Anton Sten

Cost, pricing and perceived value

Anton Sten — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

There's a very simple pricing strategy I like. Wether you're selling a physical product, a digital product or a service — it's price is related to three different factors. There's the cost which basically is how much it'll cost to produce or what your lowest hourly rate would be. If you price your product below the cost, you're eventually run out of business (unless you have other super products to balance it up). Then there's the price which is how much the customer pays, sometimes referred to as the markup. Take the price and subtract the cost and you'll end up with the profit. Thirdly there's the perceived value that the product has. If the cost is 50$, the price is 100$ but the customer's perceived value is 150$ — everyone wins. The manufacturer will end up with a 100% profit and the customer will feel as if they've done a great deal — paying less than what they think the product is worth. When the iPhone originally launched in 2007 and with the significant update in 2008 (iPhone 3G) — it was a huge success. iPhones were sold for 500-600$ depending on capacity and had a production cost in the areas of 200-250$ giving Apple a massive profit of somewhere in the amounts of 300$ per sold unit. > The perceived value of an iPhone was far higher than it's price. Now, the iPhone was not just a phone — or even a smartphone — it was a whole new category of products. Nothing like this had ever been introduced before. Expectations were high before it's announcement and they were met — and exceeded. People were enthusiastic, they were thrilled. The perceived value of an iPhone was far higher than it's price. As we're approaching a new product launch, it'll be interesting to see what Apple have in store for us. The rumored, low-cost, iPhone 5c will likely be less of a profit product for Apple but instead bring users to it's app-ecosystem. The perceived value of an iPhone 5c will surely be lower — as will it's profits — but allow Apple to gain larger market share. The world's most sold phone is the Nokia 1100, having sold more than 250 million units. It doesn't allow you to do anything besides call and text — but it's value lies elsewhere, it has great battery life lasting for more than a week and is a low cost phone at a cost of 12-15$ (prices vary heavily). What features could Apple introduce to the iPhone 5c that would allow for it to gain market share in regions such as India, Africa, China and Latin America?

Conversations

Anton Sten — Thu, 13 Nov 2014 00:00:00 GMT

Do you remember the last time you had a really great conversation? Regardless if it was with a friend, a colleague or a stranger, I imagine that it was a rewarding experience. The two of you talking, listening, interacting, engaging with each other. I'm pretty sure you felt there was a mutual respect. Maybe you gained some new insights or was touched by something they said. Perhaps it made you look at something from a new perspective? Now do you remember the last time you had that type of communication with a brand or a product? No? Most brands today are getting really good at communicating their thoughts and opinions through social media. They've adopted the new (digital) landscape and use the tools at hand to talk to millions of fans, followers and "friends" on a daily basis. For some reason though, it's not really that same type of communication now is it? What we as communicators often forget is that communication is a two-way street. Without a mutual respect for each other there's nothing to base the communication and the relationship on. How come so many brands try to start a communication by talking, rather than listening in and joining in on a topic? When you listen to people and really try and understand their thoughts and everyday life, you get to understand what their needs are. This enables you to create products and services that not only make your users happier — but thoroughly gives them a better everyday life. "Sure, but we're already talking to our customers and taking input from them." Well, that's great but here comes the tricky part. Your organization will have to change. Your company will need to adjust and reshape. Every day. And there's no guarantee that it will bring you anymore success. I recently gave a short talk about the challenges the banking industry is facing. It's an industry that have been centered around their own office for centuries and they have had complete control over their customers and the way they should run their business. The last couple of years though, we've seen a huge change within that industry and there are literally new services popping up every day that will give the old banks a decent fight over users. I'm a consultant and consultants generally sell their services in relation to time. Some charge an hourly rate and some charge a monthly rate. But the general business model is that you pay X times Y. It's an understatement that my potential might be resistant to hire someone they've never met (and usually never will meet) to do something that they find it difficult to scope. When talking to potential clients I realized I had to offer a lower risk, lower cost offer that I could offer to them without really knowing the specifics of their business. As a low risk offer, I realized I had to drop my current business model of charging for my time and give them a fixed price, fixed deliverable product. You can find out more about it my offer here. Change is scary because you're never sure of what you're going to get. I have honestly no idea how my product will fall out. I have invested time and money in it but I'm not sure if it'll ever generate me anything back. But as Peter Aceto, CEO of Tangerine put it: > "Don't get me wrong, (banking) innovation is not easy, but the alternative, as far as we see it, is no longer an option." So we dare to try. We dare to fail and because of that, we will succeed.

Naming your icons

Anton Sten — Tue, 07 Apr 2015 00:00:00 GMT

I think good design is intuitive but should also involve a certain degree of exploration (unless it's.. say an ATM machine in which case exploration is not necessarily appreciated by the user). There's a growing trend amongst designers though to use icons that are extremely hard to understand with the sole excuse that the use will eventually learn their meaning. Joshua Porter makes a great case for labeling your icons in Labels always win. > However, I think labels should be kept around in almost all cases as they turn guesses into clear decisions. Nothing says “manage” like “manage”. In other words, in the battle of clarity between icons and labels, labels always win.

Look and Feel and Feel

Anton Sten — Mon, 13 Apr 2015 00:00:00 GMT

Jason Fried makes a great point in his latest post Look and Feel and Feel. > Designers often talk about the look and feel of a product, an app, an object, etc. These are good concepts to be talking about, but how the thing feels isn’t really the important feel. The important feel is how it makes you feel. Jason makes the point that Instagram makes him happy whereas Twitter makes him feel anxious, unhappy and uncomfortable. I can see his point and agree. Twitter is more of a rage-outlet whereas Instagram is much more personal and "warm" even though I'm not only following friends but also celebrities, people I don't know and even brands. They all make me feel warm and nice (@thefatjewish occasionally being the exception I guess). Facebook just makes me feel exhausted. > “It’s not the buttons, it’s not the animations, it’s not the interface or visual design. It’s not the colors, it’s not the font, it’s not the transitions. It’s how using the apps make me feel before, during, and after”

Kudos: Social Media framework

Anton Sten — Tue, 14 Apr 2015 00:00:00 GMT

I've recently done some changes to my website, the most significant one being going from company-focused (Le Petit Garcon) to solely being me. More on that here. Another thing is that I'm back at blogging. I've read through tons of old posts (and even reposted some of them here) but interesting to see is the most shared content since 2011 is the post about 'Kudos'. Ironically, since it's about what kind of content is social media friendly. ## Here's the re-cap of Kudos: > Kudos is a planning and evaluation framework for social media marketing.
When planning a piece of social media we need to ask ourselves if it is going to be; ## Knowledgeable Does this activity demonstrate knowledge on the part of the brand? Is it something that you know about our product category that your competitors don't? Is it knowledge that is unique to your brand, product or service? From the audience's point of view you need to consider if its something they need or want to know. Are you increasing their knowledge or just telling them something they already know or could have gained elsewhere? ## Useful Not all of social media activity is useful to the brand's audience. Not all dissemination of knowl- edge is actually useful to the brand. It might be commercially sensitive. It might promote an out of stock product or a discontinued service. The best-case scenario is when an activity is useful to both the brand and the audience such as with Amazon's product ratings; the audience benefits by having unbiased reviews to help them make their decisions. Amazon benefits from the free content and additional product information for its audience. I'd add here that providing entertainment is actu- ally useful. Ask any bored office worker, student or house bound parent – a good laugh has plenty of use. ## Desireable Thinking through the desirability of an activity can be a great check against what is assumed to be useful. By desirable we mean that both the brand and the audience actively want it. This is a step on from useful. Think of eating your greens; useful but not that desir- able. Conversely, consider for a moment the joys of unlimited self saucing sticky date pudding – desirable – oh yes, but no, not actually that useful. If something is desirable, really tasty-can't-get-enough-of-it desir- able to your audience you'll know it. The servers will fall over. Your hosting bill will go through the roof and you'll get calls from the IT department over the weekend screaming about terabytes of data. Desirable is a can be a challenge because making something truly desirable is actually quite tricky. ## Open Used to the impression of control that broadcast media had previ- ously afforded them, open is a concept that some brands have been struggling with. Open means honest and transparent. Not just about the parts of the message that are desirable to the brand, but about the whole lot, warts and all. An audience will respond very actively and negatively when they believe a brand has been dishon- est with them. There are lost of examples of where brands have been dishonest and been caught. Don't be one of them. It doesn't even require active dishonesty – just a lack of intent to be com- pletely open can come across badly. ## Shareable Another degree further of open is making the activity sharable. Are the materials easily downloadable? Can it be linked to or have you gone and wrapped them up in a big Flash movie that no one can link to? If it's a Flash movie then there's less material that can be shared in social book- marking sites like del.icio.us, Digg and Stumbleupon. It is as im- portant as being open that the brand then follow that up by making the activity sharable by acknowledging standard protocols that enable sharing and by actively promoting sharing with a simple "Digg this" button or a downloadable Zip file of assets. Here's the original Kudos – PDF.

Understanding UI Design

Anton Sten — Tue, 14 Apr 2015 00:00:00 GMT

UI Design looks familiar…
If you've been looking around the digital sphere, you may recognize the term UI Design, or perhaps you might know its counter part, UX Design. You can learn about UX Design here. Whilst both UX Design and UI Design work closely together, each role refers to extremely different processes when it comes to designing and building a website. Though this does not stop people from misrepresenting or misunderstanding both roles. Rahul Varshney, co-creator of the site Foster.fm describes this difference in the first of many metaphors people like to use when discussing both terms: > "A UI without UX is like a painter slapping paint onto canvas without thought; while UX without UI is like the frame of a sculpture with no paper mache on it" This metaphor doesn't necessarily explain the role of UI Design, but it does highlight the nature of the relationship between UX Design and UI Design. Put simply. > User Experience Design focuses on how the user thinks and feels.
User Interface Design looks at how the content is organized and used. or > A door handle is UI Design. The fact you need a door is UX Design. ## Which one is more important? Both are crucial and play an important role in building a site. Of course there are millions of websites, apps and software programs that may contain one without the other. But consider how much better off they would be had they taken advantage of both. ## What does a UI Designer aim to do? * To compliment the work of a UX Designer by translating their research and requirements into an attractive, guiding and responsive experience for users. * To make sure all visual elements are consistently displayed and adhering to a style guide. ## In an example: The UX Designer decides that there needs to be a 'thank you' box that appears after a customer has registered their details. The UI Designer decides that this box appears in the top left in blue in Helvetica. ## A better example? A UI Designer will design each page on a website in accordance with the UX Designers recommendations. They might be transferring some analytical data into a graph or dashboard on one of these pages. They might decide to move the more important information to the top of the page, or it might make more intuitive sense to include a zoom or sliding function to adjust the graph. ## That's sounds like a Web Designer. There are a lot of overlapping responsibilities between a Web designer and a UI Designer, and often a UI Designer can fulfill the role of a web designer as well as a graphic designer, brand designer and a frontend developer. But there is a distinctive separation. Most of those roles focus on translating design into code. But a UI Designer is responsible for translating the brand's strengths and aesthetical values into a usable and attractive interface.The interface is what a customer will be navigating around and interacting with. It's the visual composition of the page. It's everything the customer will be looking at. A UI designer looks at branding and visual design principles as oppose to cognitive analysis. They're designing graphics, constructing the layout and introducing appropriate typeface. ## Think of UI like a tool. It's a medium of communication between a person and a company. By presenting your websites information in a well-formulated and attractive layout, you are allowing your customer to interact with information and your company. You are causing them to behave with your company. As such, it means it is observable, measurable, and testable. ## How do they know what works? Like any designer, a UI Designer will keep their eye trends in their field. Just like a furniture designer will keep tabs on new developments and ideas, a UI Designer will look at other interfaces and designers to see other ways a website can be maximized. ## What's cool in the UI World? 1. Content chunking – This is way to break up large information, by separating them into chunks by using sub headings, new paragraphs and pictures. Like what we have done here. It makes it a lot easier to digest. 2. Laser Focus – This is when a design of a page will cause someone to complete an action by making it really obvious. Like when you sign on to Google, there is a blank bar to write in. Immediately you are drawn to think that this is the most obvious and prioritised task to complete. 3. Context Sensitive Navigation & Collapsed content – This is just asking the question, what items should be seen all the time and some hidden. Like how you don't see a 'like' or 'next' option until you cursor drags over an image. Or you don't see the full menu until you click on that little icon in the top left. 4. Minimalism – No longer are we interested in multi-colour or rich gradient buttons or text. It's all about being simple and colour minimal. 5. Long pages – we used to like having everything sorted into different pages, using our mouse and a menu bar to navigate through everything. But this requires a lot of work from users. It works better to keep things simple and easy by building it all on to one page. ## In short, what are a UI Designer's Responsibilities? * Customer Analysis * Design Research * Branding and Graphic Development * User Guides * Prototyping * Animation and interactivity * Transference for all devices and screen sizes * Implementation with a developer ## In a sentence: > A UI Designers responsibility is to build an attractive interface in order to enhance the relationship between the customer and the brand.

Ux Design explained

Anton Sten — Tue, 14 Apr 2015 00:00:00 GMT

There's something distinctively special about the way digital designers think. They keep weird hours, exhibit odd habits and they throw a lot of jargon around – leaving those in the offline community a little dazed and confused. Most of the time you needn't bother with trying to translate a lot of what they're saying, but if you are running a live site, there is one word you need to quickly and closely become acquainted with: ## UX Design. You've probably seen this term, UX Design, thrown around a bit. You've probably seen it in the same sentence with words like: - Information Architecture - Interaction Design - Graphic Design - Web Design - Web Coding And especially the words: User Interface Design. And you've probably seen UX and UI Design paired with a lot of metaphors, each as entertaining and confusing as the last. But UX design is none of these things. It may hang out with or heavily overlap with some of these things, but it is not actually any of those things. ## It is UX Design. It's a field of expertise that stands as an independent and crucial component in website development, backed by a community of specialist professionals with enough specialist jargon to leave you begrudgingly clueless. I can help you with that. Let's begin: ## What does UX Design mean? UX Design is an abbreviation for User Experience Design. This expansion might allow you to understand its purpose a little better. In fact, you may have even drawn your own conclusion that it's about the design of a user's experience. If so, well done. >"User Experience encompasses all aspects of the end-user's interaction with the company, its services and its products"
Don Norman, a cognitive scientist credited with coining the term User Experience in the late 1990s. To elaborate: UX design is a mix of sociology and cognitive science that looks at how people and products interact. As a scientific process, it can be applied to tangible products like cars, chairs or tables. But in the digital world it simply refers to the way a user interacts with the interface, be it a website, e-commerce store or app. ## What does UX Design aim to achieve? - To improve customer satisfaction; - To improve the quality of interaction between a company and its consumer; - To make sure that the product, whether that be a website, app or software program, logically flows from one step to the next; ## How would a UX Designer do that? Glad you asked. UX Designers are creative and critical thinkers. For the ease of explanation, let's suppose our UX designer is currently working on a website for a client. They look at the overall experience and effectiveness of each tool or facet on the company's website, and then examine if the needs of their users are met. >By understanding consumer behavior and analyzing the consumer's experience, a UX Designer can effectively create or tweak a website so that is enjoyable and easy to use for the consumer. Their design principles are derived from cognitive and behavioral analysis, rather than aesthetic or composition values. This is where a UI Designer comes in, but we will save that for later. ## This sounds like the role of a Market Researcher? Not quite, though they do share a lot of research and analytical techniques with marketers, as well as often filling the role of: - Project manager - Information architect - Program manager - Content strategist - Functional analyst ## And when you're not watching, they're usually doing: * User research * Usability testing * Information architecture * Interaction design * UI design * Visual design * Prototyping * Wire-framing * Development planning * Experience and content strategy * Service design and delivery * Coordination with UI Designer * Coordination with Web Developer * Tracking goals and integration * Analysis and iteration ## How do you find a UX Designer? You'll often recognize a UX Designer by what they say: - ""We should show users the ''Thank You' page once they have finished signing up."" - "Design is just rectangles in other rectangles, then Helvetica, then profit." - "Information is cheap. Understanding is expensive" - "We don't need more ways to wash our clothes. We need faster or quieter ways" - "But, why?" - "I have to make high fidelity mockups for a client" - "How would this interaction go if I was talking to a real person?" - "Why would you do that to information?" - "Driving users to close the browser is a design pattern" If you hear these phrases, you're talking to a UX Designer. To recap: - A UX Designer is not a graphic designer or web coder. - A UX Designer's role is to look at a website and analyze how a customer will use it and feel about it. - They will ask, "How can I make this easier for them to use?" or "How can I make the user's experience on this website more enjoyable?" - A UX Designer asks these questions so that a customer leaves the website happy and satisfied. This creates customer loyalty. - Happy loyal customers = happy business.

Working with me

Anton Sten — Tue, 05 May 2015 00:00:00 GMT

A couple of weeks ago I sent a small survey to selected clients. I wanted a quick and easy way for them to be able to tell me what they think of working with me and the work I deliver. Each client could leave a comment and decide if they wanted to leave their name or not. There was one specific comment that made me extra happy. It's short, just two sentences but it captures so much of what I think is important when working with me. Are you ready for it? Here goes: > "What impresses me most is the way Anton understand the underlying needs of the business, and translates that into a beautiful solution. Anton is very easy to work with and he is good at finding the balance between listening and pushing." If we break it down, here's what I love about it: As a designer, my job is not to create pretty things. My job is to understand the underlying business needs and translate these into a well-crafted solution. This involves understanding the client and their business as well as it involves understanding their end users and their needs. The client in question is the world's largest electricity supplier (E.ON) and I'm helping them with an online tool for their largest corporate clients. Needless to say, I am not part of their target audience. But as a UX-designer, it's my job to understand how someone who's a site operator thinks. It's my job to understand and develop the features an accountant will need. Working with, especially, large corporations is very different from working with smaller start-ups. The pace and the time it takes to get things implemented is very different. It's essential to understand the possibilities as well as the limitations of any client that you work with. And most of all, it's important to understand when to push and when to pull back. Creating an online experience is not a sprint, it's like so much else, a marathon. And as a designer, I need to be able to know my body well enough to know when to push and when to slow down and just enjoy the scenery.

Planners and UX-Designers

Anton Sten — Thu, 23 Apr 2015 00:00:00 GMT

Chloe Gottlieb on planners and UX-designers: > "The two minds—the experience designer and the planner—are so important because as I look for pain points and things that will add value over time, the planners look for dissonance and interesting elements that will stand out. By combining these two mind-sets, we're looking for patterns and dissonance together. It gets really juicy and really interesting." I do share her reasoning that different types of people (roles) will look for different solutions and pain points. Different perspectives on the same problem should ideally give a more thought through solution. However, I think it's clear from the quote that R/GA's blood is marketing rather than product design. From a product design perspective I'm trying to create an experience without elements that stand out but rather a seamless, simple and efficient solution. People that use products daily want things that just work – not things that stand out and create fraction against the rest of the experience.

Freelancer for Life: 5 Reasons Why This Works

Anton Sten — Tue, 12 May 2015 00:00:00 GMT

> "Being small is nothing to be insecure or ashamed about. Small is great. Small is independence. Small is opportunity. Celebrate it…It's truly to your advantage."**Jason Fried** I was recently invited to talk to a group of international business students about my company. The idea was to bring in companies of different sizes and have them describe what they have to offer. While it was only a 10 minute talk meant to enlighten students, it actually gave me the opportunity to reflect on what I have learned over the past 6 years as a consultant. ## 1. I am passionate about being a one-man company. I want to make it very clear that I have no intention of ever changing that. For the past six years, it's been just my dog and I doing great work for clients without the distraction of the overhead of running a larger business. When I started consulting, there was the plan that when the client load grew, I would need to hire others. I believed that the only way to get bigger clients was to get bigger (e.g. more employees). The reality that I found was that working with amazing freelancers, I had the opportunity to continue growing and support other one-man companies like myself. ## 2. It's not an in-between jobs thing. I have been working professionally in this industry for the past 18 years. Working for small bureaus and network agencies like BBDO and Bates was great, but the longest I ever held a full-time position was two years. People are surprised when I say it, but the last six years of running my own company has been the best work experience of my life (and I have the best boss!). It is the most stable, revenue secure, and challenging job that I have ever had. The rewards are endless and I love what I do. I think Paul Jarvis says it best when he describes his own freelancing experience: > "I believe freelancing is the ultimate way to take control of my life, my finances and my daily happiness. I don't freelance as an interim step until I build a wildly successful product or a huge company. This is a long-term, long-lasting career that's now more stable than any corporate job. I freelance because I love being a freelancer. It gives me the ability to chart my own path in life, not to mention working in my underwear (with my clients being none-the-wiser). I choose who I work with, when I work, and most importantly, when I don't need to work."**Paul Jarvis** ## 3. No full-time job would change my mind. I've been approached by some of the largest companies out there as well as most top digital agencies. When Apple came calling, I had to decline. Don't get me wrong, I love Apple. They are pioneers in design and they offer some of the best user experiences. I believe that designing concepts for iOS10 or doing design for upcoming streaming services sounds like an amazing opportunity, but there's also someone designing templates for Keynote or iAD frameworks. Freelancing frees me to have control of the projects I take, the location I am at, and the flow of my work. Working in Sweden has amazing benefits like healthcare that make it the ideal place in the world for me to work. ## 4. I'm not tied to geographic borders. Simply put, I help clients define a problem, outline a solution, and execute it. If none of these things are bound by geographic boundaries, why should I be? Working with international clients can be exceptionally difficult for larger companies and the costs rise accordingly. I have learned to be understanding of the cultures of each client and that allows me to grow strong business relationships. Knowing how to effectively communicate, when to push through or step down, or even understanding how they view work is important to each project. The only disadvantage I've run into is that having clients from around the world means it is always business time for someone. Setting the right expectations can ease that burden, but it can be difficult. ## 5. It's not as lonely as you think. One of the key questions I often get is if I get lonely. The short answer is absolutely not. I work very closely with all of my clients and am dedicated to their success. I am always talking to someone and forming good relationships with them. These personal relationships with my clients put me in the position to help them make wise business decisions. A larger agency would struggle with being able to establish this personal relationship with each client. Thinking all of this through has convinced me to change my primary domain from lepetitgarcon.com (company) to antonsten.com (me). I'm just me, there is no one else, and I'm happy to say that I have no intention to change that.

What is the cost of sharing?

Anton Sten — Wed, 03 Jun 2015 00:00:00 GMT

It’s natural to have differing opinions. When working on any major project/website it is to be expected. Honestly, I would say that it is a bad sign if everyone agrees on everything. Lately, I’ve been giving a lot of thought to one specific discussion that has come up in every web project that I’ve ever worked on. This discussion seems to be more common on eCommerce websites, but I’ve experienced it in almost all types of digital projects (even iPhone apps!). The client’s demand for social media sharing. A few years ago, I had the opportunity to consult for one of the largest retailers and was tasked with the redesign of their department and category pages. Although the scope of the project didn’t include the product pages, the discussion of social media sharing became a hot topic for them. After we had finished the design and everything was laid out, someone mentioned that the page was lacking social media sharing icons. I knew it was coming. I diplomatically asked them why we needed the option to share “Product Y” to Facebook. The answer was simple — it drives traffic. When I asked them to share the statistics on how much traffic comes from social media/shared content, the answer I got was that they don’t really know but ‘imagine’ that it’s a fair amount. ## My experience and the data show that’s not always true. The other response that I sometimes get is that it does ‘no harm’ to have them there. I can understand this argument, but I have to disagree. The whitespace of a website is a vital part of every high-converting page. Project managers are hard to convince of this concept. They have an imaginary checklist in their head that has ‘social media enabled’ as a box needing to be checked and whitespace as a place where that would naturally go. > “White space is to be regarded as an active element, not a passive background” I do believe that you need to ask yourself a couple questions before you add the share icons to your project: * Would I ever share this content? * Do I know anyone that I think would share this content? * Would my followers enjoy this content? * Would this be something that I would normally share publicly? The vast majority of the time, the answer to all of these questions would be no. According to the social media planning framework, KUDOS, how useful information is should guide how it is shared. It could actually be harmful to your brand if you are not careful. So, back to my client. I think it’s pretty safe to say that most people wouldn’t want to ‘share’ the bookshelf they are looking at buying with all of their Twitter followers. There really isn’t a situation where sharing a kitchen door knob on Facebook would be useful. This company, however, has made it exceedingly easy to do all this sharing. You can use their custom built ‘share’ button to email the page to someone or share the product to Facebook and Twitter. Great. But they didn’t stop there. You can also share it to Google+, pin it on Pinterest (to be fair, this one isn’t such a bad idea), and if you missed the first ‘Share’ buttons, you ALSO get the ‘Share to Facebook’ and ‘Like on Facebook’ buttons from Facebook itself. ## Why anyone would ‘like’ a kitchen door knob is beyond me. So, imagine my excitement when I read Eric Mobley’s excellent post on how social media share buttons impact your website’s loading speed and performance. He took the time to perform tests with blank pages and measured the page load of different social media sharing options. Addthis.com, one such option, added around 500kb of extra data to your your page. Dependant on the connection, it’s safe to assume that your customer will be waiting for at least one extra second for just those icons. It absolutely validates the argument that there is a cost to adding that option. ## When designing webpages and online experiences we need to consider everything — load time included. According to an article posted at FastCompany, just one extra second of load time could impact your sales as much as 25%: > For example, one in four people abandons surfing to a website if its page takes longer than four seconds to load. 4 in 10 Americans give up accessing a mobile shopping site that won't load in just 3 seconds (which is roughly the time taken to read to the period at the end of this sentence). Crazy, given that shopping sites tend to have to be image-centric, and thus may take longer to load. For a large e-commerce company like Amazon, this could total $1.6 billion of lost sales each year. That’s a HUGE number. Adding social media sharing buttons or anything that isn’t really necessary may just hurt your bottom line. Is it worth it? Designing with data has become a popular subject for the last few years and a focus for what I do. The more information you have, the easier it will be to calculate the optimal page design. Does this ‘share’ button really improve page hits more than the cost of that additional second of load time? Does it actually lead to more conversions? For designers, I think it will be necessary to weigh all of these different decisions against one another. It is key to understand exactly what the business goals are and what drives those goals. So, here’s some free advice. Remove one of your sharing icon sets and utilize some A/B testing to see how you are really converting and what traffic is actually generated from social media. The results may surprise you. Steve Jobs said it best, > It's not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.

Growth

Anton Sten — Tue, 16 Jun 2015 00:00:00 GMT

Although I quite recently touched the subject of staying small, I thought this blog post from Offscreen was too great not to mention. Here's a great excerpt but you should really head over and read the entire thing: I love going back to an essay in issue No7 titled “Human Scale”, written by fellow Australian and Icelab co-founder Michael Honey. He writes: > ‘It doesn’t scale’ is a criticism levelled at many new ideas. (…) But how many things which are good when small get better by becoming bigger? (…) Humans are good at family, middling at community, dysfunctional as nations, and self-destructive as a planet. What doesn’t scale is our ability to relate to each other as human beings instead of target markets — as eyeballs to monetise. And then there is this recent interview with Jeff Sheldon of Ugmonk fame in which he talks about being proud of staying small: > “We’re not growing a hockey-stick growth, but we’re growing enough. We’re building that fan base and are in it for the long haul, so I’m able to keep it really small and handle every part of the business or almost every part of the business, which does limit me on the creative side sometimes. I can’t release a hundred products every year. I can’t speak at dozens of conferences. I have to limit everything I do. (…) But I’m okay with all those things right now. I choose to keep it small, to keep it lean, to keep this business profitable where it is. (…) I’m much more focused on building that tribe of core followers that cares about what I do, than having ten thousand, one hundred thousand, or one million people that kind of like the cool shirt today, and then they totally forget about it tomorrow.” So here I am, working long days (and sometimes sleepless nights) to make a thing with a growth trajectory slightly more optimistic than the mom-and-pop shop down the road. And I’m finally ok with it. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind growing, but I do mind growing for growth’s sake, which is what seems to happen a lot with tech companies these days.

Working with UX-designers and getting results!

Anton Sten — Tue, 16 Jun 2015 00:00:00 GMT

## What UX Is and What It Isn't Designers seem to be very fond of labeling themselves as UX-designers these days. Perhaps it's due to the corporate focus on the value they receive when they are attentive to creating great user experiences. While I've tried to explain to others what UX-design really is – and what it isn't – I've had the opportunity to reflect on the different kinds of work that I am actually doing. For years, it seemed as though UX-design was equated to wireframes. The deliverables of a UX-designer revolved around these wireframes and they varied quite a bit based on style and purpose. But wireframes, though important to the bigger pictures, are not the only way for a company to improve their user experience. You see, I've found that it is actually rare for me to create wireframes anymore. Most of my days are spent communicating and guiding design decisions to improve conversions through close attention to the experience of the user. Here's a few insights into how I actually accomplish these goals and what the deliverables look like. So I can be as clear as possible, I'll use real cases. ## Augmenting Teams with Fresh Eyes For the past year, I've been honored to work with the amazing people at Frank. Frank manufactures, and sells, the best coffee scrubs and recently launched a great new website. I got connected with Frank when a friend suggested that they may benefit from my UX-check. Frank already works with a great team of very capable designers and developers, Love+Money, who were responsible for the creative concept and development of the new website. Frank wisely figured that a second pair of eyes could help make things even better. !Frank Body Because they already had designers that created both wireframes and designs, nearly all of my deliverables have mainly been through e-mail. I would look at the existing designs and give them my detailed opinion on how conversions could be improved. It could be really minor suggestions – like the wording in a button and it's placement, or it could be more complex – like the flow of the shopping cart. I take the time to do a sweep of the entire experience, desktop and mobile, and highlight any inconsistencies that may derail the experience. > "After going through the initial UX check with Anton and seeing some great results, we realised we needed to engage him further with our new website build. Anton has been across every aspect of the new website build and has given crucial advise in between the the design & dev team and the company directors. His advise has been crucial to the success of the new store."
Alex Boffa, CEO Frank ## User Focused Product/Feature Design Done Right When I help clients like E.ON with technical solutions, the process is usually multiphase and dependant on the origin of the idea. * If it's a feature that is desired by the client, it'll usually be followed by a process of in depth learning about the system that needs to be implemented and all of its related systems. This can get incredibly technical. I certainly have a greater understanding of electrical consumption and management that I would never have known otherwise! From this meeting/learning process, I'll head back to my office and assemble a very rough wireframe or sketch about the desired functionality and the flow of the feature. Basically I am nailing down how the user is presented information and all the different options and functionality. These will go back and forth a couple of times until it is well defined as being user friendly enough for the average user, but is still functional enough for the advanced user. !Eon sketches * If it's a feature/subject or area where I can see a need for improvement, I approach it differently. Even though I'm not generally the target for the product, it's my job to think like them and consider features that I would have like to see. These are usually presented in an e-mail, during an informal meeting, or using Keynote. > Quick tip: Keynote is a great tool for visually communicating concepts and ideas that don't have all the features set in stone, something that's not a wireframe, and that doesn't necessarily have a flow. The two advantages I have found Keynote has given me: * Clearly highlights the problem through a visual medium * Gives a strong representation of the solution (what is technically possible, economically sane, and represents a focus on improving overall experience) As an example of this process, the project I've been working on with E.ON for the past two years gives a user access to manage and monitor all of their electrical and heating facilities. The user can also manually add these facilities to groups of multiple facilities. Working with groups would give the user more insights, but the way it was implemented made it difficult to create groups and managing them was labor intensive. Problem identified: Creating and working with groups is too complicated and time-consuming. The suggested approach was to let the user create dynamic groups themselves. They would be built out of three different parameters: Geo-positioning (Where the facility is located and expand) * All facilities in Stockholm * All facilities that share the exact same address * All facilities within a radius of 50km of Stockholm Energy * Electricity, heat, or gas * All electrical facilities that have sub-levels * All gas facilities that are environmentally friendly Consumption * My 5 facilities that consume the most * My 10 facilities that have the most uneven consumption Solution: Give the user the ability to create dynamic groups. Using these three group sets makes creating groups easier and yields better information with less effort. An example of a user created group: A group that features my top 5 facilities in the larger Copenhagen area that consume the most electricity with sub-levels installed. > "What impresses me most is the way Anton understand the underlying needs of the business, and translates that into a beautiful solution. Anton is very easy to work with and he is good at finding the balance between listening and pushing."
Anna Bengtsson, E.ON ## 1 Hour Consultations What I have talked about so far are situations that are long contracts, but companies also work with me on a consulting basis. This usually consists of 1 hour strategy sessions over Google Hangout or Skype and are based around a set topic (on boarding, conversions, design style, or checkout flow) This is super efficient for the client because they'll get a lot of valuable information in a really short period of time. There's usually not a set deliverable, but the take-aways are still very tangible. As you can see, good UX designers aren't limited to wireframes. The bigger picture elements play a much larger role than many companies anticipate. When the product features, the user journey, the microinteractions, and the beautiful design are all aligned, amazing things can happen!

The days are long but the decades are short

Anton Sten — Tue, 23 Jun 2015 00:00:00 GMT

Over and over my mind wanders back to this great post by Sam Altman. It's a while since I turned 30 but I can honestly say that I wasn't as clear thinking and had as much perspective as Sam seems to have. Here are a couple of my favorite highlights: > On work: it’s difficult to do a great job on work you don’t care about. And it’s hard to be totally happy/fulfilled in life if you don’t like what you do for your work. Work very hard—a surprising number of people will be offended that you choose to work hard—but not so hard that the rest of your life passes you by. Aim to be the best in the world at whatever you do professionally. Even if you miss, you’ll probably end up in a pretty good place. I always thought that it was mainly in Sweden people were offended by hard-working people (because of Jante) – but apparently it's the same in the US. It's fascinating and disturbing how much energy people can put into this. > On money: Whether or not money can buy happiness, it can buy freedom, and that’s a big deal. Also, lack of money is very stressful. In almost all ways, having enough money so that you don’t stress about paying rent does more to change your wellbeing than having enough money to buy your own jet. Making money is often more fun than spending it, though I personally have never regretted money I’ve spent on friends, new experiences, saving time, travel, and causes I believe in. Love making money and love spoiling my wife. > Remember how intensely you loved your boyfriend/girlfriend when you were a teenager? Love him/her that intensely now. Remember how excited and happy you got about stuff as a kid? Get that excited and happy now. This seems to be so obvious, yet it's so hard to live by day-to-day. > Be grateful and keep problems in perspective. Don’t complain too much. Don’t hate other people’s success (but remember that some people will hate your success, and you have to learn to ignore it). See above.

How designers can earn a seat at the table

Anton Sten — Fri, 26 Jun 2015 00:00:00 GMT

Spot on from Marc Hemeon in this AMA on how designers can earn a seat at the table and gain more influence. I thought all of his answers were really good but this stood out to me. >Hello Noam!!! Damn. Excellent question!

For context here folks, Noam is an incredible human, founder who exited to YouTube, where he became the Director of Product for YouTube and was responsible for many consumer facing parts of YouTube.

As you know, I have always struggled with wanting to have more influence in a company as a designer, at YouTube I always felt the PMs had much more power than the designers and I would get frustrated more designers werent mentioned in the press when a redesign would roll out or a new feature would be talked about – I always wanted a list of designers and engineers names attached to these articles as well. For example this Wired article has a photo of you, Kurt, Nundu and AJ only 🙁 http://www.wired.com/2012/08/500-million-youtube-channels/ When that article came out it bruised my ego a bit – I felt I had a ton of influence on the YouTube leanback experience and wanted some accolades. I realize now how immature and wrong my attitude was.

I now have a massive appreciation for the amount of work it takes in an organization to create new products and features, especially at large companies like YouTube and Google. Heck, even at small companies like North (just 5 full time people) – we can't do anything without each other. There really is no room for entitled credit hogs who are just in it for their own ego and increase in social capital.

Designers can earn and maintain a seat at the table a few ways: 1. Be easy to work with and listen to everyones feedback (no matter how whacky it is). Don't raise a ton of objections when you listen, take notes and truly listen.

Have an opinion. Never criticize a product or UX feature without at least having an alternative to present and share. No one likes a complainer

Present design ideas in the way your stakeholders need to hear them. Do you need to do a 1:1? through it in a keynote presentation? Get buy in from your UX Director first before sharing with others? Do you need to print everything out? Do you need to make a prototype? Every company culture is a bit different and all humans learn differently – I have seen a ton of good designs get looked over because they were communicated poorly. Take the time to flex your communication style in a way others can understand.

Actually solve the problem – don't just make it look pretty, solve the darn UX problem! I've found everyone can get behind a smart UX solution. Designers tend to try to solve design problems with shiny UI and not UX

Give others credit – No designer creates in a vacuum, they are influenced by everyone on the team – nothing worse than someone standing up saying "I solved our sharing UX with this new feature" – better to say – I've been working closely with Kevin, Caleb, Jonathan and Ryan on a better way to share articles"

Always follow up and hit your deadlines – if you tell someone you are going to mock up an idea then mock it up! even forgetting to follow through one time hurts your credibility.

Get behind company style guides and existing heuristics – soooo many designers, when they first get to a company want to just redesign everything – chill the F out and take it all in first and understand why things are the way they are – being careful of course not to fall for group think as expressed with the monkey and banana story (read more here: http://johnstepper.com/2013/10/26/the-five-monkeys-experiment-with-a-new-lesson/)

Drink Water

Not sure if I fully answered the question – hahahhahaha

MVP: is your product really minimum and viable?

Anton Sten — Tue, 30 Jun 2015 00:00:00 GMT

MVP is a term that gets thrown around a lot in the startup world. But what does it really mean? And more importantly, how do you know if your product is truly minimum AND viable? The key is to focus on the core functionalities that solve your users' most pressing problems. Don't get caught up in adding features that might be nice to have but aren't essential to the core value proposition. Here's what you need to do: 1. Build your MVP with the absolute minimum features needed to solve the core problem 2. Execute it with real users and gather feedback 3. Learn from user interactions and iterate based on their needs Remember: The goal is to validate your assumptions and learn from real user feedback, not to build a perfect product right out of the gate. So, before you add that next feature, ask yourself: "Is this really necessary for the MVP?" If not, save it for later iterations.

I am Professional Because I am Personal

Anton Sten — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 00:00:00 GMT

Just like all small business owners, I want to improve everything about my business. I want to find new ways of connecting with audiences, use better tools to work more efficiently, and manage my cash flow with expertise. So I hunt for the perfect solution that will result in amazing client satisfaction, increased income, and more time to invest in my personal growth. I work most evenings and spend my weekends and holidays with business on my mind. However… When it comes to my personal development, I fear change. Something close to guilt creeps in. Taking that day to relax creates moments of introspection. Should I be taking this time? I know it'll make me more productive tomorrow, but… My walks in the forest make me think more clearly. They help me consider new, creative solutions to the problems I'm tackling, but that feeling shows up again. Why would I find it difficult to enjoy the life that I have worked so hard to have? Meditation, focus on clear communication, a laid back attitude, better relationships with those I love – these things would surely allow me to live a happier life and could only affect my business positively. Right? ## Perspectives change. I recently read Fredrik Eklund's book, "The Sell". For those of you who haven't read it, Fredrik is a Swede that moved to New York and became the number one real estate broker. The book was pretty good, but there was a specific passage that stuck with me. He talks about the brokerage he was working for wanted all of their brokers to have a professional Facebook page in addition to their personal ones. That way, their clients would connect to the professional page and leave their personal one alone. I'm pretty confident that this isn't a unique situation in the corporate world. Fredrik had a take on it was very different. He refused to create a separate profile with the words: ## "I am a professional because I am personal." It makes so much sense. I am a professional because I am personal. It doesn't matter if you're a global company with thousands of employees, or a one-man company like me, it simply makes sense. People hire me. They want my skills. I know I am not the best UX designer in the world, but I am the only one with my background, skills, and experience. My way of working with my clients, my communication methods, and my personality define me. ## This is what makes me... me. Sometimes it can be hard to find the balance between your professional and personal life. The managers at Fredrik's last workplace couldn't understand that the two actually can help each other. Whatever makes you feel better in your personal life – Do it. It will surely bring about positive change to your work life as well. Find a way to take that day off that you desperately need. If you need to change your working environment for a few hours, make it happen. Even if you think staying at home every day will bring positive change, then seriously consider changing your career. ## ...and I am content I am writing this on a plane to Stockholm. I am meeting with a potential client in the banking industry that I would love to work with. They do amazing stuff by operating primarily with individuals who trade stock (think: Robinhood.com), so it's an area that's close to my heart. Often when I go into meetings like this, I feel the need to dress up. On this occasion though, I think I will stick to who I am. A real person in jeans and a t-shirt. I have decided to stay confident in who I am, what I do, and how I do it. This is what it's like doing business with me. I am professional because I am personal.

Understanding Pain Dream Fix

Anton Sten — Tue, 28 Jul 2015 00:00:00 GMT

I absolutely love this image. It clearly communicates how we should be thinking about developing and marketing our products. The customer is focused on their pain point and looking to the open market to provide them with their solution. Your product isn't what they want, the end result is. Your customer doesn't want your vacuum cleaner, they want a clean apartment. They don't want an iPhone, they want the solutions it brings: the mobile business management, staying in touch with friends and family, etc. !Pain, dream, fix ## Pain Dream Fix "Pain, Dream, Fix" is a strategy originally used for creating great sales copy and has become something that many designers, both physical and digital, use every day. It puts you in the mind of the user and helps you to empathize with their current pains, think about their dream without the pain, and present them with the solution that would make the pain go away. Let's take a minute and use this strategy to understand Mario's and his problem: * Pain – Mario needs to defeat his enemies, but he is woefully outmatched. His enemies are larger than him, faster, and better armed. Jumping on them works, but he risks being hurt. * Dream – Mario knows that if he were to be bigger and, maybe, be able to throw something (like fire) at his enemies, he would have a much better chance of surviving and rescuing the princess. * Fix – Mario finds the product, a fire flower, and now can easily defeat his enemies from a safe distance! He is able to achieve his goals. As you can see, without this strategy it would have been difficult for Mario to find success. As a product/solutions developer, if you fail to understand the user, you risk distancing yourself from them. You are trying to sell them a solution to a problem they don't have. Once you use "Pain, Dream, Fix" to accurately identify the pain points and envisioned the dream, the fix becomes an easy sell. You can offer the right solution because you truly understand the users struggle and what they see as the ideal outcome. Henry Ford famously said, > "If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses." Not only did Mr. Ford bring people the "faster horse" (pain fix), but he brought them something completely different while solving their pain. He brought them the dream. Image from Samuel Hallick's book User Onboarding which I highly recommend that you get.

Hey Siri, what's the future of user interfaces?

