetting that entire business models are being celebrated right now that use the stealing and appropriating of other’s creative content as their foundation. First there is awarness. Then anger. Now it’s time for advocacy. Here’s a question how can we make AI development for equitable overall all by fairly compensating those unseen data producers who make the AI tree grow? Check it out! I’m Proud to be part of The Prompt, a print and digital zine from @Figma’s Story & Brand Studios exploring the intersection of AI, design, and code, which launched at #Config2024. My Q&A on the power of input in AL and ML is here:

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🔊 Design Leadership at Scale has a lot happening in August and beyond. Read on for all the info on Design Leadership at Scale: Operations, plus: ⚡️ Three FREE DLS Lightning Lesson + Team sessions ⚡️ Newly added course dates ⚡️ 20% discount code Design Leadership at Scale: Operations I'm busy putting the final touches on the August course modules, lessons, and projects, but you can expect to dive deep on the following: Module 1: Build and activate high-impact teams Module 2: Define and optimize your operating system Module 3: Identify and address common challenges I'm including many real-world scenarios, and will try to answer pretty much every question you might have during our seven live sessions together. We'll also be joined by special guests with extensive industry experience. If you are still deciding about enrolling in Design Leadership at Scale: Operations, consider joining one of the upcoming free Lightning Lessons or watch my recent Designing your Design Team 30-minute Lightning Lesson to get a better sense for how I teach. And if the August dates don't work with your schedule, I've opened up another cohort October 1-10, 2024. If you have any questions about whether this course will be a good fit for you, let me know, and together we can figure out. Free Lightning Lessons on Maven In August there are three Lightning Lessons from Design Leadership at Scale. All are free to attend. Join live or view the recordings after the session dates. ⚡️ Org Design For Your Design Org – Aug 7, 8-9am PT, with me ⚡️ Team Tactics For Increasing Influence + Impact – Aug 8, 1-1:30pm PT, with Doug Powell ⚡️ How Top Design Leaders Influence At Scale – Aug 16, 2-2:45pm PT, hosted by Rachel Kobetz with Doug Powell, Bob Baxley, and me Grab your spot then spread the word! (links to register in comments) Quick reference: https://bit.ly/4c3UgNA to sign up for the August 19-28 cohort with a 20% discount code https://bit.ly/4cZcf9d to sign up for the October 1-10 cohort with a 20% discount code If your company offers an L&D or education budget, here's a reimbursement template you can leverage https://bit.ly/4fmDhcs

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Research is a function of strategy.  "According to CB Insights, over 90% of all products fail, most commonly due to no market need." Leave yourself time to ask big questions about whether any actually needs your product or service before you decide to launch it. #UXstrategy #UXresearch #Marketresearch

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