Anton Sten — Tue, 11 Aug 2015 00:00:00 GMT

About a month ago, the Apple Watch finally launched in Sweden – nearly three months after the US launch. Although the watch itself hasn't really excited me, I was still very eager to try out this new kind of device. It represents a new product category that I have been interested in exploring. What would a device like this mean to my everyday life? Would I actually use it? Would I enjoy it? Apple has proudly labeled it as "their most personal device yet" and I was eager to see how true that was. So far, my friends reactions have been entertaining. They have gotten more excited about this than the usual gadget. "What can it do? What do you use it for? Can I see it?" are questions that are immediately asked. Now, this is not a full featured review of the Apple Watch. I recommend you go to TheOatMeal, The Verge, and Medium.com for indepth look at the all the pros and cons of it. I will briefly touch upon some of the things that I was worried about before I got it and what has surprised me since. ## Hands On with the Apple Watch I should say that besides being excited about new technology in general, my reason for getting the Apple Watch was to see if it would curb my phone usage. While it does sound a bit ironic that I would use one device to use another less – it has actually reduced the time I spend using my iPhone. My iPhone is my connection to my personal and business world. I use it, especially in the evenings, to keep track of all email that is coming in. Before the watch, the use case was that I'll pull out my phone to check my email, but look at Facebook, scroll through Instagram, and then flip through Twitter. Instead of checking my email (1 minute), I'll spend a good 30-45 minutes browsing all my social media channels. The Watch allows me to see any important email coming in, but would be too small to pull me into the social media loop. This has probably been the most rewarding benefit of the Watch so far. Things that have pleasantly surprised me so far: * Stocks – I use a the custom Modular face to see my most recently viewed Stocks. This way I could easily keep track of Twitters recent fall as well as Amazon's gains. * Workouts – I used a Jawbone UP previously and was always keen on getting my daily goals. I managed 10.000 steps daily for 30 days in a row! With the Apple Watch, it's divided into three parts; Calories, Exercise and Stand Ups. Getting 30 minute of daily exercise can be tougher than it sounds. I'm still not entirely sure how it's calculated as a 35 minute fast run resulted in 21 minutes of exercise. I'm nagged to stand up once every hour and I have no idea what this actually does to my health. But when the Watch tells me to stand up, I stand up. * Notifications – Getting notifications from other apps can be a time saver. It allows me to view a notification even if I may not be able act on it from the watch. I have the opportunity to see if it's something I need to act on now or if it's something that can wait (like @channel or @everyone mentions in Slack-channels, comment update to Facebook threads I'm following, etc.). * Text messages and dictation works better than anticipated – 90% of all my iMessaging is with my wife and I've found that 5 different pre-written replies really take me a long way in our communication. I'm not entirely sure that is a good thing, but it works pretty well. Also dictation to messaging works far better than anticipated (this works on your iPhone as well but doesn't really makes as much sense). * Battery life is longer than expected – Much of the criticism ahead of launch was the Watch's battery life. I've found no problems at all and I usually have 40-45% battery remaining at the end of the day. Charging is so fast that I'll just put it on it's charger for an hour in the morning instead of during night. * Siri – The biggest benefit of the Apple Watch though is that I've finally understood how to efficiently include Siri in my daily tasks. Instead of pulling out my phone, unlocking it and performing an action, I'll just raise my arm and say: * Hey Siri, play Indie Chillout – even more effective if I'm in my car driving * Hey Siri, set a timer for 8 minutes – when cooking pasta and my hands are occupied * Hey Siri, what song is this? – when watching TV and I hear a song I like * Hey Siri, remind me to change my flight tomorrow – when out walking my dog * Hey Siri, will it rain today? – when selecting what to wear * Hey Siri, how many Swedish kronors is $6500 – when budgeting new projects * Hey Siri, how many calories is a croissant? – when trying to eat healthier… !Siri ## What's Next? As the technology changes, the way it can be integrated is going to change as well. What is the next evolution for products like Siri? The next Apple TV would only benefit from a Siri integration. Think about it, early voice controlled systems were limited because they were ... dumb. Saying 'Switch to channel 5' is more complicated than just pressing '5' on your remote. A single action is always easier to perform when it has a dedicated button, but performing a series of actions using an intelligent backbone will changes things. Instead of going into TV Shows > Purchased > Suits > Season 4 > Latest episode > Play, I would be able to say 'Hey Siri, play the latest (unplayed) episode of Suits'. Siri would understand the actions needed to bring up the episode, know what seasons/episode is next. and simplify the entire watching experience. 'Hey Siri, show me the news' would show me the latest news based on my news settings in News.app. It would pull together all relevant news clips from different networks as well as online sources like the Verge. It would be able to perform searches and show me video content; * Hey Siri, how do I make a Martini * Hey Siri, show me top goals by Steven Gerrard * Hey Siri, show me the highlights from the latest Liverpool game_ Interactions have previously been solely action triggers; pressing X performs X. As our access to data and content continues to grow, user interfaces will need to be more complex to allow users to easily perform custom actions; action + content + time. As each of the parameters will be dynamic, buttons can no longer be static. Clearly UX and UI designers will face new challenges when designing interfaces in the future as the market grows into more devices like the Apple Watch. UX designers will have a wider range of actions that need to accounted for and UI designers will need to design user interfaces that are more dynamic and customizable.

Ux is Much More than Software

Anton Sten — Mon, 24 Aug 2015 00:00:00 GMT

## My Process for Understanding the FULL User Experience Most companies are beginning to understand how important user experience is for their bottom line. They are actively trying solve or avoid these problems, but tend to just focus on their software. What they miss is creating a user centric solution is just a portion of the full experience that the user will have. I am usually given a set of pages that a company wants me to pay extra attention to (homepage, category, and product pages). While these pages are critical to the customer's user experience and business performance, there is a lot more to look at. It's important to keep in mind that great user experiences take time to build and maintain, but can be demolished in just a couple of seconds. Today's consumers demand an experience that works reliably and functions exactly how they expect it to. It is critical to look beyond the main pages of the website to see where mistakes can be made. ## The Process When working with e-commerce companies, I like to run through a full sales process to get an idea of what a regular customer will experience. The usual procedure for analysing the full user experience looks something like this: * I do a google search for a product and company name. This is the way most users will find your product, not through the homepage and category pages. Have I understood where I've ended up? Does the site give me a trustworthy experience? Can I easily get back to the previous category listing? What about the homepage? * From that product page I'll go back to the homepage and then find my way to another product. Am I recommended other products that might be of interest to me? Is crucial information clearly displayed (size, color, price, delivery time)? This is where most UX-Checks usually end, but I'm just getting started. !IPhone_6_unboxing * I contact customer support one more time to ask questions about my product. How quick was the response time? Under 24 hours? What was the tone like? Friendly or sour? I then repeat this entire process for mobile and tablet. This way I know if the experience is universal across all possible platforms and may not have issues associated with responsive design issues. ## More than Just Software As you can see, the total user experience is so much more than just the three pages that most companies want me to focus on. Even if you don't have the same chain of interactions as e-commerce, there is so much more to your user experience than the interface that your customer sees. Is your customer support easily accessible and helpful? Do you give added value in your communication with me? Are your order confirmations and invoices easy to understand, printer-friendly (people still print!), PDF-friendly and OCR-ready? What I say I do things differently, I mean it. I choose to work with a company to understand all aspects of their solution. After all, what good is having the perfect product page if it doesn't work on mobile, if the customer support is not friendly, and there's no clear information sent after purchase? The user experience is much more than a few pages, so let's stop treating it like it is.

Growing Relationships by Understanding Values

Anton Sten — Thu, 03 Sep 2015 00:00:00 GMT

The office ecosystem is an unusual place. The building where I have my office is large by any standards. There are roughly 100 different companies with more than 500 actual people working for them. You could assume that an environment like this would adopt all the benefits of a co-working space, but not everyone is onboard. Agencies often complain that they are not comfortable having their clients so close to their competitors. Instead, I believe they should focus on the value they get from having great relationships with these other companies. ## Values drive relationships You see, relationships have their foundation in values. It's about what you bring and what you expect. All relationships are different from each other, but they all depend on expected values to be healthy. For instance: MY DOG brings me happiness, daily exercise, and a feeling of responsibility and caring. In return, she gets exercise, food, shelter, and – most importantly – love in return. !Happy dog, happy life MY CLIENTS get an agency-like quality delivery without the bureaucracy. They'll get it on-time and hassle free. In return, I get long-term engagements and clients that adapt to my way of working. FACEBOOK brings me updates from close and not-so-close ones that simply wasn't possible in the past. It's a great experience and although there are things that could improve, the positives outweigh the negatives. The value it brings me in my daily life verify it's worth. In return, I bring Facebook content and engagement. It might seem trivial, but it's not trivial for Facebook. Stable relationships thrive on balanced values. Each one of the examples above are different in the values the given/received, but without them they are bound to end. ## What values do you bring? Think about it, what do you bring to your relationships? What values do you bring to that relationship with your significant other, customers, or services? What do you expect from them? And does it really matter? If you are unsure of what value you bring, you may have trouble maintaining that relationship. Someone may end up feeling deserted. ## What does this have to do with user experience? People don't understand what a user experience designer does. When they ask, I tell them that I help companies align their product's value with the expectations of their users. Maybe they're not utilizing their values to get the best results. You certainly don't want your users to expect too much and end up disappointed. Even giving them more than they expected can leave them feeling overwhelmed. This is why aligning values and expectations is so important. It's the first step to building long term relationships with your customers. > So, either you're providing value or you're not – are you ready to find out?

Increase conversions by removing social sharing buttons

Anton Sten — Mon, 21 Sep 2015 00:00:00 GMT

Just like I outlined in a previous popular post, "What's the cost of 'sharing'?" – conversions might actually benefit from not having social sharing buttons. Turns out by a test ran by Visual Website Optimizer that when Taloon removed their social sharing buttons, their add-to-cart increased by nearly 12%. >"According to Jani Uusi-Pantti, the number of shares on most of his product pages were zero. While high number of shares and likes act as a positive reinforcement, low number of shares breed distrust in the mind of the customer about both the company and the quality of the product."

People want to share content, not products. Even if you're IKEA, Amazon or Target – you're not going to have thousands of people sharing a product. And while it might work for a hugely popular product like an iPhone, it's not going to work for the extra USB-cord, the charger or a bumper case.

Time vs. attention: which is more valuable?

Anton Sten — Mon, 21 Sep 2015 00:00:00 GMT

tl:dr For those who've used up their attention for the day: Design for your users attention span more than their time, it's what really matters. A couple of weeks ago was huge for Malmö. In fact, it's so big that they label it THE WEEK. Every year, the highlight is The Conference and I've loved attending this event. However, this year, I decided not to go. No, it has nothing to do with the speakers, the topics, or because my calendar is full of client work. It's because I've come to a revelation. I simply can't concentrate for an entire day – and I bet you can't either. Jason Fried recently wrote for Signal v. Noise: >I recently realized that if I'm too busy to take something on, I shouldn't say "I don't have the time". In fact, I often do have the time. It's not that hard to squeeze in some extra time for someone.

What I don't have – and what I can't squeeze in – is more attention. Attention is a far more limited resource than time. So what I should say is "I don't have the attention". I may have 8 hours a day for work, but I probably have 4 hours a day for attention. That final line is what got me thinking. While I may have the TIME for more projects, conferences, and other random stuff – I don't have the ATTENTION for it. Other projects or my personal life would suffer from borrowing attention from them. I'm less and less willing to make that sacrifice. ## Our everyday experiences have a cost. That conference, meeting, or app requires effort. In terms of time, there's no problem squeezing in 7 meetings in one day, but our attention only will allow 3 or 4 of those to be productive. This is particularly important when creating an event like a conference or workshop. Organizers often focus more on how much content they can pack into a day than if they can hold the attention of the audience. Hyper Island does a spectacular job of this when they have their Master Classes (which are quite intense!). Between sessions they offer things they call Energizers. These aren't energy bars or sugary treats; these are short exercises that help you to refocus. My favorite? The Shouting Game is always a win! ## How does this translate to the user experience? You need to look at your product – a conference, app, or a store – and be able to understand the attention span it requires. I can keep my attention focused at a conference for around 4 hours, but I don't even last an hour browsing Facebook. Just as it is important to align your Values, understanding the attention span of your users could help you find success. Most product owners can only measure their success as "time spent on site", but we are still trying to understand what the real goal is. Is longer better? Does that really mean they love browsing our site? Or are having a hard time finding what they're looking for? So here's an exercise for you: > Think about your day's attention span. How much time do you have and how will you invest it? !Office Life

Coming soon: User Experiences that Matter e-book

Anton Sten — Tue, 06 Oct 2015 00:00:00 GMT

#The book is released! Get it here! ——– I’ve just released something out in the wild that honestly scares me shitless. I’m releasing my first book! It’s titled “User Experiences that Matter”. ## Why would I write a book? I’ve never defined myself as a writer or even a man of many words (you probably already suspect this because of my Finnish roots). However, I’ve found in order to grow as a designer, it’s critical to be able to communicate your thoughts and all the reasoning behind your design decisions. I had set a goal for myself (one newsletter every two weeks) and found that putting my thoughts out there has allowed me to grow in ways I didn’t expect. I began thinking about the challenges to solving practical design problems – visual design challenges if you will – and then focused my writing on sharing how I have come to solve these challenges when creating digital products. As my writing evolved, it became obvious that these pieces together would work really well in a book! ## What is User Experiences that Matter about? The book is an easy-to-understand book that covers the essentials of creating great digital user experiences. It features everything you need to take your product from an idea liked by you to one LOVED by your users. User Experiences that Matter will teach you everything from what UX design really is (and what it isn’t!) to exactly how you can create the perfect experiences for your products without having to draw those black and white wireframes. It’s not a magic formula (if you know one, email me!), but rather a guide with processes, assignments, and strategy that I’ve found to work. ## Who is it for? Do you want to create digital user experiences that not only perform up to your expectations, but make your users fall in love with your product? Do you want to create a product that drives conversion, but stays true to your brand? Do you think the user experience of a product is absolutely essential to success, but don’t know how to get it there? If you’re nodding your head at all then this is the book for you! This book will help you: * Get started in the digital space and grow * Understand how UX works and why * Build the next great digital product * Learn there is still room to improve as a senior designer ## Do we need a book about user experiences? While there are tons of great resources out there that cover everything from psychological, philosophical, economic, and practical aspects of UX design, I’ve yet to find a book that covers the basics of creating great digital experiences. For example, the first iPhone was launched without an AppStore. Mind blowing, I know. Our first experience with this product was with it’s core functionality. A lot of products we see released today would benefit from starting more basic and really think about how they’ll provide their users with a great experience. However, many developers make the mistake of equating more features with making the product more successful. Often it just makes it more difficult for new users to understand the basics of the product and hurts conversion. I’ve geared the book towards helping designers/developers/product manager/companies adjust how they view their users and craft amazing experiences with their product. After all, isn’t what the user feels about the product just as important as what they do with it? Some label this as branding, but let’s be honest, that’s just one piece of the entire user experience cake. Big picture thinking like that creates strong products. I am eager to share my experiences with all of you. I have made mistakes, grown as a designer, and taken the time to organize how I overcame challenges in a way that can be presented to you. I hope this book serves you all and help you to find amazing success creating brilliant user experiences!

Everyone is a UX-designer and Why I Hate the Term

Anton Sten — Mon, 19 Oct 2015 00:00:00 GMT

When people ask what I do, I tell them I'm a UX-designer. Truth is, it's not a title I'm a fan of. It's true that I help companies design user experiences and you'd think the title would be suitable, but it also suggests that I am solely responsible for what the complete user experience will be. This couldn't be farther from the truth. As I've mentioned before, the user experiences are made up of so much more and everyone has a role to play. Mike Monteiro is one of my favorite thinkers. You may know him from his brilliant speech "F*ck You. Pay Me." or his books "Design is a Job" and "You're My Favorite Client". Some of my favorite passages come from "You're My Favorite Client" where Mike let's the reader know that whether they believe it or not, they are a designer too: > I don't know anything about design. Bullsh*t. Look around you. You make choices based on design every day.

Even if you can't design those things yourself, that doesn't take away from your ability to decide that was the chair you wanted to sit on, or the shoes you wanted to wear, or the car you wanted to buy.

You know bad design when you encounter it. From every chair you've sat in that hurt your ass, to every coffee cup that burned your hand, to every time your finger triggered the wrong link on your phone, to every airline booking site that pissed you off. You know bad design. You hate it. ## It Should Just Work Mike's reasoning can be easily applied to UX-design – the airline booking site reference fits really well. As people, we just want things that work. This is, without a doubt, one of the reasons that Apple has seen such great success with their products. Sure, the Android operating system has some awesome features. You can customize just about anything, but the vast majority of users don't give it a second thought. Do we really think that people care whether or not you can customize what font the operating system uses? Most people don't even know what a font is. What people do care about is getting on with their daily business. The faster I can pull the phone out of the box to start making calls, e-mailing, and browsing the web – the better. ## More Options Don't Equal Good Experience I was recently hired to rethink the user experience of an e-commerce website that lets users customize shirts. The possibilities are absolutely endless. A user can choose different buttons, collars, pockets, cuts, and the list goes on and on. They can even upload their own measurements to ensure a perfect fit. These endless possibilities can get overwhelming for first time users. They might just want to get a shirt where they can simply select a custom color. I suggested to the client to group options together to make the choices easier to grasp. Especially in this case, this grouping technique can help users more easily engage with the product. Just think of Google. The possibilities are endless for what you can search for and how you can filter those results to see exactly what you are looking for. But the success of Google lies within the simplicity; that most users feel comfortable with a single text field where they can enter their search term. This e-commerce client didn't buy into my reasoning and thought that they would lose clients by grouping the options for ease of use. They believed that their user base desires to have all the options, all the time. We ended up parting ways because I couldn't suggest a solution that would meet all of their demands. I strongly believe that if you want to please everyone, you end up pleasing nobody – not even yourself. ## The User Experience is SO Much More Even though my title might be UX-designer, the user experience consists of everyone involved: marketers, managers, customer service, technicians, even other users. The role of a UX-designer is to take all these different inputs and suggest the best way to package, position, and communicate it. Success comes from paying attention to the entire experience of the user, from beginning to end. From #mobX speaker Cat Noon (image by Thorsten Jonas): !A great user experience

The Extra Effort for Great UX

Anton Sten — Tue, 03 Nov 2015 00:00:00 GMT

One of the best books I've ever read on User Experiences is titled "The Elements of User Experience" written by Jesse James Garrett. In the book, he begins by telling the story of a man who wakes up and wonders why his alarm clock never went off. He goes to make coffee, but struggles with the coffeemaker. On his way to work, he stops for gas, but can't get his credit card to work and has to stand in a long line to pay. When he is finally on his way, he is detoured due to an accident and arrives far later than he ever anticipated. He ends up irritated, sweaty, and lacking a much needed cup of coffee. REWIND: Let's look at WHY each one of these situations happen and how they relate to poor user experience design. The traffic accident caused by a man who had to take his eyes off the road to lower the radio's volume. The radio had a poorly designed knob layout and was confusing to our driver. The line at the gas station was so long because the cashier had to use a complex and confusing system to charge clients. The fact that he had to stand in line at all was because the gas pump didn't offer any instructions on how to properly insert your card. The coffeemaker didn't work because he had to push the button all the way down but there was nothing to let him know it was turned on or not – no lights, sounds, no feedback. And everything started when his cat stepped on the alarm clock, resetting it without notification. ## Can you relate? I'm pretty sure we've all had experiences like this. Our technology and appliances aren't always very clear in their use. However, we ALL are forced to interact with these failing user interfaces on a daily basis. It's the TV remote, the pay kiosk at the parking ramp, and especially the custom Excel spreadsheet you use to track expense reports. In order to get what we want from these interfaces, we have to successfully interact with them and that can be difficult. That said, we have seen a huge increase in good (read: not great) user experiences over the past decade. As we become more and more reliant upon different inputs, we're bound to learn what works and what doesn't and that directly affects the development interfaces we use today and in the future. ## Assessing the User's Needs In 1943, Abraham Maslow introduced Maslow's hierarchy of needs. In it, he described what we need as humans to fully operate. From physiological (air, water, food) to safety (personal security, financial security, health), love (friends, family, sex), esteem (self-respect, self-esteem), and finally self-actuallization (reaching your full potential). How does this relate to UX Design in the digital and physical world? Maslow gives us the method to understanding the needs of our users. Take online banking for an example: 1. Make the interface functional. It would mean the user being able to login, pay bills, and view an account summary. 2. Make it feel safe for the user to use. I don't need to tell you how crucial that is for the banking industry and a user will refuse to use something that even APPEARS to be unsafe. 3. Make it usable. It needs to be easy to navigate between pages and it all the functions exactly as the user expects. Note: This is where 99% of all services end, but great UX design goes further. 4. Make it _pleasurable_. I know what you're thinking – a pleasurable online banking experience? Crazy! It may seem laughable, but it's only crazy until someone actually makes one. Then the whole industry will scramble to catch up. !great ux ## The Extra Effort goes a Long Way Great user experiences are the result of putting in the extra effort. When usable just isn't enough. Maslow states that when a person is fully self-actualized, they find contentment as their needs have been all fulfilled. A user finds that same sense of contentment using a product that invested in creating a great user experience. That fully contented user is happier to be a returning customer and brand advocate.

What is a Great User Experience?

Anton Sten — Tue, 17 Nov 2015 00:00:00 GMT

When working on my soon to be released book, User Experiences that Matter, I felt it was important to get people thinking about what defines a great user experience. It really is a tough concept to understand because it is so multi-layered. To help clear it up, I decided to include interviews with three super smart people to get their opinions on what makes great user experienced, great. …I now realize that I should probably add my voice to the question as well. ## How \*I\* Define Great UX One of my mottos when working with (digital) user experiences is to always consider the bigger picture. I must confess that my background is primarily in design and it's my go to, my bread and butter. However, I've learned that design can't – by itself – create a great user experience. As users, we are often misguided into thinking that it's design creating that experience. It's much more. I think I put it simply when I talk about user experiences on my homepage: > "The value of your product isn't measured in its function and design, but in how your customers value the experience of using it." I've had this same line on my website for years, but it was the other day when I really started to think about how this applies to my own life. What products/services would I label as having a really great user experience? Like I previously discussed in the Values article – it's all about our expectations, what we're being promised, and what the product actually delivers. While my new iPhone 6s is a beautifully designed device packed with great features – the user experience isn't really different from it's predecessor. It is faster. It has a better camera. Do any of these things improve my life in a significant way? Not really. Similarly, Dropbox might sync files faster than Google Drive, but that isn't something that is critical for me as a user – _they both sync fast enough_. When we are creating user experiences, we can't look solely at what we are offering – we also have to understand the user's situation. Switching to an iPhone 6s from a Nokia 5110 would be a HUGE leap for the user and they simply won't do it. They will be far more comfortable upgrading incrementally on the platform – Android or iOS – they are familiar with. Taking the user's situation into consideration FIRST can help you weigh what you're adding with the needs of the user. ## So what product has improved my life in a substantial way recently? When I was four years old, I was diagnosed with diabetes. Since I've been diabetic for most of my life, it's part of my everyday experience. I have been lucky enough to live in Sweden (and previously Finland) and am assured great medical care and access to free medicine which is critical for me. However, I was always disappointed at how slow technology has evolved for diabetics. We've seen amazing apps, devices, and supplies come to market, but very few of these innovations have been focused on easing the struggle of people like me. Treating diabetes consists primarily of two important steps: taking insulin and monitoring your glucose. While insulin pumps have become more and more common, it's not something I've ever felt the need to have. You have to continually check to see if it's working – which can be a confusing process – and you still need to keep an insulin pen with you at all times. Monitoring your glucose usually consists of placing a small drop of blood on a sensor connected to a fairly small device. With advancement in technology, we no longer have to wait 2 minutes for a result and some devices can give a reading in just a few seconds. Even with all these advancements, the procedure has not really changed for the past 30 years. A couple of months ago, I was introduced to the FreeStyle Libre. With this amazing device attached to my arm (usually for two weeks at a time) I can wirelessly check my glucose levels at any time. I just swipe a meter and it displays my blood sugar. I am no longer bound to the process of constantly washing my hands, finding somewhere to sit, pulling out the different supplies, and actually doing the test. !Diabetes tech The meter itself is surprisingly similar to what I've had for the past 30 years. Sure, it may now have a color touchscreen display and a better battery that is simple to charge (micro-USB), but what makes the user experience great is the difference in how I can use the product. Due to it constantly monitoring my blood sugar, I am able to quickly see what my levels have been for the past 8 hours, giving me insight into how to manage my condition. The people at FreeStyle Libre didn't just create an app, change the interface, or improve the device – they rethought the whole process of monitoring your glucose. They focused on living WITH diabetes. They've identified my pain points and acted on them. Emil Ovemar from Toca Boca shared his thoughts on what creates a great user experience: > "…it's about a getting that personal connection – that the person that created this product created it with me in mind." (read the full interview in User Experiences that Matter) In order to create truly great user experiences, we need to rethink entire processes of our industry. Uber didn't just launch a more user friendly taxi app, they disrupted the entire industry. That's what made Uber a success – the simplicity and design of their app is just a result of that initial disruption. So, instead of doing yet another redesign, think about how you can RETHINK your industry.

The Fundamentals of Good UX

Anton Sten — Mon, 07 Dec 2015 00:00:00 GMT

There's a seriously misguided tendency for people to focus more on the _'design'_ in user experience design than the 'user'. But no matter how well designed your site is, if your user can't do what they want, when they want, they'll leave unhappy, and you'll lose a potential sale. If you're involved in any type of online business, you've most likely seen the term UX design thrown around. You might even have a decent idea of what it entails. So, as a seasoned UX designer, I took it upon myself to find a clear and concise way to explain the role, and the importance of good user experience design. No amusing metaphors. No jargon. Just the raw truth about what it means to design an experience for real users, and why you and your business need to take it seriously. ## So, what exactly is UX design? At its core, UX Design is a mix of sociology and cognitive science that looks at how people and products interact. As a scientific process, it's an analysis of any time a person has an experience with the object of interest. This could be anything from a car, chair, or table, to how someone interacts with your website or app. >User Experience encompasses all aspects of the end-user's interaction with the company, its services and its products. So, what are the goals of a UX Designer? When you boil it down, it's actually a pretty short list: - To improve customer satisfaction - To improve the quality of interaction between a company and its consumer - To make sure that the product logically flows from one step to the next If this sounds like a big responsibility, that's because it is. UX design plays a crucial role in any product development because we all know that when your users are happy, business is good. ## Designing for the human experience When I tell people my job title there's usually an assumption that I'm somehow solely responsible for everything that a user experiences. The truth is that user experiences are made up of so much more than just one person's input. As Mike Monteiro, one of my favorite thinkers, explains it: >I don't know anything about design. Bullshit. Look around you. You make choices based on design every day... You know bad design when you encounter it. From every chair you've sat in that hurt your ass, to every coffee cup that burned your hand, to every time your finger triggered the wrong link on your phone, to every airline booking site that pissed you off. You know bad design. You hate it. While Mike is talking about design in a more broad sense, his reasoning can just as easily be applied to UX-design (especially the part about the airline booking site). What it comes down to is that we all just want things that work. But that's no easy task. Making things simple and easy is harder than it looks. Because the user experience of a product is not based solely on its user flow or simplicity you can have an amazing experience that gets ruined by a slow server, a nasty customer service representative, or too many e-mail newsletters. These are things that the UX Designer most likely doesn't have any influence on or control of. However, there are some key roles we play in making sure your experience is as enjoyable and easy as possible. ## How do you know if your UX is good? You become a customer. When I'm hired to improve the conversion and user experience e-commerces, I'm usually given a set of pages that a company wants me to pay extra attention to: homepage, category, and product pages. While these pages are critical to the customer's user experience and business performance, there is a lot more to look at when getting a holistic view of the overall product. > "Great user experiences take time to build and maintain, but can be demolished in just a couple of seconds." My first step when taking on a new project is to look at it from the customers' standpoint, finding every experience as they go from discovering your service to receiving the end product. Here's what that might look like for an e-commerce site: I do a Google search for a product and company name. This is the way most users will find your product, not through the homepage and category pages. - Have I understood where I've ended up? Does the site give me a trustworthy experience? Can I easily get back to the previous category listing? What about the homepage? From that product page I'll go back to the homepage and then find my way to another product. - Have they recommended other products that might be of interest to me? Is crucial information clearly displayed (size, color, price, delivery time)? - If there's a chat function, I'll connect to it and ask some questions, from obvious to complex, and see how they respond. - Do you ship to Sweden? Can you describe the blue color to me? I'll then add products to my shopping cart and follow through with the purchase. - Was the order form easy to fill out? Did I have to register as a user to buy? Did I have to sign up for a newsletter? I wait for the order confirmation to arrive. - Did it arrive promptly? Is it easy to understand? Does it have all the necessary information? I take a close look at the shipping process and all the things users are going to be looking for. - Do I get an email once my product has shipped? Does it feature a tracking code? Once the product arrives, I look to see if everything is there including options like 'added value' items. Often these are things as small as stickers or can be hand written notes, sweets, and vouchers. - Did everything arrive as promised? Are the added value items unique with the user in mind? I contact customer support one more time to ask questions about my product. - How quick was the response time? Under 24 hours? What was the tone like? Friendly or sour? You may know your product through and through, but your customer doesn't. Seeing the experience through their eyes is one of the most crucial parts of the UX designer's job. ## UX is part of everything in your business As you can see, the total user experience is so much more than just the three pages that most companies want to focus on. Even if you don't have the same chain of interactions as an e-commerce site, there is so much more to your user experience than the interface that your customer sees. Is your customer support easily accessible and helpful? Do you give added value in your communication with me? Are your order confirmations and invoices easy to understand, printer-friendly (people still print!), PDF-friendly and OCR-ready? What good is having the perfect product page if it doesn't work on mobile, if the customer support is not friendly, and there's no clear information sent after purchase? _ The user experience consists of everyone at your company, from the marketers, managers, and customer service, to technicians and even other users. The role of a UX-designer is to take all these different inputs and craft the best way to package, position, and communicate them. Success only comes from paying attention to the entire experience of the user, from beginning to end. ## Who's responsible for your user's experience? So, just who's responsible when your user experience is failing customers? Your business most likely has a CFO that takes care of financial issues, and a CTO that looks after everything technical, but what about the Chief User Experience Office (CUXO)? (Disclaimer: I don't think we should ever use this term, but follow me here...) Your CFO is in charge of keeping your cash flow positive, even though they're not the only one that is affecting cash flow, right? I believe we need someone to do the same job for experiences. Currently, UX designers tend to work in a siloed environment and are given only a few small pages to deal with to 'fix' the experience without thought of all the outside aspects that affect your product. A CUXO would act like your CFO—not necessarily responsible for directly fixing all of the issues, but with providing the vision and understanding to guide all the moving parts to ensure a smooth experience. Bad reviews? The CUXO's job would be to understand why your customers are unhappy. Low conversions? Again, what experience is holding the customer back from completing their purchase? !fundamentals of UX As design of all types becomes more and more of a differentiator for online businesses, your experience is what will set you apart from the competition. Don't lose out because you're unwilling to see the power of a good, clean start-to-finish experience. > Remember, UX design succeeds when you don't even notice it.

An eye on the future

Anton Sten — Wed, 16 Dec 2015 00:00:00 GMT

## How can we plan for a successful future? As we approach the end of another year, we all begin the process of reflecting on what the past year has brought and start thinking about what we hope to achieve next year. As you look back on your personal struggles and how to overcome them, companies are also looking to re-evaluate their current projects and get their budgets straight for a successful new year. Personally, I love this time of the year and especially love helping companies plan for their future efforts. There's a handy approach that I like to follow that I read about on the great Intercom blog some time ago. They called it the 666 Roadmap. I'm guessing the name alone gets you interested. It got mine! Fortunately, it's not about making a deal with the devil, but IS about a great way to plan for success. ## How the 666 Roadmap Works Think about your current products from all perspectives – what do you love about them and what do you want to improve? Consider specific features that goals for your product. Where do you want your product to be in 6 weeks, 6 months, and 6 years? – There's the 666 reference! Granted, there are some people who prefer to use 10/10/10, but I think that 10's are a bit too long to make sense. 6 weeks is great because it lines up with a usual sprint, 6 months is the halfway point to the year, and while 6 years seems like forever – especially in the startup world – it's still a time period that most can relate to. ## 6 Weeks In most of my projects, a sprint is usually between 4 and 8 weeks. 6 weeks makes a lot of sense as it fits right in the middle of that standard period and is a great reference to see what's critical to get done in that period. As you know, 6 weeks really is a limited amount of time. It causes you to prioritize and focus on what features need to be built and how they are going to be shipped. Consider this your high-alert to-do list. ## 6 months This becomes your backlog for future sprints for smaller tasks or something that you break up into multiple sprints for larger tasks. 6 months is time to build a lot if you are well prepared, but can pass pretty quickly if you aren't task oriented. Consider this your queue – small AND big projects fit into this and provide you with a bi-yearly goal plan. ## 6 years This is a bit more tricky. It's less of a backlog of things to be accomplished and more of a vision for the future. Considering you've implemented all of the changes you've wanted in the past 6 years, there are a few questions you need to ask yourself. Where is your product now? What does it do? How do your users relate to it? What do you think the biggest challenges will be 6 years from now? What kind of technology are your users using to access your service now and is that relevant to the future? Consider this the plan you need for achieving your vision. I think this is an awesome exercise that you can use throughout the year. It forces you to think about the bigger end-goal while staying sensitive to the smaller tasks. What are your challenges in the next 6 weeks, months, and years? I'd love to hear about them so send me an email and let's work together to a better future for ourselves and our users!

Why User Experiences Matter

Anton Sten — Tue, 12 Jan 2016 00:00:00 GMT

It’s been a while since I launched my book, “User Experiences that Matter”, and I can’t begin to express how overwhelmed I am with the response and sales. If you bought it, please send me an email or tweet to let me know what you thought! ## Why User Experiences Matter As I’ve been thinking about the book and what value it brings to you, I am beginning to realize that there was one subject I should have reflected upon more – why I think user experiences matter so much. The book even assumes that it’s a fact with it’s title – User Experiences that Matter – without considering that everyone may not share my reasoning. So, what’s a better way to kick off a new year than rewind a bit and trying to understand it all from the beginning. ## Great user experiences can make you the market leader Even though the first iPod disrupted what was then called the MP3 market by vastly improving the technical specifications – 5GB vs 128 or 64MB – this wasn’t the primary reason for its global success. What made it really stand out was that you could browse a VERY large collection of songs fairly easily (aka the user experience). Remember the Zune? It debuted just after the iPod with similar technical specification, but its complex interface drove away customers. ## Well-defined user experiences can save you money Some would say that investing days/weeks/months iterating an interface/user experience might be too expensive, but it is probably the most cost-effective way to build a great product. The real failure would be having developers build something that’s not the best solution to your problem. An estimated 50% of engineering time is spent on doing rework that could have been avoided. What’s even more terrifying is that fixing an error after development is up to 100 times as expensive as it would have been before. An error could be an incorrect assumption about what features your users want, how they will behave with your product, developing a navigation that isn’t intuitive, or even a design choice that doesn’t appeal to the user. Basically, these are things a User Experience Designer would have solved before development was even initiated. Taking the time to consider the user experience can save you hundreds of engineering hours and thousands of dollars. ## Happy customers = Happy sales Instead of doubling your traffic, try to double your conversion rates. Why? Because it’s often easier, cheaper, and creates more value in the long run. If you work towards having the most loyal, happy customers I can safely promise that your business will be successful. This is something that I practice as much as I preach. While I love getting new clients, my primary objective is to keep my current clients as happy as possible to make sure they’re keep coming back for more business. Customers who have a positive user experience are going to be more likely to stick with your products—and to become your brand advocates. ## Still not sure ‘this is for you’? If you only take one thing away from this article, it should be this: > Industry surveys have shown that every dollar invested in UX will bring $2 to $100 in return. Forrester Research agrees and say that “implementing a focus on customers’ experience increases their willingness to pay by 14.4 percent, reduces their reluctance to switch brands by 15.8 percent, and boosts their likelihood to recommend your product by 16.6 percent." The numbers add up, User Experience Design is worth every penny.

Simplicity – Be Your Own MVP

Anton Sten — Mon, 25 Jan 2016 00:00:00 GMT

It’s a new year and, to many of us, that means we’re able to start with a clean slate. People all over the world say that THIS is the year of change and vow to change something about themselves – more exercise, healthier foods, less alcohol, more love, the list goes on and on. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a strong support of the things above, but my promise this year is a bit different. At the end of last year, I took a stand against the constant stream of information that interrupts every second of our lives. I did the unthinkable for most people in my industry – I disabled almost all of the notifications on my iPhone. I decided to stop spending my first waking moments pouring through emails and social media. I made the choice to focus on one thing at a time and if that one thing is just waking up, then that’s fine. If it’s drinking my morning coffee, then that focus means that I’m able to better taste it, not just consume it. As a freelancer and one-man company, it’s inevitable that things get crazy at times. I’ve found that applying the same rule – focusing on one thing at a time – makes it feel less hectic and I can be more productive. I can take time to appreciate the little victories that focus brings and move on to the next task without feeling overwhelmed. ## How does this translate to user experiences? Previously, I talked about the importance of a MVP – a minimum viable product. The key to a great MVP is to really understand what one thing your product should do well and how it should do it in the simplest way possible. Even when it’s time for the product to scale up and add more features we know that having simplicity at the core makes for a better product. In the industry, apps and user flows are now recognized as being better if they concentrate on doing just one thing at a time. From UX Design’s excellent State of UX in 2016: > “Fast forward a couple years and we're now designing around time: from having all the information available at any time (e.g. Amazon.com homepage) to having just the right amount of information available at the exactly right time users need it:

People want to do one thing at a time, and they want to be guided through the flow as opposed to being prompted with multiple decision points at every step.” ## Can WE be a MVP? For some reason, human beings are so focused on being the opposite. We collect labels as if they are valuable to defining who we are. A person can be not only a great dad, but also a marathon runner, a designer, a tech lover, an equal rights active… oh, and play in a band too! It seems that the more we take on (bonus points for it being at the same time), the more society validates us as being successful. However, science has shown that we really aren’t built for multitasking. Multitasking doesn’t prove we’re productive, it just proves we are busy. So my challenge this year is to MVP myself. What’s the essence of me? What’s important for me? I’ve spent years trying to please others and make decisions that I thought would fulfill their needs and desires. Turns out, this hardly ever works – not for them and especially not for me. When I look at the products we create, the rule for me has always been that it is better to be loved by a few than liked by many. So let’s start living our personal lives that way as well. Here’s to an awesome 2016!

The Interactive Car Dashboard

Anton Sten — Tue, 09 Feb 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Your car’s interface has come a long way, but has a long way to go. Ok, I want you to do something for me. Take a minute and look at the image below. Just stare at it and try to figure out the use… !WTF Dashboard This is a picture of a dashboard/control panel that has been floating around the internet for a couple of weeks. Apparently someone shared a screenshot of what it looks like when accessing an ATM’s “Admin Panel”. I’ve kept this image on my desktop and occasionally open it just to stare and wonder about what the different levelers, buttons, and inputs do. I am especially intrigued by the bowling alley in the top right corner. Is there an animation playing there? Why do the gauges go from red to green instead of the more commonly used green to red. Honestly, looking at this image is a weird form of therapy – it’s an endless sea of options and settings and it baffles me. My brain locks up just trying to process how horrible it is. Luckily, user interfaces are rarely this bad. This made me think about how we automatically tie the terms “user experiences” and “user interfaces” to websites or apps. We are truly surrounded by unique user interfaces and experiences in almost every part of our lives: our alarm clock that wake us up, our coffee makers automating the coffee brewing task, the menus on our TVs, information boards at the train station, the credit card terminal, the list goes on and on. ## Is Your New Car Stuck in the Past? Last summer I bought a new Audi Q5. It’s a great car and I love it. It gets me from point A to point B reliably and in comfort. While I was spending the holidays with my family, I drove my dad’s car – which is also an Audi, only 10 years older – and I was amazed that nothing had evolved in their digital interface. In fact, everything about the user experience was exactly the same. I don’t need to tell you that 10 years is a long time in the world of technology. As an example, the cost of touch enabled screens have dropped significantly while their resolution and general quality have gone up. Now, I don’t think that making everything touch screen is a good idea (physical controls work better when you’re wearing gloves), but no evolution says something about the industry. This is absolutely baffling to me. I KNOW that there’s been a lot of effort, time, and money put into improving the engine, fuel consumption, and even things like the seats. Why isn’t the user interface considered just as vital to the success? Surely as our days are more saturated in technology, our perceptions change as well. What we found “good enough” only a couple of years ago now looks dated. ## What Solutions are Being Attempted While I was giving lectures at the University of Luleå in the very north of Sweden, I was invited to ride there with my good friend Patrick. He was shared with me the new digital dashboard on the Volvo he was driving. They allow the driver to customize the digital dashboard to better suit their taste and driving style. This is great from a user experience point-of-view, but there were a few things that irritated me about the user interface. Now, I’m not a typographic expert of any sort – just ask my wife! – but I can tell you that the kerning hurts the experience when the speedometer goes > 100 km/h. It doesn’t offer a great reading/viewing experience. ## Considering Input / Output When designing controls for a car, it is vital to have an easy input and a clear output. If I press a button, I should be confident of the result and I should receive a notification of some kind that my action was performed. This isn’t as simple as it sounds. You need to think about the all the different parameters that are attached to that action; in what situation is the action being performed (standing still in park, highway driving, at a red light, etc.) Secondly, it is important to scale the difficulty of the tasks. Is it an easy task or a more complex one that will require more concentration? Turning up the volume on the radio or adjusting the heat are quick tasks, but finding someone in your contact list and calling them is a much more complex one. A great example of this is the digital dashboard that Audi is releasing on some models. This design is much like the Apple Watch as it is great for quick glances, but isn’t as efficient with longer engagements like switching music or browsing contacts. Lastly, who is performing the action? Actions that could be performed by the passenger shouldn’t have their visual feedback appear on the dashboard behind the wheel. Output, or the feedback that an action was successful, need to take different scenarios into account. Is the feedback visual like turning on the headlights? Is it a combination of visual and audio like using the blinkers? As cars move towards screen-based actions, are the tactile feedbacks still necessary? ## So, What’s the Next Evolution? I am looking forward to the time when we’ll see more actions that are voice controlled as that should translate to more accessibility and safety (as long as they work!). If, as anticipated, Apple builds their own car, I think it’s a pretty safe bet that it’ll be assisted by Siri. Asking her for directions to a place would be far easier – and safer – than using the input of most car controlled GPS systems! She would be able to call someone or play a specific song far easier than through a (visual) user interface and simplify that complex task. Wouldn’t it be nice to just ask Siri for a faster way home and have her reroute you around traffic jams? Ultimately, it doesn’t matter how many fancy digital dashboards you have, it doesn’t really matter until you solved the basic user interaction problems. While they may seem trivial, like the kerning on a Volvo dashboard, they’re in need of solutions. The automotive industry is starting to catch on to how important user interactions are, but there are many industries that haven’t started their transformation yet.

Be the Butcher not the Supermarket

Anton Sten — Mon, 22 Feb 2016 00:00:00 GMT

## Stop being a one-stop-shop and start providing value to your clients A few weeks ago ConvertKit published a post talking about how being a small business has it’s benefits. As many of you know, I embrace being a freelancer and know it has freed me to better serve the client and keep a nice balance of life and work. I cherish my flexibility, control over my time, and the power to provide value to my clients every day. Being a ‘one-man show’ makes this all possible. >Don’t freelance to make a living – freelance to make a life…
You need to remember why you started and keep it in focus. The one thing that I disagree with in the ConvertKit article is their statement that more employees means less revenue for the owner. Let’s say I hire someone and have to pay their salary and social costs (which, in Sweden, are pretty high), it would sure bring me a higher revenue and profit. The right people in the right positions aren’t a cost, they are an investment. Now, I don’t want to criticize larger businesses, as they often do very well, but I want to focus on how communicating values can make doing business with a smaller businesses more desirable for clients. ## Defining value WITH your client For me, the first step when taking on new projects is to determine what value they believe they are bringing to their clients. I find that it’s a great question to see how they look at their own company, their product, and how they relate to their customers/users. More often than not, this is the response I get: >“Value? What do you mean? We have a great product and we want people to pay for it!” Obviously – don’t we all? When we define why they should pay for your product over your competitors, the conversation changes. You are no longer talking simply about what a great product it is, but how the client interacts with it, how vital it becomes to their daily experience, and use this information to figure out how it can be improved. With what the client values LEADING the conversation, the product turns out MUCH better. ## How does this value concept apply to us small business owners? Perhaps it’s the start of the new year or that I’m rethinking my visual identity, but I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about what value I bring to my clients. As I transition from Le Petit Garcon – my old company – to just Anton Sten, it is a convenient moment when I can think deeply about what values I bring to my clients as a small business. Just as I take the time with my clients to help them look at how their clients value them, I also have to look at myself and my business and the values I provide to them. Take some time to understand how your clients see you and how you can improve how they value you. Personally, I have a background in design but also an education (and keen interest) in business management. Combine this with my interest in technology and it’s (now) endless possibilities, I think we’re set for a great start for a user experience designer. UX design is so much more than redesigning a page or two. It’s a mix of understanding technology, business, design, conversions, and psychology. Don’t get me wrong, there are agencies out there where you can get really talented user experience designers as well – some with backgrounds similar to mine. However, what sets me apart and defines my value to the client is my singular focus on their product utilizing the experience that I am able to clearly define. ## Be the butcher Think about a butcher (or a fruit-market for our vegetarian/vegan friends) and then think of a supermarket. Is the meat you’re buying at the butcher really better than the meat at the supermarket? Is the variety that much broader? Are the prices cheaper? In most cases, no. Yet, there is something that appeals to the customer about buying meat from the butcher, fruits at the market, and fish from the fisherman down at the port. What is that? _It’s perceived value._ You know if you go to the butcher, then your needs are going to be taken care of in a specific way. That you will be seen standing at their counter and his/her full attention will be on taking care of you. There is no hidden agenda from corporate telling him what products to push or what their bottom line needs to be. Their focus is on providing you with a great product and taking pride in their work. One bad customer experience and their reputation can be demolished. All successful small businesses understand this formula. I know that my flexibility, skillset, and having no desire to sell them solutions they don’t need keeps clients coming back. Being a freelancer makes this possible. I don’t have to advertise – I promote my business as the butcher promotes his: by giving his clients the best possible product at a reasonable price and always with a friendly smile on his face. 🙂 Moral of the story?
Value equals happy clients. Be the butcher.

I like this advice for consultants & agencies: https://t.co/rt0YC6Y6Jk
Be the butcher, not the supermarket.

— Rand Fishkin (@randfish) February 22, 2016

Built to last

Anton Sten — Mon, 07 Mar 2016 00:00:00 GMT

## Pushing Back Against the Hurry for Quality's Sake I think that events, like birthdays, make us itch for an adventure. For my birthday this past week, my wife and I decided to spend a couple of days in Rome, Italy and experience this historic city. Neither of us had ever been there before and, from what we've heard, Rome is beautiful this time of year. Spring is arriving! For me, Rome was an amazing place to watch people and admire ancient architecture. However, enjoying the sites kept bringing a single thought to my mind. Some of these ancient buildings took centuries to build and have lasted hundreds or even thousands of years. They are appreciated for their quality and history, so why do we now rush everything we build? It doesn't matter if it's a car, new buildings, products, websites and apps, or even the food we eat. We want them done and shipped YESTERDAY. ## "When will you release something new?" The Swedish rapper Petter has touched the same subject when talking about being an artist today - that the day after he's released a new album, tweets start coming in asking, "when will you release something new?" Today we're blessed with faster technology and better processes for building things quickly. But have we thought it out? Do we ask ourselves if that speed has become more important than what we are building? In a recent copy of the brilliant magazine Offscreen, Sarah Bray wrote: > We think the Internet is inherently a certain way, but it isn't. It is constantly changing, and we are the ones who are changing it. We can change it for the better, rather than having to change ourselves to adapt to the parts that are toxic for us. Her quote perfectly sums up our constant thirst for newer, faster, and shinier things. Just because we're able to build things fast, doesn't necessarily mean we should. We are so caught up with the quest of gathering what is new, we don't stop to appreciate the things that are already around us. ## Slow food - quality earned through careful preparation As an example, most of us have realized that fast food is really not all that great. The market is now reacting to that popular opinion and, as Newton said almost 400 years ago, there has been an _"equal and opposite reaction"_. Say hello to SLOW FOOD. Something that is prepared with love and allowed to take it's time simply tastes better. If we were talking about apps instead of food, would an app that was lovingly - and carefully - prepared be better than one created quickly? Yes. Let me take a second and be very clear about something. I am a firm believer in the agile working method. I don't believe in allowing things to take more time than they need. That simply doesn't make them better. I have experience from several projects where the results suffered from not have a certain amount of time pressure. What I do believe is that we are NOT creating things that last. If that's something you are OK with, then by all means - sign up for that class that teaches you to produce your first iPhone app in less than 24 hours. The results will be disappointing. ## Fast, Good, Cheap Most likely, you've seen this before, but I want to highlight it again because it works across so many industries and fits our topic: !Time, Cost, Quality Let me ask you this. If you were to remove 'time' (fast) EVERY time you produced something for a client - Would your client ALWAYS get an affordable, high-quality long-lasting product? You bet. Unfortunately, that's not always the option. From my experience, when that deadline is approaching, there's always the same thing that gets cut. The details. I've found that it's far better to create a smaller app with less functionality that works great, runs smoothly, and has a couple nice details than to create the entire suite of features that has no soul. It's just fast food. While I was looking at the details on the ceiling of the Trinita Dei Monti church, the thought about quality crossed my mind again. It may not be the biggest church, but it's beautiful details make it stand out. There was a pride in making things not just beautiful, but divine. I would love for us to start making the same sort of commitment to details in our digital products as they did in the old days. Let's bring the soul back. Let's make it slow food.

No One Really Knows What They Want Anyway

Anton Sten — Mon, 21 Mar 2016 00:00:00 GMT

For the past two and a half years, I’ve been working on a project that I haven’t spent a lot of time talking about. I haven’t brought it up in my blogs nor has it been featured on my website. I’ve been working with E.ON to build and iterate a digital product for their biggest business customers. This product allows these customers to easily track their heating and electricity usage online. While this may seem like peanuts to all of us, it can add up to \*a lot\* of money for larger corporations. Ultimately, the goal is for them to consume less and less electricity resulting in a healthier world. Earlier this year, they asked me for my thoughts on how to evolve and improve their product for 2016. Keep in mind, they’ve already adapted to a very agile and lean design/development process – something that’s VERY rare in Fortune 500 corporations. I teamed up with Andreas, a business analyst with E.ON, to discuss what new features we could introduce that increase value for the customer. During our conversations, it slowly dawned on me that we didn’t have that much insight on how our customers actually use the product. We may have Google Analytics tracking how the customer is currently using the product, but it tells us nothing of what they want to be there. ## Talk to your users One of our recommendations was to include customers in the discussion about improvement. If we truly want to understand what the customer needs, we have to have a deeper understanding of how our product can ease their current jobs and make more informed decisions. Sounds pretty easy, right? All it takes is talking to our customers and listening to what they want. **STOP RIGHT THERE** It’s never that easy. Our customers simply aren’t product designers that know how to take technical limitations into consideration. Marissa Mayer discovered this when running a test that showed more results on a Google search – a user requested feature. Their traffic and revenue suffered due to the increased time it took for these searches to complete. The users didn’t understand the technical consequences of their request and their experience suffered for it. Those who have found success in their industries have long recognized that some customer’s requests can actually be harmful to their product because they don’t yet know how the product will serve them. Consider these quotes from leaders who knew when to draw the line: > “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.” > – Henry Ford, Ford Motor Company > “It's really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don't know what they want until you show it to them" > – Steve Jobs, Apple > “Why do we want to ask what our audience thinks? We don’t care what they think. > How can people tell you what they want if they haven’t seen it before? If we ask them what they want, we’ll end up doing Swan Lake every year!” > – Mario D’Amico, Cirque de Soleil While these quotes may sound harsh at first, you have to consider that people are creatures of habit. We have patterns about how, what, and when we do anything. As an example, the best burgers in Malmö are at Casual Street Food. Every month they come up with a new custom burger that I’m pretty sure is awesome. However, I wouldn’t know because every time I’m there I order their standard double cheese burger. Similarly, when I launch Spotify in the morning, I usually play the same playlist as the day before out of habit. (Well, except for Monday morning when I opt for the individually curated Discover Weekly playlist) These behavior patterns are why listening to customers isn't as easy it might sound. To be more specific, it is very difficult to find out what they actually want. Instead, we find it easier to ask them what tasks they want to perform or how something makes them feel. We need to use collected data (traffic, usage, interviews) as a recommendation rather than a rule. ## Ask the right questions, get the useful answers > “If the directors are smart, they’ll approve the idea of surveying customers. We use data to brief the members of our creative team, to help them understand who’s applauding when the curtain goes down.

We don’t tell them to use a red dress or a blue dress or [what to do] in a certain scene, but we do educate them. Then we get out of their way so that they can create.” > – Mario d’Amico Information collected from our customers (audience) can influence the next iteration of the product. Were Steve Jobs and Henry Ford’s more harsh assessment right or wrong? Or are you more on d’Amico’s side? You could say that all of these quotes are correct, but only if your company offers truly innovative and creative products. (This can require some brutal and honest soul searching!) Honestly, customers CAN offer valuable insights for business. It’s worth considering that it's the business that is at fault when the feedback is generic and carries limited utility. Learn how to effectively, and honestly, communicate with your customers and you may just gain the confidence to make the next step to improve your business.

The secret feature that everyone knows about

Anton Sten — Mon, 04 Apr 2016 00:00:00 GMT

When someone talks about great features, what do you think of? If you are anything like me, you instantly think of functions. To me, a function is something that allows me to do something. The push of a button makes an action happen: add to cart, navigate to page. However, I believe HOW a feature functions for the user is just as important as WHAT it does. What if I told you there was one feature that we value so highly that it can break our entire experience with a product? This feature can keep us from making a purchase, navigating through a website, or can even harm our view of a brand. When a company does it right, they can drive huge sales and ensure brand loyalty. The feature? Speed. ## How important is speed? Google ran test showing user 30 results instead of the standard 10 since users said they would welcome this feature. After all, more is more, right? Not quite. To generate a page with 10 results took .4 seconds to generate, but the page with 30 results took .9 seconds. This doesn't seem like much of difference, but the traffic and revenue dropped by 20% due to that extra half second load time. In another article I wrote, What is the Cost of Sharing, I pointed out that product pages – Amazon is a great example example – can suffer significantly when speed isn't considered a vital feature. A one second load time can result in a 25% drop in sales. For Amazon, that is a ton of money – 1.6 billion dollars in lost annual sales to be exact. Services like Siri have been in the news lately as we discuss the what answers they really need to have (Read: 'Hey Siri, I'm Depressed': Can Smartphones Answer the Call for Help?') we also have to consider how their speed plays a role in if we use them or not. Siri, Amazon Echo, and Google Now take speed very seriously and we have seen improvements that have resulted in them being used more by consumers. In fact, page speed is actually one of the factors that Google has admitted it considers when ranking pages! ## Considering speed during development I may be a designer at heart (it's how I make a living), but I'm a huge advocate for following order when creating any product: * Easy (intuitive) – make it easy to use * Fast – always consider speed * Pretty – make it appealing These three will always have a heavy impact on one another. It won't be easy to use if it's ugly and slow. It won't matter if the buttons have a perfect 2px drop shadow if the user is focused on how long it took to load. Keeping this order in mind throughout the development process will end up creating a product that your users will appreciate and actually use! In order to keep speed as a central feature, you have to understand that it's dependent on everyone's work. The frontend developer needs to properly structure their code, the backend developer needs to consider server load/requests, and the designer needs to think about use of imagery and it's affect on page load. Every step is crucial! While I have always said that visual design is vital to building your brand and having people fall in love with you, speed and usability are just as important. > Remember: First make it easy, then make it fast, finally make it pretty.

The Life of a Freelancer Shouldn't be a Lonely One

Anton Sten — Mon, 11 Apr 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Seven years ago, I took a risk. I quit my job as a Creative Director and ventured out on my own. It’s one of the scariest things I’ve ever decided to do, but ended up being one of the decisions I am grateful for taking. While I could talk about how much I love freelancing – it is amazing! – I want to instead talk about how my vision for my business and my value proposition has changed from day one to today. I couldn’t have anticipated how much it would change on that first day, but experience has been a kind teacher. ## In the beginning… I had a plan to grow slowly. When ready, I would hire a developer, a project manager, and that would position me to grow the business into an agency. I think it’s probably pretty common for people leaving an agency to have this “I’ll show them all how an agency should be run” attitude. Like most people in their late twenties, I believed that I “knew how the world works” and that I had a solid plan. I later realized that trying to be what I was leaving was a bit short-sighted. I slowly realized that I enjoyed being in full control of my time and I made the choice to stay small and not hire. However, this decision made me question whether my business proposal was strong enough or whether I needed to offer a more complete solution. ## Please consider: What made Michael Jackson so successful? Was it his epic dance moves? His voice? Or was it his ability to give the audience something they’ve never heard before while pushing the industry forward – all while staying true to his brand promise? As time went by, my business matured. I became more and more aware of what my value is and what clients really wanted. It’s easy to think that you have to offer the full package in order to get clients. It turns out, for most cases, this couldn’t be farther from the truth. > What a good client really wants is expertise and NO ONE is an expert at EVERYTHING. ## Surrounding yourself with experts The moral of the story is that you can never truly be alone. You have to make the choice to surround yourself with talented people whom you respect and utilize them when you need help. This gives you the ability to offer that expertise your client wants while maintaining that independence that defines your business. Here are a few of my team of experts: If you're a recurring visitor of this blog, you might notice there's been some updates going on. There are new fonts, new colors, and a new header. While I have more than 20 years of experience as a designer, I've never been an expert at creating visual identities. It turns out it's even harder to create one for yourself than for clients! So I've worked with Anja Emzen, a very talented designer, to get this just right. She did some great work and helped me find the right design concept and translated it into a basic style guide. Now even my invoices look great! Although I love writing and think it's refreshing as a designer to have a second output, this blog would never have been so successful without the help of Joshua Yuhas. He edits all of my articles before they appear online and has been a rockstar at finding my perfect tone/voicing. He may have also corrected some of my grammar and spelling mistakes… ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Due to never really mastering HTML, CSS or any other programming language, I have a team of talented developers that I turn to whenever I need their help. In fact, all the updates to my page are done by Simon Ljungberg! Now the purpose of the post wasn't (just) to highlight these people that help me build my business. It’s an acknowledgement that although my company only employs one person, it's a company of hundreds. Without these people who I turn to every day for advice, inspiration, watercooler chat, I wouldn’t have a successful company. ## The Result? In the end, one of the only things that stayed consistent with early vision of my one-man company was my value proposition/brand promise – to provide my clients with the best possible solution while pushing boundaries of what it means to design a digital experience. While I may not have the dance moves of Michael Jackson or the voice, I DO share his commitment to staying true to the brand. It took a while to find my footing with my company, but I “beat it” and so can you. Go be awesome!

Ux Design as a Problem Solver

Anton Sten — Mon, 18 Apr 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Like many of you, I have a place where I write down my ideas when they come to me. It's called "Blog post & Ideas" and I keep it in my iCloud Notes library. I use Notes because it's so heavily tied into both the OSX and iOS workflows that it becomes effortless to add an item. I might just add a URL from Safari, a random quote, or a vague idea that comes to me while walking my dog. I am now coming up on writing articles like this for a full year and that specific note has gotten pretty big. There is one topic in there that I still haven't managed to tackle, but I think it's very worthwhile – designing to solve a problem, not to just make it pretty. ## Obsessed with redesigns As designers in the digital age, redesigns are a growing part of our business. We dedicate a lot of time and energy rethinking everything from boarding passes to apps, newspapers, and even brands. Often these are just visual redesigns without any actual input from the company/brand in question. We do it because we think it looks good. This "design for looks, not function" mentality does have a downside and may explain why we don't see redesigns for ATM's, glucose monitoring, or tax return forms on Designer News / Dribble. These are the applications that actually WOULD benefit from a comprehensive redesign. Don't get me wrong… I appreciate all the talent and effort that goes into redesigning things like boarding passes, but is it what we really need? Does this really help the product better serve its users? ## A great redesign can kickstart a career Paying attention to the needs of the user can get you pretty far in the field of design. Tobias van Schneider, who launched his .Mail project a couple of years ago did exactly that. He was then able to become a Lead Product Designer at Spotify before venturing out on his own. Tobias recognized, as many other designers had as well, that email apps are desperate for a redesign. While I do think Mail.app (Apple) isn't the best software out there, it does it's job. So does Gmail and I'm pretty sure Outlook does too. Email is email is email, right? What if we had an option to make it a pleasurable experience – one that gets out of your way and just completes the task without effort? Tobias writes: > "When the first email was sent in the early 1970's there was no big difference to the email we know today. And that's the problem." Even though there have been some significant gains (HTML emails, attachments, links, signatures, etc), I think Tobias really hits the note when he says "and that's the problem". As an example, the first cars in the early 1900's got you from point A to point B, but today's cars are faster, more reliable, and have many more options – much like email. They have been redesigned countless times, but has their function improved? It's still four tires on the pavement resulting in traffic jams, maintenance bills, and fuel costs. The redesign we need is the one that solves those type of problems. !Design as a problem solver ## The real question: Is the problem the product or it's users? Do users fear the new/upgraded? Is their comfort – or their company's comfort – with the old solution enough to possibly damage the success of a new one? The answer is yes. Many great ideas have been born and died just because people were hesitant to adopt them. When Mailbox launched it was seen as a revelation because it offered a new way to attack the increasing problem of a full inbox. (It even had a sign-up queue with hundreds of thousands in line). It allowed users to postpone messages and make them disappear from your inbox only to recur after the selected time had passed. After being acquired by Dropbox, Mailbox didn't continue to innovate and it's key features were being poached by other developers. It may have changed the way we interact with email, but didn't change email itself and came with a pricetag that people weren't willing to pay for. Mailbox was shutdown in early 2016. Slack is a communication app launched in 2015 that is trying to solve the problems that email presents. In fact, many say it is the email killer. A year later, email is still very much alive and kicking and I use it daily. However, I do love Slack and all my team communication is handled in Slack. I'm even trying out Slack with a couple of client projects now! As Intercom so efficiently puts it: > "Products like Slack or Asana don't replace email, but they do encourage us from sending it in situations where it's the wrong medium. At Intercom we firmly believe in the right medium for the right message. Want to announce a new product feature? Pop-up a message when customers are in the app and can try it straight away. Looking to re-engage customers you might be about to lose? Send them an email to try and get them back." I love Slack for it's integrations – especially /giphy – and it's low barrier to sending a quick message, but whenever I feel something is important – I turn to email. My experience has shown me that it is a tool that can be trusted. I love that email isn't as invasive as a phone call or an iMessage. It is a reliable way to send information and I trust that it is universally accepted – something Slack has yet to accomplish. Slack and email are different enough products that I can't choose one or the other. Will Slack kill email? Naah... Email is far from dead.

When people say "X is dead" remind them that Elvis made $55M last year.

— Startup L. Jackson (@StartupLJackson) May 17, 2014

When it comes down to it, a product is only good if it solves a problem – no matter how pretty the design is. No amount of redesign of boarding passes will solve the problems with airline travel to make it worth the investment. No amount of redesign of newspapers will result in more readers to make it worth the investment. A redesign of glucose monitor could help its users have an easier experience using it – bettering their lives. A redesign of a tax form could ease the process of filing – saving time and decreasing stress. I encourage all of you to use your talents to design to solve the problem, not just make it pretty.

Designing with Emotions in Mind

Anton Sten — Sat, 30 Apr 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Let’s take a minute and do a quick experiment. Are you sitting down? I want you to think of a conversation that you recently had – one that really meant something to you. Got it? Now close your eyes and try to remember everything you can. You may find that you can’t actually remember conversation at all. Don’t worry, that’s not unusual. We tend to remember the emotion associated with the conversation more than the conversation itself. > “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Maya Angelou This isn’t limited to our relationships with other people, but extends to the devices, apps, and services we interact with. We all know there are certain ‘tricks’ we can do as designers and developers to influence the behavior of the user (words like ‘Add to Cart’ and ‘Register’ do better than ‘Buy’ or ‘Join’), but do we have a good understanding of the emotional relationship the user has with our products and how that affects their success? ## Two different design paths The design and development field is constantly changing. We are lucky enough to be learning together in a time when there are so many different schools of thought as to what is “right”. The last couple of years have seen many different paths to success. These ‘storylines’ approach the user from very different perspectives. Here are two that I think are especially influencing the way we design: * Conversion Driven – This storyline is one where we design in order to accomplish goals as quickly and efficiently as possible. This is all about completing tasks – adding products to carts, signing up users, or placing orders. The user feels successful when their tasks are done quickly and without errors. These are quite easy to measure using Google Analytics or GoSquared and to set KPI’s for. * Emotion Driven – This method focuses on creating services that are easy-to-use and accomplishes our goals by creating enjoyable experiences. It is difficult to measure the success of this storyline (even though Apple keeps telling everyone about their Customer Satisfaction rates), but don’t undervalue it. Users will continue to come back for each iteration of the product and will be excited to use it. Truly successful products incorporate multiple design philosophies like these into their interactions with their user. As an example, Spotify provides users an easily searchable library of music and quickly provides them with the outcome they desire (playing a song). Personally, I can’t remember what the first song I played using Spotify, but I can clearly remember feeling empowered. I had almost every song available to me with just a few taps on the keyboard and loved the experience from day one. !Designing happy emotions ## Emotion as a design philosophy Just like how no one was talking about UX Design a few years ago, there were even fewer talking about Emotional Design. Perhaps this is the first time you’ve even heard the term, but it’s been around for decades. Consider the successful campaign that Volkswagen had for the “new” Beetle that had people smiling around the world. As our interactions become more and more digital, this emotional approach to design is becoming increasingly important for the apps and services we use every day. > “an experience for users that makes them feel like there’s a person, not a machine, at the other end of the connection” From his book Designing for Emotion, Aarron Walter describes how important emotional experiences are as they make a profound imprint on our long-term memory and create “an experience for users that makes them feel like there’s a person, not a machine, at the other end of the connection”. ## What's your brand? One brand I believe is completely devoid of any emotion in its design is one often praised as a design goddess… Apple. If you really think about it, Apple is very sterile and neutral in all its designs. So how have they become so successful? The simple answer is YOU. Apple allows you to insert emotion into their devices – your photos, your contacts, your apps. You may even prefer your current iPhone to a newer one because it is “personalized to you”. Apple provides you with a canvas to personally express yourself – somewhere to contain your emotions. So, does that mean that you have to design your app has to say witty things and be supportive when the user is feeling down? Not necessarily, but considering how your app can affect the user isn’t a bad idea. For my personal ‘brand’, I’ve adopted a very personal style because it fits well with how I like to do business and it gives my readers and potential clients a good idea of what it’s like to work with me. I like to think my brand/services are something my clients feel good about and that makes me feel good. ## So the question for this week is obvious:
What do you want your users to feel when using your product?

Making Promises Your Clients Will Feel

Anton Sten — Tue, 17 May 2016 00:00:00 GMT

This weekend I was excited to see my site was highlighted as an example of a portfolio site that clearly speaks of the benefits of a service rather than the technical processes that lie beneath it. Not only was I humbled to be recognized, but it told me that I am succeeding in fulfilling part of my promise to my clients. Ever since starting my own company (I just had my 7 year work anniversary!), part of my promise was to always speak in an open, personal, and professional way whenever talking to my clients. You see, there have always been two subjects that I’ve held close to my heart: user experiences and freelancing/entrepreneurship/doing your own thing. The last seven years have taught me LOTS about the importance of actively learning while creating and keeping my eye on the client’s user experience. I constantly ask myself “what service do I want my clients to get?” and a big part of that is leaving them with a positive experience with me. After all, there is no better marketing tool than positive word of mouth. ## What YOU think is important A couple of years ago I saw a video that I keep coming back to when I need to reflect if I am on the right path. It’s 15 minutes long, but I promise it is time well spent. Like any other brand (Nike, Apple, Mercedes) or celebrity – I need to think about what I want YOU to feel while visiting my site. Do I want you to feel that I’ve worked with all the top brands? Do I want you to think I’m an A-level player that you need to beg and stand in line to work with? The answer to both is no. > “If you are a story to be told, do not wait for us to figure it out. Don’t hope that we’ll see your name and figure it out. Decide in advance, so that when I look your name up or ask someone, they tell me exactly what you want me to know.” ## Feedback is important I occasionally ask previous clients for a short testimonial to use on my website. A couple of months ago when I asked my friend Christian Wilsson, who’s the head of design at Spotify – I got this in return: > “Whenever someone asks me if I know any good freelance UX designers I always answer with Anton. He’s a great designer with superior business understanding who always put the user in the front seat and delivers bloody good work. If you get a chance to work with Anton, don’t miss it.” Not only was I thrilled to get such a great testimonial, but was happy that Christian had clearly understood what my promise to my clients are. Here’s another from Tom Harrow, the founder of several UK startups: > “Anton is clearly ahead of the game when it comes to UX, Interface design and being a total professional. Beware of friendly Swedish User Interface Designers who come equipped with positive open attitudes and sharp clean design principles. They are usually right, just nod and agree.” ## So what is my promise? So, I think it’s important to take some time and really think about what your promise is to your clients. Mine is pretty simple, but it guides every business decision I make. My Promise to My Clients: I promise that my clients will always get an agency-quality delivery while keeping communications positive and open-minded. I will work every day to be counted among the best freelance UX Designers and I will make sure my clients FEEL this. I told you it was simple! FYI, this just doesn’t apply to brands and one-man companies. The concept of promise keeping can help guide everything from product development to relationships. What promise does your app want to make? What kind of friend do you want to be? Decide who you want to be and execute it. Every time, every day. Flawlessly. ## What promise do you want to make?

Change is Quick, Results Take Time

Anton Sten — Mon, 30 May 2016 00:00:00 GMT

A few weeks back, I took a break and watched Freakonomics, a documentary based on the book with the same name. Even if you've already read the book, I'd recommend taking the time to watch it – it's excellent! One of the things they address is our inability to see what's actually in front of us; to see the big picture. In the film, they talk about how the city of New York saw a decline in crime in the 1990's. There were many possible explanations as to why the decline may have happened – a larger police force, higher prison populations, the success in the war on drugs. Steven Levitt believes that the key reason actually happened 20 years earlier. Levitt claims the major factor may be that in the late 1970's abortion was legalized in the United States. The drop in crime could simply be the fact that the people who would have committed the crimes simply weren't born. ## But wait? What does this have to do with user experiences? I was recently working with a small startup to improve their signup processes. We did a full visual redesign as well as streamlining the user's signup process. As the site launched, everyone was eager to see what the response would be. Around the same time, I heard back from a client that I had worked with a couple of years earlier. They let me know that their project had seen a 900% increase in conversion. 900%! I was feeling on top of the world. I am the conversion mastermind! !Austin Powers Mojo! Soon the results for the startup's project came in and, it turns out, we didn't see that magical 900% increase. In fact, we saw a DECREASE in conversions! I was speechless. Had I lost my conversion mojo? ## Had I lost my conversion mojo? While the jury was out on my mojo, I had some time to give it more thought… Just because we can make changes quickly, we assume that results will be just as fast. That often isn't the case. Real success is often found through patience and being confident in the changes that were made. Sure, the technology allows us to adjust anything almost instantly, but human behavior takes time. Allow your users the time to adjust to changes and to accept them as the norm. You don't want to react too quickly as that may just "reset the clock". Creating great user experiences takes time and requires constant well thought out iterations. The first iPhone sold roughly 6 million units during its first year whereas the iPhone 6/6+ sold more than 240 million. How can we explain that huge difference? It has less to do with the product than the user's willing to accept the change. The original iPhone was a revolution. It introduced us to the multi-touch screen and a new way of interacting with our data – consumers weren't quite ready to commit and invest. Human behavior took time. After some time, we continued to improve the startup's signup process. It turns out that along with the redesign, they had simultaneously decided to cancel all marketing – which obviously affected conversions. Maybe I didn't lose my mojo after all. Onwards and upwards!

What are Bots and Why are They Important?

Anton Sten — Fri, 10 Jun 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Imagine this: You're booking a hotel room online for a trip with your family. You go through the usual steps: logging in (with Facebook credentials), picking the time/date/room, and entering payment information. No sooner than you are done you get a notification from Facebook confirming the purchase and offering you a receipt. This chat stays active throughout your stay, automatically checks you in and out, offers in room food selections, provides you an opportunity to ask for anything you need, and directs you to review your experience. All this happened thanks to their new Facebook Messenger customer service bot activated by logging in. Does this seem invasive to you? Are you ready for this type of interaction? These type of bots are already out there and gaining in popularity and usage. !Bots Over the last few months, bots have been a bigger and bigger part of the conversation in tech circles. It seems that they are everywhere and getting brighter every day. Tech giants like Facebook, Google, Apple, and Microsoft are investing major capital in out "botting" each other in order to provide unique experiences that anticipate their customer's needs. In fact, rumor has it that Apple's WWDC (World Wide Developer Conference) on June 13th will be focused on their bot, which you probably just know as "Siri". ## What is a bot? Bots are pieces of human-like interaction software that integrate into your existing apps. It can perform automated tasks, such as ordering food, telling you the weather, or setting an alarm. From a user perspective, this is awesome because it means you don't have to install yet another piece of software to increase functionality. Bots tend to get smarter with each new version and many are able to learn new skills based on interactions with their users (deep learning). These bots can be classified in two different categories: action based and intelligence based. Action based are services like IFTTT or Zapier where tasks are performed around a defined event. An example of this would be that every time you save a link to Instapaper, you would also tweet the link and save it to a Google Docs file. Intelligence based bots are like Apple's Siri where questions are asked, answered, clarified, an action is performed, and could be followed up on with another action. I could ask Siri to play my favorite songs playlist on Spotify and she would ask me what speakers I would like to use. I could then ask her to add the lyrics (understanding context) to a new Evernote note. ## Why are bots important? As technology advances, so does the way we interact with it. This gives brands the opportunity to craft the experience of the user to be much more "human". You simply send and receive messages with the bot, just like you do with any of your friends. They answer your questions quickly, 24 hours a day, and always on-message for the brand. We're moving away from command input interfaces (like DOS in the 80's) and graphic interfaces (like Windows 95/Mac OS) to web based apps that are platform agnostic and bots/conversational UIs. Hardware is beginning to make the adjustment focusing on conversational devices like the Amazon Echo and the new Google Home. ## What bots are part of my everyday life? The easy answer is Siri and Google Now. Our phones have become our primary way of communicating and gathering information. These bots simplify the action of asking a question and provide information concisely when they do work. Yes, I said when. Even with how advanced they are they still have a long way to go to answer every question asked of them. As mentioned earlier, services like Facebook M (and the newly opened bot-API) are becoming successful in their own right. They take a different approach to the way they interact with the user because they are a combination of computers doing the easy parts and humans doing the more complex tasks. Often this is a seamless experience and the user never knows the difference. And then there are bots that are obviously computers that have been packaged into something else. The Quartz iPhone app was a unique experience when it first launched and got a lot of attention. It is a news service through feeds you your news through chats. Even though I think having only one story at a time isn't the best user experience and personally prefer the traditional news feed, I give them credit for trying something different. ## Taking over the world?!? Techcrunch in "Forget Apps, Now the Bots are Taking Over": >"Messaging bots offer benefits, as well. Bots de-clutter our mobile experience. Bots send us a message when we need to know or respond to something, but stay invisible otherwise. Bots reside in the cloud and upgrade themselves with new functionality — without any user action. Bots can interact with one other and can be chained together to perform a series of actions in sequence. Bots can supervise other bots, leading to bot hierarchies." Wait... What?!? This sounds like the intro to almost every sci-fi robot movie where they take over the world! Should we be worried? The answer is pretty hotly debated right now. Leaders in the scientific and technology world like Elon Musk, Bill Gates, and Stephen Hawking are warning of the dangers of artificial intelligence. I think the jury is still out on if the machines will rise up or not. There I do know one thing for sure... I'm safe as long as I have the power to throw my iPhone across the room when Siri gives me the wrong answer. !Ari Gold

Trusting Your Gut

Anton Sten — Mon, 27 Jun 2016 00:00:00 GMT

If you Google “Freelance Skills” you get more than 30 million results filled with everything from actual skill development to business management. Many of these links share information that can help guide you in making your business more successful while keeping your clients happy. We study hard and do our best to implement these skills hoping to be successful. But what if I told you that one of the most important skills can’t be learned from any article (even this one!)? It’s a skill that can keep you from making bad decisions and can reassure you when you are on the right path. The neat thing? You already have it. You just have to learn to use it. ## What is that feeling? I’ve been running my own business for the last 7 years and attended business school as well as design school. I’ve learned an incredible amount about what to do – and what not to do – to run a business, but there is one skill that is far more valuable than many of us give it credit for and it’s not learned in school. It’s the one that will tell you if that “increase your sales funnel” pitch is too good to be true. It’s the one that tells you to walk away from a business deal when the guy across the table won’t make eye contact. It’s the one that says the egg salad sandwich you found in the fridge may not be good for you to eat. It’s your “gut feeling”. Your gut has been passively cataloging all of your experiences into your subconscious for your entire life. From your first trusting steps to the bicycle crashes and failed exams. That uncomfortable feeling in your gut is your subconscious guiding you to make the right decision for YOU. True success in life – and in business – is taking the time to listen to this feeling and learning to trust it. ## A test of my gut The reason I am writing this is it recently became very clear to me how important my own gut feeling is. You see, I had the opportunity to join an exciting project that would financially secure me well through the summer. After initial talks, there was something inside me waving a warning flag so I turned to my friend Paul Jarvis’ tool for Qualifying Clients. Surprisingly, the project scored well above 100, so I considered disregarding my gut. This project met all of the “practical” criteria; the budget was good, the people I’d work with seemed awesome, and I would be able to do some really great work… …but the thing with gut feelings is that they don’t listen to practicalities. Even if all the numbers add up, no amount of money, time, or redefined scope is going to make it feel right. I talked about this feeling with a friend who said, “If you’re dating someone and it doesn’t feel like love, don’t ask them to marry you.” I think that hits the spot pretty well. You may not necessarily dislike the person – there’s just no chemistry. That’s how we should approach our business – with love, happy thoughts, and an eagerness to just hang out all the time. In the end, I decided to decline the project because my gut told me something the numbers couldn’t. It wasn’t the right project for me. ## Ups and downs are natural When my wife and I got married, we had a friend of ours perform John Legend’s “Stay With You” during the ceremony because the lyrics were very honest about how all relationships work: > “Oh I'll stay with you through the ups and the downs
Oh I'll stay with you when no one else is around
And when the dark clouds arise
I will stay by your side
I know we'll be alright
I will stay with you”
Every relationship, even business ones, have their ups and downs. Sometimes you just have to pull together and do the hard work just to get it done. That’s great if both sides are in for the long haul and incredibly unfair if they aren’t. That’s where listening to your gut becomes one of your most valuable skills. Your past experiences – your subconscious – can tune into all those factors and help you judge if it’s worth it. Sometimes hard work (and money) are better than having no work (no money). Sometimes it’s not. Trust your gut to lead the way.

5 things football can teach us about building products

Anton Sten — Mon, 11 Jul 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Football draws the eye of the world and this last week's European Championship in France was no different. The eliminations of Belgium and Germany surprised many in the football community and lead to the grand finale between Portugal and France. There's a classic saying in football that it's a game between two teams for 90 minutes and in the end Germany wins. This time that didn't happen. As much as a shock it was for football fanatics like myself, I love these kinds of tournaments! Now that Premier League is just around the corner, I've realized that there are many similarities between being successful in football and building a GREAT product. ## 1. Hard work This is really the foundation of everything you do. There is simply no way to build something great in two weeks that will last in the long run. Almost every year, there's one or two teams in the Premier League that surprises everyone and stands out in the beginning of the season. Unfortunately, they usually fall behind later and end up in the middle of the table. However, last year Leicester beat the odds and won the Premier League. Prior to this, their highest ever finish was second place in the top flight, Division One, in the 1928-1929 season. By some measures it was the greatest sporting upset ever; multiple bookmakers had never paid out at such long odds for any sport! The success behind Leicester is simple, they show up each day and work hard. They had a dream they wanted to fulfill and they made it happen through pure determination and grit. ## 2. Use the right tool – or person – for each job Although a small country with just 11 million inhabitants, the Belgium team held the second place ranking in the world for much of this season. I believe that one of the reasons for their success is because of Marc Wilmots, their head coach. We all have our strengths and weaknesses, but by being aware of them we can utilize them in the most optimal way. This goes for building products too. Naturally, in terms of staff but also in the tools we use. Proper utilization of server equipment, software, and picking the proper framework can mean the difference between success and failure. ## 3. Work together Even smaller than Belgium is Iceland. It's population is just above 300k – about the same as the city of Malmö, Sweden. It was a massive success for a nation of Iceland's size to just qualify for the Euros and they even did it by beating Holland (twice!). So imagine the surprise when they got through to round 16 and beat England – ironically same week as #brexit making it a tough week for my English friends! The Icelandic team is aware of their strengths and weaknesses, but their real success lies in how well they work together. While they might not be as technically skilled or have the same physique, their mental determination makes up for it. A friend, who's Icelandic, describes the mental attitude of Iceland as one where it's OK to fail – as long as you give it your best shot. ## 4. Know your competition I have always stressed the importance of doing your own thing rather focusing on what others are doing. You don't want to imitate them, but innovate upon what everyone else is doing. It's crucial to understand your competition's strengths and weaknesses. The fastest way to failure in both football and tech is underestimating your competition. Microsoft didn't see Apple as a threat just as none of the bigger teams saw Leicester as one. While Leicester celebrated, you can trust that the other teams looked back how they allowed themselves to underestimate their competition. ## 5. Love the game There's no better way of performing well than to do something you truly love. This love for the game is the biggest reason for Brazil's consistency in football. In the words of Liverpool legend Bill Shankly: > "Some people believe football is a matter of life and death, I am very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that." !5Things Football Teach Us About Building Products I love the Beats commercial with Neymar released ahead of the World Cup in Brazil in 2014. In the beginning, Neymar talking to his father:
"Today, be happy. Enjoy. Don't hold back." This happiness drives creativity – without creativity success is impossible. So as you can see, there are many similarities between the football and building a great product – even if the abs of Ronaldo share little resemblance with Ehrlich Bachman.

User Experiences that Matter 2:nd Edition

Anton Sten — Tue, 09 Aug 2016 00:00:00 GMT

It's a simple truth, I love using products that offer great user experiences. I think about user experiences... _a lot_. So much so that I've dedicated nearly 20 years of my life learning what techniques work and how to stir up emotions in users that get great outcomes. I've worked with companies like IKEA, Spotify, and Mercedes-Benz to craft amazing experiences for their clients and customers. I count myself as blessed that I get to work with these open-minded companies who keep their users as their number one focus. Now I'm at the point where I have learned so much that I can't help but share it with you all. A year ago I decided to share what I know with you in my first book, User Experiences that Matter. This was the first product I created myself and it was terrifying. I'd never launched a product that was so personal before and putting yourself out there that far is never a comfortable experience. Sales were well above my expectations (I didn't expect too many), but as with all products they eventually levelled out. So, being focused on creating great user experiences, I couldn't help but take a closer look at the book and the launch. I spent time considering all the feedback I got and making the changes that could improve the entire experience. I suppose you could say that I'm practicing what I preach. Mostly what I heard was that people wished there was more. I was more than happy to provide! In a couple of weeks there will be a HUGE update to the book. I have added additional chapters talking about everything from emotion driven design to how to build a product that lasts. I took time to sit down with more leaders in industry and get their take on building amazing user experiences. I want for you to think of this as a second edition release because not only will it feature tons of new content, but it has been completely redesigned from the ground up. !User Experiences that Matter Whether you're a professional supplying services to clients, building a new product, or marketing the next great solution, this book is for you. A great user experience can give your product a boost to that next level of success. Let this new and revised User Experiences that Matter be your guide! Sign up here and I'll let you know the minute it launches!

What do Conversions Mean to You?

Anton Sten — Tue, 23 Aug 2016 00:00:00 GMT

When I talk to people about maximizing conversions, it always surprises me how many think that it’s only applies e-commerce sales. Conversions are actually a way of measuring the outcome of a clearly stated goal – it could be anything. From the first day working on a project, I am considering those goals in every design choice for the website or app. I want the users to feel so comfortable in their experience that clicking that ‘add to cart’ button or signing up for your newsletter is a natural next step. Let’s take a minute to look at how conversion work for e-commerce solutions when the goal is measured in successful checkouts or purchases: > Unique visitors / Successful Checkouts = Conversion Rate, meaning a website with 100 unique visitors and one checkout has a conversion rate of 1%. Now, these numbers can mean very different things in different industries. Expected conversion rates can vary based on how users end up on your site, your product, and its price tag. Tesla Motors is a great example of this. Even though you can buy – or reserve – a new Tesla through their site, their conversion rate is probably well below 0.5%. Most people will visit their site to learn more about the cars and if they decide to purchase one, they will probably feel far more comfortable placing a call to a person or visiting a location. On the other hand, a company like Frank is perfect for e-commerce. They’re a trusted product in a price segment where people feel comfortable buying online AND shipping globally is easy. In fact, I have their Body Cream sitting on my desk right now! Their conversion rate is much higher than Tesla’s, that doesn’t say that Tesla is any less successful than Frank – just that the goals are different due to very different products. As I said earlier, conversions aren’t limited to just purchases. A SaaS looking to promote its new application will likely measure e-mail signups. A social media service like Twitter would rely on the metric of ‘new user growth’. You can even measure if people understand how to use a hamburger menu. Almost EVERYTHING is measurable. *Hint: People really don’t get hamburger menus. Discoverability is cut almost in half by hiding your website’s main navigation and users report that task time is longer and more difficult. > If you don’t know how much you need, the default easily becomes ‘more.'
Ryan Holiday Ryan may be talking about money and personal finances, but one could easily argue the same for conversions. This is all too common in the world today, no matter how much we have, we want more. Working with hundreds of different websites has taught me that it’s pretty common to set goals in terms of actions (capture e-mail leads, sell more products), but it’s pretty rare for clients to have a clear picture of what those results will mean. When I re-launched my book, User Experiences that Matter, I had a very clear image of how to market the book, I measured social media traffic and had chosen Gumroad because their conversion driven checkout form. But how many sales was I hoping to get? What conversion rate would satisfy me? Turns out, I was no different than clients I’m talking about here. I set my goals shortly after the product had launched which is the safe thing to do because you have a better idea of how the product will perform. The thing about setting your goals after the product has launched is that you adjust them to succeed regardless of the actual outcome. So, for your next project (and mine!) make sure to not only set the action goals but also quantify the results.

From Idea to Market: Launching a Product

Anton Sten — Mon, 12 Sep 2016 00:00:00 GMT

When friends and acquaintances learn more about what I do they often ask, “I have an amazing idea for an app, would you be able to help me?” While I would LOVE to help everyone, there simply aren’t enough hours in the day or enough dollars in my bank account to make that a reality. What I can do is share some of the tricks I’ve learned about how get your product from a great idea to the hands of your customer. Disclaimer: this isn’t a complete guide, but an overview of what I generally think about and do when creating a product. If you want me to go into more detail about any of it, let me know and I’ll write about it! ## Defining your product This definition is absolutely vital as it is the foundation for everything that follows. There are usually two questions I ask myself from the start of any project. - What problem does your product solve? Who is it for? Sometimes we get caught in the loop of wanting to create something awesome simply because it’s awesome. Creating an app to catalog photography of rose gardens won’t be successful without the traveling rose enthusiast. An app that makes fart noises is nothing without a user that finds it funny. Without users with dyslexia, an app that converts mobile webpages to dyslexic friendly fonts would be pointless. Always consider the need AND your audience at the beginning of planning. >’Here's what our product can do’ and ‘Here's what you can do with our product’ sound similar, but they are completely different approaches.
Jason Fried ## Prototyping Once you have decided on who your users are and how you want to serve them, you need to starting thinking about prototyping. This prototype serves a couple purposes for you: it proves marketability and demonstrates functionality. You want to be able to do this as quickly as possible without a major financial investment. This is where your minimally viable product (MVP) comes in. Think of your MVP as your prototype that only has the essential functionality of your product. What is the one core feature your product needs to get its message across? How do you do this? I’m glad you asked. ## Customer input and research Building a prototype is only as difficult as you choose to make it. Remember, this is a period of testing your product’s viability, not to see if the visual design appeals to your users (that’s for later on). Let’s be honest, we humans have a hard time focusing on more than one thing at a time. Keep it simple and to the point. > Don’t spend too much time or money on it! Pull something together that works and then show it to as many relevant people as possible to get feedback.
Sarah Watson, vice president of social commerce at Net-a-porter.com You don’t need a database and fully functional backend to test your idea. You can use a tool like Keynote (like Apple does for much of its prototyping) or any of the gazillion prototyping applications out there. Keep in mind that fancy effects and motion blurs can take the user’s focus away from your idea, even if briefly. From my experience, it is the lo-fidelity solution that works best. Paper, scissors, and a pencil drawn interface. When people have something in their hands, it opens up their mind to have a more engaging experience. Their imagination is “unlocked” and they start to think in terms of possibilities not limitations. Not only does this feedback help your product in the long run, it helps you design with the user in mind. After all, these users will be the ones that drive and promote your product the most. You want them on board. ## Pricing Are you looking to solve a problem with your app or get rich off its sales? Don’t worry, you can do both! The more value you add to your product, the higher the user engagement, more 💰 for you. Now you need to start thinking about your financial model. There are primarily three different ways to monetize your digital product: - Subscription – (Spotify, Apple Music, Netflix) Basically as long as your users are paying a monthly fee, they gain access to your product. The benefit is that it’s easy to limit certain areas – half of your app can be free and the other part is only for paying subscribers. From a financial perspective, this can be a gold mine because you’re getting recurring income. Some users will even continue paying for a product they use minimally just to ensure that they will have access when they want. - One-time fee – (most apps in the AppStore) The barrier to entry on this model is lower than subscriptions based ones. You designate a price, maybe $0.99 or $2.99, and the customer pays to download your app. The price is adjustable and you can change it at any time. Let’s say you are selling your app at $0.99, but want to see if it will stay profitable at $2.99. Change the price and as long as it gives you at least ⅓ of the sales, you are still at the same profit margin. What’s the best part of the one-time fee model? Once they pay, the money is yours! - Ad-based (most “free” games in the AppStore, Facebook) – It is a common misconception to think ad-based games are a lower quality than paid. Some of the biggest companies in the world use this model to the fullest and reap great profits from it. So what’s right for you? It really depends on you. It has to fit the product you’re building and it’s usage while keeping the will of your users in mind. You can even mix the three versions together in one way or another (Ad-based that leads to one-time fee or subscription for example). Keep in mind that the AppStore takes a cut of each sale, but has also rolled out ads to gain another stream of revenue. Apple is also pushing developers to charge a subscription fee to motivate them to be constantly improving their product. ## Let’s start building! Now that you know what you want to build, why you want to build it, who you want to build it for, and how much you want to charge for it, you’re ready to get started building it! It’s most efficient if you are proficient in design or development (extra points if you know both!), but if not, no worries, the internet is here to help. As with most things, you’ll get what you pay for. I’m not saying that more expensive always equals better, but if you pay Fiat money, you won’t end up with a Tesla. There are several marketplaces out there with professionals that can help you with tasks. At the lower end are services like Fiverr (where each job typically is $5) and Upwork. I have used each one of them and I’ve been mostly happy with the results. Turns out, you can even get a logotype for $5. If you want the best outcome for your project, I would recommend a more serious marketplace though. I’m a big fan of a great service called Crew. They’ll connect you with talented people across the world and they’ll make sure your project runs smoothly. I have freelanced with them for some time and it’s been a great experience! Working remotely is not for everyone. While I absolutely love it, some people are more comfortable being in the same room as the people they are working with. There are certainly upsides and downsides to both, so think about what you want to achieve. The disadvantage may be difficult scheduling and not being able to quickly react to issues as they come up. The benefit of working remotely is that you’ll get access to far more experience, competence, and lower costs (depending on where you live obviously). ## Marketing You may have the most amazing product, but it won’t make a penny if no one hears about it. Enter the world of marketing. There are countless marketing strategies and methods you could use to promote your product, but none has been proven to be as effective as your users. Your happy, loyal users act as your ambassadors to the world and there is no amount of paid marketing that has a better ROI (return on investment for non-marketing types). Don’t believe me? Even Sam Altman of Y Combinator says that the one thing that gets him interested in investing in a company is when his friends are happy customers. So, if having a great user experience that your users are willing to share is the first step, what’s the second? Communication! Make sure you have a landing page for these users to visit that clearly tells your story – what you do and why. If people are intrigued by your mission, you can provide them the opportunity to sign up for more information and freebies. Here’s an example of a launch page that talks about my my upcoming book. Now that you have their email, I’ve found that investing in a good email marketing campaign keeps the conversations going and the users engaged. There are great tools to help you – from Convertkit, Mailchimp, or Drip (that’s what I use). Drip even has a great (FREE) tutorial to get you started with email marketing. ## Launch and iterate Time to 🍾🎉 ! Getting this far means that you have put in a ton of work and deserve some serious credit. Most project don’t reach this far, so take a minute or two to enjoy the moment of launch. Make sure to list your product on a service like Product Hunt and tell your entire network. Be proud of what you’ve created! Take the time to talk to your happy users, see what features they’re requesting, and learn to build iteratively. Every loved product has a long life and I wish yours all the success in the world! Want to learn more about how I do business and craft user experiences that keep users engaged? Sign up for my newsletter and I’ll even send you 5 things that you can do right now to improve your user’s experience. Happy users are the best free marketing in the world!

Failure, Reflect, Renew

Anton Sten — Wed, 28 Sep 2016 00:00:00 GMT

This past week I interviewed Paul Jarvis for my upcoming book, Mastering Freelance. Paul, for those who don’t know his work, is a guy best described as a freelancing superstar – selling books, digital courses, software, and a creative class. He was just featured in the latest copy of Offscreen and it’s definitely worth the read. My whole plan was to interview Paul on a Skype video call, record it, and feature it as an add-on for the book. I thought that I should bundle several interviews like this together into one happy package. This is a pretty common practice when selling digital books and it worked out pretty well for my first book, User Experiences that Matter. I thought it was the right choice, until… ## I fucked up… I tried the setup several times before the interview. I made sure everything worked perfectly. The interview with Paul went very well and he delivered some great insights into his idea of freelancing, pricing, and building your own products. After I finished the interview, I looked at the video and only then did I notice it… there was barely any sound from Paul! My voice was loud and clear, but Paul sounded thousands of miles away (which he literally was, but he shouldn’t SOUND like it). No matter how much I wanted to re-do it, I knew Paul was far too busy of a guy to have time for that. Clearly, I had fucked up… ## Reflect, reassess Not knowing what to do next, I did what I always do in stressful situations – walk the dog and clear my mind. While walking, I started reflecting on why I needed the video interview. I knew my original thought was to have content to package with the book, but why did I need that? Turns out, I couldn’t answer my own question. It’s what I thought was right. The Internet had told me it was the right thing to do. It’s what other successful people were doing, so I should too, right? I realized I was so focused on what I could bundle together, I had lost track of why I was writing the book. How was bundling going to help me share my experiences about freelancing and teach others how to be awesome at it? Going even deeper, I discovered that the book wasn’t the only area where I had lost focus. Over the past year, I’ve been playing around a lot with e-mail sequences, finishing my first book, starting my second, and many other things that wasn’t client work. Don’t get me wrong, playing around is sometimes great. Amazing things come from playing around. But, as physics teaches us, every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Has this playing around helped me achieve my promise – to be the most appreciated and respected UX-Designer out there? These countless blog posts on “How to grow your list to 1000 people in 7 days!” (the term ‘grow your email list’ results in more than 42 million blog posts…) surely won’t help me deliver on my promise. You see, I’m not in the business of serving thousands. I don’t outsource my work and I have the same amount of hours in the day as all of you. So, what I really need is a couple of clients that respect my work, have decent budgets, and dedicate to working with me long-term. ## New, and old, direction This autumn, I’m bringing focus back to the core product of my company – consulting in UX and giving my customers the best user experience possible. As a freelancer, it’s OK to change your niche and it’s just as OK to change it back again. In fact, it can help us grow and be stronger and more diverse in what we do. Think about it… Tesla and Nissan both sell cars, but the user experience of owning them are totally different. An iPhone and a Blackberry are both phones, but they have very different purposes. One isn’t necessarily better than the other – they’re just… different. I am choosing to focus on being the best UX-Designer possible. My Promise:
I promise that my clients will always get an agency-quality delivery while keeping communications positive and open-minded. I will work every day to be counted among the best freelance UX Designers and I will make sure my clients experience this. I want you to know that I am still writing the book, but much like my commitment to being the best UX-Designer, I will focus solely on creating the book, not bundles. This single-minded focus allows me to write an insanely awesome book to help freelancers achieve like never before. You will discover new ways of running your business. You will find the confidence to improve as a “one-man show”. You will learn how to give your clients the best experience possible. By the end, you will know how to create a healthier, more successful business. That is my promise to you. Take a minute to sign up below. I want you to be the first notified when the book launches so you can start to benefit from the content as soon as possible. I’ll even throw in a good discount! 🙂

Product or Sales? Chicken or Egg?

Anton Sten — Tue, 11 Oct 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Which comes first: the chicken or the egg? A company I'm working with is facing a choice that most startups share. Should we focus on making the product go from good to great – or – should we focus on sales and user growth? The chicken response would be for a making great product. If we don't have a great product, we won't be able to grow the user base and have paying customers. If the product doesn't live up to it's promise, the customer's perception may be permanently damaged. An app that doesn't provide value in the first 10 seconds can count on being deleted and never downloaded again. Create a product that users love and they will be loyal. The egg response would be to focus on user growth. A product can be on the edge of being shut down if it doesn't reach it's goals and KPI's. Without focus on the user first, there may not be enough time or money to develop an even mildly good product. This is the bitter truth about business – even VC funded ones – is that in the end, there are goals that need to be met and evaluated. Exceed those goals and your product is in a better position for the future. !Chicken or egg? Product or Sales? What will you do when you reach this crossroads? Will it be the chicken… or the egg?

Habits: Small Actions can have Big Results

Anton Sten — Mon, 31 Oct 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Habits are a fascinating thing. They can be good can be good (like brushing your teeth or working out) or bad (like not having breakfast). Recently, there’s been a boom of articles that promise our lives to improve by 10x by just following “these 5 easy tips.” We want to achieve greatness straight away even if we are fully aware that it isn’t that easy. Our biggest problem, whether it’s improving ourselves or our products, is that we want to achieve maximum results with minimal effort. Strangely, we’re often not even willing to put in the minimal effort. ## Establishing habits can be hard Personally, I know I feel better when I’m reading regularly. It doesn’t matter if it’s fiction, business related, or an autobiography, just the act of reading will spark my mind. Tony Robbins mentions how he developed his mind by reading tons of books as a kid. His ambition was to read a book per day and his result was nearly 700 books over three years so not bad!. One of the blogs I read regularly is FarnamStreet. They published an article on how having a habit of reading just 25 pages per day and would transform your thinking and shape a more successful you. 25 pages per day is something that surely anyone could achieve, right? Turns out, not that simple. > All we said was that reading 25 pages per day was a habit that almost anyone could form, and that it would lead them far. But you still have to do all the reading. You have to do the thing. That’s the part where everyone falls away. > > We suspect that some people thought it would be easy to read 25 pages per day. That the pages would essentially “read themselves”, or that the time to do so would spontaneously free up, just because they starting wanting it. ## The instant change fallacy We are in a instant gratification society. We want all things to happen instantly and have a hard time investing energy into anything that takes longer than a couple of days, much less years. Changing the way we think is incredibly difficult. We overestimate what we can do in a year and underestimate what we can do in a decade. So instead of chasing the quick-fix (The 7 minute Workout is still one of the most downloaded apps worldwide) we should learn to set long-term goals and divide them into smaller, more manageable chunks. > To be healthy, you need to eat the broccoli. And for many days in a row.

Even a really well-designed system can only cut up the broccoli into little pieces and sneak it into your mac-and-cheese. A popular examples would be a fitness system whereby you do one pushup a day, then two pushups the second day, then three the third day, and so on. It makes the habit digestible at first, as you get used to it. This is plenty smart. Most articles you read about self-improvement will almost always focused around getting up earlier (early bird gets the worm!), meditating (often mentioning a partnering app that you can use) or exercising (just 7 minutes a day!). Here’s a better way. > The way I think about it, if I can get 5% wiser and better every year, then I will be about twice as wise as I am now in less than 15 years. (Go ahead, grab your calculators.) In less than 30 years, my return will be 4x. This is how the non-gifted among us can surpass otherwise more intelligent people. There is power in the long-term effects of compounding. What starts out as a minor change in behavior can turn into something great if you’ll just allow it to grow. That’s partially why I don’t use an annual goal for my business, but use a ten year goal instead. It gives me the opportunity to look back every year to see if I’m on track and make the small adjustments that will result in compounded returns in the long-term. Think about it this way… You’re out playing golf with a friend and you decide to up the stakes with a few friendly bets. The first hole is merely 10 cents, the second hole 20 cents, the third 40 cents and so on. This all sounds like pocket change right? But when you get the 18th hole, how much do you think is at stake for that hole by itself? More than 25.000 dollars. That’s the power of compounding. This works in the exact same way for our products and services. Just like I’ve mentioned how Changes are Quick, Results Take Time, we believe that just because we can do the changes quickly, we expect the results to roll in just as fast. This is hardly ever the case as quick changes are easy, but often leverage little to no results. It doesn’t matter if it’s website conversions or eating healthy broccoli, changes that create great results take time and require you to do the work. 🙂 And besides, if it was easy, then everyone would do it right?

Pricing It Perfectly

Anton Sten — Tue, 22 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Experimenting with pricing is one of the perks of creating your own products. A few months ago I took the leap and switched to tiered pricing (aka packages) because research says it’s the best way to get higher returns per customer. A couple months in and I can only agree more. My relaunch brought me more revenue even if it didn’t result in more customers. Gumroad (my previous processor) even lays out the structure in a blog post:
Basic — a book (1x) (PDF, ePub and Mobi)
Complete — a book with video interviews (2.2x)
Premium — a book with video interviews, behind the scenes extras, and worksheets (5x) If you’re reading about pricing online – this is almost considered a golden rule. Everyone does it. I love making money. But I wouldn’t want to keep a penny of it if I didn’t earn my money by providing something that gives my customers more value than the money they’ve invested. I’m not here to trick my customers by using the most effective psychological jedi mind tricks. I want to make money by helping you to make money. So many of these articles focuses solely on how to maximize profits without once mentioning how to provide more value. It just states “charge more”. Here’s the very first words in Dan Mall’s excellent Pricing Design (foreword by Mike Monteiro): > You are going to make more money from this book than Dan Mall ever will. Dan is okay with that. Because that’s what Dan does for a living. He builds value. And as a designer, Dan understands that his clients will make more money from his work than he ever will, especially if he does it right. And quite honestly, that’s the key to pricing work. Understanding that the people you’re doing it for stand to bene t considerably if you do it right. And that’s why Dan charges them according to the value of the work. Because Dan makes money for people. Dan’s book Pricing Design is a silly $8. Get it now. ## Making it easy for the customer While considering my next book and how I should price it, I’ve had a deep feeling that this complicated structure might not be the right direction. When I was buying Justin Jackson’s book, Jolt, I was relieved to see that a simpler structure can be just as successful. With Jolt, rather than having packages with extra chapters, videos, walkthroughs, mugs and t-shirts, Justin only offers two options – the book or the book with the audiobook. The book is $14.95 and if you want the audiobook that’s an extra $5. From a customer’s perspective, I think this is a far better value (knowing how few of the “extra videos” from the Premium packages I’ve ever watched). Selling an ebook with PDF, ePub, and Mobi is like selling a monitor with HDMI, VGA, and DisplayPort cords. None of your customers will need all three but bundling them together will make it seem like they’re getting more. As a strong advocate for listening to your users and making choices that your users will benefit them most, I want to try a different approach.

Apple is User Hostile… Or is it?

Anton Sten — Mon, 28 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

It's no secret that I love following the tech news. I love reading Walt Mossberg, Jon Gruber, Dieter Bohn, Jason Snell, and Marco Arment to name a few. They offer excellent journalism and well-researched pieces about the technology and devices that not only shape our lives, but form our future. Apple has been pretty positively promoted by these guys for years, but something started to change in the last year. ## The tide has changed It may have started with Marco's excellent piece talking about the future of mac apps and their lack of evolution. This summer we saw a piece from The Verge Editor-in-Chief Nilay Patel called "Taking the headphone jack off phones is user-hostile and stupid". Headphone jack or no jack will be debated for ages, and while Nilay offers some valid points, I think Apple's problem may be that when you're at the top of the ladder, the only way is down. They've released amazing products that have shaped our lives in ways we couldn't imagine for years and I am confident that they will continue to for many more to come. The thing is though, they aren't psychics. They don't know what the future holds anymore than you or I. Their calculated guesses are just guesses after all. One of their guesses is that in a near future, we won't use wired headphones anymore. And to have confidence in that guess, they'll have to take the risk and remove the headphone jack. Because that's the thing with guesses and predictions – are we willing to gamble on them? Or are they just hunches?

Two months in, I just had my first "oh no, I can't charge my phone and listen to music at the same time" moment 🤔😳

— Anton Sten 🐶 (@antonsten) November 10, 2016

## Maybe we've got this wrong When they released the new Macbook Pro this past October, the tech community responded with unanimous negativity. Chuq von Rospach: > …This event's criticism has been louder and more widespread and angrier than I remember seeing for a long time. I finally had to basically unplug for a while because I found myself getting into the "someone is wrong on the internet" mentality. > > Writing my piece over the weekend was about as difficult as anything I've ever written because there are a lot of legitimate gripe points with Apple right now, but so much of what's being thrown around is trivial and petty and often outright wrong, or just plain silly. A Touch Bar? Ridiculous! It might end up being another blah feature like Force Touch, but none of us know – especially since most of us who haven't even experienced it yet. It could also turn out to be a feature similar to TouchID that speed up our workflows enormously. Only time will tell. Changes are quick, results take time. !Apple Macbook Pro with Touchbar > MacRumors forum member, in the first comment after the announcement of new MacBook Pros: >
Well, I'm sure I'll be attacked for this, but I'm gonna say it anyway: >
Tiny harddrive, barely enough RAM (and not upgradable to the "enough" level), no dedicated graphics, only dual-core processors. It certainly isn't bad, but Apple just took the "pro" out of the 13-inch line. And come on – it's freaking expensive. […] >

The 13" is NOT a pro device in my opinion. It's more like a beefed-up and slightly heavier MacBook Air. For that, it just costs way too much. >
> This isn't a new comment. This was posted 4 years ago, in response to the last major MacBook Pro redesign. Déjà vu. A lot of criticism about the Macbook Pro updated have been about the removal of the SD-card, the removal of the MagSafe adapter and the removal of USB-A ports. The claim is that "professional" users need all of these things. As users, we have to understand that not all user needs are the same. I consider myself a professional user, yet I have never once used the SD-card on my Macbook Pro. I'm writing this sitting in my couch under a blanket (suffering from severe man-flu) and I'm irritated by the fact that the MagSafe keeps getting ripped out every time I slightly adjust how I'm sitting. In fact, I'm totally irritated that it always seems to be placed on the wrong side of the computer in relation to my power outlet. Yes, I do have to get dongles for my coming Macbook Pro but not anymore dongles than what I currently use; I give a lot of presentations in rooms where they only have VGA projectors. Would I have preferred them to include a VGA port? No. That's not where the future is and the same goes for USB-A. So I'll choose to live with a couple of dongles and lightning headphones until the rest of the world catches up. The fact is that if companies like Apple didn't actively push things forward, nothing would change. The change might be uncomfortable, but sometimes it's better to just rip the bandaid off. No product will be right for everyone's specific needs. We have to live with that. Chuq von Rospach: > A lot of it boils down to this concept: >
We demand Apple innovate, but we insist they don't change anything. The same applies to your brand. Your users want you to innovate, but they'll also want to keep everything just as it is. That's their comfort zone. The transition between the two stages can be tough, but unless you're willing to make that transition your product will not survive the next years.

Email Marketing: High Returns, Low Investment

Anton Sten — Sat, 10 Dec 2016 00:00:00 GMT

I recently tried out Unroll.me, a service that taps into your email account and lists what newsletters you are subscribed to. It provides you with a single, user-friendly interface to unsubscribe from unwanted emails. It surprised me to learn that I had subscribed to more than 2000 newsletters and set about clicking hundreds of times to clean up my inbox. It got me thinking about newsletters and how, from a business perspective, email is by far the most efficient channel to communicate with your audience. Campaign Monitor reports that in 2016 every $1 spent in email marketing results in a $44 return on investment (ROI). That means it has a 174% higher conversion rate than social media! We do know that paying special attention to UX provides a far higher ROI than email, but the numbers are still pretty astounding. !Email marketing ## Low investment, high rewards What makes that graph interesting is the fact that the cheapest option often delivers the highest ROI. Low investments can deliver great results. The biggest benefit is the fact that the sender owns the list. Everyone they're sending email to has said (or we hope they have!) they are interested in the brand. Using this formula, investment in TV advertising confuses me. Think about a brand like Whiskas (who produces cat food) as they have historically poured money into TV advertising. Their goal is to talk to current or potential cat owners – let's estimate that as 5-10% of those watching – but they are spending money on the other 90-95% that have little to no interest in their product. No wonder the ROI is awful. With our mobile devices always at hand, why not invest more into instant, personalized communications like email to make sure we're always accessible for that last minute deal? ## Is your newsletter providing value? The other thing I realised during my unsubscribe marathon was the majority of those newsletters were really bad. Perhaps the low cost of sending makes us less mindful in crafting a quality message as opposed to investing millions into that one, "perfect" TV commercial. I believe there are three things that are crucial for a great email that holds our audience's attention: ## Personalization With email we know (or at least we should know) who our recipient is and what they enjoy. Little things like just saying 'Hey Anton' rather than 'Hey' provides a personalised experience for the reader. To go even deeper, if we can customize emails based on what was previously purchased/looked at, it becomes more memorable and leads to higher conversion. ## Segmentation It's unlikely that everyone on your list is the primary target for your new campaign. The more you know about your list, the better you can segment your campaigns to send the recipient only what they really want to see. Almost all email software does this today including Mailchimp, Drip and Convertkit. Want the stats? > A segmented campaign can drive a 760% increase in revenue compared to a one-size-fits-all one. ## A/B testing You can invest time crafting the perfect subject and content, personalize for your audience, and segment your list, but there's always stuff that can be improved. The benefits of email marketing is that not everyone needs to get the same thing. > Every audience is different. You must test to know what works. A/B tests can improve conversion rates by 49%. ## Be realistic about your schedule While Paul Jarvis sends his Sunday Dispatches every Sunday like clockwork, I realised that sending one email every other week isn't always possible for me. My client work always comes first and when things are hectic, I won't always have time to craft a quality blog post and the newsletter to accompany it. So I've dropped the idea of always sending a newsletter every other week. While I've just sent two newsletter just a week apart, I'm guessing that come December, they'll begin to be less frequent. At this point in my life, that is what is going to work best for me so that I can continue to provide inspired content in the future. Quality over quantity!

Without Struggle, There Isn't Success

Anton Sten — Thu, 05 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Those of you that have been following my writing during the past year have surely realised that there are two topics that are recurring and that gets my heart racing. How to create great user experiences and freelancing. But to be honest, it's not really freelancing that's my true calling – it's finding a way of working that suits you. For me, that happens to be freelancing, but for you it's surely different in many ways. All that really matters is that you find ways to enjoy your life by working in a way that suits you through the creation, and use, of products that feel natural to you. We all deserve to have these great user experiences in all aspects of our lives. Finding a way that suits you can prove to be difficult for you and sometimes even provocative for others. Lately, I've been reading Mark Manson's 'The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck'. You can read the first chapter for free on his website. !Without struggle, There isn't success There's one part of his book that has stayed with me as I've been thinking about why I decided to start freelancing. The question that Marks asks is what pain do you want in your life? What are you willing to struggle for? Too often we're asking ourselves the other side of that question; what do you want in your life? And we answer things like, "I want to have a job that I like. I want to have a great family. I want to be happy." While that's really cute, it doesn't really mean anything. > "People want to start their own business or become financially independent. But you don't end up a successful entrepreneur unless you find a way to appreciate the risk, the uncertainty, the repeated failures, and working insane hours on something you have no idea whether will be successful or not." The same thing goes for businesses and digital products. Unless you’re willing to take a gamble – to risk it all – your chances of succeeding, to be polite, are slim. Most people want the reward, not the struggle. They want the victory but they’re not interested in fighting the fight. They want the success of Uber, but they’re not interested in the long hours, the endless iterations, and the political struggles. > Who you are is defined by the values you are willing to struggle for. People who enjoy the struggles of a gym are the ones who get in good shape. People who enjoy long workweeks and the politics of the corporate ladder are the ones who move up it. People who enjoy the stresses and uncertainty of the starving artist lifestyle are ultimately the ones who live it and make it. > > This is the most simple and basic component of life: our struggles determine our successes. So choose your struggles wisely, my friend. Apple’s success the past 15 years are largely because of the struggles they’ve taken on. The struggles of not settling for whatever the rest of the industry is doing. Always pushing further. The removal of the headphone jack is a great example of a fight that Apple decided was worth the risk. Surely things would have been “easier” by just keeping the 3.5 headphone jack as it has been around for decades. Call it ‘Courage’ or whatever you want, but they chose that struggle. John Gruber on episode 177 of the Talk Show: > "This is why Apple has had long-term success. They're not afraid to do things that will draw criticism but are the right thing to do." So as we’re at the start of a new year – what are you willing to fight for in 2017? What struggles are you willing to take in order to achieve success?

Becoming a Better Designer

Anton Sten — Thu, 19 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT

One of the thing I enjoy the most with writing the blog and books is getting feedback from you. These comments and questions are crucial to evolving at creating better user experiences and offering extra insight into what my next steps should be. I think it even helps me continue becoming a more grounded, better person in the long run. Last week, Raul emailed me after reading last week’s post. Here is his email (with his approval) and a longer version of my response to Raul: Hi Anton and Happy New Year!
As always, great article.
I wanted share with you some of my struggles for 2017 too: - Keep doing wood crafts - Continue improving my guitar playing - Learning web design and UX On the first two I don't know how much of an experience you have, but I sure know you're good at UX and design. Can you point me some good readings that'll make me understand the basics of both? So far I've read The Design of Everyday Things (by Don Norman) and Thinking with type (by Ellen Lupton). Thanks and keep spreading the UX knowledge! Raul — Raul, Just like wood crafts and guitar playing, there’s one thing that’ll make you a better UX-designer. Practice. Practice. Practice. For some reason, a lot of us think UX-design – and design in general – is a much more theoretic subject than guitar playing and wood crafts when they really have much more in common. While there are theories that can strengthen your skills, the way to become a better guitar player is surely by practicing and taking time to just play around. If you love playing guitar and can play scales for hours, chances are you’ll become a great guitar player. If you love working with your hands and have the patience for doing fine detailed wood crafts, you’ll eventually become a master woodworker. And similarly, if you love playing around with design, trying new things and are OK with the fact that you are not the best, but you strive to be – one day you’ll become a master at that too. ## It takes time and patience If you want to learn to play the guitar, you wouldn’t start by tackling Thunderstruck by AC/DC. You’d start smaller. My guitar teacher made me start by learning to play Have you ever seen the rain by Creedence Clearwater Revival. And when we had wood crafts in school, we made wooden butter knives. You start small and you become a little bit better with every experience. A couple of weeks ago, I had a great chat with Dan Mall for my upcoming book, Mastering Freelance. How do you become a successful and great designer like Dan? You start small and have faith there’s a lesson to be learned in everything. Dan’s first job? > My first job when I was an intern for the first two weeks or so, my job was to take everybody’s business cards which were square. I had a manual corner rounder that I had to make everybody’s business cards with rounded corners. I did that for two weeks. I wanted to go animate and do flash stuff and design comps. No, my job was to round business cards. Just like Ed Sheeran’s first song surely wasn’t a smash hit, Dan Mall’s first design probably wasn’t either. But you can be confident that their small steps helped them improve. With UX design, there’s an entire world around you with things that can be improved. Not every redesign has to be a complete visual makeover of Uber. Instead, think of your daily routine. Is there a way to improve the experience of your coffee maker? What about your wardrobe? What digital tools would make your commute more pleasant? Really small things can make the biggest difference! ## Don’t forget about books With that said, I’m also a big book reader (and one of my goals for 2017 is to read even more – what are your suggestions for me?). Books are great way of expanding our minds and taking into account someone else’s experiences. With UX design I’ve found that books that necessarily aren’t about UX design are the ones that give me the biggest insights. Creating great user experiences are about understanding humans and their pain points – and finding a better solution for them. So, what’s the moral of the story? > We are a sum of our experiences and practice strengthens what we do. Read to learn, practice to get better, and strive for mastery. Repeat daily.

Why Simple is Hard

Anton Sten — Tue, 07 Feb 2017 00:00:00 GMT

For most of us, designing simple user interfaces, simple user interactions, and simple user experiences are things we strive for when making new products. We recognize that this simplicity makes our product desirable to the user and why a product gets labeled as “good”. What we rarely talk about though, is how hard simple is. 15th century French philosopher and mathematician Blaise Pascal wrote in a letter to a friend: >“If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter.”**Blaise Pascal** This quote, like many well-known quotes, often gets attributed to the wrong people, like Abraham Lincoln or Winston Churchill. What Pascal meant was what he had just written was from the top of his mind and he couldn’t spend enough time processing his ideas and thoughts into a well-crafted piece. Creating something simple and short without loosing the essence of your idea is hard – regardless if it’s a letter to a friend or an iPhone app. Personally, it might not seem like an exciting experience to visualize energy consumption with E.ON, but I am constantly challenged by this task. Making the overly complex seem simple. There’s an art to it. >“Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.”**Steve Jobs** It doesn’t matter who the client is, it’s always been my guiding principle to ask the question, “how can I simplify this task?” Maybe I’m secretly aware of the fact that there are others that are far better at designing beautiful interfaces than me, but long before I’d been called a UX-Designer I was more interested in simplifying and improving tasks rather than making the perfect gradient for a button. ## Users appreciate the work you put in If you put in the time to make complex tasks simple, your users will thank you. Just think of the processes that Amazon goes through. Every time you return to purchase something, your address, credit card information, and shipping preferences are all ready to go with one, simple push of a button. When Amazon introduced one-click shopping, the company's revenues skyrocketed. The same goes for the successes that Apple has seen throughout the last 10-15 years. I’m sure you’ve also seen a toddler pickup an iPad and start “using” it! It’s interfaces are simple and intuitive and the hardware has a straight forward design. Recently they received massive public criticism for the removal of the headphone jack. In the same stroke, they introduced AirPods that connect seamlessly to your device – unlike any other Bluetooth pairing you’ve ever experienced. Needless to say, there’s been thousands of design and engineering hours put into that “simple” feature. ## How can this be applied to me? Take a minute to think of the internal processes and systems in your business. In fact, larger corporations many of the internal processes are unnecessarily complex and end up wasting time. “It’s just an internal system” isn’t a valid excuse because your employees will be less motivated to spend more time than needed doing dreadful tasks. Now, let’s consider the processes you put your customers through. Are they just as tedious resulting in customer confusion and, worst of all, a decrease in conversions? Slack, a communication app company, took the standard “forgot your password” option and simplified the entire process easing their user’s experience. Their “send a magic link” option sends you an encrypted link allowing them to login directly. No messy forms, no multi-step processes. Small features like that delight your users. Sure, it wasn’t easy to create, but it makes using the product so much easier. It's worth it to think critically about simplicity and how to apply it to what you do. Who knows, your competitors may already be offering an easier-to-use alternative. You may lose a customer if they have to reenter all their information at every purchase vs clicking just one button. You may lose a customer if they have to read a user manual to use your product instead of it just working right out of the box. Your customers are just like you. They prefer simple.

Designing for accessibility

Anton Sten — Tue, 21 Feb 2017 00:00:00 GMT

When I first started doing web design it was the late 90's and there weren't too many bells and whistles besides animated gifs and the blink-tag. As web design evolved, we began creating more and more sites using technologies like flash that ended up being even worse for the user. In the late 90's you could pretty much assume who your (technical) user was – someone using a PC with an 800×600 resolution running Netscape or Internet Explorer with a poor connection. Fortunately technology has changed enormously over the past 20 years and so have we as designers. The advent of smartphones have brought us to think even more closely about who we are designing for and what their environment is like. As I've grown and matured, I'd like to think that my vision of what good design is has too. Gone are the days of designing solely for the purpose of aesthetics and exclusivity. I'm both forced to, and driven by, finding out more about my users and what their everyday life looks like. Being more inclusive in my work is something that I've been focused on for the past year. These days, most projects I do are for clients that have pretty well-defined target audiences. Whether they're users are businesses, 15-35 year old females, hipsters or home-owners – there's a lot of diversity, but there's also a common ground. Recently a project of mine has caused me to look at what ISN'T common. I've been working with the municipality and city of Falkenberg, Sweden and designing for EVERYONE have brought my attention to topics like color blindness, web accessibility and WCAG. One of the hardest things when designing for some of my clients is that I'm just not the end-user and, in some cases, I can't even talk to the end-users. This leaves me to second-guessing everything. If you're a designer, I'm pretty sure you can relate to this. This can be devastating to the final solution because my experiences are most likely nothing like the audience's. If your client is in the broad consumer market – chances are you'll be better educated, have a higher literacy level, and be younger than your average user. This means you're more likely to have better eye sight, better dexterity, and more sophisticated skills using computers and smartphones. !Designing for Accessibility A team that has been forced to think about designing for everyone – just like I am now – is the excellent team behind gov.uk. Here's an excerpt from their design principles: > "Accessible design is good design. Everything we build should be as inclusive, legible and readable as possible. If we have to sacrifice elegance – so be it. We're building for needs, not audiences. We're designing for the whole country, not just the ones who are used to using the web. The people who most need our services are often the people who find them hardest to use. Let's think about those people from the start." "If we have to sacrifice elegance – so be it."
This point is crucial. There are times where you will have to choose design or functionality. You need is to define your priorities so when you have an accessibility issue you know how to proceed. "...not just the ones used to using the Internet"
I admit wholeheartedly that I occasionally design based on my own experiences and knowledge. If it makes sense to me, I'm guessing it'll make sense to everyone else. However, research shows that this is far from the truth: > "Across 33 rich countries, only 5% of the population has high computer-related abilities, and only a third of people can complete medium-complexity tasks." !Designing for Accessibility 2 As a reader of this blog (THANK YOU!) you most certainly fall in the top category of computer skills – level 3. In Sweden/Scandinavia, only 7% are at this level, in the US it's only 5%. So in the future when designing products and interfaces, you need to think about the rest of the 90+% of people who surely will try to use your product. Designing for accessibility is making sure that your design is as inclusive as it possibly can be. So whether your user suffers from bad eye sight, color blindness, or they simply aren't used to using computers/the internet, designing to be as inclusive as possible should be your goal. Rather than asking your designer friend sitting next to you if your design makes sense, how about asking the janitor, your mum, someone's child AND your designer friend. Aim for a broad panel of people for feedback and your designs will be more accessible.

Is Less More?

Anton Sten — Mon, 06 Mar 2017 00:00:00 GMT

A couple of weeks ago during a dinner with friends, we started discussing the idea that less is more. It has become popular among our peers and society in general that we ALWAYS need to strive for less. It seems that everyone has been throwing this concept around us a lot – sometimes wildly and not really understanding how to accomplish it. A Google search for 'less is more' serves you with more than 22 million hits and it's often a quote by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe* used as a precept for minimalist design and architecture. But is Less really More? Short answer? It depends. It depends on whether you’ve carefully thought about which ‘less’ you actually want. It depends on what you are willing to sacrifice. It depends on what best serves your audience. This is time consuming and exhausting and most of us simply don’t put in the hours needed to define what ‘less’ we really want. So we just opt for ‘more’. After all, ‘more is more’ gives you more than 12 million Google hits. ## Could you have the wrong ‘less’? In France there’s a famous restaurant chain called le Relais de l’Entrecote that serves only one dish – you guessed it, entrecote. They’ve absolutely mastered everything about making it. Every night, they have people queuing up in long lines before they even open! Now compare this to a all-you-can-eat buffet with chicken wings, salad, vegetables, and meats in all sizes and cuts (including entrecote). Because they have chosen to serve everything – their entrecote is nowhere near as good as le Relais de l’Entrecote’s. This ‘okay’ entrecote is fine for most cases, but if you want a really great entrecote, you go somewhere they focus on it. At le Relais de l’Entrecote’s, less is more and profitably so. !Is Less More? This same principle applies to your products. The better you can define your product, the better chance your core audience has of falling in love with it. Your product’s ‘less’ is what people will rave about. They don’t want a buffet. So, as product owner, what ‘less’ is it that you want to offer? As a user – whether it’s a TV show, travel, apps, or food – what ‘less’ do you want? Answering these questions begins the process of defining the experience you and your users want to have. Who knows? Understanding what really makes you appreciate things may just lead to a fuller life. PS. The fact that this post has similarities to my post Be the Butcher, not the Supermarket is a pure coincidence along with the fact that they both share food analogies – perhaps stop writing blog posts just before lunchtime 🥙🍴🤔? – The quote was originally used by Robert Browning in his poem "Andrea del Sarto, also called 'The Faultless Painter'" published in 1855

Atomic Design: where science and design collide

Anton Sten — Mon, 13 Mar 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Some people say design is like science and I think they’re on to something. You see, these past weeks I’ve been working a lot with defining design systems and I couldn’t help but see the resemblance. Years ago, we defined the scope of projects by how many pages the site had. The more pages, the bigger the project. Now while that makes sense in theory, it doesn’t make sense in reality. A designed webpage is actually made up out of different sets of “bricks”. Think: Subway sandwich pieces that you can combine into different delicious combinations. Brad Frost wrote a book on the subject last year called Atomic Design and the gist of it is this: > Atomic design is a methodology composed of five distinct stages working together to create interface design systems in a more deliberate and hierarchical manner. ## The stages that Brad outline are: * Atoms are the basic building blocks of it all – they include things like buttons, form labels, inputs, and other similar elements. * Molecules are simple groups of UI elements functioning as a unit – think of a search form that consists of a button, a form label, and an input field. * Organisms are bigger UI components combining both atoms and molecules. This could be the header of a webpage that consists of a logotype, a navigation, and a search form. * Templates combines different organisms into a functioning whole – think of a wireframe. It has all the organisms in place, but there’s no actual content there yet. This is the blueprint or skeleton of a page. * Pages are the final stage – they shows what the template looks like with real representative content in place. While I’m currently working on two projects that are very different in terms of pages (one is nearly 10,000 pages and the other is less than 5 pages), they both require a solid design system to make sure we’ve got all the stages covered from the start. If you’re interested in learning more about design systems, feel free to e-mail and I’ll be sure to answer! ## Here’s some great further reading on the topic: Atomic Design by Brad Frost http://atomicdesign.bradfrost.com Cooking with Design Systems by Dan Mall http://danmall.me/articles/cooking-with-design-systems/ Setup a design system by Marco Lopes https://blog.prototypr.io/design-system-ac88c6740f53#.bvym62je5

The Possibilities of Automated Personalized Content

Anton Sten — Mon, 20 Mar 2017 00:00:00 GMT

I had my birthday recently and was, once again, surprised at how many people cared enough to take 10 seconds to congratulate me on Facebook. Along with these wishes from people near and far, my inbox also filled with messages from various sites and services all wanting to wish me a special day (and offer free shipping too!). I want to talk to you about the three different birthday experiences through automated communications from companies I have a relationship with. There are likely tens – if not hundreds – of services and sites that have basic enough information about me to wish me a happy birthday. I'm not sure if that's actually a good thing, but let's just leave it at that for now. **Happy Birthday #1** The first one to wish me a happy birthday was my phone carrier. The text was pretty straight forward and said: !Tele2 Automated Personalized Content Hi Anton, Us here at Tele2 wants to wish you a happy birthday, we hope you'll have a great day. Best wishes, Tele2 They may have gotten the facts right, but there are no emotions attached to it. You can argue that this is the right way for them to communicate since I don't exactly have a close relationship with my phone carrier, but I do think it was too impersonal and I would have preferred some thought behind it. **Happy Birthday #2** The second birthday wish also came in the form of a text message – this time though from my dog's veterinary clinic. YES, YOU READ THAT RIGHT. Here's their text: !Evidensia Automated Personalized Content Happy birthday! We've noticed that today is your birthday and want to wish you a great birthday! Best wishes, EvidensiaPlus 'We've noticed that today is your birthday" Seriously? Ah yes. So have I. First of all, it would make far more sense for them to text me when my DOG has her birthday. I might be the one paying the bills but their actual relationship should be with my dog – not with me. If they would congratulate my dog on her birthday, it would definitely strengthen my relationship with them, though. They could also easily kick in a 10% discount in their store on the day of my dog's birthday and gain some more in-store sales. **Happy Birthday #3** The third one came in the form of an email and the sender was my stock broker/bank. I normally don't click on emails like this, but something about it that made me curious. The email itself is pretty simple but communicated with a personal tone: !Avanza Automated Personalized Content Happy birthday! Since we can't celebrate in person with you today, here's a video from us! Hurray! All the best, Johan (CEO) and Sven (Chairman of the Board) The link goes to this videoclip (be sure to watch it to the very end) ## Why is this different from the other two? 1. They chose to use email – a medium that's more on my terms. Texting is for family and friends OR emergencies. Both of the places that chose to text also have my email address, but I guess they chose to text because they want to seem personal. 2. Neither of the first two was at all personal as they didn't have a realistic view of our relationship. Without understanding the basis of the relationship (or even who it is with), it is difficult to connect on any level. 3. The video has humor! This is the CEO and the Chairman of a financial institute and they're not afraid to come across as humans. Personalized automated content can achieve great things – but – great power comes with great responsibility (well put Uncle Ben from Spiderman). The secret is... well ...to make automated content not seem so automated. There may not be a human being on the other end pressing 'Send', but that doesn't mean it has to sound like a 'Have you forgot your password' email. Personality within your brand is vital to creating a great user experience. I've been trying out some very basic endings to my newsletter recently based on our previous commitments – have you noticed? Depending on whether you've bought my book, subscribed to my UX-Course and so on, you'll get different endings! Go sign up and see what the ending of the next email will be (and you'll be notified of posts just like this).

Designing for Mobile

Anton Sten — Tue, 28 Mar 2017 00:00:00 GMT

I recently started up a couple of bigger projects and it's got me thinking about my processes. You see, for years I have been telling my clients about how crucial mobile is. Mobile traffic will very soon outrank desktop traffic if it hasn’t already. It’s your number one opportunity for more sales and reaching higher conversion rates. The mobile experience is often the first experience a customer has with your brand. Clients are beginning to realize this and are eager to adopt it. The problem?… I haven't. While I do understand the key role mobile plays, I find myself thinking about – and designing for – desktop first. It's not strange if you think about it, I have been designing for desktop browsers for nearly 20 years. So here's my challenge to myself: start with designing for mobile on these projects and see what happens. I'll make sure to report back to you on my experience! I'd also love to get your wisdom on this – especially designers (product, UX, UI) – what your experience was when you made this transition. !Designing for mobile - iPhone - what now? Notes on the subject from Ani Mohan in his Next Generation Web presentation at Google Conversions 2017 in Dublin via Luke Wroblekski - The Web has been around for about 25 years. In 1996, we had 360M people using it on desktop computers. Today it is at 3.6B, mostly on smartphones. This is the largest platform that’s ever been built. - Discovery on the Web starts with a link, so loading speed matters for creating a great first impression. 53% of users will abandon a mobile page if it takes more then 3 seconds to load. 7% reduction in conversions for every 1-second delay in loading times. - AMP is an open-source simplified version of landing pages that optimizes for fast initial load times. AMP pages are 4x faster, have < 1 sec median load times, and use 10x less data than typical Web landing pages. - There’s more than quick landing pages needed for the Web. To increase engagement: Add to home screen (easy way to launch a site), push notifications (to tell people when to come back & why), reliable performance (pages need to work regardless of connectivity). - Poor connectivity on mobile can cause Web pages to fail. Service Workers can cache content and when people are offline, you can use local content instead of going to server for content. - Mobile Web conversions are 66% lower than the desktop. Many reasons for this, but one is typing is hard. One-tap checkout helps solve this. The browser stores payment info and sites can ask for it at the moment of checkout. - Housing.com saw a 38% conversion increase when Web pages were boosted 30% in page speed. In case you missed it (it’s nearly two years old), I recommend you reading ‘What’s the cost of sharing’.

New isn’t always better, but it makes the old feel worse

Anton Sten — Wed, 05 Apr 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Yesterday, while I was having the tires changed on my car, I had to borrow one to get me around. I took this opportunity to borrow the newest version of the car I currently have and experience the differences – like trying an iPhone 6S when you are used to an iPhone 6 – even though the look identical. When I first took this brand new car for a drive, I wasn’t overwhelmed. Sure the technology was newer and better and they have surely been working to catch up with the user experience of forefront brands like Tesla. It was good, but it wasn’t a totally new experience. The big aha-moment rather came moments ago when I picked up my car. It felt so stiff and old! The technology was ancient! The interiors were clumsy and inferior! And although I had only had the newer version for 24 hours, I had already gotten used to a keyless experience and almost forgot the keys in my car when I had parked it… This got me thinking about how we experience much of the same phenomenon with technology and websites. It’s often not the initial experience that’s the one we remember, but rather the bad experience that truly makes us cherish the great one! My iPhone 7+ felt pretty large when I got it but it wasn’t something out of the ordinary. Now, when I pickup a normal sized iPhone, it feels so tiny! We don’t think about the ease of TouchID until we have an experience where it doesn’t work (or worse, isn’t available!). So while first impressions do last, perhaps we don’t always truly benefit from them until we’ve put them into perspective?

Understanding Great User Experiences

Anton Sten — Wed, 17 May 2017 00:00:00 GMT

It's been nearly two years since I got my Apple Watch and while it's been heavily criticized since it launched, I still believe it's a product with great potential.~ The real secret to creating great user experiences is providing as much value as possible with as little friction as possible – with emphasis on the last part. You see, when the Watch first launched, Apple was still unsure how they would provide value, so they learned through trial and error. In fact, I'm still wearing a Series-0 watch, it is a better device than when I got it thanks to constant improvement culminating in WatchOS3. How many other devices can say that? Even the battery still does awesome! > We're heading toward an age of assistance where friction will mean failure, and mass messages will increasingly mean "move on".
Sridhar Ramaswamy, SVP Ads & Commerce at Google ## Gauging Success Each device has it's own capabilities and can provide experiences based on two things; the task complexity and the effort it takes for me to perform it – including pulling out the device. Here are some devices I use daily and how I see their user experiences: #1 The Apple Watch requires minimum effort from me – it's just raising my hand and looking at my watch – but the complexity of tasks it can perform (well) are limited. It's great for reviewing notifications and keeping track of my activity for instance, but it's not great at tasks that are a little more complicated like sending texts or reading email. #2 The iPhone requires a little more effort from me – I have to pull it out of my pocket, unlock it, and then I'm good to go. It's biggest benefit over a computer is it's mobility. I can bring it anywhere, I'll have Internet access and it performs most tasks rather well; browsing the web, reading, checking social media, and sending email and texts. #3 The Macbook requires more effort from me – while I can bring it anywhere, I need a bag to do so. Ideally, I need a desk or at least a chair. If we're talking about a desktop computer, I'm forced to be in a physical location too. The range of tasks it can perform is far wider than any of the other options. I can use software like Sketch and Photoshop and I have access to a full-size physical keyboard to write effectively. !Great User Experiences Chart 1 Perhaps this is why the iPad has never left a mark for me – the effort required (similar to a Macbook) combined with the tasks I can perform (similar to an iPhone) leaves me hanging. A truly ground breaking device is able to perform actions that you previously couldn't in completely new ways. Before the iPhone, surfing the web on a mobile was a painful experience and the secret behind Facebook's success is surely the growth of the mobile web, making it accessible nearly everywhere. ## Next Steps Rumors are that the next Apple Watch will be able to actively monitor a user's glucose levels without taking blood. Diabetes is a disease that affects 371 million people worldwide and, according to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), 187 million of them do not even know they have it. Apple's efforts could lead to a historic achievement in the world of health and fitness. >"Currently, the only way to properly measure blood sugar levels is by using a blood sample, or by using a device that penetrates the skin. It's uncomfortable, difficult and painful, and there are not presently any widely available noninvasive methods that are accurate." For a diabetic like myself, this capability would introduce a completely new benefit of using the device. It would essentially take a task that today requires effort (take out glucose meter, get blood, watch for results) and simplify it by a huge factor. Essentially – this would take what today is a complex task and make it completely painless – literally and figuratively! !Great User Experiences Chart 2 ## Complexity of task / Effort required = User Experience Score There's no harm in iterating and making current processes better and more fluid. Not everything needs reinvention. But every once in a while, a ground breaking device or feature can change the lives of millions of people. If Apple gets this glucose monitoring right, it will put the Apple Watch solidly on that list.

How better onboarding cut our drop-off rate dramatically

Anton Sten — Mon, 22 May 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Rob McWhirter in a great piece on how they worked with Twine's onboarding to dramatically improve their onboarding: > Reviewing our stats in January, we knew that our onboarding was letting us down. We were experiencing a big dropout between signup and trial (around 65%) and this was hurting our monthly revenue. We refused to believe it was the fault of the product —hey, we were getting great feedback from current users. A bit of user testing and some interviews confirmed that our onboarding was contributing to this dropout: people were signing up, but being dumped into the trial and left to work it out for themselves. When they couldn't work it out, they would leave and never come back. Read the full article on Prototypr

You are the Alfred to Batman

Anton Sten — Mon, 22 May 2017 00:00:00 GMT

!Alfred to Batman > You, your product, service or brand are NOT the heroes. Your users, customers or the human beings you serve are. You are the enabler, the helper, the sidekick. You are the Alfred to Batman and not the other way around. You are here to serve and help your user achieve a goal and get shit done, even if it is only about creating joy and pleasure!" 6 Storytelling Principles to Improve Your UX

Why Designers Need to Write

Anton Sten — Thu, 25 May 2017 00:00:00 GMT

A couple of years ago, there was a huge discussion online about whether or not designers should know how to code. The people who believed this argued that unless you know how to build what you design, you aren't able to understand if it's doable or not. I strongly disagree with this way of thinking. I think a large portion of our job as designers is to push boundaries by envisioning things that just aren't doable – either from a technical or practical standpoint. This discussion then evolved from if designers SHOULD code to WHICH programming languages they should learn and broke off into even deeper silos. However, I do think there's at least one language that a designer needs to master. It's their native tongue and, possibly, a widely spoken language (aka English, Spanish, or Chinese). In order to present our designs to the world, we need to use this language to describe our drop-shadows and perfectly selected pastels (if that's your thing!). There is no better way than the spoken/written word. >A core skill of the interaction designer is imagining users (characters), motivations, actions, reactions, obstacles, successes, and a complete set of 'what if' scenarios. These are the skills of a writer – all kinds of writers, but particularly fiction, screenwriting, and technical writing.**Susan Stuart** It's been two years since I started writing regularly and I can honestly say that nothing has affected my design as much. Not just the designing itself, but how I relate to the entire process – the scenarios, all the stages of iteration, and the final outcome. ## Why words matter Some may argue that if you have to explain a design, it's not intuitive enough. There's even the saying that UX is like a joke, if you need to explain it, it's not that good. But as **John Maeda** concludes "Words are really important because the graphics don't make sense sometimes.". I believe that design, regardless of discipline, is essentially about solving problems. I like to start my design process with an old-school piece of paper and a pencil. I'm terrible at drawing but this allows me to only focus on the pure basics. I write down words that I want to associate with each function of the design. What problem is this part solving? What kind of characteristics does this feature hold? Why is it needed? I try to keep it as simple as possible while focusing on the problem, not the framing of it. Writing about user experience design forces me to focus on the problem – and the solution – just like designing on a paper does. I will never be able to prove the reasoning behind a solution if it is hidden behind a design that is all coded up and ready to go with fancy graphics that hide any shortcuts. If I can't explain the process with words and a basic drawing, it's just not simple enough. As the importance of user experience — and it's effect on revenue — grows among companies, they're slowly starting to realize the value of words and tone. A brand that has been great at this for years is Dropbox. I've always found the design of the service itself great (it hides away until the moment I need it), but to make that design really work – they needed great writers. >In most interface writing, it's important to shut up and get out of the way. Most of the time, you don't want to force users to read. They're trying to get something done, and the last thing they want to do is stop and read your interface.

But sometimes, you do want people to notice your words. That's when you want to speak up and be heard, loud and clear. Maybe the user did something awesome, and you want to shout it from the mountaintops.

Well, it just so happens that writers are pretty good with tone. Writers know when to dial it up and when to dial it down. We know when to be peppy or patient, firm or flowery.**John Saito** Now, as a team of one, hiring a writer isn't really an option for me (except for my brilliant editor Josh, who's been with me for years). I need to be able to tell these stories myself. It forces me to understand my entire product and, ultimately, it makes me a better designer.

How to attract top recruiting talent

Anton Sten — Sun, 28 May 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Lem Diaz from GV in How to attract top recruiting talent > A technical recruiter should be able to explain at a high level what a distributed system is, or the difference between a native mobile app and a web mobile app. If that's the level of tech that's required (or worse, what's aimed for) by Silicon Valley, I'm worried. I'm by no means a technical person, yet I could easily answer both of those questions to a recruiter – which a) means I could work as a tech recruiter and b) land a job a tech job in Silicon Valley. Nice to know there's a backup plan I guess.

The future of the UX designer

Anton Sten — Tue, 30 May 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The role of the UX designer is in a constant state of flux. We're still trying to figure out what the job title actually means and what our role is in the grand scheme of things. I've written about how to become a better UX designer and what the future holds for UX designers. I've even written about how UX designers need to be more like personal trainers. But what does the future hold for UX designers? What will our role be in 5 years? 10 years? 20 years? I believe that the role of the UX designer will continue to evolve and change as technology advances. We'll need to adapt and learn new skills to stay relevant. But I also believe that the core principles of UX design will remain the same. We'll still need to focus on creating great experiences for users, no matter what technology we're using. There's been a lot of press lately on how AI-powered assistants will make our lives better/easier/more manageable very soon. Some even think we're already at that point, but anyone who's ever tried Siri, Cortana, or Amazon's Alexa know that they are all still pretty dumb. However, this has gotten me thinking about what this move from a visually driven interface to a voice controlled interface will mean for us as designers.

Advances in machine learning mean that voice recognition has gone from a high error rate (\>25\%) to a low rate (\<5\%) —i.e. it basically works almost all the time. — Nate Clinton

I think the quote above highlights perfectly what has been accomplished so far. Voice recognition HAS improved a lot, but even though Siri may understand what I'm saying, it's not the same as saying she's able to act on the command. 70% of my Siri queries are still 'set a timer for 8 minutes' when making spaghetti with the other 30% are 'start a new outdoor run'. She always gets both of these right, but I would not go that as far as saying it has anything to do with being "intelligent". ## When things go wrong Some of the most overlooked things when creating user experiences is what happens when things go wrong. Sure, there have been some great 404-pages created, but great user experiences go beyond that. They try to cover every misstep a user might take. What happens if they enter invalid information into a form? What about when they click 'Print' without first selecting an item? Designing for blue skies scenarios is the easier part. It is harder to understand that all user experiences have cloudy days too. Some are even like Bergen, Norway, where it's raining all day, every day. Fin, a new AI-powered assistant, is a great example of this. I love how their promo video (below) makes me as a user feel completely empowered by their service. These people, just casually telling their smartphone to carry out all of these chores that no-one wants to do. Have a look: Do you notice what's not in the videos though? Fin's response. There's no visual or audio confirmation that Fin has understood the input or carried out the requests. They list the tasks on their website, but there's no reason to believe that Fin could actually solve these tasks. I could tell Siri all of those things too, just to have her tell me "here's what I found on the web for..." (cue sad trombone sound). As technology offers us more and more options and possibilities, our work as UX-designers will grow to include even more edge-cases. As our acceptance of friction with these services continues to decrease, our work will increasingly need to include more 'what if' scenarios. > "Designing for voice and chat will be a sought-after skill in the UX profession in the very near future (now, in fact). The platforms will battle for market share and they will add capabilities rapidly. The SDKs themselves will evolve to be more turnkey, and third parties will join the fray to create tools for makers." So ask yourself this question: What will all the highly-skilled Dribbble UI designers do? 😉

Writing for UX: some practical tips

Anton Sten — Mon, 05 Jun 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Anjana Menon with some great practical tips on how to write for better UX: > Consistent: condition your users

…don’t use ‘Reserve a Table’ in one place and ‘Book a Table’ in another. While they might mean the same thing, labels and CTA buttons condition the user, while they learn how to navigate through your website/app… I get annoyed when companies mix 'email' with 'e-mail'. This is, again, why I think it's important that designers write.

Vox Media Accessibility Guidelines

Anton Sten — Tue, 06 Jun 2017 00:00:00 GMT

> "Making work accessible creates a better experience across the board. Use this checklist to help build accessibility into your process no matter your role or stage in a project." I love every single bit of this list. It's a goldmine. I especially love how it goes across the entire team (designers, developers, product manager, q&a and content creators) – it's everyone's responsibility – to create accessible content. http://accessibility.voxmedia.com

10 Reasons Why All Designers Should Start Writing More

Anton Sten — Thu, 08 Jun 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Great list from Alana Brajdic, especially fond of this: > Writing will give you a reason to talk to someone that you might otherwise feel uncomfortable to approach. It could be a lead from a different department or even someone on twitter. Not only does writing make us better designers, it makes us better humans.

Become a better UX-designer with these three words

Anton Sten — Thu, 08 Jun 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Getting older has taught me that the more you know, the more you realize how little you actually know. Over my 20 year design career, I’ve been a web designer, digital art director, UX-designer and while the titles may have changed my passion is still the same. As I’ve gotten more and more confident, I’m finding myself saying the three words that the 21-year old me was afraid to. (Hint: It’s not ‘I love you’). I may get some flack for this, but designers seem to love to argue just for the sake of arguing. Some of my recent posts – especially Why Designers Need to Write – have stirred up some interesting emotions and comments (hurrah Internet!). Designers have strong feelings about a lot of things it seems. Don’t believe me? Take a look at the comments on any new redesign! One thing you will rarely hear designers say, especially to clients, are the three words I’m becoming more confident saying: **I don’t know.** !Become a better UX-Designer I think it’s probably because we’re the ones that are SUPPOSED to have the right answers. Here’s the thing though, in UX-design there’s very rarely a definite “right” answer. It all depends on so many things. A UX-designer’s primary focus should always be the end-user, but we end up having to think about so much more to actually pull off a successful outcome. The project’s stake holders, the current technology possibilities and limitations, budgets, and business objectives all play a role. So while there may be one answer for the end-user, it might not align with the rest. Zoltan Kollin: > “Even generic design principles can be challenged at times. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution. When making design decisions, you have to consider a lot of things. It always depends.” ## Finding the right answer Our work as designers is about finding solutions to problems, but that should not be mistaken with already knowing the answer to each and every problem. Our work is to discover what we believe is the best answer considering the problem’s context. We have great tools to help us: - user research - prototyping tools - A/B testing - user testing - user interviews > “What works well for another product might not work for you. What works well on a screen might not work on another one. That is because context is key in UX: you should give the users what they need, exactly when they need it. It’s even more important than being consistent or following guidelines.” Saying ‘I don’t know’ does not mean you’re not experienced. It doesn’t mean you’re not skilled. It actually means the opposite. We get caught in the trap of thinking that our experience equals knowledge and knowledge equals having all the answers. Having the insight and guts to say “I don’t know, it depends” is what makes you a professional. It is what will make you a great designer. PRE-S: I’m well booked over the summer, but if you’re planning a project for this fall, now is a great time to get in touch.

Investing in businesses and products

Anton Sten — Tue, 13 Jun 2017 00:00:00 GMT

For the past ten years, I've been getting more and more into stock trading and long term investing. As I've become more diverse in what I select to invest in – mostly publicly traded companies like Apple, Netflix, or Square – I have even been blessed to have the opportunity to invest in other ventures like Hyper Island. !Investing in products It can be a bit daunting to jump into investing, but I developed a couple of simple rules I follow that have helped me a lot. (Note: I sometimes fail at following them, oops!) Though they may seem extremely naive, you'd be amazed at the valuations these investments have that don't pass the test. ## 1. The company sells a product I understand. There are countless times when I've been intrigued by a rumour or a "common perception" that predicts a company is about to skyrocket. Later, I realise that it didn't happen for reasons I couldn't predict or even understand. Even the tech industry has areas that I don't understand – and certainly can't predict – but at least I have a fairly good understanding of what makes a good tech product. For instance, I stay out of biotech, source materials and retail investments because I have little to no understanding of how they work. Investing in what you don't understand is not that different than playing the lottery. ## 2. The company sells a product I like. There are products I understand (like Facebook), but I don't particularly like. To be honest, I've been entertaining the idea of leaving Facebook altogether, because I don't really enjoy the product very much. So why would I invest in a product I don't like, regardless of how profitable they might be? ## 3. The company has a viable business model. This might seem like a no-brainer, but there aren't that many companies listed that don't have a viable business model. However, there are companies like Twitter that have struggled for years to find a business model that actually works. Part of the problem here is that the companies that offer valuation services rely heavily on KPIs like MAU (Monthly Active Users) and MNU (Monthly New Users) rather than economics. Other companies like Uber might have a business model but are heavily dependent on finding loopholes in local law regulations. It's simply not viable in the long term. While these three simple rules might seem so basic, you'd be amazed at how hard it is to find companies that can check off all three requirements. Because of the recent stock market downturn, I've sold off most of my tech investments, but when I get back in I might stick to two or three of my favourites: AAPL and NFLX (perhaps SHOP too). I'd love to see Stripe and Mailchimp go public, so I could invest in them as well. Using Mailchimp to automate my email communications and Stripe for easy, inexpensive payment processing has streamlined what I do. They have proven their product, have made me like them and shown their viability. They would be an easy choice for investment. This leads us to think about if our own products can check off these three requirements. Do people understand your product? Can you explain it in 30 seconds or less? I've seen basic apps fail at this because they want to explain everything. Is your product likeable to the point that someone would WANT to use it? Does it solve their problems and have a good plan for future growth? Your future investors will ask these questions too. Time to start answering them! If you're interested in investing, check out Samwise from Lisa and Dan. Love new fintech-startups like these.

Think like an artist to create better designs

Anton Sten — Tue, 20 Jun 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Artists have the freedom to pursue new ways of creating art in ways that designers don't. While innovation is encouraged for designers, we need to first focus on creating solutions that feel intuitive for the user based on their past experiences. That doesn't leave us a lot of room for creating new ways of solving problems. The past decade has demonstrated the Internet's ability to grow and change. That's why it's so surprising how every new redesign looks just like everything else that's out there. It doesn't matter if it's flat or material design, mobile-first or image-centric, there are clear trends that our design processes force us to follow. ## The artists among us This past week, news broke that Amazon is purchasing Whole Foods. Amazon, by itself, is an extraordinary thing, to say the least. From selling books to selling basically everything, it's on a path to become the world's biggest company and making it's founder Jeff Bezos, the world's richest man. Thinking of new ways of creating industry drives Amazon towards even more success. It's like how an artist views their art. So what made Jeff act more like an artist than a designer? > "When you think like everybody else thinks, don't be surprised when you get what everybody else gets. Divergent thinking, and action pays in business and investing. Jeff Bezos clearly demonstrated his early divergent thinking in this presentation. While others viewed the early internet's boom and bust as akin to the gold rush, Bezos saw the evolution of the electric industry as a better analogy. This mental model provided him the proper framework to be "incredibly optimistic" about the internet's, and his, future while everyone else was depressed." Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard said, "The biggest competitive advantage is doing the right thing at the worst time." Bezos was doing the right thing at the worst time – being incredibly optimistic of the internet's future and investing accordingly. !Better designs goes across your organisation ## The challenge If we as designers push the boundaries too far, no one will use our products because they don't understand them. On the other hand, if we don't push the boundaries enough and play it safe from start to finish, we lose our advantage. With today's low production costs, there'll be thousands of copies out the next day that will do exactly what our product does. The trick is to find the right balance between innovation that's grounded in psychology and gestures that we are already familiar with. One feature that I always thought was innovative, but felt intuitive enough to quickly get traction was the iPhone's slide to unlock feature. It was different enough from the standard pin-code unlocking system while offering a physical movement that was clear and instantly relatable. Respecting the old while introducing the new paid off for Apple and created a feature that was recognizable for many design iterations. So, instead of inventing everything from the start, pay attention physical and psychological patterns of your users, re-use what they are comfortable with, and then place them in new contexts. Like Jeff said, "When you think like everybody else thinks, don't be surprised when you get what everybody else gets. Divergent thinking, and action, pays in business and investing".

Now that Apple is talking about AR and VR, should we be too?

Anton Sten — Mon, 26 Jun 2017 00:00:00 GMT

It's that time of year again. Yes, it's WWDC time! We got to see what Apple has to offer for the rest of the year and they didn't disappoint. This year, they presented a ton of new hardware and upcoming versions of their operating systems to the world during the annual developer conference. Normally the WWDC is a software-only event, but this year was packed with things like new iPads, MacBooks, Macbook Pros, and even an upcoming iMac Pro with a starting price point is $5000! ## Welcome Changes The big shift for me is that the iPad is becoming a more viable laptop replacement. The iPad (all models) will have far better multi-tasking and even a dock bar just like your Mac. They introduced a new Files app that'll let you browse all of your files – local as well as cloud-stored (Dropbox, Google Drive etc). I'm really seeing how the iPad could become a computer replacement for the average computer user since most of what they do is surfing and occasionally creating word document. Not sure if you remember, but I even ventured into this myself when the first iPad Pro came out. I couldn't quite make the shift back then, but now I'm super excited to maybe give it another go! One of the features I would benefit most from is the ability to markup PDF’s and webpages. A lot of what I do is give feedback to developers on design and functionality. — Perhaps margins are a bit off, the headings too small, or we should add a feature that we’ve already developed, but I’d like to visually communicate with them exactly where I’d like it placed. — If you look at the work I’ve done for Australia’s most famous babe, Frank, it’s mostly marking up their e-commerce solution with conversion improvements. Gaining the option to use a pencil to draw directly on the screen and send it to them as a PDF would have been far easier and more fun! !AR VR Ipad ## AR and VR One area that’s being discussed is whether or not Apple would go into is AR (Augmented Reality) and VR (Virtual Reality). Apple has now released developer kits for both of these technologies and showcased them with games on stage. All in all, this segment of the WWDC was a good 30 minutes. Personally, I’ve never understood the hype behind AR and VR. While I can see some of the benefits with AR (e.g. placing digital content on top of the real world), I’m really struggling with finding great use cases for VR (e.g. a totally virtual world). Perhaps I’m getting old, but the VR hype kinda feels like the promises made by 3D content. While the experience is better, the feeling of wearing those dorky glasses kinda outweighs the added experience. But you know what? Just like I wrote in “Become a better UX-Designer with these three words”, it’s totally fine to say: I don’t know. I just don’t know what AR will mean for our industry. I don’t know how it will fit in our everyday lives. I don’t know how VR will affect our social norms and the experiences we have. The fact is I’m excited about AR and VR because I don’t know where it will lead and that’s thrilling. In Neil Cybart’s excellent Daily Email about Apple, there was a quote from a recent interview with Scott Forstall (Scott was on the Executive team that launched the original iPhone) that caught my eye. Forstall said, “AR is very interesting as long as there is a form factor that makes sense.” Exactly. As a designer, I’m looking for things that make sense. Not just beauty for the sake of it, but rather a form that enhances the functionality. An excellent example of this was when I found out that iOS11’s ability to scan documents by using the camera at basically any angle was powered by ARKit. It clicked with me that AR can play a role in what I do. So, what will developers be able to do with ARKit and VRKit? Apple’s ambition have always been to build the frameworks and then let developers world-wide come up with the use-cases for the technology. Who knows what they will come up with… The moral of this story? I’m impatiently waiting to find out how I was wrong to doubt AR and VR.

4 Reasons Why Your Body Text Should be Bigger

Anton Sten — Fri, 30 Jun 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Great piece on why minimal body text is hurting our user experience. The entire article is well worth a read but here is the outline: 1. **It's easier to read** Readability is a big deal. Why would you design a website that is difficult for a user to read? 2. **It Makes the Design More Intuitive** The size of text contributes to the overall usability of a website design. If all text is scaled proportionately, larger body copy also helps bump of the size of other user interface elements such as navigation links or button text. It can help contribute to overall flow. 3. **It Reduces Fatigue** Most people look at screens all day long, from glancing at phones to playing games to tablets to working on computers or watching television. Larger text sizes can help decrease some of this screen fatigue. 4. **It Increases Visual Impact** The unintended consequence of using larger body type is that most everything else in your design will likely enlarge as well. This is most likely the case with space. Larger type will help you create room for more space in the design. More space often creates a more comfortable user experience and adds an element of contrast that helps draw users to the occupied parts of the design.

Arkit

Anton Sten — Fri, 30 Jun 2017 00:00:00 GMT

> "ARKit exists because ARKit is going to be useful and fun on iPhones and iPads today. If it weren’t useful and fun on iPhones and iPads, Apple would not add it to iOS." Read more over at Daring Fireball

Groundwork for Creating Great User Experiences

Anton Sten — Fri, 30 Jun 2017 00:00:00 GMT

> "But the skilled and ethical sales person, now they know that a potential user doesn't care about you as much as he cares about what this means for him. The good sales person knows you don't care about technical details or even features. You care about what those features mean to you. The good sales person knows it isn't even about benefits, but about the benefits you care about." Or what I would call the groundwork for creating great user experiences. Read the entire piece here.

No share buttons on mobile sites

Anton Sten — Fri, 30 Jun 2017 00:00:00 GMT

> Only 2 out of every 1000 mobile web users ever tap a custom share button—like even once—according to a Moovweb study. We found similarly tiny numbers during our research designing Philly.com and verticals for About.com. That means people are over 11 times more likely to tap a mobile advertisement than a mobile share button for Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc. Excellent piece by Josh Clark over at Bigmedium on share buttons on mobile sites. I wrote about my thoughts on share buttons in general a couple of years ago; What's the cost of sharing? and Increase conversions by removing social media buttons.

The Why before the Why

Anton Sten — Fri, 30 Jun 2017 00:00:00 GMT

> Before someone goes buying, there’s a reason they go shopping. > > There are usually a few events that lead to the desire — or demand — to shop. Something happens that trips the initial thought. There’s a spark. This is often when passive looking begins. You aren’t feeling the internal pressure to buy yet, but you’re starting to get curious. Then a second event happens. It could be soon after the first, or months later, but this one’s more serious. It lights a fire. You need to make progress. Now you’re actively shopping. Read the full post over at Medium

Why?

Anton Sten — Tue, 04 Jul 2017 00:00:00 GMT

> Who do you think of when you hear the word "successful"? "The first answer to any question isn't much fun because it's just automatic. What's the first painting that comes to mind? Mona Lisa. Name a genius. Einstein. Who's a composer? Mozart. "This is the subject of the book Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman. There's the instant, unconscious, automatic thinking and then there's the slower, conscious, rational, deliberate thinking. I'm really, really into the slower thinking, breaking my automatic responses to the things in my life and slowly thinking through a more deliberate response instead. Then for the things in life where an automatic response is useful, I can create a new one consciously. Derek Sivers in Tools of Titans by Tim Ferriss. Tim continues; "This is genius. Ricardo Semler, CEO and majority owner of the Brazil-based Semco Partners, practices asking "Why?" three times. This is true when questioning his own motives, or when tackling big projects. The rationale is identical to Derek's." Jony Ive, in a rare public speaking engagement; Jony's design inspiration comes from thinking about the world and asking, "Why?" a lot. Frustration and the desire to make things better end up being the factors that can turn all of the questions and "whys" into tangible products. Asking 'Why' is essential for all designers, perhaps especially UX-Designers.

True fans or just followers?

Anton Sten — Wed, 05 Jul 2017 00:00:00 GMT

In a post I wrote a few years ago called “Everyone is a UX-Designer and Why I Hate the Term,” I said that I firmly believe if you want to please everyone, you end up pleasing nobody – not even yourself. I sincerely believe that it’s better to be loved by a few rather than liked by the many. This has been on my mind a lot lately as it’s been demonstrated to me in many different ways.

Content folks: would you rather have 1,000 fans who read 100% of what you publish OR 100,000ppl in your audience who read ~10% of your stuff

— Rand Fishkin (@randfish) May 22, 2017

@randfish: Content folks: would you rather have 1,000 fans who read 100% of what you publish OR 100,000ppl in your audience who read ~10% of your stuff? I loved this question from Rand and found the results of his poll to be fascinating. With nearly 1,500 votes the results are 50/50. Some would argue that having 100,000 people read 10% would get you at least the same number page views than the 1,000 true fans and may even exceed it. Still, I will always put my vote on 1,000 true fans. Why would I do that? ## Valuing the fan As I was reading Tim Ferriss’ book Tools of Titans I was struck by his interview with Kevin Kelly. Kevin first launched his theory about 1,000 true fans in 2008 (pre-Kickstarter and most self-funded/published outlets). The core of Kevin’s idea is that to be successful, you don’t need millions of customers, millions of dollars, or even millions of clients. To make a living as a craftsperson – photographer, musician, designer, author, app maker – you only need thousands of true fans. A true fan, according to Kelly, is someone who will buy anything you produce. If you publish a book, they’ll purchase the hardback, paperback, and e-book. They will drive 200 miles to see you sing. They’ll buy your “best-of” DVD with your YouTube outtakes. 1,000 fans like this is all you needed to make a living (read: not a fortune). ## There are two things you need First, you need to create something worthwhile. While they might be true fans, they’re not stupid. They won’t just throw your money at you. For the sake of math, let’s say you’ll be able to make $100 from each fan every year. Write a book, publish a course, or offer exclusive one-on-ones. This will give you $100,000/year which is more than enough to live comfortably in most parts of the world. Second, you need to have a direct relationship with your fans. Selling on Amazon might give you a great customer base opportunity, but you’ll only keep 30% of the profits and you’re not able to communicate with your customers afterwards. Choosing to keep your relationship with your fans personal, you not only get to keep as much of that $100 as possible, but you are free to communicate with them directly. You can serve them better by asking them what they like, what they want more of, and how you can supply that. > “Fans, customers, patrons have been around forever. What’s new here? A couple of things. While a direct relationship with customers was the default mode in old times, the benefits of modern retailing meant that most creators in the last century did not have direct contact with consumers.

With the advent of ubiquitous peer-to-peer communication and payment systems — also known as the web today — everyone has access to excellent tools that allow anyone to sell directly to anyone else in the world. So a creator in Bend, Oregon can sell — and deliver — a song to someone in Katmandu, Nepal as easily as a New York record label (maybe even more easily). “ One of my favorite newsletters is Neil Cybart’s Above Avalon. Neil delivers an excellent, long essay on Apple every day that the stock market is open. While newsletters are no unique thing, Neil’s passion and knowledge about Apple and tech in general allows him to publish a newsletter that’s so high quality that he’s gained true fans that pay $9.99 monthly for his service. This totals more than $100/year/fan. His Slack channel alone has more than 500 members, so I’m confident that the list itself has more than 1000 fans. Provide quality content, and you can make a living from writing a newsletter about a topic that’s close to your heart. Tim Ferriss himself describes his process for selling to his fans with a twist: “99% of what I do is free to the world (podcast, blog) or nearly free (books). I write on topics that A) I enjoy and want to learn more about, and that B) attract intelligent, driven, and accomplished people. This is what will allow ultra-premium.” Ultra-premium is when Tim, once in a blue moon, offers a high-priced event to an extremely limited set of people (~200 people). Tim offers these events at $7,500-$10,000 per seat. If we still assume that you could live on $100,000 annually, you would only need to do one of these events every 20 years! Ironically, by making these events even more high-end, it frees Tim to charge more, supporting his ultra-premium tier. ## Sell your passion, there are fans waiting The Internet allows anyone to sell anything. There’s literally nothing that you won’t be able to find a following for on the Internet. While selling obscure stuff might be harder to get traction, you’ll have less of competition than selling something common. Then you can build your fan base by providing exactly what they need and start your journey towards success! > “If you lived in any of the 2 million small towns on Earth you might be the only one in your city to crave death metal music or get turned on by whispering or want a left-handed fishing reel. Before the web, you’d never be able to satisfy that desire. You’d be alone in your fascination. But now satisfaction is only one click away. Whatever your interests as a creator are, your 1,000 true fans are one click from you. As far as I can tell there is nothing — no product, no idea, no desire — without a fan base on the internet.”

Enough

Anton Sten — Fri, 07 Jul 2017 00:00:00 GMT

> The longest lived businesses in the world aren’t the ones that were biggest in their day. Many of them are family firms, or small to mid-sized enterprises content with steady evolvement of their niche. Content with enough. Enough by DHH. Related old post: I am Professional Because I am Personal

Design quotes

Anton Sten — Mon, 10 Jul 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Loved this one especially from Joshua Porter: > “Don’t make something unless it’s both necessary and useful. But if it is both necessary and useful, don’t hesitate to make it beautiful.” › Inspiring quotes in UX to give you the hope you’ve been looking for

Being Freelance Podcast: Episode 100

Anton Sten — Fri, 14 Jul 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Hey, how are you doing? I’m Steve Folland. Thanks for listening! This time, let’s find out what it’s like being freelance for UX designer Anton Sten! So yes, this week’s guest is Anton Sten. Not just any guest, but our one-hundredth guest. This is the one-hundredth conversation put out as a podcast as Being Freelance. No, I’m not going to get emotional, but seriously thank you so much for listening and for sharing the podcast with people you know, and leaving a review if you’ve left a review, checking out the vlog as Being Freelance had evolved. And I just really appreciate you listening. I love having these conversations but I also love the fact that you get something out of it, too. One hundred episodes! Which, to be fair, I would have got to sooner if I put it out every single week. But, hey! Anyway, I’m kind of proud of it. One hundred episodes. And if you’ve not signed up to the newsletter yet, please do! It’s at beingfreelance.com for a weekly bit of inspiration there. And also on @beingfreelance. It’s nice to kind of…yeah, join in conversations on there as well. Right now though, let’s go to Sweden to freelance UX designer Anton Sten. Hey, Anton! Hey! How are you? I am well! Thanks for doing this. Thank you. What was the place you’re from? It’s near Malmö, isn’t it? It is. It’s called Lomma. It’s a really small town. It’s about 20,000 people, perhaps, living here. Cool, and Malmö’s the one in The Bridge? It is. If you're listening to this and you’ve never seen The Bridge…or, what do you guys call it? You don’t call it The Bridge, do you? We call it Bron, which is just the Swedish translation for "The Bridge”.

Bron…Such a good show. Right! So let’s hear how you got started being freelance? How have you ended up where you are? I guess the short story is that I’ve been working as a designer of digital things for the past almost twenty years. And I started working for agencies for the first ten years. And then when we moved down here, actually I just felt that I wanted to try something new. I also wanted to have better control of time, primarily. And, just freelancing felt like it was something that I always had wanted to try, and always—when I was working for agencies, always felt like: I could do this better. I could do this in a way that would suit me better. So finally I just…jumped, I guess. And I’ve been freelancing for almost ten years now. Nice one. So when you say you moved out here…was that moving quite a long way out from where you’ve lived before? That was from Stockholm. Right, ok, so quite a distance. So, how did you go about finding those first clients? Actual clients of your own? Well, when we first moved down I worked in Copenhagen for almost a year. And I got to know some people here. Also, I had quite a good network from my time working in agencies in Stockholm, so my first years of freelancing was primarily working for other agencies. But then as time went on, and I got to know more people, and I got some sort of a reputation…I hardly do any agency work at all these days. I just work for my own clients.

Nice. So when you said from all that time in agencies that you could do it better, what did you set out to do differently? I started, actually, with the idea or perception that I would eventually build an agency as well. But then as time went by I just realized that I’m not really interested in hiring anyone. And I guess that whoever I would hire first would sort of really set the tone for what kind of agency it would become. So, both in terms of culture but also in terms of work we would do. So if I would hire a WordPress developer, we would basically have to do just WordPress sites. If I had hired an IOS developer, we would just do iPhone apps. And I wouldn't want to limit myself in that sense. Because the work I do now is pretty broad. But also with just being ten years younger and being naive on how easy everything is, in terms of admin stuff, but also I guess just making things work…So I wouldn’t say that today I’m as confident that I can make everything better, but at least I could find a way that works better for me. Yeah, definitely. So did you come close to hiring somebody? Not really, no. I do have a couple of people still that I buy chunks of time from, so they’re not hired. But I have people that I’ve worked with for years, but they’re also freelancers. So that’s a set-up that works far better for me at least. Yeah. So you can choose the people who suit the project, rather than having to take projects because of the people. Exactly!

So you said there about the admin…was it the admin that you hadn’t necessarily seen behind the scenes at the agencies that suddenly crept up on you? Oh, definitely. There’s stuff that you see, like expense reporting and stuff like that. And you think: “How hard can this actually be to just pay out something?” But there’s also just so much stuff that you just never see, especially as a designer in a fairly large agency. There’s just so much stuff that you never see, that when start freelancing you’re just going to have to take care of yourself or find someone that can help you with it. What was it in particular, and how did you get past that? I’ve actually gotten help for most of the admin stuff now. So everything like taxes, and paying out salaries, and stuff like that. Because that’s just something…I found that it’s not the best option for me to spend my time doing that. And I think that’s something that I would have wanted to realize sooner. That the things that you’re not particularly good at, or things that you don’t want to handle—just get help. And focus on the stuff that you want to do and the things that you’re good at because you’ll end up making more money that way. And with less stress. Yeah, I find that with the finances side of it. Even having hired an accountant, I’m still…the actual bookkeeping side of it…ugh. Yeah, exactly.

Something you said as you went through the past ten years, is you realized your reputation grew and work was coming to you, and so on…How did you go about building your reputation? Was it just organically or was it particular things you did? I would say it was primarily organically. I would also say that it’s just something that takes time. One thing, I guess, I thought when I started was that everything would happen faster. Whereas I realize that it just takes time. And I still get phone calls from people that, maybe I met five years ago, and we haven’t had the chance to work together, but somehow they just remembered my name and eventually they’ll call me back. But it can take a lot of time. Whereas when I started I had the idea that if you meet someone you either get a project straight away or it’s never going to happen. But I would say that the biggest marketing strategy—I’m not sure if it’s actually a marketing strategy, but word-of-mouth has definitely been the biggest client-driving activity for me. Even though it’s not something that I’m doing, it’s more that I just try to be easy to work with, and then people will spread the word.

And have you narrowed down a niche, over the years? Twenty years ago—or even ten years ago—were you doing what you do now? No, not at all. And I would say that probably goes for anyone who’s calling themselves a UX designer today: that ten years ago you didn’t really discuss UX design in the sense that we’re having the discussion today, at least. And I guess as a field is emerging, that gives you an opportunity to really position yourself as…I don’t know, somebody who maybe pushes boundaries or is a—I hate using the word “thought leader”, but an expert in that. Is that something that you did? Absolutely. And it’s something that I’m still trying to do. As you said, this part of the industry is growing quite quickly, and it’s evolving in a sense that no one could understand just a couple of years ago: how UX design has grown during the last years. And now we’re seeing all of these voice-controlled assistants that will open up a pretty new field for UX design as well. So yeah, definitely there’s the opportunity to position yourself, and that’s something that I’ve been trying to do and will continue to roll with, obviously.

And how have you gone about that, other than doing great work? The past, I would say, two years I started blogging more and more. I started blogging with the sense that it would position myself better, but what I found is that it actually helps me think about the stuff that I’m doing more—both in a critical way, but also in a philosophical way, I guess—than just writing the blog post and having a mailing list helps me position myself. But also I’ve written two books over the past two years. One of the reasons for writing those books has been to help position myself. So with your mail-out, with your newsletter…that’s an extension of your blog is it? How did you go about growing that? Putting it out there? It started pretty basically. And I would say that it’s the same thing with the newsletter as with everything else. That it really takes time to create something that’s viable. If it’s a business, or if it’s a newsletter, it doesn’t really make a difference. It’s going to take time. And I think any of these blog posts that want to tell you how to build a business that makes a six-figure revenue in six months or build a mailing list of tens of thousands of subscribers in month…it’s not viable in the long end. So building something that’s strong and that will last takes time. So I would say for that for the first almost year, I think, my mailing list had a hundred people. And it started with just fifteen friends who then told some of their friends, and who told some of their friends…and occasionally I had some blog posts that got some pretty good viral spread, so people signed up from those. And that’s the way…to just continue doing the work.

And how often would you say you blog or put out your newsletter? I started with having two posts every month. So bi-weekly. I’m now pushing myself to do it weekly, but I’m finding that it’s hard to find the time to set aside a couple of hours every week just for writing a blog post. But we’ll see. It’s also helping me a lot as a designer to just spend some time to think about what I’m doing, and why I’m doing it, and what kind of problems I’m trying to solve, basically. Yeah, you mentioned earlier. It’s an interesting bi-product isn’t it? Of blogging, and writing…something I didn’t expect. I don’t blog enough about video, marketing, and things like that. But when I do I find myself analyzing: why did something work? And then trying to explain it to people…really makes you look at something differently. And even doing the freelance vlog that I do, that has made me analyze what I do as a freelancer. It’s not just documenting it. Exactly. That was part of the reason. So the second book I wrote was about freelancing and not user experience. And part of the reason for writing that was to take a step back and think about why I’m freelancing, and what kind of things am I doing that I haven’t really thought of why I’m doing them, and are there other ways to do some of the things that I’m doing, and stuff like that. What’s your second book called? It’s called Mastering Freelance. And very good it is too. I’ve read it, and we will put a link at beingfreelance.com. I really recommend it. It’s nice and bite-sized chapters that you can easily read. It’s not a huge tome, it’s like reading lots of nice blog posts. The first book I wrote was actually a selection of blog posts that I then re-wrote to be able to fit the language and fit them together. But the second book, Mastering Freelance, was just written as a book. Obviously, with my background in writing blog posts, it’s the language that I’m confident with writing. And I agree completely, I wanted to keep it short. I think that there’s this misconception, sometimes, that a longer book equals a better book. Which I don’t think necessarily is true. So your first book…that was about user experience? Yes. So the first book is called User Experiences That Matter. Do you feel like writing that first book had an impact on your work? Oh absolutely. And I think if we want to go back to that discussion about positioning yourself as a “thought leader”…I think that book was really good in the sense that if I’m talking to a potential client, for instance about helping them with UX design, and then being able to say: “Oh, I’ve also written this book about UX design, and I’m going to send you a free copy.” It really puts the trust in that conversation for them to say: “Ok, this is someone who’s obviously pretty serious about UX design.”

Yeah, that’s awesome. That’s really powerful, isn’t it? And has that led to—or maybe you don’t want to, but has that been speaking about the topic as well? I haven’t yet. I did a lot of speaking engagements a couple of years ago before I started writing. Primarily in schools and universities, with some corporate gigs as well. I have now started thinking about getting back into that whole scene. So let’s reconnect in a year and see then… And then the second book obviously concentrates on mastering freelancing, as we’ve mentioned. And when you said you were writing that, you were exploring how you were working as a freelancer. Was there anything that sprung out at you, that maybe you hadn’t thought about before? What was the key takeaway for you from writing that? I think the key takeaway was to be reminded about all the things that I do know, but I’m not necessarily so good at doing. So for instance, not working all the time. Or making sure that I do exercise, and sleeping eight hours a night, and stuff like that. It’s all stuff that all of us know that is incredibly important for our work, but somehow we all—or at least I—seem to forget it or just not do it on occasion.

What would you say—have you been mostly guilty of doing a lot of that whole “working all the time” thing, at times? Yeah, I would say working all the time—that’s definitely the drawback of being freelance. So one of the reasons I wanted to go into freelancing was that when I was working for an agency, I always felt that I couldn’t understand why I would work overtime since I was getting paid the same amount anyway. Like, I was getting the same monthly salary if I worked six hours a day, if I worked eight hours a day, or if I worked ten hours a day. It didn’t make any sense that regardless of the effort I put in, I would get the same end result. Whereas with freelancing—obviously depending on how you charge your clients and stuff like that—but more or less, the more you put in, the more you get. So I would say that I’m better at not working overtime. I would say that my biggest thing that I need to remind myself of is all of the possibilities that I do have as a freelancer. Like, if I want to go away during the day, or if I want to sleep in, or whatever, I’m the only one that can make those decisions. But I am not good at allowing myself to do that. I end up doing the same kind of hours that I would do in an agency. Which is fine but is also good on occasion to remind yourself about the luxury we have as freelancers.

Have you ever struggled with taking on too much work? Absolutely. I think all freelancers have. Especially when I have a couple of bigger proposals out, I’m anxious that…what if they all accept and I’m not going to be able to finish them all? But you can send them one at a time because it won’t make sense time-wise. But in the end, it always somehow works out. Projects almost always get pushed forward, or something needs to be done earlier, or worst case scenario I have to work a couple of weekends. But in the end, it always works out. Has your website…you know if people go to look at your website antonsten.com now, has that evolved much since you’ve been a freelancer? Yeah, definitely. In the beginning, I was also positioning myself as a company more. Whereas now I’m more positioning myself as a person. I think that was also one of the things about positioning is that it’s just me. So either you like my thinking about design, or you don’t. But it’s Anton you’re going to get, it’s not some company name. But in the beginning, especially, it was not using “I” but always talking about “we”.

And did you have an actual company name that you were using? I did. And I still have the same company name, it’s just not something that I promote. So the company name is Le Petit Garçon—“The Little Boy” in French. People seem to remember the name and talk about the name, but it was a pretty bad name when you’re on the phone with someone and you want to spell out your email address. And so you chose that name…I mean, you did say when you started out as a freelancer you envisaged you were going to build an agency, so is that why you went with a name? Yes. I guess I just had this idea that it would seem more professional. But I’m not sure if that’s actually the case. So over time you just phased out…if you invoice it’s still on there, but otherwise, it’s just Anton Sten. Exactly.

How have you coped with the financial side of being freelance? So especially when I started, that was a real stress for me. Coming from the agency side, I had a pretty good salary. And I was able to put some money aside. But what I did that helped me get started, was that my first freelancing job was…I was sort of part-time hired for a client. In the beginning, I worked three days a week for them, so I could freelance two days and work for them three days. And over time we made it two days, then one day a week, and then in the end I was just freelancing. So that was a pretty nice transition into freelancing. But during the first years I definitely had some stress about the financial side. I did try to put away as much money as I could. And it wasn’t until a couple of years ago when I realized that I could probably continue living the same way and not get any work for a year and I would still manage. And I don’t see it happening that I wouldn’t get any work for an entire year. So let’s just try to skip the cash stress. But it is stressful. But on the other hand, I think we also have a society with this wrong image of the securities a full-time position would mean. People get fired from full-time positions too, and that could put them potentially at even greater risk. So it’s not like freelancing is this hatchet game, whereas full-time positions are the most secure thing you can have. But obviously, you need to plan ahead.

And how about the way you work? I presume you work from home? I do have an office actually. I used to have an office in Malmö. So that was a fifteen-minute commute. But I just recently got an office, not at home, but just a short walk from home. I do need to have a very separate space. And I found that it’s good for me to have a space that’s outside of home. Even if it’s just slightly better, it’s still better to be able to separate. And do you work with other people in those spaces? I used to. I don’t anymore. So that’s my biggest challenge now is finding ways of staying social. I do have my dog with me, so that’s the social company I have in my office now. They’re great until it comes to making coffee. That’s the only thing. Exactly.

Now, I always do this thing where I ask for three facts about yourself. Make two true and one a lie, and let me figure out the lie. What have you got for me? Ok. When I was a child, I climbed up a shelf and the shelf fell over, and I fell on a coin that stood on its head, so I have a scar on my cheek from that coin. Tell you what, if that’s a lie, that’s such a convoluted lie! But I love it. Ok, number two? Ok. So this is pretty hysterical, since you mentioned The Bridge, and in the next upcoming season of The Bridge, I’m playing an extra as a Liverpool supporter. As a Liverpool supporter?! Ok, yeah? And the third one: I have all the music theory education needed to become a music teacher. Oh, these are amazing facts. So you could, in theory, be a music teacher? What’s your chosen instruments? I played the guitar. And I went to a high school that had a music focus. So one part of that was to get all of the music theory needed. Hmm, but you’ve never called up on it? You’ve never had to teach it? No. And I'm not sure I would pass all the tests today. But I did twenty years ago. You were in The Bridge…now, I love that show, as we’ve mentioned. So what did you have to do as a Liverpool—a Liverpool supporter is weird! So, Liverpool are playing in Malmö or something, are they? In the scene? I don’t know the scene actually, I’m just…so the thing is, I am a Liverpool supporter and I’m part of the Swedish Liverpool Fan Club, and they sent out an email saying that they’ve been approached by the production company and they would like some Liverpool supporters to…we’re just basically walking past a cafe, but it was…I’m not sure why because I don’t have the full story, but it was important that we were all dressed in Liverpool shirts and scarves. Oh, God that feels so true as well! And when you were a child you climbed a shelf, fell off the shelf, landing on a coin that was standing up that scarred you? Yes, I’m not sure if the coin was in a jar on the shelf as well. But I landed on it and now on my—righthand side?…right cheek? There’s a scar on my cheekbone. Have you ever made up a different story as to how you got the scar to impress a girl? I haven’t, no. I should though, I guess. These are…we’ve not had a good scar story, I done think, since Harry Roberts, very early on in this one, where he looks a bit like Harry Potter. Ok…shelf, Liv…these all sound…you see, the one that sounds the least true…well it sounds true, but I love the other two more. So I’m going to say…you’re not qualified to be a music teacher. I am! Oh man! So what’s the lie? It’s the Liverpool supporter. Ugh…God, that was so convincing! I’m not in the show, but there might be something about Liverpool in the next season. Well, I’m glad that the coin story’s true, mate, because that’s excellent. It would be weird to make that up.

It would be really weird. Which would also be awesome. Now, if you could tell your younger self one thing—other than, please don’t climb the shelf—if you could tell your younger self one thing about being freelance, what would that be? Yeah, I was thinking about this, and I think that one thing I would have liked to tell my younger self—and that I would like to tell myself every day today, as well—is something that Steve Jobs said in his commencement speech. And it was: “that you can only connect the dots looking back”. I think, for freelancers, we’re thinking that we can predict everything—how things are going to go, and what’s going to happen, but we really can’t. And in the end, everything will make sense, but it might take years. But sooner or later everything will just add up somehow.

Very nice indeed. Make sure you go to beingfreelance.com, follow the links through to Anton’s site, check out his book…thoroughly recommend it: Mastering Freelance. Which also—you do a version with comes with loads of templates and stuff as well, don’t you? Like, is it contracts, and…? I do! Yes, exactly. A bunch of templates—it’s my invoicing template, a proposal template, stuff like that. But also a list of all of the software I use, along with some discount codes. Nice idea! So especially if you’re just starting freelancing, that’s a good deal. And Anton is kind enough as well to give 20% off…Go take a look, and you’d put in the code “BEINGFREELANCE”, right? So put in the code “BEINGFREELANCE”…20% off the book, it’s a bargain. Or you can get the book and the templates and stuff that we just mentioned as well. So follow the link at beingfreelance.com. And Anton, thank you so much. I forgot to mention—thank you for being our one-hundredth guest as well. Oh! What an honor! I feel like there should be balloons or streamers…I’ve got nothing. I’ve not even got a coffee to hand. Huh…next time then. Let’s make it “guest a thousand”, Steve. But, yeah, a hundred guests. And it’s a great story to have as the one-hundredth story as well, and some fine advice in there as well, so thank you very much. Yep, beingfreelance.com, and don’t forget to share the podcast with freelancers that you know as well. Anton, thank you and all the best being freelance! Thank you, Steve!

The One Ingredient All Great User Experiences Share

Anton Sten — Wed, 09 Aug 2017 00:00:00 GMT

I have to admit that one of my biggest splurges in life is traveling and staying in great hotels. One of the things I love analyzing while staying in these hotels is how they care for their customers (aka users). You see, there’s one ingredient that I think is the base ingredient for any great user experience and while you’ll might find it more at high-end places, it actually has nothing to do with money. Personally, I love staying at the Eden Roc hotel in the south of France and my wife and I have been fortunate to be able to return on multiple occasions. Their staff is great at honoring this base ingredient helping their users feel at ease. I’ve come across this ingredient at many other places and I’m sure you have too – perhaps in your favorite coffee shop or even on a simple train ride. I’m not really sure where or when everything started to go in the wrong direction. Why is it increasingly difficult to get a good experience? Could our standards be higher than in the past? We demand great user experiences ALL THE TIME. That free app you’re downloading from the AppStore? It has to have a great user experience! That 99 cent app? It has to be even better! Perhaps we’re just more aware now so we can make sure we’re getting real value from our investments, but we don’t always demonstrate gratitude – just expectations. So what does Eden Roc, my favorite restaurant and some of my favorite apps have in common? What’s their base ingredient? There’s a mutual respect between hotel staff and hotel guests, between chefs and customers, and between developers/product managers/designers and their users. Every transaction earns that mutual respect and you have to do the work to maintain that relationship. Petter Stordalen, a Nordic hotel owner about success: >“Success isn’t something you have. Success is something that you’ve had and something that you can have again.” So, this is an opportunity for all of us to look at the experiences businesses are crafting for us and those we are crafting for others. Are we comfortable supporting a company that doesn’t respect us as users? Are our users giving us the respect we believe we deserve? If you answer no to either of those questions, it’s time to reassess where respect was lost and start working to repairing it and then maintaining that relationship. Strong communication, well thought out services that consider the user at every step, and freely giving respect will have you back on track in no time!

A Redesign

Anton Sten — Tue, 15 Aug 2017 00:00:00 GMT

If you’re a frequent reader of my blog, you’ve probably already noticed there have been some changes in the structure and layout of my website. While it may look similar to the previous version, the site is actually completely rebuilt from the ground up. Rather than going into the technical details of the redesign, I thought I’d share my process and reasoning behind the choices I’ve made. Let’s see if you can spot the common thread behind each decision! ## Why a redesign? During the last year, some of my posts have received substantial traffic so, in theory, there was nothing wrong with the layout. However, as I’ve been starting to share short excerpts of posts that I’ve found inspiring, I noticed that the previous design didn’t work exceptionally well with that format. The new design systems offers greater flexibility without making the site feel bloated. ## Design From a design perspective, I wanted to keep the ultra-simple look that I had previously, but take it even one step further and focus solely on the reading experience. I wanted to keep using Neutral which is a fantastic, clean, and modern typeface hosted through Fontstand. I’ve paired Neutral with a more retro mono typeface called Input Sans Condensed from DJR. As someone who preaches about accessibility, I wanted to make sure that my site is WCAG AA+ approved, so that even visually impaired people can experience my content. ## Technology Perhaps the biggest shift has been in terms of the technologies I used. While I used to run my site on Wordpress, like so many others, I’ve started to experience it’s limitations. The fact that Wordpress runs from a database and makes queries to that database is something that consumes bandwidth making it slower for you, the user. Considering the humble size of my website, I’m almost obsessed with making it as fast as possible. After a quick survey with people far more capable of choosing the correct solution than me, I’m now happy to say that my site uses Jekyll. Jekyll compiles pages into a static website making it far faster and less vulnerable to compromise than anything using a database. As I’m terrified of using the terminal to upload and edit websites, I’ve found a solution that I’m so far extremely content with. I’m having the entire site uploaded to Github, a repository for code that offers great version controlling capabilities. A brilliant service called Buddy, then gets notified of a new push to Github and recompiles the website (e.g making all links work, checks for errors etc). Once the build is complete, it uploads the ‘new’ iteration to DigitalOcean. (Edit: It now also purges the cache over at Cloudflare before sending me a private Slack message notifying me that it’s all good.) Bam! Zero terminal required and a fast, backed up, secure website for a non-technical person like myself. I should admit that none of the above would have been possible without the help of Alexander Hansson. Thank you! ## Newsletter If you’re arriving here from my newsletter, you’ve already experienced the biggest (visual) change! If not, this is a good opportunity to sign up and get my newsletter next week. After trying out Drip for almost a year, I've decided to move back to Mailchimp. While Drip offers some great automation tools and segmenting options, it was more complicated than what I actually need. Mailchimp’s simplicity and usability won me over. > If you’re looking to get started with Mailchimp, I highly recommend Paul Jarvis’ Chimpessentials. It’s a great online course that covers just about everything that you need to know to start your own newsletter, even if you have literally zero experience. ## Shop The final technical shift has been from the e-commerce solution behind my book sales. I started with Gumroad and then moved to Woocommerce as I thought it made more sense running Wordpress. While WooCommerce might seem like a affordable alternative (it’s free!), adding the extensions I needed quickly affected the final price. I’m now using Shopify - a shopping experience I personally know and have used hundreds of times on other websites. It’s an all around great solution that really simplifies the sales process. ## So, did you spot the common thread? Every decision that I made in this redesign/rebuild is based on improving YOUR experience. While the visuals may not have changed, I’m confident that your experience will be slightly better. You see, factors like load speed can really impact the user experience. As users, we don’t really care about speed or even notice it until it’s too slow, right? Most people will never go to a website and be amazed at just how fast it loads. Crafting great experiences is sometimes just staying out of the way (e.g. Dropbox, Backblaze etc) and allowing the user to do what they’ve set out to do without interruptions. No email popups to distract you here!

What Would Augment Reality?

Anton Sten — Wed, 16 Aug 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Great piece of thinking on what AR would mean for ordinary people in a not too distant future (say, October 2017?) by Luke Wroblewski. !What would AR >I drafted a series of illustrations on "what would augment reality?". For each illustration I assumed audio input control and gaze path/eye-tracking for object identification. Due to these assumptions, I specifically tried to apply a principle of maximum information yet minimum obstruction (MIMO) to the user interface design.

My high-level goal, however, was to literally "augment" reality. That is, to give people abilities they wouldn't otherwise have through the inclusion of digital information and actions in the physical world.

Are Your Customers Flowers or Plants?

Anton Sten — Mon, 21 Aug 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Having consulted for nearly ten years, I’ve worked with a lot of different clients. Most of these have mastered everything I believe is important to being a great client: - being able to specify and communicate their requirements and goals for the project - being a good communicator - listen and stay open to the possibility that you should change your view on something - respect - this really can’t be stressed enough - there are tons of things I don’t know about your business, so I’ll have thousands of questions. What I do know is how to create engaging digital user experiences, so I’m open to questions and suggestions, but let’s respect each other’s professions. As time went on, I realized that I have two distinct types of clients. In order to enjoy my best work and actually enjoy it, I need both of these types. They trigger different drives in me as well as help me reach my financial goals. I call these two types of clients flowers 🌼 and plants 🌱 . ## Flowers Flowers are clients that have projects that are intense and usually one-offs. They are like flowers, giving me a lot of joy for a very limited amount of time and no matter how much I water them, they’re not going to stay around for more than a couple of weeks/months. A rose is beautiful, but it’s not going to smell lovely for more than a couple of weeks. Realizing that it’s bound to wither is the most sane thing I can do for myself (and for the flower). Respecting that it’s out of my control and making the most of it while it’s fresh is the best option. A typical flower project for me would be a branding project or even a website. ## Plants Plants are a bit different than flowers. Plants require almost the opposite approach. Thoughtful care over a long period of time is how a plant thrives. This can mean leaving it alone to grow slowly into something a lot stronger than when you first got it. Plants can be smaller projects spread over long period of time. Don’t place them in direct sunlight and don’t over-water them. Just show them so love when you see that they need it. They’ll let you know when they need you to water them. In return for your somewhat passive approach, they will with you for years and years. A typical plant project for me would be a conversion optimisation project like Frank or product design like E.ON. ## What should you choose? Depending on the industry you’re in and who your customers are, your garden/green house is going to vary. Some might prefer to just have flowers while others can't stand the requirements that come with it. Some prefer plants (like my wife who doesn’t like the smell of flowers - WHAT?) because they are in some regards less high-maintenance. Personally - I love, and need, the mix of both flowers and plants. While flowers give me excitement and something new, I love the progress and process of seeing a plant grow and thrive, going from a small seed into a full-scale tree 🌳.

Medium

Anton Sten — Fri, 25 Aug 2017 00:00:00 GMT

!Medium - before and after >This change is somewhat perplexing because — regardless of whether you liked the old green, isometric monogram or not — it had become easy and quick to recognize and effectively signaled when you had landed on Medium if you found yourself clicking around the internet. After two years of building on that green "M" now they have to start all over again with a design that's on the complete opposite end of the spectrum and... why? So that they can throw it away in another two years? Sure, the internet — perhaps, especially, publishing on the internet — is a constant battle of How-the-Fuck-do-we-Monetize-this-Shit that makes services appear, disappear, or change but it's random shifts like this that add to the situation. Brilliant review that encapsulates my thoughts far better than I ever could have. And also, did you know that I post most of my blog posts on Medium too?

Github

Anton Sten — Mon, 28 Aug 2017 00:00:00 GMT

>"Now is the time to come clean: GitHub is confusing, Git is confusinger, pretty much everything in a modern web stack no longer makes sense to me, and no one explains it well, because they assume I know some fundamental piece of information that everyone takes for granted and no one documented, almost as if it were a secret that spread around to most everyone sometime in 2012, yet I somehow missed, because—you know—life was happening to me, so I've given up on trying to understand, even the parts where I try to comprehend what everyone else is working on that warrants that kind of complexity, and now I fear that this makes me irrelevant, so I nestle close to my story that my value is my "ideas" and capability to "make sense of things," even though I can't make sense of any of the above—but really, maybe I'm doing okay, since it's all too much to know. Let the kids have it." Sums up my experience trying to understand Github, pull requests, repositories and 'forking' (wtf?). Luckily, David Demaree wrote Git for Humans.

Chasing Growth

Anton Sten — Tue, 29 Aug 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Our society seems to be obsessed with growth. Often you will hear people talking about companies’ headcount as a measure of their success. The bigger the better! “Wow, last year they were just 450 and now they’re nearly 800! They are on their way to being really successful!” In fact, we seem to apply the same metrics to most things today. “They have 5 million active users now!” “They’re valued at $2 billion now!” Let’s be honest, most companies don’t hire more people unless they actually need to and making more money surely can’t be a bad thing, right? So what’s wrong with praising growth? >The underpinning tenet of chasing exponential growth is that anything less than “all of it” is never enough. If there’s more possible, more out there, then it’s your gawd damn duty to hunt it down and make it yours.**-DHH** Growth is good if it’s balanced by demand and driven out of a strategy. But more often than not today, it seems as if growth is just the assumed path forward. Bigger is assumed to equal better and even though they may not be happier customers, at least there’s more of them. That is the goal, right? I’m not sure. Apple, for one, should know. ## The Paradox of Demand Apple, today valued as the world’s largest company, has experienced some of the biggest growth ever seen with a product. The iPhone, as we all know, is a massive success. Let’s start by painting a mental picture about the specifics of the iPhone’s production line. >During the most recent Xmas quarter, Apple sold slightly fewer than 80 million iPhones, about 900,000 a day. Obligingly, a day has 86,400 seconds, so we round up to 90,000 to get a production yield of ten iPhones per second.

But producing a phone isn’t instantaneous, it isn’t like the click of the shutter in a high-speed camera. Let’s assume that it takes about 15 minutes (rounded up to 1,000 seconds) to assemble a single iPhone. How many parallel production pipes need to accumulate ten phones a second? 1,000 divided by 1/10 equals… 10,000!

Ten thousand parallel pipes in order to output ten phones per second.**-Jean-Louis Gassée** Selling 80 million iPhones every quarter sure is great for your quarterly results, but the logistics of a production line that produces 10,000 iPhones simultaneously? Huge nightmare. Similarly, adding new components to an iPhone is no easy task. There’s only a handful of suppliers that are able to meet their demands of supplying parts that can fulfill their intense production line. >The iPhone is so popular a product that Apple can’t include any technology or source any part if it can’t be made more than 200 million times a year. If the supplier of a cutting-edge part Apple wants can only provide the company with 50 million per year, it simply can’t be used in the iPhone. Apple sells too many, too fast.

Contrast that to Apple’s competition. On the smaller end, former Android chief Andy Rubin announced the Essential phone, but even Rubin admitted that he’d only be able to sell in thousands, not millions. **-Jason Snell** ## Decisions by committee can slow the work… Some of the companies I’ve worked for have had, to say the least, a fascination for holding meetings. As soon as a question arose, a meeting was called. The more important the question was, the more people “needed” to be there. Most weren’t sure what the meeting was about or, even worse, why they were called. Ironically, more often than not, the person with a mandate to decide didn’t show up making the meeting completely pointless and wasting 10-15 people’s time. But it sure feels important to gather a bunch of people in a room, right? If you’ve ever worked in a large organization, I’m sure you can relate to this. In fact, this is what most companies still do! Inc. argues that 99% of all meetings are a waste of time. Basecamp, a company I often reference, have found that three is their magic number. >Nearly all product work is done by teams of three people. A team of three is usually composed of two programmers and one designer. And if it’s not three, it’s two or one — not four or five. We don’t throw more people at problems, we chisel problems down until they can be tackled by three people, at most. This past spring I’ve worked on a large redesign project for E.ON. While the entire team consists of about 15 people, most of the work that we did this spring was between 2 or 3 people. It’s been great! We’d been able to move forward at a far faster pace. Whenever we’d felt that there’s one decision that we need help moving forward with, we’d isolate the question and asked one of the other team members. Not everyone, just one. You can do big things with small teams, but it’s a whole hell of a lot harder to do small things with big teams. So before you head out there, chasing more of that precious ‘growth’, perhaps take a step back and consider the potential downsides of it. What growth is worth pursuing and when is enough… just enough? >The longest lived businesses in the world aren’t the ones that were biggest in their day. Many of them are family firms, or small to mid-sized enterprises content with steady evolvement of their niche. Content with enough.**-DHH**

What's good design?

Anton Sten — Mon, 04 Sep 2017 00:00:00 GMT

There are just as many opinions on what 'good design' is as there are 'designed' objects. While some believe that good design is merely a visual characteristic, others claim that function should always trump form to be good design. Dieter Rams, legendary designer, crafted ten rules of what good design is. Even if you're not familiar with Dieter's work, you're probably familiar with work that's highly inspired by it! Anyways, the ten rules that Dieter set were the following: 1. Good Design is Innovative 2. Good Design Makes a Product Useful 3. Good Design is Aesthetic 4. Good Design Makes a Product Understandable 5. Good Design is Unobtrusive 6. Good Design is Honest 7. Good Design is Long-lasting 8. Good Design is Thorough Down to the Last Detail 9. Good Design is Environmentally Friendly 10. Good Design is as Little Design as Possible While most of these are pretty obvious, there are a few that I'd like to take a closer look at. ## Good Design is useful AND understandable - and they are not the same Dieter clearly states that making a product 'useful' and 'understandable' are two different concepts and often companies will confuse the two when developing new products. They assume that "this is really useful (for us) so it's surely understandable (at least for us) as well." As the barriers to creating new products have lowered for years, it seems we've been less inclined to ask ourselves, "Is this useful?" We now have access to more and more frameworks, allowing us to have something up and running in just hours, but we've started to skip asking ourselves, "Is this understandable?" ## Good Design is as Little Design as Possible Some weeks ago I relaunched my website and one of the comments over at DesignerNews was the following: >Redesign? There is no design? Simple white page with text.. While I can see what this person means in theory - I'm confused as what would require for something to 'be a design'. Colors? Shapes? Is a Mark Rothko not as much a painting as a da Vinci because it has no clear motif? !Rothko >You know bad design when you encounter it. From every chair you've sat in that hurt your ass, to every coffee cup that burned your hand, to every time your finger triggered the wrong link on your phone, to every airline booking site that pissed you off. You know bad design. You hate it. -Mike Monteiro Everything is designed. The only difference is how much effort that has been put into the design. Nothing is "un-designed". Even that Comic Sans note in your copier room - is designed by someone (who clearly shouldn't be in charge of making notes). I want my content to be in focus. I want to give my readers a pleasant reading experience without any email opt-ins popping up. There will be no "lead forms" and no bright colors to sway their eyes in a different direction. To me, that's good design. To others, that's apparently 'no design'… 🤔 ## What I'm missing - Good Design is Uniting One of my favorite designed products is my bike. Even though I'm a neutral-colored kinda guy , I love the look of my golden Martone bike. !Martone I love it's clean lines combined with the attitude of that golden yellow color. I use it far too little, but whenever I do I hear people - mostly 15-year old boys - shout, "Wow, look at that cool bike!" So while the design preferences of myself and a 15-year old boy is surely different from each other, we're still united in our love of this designed product. I really wish we'd see that more in digital products too.

Carpe Diem UX-designers

Anton Sten — Mon, 11 Sep 2017 00:00:00 GMT

I've just finished reading Tools of Titans by Tim Ferriss. It's a massive 600+ page book, but because it's split up in three major sections (Healthy, Wealthy and Wise) it's still still feels like a pretty light read. One of my favorite chapters was about Shay Carl. For those of you not familiar with Shay, he went from being a manual laborer to having a YouTube channel with 2.3 billion views. The advice that Shay shared struck a chord with me. It's simple, but also a bit controversial. He explains that the secrets of life are hidden behind the clichés we overlook. Shay himself lost over 100 lbs and cites the example of 'eat more vegetables'. It's something he'd been told millions of times, but ignored. Turns out, a pretty efficient way to loose weight is, you guessed it, eating more vegetables. Hello broccoli! 🥗 ## "Carpe Diem" There are so many different proverbs that have become clichés in our languages. My favorite is "Carpe Diem", Latin for seize the day. It has to be one of the best known, right? Well, turns out, it's actually quite powerful despite it's misuse. To live a happier life, stop stressing about the future (or even worse, the past). Just be there in the moment. !Carpe Diem B*tches Actions speak louder than words. Exercise regularly. Get 8 hours of sleep. Show up and do the work. The list goes on, but once you actually commit to them you're more than guaranteed to see a real change in your well-being. These clichés can hold powerful truths, but we don't always put them into practice. At the end of the day, it's the simple things in life that work. This got me thinking of whether the same holds true for some of the clichés we tell each other about creating great user experiences. ## "Simple is good" We want to create simple user experiences because we're certain that simple equals good. But wouldn't it be nice to be able to share the page to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn? Google+? Yeah sure, throw that in there as well. It can't hurt can it? Well, actually it can. The problem is you're moving away from simple and stepping into feature-heavy-land. More features should be a better user experiences because we're able to meet everyone's demands AND expectations, right? Wrong. You're making it harder to use. Simple is good. ## "Simple is hard" Perhaps because simple is good, simple is hard. The reason why Apple feels so intuitive to many people is because they invest in making things as simple as possible. Most companies don't invest in further simplification when the figure their feature is "good enough". And in some cases, that's perfectly fine. In terms of user experience, to be truly great, it needs to be simple and making that happen is really hard. Let's stop assuming that because something seems simple, it's easy to do. It's quite the opposite. ## "Consider the user first" Perhaps the most common cliché about creating great user experiences is that you must considering the user first. Yet so many times, we're finding ourselves in projects where our ambition is to solve an internal process/problem. Sometimes we're just forcing a solution on a user without them asking for it! To find out what our users truly wants, why not just ask them? Is your company struggling with more competition and declining sales? Now is a good time to try out that cliché and consider what your users want FIRST. ## "Mobile first" The term 'mobile first' started getting serious traction back in 2012, yet most of us are still designing and thinking desktop first (yours truly included). Sure, we still make sure to mention 'let's not forget about mobile', but it's not our top priority. Thing is, mobile IS first engagement for most people already (yes, yours truly also included). Google have already reported that a majority of all Google searches are made on mobile devices rather than desktop computers. *Note: Google Trends data shows a significant increase in searches for "mobile first" from 2004 to 2017, indicating the growing importance of mobile-first design.* My advice to you? The next time you hear something that sounds like a cliché, try considering how it can work for you instead of dismissing it. Who knows, it may actually turn out to be a good decision.

How To Predict Your Future

Anton Sten — Mon, 25 Sep 2017 00:00:00 GMT

>What you do today does impact your future.
Do you eat junk food? I’ll tell you this: In 10 years you’ll be fatter and unhealthier.
Do you complain? I’ll tell you this: Your life’s situation will be exactly the same in 10 years.
Do you lounge in your office chair all day and watch YouTube videos instead of doing hard things? I’ll tell you this: You’ll be stuck at that same job. Or worse, you’ll get fired.
Do you spend more than you earn? I’ll tell you this: In 10 years, you’ll worry about money every single day.
Obviously, I’m not a fortune teller. But this predicting is easy. Anyone with a little common sense can do it. And it works like a charm. Great post from Darius Foroux. Same common sense goes for building a great business.

Tobias Ahlin: Where'd all the feelings go?

Anton Sten — Tue, 03 Oct 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Great talk by Tobias Ahlin at Nordic Design. Love this quote: "I forgot that simple and easy to use is not in conflicting with expressive and engaging.

Stop Saying E-mail is Broken

Anton Sten — Mon, 25 Sep 2017 00:00:00 GMT

For years now, our community has believed in the idea that 'Email is broken' and even gone as far as sharing advice on how to Escape E-mail Hell. There are countless companies that have set their mission on 'fixing e-mail'. While I love tools like Slack, it's not there to 'fix e-mail' because, as far as I'm concerned, e-mail isn't broken. The saying 'don't try to fix what ain't broken' applies really well to this scenario. E-mail as a protocol is great and most e-mail apps do exactly what they promise. They're (usually) stable, quick, and even novice users can get started with the really basic functions (compose, send, reply) of e-mail pretty quickly. ## So why are so many people set out to fix e-mail? E-mail is something that most people use every day so if it were 'broken', 'fixing' it would solve a 'problem' for a lot of people. Over 100 billion emails are sent daily. For something that's 'broken', that sure is a lot of usage. 'Fixing' it would be monumental achievement. As a designer, I can relate to this mentality. We embrace the idea of something needing to be 'fixed'. Unfortunately, a lot of us seem to skip the boring stage of 'user research' and jump straight into -insert cool choice of software- and immediately begin creating high fidelity mockups and prototypes. In the case of e-mail, what they don't realize is they are confusing these two statements: E-mail is broken
vs.
People's usage of e-mail is broken Simply put, too much of anything will kill you and that goes for e-mail too. E-mail isn't broken, but people who see no problem in sending/receiving hundreds of e-mails every day are. Just like spamming any Slack channel by using @channel for everything you write - you will eventually kill it. People should really consider if the email they are about to send needs sending and if it should have those additional 14 people cc'ed. !E-mail is broken >Email is broken, but so is our attitude towards it: our dependency on its promise; our addiction to activity; our insistence for information in ignorance of the quantity or quality that may follow; our inability to distinguish between the brief and the self-indulgent. In a noisy world, a quiet inbox unnerves us. "Is anybody else having trouble with their email?" we'll ask our colleagues when an expected response fails to arrive. And when did you last meet someone who didn't have an email address? What year was that, exactly?
E-mail is broken but so are you E-mail as a protocol is, especially considering it's age, an amazing protocol. I would delete so many things from my life before even considering removing e-mail. Social Media? Bye-bye! Slack? Nice knowing you! >Facebook is on their third generation of plans to kill email. Mobile messaging has been going to kill email for the past four years. This year, Slack is going to kill email. Asana might still be going to kill email. Maybe the thing that saves Twitter's stock price will be killing email.
It's your fault e-mail is broken Personally, I love e-mail. For some reason it seems most of the e-mail I get is good news whereas most of the traditional post is bad news with invoices/bills making up a large portion. Set up correctly, e-mail is not as invasive as phone calls, yet it can offer almost the same personal touch. >It takes courage to admit it, but the real problem with email isn't with email at all. It's with human nature, and with the nature of knowledge work. In a recent study by Kostadin Kushlev and Elizabeth W. Dunn, they found that over 81 percent of U.S. employees respond to emails within an hour (32 percent within 15 minutes). What's even more surprising, though, is that 6 percent of respondents checked their email while they or their spouses were in labor. That's not email -- that's us.
It's your fault e-mail is broken So instead of trying to fix e-mail, why not turn our energy to the things that actually needs fixing? There are complicated matters that need solutions far greater than a getting a new Sketch template. Why do we see so few Medium posts proposing better solutions to health care? Medical software interfaces? Airport way finding? Insurance claim filing? I'd love to see more designers tackle real stuff. As a side note, isn't it ironic that all of these tools that set out to fix e-mail rely heavily on e-mail to even set up an account? 🤔

Ux-writer: A New term, a Big Need

Anton Sten — Tue, 03 Oct 2017 00:00:00 GMT

As I've said in the past, I think it's important for designers to write. Designers need to perfect their way of thinking, to find an alternative way to lay out ideas, and to plan their reasoning in a structured way and writing is a tool to make that happen. Lately, I've been thinking more and more about the different benefits of writing for designers, and more importantly, UX-designers. When crafting great user experiences, we use all of our skills to perfect a solution. - We can perform in-depth user research to find out everything about the problems users are currently experiencing. This frees us to come up with innovative user flows. - We conduct user interviews to find out even more about our audience and see how they interact with our prototypes. We can then fine-tune all of the different stages of the user journey. - We design beautiful websites and apps that feel intuitive and are a joy to use. We build solutions that grow relationships between companies and their clients. However, all of the steps above can fall flat if we ignore one thing: Words. Words serve a far higher purpose than finding the exact right shade of blue or adjusting the gradient to that sweet spot. They are incredibly powerful. >Lately, businesses are taking notice of the importance of words. One of the most sought-after titles right now should therefor come as no surprise: The UX-writer.

UX writing is the practice of designing the words people see when they interact with software. It's about designing the conversation between a product and its user.

In many ways, it's just writing, so don't get thrown off by the name. Many of the things that make UX writing good are the things that make other writing good too: clarity, consistency, precision, self-awareness, a whole lot of revision, and thoughtful attention to the context and the audience.**What is UX-Writing by Lisa Sanchez** If you're a designer like me, chances are you've worked on a project where "the copy will arrive any day now" until you notice that, through a combination of stress and bad planning, the site goes live with YOUR WORDS. While they might not be horrible, they're words that you spent literally four seconds coming up with. Chances are, your words are just as "on-brand" as the color choices the missing copywriter would have made had the situation been reversed. I've even had sites go live with my Lorem Ipsum copy still there. The missing copywriter is also what causes software and apps to give you messages like "The software encountered a fatal exception -501". Not very enlightening huh? !UX-writing >You encounter UX writing every time you use an app or the internet. When it's doing its job well, you don't even notice it. The words we use create our brand and experience. The way I am writing in this post and on my newsletter, is part of my brand. It falls under the personal/professional format. At times, I'm even casual enough that my brand can involve animated GIF's and emoji 👯. Now even though Apple, Facebook, and Dropbox are hiring UX-writers, chances are that it'll still be a while before all of your clients will have dedicated writers onboard. If you're a freelancer like me, why not learn a new skill? That way, when they do hire writers, you'll make friends immediately! Writing is a huge part of the user experience and, as user experience designers, it's time for us to be responsible for the whole thing. As I've discussed in the past, UX-designer is a title I'm not a fan of and that's partially because it removes any responsibility from writing and tone-of-voice. Instead, I'm now turning to the title of UX-lead as a more fitting role. It allows me to take responsibility over the entire user experience: research, design, AND words.

Product/Dev teams should NOT write these texts. Updates are a huge retention tool reminding customers why they should keep using your app. pic.twitter.com/AxmUBe6reO
— Talia Wolf (@TaliaGw) June 17, 2017

Creative Class

Anton Sten — Sat, 07 Oct 2017 00:00:00 GMT

It isn’t a surprise to anyone following me that two of the things I love the most - football aside - are being a freelancer and running a business like a pro. One of the people I really look up to is Paul Jarvis. He has the gift to create his own amazing products and the determination to follow through. I’ve had the opportunity to talk to Paul on several occasions and he's a genuinely nice guy (and we share the same love of cars).You may know Paul’s name from my books as I’ve interviewed him for both of my books or from the great ChimpEssentials. I’m excited that this week Paul is relaunching his class Creative Class. I attended the first run of the Creative Class and let me tell you first hand - if you’re a freelancer or in any way running a business - this is money extremely well spent. To sweeten the deal even more, it’s not just Paul this time. He’s teamed up with another one of my favorite freelancers and writers, Kaleigh Moore. Seriously, her newsletter is great and everyone should subscribe to it. Let’s turn over to Paul and Kaleigh to find out what’s new: Who should sign up for the Creative Class? Is it for all freelancers or just for the creative ones? 😉

Paul: The course is setup for anyone who runs a freelance business and wants it to run better (better being: more revenue, good clients, less revisions, and less stress). It's primarily designed for: designers, developers and writers. But everyone from life coaches to yoga teachers take it.

Kaleigh: Creative Class is for all types of freelancers who are trying to figure out the nuts and bolts of how to make the biz side of things work. When Paul and I were doing the podcast, we found that even though we do two very different types of work, we'd faced a lot of the same issues--which is kind of a testament to its versatility. What’s the biggest take-away from the first run of the Creative Class - and what has changed for the second run? (Apart from Kaleigh)

Kaleigh: The new version is much more thorough and there are templates you can put to work right away. Plus, it's updated to reflect the new ideas we've both learned over the past 2-3 years since V1 came out.

Paul: Freelancing is a business. you have to treat it as such. The biggest change, other than Kaleigh's awesome insights, is that the flow from lesson to lesson is easier and quicker. That was my main reason for redesigning it from scratch. All decisions were based on 2,000+ students taking it the first time :) I want to find out more, what can I do?

Both: Go to the CC website, listen to the podcast, sign up to learn more :) ## Still not convinced? Here comes the deal breaker, use the code ‘anton20’ and you’ll get $20 off from the course price! ## Do your future self a favor and sign up for the Creative Class.

Calling bullshit on 'apple is really bad at design

Anton Sten — Mon, 16 Oct 2017 00:00:00 GMT

There's one thing that's really been itching a nerve with me. Lately, there's been a lot of "Apple has lost it's innovation" or "Apple sucks at design" pieces in personal blogs and in major news outlets. One of the most shared posts "Apple is really bad at design" (how's that for a clickbait title?) makes me twitch. !iPhone X splash Any opinion that you state as a hard fact without having the research to back it up is pretty much lying to your audience. To me, making sure that we have all of the necessary information before bashing other people's work is one of the most ethically important processes we have as designers. Unfortunately, others seem to believe that having a strong opinion is far more important than having a validated one. >"The "notch" on the new iPhone X is not just strange, interesting, or even odd — it is bad. It is bad design, and as a result, bad for the user experience. The justification for the notch (the new Face ID tech, which lets you unlock the device just by looking at it) could have easily been accomplished with no visual break in the display.

To wit: no one wanted or asked for Face ID, and the feature actually raises new concerns about security for users." First of all, bad design isn't necessarily the same as a bad user experience. The design of the notch aside, the feature the notch enables (Face ID) is what the user experience is about. I'm extremely skeptical of the statement that it could "easily have been accomplished with no visual break in the display". If that's the case, I'm sure Apple would love to have that input. It's also true that no one specifically asked for Face ID - that I know of, I'm pretty sure Apple could argue otherwise. To claim that no one 'wanted' it however, is just a wrongful claim because so far only a very number limited number of people have had the opportunity to actually try it out. If the claim that 'no one wanted it' is true, then that holds true for Touch ID, the iPhone itself, Tesla, Uber, Facebook, or any of the other groundbreaking devices and services that we've watched grow over the last decade. When I was using AltaVista I don't remember anyone clearly saying they were missing a better search engine. When the headphone jack was removed last year, the same kind of bashing happened. The Verge famously said that removing headphone jack was 'user-hostile' and stupid when the iPhone 7 was revealed. No more than 12 months later both Samsung and Google release new top of the line smartphones... without an headphone jack. I guess the 'courage' statement kinda makes more sense now? As designers, a big part of our job is to think of solutions that we believe our users will benefit from. But in order for it "hit the mark", we need to know our users, their everyday lives, and what they are looking to get out of their experience with our products. Just designing great looking mockups is easy, making something useful is a lot harder. A couple of weeks ago, another post surfaced; "Taking IKEA Out of Its Box and Redesigning It for 1.6B Users". It's a visual delight to look at the screens and there's even some reasoning behind some of the decisions. Having just a quick look, I was amazed at some of the visual cues that had been incorporated. There's a lot more drop shadows and weird shapes than I've ever seen IKEA communicate before. Hmm. Normally, I just quickly scroll through these and close them, but because I have a lot of [experience working with IKEA and know a thing or two about their process, I wanted to continue reading. I scrolled down to the very end to find... "Note: this is a concept design case study, IKEA didn't implement any of these designs." (which also seems to be the only highlight of the post). Designing a great product without knowing the - technical restrictions that are in place, your guess is as good as a random person on the street. Just "improving their search so it works" is easy to write in a post, but a lot harder to process in reality with thousands of products - all with variations - across multiple systems. This is similar to the scale that Apple has to design products for. Every second there's more than 10,000 iPhones being produced simultaneously. What does this has to do with anything? Well, turns out, very few suppliers can meet that demand. So every piece of technology that Apple chooses to implement will need to be available at that scale. That's a very different scenario than Apple was in just 5-7 years ago. So saying Apple was "innovative" back then, but now they've lost it, is really just half the story. - user base that you're talking to, it's really hard to design something that's "for everyone". Apple products are not just for the tech elite nor is the IKEA website for people on dribbble. The only way to design products that work is to find out more about what your users hope to achieve. - worst-case scenario for a template. Background images can have a light or a dark color scheme so adding text on top of an image needs to take that into account. Also, designing for IKEA or designing iOS requires all typography to work in multiple languages. The difference in length between English and Finnish is no joke. Also, we haven't even started looking into Arabic languages and how everything will flow right-to-left rather than left-to-right. - accessibility requirements. When designing for millions, you'll have at least tens of thousands of people that have an eye problem of some sort. Using tools like Stark is a great asset for this, but far too few people take the time to think about this. Turns out, attacking a company is easy. Coming up with better, more friendly (for everyone) solutions is a lot harder. Brings me back to a favorite quote from Chuq von Rospach: >A lot of it boils down to this concept:
We demand Apple innovate, but we insist they don't change anything. Will I love the new iPhone X? I'm not sure at all to be honest, but I'm going to try it out before posting any unvalidated opinions on it. Rather than critiquing their inability to innovate or bashing their new design decisions, I'm eager to try something new. What about you?

What do you do?

Anton Sten — Tue, 31 Oct 2017 00:00:00 GMT

“So… what do you do?” is a question that we’ve all been asked more times than we can remember. This simple question can lead to people going on forever on what their complicated Executive Director title really mean for their business while failing to communicate their core product in less than ten minutes. If this is an elevator pitch, I guess we’re going up to the top of the Burj Khalifa. My friend Peter answers this question the best. He runs his own business and is a total pro. What does Peter do? He helps companies advertise on Facebook. Simple as that. That’s 6 words and you get a pretty complete picture. No matter your technical background or how internet-savvy you are you get it. Even my grandma understands the essence of what Peter does. Very few of us answer this very basic question in a simple way. We share our titles and roles rather than what we do. Seriously, what does an Account Director really do? We use industry-centric terms (like UX-designer) or, even worse, we describe our business by using other businesses as examples. If you say your company is the Uber for -insert whatever-, you’re assuming that everyone knows what Uber does. If they don’t, they might end up feeling stupid and embarrassed. A couple of weeks ago I was flying home from France and was seated next to an Australian photographer. Somehow we started discussing and I was waiting for the question “What do you do” to come up. I had already rehearsed my response in my head and weighed the alternatives. Am I a UX-designer? Just a designer? Will he think I’m an industrial designer? A painter? His real question actually left me baffled and searching for words. ## What are you passionate about? Rather than asking what I do, he asked me what I was passionate about. It’s a question that hits home on a much deeper level and, for many people, actually has nothing to do with what they do for a living. I’m passionate about being a small business owner and helping others like me. I’m passionate about football and Liverpool in particular. I’m passionate about dogs. Am I passionate about user experiences? Maybe not, but I AM passionate about improving day to day lives for millions of people by removing bad user experiences. My friend Peter is fortunate enough to also be very passionate about Facebook and if you have any interest in all the different product updates Facebook is rolling out, Peter’s feed is a gold mine. Turns out, passion is a majorly important factor if you want to be highly successful. Sam Altman, interviewed by his brother Jack for their series “How to build the future”. Excerpt from Mastering Freelance: >I think you wanna look for the intersection of what you're good at, what you enjoy and in what way you can create value for the world. And in my experience, if you don't find something at the intersection of those three, it's hard to really have an impact. I think most people kind of just fall into what they work on. They don't give it much thought and there is benefit to that. Sometimes you actually have to just try stuff to figure out what you like. But I really do think it is worth upfront thought about what you're going to spend most of your waking time doing. So I think it's really good when people think about what they're good at, what they like and kind of how they can create value for the world. Magic happens when we find the intersection of what we’re good at and what we’re passionate about. The Internet has made the possibility of making money from combining your passion with what you’re good at a reality for thousands of people. The very same logic applies to the products we’re creating. I believe all of the most successful products have one thing in common - founders/creators that are passionate about what they’re building. And while things like revenue, active users, and engagement are important for the survival of your business, they tend to have very little to do with passion. So the next time you’re out and about, rather than asking the person you’re meeting what they do, try asking them what they’re passionate about and see where the conversation takes you. Perhaps you’ll meet another Liverpool supporter or dog lover 🐶 ❤️.

Checkout for Winners

Anton Sten — Fri, 10 Nov 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Great notes from Luke W from Andrey Lipattsev's talk Checkout for Winners. Bullet points that stuck out to me: >- The Web is better than ever before. You can build fast, rich, app-like experiences but many companies opt to route people to native experiences instead of optimizing the Web experiences. That needs to change. - On mobile, 54% of people quit checkout if they are asked to sign-up. 92% will give up if they don't remember a password or user name. - AliExpress had a 41% higher sign-in rate, 85% fewer sign-in failures, and 11% better conversion rate when they added One tap. - The Guardian gained 44% more cross-platform signed-in users with One tap. - We still buy things online by filling in Web forms. This introduces a lot of friction at a critical point. - 2-5minutes is the average for checkout times on the Web. The PaymentRequest API reduces this effort to 30seconds. Reducing friction is critical in every user experience and interaction. I'm delighted everytime I need to sign into an app or a page and I see the small 1Password icon in the signup fields. Anything that's reducing the boring tasks (like manually entering data into fields) makes for a better experience. Reducing checkout time from 2-5 minutes to 30 seconds is insane and there's no wonder that the conversions are up. If anything, I'm surprised they're not up by more.

Living a Testing Culture

Anton Sten — Fri, 10 Nov 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Great notes from Luke W from Max van der Heijden's lessons learnt from the A/B testing culture at Booking.com. Bullet points that stuck out to me: >- Booking.com books 1.5 million room nights per day. That's a lot of opportunity to learn and optimize. More than 40% of all Booking.com sales happen on mobile. - Booking.com A/B tests everything. If something cannot be A/B tested, Booking.com won't do it. There's more than 1,000 A/B tests running at any time. - Teams are made for testing a hypothesis. They're assembled based on what resources they need to vet a hypothesis. They are autonomous, small, multi-disciplinary (designers, developers, product owners, copywriters, etc.) and have 100% access to as much data as possible. - Booking.com's experiment tool allows everyone to see all current experiments to avoid overlaps and conflicts between testing. - Failure is OK. Most of your learnings come from tests that don't work. 9/10 tests at Booking.com fail. - Everyone needs to to live the testing culture. Ideas can come from anywhere and go all of them go through the same testing process. Everyone is part of this. - Data only tells you what is happening. User research tells you why. These two efforts work together to define what experiments to run next and then test them. - What worked before might not work now. Always challenge your assumptions. - You can innovate through small steps. - Delighting customers doesn't necessarily mean more profit. Short term gains may not align with long term value. You'll need to find a balance. It's evident that in order to make a testing culture work it needs to be implemented at all levels (designers, developers, product owners, copywriters) and everyone needs to learn from each other in order to not make the same mistakes over and over. One of the reasons for their success is to allow mistakes (90%) but to learn from them and share insights within the entire organisation. Not everything needs to be big steps. Refining the copy of a button can make as much different as redesigning the entire page.

Enjoyable UX vs. Usable UX

Anton Sten — Tue, 14 Nov 2017 00:00:00 GMT

I recently had the opportunity to be interviewed by Adobe Creative blog on how I create meaningful user experiences. During that interview we talked about a lot of different things, but it mostly revolved around topics that I discussed in my book, User Experiences that Matter. A few years have passed since I wrote it, but I'm pleased to see that it continues to give it's readers value. One of the things I discuss in the book is the extra mile that's required to create a user experience that's actually enjoyable. If you haven't read it already, you can find the essence of it's in one of my older posts called The Extra Effort for Great UX. One of the perks of writing and why I think all designers should write is that it focuses us to not only validate our thinking and designs, but it gives us the opportunity to re-visit our thoughts from the past. Do these thoughts and ideas still hold true? If not, then why? I've found that while I think we should still strive for enjoyable experiences, enjoyable might not in fact be the best word to describe it. I used Maslow's hierarchy of needs to describe the different steps of user experiences and how they would affect the user. !Maslow hierarchy UX How does this relate to UX Design in the digital and physical world? Maslow gives us the method to understanding the needs of our users. Take online banking for an example: 1. Make the interface functional. It would mean the user being able to login, pay bills, and view an account summary. 2. Make it feel safe for the user to use. I don't need to tell you how crucial that is for the banking industry and a user will refuse to use something that even APPEARS to be unsafe. 3. Make it usable. It needs to be easy to navigate between pages and it all the functions exactly as the user expects. Note: This is where 99% of all services end, but great UX design goes further. 4. Make it pleasurable. I know what you're thinking – a pleasurable online banking experience? Crazy! It may seem laughable, but it's only crazy until someone actually makes one. Then the whole industry will scramble to catch up. Some of my favorite user experiences aren't enjoyable in the sense that they offer bells and whistles or even amusing graphics like Mailchimp - although I'm a huge fan of their UX too. In fact, some of my favorite experiences take a vastly different approach. They choose to offer as much value as possible with as little friction as possible. An average consumer spends more than two hours per day on their phones and, if you're anything like me, a lot of that remaining time is spent in front of a computer screen. While I do want that time to be enjoyable, I'm looking for tools that offer something else. Basically, I just want to get things done. Talking to Adobe, I mentioned Dropbox as a great tool that just works and that's why I'm also not a big fan of them changing their branding. One of the best investments in my business throughout the years is my Doxie Go scanner. It's something I use almost daily and while the software that comes along with it isn't anything special, it does one thing very well. You want to know what that is? It just works. It's fast, easy to understand and lightweight. Sometimes we assume that in order to stand out and make an impression, we need to come blazing in when in fact to make a lasting, great experience it's often the opposite. ## Want to learn more? Just talking about this has inspired me to relaunch User Experiences that Matter with a new landing page along with a free e-mail course for anyone interested in UX! Check it out!

The secret formula for great user experiences

Anton Sten — Mon, 27 Nov 2017 00:00:00 GMT

I’m intrigued about learning more about what makes a great user experience. The topic is so complex and there’s a lot of scenarios to consider. There’s a very basic formula though that’s been playing around in my mind lately.

While I initially thought about it regarding digital products, I’ve been surprised at how many different levels in my life it seems to work. It may seem basic, even trivial to most, yet so many of us mess up over and over.

A great user experience needs to deliver a delight filled experience with as little friction as possible. ## Capturing delight Most products that succeed have subscribed to this philosophy. Booking a ride with Uber or paying with ApplePay took away a lot of friction while adding enjoyable experiences. Booking a ticket with Virgin America may have had the same steps as most airlines, but did it with much more positive engagements and, as a result, conversions were up like any good user experience. Unfortunately, the majority of software out today could be way better. Where most companies go wrong is they believe they’re adding delight when in fact they’re just adding friction. Skype is a perfect example of this. Every new version of the app adds tons of features that I’m sure they think are “fun”. Except they’re not. Skype users just want good call quality and be able to send messages easily. Not stickers. As an example, users will continue to complain over bugs found in the new version of iOS, but iPhone X users seem to be more tolerant of them as they have a newfound enjoyment in using the product. If they are like me, they love the hidden notifications that appear when you look at your phone and having the ringtone fade/dim when it notices that I’m looking at the screen when a call comes in. They may be really small features, but they feels like magic the first times you experience it. They bring delight. Ben Thompson, Apple at its best: >The iPhone 7 was a solid upgrade: it was noticeably faster, had an excellent screen, and the camera was great; small wonder it sold in record number everywhere but China. What it lacked, though — and I didn’t fully appreciate this until I got an iPhone X — was delight.

The trick Apple pulled, though, was going beyond that: the first time I saw notifications be hidden and then revealed through simply a glance produced the sort of surprise-and-delight that has traditionally characterized Apple’s best products. And, to be sure, surprise-and-delight is particularly important to the iPhone X: so much is new, particularly in terms of the interaction model, that frustrations are inevitable; in that Apple’s attempt to analogize the iPhone X to the original iPhone is more about contrasts than comparisons. The irony here is that the people getting the iPhone 8-series get it primarily because they want something that just works. They’re not necessarily interested in having the latest features, they just want features that work. ## How do we apply this method to our lives? Our businesses face the same challenges. When I’m choosing who to work with I’m naturally looking for fun and challenging projects. I’m also looking to work with people that will challenge me, make me grow as a designer, and inspire me to think in new ways. These projects offer me happiness and motivation. That said, no matter what the project’s mission is or the people I’m working with, too much friction will make me dread the project. Bad communication (or in some cases, no communication!), sloppy deadlines, or having to chase payments are examples of friction. This is obviously a two-way street and something that I consider when thinking about my business as well. I do my best to stay flexible to client demands and requests, keep a positive spirit, and focus on delivering delight. That can take your business a long way and prove that it’s a sustainable long-term path! Heck, even our personal relationships face the same challenges. Whenever a friend or significant other brings more friction than delightful experiences you’ll quickly begin to question the relationship. Ultimately, we just want to get along, be happy, and avoid mess. Sometimes, we suffer with things that we know aren’t giving us any delight though just because… well… because we think we have to. We won’t bother to look into using another service even though we hate the one we’re using. We’ll stay “friends” with the guy that only calls when it suits him (typically around the time he needs a favor). It’s something we come across in all aspects of life and relationships whether that relationship is with a your family and friends, businesses, or even with your digital and physical products. What we often forget is that we have the option to own our experiences and hunt for delight in all we do. So, go out and look for yours. When you find it, share it with others. The world will be a better for it.

Measure your worth, know your motivations

Anton Sten — Tue, 12 Dec 2017 00:00:00 GMT

There's this one drawing on the wall of my local pizza joint that always catches my eye. It's picture drawn by a little girl who is probably no more than 5 years. It has the the little girl and a huge heart on it. In her 5 year old handwriting she wrote that she loves their pizza and that they're the very best pizza bakers. !Pizza I think of this picture as a personal reminder that there's more ways to measure your work's worth than by the money you bring in. Just like chasing growth, chasing heaps of cash may be a great motivator, but it can't be the sole reason for the work you are doing. Now, don't get me wrong, I have set ambitious financial targets for my business that I hustle to meet every year, but I have a different set of priorities as well. Am I enjoying the work I'm doing? It's not always possible to enjoy the work you do, but whenever I have too much work on my plate I am dreading, it's a signal to me that something needs to change. ## The Struggle Tech companies fight over the only finite thing we all have - time. While people can always spend more and more money, their time is limited to a maximum of 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. This fight grows in intensity as these companies compete with one another. >Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google have produced amazing products that have benefited the world enormously. But these companies are also caught in a zero-sum race for our finite attention, which they need to make money. Constantly forced to outperform their competitors, they must use increasingly persuasive techniques to keep us glued. They point AI-driven news feeds, content, and notifications at our minds, continually learning how to hook us more deeply—from our own behavior.
http://www.timewellspent.io So what initially were great digital products may actually be affecting our well-being. There are already clear psychological effects of our technology. - Snapchat redefines how children measure friendship by turning conversations into streaks. Don't break the streak or you won't be best friends anymore! (Not meaning to sound like a total grandpa, but that wasn't the definition of best friends when I grew up). - Instagram glorifies the picture-perfect life with filters. The more likes, the happier you are and the better time you had! - Facebook segregates us into siloed communities. Ever wondered how come it seems everyone on Facebook share your political views? Well turns out, Facebook realized that there's less friction if we just keep everyone that already agrees in one room. - YouTube and Netflix autoplay the next video making us quickly loose track of time, basically just like casinos. - Facebook Messenger for Kids introduces kids under the age of 13 to the instant gratification loop at an early point in their development potentially encouraging technology addiction. Technology that was meant to unite us, entertain us, and educate us can now cause serious mental health issues - addiction, increased stress, and elevated anxiety. It's changing the way our children think of their self-worth and, let's face it, it's not just the children. FOMO (Fear of missing out) is a term that's become increasingly popular to describe our anxiety of missing out on any of the cool things others are doing. Even worse, some believe that social media is dangerous to every fiber of society. >"Social media is not just personally unhealthy, it has become a threat to democracy. The tech companies that give us access to an infinity of information have become all-powerful and morally corrupt. And the lack of diversity in Silicon Valley fosters the development of products that idolize efficiency and greed, points us towards a dystopic future global monoculture. We don't just hear all this, but we feel it, too. Something is profoundly wrong."
David Young - Did we do something wrong? This leads us to ask, since we created this technology that resulted in us feeling this bad, shouldn't we also be able to do the opposite? >"So often, we point the finger at our technologies for creating the fears, the insecurities, the tensions that arise in our social lives as they get increasingly run by social software. But if tech is to blame for our feelings (and I'm not sure I want to concede that point), then certainly we can make apps and sites and software that makes us joyously celebrate for the good time that our friends and loved ones and even complete strangers are having when they go about living their lives."
Anil Dash - JOMO! While technology might have come a long way (a really really long way actually), it's still us, humans that are in charge - for now at least - we've all seen Terminator 2. So let's all think deeply of what we are doing and why. ## My Worth While running my own business doing UX-design might not get me any drawings from kids, my motivation and my worth comes from something else. >"I wanted to work for myself. Walk to my own beat. Chart my own path. Call it like I saw it, and not worry about what dudes in suits thought of that. All the cliches of independence that sound so quaint until you have a board meeting questioning why you aren't raising more, burning faster, and growing at supersonic speeds yesterday?!"
- DHH - Reconsider I got off the spiral that drives us insane by valuing my own journey. My entire process of creating motivates me, so I can walk away from every project with satisfaction of work well done and money in my hand. That leads to me growing as a person and a professional and makes it so I am even better equipped to take on the next big project. I want to encourage you to take a few minutes (yes, time!) and let your mind float to what inspires and motivates you. Are you listening to your those motivations?

Cindy Gallop - The Most Provocative Woman in the World

Anton Sten — Fri, 05 Jan 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>“There is a formula for success in business, and it goes like this: You set out to find the very best talent in the marketplace, and then give them a compelling and inspirational vision of what you want them to achieve for you and the company. Then you empower them to achieve those goals using their own skills and talents in any way they choose. If, at the same time, you demonstrate how enormously you value them, not just through compensation, but also verbally, every single day, and if you enable that talent to share in the profit that they help create for you, you’ll be successful. It’s so simple, and virtually nobody does it, because it requires a high-trust working environment, and most business environments are low-trust. In order to own the future of your business, you have to design it around trust.”

– Cindy Gallop Cindy Gallop - The Most Provocative Woman in the World I remember meeting Cindy at Hyper Island sometime in 2001. Even back then she was a force of power and nearly 20 years later she's still going strong.

Has Apple lost its design mojo?

Anton Sten — Fri, 05 Jan 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>For many Apple critics, the story ends right here. Siri’s not great, the Touch Bar’s kind of a mess, the operating systems are pretty but somewhat confusing, and the reassuring Home button has been killed … the list goes on. Apple’s far from perfect. Point made.

But here’s the thing: Pick just about any time in Apple’s history, and you’ll find a similar set of worrying choices and seeming failures — even during those halcyon days of Steve Jobs’ triumphant second tenure at the company. 1998: that beautiful, bulbous, Bondi Blue iMac is actually an underpowered computer with an unreliable mouse and a CD slot that few consumers could use productively. 2000: The Power Mac G4 Cube, so gorgeous it becomes part of the collection of the Museum of Modern Art, doesn’t deliver the power and features heavy users demand. 2001: The first iPod is released, but it’s not really ready for primetime, since the scroll wheel is clunky and the device works only with Macs, which account for just 2.6% of worldwide PC sales. 2005: Apple’s in the phone business! With something called the Rokr, a kludgy music player/cell phone that the company developed with Motorola. 2007: The iPhone is introduced, with few applications and poor connectivity. 2011: The iPad is introduced, and, as my brother-in-law Mark told me at the time, “I can’t imagine anyone ever using this for anything interesting.” (He’s bought four since then.)

Has Apple Lost Its Design Mojo? I've recently sold my MacBook Pro 13" TouchBar but it wasn't really because of the Touch Bar. Sure Apple makes choices that sometimes doesn't make sense, just like the removing TouchID and the headphone jack but almost all companies do. Successful companies are barely the ones that make more good choices than bad ones.

What You Build

Anton Sten — Fri, 05 Jan 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Just a little reminder that it's about 100 times more important what you build than how you build it.
— Chris Coyier (@chriscoyier) December 10, 2017

>It’s easy to get into a heated discussion about frameworks, what type of class names make the most sense, which optimization techniques are most important, or what part of your code base is should be responsible for styling. Those are great discussions that guide our industry.

But what is more important? The naming convention you chose or if your user can actually book a flight? Which state store library you picked or if you actually had the scarf your user was looking for? Which command line tool pulled your dependencies or whether someone was able to find and read the instructions to send in their court appeal?

What you build This is something I can relate to from several projects. Some projects even begin by discussing tools and frame works rather than the desired outcomes! Especially e-commerce sites seem to focus on what system should be used rather than what the outcomes of the redesign should be. Increased sales is fine but it's not a metric that's as defined as it should be.

Why Design Systems fail

Anton Sten — Fri, 05 Jan 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>To have a successful design system, you need to make a continuous effort to invest resources into it. I like to compare this to working out.

You can work out intensely for 3 months and see some gains, but once you stop working out, those will slowly fade away. If you continue to work out, even if its less often than the initial investment, you’ll see yourself maintaining your fitness level at a much higher rate than if you stopped completely.

If you invest once in a design system (say, 3 months of overhauling it) but neglect to keep it up, you’ll face the same situation. You’ll see immediate impact, but that impact will fade as it gets out of sync with new designs and you’ll end up with strange, floating bits of code that nobody is using. Your engineers will stop using it as the patterns become outdated, and then you’ll find yourself in for another round of large investment (while dreading going through the process since its fallen so far out of shape).

Why Design Systems Fail Great post from Una on what it takes to build a successful (and lasting) design system. I'm in the process of planning a big design system that I'll be working on the coming next months so this article was a goldmine for me. There are a bunch of posts out there that are talking about all the benefits of having a design system (and they are all right of course). But just like Una's analogy with working out - working out is great for you, there's no arguing that. The hard part is maintaining that fitness, sorry design system.

2017 Year in Review

Anton Sten — Mon, 08 Jan 2018 00:00:00 GMT

I always enjoy reading other people's "year-in-review" posts, so I thought I should give it a go myself. 2017 was a hectic year for my business, and this fall was almost too intense! ## Projects I had three continuing clients that I worked with throughout the entire year: E.ON, Keystone, and Lingio. This work has ups and downs in terms of how much time I need to devote, but they're clients that I always dedicate a little time for. If it's one thing I've learned from running a business, it's wise to take extra good care of your long-term clients! Spring was a crazy time with E.ON as we completed a full redesign of the product I've been working on. I can't wait to update my E.ON case to reflect the good work we accomplished together, so stay tuned for that update. After the summer, I was running a bit dry on work so I went to Oslo to talk to Keystone and also travelled to Stockholm to talk to several potential clients. Boy did these trips end up reaping results! Not only did we tweak certain areas of the Keystone websites to convert even better, but I also took on a 50% commitment to lead the UX-design for Thinkable's biggest client, Apotek Hjärtat, one of Sweden's largest pharmacies. It's been an extremely rewarding process to work in a team again (especially with such a great team!) and lead the UX-design for such a large e-commerce website. I'm looking forward to continuing that work in the first quarter of 2018.

5 minutes to myself before the day of meeting-frenzy kicks off 👊🏼

A post shared by Anton Sten ✌🏻️ (@antonsten) on Sep 8, 2017 at 12:30am PDT

Around the same time (September), I also got in touch with Travis Schmeisser and Thomas Petersen, the founders of First Principle in New York. As a newly founded product design studio, they needed help exploring proof of concepts for one of their clients. So on top of my other work, I also did a 50% commitment to them from end of September until the end of 2017. It was a strange, but highly rewarding feeling to work with talented UX-designers like Travis and Thomas! Apart from these clients, I also did work for Assa Abloy, Falkenberg, the 5:th Watches, Gents, Kursguiden, Earin, Sydsvenskan, Headbrands and Frank. I love you all! This was also the year when I made my first non-public investment to a place that's very close to my heart, Hyper Island. My time there formed me into the person I am more than any other school and introduced me to some of my closest friends and even my wonderful wife. I worked with Hyper Island for many years and it feels great to now be a share holder. In 2018, I'll be back teaching at Hyper Island too!

It's almost 17 years since I attended @hyperisland. It's a place where I've met friends for life, a fantastic network and it's also where I met my wife. Needless to say, it's a place that has brought many great things into my life. Proud to say that I'm now also a (very minor) shareholder! Godspeed :facepunch::skin-tone-3:

A post shared by Anton Sten :v::skin-tone-2: (@antonsten) on Feb 21, 2017 at 5:58am PST

As you can see from my Timely report, the final months of 2017 were… intense 😅 !Timely ## Office & Setup For almost 8 years, I had my office in Malmö. At first, I rented a desk at an agency and then, 5 years ago, I moved my office to Media Evolution City. Although, I loved that space, I became tired of the commute. Also, I had the extra step of dropping off Meta at home for every meeting. It became a hassle that just wasn't viable for the long run. So in June I moved to my new office that's just a 5 minute walk from my home! It's larger and in a couple of weeks I'll even have a couch here for those midday siesta moments. 😉 Being able to walk home every day and make lunch is a huge improvement to my everyday happiness (as well as Meta's!).

☀️🌿

A post shared by Anton Sten ✌🏻️ (@antonsten) on Nov 6, 2017 at 6:25am PST

I've also made some changes to my tech setup. I had been using a 13" MacBook Pro TouchBar since it came out with the LG 5k Ultrafine monitor recommended by Apple. I was never really satisfied with either of them. The MacBook TouchBar doesn't need an explanation as to why, but the LG monitor was great barring the horrible sound quality and the USB-C hub that tended to disconnect my peripherals randomly. It was clear that while sold by Apple as the only supported 5k monitor, it was no Apple product. So since the end of the year I have a 27" iMac in my office and I'm on a mission to try and do all of my work outside the office on an iPad Pro! I have tried hopping on the iPad train multiple times earlier, but this time I'm forcing myself to use it. One month in and I'm really liking it! Are you using an iPad Pro for work? What are your favorite tips? Email me! ## Blog My website saw a +60% increase in traffic in 2017 compared to the year before and my newsletter grew by 20%, both of which I'm extremely grateful for. While obviously the release of Mastering Freelance was a fair amount of the traffic, I did have a couple of blog posts that individually did even better. Here are the top five posts from last year: - The Future of the UX-designer - Why Designers Need to Write - A Redesign - Chasing Growth - True Fans or Just Followers? In total, I wrote 54 blog posts last year and a large piece for Net Magazine on Mastering Freelance ## Personal & Exercise One of the biggest insights from last year and especially the end of the year was that in order to perform well, I need to regularly exercise. While I've always loved running, I found Pilates to be my first choice of exercise.

Happy Friday! Repost @isensipilates Strength and Stability on the Reformer, great work Anton👍🏼#isensimoves #pilates #reformerpilates #happyfriday #isensipilatesstudio

A post shared by Anton Sten ✌🏻️ (@antonsten) on Oct 6, 2017 at 3:06am PDT

Just as keeping my body in shape is important, keeping my head on track is even more important. I've struggled with anxiety for some time and especially at the end of 2017. The Headspace app really helped keep my mind on the right track and helped me focus on what's important and let go of what wasn't. This is something I'll continue to work on in 2018, but I'm optimistic that I'll further sharpen my mind and decrease my anxiety. Watching the XX at last year's Way Out West was one of my musical highlights.

The laser game is strong with the xx 😎👌

A post shared by Anton Sten ✌🏻️ (@antonsten) on Aug 12, 2017 at 12:47am PDT

## Travel We didn't go on any longer trips this past year, but we did manage to go to our favorite spot, the Eden Roc in Antibes no less than three times last year (April, May and September) and since September, I've spent every other Wednesday in Stockholm.

Life status: 💯😎

A post shared by Anton Sten ✌🏻️ (@antonsten) on Apr 20, 2017 at 1:16am PDT

## 2018 My fiscal year ends on last day of April 2018 and I'm hoping I can beat my previous revenue record. Granted, this isn't always the greatest benchmark of success, but these figures give me the freedom to continue to grow and take on challenging projects. Speaking of that, I have a couple of highly interesting projects lined up that will kick off at the beginning of January. I've set a goal to read and write more in 2018. I've just finished the book Sapiens which has spurred so many interesting thoughts. If you haven't read it already, you won't regret it. Do you have a book that you'd like to recommend to me? Send me an email and I'll look into it! I also plan to blog more often even if that means occasionally shorter posts or just links to valuable sources. I have gotten a lot from sharing my insights with all of you and receiving your wonderful feedback. I'm looking to find a better routine for regular exercise and mindfulness (such a unique thing to say in the beginning of the year!). I've started cutting down on meat, soda, and sugary snacks while striving to stay on track on track with these dietary tips. I especially like their advice to treat all beverages with calories like alcohol. I'm hoping to travel more this year and revisit some old favorites like Paris and London as well as visiting friends more. If you have any suggestions for amazing places to visit, I'd be happy to hear them! Here's to a great 2018 🥂

Hawaii Missile Alert

Anton Sten — Mon, 15 Jan 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>Around 8:05 a.m., the Hawaii emergency employee initiated the internal test, according to a timeline released by the state. From a drop-down menu on a computer program, he saw two options: “Test missile alert” and “Missile alert.” He was supposed to choose the former; as much of the world now knows, he chose the latter, an initiation of a real-life missile alert.
Hawaii missile alert: How one employee ‘pushed the wrong button’ Oh. My. God. If anyone needed proof that UX-writing and UX-design are important for the best of our society, this surely sets the mark.

No Cutting Corners on the iphone X

Anton Sten — Mon, 22 Jan 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>When the iPhone X launched, a lot of designers were put off about the screen shape. Those complaints have mostly died down, but I haven’t seen much design-nerd talk about cool corner treatment details. Fortunately, deep nerd shit is my specialty.

No Cutting Corners on the iPhone X What an absolutely lovely (but yes, deeply nerdy) post.

The Future of Retail

Anton Sten — Mon, 22 Jan 2018 00:00:00 GMT

For more than 10,000 years stores have played a significant role in the formation of our cities. They built around town squares and have historically acted as meeting spots providing culture and community. !Photo by Ethan Hoover on Unsplash The Internet is changing this behavior. First, retail stores moved away from town centers and out to suburban malls, disconnecting from the city center. Later, as online buying became more and more popular, these same stores started really struggling with diminishing sales. The first real casualty of online shopping was when music stores began to disappear. Ask yourself, when was the last time you were in a record store with CDs? This trend is bound to continue as more diverse products (clothing, medications, home goods) are being offered by the online giants. Brick and mortar stores are being forced to innovate or die. Even fresh food is openly available to be purchased online and delivered to your doorstep in larger cities! ## The future of retail Jack Ma, founder of legendary Alibaba coined the expression 'New Retail' as the next evolution of the retail space. He said he believes the future of physical stores will have to use the advantages of an online store in a physical location in order to survive.

This could be things like: - Unstaffed stores (powered by AI) - Uses digital screens rather than printed materials - Communicates the right message to each customer at the right time (rather than everything at once) - Personalized store experiences. !Photo by Simon Launay on Unsplash ## The key word for future retail? Experience. Retail locations will need to give their customers a stronger incentive for a visit. Sales and lower prices are great, but they're not a viable long-term solution for any business. Online will always be able to carry lower costs due to lower overhead and longer times between order and fulfillment. As long as you don't need anything right this second, local online retailers will often give you the option of a next-day delivery, which many customers would happily take. >“It used to be that 80/20 rule — [malls] would be 80% shopping and 20% experience. It's got to go the opposite now, because all the shopping you can do faster, cheaper, etc., online.”

- Angela Ahrendts What customers (users, advocates, or fans) are looking for is an experience that an online store isn't able to provide. They're looking for entertainment, information, and a unique, personalized experience. - Adidas is starting to sell their Adidas 4D Futurecraft shoe. It is the first shoe to have a sole that is 3D printed based on your feet. This way, you'll get a pair that is unique to you guaranteeing optimal comfort. - Volvo is releasing their new SUV, the XC40, with a new concept called Care by Volvo. It's what they describe as "the next step in our journey to redefine how people use cars." Rather than purchasing your car you go online, customize it to your liking, and then hit 'Order'. The car is made to your specifications and then you'll rent it for a monthly fee. The monthly fee includes everything: service, insurances, maintenance, and repairs. If you ever have the need for a larger vehicle, there's even an included discount for rentals! For younger people that don't want to (or can't) pay a lump sum for a vehicle, this is great option. - In 2017, Amazon released Amazon Go, a completely new type of shopping experience with "the most advanced machine learning, computer vision and AI". No lines, no registers, no checkouts. Amazon Go is opening to the public today, January 22, 2018 after a delay caused by the complexity of tracking crowds of fast-walking humans. The store's tech didn't work when more than 20 people were inside or were moving too fast, the Wall Street Journal reported. More than ever before, serving your customer is the secret to success. User experiences are now being designed so we can be freed from our computers/smart phones and take advantage of the physical spaces we frequent. The result? A happy customer. ## So retail isn't dead? Quite the opposite! Amazon invested more than $13 billion in 2017 in just retail locations and there were in fact, more retail stores opening than closing in 2017. What's true though, is that retail as we've know it, will change. >"Shopping today may not always mean going to a store and looking at a vast amount of inventory," Shea Jensen, Nordstrom's senior vice president of customer experience, told The Wall Street Journal. "It can mean trusting an expert to pick out a selection of items." (Nordstrom's New Concept: A Store That Doesn't Stock Clothes) "Nordstrom Local", at just 2% of the average size of a mall-based store, is designed to be a neighborhood hub bringing back that city center feel to retail. Apple, is tapping into a similar concept with their retail stores. Apple Stores historically have performed great - they have a higher sales per square foot than any other retailer in the world, including jewelry and car dealers - but they find in store sales declining. It turns out more customers are turning to Apple.com for their brand new iPhone order. In February 2016, Apple changed direction by removing the word 'store' from it's retail locations. >"It's funny, we actually don't call them 'stores' anymore. We call them 'town squares' because they're gathering places for 500 million people who visit us every year.

We view our stores as a modern-day town square, where visitors come to shop, be inspired, learn or connect with others in their community."

- Angela Ahrendts The change we're seeing is very positive, but unfortunately it could mean the extinction of some stores that don't follow the changing trends. As customers, we will benefit. We will get better, more personalized service at a variety of retail locations. Remember those online giants I mentioned earlier? Soon they are coming to your community and will bring the personal interaction we've been missing. Retail is evolving! >"Online preorder, that's all wonderful," she said. "But you are the physical, right? This is the human connection I talked about at the keynote. That's what they'll never be able to get online. That's your gift."

Make me think

Anton Sten — Thu, 01 Feb 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>Fortunately, UX (User eXperience) designers have found ways to design beautiful interfaces that are easy to use. Their process can resemble a philosophical enquiry, where they constantly asks questions such as: What is this really about? How do we perceive this? What is our mental model?

Today, as a result of their efforts, we interact with wonderfully designed interfaces. Designers have been taming complexity for us. They make extremely sophisticated technology appear simple and easy to use.

But we don’t see — let alone understand — what is going on behind the scenes, behind the simple appearance. We are kept in the dark.

...

We fail to appreciate and to empathise because we don’t understand what is going on.

Make me think I gave this a solid 50 👏🏼 on Medium. You should too.

The iphone X is Apple’s underrated masterpiece

Anton Sten — Fri, 02 Feb 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>The reason why the iPhone X is broadly underrated and questioned by those who haven’t used it is that they’re treating it like just another phone. But the people who buy an iPhone aren’t really buying just another phone, they’re buying the iPhone experience. They’re buying connectivity to all of their friends and family already on iMessage. They’re getting the familiar relationship of trust with Apple that means they’ll have regular software updates and a generous device repair and replacement program should they encounter an issue. Apple’s holistic approach to selling a phone is fundamental to the deep loyalty it enjoys from existing users, and it’s the thing that makes those of us on Android devices look on in envy.

The iPhone X is Apple’s underrated masterpiece Brilliant piece from Vlad Savov over at The Verge. Because Apple cares to their user's entire experience rather than "just the device", they sold more than 77 million iPhones in the last quarter.

My estimate for iPhone units was expecting a lot more iPhone 8 with an average pricing of $710. Actual ASP was $796. A LOT of iPhone X were sold.
— Horace Dediu (@asymco) February 1, 2018

How to succeed at freelancing

Anton Sten — Tue, 06 Feb 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>The essential principal of business —of occupation in the world — is this: figure out some way in which you get paid for playing.**Allan Watts** Let me begin by saying that while this has worked well for me, it may not work for you. Maybe even freelancing isn't even for you. What I am focusing on sharing is more about how to do work that gives your life meaning. It doesn't matter if that's as an employee, a freelancer, or something entirely different. All that matters is that it is up to you. I don't know about the freelancers here, but whenever I tell someone I'm a freelancer I seem to get a variation of this reaction. !awww People seem to react as if I just told them I was let go from my job. Surely, working by yourself can’t be something I’ve chosen, right? Some seem to think that this is just an “in-between jobs” kinda thing and I’ll get a full-time position eventually because that’s the “safe” choice. People also ask me whether or not I’m “still working by myself” assuming that if I don’t want to get a full-time job, surely I should hire co-workers, right? Here’s my friend Paul. >I believe freelancing is the ultimate way to take control of my life, my finances and my daily happiness. I don’t freelance as an interim step until I build a huge company. This is a long-term, long-lasting career that’s now more stable than any corporate job. I freelance because I love being a freelancer.

It gives me the ability to chart my own path in life, not to mention working in my underwear (with my clients being none-the-wiser). I choose who I work with, when I work, and most importantly, when I don’t need to work.**Paul Jarvis pjrvs.com** While I’m not sure about freelancer’s obsession with working in their underwear, I fully agree with everything else that Paul says. Truth is, as a freelancer I make more money, work less, and only when I want to. I’ve been freelancing for ten years while the longest I ever stayed with a company was for two years. Plus I get to work with my dog! ## What I’ve learned along the way In order to achieve success, we need to understand our motivations and that starts with a deep look into ourselves. We want to be able to assure those who care (or criticize) us on our freelancing choice. It’s not something we were forced to do because we can’t manage to keep a job. Instead, it’s our chosen to path to achieving our goals through hard work and dedication. Simon Sinek talks about the importance of “Start with Why” for companies and this applies to you as well: - What - This is something everyone knows. It’s even what we ask people! What do you do? I make websites, I’m a photographer, I’m a journalist, I sell … stuff. - How - Most people know how they do it, however not everyone. Especially in larger organizations, many people have no clue on how they do what they do. - Why - this very few people know. What’s your cause? This is HARD. I believe in challenging the status quo and doing things differently. Although Simon tells us to Start with Why, I like to start on the easier end and work to the trickier why. ## WHAT Since you’re starting your freelancing career, I’m hoping that this is something you already know. If it’s not, no worries! You can explore different things! Whatever you choose to do, make sure you can describe it quickly and thoroughly as possible. Here’s two examples from two different companies: >We do digital advertising on Facebook.
vs
>We’re a communications agency and the core of our integrated offering. We’re passionate about creativity that has the ability to affect and touch - advertising that people care about. The kind that often separates a product from another. The ability to communicate and create engagement through advertising is perhaps more important today than ever before. Through creative ideas that span across all disciplines in analog, digital or social channels there’s every possibility to position yourself against your competitors. Although the second option is 10 times as long, I have no idea of WHAT they actually do. Describe what you do in a simple and easy way and be as specific as possible. Being a Javascript developer is great, but being a Javascript developer for travel sites is even better. >Being small is nothing to be insecure or ashamed about. Small is great. Small is independence. Small is opportunity. When I first started freelancing, I used a company name and everywhere on my website I spoke in terms of ‘we’. My thought was that it was more serious if ‘we’ were several people. Turns out, one of my biggest benefits and hidden powers is in fact my size! It allows me to be more agile in my work style and stay personal the entire time. This has lead me to believe the term “B2B” (business to business) cannot encapsulate the experience I bring to my clients. I do adjust to their different business models (depending on their target audience), but choose to keep business relationship personal, yet professional. This is often refreshing to the client as I don’t prioritize the company over the people in the company and the people whom they serve. ## I am a professional because I am personal. Fredrik Eklund, NY realtor described how his company wanted him to use a corporate profile for his social media interactions. Fredrik declined this, claiming that his success is based on his personality. He later became the highest selling realtor in the US! This stuck with me for years. ## HOW Most people know how they work and their process and extend that into their freelancing journey. Me? I choose to give my clients an agency-like delivery (or above) with a personal touch. Clients never have to worry about someone else taking over their account and over the years, we learn to work in the most optimal way. This different relationship approach is appealing to clients when I am running against agencies who are more traditional. So speaking of clients… ## Clients One thing that most people heading into freelancing ask me about is getting clients. Clients are central to your success and we all want to remain in business. >Paying clients are the ones who put food on your table. Without them, it’s not a business you’re running, it’s a hobby. The truth is, there are a million different ways to get clients. As a freelancer, you have the freedom to find clients in the way most comfortable for you. Some prefer going to networking events, others prefer to use their contacts, and some happily find their’s in online marketing. Once you find them, the journey is just the beginning. Too many companies fail when it comes to retaining their clients. They deserve your care and attention even between projects. For instance, most companies offer new clients free trials or discounts, but don’t continue to offer any great values to past clients. Don’t be like these companies. Play the long game. That said, there’s one thing we should get out of the way. Money comes from work and vice versa. A lot of companies will try to persuade you with promises of “more work on the horizon”, but in my experience, that can put you in a vicious loop. Working to become eligible for more work isn’t fair or honest. If you don’t respect the work you do and put value in it, don’t expect anyone else to. ## Pricing work Being small and independent you also have the option of choosing pricing strategies that work for you. And you can even change along the way! Here are a couple of the different pricing options I use: - Hourly rates - some clients prefer this because it’s easy for them to compare to others. I dislike it because it punishes me for being a fast worker. Use with caution. - Value based - this is my favorite, but a little complicated for small projects (or ongoing work). - Retainers - this is great for securing up income over longer periods of time. Use a mix and test different strategies! ## WHY Very few people take the time to really understand what their live goals are and how their style of work can play into this. Why do they design homepages? Because it pays the bills or is it something more? Without a destination, it’s unlikely you’ll end up there any time soon. A freelancing career allows you to ask yourself questions like these: - Do you want to spend more time with your family? - Have more control over your time? - Earn more? - Work less? - Travel? - Work from anywhere? - Be your own boss (this isn’t always as fun as it might sound) I first tried freelancing in 2004 without a plan. I had no idea why I would freelance, so naturally I failed miserably. I ended up taking a full time offer at the first agency I tried to freelance with. I failed because I didn’t understand my WHY. Years later, I realized that I want to define my own rules of working. I want to challenge the idea that more employees equals a more successful company. I want to get paid for the work I’m doing rather than 40 hours per week regardless of how much I work. I don’t work just for a paycheck anymore. I work to provide value for others and meaning for myself. So here’s my final secret for you; find happiness, then success. It’s impossible to even enjoy your success if you are looking through an unhappy lens. Once you find your happiness (purpose, meaning, inspiration, value), success will follow. If you've read all the way down here and enjoyed this post - odds are that you'll enjoy Mastering Freelance - my book with everything I've learnt while freelancing. It has a free email course too!

Everything Easy is Hard Again

Anton Sten — Sun, 11 Feb 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>See, the rabbit doesn’t lose because he gets tired. He loses because he gets confused about which direction to go. Did you notice how it stops in the middle and stares blankly as everyone around it yells loudly about things it doesn’t understand? That’s me on Twitter.

As someone who has decades of experience on the web, I hate to compare myself to the tortoise, but hey, if it fits, it fits. Let’s be more like that tortoise: diligent, direct, and purposeful. The web needs pockets of slowness and thoughtfulness as its reach and power continues to increase. What we depend upon must be properly built and intelligently formed. We need to create space for complexity’s important sibling: nuance. Spaces without nuance tend to gravitate towards stupidity. And as an American, I can tell you, there are no limits to the amount of damage that can be inflicted by that dangerous cocktail of fast-moving-stupid. There's so much reason and value in Frank's post that resonates on deeply with me. I coded my first webpage around the same time as him - 20 years ago - using HTML. Geocities and Angelfire. If I need to try something today, I'll still use old-school HTML with tables. CSS, that surfaced a couple of years later offered so many new opportunities I became the rabbit. WHAT SHOULD I DO? When I redesigned my website and moved away from Wordpress, I had this idea that without a database and a CMS, things would be simpler. I don't require much, just text and images, static pages and a blog feed. But with Jekyll, I had to learn Github. I had to learn how to 'build' in the Terminal. And I had to learn Markdown.

Personas

Anton Sten — Sun, 11 Feb 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>I’ve never been a big believer in personas. They’re artificial, abstract, and fictitious. I don’t think you can build a great product for a person that doesn’t exist. And I definitely don’t think you can build a great product based on a composite sketch of 10 different people all rolled into one (or two or three). On countless projects over the years, agencies (especially) have supplied me with personas. To be honest, I've completely never understood the use of them. Like most things, we'll make our beliefs fit into whatever contexts suits us. So if we want to build feature X, we'll use personas to motivate the decision. "Clearly, this is a feature that George would love!". Whenever people ask me for directions on how to become a better user experience designer, I tell them to think of things that annoy them and try fixing them. It can be a really small feature of an otherwise great product - or it can be a product that doesn't yet exist. As long as it solves a problem that you're experiencing, chances are someone else is going to feel annoyed by the same problem. >So if you can’t design something for yourself, design something for someone you know. Get that person or people involved in your project early on. Basing your decisions on a matrix of personality traits isn’t what I’d recommend if you really want to build a great product. Ask 37Signals: Personas

Reflections on working on an ipad

Anton Sten — Sun, 11 Feb 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Last December, I decided to get rid of my Macbook Pro 13" Touchbar. I was never really happy with the MacBook Pro (along with many others) and while the LG display is being sold by Apple, and supposedly, is manufactured together with Apple, it's clear by the build quality that it's no Apple product. I've been a long fan of the iMac and for portability, I was eager to see if the iPad had come far enough to supplement my iMac. As a designer, I was confident that it wouldn't fully replace my need for a Mac, but I've never really found working on a 13" MacBook Pro convenient while out of the office anyway. Full disclosure: I had tried this several times before but I had never been able to commit to the iPad. As long as I had the option of a MacBook Pro too, I would almost always go for that (or the iPhone for even more portability). But what if I got rid of my MacBook Pro? !Office Said and done, I got myself an iMac 27" and an iPad Pro 10.5" that I use when I travel, give presentations or for the work I do while at home (which is mainly finalizing presentations and replying to emails). I won't go into details on the iMac because I think most of you are familiar with the product. It's really a great machine (and I didn't get the top of the line and certainly not the iMac Pro). The iPad I must say, is growing on me. I find the limitation of only being able to have two apps open simultaneously refreshing and... calming. While I'm traveling, or basically anywhere that's not my office or at home, the added benefit of 4G is great. I know you can tether your phone and there are open WiFi networks in most places but not having to go through the hassle of connecting to a public WiFi is well worth the extra cost. Plus, my mobile plan comes with unlimited data and an extra SIM-card. !iPad Pro While there are certain things I can't do on the iPad (like designing in Sketch), there's really a lot that you can do. Like updating my website through Github for instance. This post was written in Paper (where I do all my writing), copied to iA Writer for editing markdown and then pushed to Github with Working Copy. This past week I've been at home sick with the stomach flu and not having a laptop in the house has sure made it easier to not get drawn into doing "just this one small work thing". When I talked about freelancing a couple of weeks ago, a guy in the audience asked me how I manage not working all the time, especially as both of us have clients in multiple time zones. After thinking about this for a bit, I've realized what a savior the iPad have been in that sense. Sometimes in order to not work, is making sure it's just not possible to work. While I can reply to emails on my iPad, there's just no way for me to make minor edits in Sketch - not even exporting assets. (As far as I know).

A better user experience...or?

Anton Sten — Mon, 19 Feb 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Everyone wants to provide a 'great user experience' to their customers. And why not, it's a big part of what creates loyal users. In fact, in today's tech environment there's a user expectation that all products need to have genuinely well-crafted user experiences. Without one, the product simply won't succeed. The talent, resources, and logistics needed to create these are costly for companies and that cost usually gets passed on to the user. But what about all those "free" options out there? Is there a price we're not aware of? ## Facebook VPN Facebook recently launched a new app the other day on iOS called `Facebook Protect'. Facebook themselves is marketing the feature as giving their users "peace of mind" and an "added layer of security" by routing web traffic through its servers. While this sounds great in theory, the truth is far from it. What the app also does is collect and analyze data about all your online presence; data that Facebook will use in any way they see fit. This feature is essentially spyware and hidden under a 'Read more' is this: >To provide this layer of protection, Onavo uses a VPN to establish a secure connection to direct all of your network communications through Onavo's servers. As part of this process, Onavo collects your mobile data traffic. This helps us improve and operate the Onavo service by analyzing your use of websites, apps and data. Because we're part of Facebook, we also use this info to improve Facebook products and services, gain insights into the products and services people value, and build better experiences. While some users may feel fine about Facebook collecting data on their online usage for a free VPN client, the great majority are unaware of this consequence. Using this app gives them permission to scrutinize your entire mobile behavior across any app or service. Facebook will have a huge advantage in spotting trends across the entire mobile ecosystem. >The app may collect your mobile data traffic to help us recognize tactics that bad actors use. Over time, this helps the tool work better for you and others. It's not like the app may collect your mobile data traffic - it will. It's spyware and if you're using the feature, Facebook is tracking you everywhere on the Internet. ## Unroll.me Unroll.me positioned itself as a tool that helps you unsubscribe from all those unwanted newsletters filling up your email. At first, people loved this service and best of all, it's free! As we are learning, there's no such thing as a with free service. Just as Facebook is using your online activity as a means of purchase, Unroll capitalized by analyzing the one thing it had access to. Your email. They were first caught because Uber had been buying data from Unroll based on emails containing Lyft purchase receipts. While it's pretty clear that this is a possibility if you read the terms of service (ToS), almost no one did. ToSs are jumbled, complicated legal documents that aren't built to be accessible to the general public. Most of us who lightly browse them likely don't give the Privacy Policy a second thought as data is rarely used for anything beyond the usual "improvements to our service." Well here's the result: Unrolls is a actually a tool to collect competitive intelligence, aka, a very boring form of corporate spying. >Unroll:
"Our users are the heart of our company and service. So it was heartbreaking to see that some of our users were upset to learn about how we monetize our free service.
And while we try our best to be open about our business model, recent customer feedback tells me we weren't explicit enough."

--

Give me a fucking break. They're not "heartbroken" because their users are upset. They're in damage-control mode because they were operating under the radar and now they've been revealed, very publicly, as the shitbags that they are. If you've signed up for Unroll.me, delete your account. They make money by selling your purchase receipts to the highest bidder. That's their business.**John Gruber** As the shit storm of the year for Unroll eventually blew over, they added a 'Why we don't charge you for this amazing service' link to their front page essentially describing that they'll analyze your email and sell anonymized versions of it. A little to late to the show, if you ask me. ## Grammarly Finally, Grammarly is a service I'm a fan of and use often. It's a plugin that checks your writing for typos and errors. The premises is that Grammarly continuously checks your writing, analyzes it, and results in you growing into a better writer. However, like all things free on the Internet, there's a hidden paragraph in their ToS showing how it's not free at all: >By uploading or entering any User Content, you give Grammarly (and those it works with) a nonexclusive, worldwide, royalty-free and fully-paid, transferable and sublicensable, perpetual, and irrevocable license to copy, store and use your User Content.

…

You grant them a "perpetual, and irrevocable" right to everything you write and spellcheck on their platform. The future of software: it is expensive, awful, and you have no rights. Now in their defense, you can argue that they can't operate their service without having the right to analyze the data (e.g. your writing). As I read that paragraph, my understanding is that if I use Grammarly as a tool while writing a book, they could claim ownership of that book once it's written. Should there be a transfer of rights after a stated expiration period? Ideally. Shouldn't I be able to turn the feature on/off easily to protect my content when I want to? Definitely. The entire thread here and Grammarly's response is well worth a read. ## Are YOU the Product? The gist of the story is this - if you're not paying for it, YOU are the product. But does that really give companies the right to do whatever they want as long as they hide a paragraph about it in their Terms of the Service document? Is their 'great user experience' just a bait and switch? I'm a firm believer that truly great user experiences take a long time to build because it's essentially based on trust. Like any relationship, once a trust is broken it's a pain in the ass to rebuild. So why not be open with the terms? If more services to adopt user-based choices - either pay a monthly fee or agree to their collection of data - we'd have far more trust in the products we use. Hiding behind that tiny paragraph in the ToS doesn't grow relationships with the user and, ultimately, hurts the experience. So, let's ask ourselves this question: Do we actually use our favorite digital products or do they use us?

Inside Facebook´s Hellish Two Years

Anton Sten — Mon, 19 Feb 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>It appears that Facebook did not, however, carefully think through the implications of becoming the dominant force in the news industry. Everyone in management cared about quality and accuracy, and they had set up rules, for example, to eliminate pornography and protect copyright. But Facebook hired few journalists and spent little time discussing the big questions that bedevil the media industry. What is fair? What is a fact? How do you signal the difference between news, analysis, satire, and opinion? Facebook has long seemed to think it has immunity from those debates because it is just a technology company - one that has built "a platform for all ideas". One of the biggest impact on my personal mental health for the past year was to cut down my Facebook usage to a minimum. I don't have the app installed on my phone and I logout of the browser session every time I've visited (making it more of a hassle to log back in). Whenever I visit, I'm reminded of all the passive (not to mention active) hate that flows through Facebook.

A Year of Learning and Leading UX at Google

Anton Sten — Thu, 22 Feb 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>Everyone says “People at Google are so smart.” True, but I’ve had the pleasure of working with a lot of smart people over the course of my career. When I joined I learned that many of my colleagues have worked here for 10 years or more. Not only have they stayed on and built careers, they’re still incredibly passionate about their work. They really care! So while smarts are great, smarts and passion are the really powerful combination.**A Year of Learning and Leading UX at Google** Goes without saying that this goes for any company. I've worked with a lot of smart people in my career too but the people that stand out after 2 decades are the people that were passionate (and in most cases, really smart too).

C.a.r.e - A simple framework for user onboarding

Anton Sten — Thu, 22 Feb 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>All too often, onboarding is a finite project that’s owned by a single team (probably product or growth) and has a due date. It’s shipped, checked off the roadmap and everyone moves on to the next project. This is absolutely the wrong way to treat your onboarding.

Onboarding must be a continual process for your business. That’s because onboarding is not a project or a feature – it needs to be an ongoing concern, a mission, a mindset, a strategy that needs to adapt over time as your product and business evolve. It must be a continual process for your business and your customers.

As your business grows and gets different types of customers, your onboarding will need to adapt. You’ll never be “finished” working on onboarding. And even your most loyal and active customers need to be continually onboarded to new areas of your product. Great piece by Intercom on the importance of continously adapting your onboarding process. As long as your product evolves, so should your onboarding. C - Convert trialists to paying customers
A - Activate newly paying customers
R - Retain paying customers
E - Expand their usage

C.a.r.e - A simple framework for user onboarding

Anton Sten — Thu, 22 Feb 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>All too often, onboarding is a finite project that's owned by a single team (probably product or growth) and has a due date. It's shipped, checked off the roadmap and everyone moves on to the next project. This is absolutely the wrong way to treat your onboarding.

Onboarding must be a continual process for your business. That's because onboarding is not a project or a feature – it needs to be an ongoing concern, a mission, a mindset, a strategy that needs to adapt over time as your product and business evolve. It must be a continual process for your business and your customers.

As your business grows and gets different types of customers, your onboarding will need to adapt. You'll never be "finished" working on onboarding. And even your most loyal and active customers need to be continually onboarded to new areas of your product. Great piece by Intercom on the importance of continously adapting your onboarding process. As long as your product evolves, so should your onboarding. C - Convert trialists to paying customers
A - Activate newly paying customers
R - Retain paying customers
E - Expand their usage

The #1 reason Facebook won’t ever change

Anton Sten — Sun, 25 Feb 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Placeholder article - content coming soon.

Is this Finnish school the perfect design?

Anton Sten — Mon, 26 Feb 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>Ms Grahn-Laasonen said: “Schools can choose a theme like climate change and you can look at it from very different perspectives, from very different subjects like mathematics … It's giving our children skills to think about subjects like climate change from different perspectives.”
Proponents of PBL say it helps to equip students with the critical thinking skills they need to flourish today. Kirsti Lonka, a professor of educational psychology at Helsinki University, told the BBC: “When it comes to real life, our brain is not sliced into disciplines ... we are thinking in a very holistic way. And when you think about the problems in the world – global crises, migration, the economy, the post-truth era – we really haven’t given our children the tools to deal with this inter-cultural world.”**Is this Finnish school the perfect design?** Design thinking applied to a topic like education is extremely inspiring. Go 🇫🇮!

Finland 🇫🇮 is designing the perfect school ...

and we are debating if teachers should carry guns in school. https://t.co/o0t8eDxbFv pic.twitter.com/k7kz579mWn
— Vala Afshar (@ValaAfshar) February 25, 2018

Amp for email is a terrible idea

Anton Sten — Tue, 27 Feb 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>Google just announced a plan to “modernize” email with its Accelerated Mobile Pages platform, allowing “engaging, interactive, and actionable email experiences.” Does that sound like a terrible idea to anyone else? It sure sounds like a terrible idea to me, and not only that, but an idea borne out of competitive pressure and existing leverage rather than user needs. Not good, Google. Send to trash.

See, email belongs to a special class. Nobody really likes it, but it’s the way nobody really likes sidewalks, or electrical outlets, or forks. It not that there’s something wrong with them. It’s that they’re mature, useful items that do exactly what they need to do. **AMP for email is a terrible idea** I'm a big fan of email and the protocol and I can't think of anything worse than Google force pressing their technology on the one thing of the web that still feels 'open'. Makes me think of this old post; Stop Saying Email is Broken.

Pricing Philisophy

Anton Sten — Wed, 28 Feb 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Placeholder article - content coming soon.

Specialize

Anton Sten — Wed, 28 Feb 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>My number one tip for marketers seeking to grow their career opportunities is this: specialize. Specialize deeply. I don’t mean “SEO” or “Email marketing,” I mean specialization like “I’m the best link-focused SEO for the mobile gaming world.” Expanding from a specialization (if you so choose) is vastly easier, in my experience, than becoming known for a broad practice. This is equally true for companies as for individuals. **Five tidbits of advice** This follow the same advice that Dan Mall lays out in Mastering Freelance - while being a Javascript developer is great, being a Javascript developer for travel sites is far better. It's all about how easily a potential client can determine if you're a good fit or not.

Voice Input is the Next Big Thing - Or is It?

Anton Sten — Sun, 04 Mar 2018 00:00:00 GMT

!Apple HomePod For the past few weeks I've been testing the new Apple HomePod. Ever since it's announcement, I've been curious about how intuitive the voice experience would feel as the primary input. I've personally never been a big user of Siri on my phone outside of setting timers, but I've slowly found myself using it to accomplish other tasks. When driving, I'm very used to a handsfree environment and prefer interacting through voice (although it's not as precise as I'd wish - more on this later in this post). It's clear that voice can serve as a great input, but is the technology really ready? Only one way to find out and that's getting my hands on a HomePod. ## Out of the box observations - The sound quality is amazing, even better than the BeoPlay m5 that I used to have in my office. The only drawback I founds is that to truly reach that quality you need to have the volume at 60% or above which is far too loud. - The microphones are exceptional. I have it about 3 meters (roughly 3 yards) away from where I sit and when I use it for teleconferences, I can talk in a normal voice and everyone hears me very clearly. That's pretty impressive. ## Voice as input Voice is what many believe is the next big thing when it comes to user interfaces and creating better user experiences. It's not strange when you think of it, voice is one of the most natural input options we have as humans. Newborns recognize their mother's voice moments after birth having heard a muffled version of it while in the womb. When we're faced with extreme situations, we instinctively turn to our voice - screaming and crying for both help and joy. With risk of stating the obvious, voice is a very different input compared to what we're used to: mouse, keyboard, and touch screens. While voice and sounds in general are something we've used for thousands of years, the keyboard has only existed for the last 100 years, the mouse for the last 50, and touch (with all it's gestures) for the past 10. So voice should feel the most natural, right? What should feel natural isn't always what actually feels natural based on our experiences with technology so far. For instance, people in my generation are the most comfortable using a computer while the next generation find their way the fastest on phones and tablets. There's strength familiarity that only comes with usage. We collectively haven't had enough time with voice input for it to be natural. ## Reliability To sum up my experience so far it's simply put; when it works, it's great. The key word in that sentence is 'when'. When I'm using a keyboard and press 'b', I get a 'b' 100% of the time. When I move my mouse over an app icon and click it, it launches that app 100% of the time. I've used a computer for more than 2 decades and never experienced clicking "Photoshop" only to have "Word" open. This is still very much what using your voice feels like. There's still this sort of excitement and feeling of accomplishment every time I manage to get it right. However, getting it right should be the default case - not the exception. >I say this with no small amount of respect for how hard this technology is and how far it has come recently. I'm as excited as the next geek when it comes to the future of AI and voice recognition. I think it's all super cool.

But it's not good. Not for most people. It's barely past the point of being a parlor trick, if we're being honest. Answering trivia questions? Turning on the lights? There's a reason even early adopters generally resort to using these devices for a small set of simple tasks. That's about all they can do reliably. **Joe Cieplinski - Good vs Better at Bad** While my experiences with the HomePod have been better than I expected, I've still experienced the occasional "Hey Siri, play the Subnet podcast" resulting in "Ok, playing Deep House" in response. I told Siri to remind me create a design system tomorrow only to see a reminder for a heart transplantation in the app. Disclaimer: English isn't my first language, so there could be some pronunciation problems, but it still needs to do better. As for a category that's positioned as '_'smart speakers'_ they just don't seem very smart to me. While we label Siri, Alexa, and Google Home (it needs a name!) as 'smart assistants', any assistant that messes this much up would get fired before lunch. Is this just Siri? Perhaps. Apple cares deeply about your privacy and that makes it harder for them to develop a solution that can handle quite as many scenarios. That leads to the question: are the other platforms actually good or just merely less bad? >So yes, other platforms may currently be "better" than Siri. But when none of the platforms is good, what difference does that make, except to a small niche of enthusiasts?

At least Apple knows the difference between a tech demo and an actual product. More critically, it knows to prioritize features where it can actually deliver something good, rather than something better at bad.**Joe Cieplinski - Good vs Better at Bad** ## Assistants I think we have three different categories of assistants: - Digital assistants - this is basically what we have now. They are able to perform very basic tasks like setting reminders (without context), playing music, and asking trivia questions (again, pretty much without context). - Virtual assistants - this is what most people seem to think that we have now and what we'd most benefit from. I need an assistant to make my life easier, not just answer trivia questions. Usefulness is what I desire and yet the debate seem to be over how many reminders and timers you can set. - Personal assistants - this is surely where the technology is going, but my guess is as good as yours as to how far in the future it will be. In order to offer true usefulness, our assistants needs to understand far greater context than what they currently can. Ideally, I'd like to say "Book me a flight for the Keystone meeting next Wednesday". This personal assistant would then need to know that the meeting is in Oslo, so I would prefer to fly out of Copenhagen and not Malmö. Malmö is technically closer, but wouldn't offer a direct flight and that's how I prefer to travel. It would know my airline preferences and that I always book a refundable ticket with a window seat. It would then check alternatives and, depending on price and time, select the most suitable option. If there's a question, it would be able to ask me, but not if I'm already talking to someone. >Between touchscreens and voice, most people in the future won't even know how to touch-type, and typing will go back to being a specialist practitioner's skill, limited to long-form authors, programmers, and (perhaps) antiquarian hipsters who also own fixies and roast their own coffee. My 2-year-old daughter will likely never learn how to drive (and every pedal-to-the-metal, "flooring it" driving analogy will be lost on her), instead issuing voice commands to her self-driving car. And she'll also not know what QWERTY is, or have her left pinkie wired to the mental notion of the letter "Q," as I do so subconsciously I reach for it without even thinking. Instead, she'll speak into an empty room and expect the global hive-mind, along with its AI handmaidens, to answer. **How Podcasts and Voice Technology are Changing How We Navigate the World** There is no doubt that voice will be the primary input of the future, but it has a really long way to go. From a UX-designer's perspective, I find it inspiring (and somewhat comforting) to know that as my career continues, there'll be a ton of new scenarios and challenges for me to face.

You have to make sure that you’re focused on the thing that matters.

Anton Sten — Tue, 06 Mar 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>There is more noise in the world than change. One of my roles is to try to block the noise from the people who are really doing the work. That’s tougher and tougher in this environment. The priorities are about saying no to a bunch of great ideas. We can do more things than we used to do because we’re a bit bigger. But in the scheme of things versus our revenue, we’re doing very few things. I mean, you could put every product we’re making on this table, to put it in perspective. I doubt anybody that is anywhere near our revenue could say that. You have to make sure that you’re focused on the thing that matters. And we do that fairly well. I worked at a company a while back, many years ago, where every hallway you go in, you would see their stock price being monitored. You will not find that here. And not because you can get it on your iPhone.**Tim Cook - Why Apple is the World's Most Innovate Company** _"We can do more things than we used to do because we’re a bit bigger. But in the scheme of things versus our revenue, we’re doing very few things. I mean, you could put every product we’re making on this table, to put it in perspective. I doubt anybody that is anywhere near our revenue could say that."_ This has been a long term motto for Apple and something that Steve Jobs often referenced as well. What people tend to forget though, is just how much bigger Apple is today than it was 7 years ago.

You have to make sure that you're focused on the thing that matters.

Anton Sten — Tue, 06 Mar 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>There is more noise in the world than change. One of my roles is to try to block the noise from the people who are really doing the work. That's tougher and tougher in this environment. The priorities are about saying no to a bunch of great ideas. We can do more things than we used to do because we're a bit bigger. But in the scheme of things versus our revenue, we're doing very few things. I mean, you could put every product we're making on this table, to put it in perspective. I doubt anybody that is anywhere near our revenue could say that. You have to make sure that you're focused on the thing that matters. And we do that fairly well. I worked at a company a while back, many years ago, where every hallway you go in, you would see their stock price being monitored. You will not find that here. And not because you can get it on your iPhone.**Tim Cook - Why Apple is the World's Most Innovate Company** _"We can do more things than we used to do because we're a bit bigger. But in the scheme of things versus our revenue, we're doing very few things. I mean, you could put every product we're making on this table, to put it in perspective. I doubt anybody that is anywhere near our revenue could say that."_ This has been a long term motto for Apple and something that Steve Jobs often referenced as well. What people tend to forget though, is just how much bigger Apple is today than it was 7 years ago.

Amazon has a fix for Alexa’s creepy laughs

Anton Sten — Fri, 09 Mar 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>Over the past few days, users with Alexa-enabled devices have reported hearing strange, unprompted laughter. Amazon responded to the creepiness in a statement to The Verge, saying, “We’re aware of this and working to fix it.”

As noted in media reports and a trending Twitter moment, Alexa laughs without being prompted to wake. People on Twitter and Reddit reported that they thought it was an actual person laughing near them, which can be scary when you’re home alone. Many responded to the cackling sounds by unplugging their Alexa-enabled devices.** - Amazon has a fix for Alexa’s creepy laughs** Let's add that to the list of things that Alexa can do that the HomePod can't. I've read reports from people investing into this even further and none of the laughs you can trigger (_Alexa, can you laugh?_), triggers this evil grinning laugh. If I've had an Alexa that would do this I would definitely unplug it (and never plug it back in). What if your smart assistant did this? You would send them for a psychical checkup.

Love letters to trees

Anton Sten — Sun, 11 Mar 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>“As I was leaving St. Mary’s College today I was struck, not by a branch, but by your radiant beauty. You must get these messages all the time. You’re such an attractive tree.”**When You Give a Tree an Email Address** It seems like we're drowned with reports on how digital technology is making us less empathetic, more stressed and more filled with hate. This article comes as a breath of fresh air in that sense. The city of Melbourne assigned each tree a unique email address so it's citizens could report problems. Instead, people used the email addresses to send love letters to their favorite trees. ❤️ conquers all.

The Most Important Design Skill For An AI-Dominated World

Anton Sten — Mon, 12 Mar 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Placeholder article - content coming soon.

Apple's 'Sound on the Go' Strategy

Anton Sten — Tue, 13 Mar 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>It's easy to look at Apple's headphone strategy as nothing more than the company expanding its iPhone accessories. However, there is much more value found with wireless headphones, and it comes back to controlling sound on the go.

It is not unreasonable to assume Apple will have at least 25M people wearing wireless Apple-branded headphones (containing a Wx chip) by the end of the year. Add in Beats, and the number is even higher. By the end of 2019, the number may exceed 50M people. Given the very high customer satisfaction levels found with the initial version of AirPods, one can assume current AirPods users are likely to buy updated versions of the product down the road.

Instead of just thinking of this as 50M people wearing Apple wireless headphones, we are looking at Apple building a user base for products capable of delivering a digital voice assistant and intelligent sound on the go. That is a very powerful value proposition.**Above Avalon daily email (subscribers only), March 12** This is a great piece by Neil Cybart over at Above Avalon. When Siri actually begin to provide real value to users, they'll already have not just tens of millions - but hundreds (counting Apple Watch, iPhones, Macs) touch points already in users hands.

Diversity in the design industry

Anton Sten — Thu, 15 Mar 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>I’ve been working as a designer in some fashion for more than two decades—as an employee and as an entrepreneur, in small studios and in large agencies, and at tiny startups and late-stage enterprises. What I’ve seen is that as an industry, we are teeming with progressive-leaning professionals, most of whom would avidly applaud the idea of greater diversity and inclusion in design workplaces.

But if I’m honest, I can only count a handful of times that I’ve worked with an African American, Hispanic, or Native American designer at any level. The reality of the design industry is that we’re homogenous—overwhelmingly white.**Creative careers elude people of color - Khoi Vinh** My experiences from a career that span over the same amount of time are very similar to Khoi's. Although Sweden's immigration policies have been generous over the years, I can count the times I've worked with people from the Middle East or former Yugoslavia on one hand.

Givenchy

Anton Sten — Thu, 15 Mar 2018 00:00:00 GMT

!Givenchy Hubert de Givenchy, the man behind the fashion house Givenchy passed away earlier this week at the age of 91. This timeless quote stays true for both career and life in general. Found via Om Malik

Your competitors don’t matter

Anton Sten — Thu, 15 Mar 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>By signing up for your competitor’s product, all you get is feature parity.

By reading your competitor’s marketing, all your marketing starts to sound the same.

By reading about your competitor’s latest fundraise, all you get is anxiety that they’ll have more money to “out execute” you.

Sorry to throw Samsung under the bus, but what you get is a Samsung phone rather than the iPhone by spending any time at all looking at your competitors.**Spencer Fry - Your competitors don't matter**

Why I hate your fake redesign

Anton Sten — Fri, 16 Mar 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>UI/UX work is not just about creating a beautiful picture. It’s about addressing your clients’ needs by providing new experiences for users and inspiring them to take action. It’s vital to do your research, discuss ideas with product managers, understand business needs, and check your assumptions. Only after all of that can you begin drawing.**Why I hate your fake redesign** While I might consider 'hate' a far too strong word (or HATE all caps as the original title is) - I've always found these 'concepts' to be problematic. They are not beneficial for our industry as they remove all of the work that we seem to have to convince clients the most about their importance. Things like research and user testing are almost always the first things to get erased from a project plan if there's a need for a smaller budget or a slimmer timeline. And why not, I just saw this guy on dribbble that had made this great concept without any research! We can't continue blaming clients for being poor clients if this is the way we educate them.

Bye bye Facebook

Anton Sten — Mon, 19 Mar 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>Both the Times and the Guardian describe this as a _“data breach”_, but I don’t think that’s entirely descriptive of what went on here. When I hear _“data breach”_, I think that a password got stolen or a system was hacked into. But Facebook VP Andrew Bosworth tweeted that there was nothing that was stolen — users willingly gave their information to an app, which went behind their backs to use the information in a somewhat sketchy way that users did not expect.

Facebook is more than happy to collect the world’s information, but it is clear to me that they have no intention for taking full responsibility for what that entails.**Fifty Million Facebook Profiles Harvested for Cambridge Analytica** >The data that Facebook leaked to Cambridge Analytica is the same data Facebook retains on everyone and sells targeting services around. The problem is not shady Russian researchers; it’s Facebook’s core business model of _collect, store, analyze, exploit_.**Maciej Cegłowski** I just deleted my Facebook account. I've never been particularly opinionated about privacy but I can't continue supporting their business model.

Cuba

Anton Sten — Mon, 19 Mar 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>Cuba has one of the lowest rates of internet usage in the Western Hemisphere, and access to media is strictly restricted—but that doesn't stop Cubans from watching Game of Thrones. Their secret is El Paquete Semanal ("The Weekly Packet"), a clandestine in-person file-sharing network that distributes hard drives and flash drives full of media.

Nobody quite knows how El Paquete, which has thrived since the mid-2000s, is created or how it makes its way across the country every week. But Cubans have come to rely on the pervasive distribution of music, TV, and movies—not to mention pirated software and e-commerce platforms.**El Paquete** The Cuban broadband internet penetration is 0.007% (8,157 connections for 11 million people) and the cost of an hour of Wi-Fi access is around $2, roughly 10% of the average monthly salary. This is why we do user research because what we consider normal is utopia for others.

Why Can Everyone Spot Fake News But YouTube, Facebook And Google?

Anton Sten — Mon, 19 Mar 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>The companies ask that we take them at their word: We’re trying, but this is hard — we can’t fix this overnight. OK, we get it. But if the tech giants aren’t finding the same misinformation that observers armed with nothing more sophisticated than access to a search bar are in the aftermath of these events, there’s really only one explanation for it: If they can’t see it, they aren’t truly looking.

How hard would it be, for example, to have a team in place reserved exclusively for large-scale breaking news events to do what outside observers have been doing: scan and monitor for clearly misleading conspiratorial content inside its top searches and trending modules?

It’s not a foolproof solution. But it’s _something_.**Why Can Everyone Spot Fake News But YouTube, Facebook And Google?** YouTube claims it's impossible for them to being able to identify and pull right-wing content - even of convicted Nazi's. Somehow it's pretty great at quickly identifying porn, licensed movies and music videos though.

The seat at the table

Anton Sten — Mon, 19 Mar 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>The only thing I would and to expand on is the question of "the seat at the table." Yes, there are many organizations that still, to this day, do not see the value of creative & design work. But.

The reality that we are not prepared nor educated to take leadership roles. To be accountable for our work. We have no freaking idea how to do this and we are the first ones to duck out when offered those opportunities.
Too many creatives refuse to talk to stakeholders.
Too many designers refuse to spend time educating a client.
And too many creative leaders are quick to deem all the business aspects that underpins those discussions as "not creative enough".

Breaking news: If you can't sell, educate or execute, your ideas are worth shit, y'all.

So now it's time to educate ourselves, if we don't want to be as irrelevant as some of the people we are critiquing ourselves. More than ever, learn business and tech or die.**Zelia Sakhi** Zélia is one of the brightest people I've ever had the honour of working with. For years, one of my strengths have been my understanding and interest of business and not just 'design'. I've been a long believer of that the question of wether or not designers should learn to code is inferior to wether designers should learn business.

New Tools Don't Always Equal Productivity

Anton Sten — Tue, 20 Mar 2018 00:00:00 GMT

!Juventus and new tools There's a new show on Netflix that I've really been enjoying. It's about the Italian football team Juventus and it's been great. Even if I'm fully committed to Liverpool, I've noticed that my feelings for Juventus have grown stronger. They recently beat Tottenham in order to proceed to the quarter finals in the Champions League and I happily celebrated with them. I know what you're thinking… Is he really writing a post about an Italian football team? Kind of, but not really. You see, unlike certain other teams, Juventus is focused on it's traditions and heritage. Football today is much more about making enormous amounts of money and the speed which you grow your supporters. If we think back to ten years ago, people didn't know 'the other team', Manchester City, as Manchester United always had a huge following that extended beyond their borders. Designers and developers today fall into the same reasoning when choosing tools. For a lot of years, Photoshop was the undisputed king of the scene. Then Sketch came along and most of us felt hesitated to move to it. Now? Tools seem to be launched every day that encourage us to use them because they are just _so much better and will make you more productive!_ Sketch itself is only eight years old - and really less than two of those were as a serious contender - and is already considered an 'old' tool. Try Figma! InVision Studio! Some other tool! As of writing this, I just got a link sent to me with the title _'20 more UX Tools to try'_. Me? I'm no longer so sure that's the best path. >Look, productivity isn't about "motivation." If you think it is, you've already lost. Productivity is about understanding what you really want to do, then building systems to make it work for you. The goal isn't Inbox Zero. (Who gives a shit?) Your goal is to enable yourself to perform at your very best, every day, and over the course of weeks and months and years.**Productivity advice for the weird - Ramit Sethi** ## Productivity equals what works, not what's newest Ramit shows us that we may not being working in a way that supports our success. Instead we focus on the non-essentials like what to-do app we should use to "increase our productivity" and what that 'life-hack' of the day is that will solve all our work problems. His pyramid of productivity prioritizes the activities that grow your productivity and minimize those that just get in the way. Many choose to ignore this "boring" way of doing work because it isn't new and sexy like spending time exploring new tools. They may be setting up themselves for failure. **Step 1: Fundamentals (~50%)** You should choose to spend the majority of your time ensuring stability in everything you do. Establishing a stable working environment, good sleep habits, and understanding what work you are doing lays the base of the pyramid. Activities like these deserve most of our attention. **Step 2: Psychology (~40%)** Your ability to set boundaries, handle setbacks, and have a positive, open-minded attitude define how you do work. Working on skills like these makes up the center of the pyramid and equips you to remove distraction while sharpening your focus on the work needing to be done. **Step 3: Details (~10%)** This step is where most of us (myself included) seem to focus about 90% of our attention. We are always looking for the next tool (program, app, hardware, peripheral) that will boost/support our work. Instead, how about using this time to build a standard tool kit? What works best for what you, as long as it is efficient, will probably be a tool you are already really familiar with. Rather than chasing that next 'best' thing, let's stick to what works. All said, I love trying new things - sketching on iPad, trying out Figma, and prototyping in all of the different new tools. All of these things are awesome. However, using the new, great tool(s) will never be a replacement for actually doing the work. Our ultimate goal is to get the work done. Why are we letting other things get in the way? Back to football: While Manchester City and Paris St. Germain are new and exciting for football fans, Juventus' history and traditions were what drew me in. Thanks to Netflix, I now have a deeper understanding of a team that I may not have considered before. It's not because they're new, it's because they are established. What's new will come and, eventually, go. History and traditions stay.

Flight Crews Don’t Decide Where To Fly

Anton Sten — Wed, 21 Mar 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>On most flights, this crew is working together for the first time. A given flight’s crew usually didn’t train together. Often, they don’t see the exact plane they need to operate until they step aboard. How does a group of people who have never met fly 100 people in a 600-metric-ton metal tube across the world so safely?
My best guess: Nobody has to decide where to fly.

To work productively, make sure you don’t have to decide where to go. Work with stakeholders to set missions, KPIs, OKRs, milestones, or just plain old goals before the team steps foot onto the proverbial plane. In-flight, try to avoid re-evaluating the goal. Land the plane safely with a solid report-out and retrospective, before asking where to go next. Try to make switching teams between projects seamless.

The above advice works for big initiatives, 2-week sprints, and 30-minute meetings — especially 30-minute meetings.**Flight Crews Don't Decide Where To Fly** Brilliant piece by Matthew Ström that I'm likely to reference and return to many times over the next years.

Everyone Is Going Through Something

Anton Sten — Fri, 23 Mar 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Placeholder article - content coming soon.

It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work

Anton Sten — Wed, 20 Mar 2019 00:00:00 GMT

>When calm starts early, calm becomes the habit. But if you start crazy, it'll define you. You have to keep asking yourself if the way you're working today is the way you'd want to work in 10, 20, or 30 years. If not, now is the time to make a change, not "later". **Calm** I have two post its on my screen in my office. One says "It's not personal" and the other one says "Be Polite & Be Fair". I'm thinking the third one should say "Is this how I want to work".

Conversational Design

Anton Sten — Tue, 27 Mar 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>In 2015, the Pew Research Center found that 64% of American adults owned a smartphone of some kind, up from 35% in 2011. We still refer to these personal, pocket-sized computers as phones, but “Phone” is now just one of many communication apps we neglect in favor of texting. Texting is the most widely used mobile data service in America. And in the wider world, four billion people have mobile phones, so 4 billion people have access to SMS or other messaging apps. For some, dictating messages into a wristwatch offers an appealing alternative to placing a call.**Conversational Design** 🙋🏻‍♂️

Don't use the F word (freelancer)

Anton Sten — Tue, 27 Mar 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>This is a matter of both self-and-public perception. I've found that saying, "I'm a freelancer" translates to some as, "I'm struggling and will take whatever crumbs you throw my way." In other words, it sounds and feels desperate and poor. Instead, try identifying as a business owner, or an independent service, or a consultant. What term feels powerful to you?

However, if people ask me, "Are you freelance?" I don't say, "No." Instead I answer, "I have my own business, yes." Or, "I'm a free agent — and yes, I'm available for projects."**Don't use the F word (Freelancer)**

Dropbox

Anton Sten — Tue, 27 Mar 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>I wrote Dropbox their first investment check on June 26, 2007. What strikes me as I look at a copy of the check is that Drew and Arash must have been fairly effective at getting all their incorporation paperwork completed. I often had to chase startups well into July.

Little did I know back then what a momentous check this one would be: that 11 years later, Dropbox would be the first Y Combinator company to go public.**Congrats Dropbox** While I don't think that Y Combinator's agenda is to make money or take companies public, this is a great example that playing the long game is what pays off in the end. If this is the first of many to come, Y Combinator is in for a very prosperous future.

How tech giants design for transgender users–or don't

Anton Sten — Tue, 27 Mar 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>At best, it was inconvenient to explain the situation to potential guests. At worst, potential guests might have suspected some kind of scheme. By design, Airbnb mines your history to build your profile, and that's incredibly problematic for transgender people who've established a new life. In this sense, it's a perfect example of what happens when design isn't inclusive by default–when a decent solution for 98% of the population can be extremely ostracizing for the remaining 2%.**How Tech Giants Design For Transgender Users–Or Don't** Changing your name on a profile might be problematic and occasionally impossible. Changing your gender could possibly just be a dropdown but to have it reflect that change on the entire site takes commitment. Well done Airbnb.

Bleeding Out

Anton Sten — Thu, 29 Mar 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>It wasn’t until things had calmed down a bit and the medics asked her about whether I’d been drinking, and if I was taking any medication, that she walked off for a moment to go inside the house.
In an instant, she was hurrying back towards us with a determined look in her eye and a large plastic bag in her hands.

“This is what he’s taking,” she said, holding out the bag filled with prescription bottles.

Everyone looked down at all the different medications in there, and then just kind of remained silent for a second.
“Which one?” someone asked, finally. “Which of these has he taken today.”

And Joanie, she just looked at the guy for a moment, and then she pointed into the bag.
“Everything,” she said. “Everything in here. This whole bag.”**Bleeding Out** First this and now yet another brilliant piece from The Players Tribune on mental health.

Fake News is spam

Anton Sten — Thu, 29 Mar 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>My argument was that Facebook (and Mark Zuckerberg) were shying away from what was their responsibility as platform owners. My contention was that fake news was like spam on email platforms, and it was the responsibility of Facebook to fix their platform.**Fake News is spam** When your inbox is full of spam, we blame Gmail/Google or whatever provider we use. Facebook needs to face the music.

What's a 'user Experience' Anyways?

Anton Sten — Mon, 02 Apr 2018 00:00:00 GMT

We can find the terms 'user experiences' and 'UX' all over the Internet. Just a decade ago this subject wasn't widely known within our industry and now it seems to be the starting point for anyone interested in design or development. With all this talk, you'd think we'd be able to easily answer the question, "What is a user experience?" Turns out, it's a pretty complicated question. You may have seen attempts that try to explain UX, each more complicated than the last. For instance, this picture has been floating around the Internet for years and people generally agree (incorrectly) that it demonstrates a user experience pretty well. !UX vs Design In fact, this image is closer to the truth. !UX vs Design Choosing a dirt road over a paved one doesn't describe a user experience, but can describe a user scenario - a pattern if you will. A user experience isn't as black and white as these pictures want us to believe. ## Story time Let me share a story from Jesse James Garrett's awesome book, The Elements of User Experience, and see if you can relate with it. >Everyone, every once in a while, has one of those days.
You know the kind of day I'm talking about: You wake up to sunlight streaming in your window and wonder why your alarm clock hasn't gone off yet. You look over to see that your alarm clock think it's 3:43 AM. You stumble out of bed to find another clock, which tells you that you can still make it to work on time — if you leave in 10 minutes.
You turn on the coffeemaker and hustle to get dressed, but when you go to retrieve your dose of life-sustaining caffeine, there's no coffee in the pot. No time to figure out why — you've got to get to work!
You get about a block from your house when you realize that the car needs gas. At the gas station, you try to use the one pump that takes credit cards, but this time it won't accept yours. So you have to go inside and pay the cashier, but first you have to wait in line while the cashier very slowly helps everyone in front of you.
You have to take a detour because of a traffic accident, so the drive takes longer than you expected. It's official: Despite all of your efforts, you are now late for work. Finally, you make it to your desk. You're agitated, harried weary and irritable — and your day hasn't even really started yet. And you still haven't had any coffee.
**Jesse James Garrett - The Elements of User Experience** I think most of us can understand how a bad start to a day can result in a downward spiral. It may seem like bad luck on the surface - just one of those days, right? When we look closer, we see how each of the issues could have been avoided through design. **The accident** happened because the driver momentarily took his eyes off the road while he turned the radio down. He had no choice but to look down because it was impossible to identify the volume control by touch alone. So much for futuristic touch-screens! **The line at the gas station** moved slowly because the cash register was complex and confusing. The clerk spent extra time to make sure he was correct than run the risk of having to start the transaction from scratch - a real possibility. The popularity and simplicity of registers like iZettle and Square is no coincidence. **The credit card** didn't work at the pump because there was no infographic as to which way the card should be inserted. Because you were in a hurry, you didn't think of trying all orientations. **The coffeemaker** didn't start because you didn't push the button all the way down. The machine itself offers no visual or audio cue that it's turned on - no light, no sound, and no resistance when the button pushes in. You thought you had turned it on, but being in a hurry, you didn't double check it. This could have been avoided if you had set the coffeemaker to start brewing automatically in the morning, but you never learned how to use that function — let's face it, none of us do. **The clock** started this whole mess. The alarm didn't go off because the time was wrong. The time was wrong because in the middle of the night your cat stepped on it and reset it. A slightly different cat-proof configuration of buttons and you'd be awake in good time for work - coffee in hand. Every one of the cases of 'bad luck' could have been avoided if only someone had made better choices while designing the products. Take a look around you right now. It's frightening how many of the products we interact with daily haven't taken the user into account when they were created. They're almost ticking time bombs. >User Experience is not about the inner working of a product or a service. User Experience is about how it works on the outside, where a person comes in contact with it. When someone asks you what it's like to use a product or a service, they're asking about the user experience. Is it hard to do simple things? Is it easy to figure out? How does it feel to interact with the product? ## Choices, Choices Pull your phone out and look at it. What kind of phone is it? Why did you choose that specific model or brand? You may have opted for an iPhone because of the design, features like iMessage, or even good old peer pressure. You may love your Pixel for it's flexibility, configurability, and reliability. But for most of us, it's something less tangible. We just like how it works. It's not one specific thing, but rather something more holistic. UX design is a mix of sociology and cognitive science that looks at how people and products interact. It's a scientific process that can be applied to physical products like cars, chairs, and tables. In the digital world it simply refers to the way a user interacts with the interface of some kind, be it a website, e-commerce store, or an app. >I don't know anything about design. Bullsh*t. Look around you. You make choices based on design every day.
Even if you can't design those things yourself, that doesn't take away from your ability to decide that was the chair you wanted to sit on, or the shoes you wanted to wear, or the car you wanted to buy.
You know bad design when you encounter it. From every chair you've sat in that hurt your ass, to every coffee cup that burned your hand, to every time your finger triggered the wrong link on your phone, to every airline booking site that pissed you off. You know bad design. You hate it.
**Mike Monteiro - You're my favorite client** A UX Designer's role is to look at, let's say, a website and analyze how a customer will use it and how it makes them feel. They will ask, "How can I make this easier for them to use?" or "How can I make the user's experience on this website more enjoyable?" ## What does UX Design aim to achieve? - To improve customer satisfaction. Creating designs that encourage positive interactions, you grow the relationship between the user and the product manufacturer/developer. A user is more happy to tolerate mistakes (everyone makes them!) if they feel they have a voice in conversation. - To improve the interaction between a product and its user. A balance between simplicity and depth of content (features, information) is tricky. Through research, testing, and thoughtful design it can be achieved for the average user - making the interaction feel natural. - To make sure that the product - whether that's a website, app, or program - logically flows from one step to the next. Nothing is more frustrating for a user than confusion. When the experience is interrupted, simply stop using the product. ## Have you heard about Maslow? In 1943, Abraham Maslow introduced his theory on the hierarchy of needs. In it, he described what we need as humans to thrive. From physiological (air, water, food) to safety (personal security, financial security, health), love (friends, family, sex), esteem (self-respect, self-esteem), and finally self-actualization (reaching your full potential). When designing experiences we can look to Maslow for inspiration. Whatever your product is, there are ways to find similarities between the two pyramids. !Maslow Here's an example with online banking: 1. Functional: I'm able to login, pay bills, and view an account summary. 2. Reliable: I feel safe using this product. I don't need to tell you how crucial that is for the banking industry and I don't consider using anything that even APPEARS to be unsafe. (This is why an even a sketchy website might feel safer to login to using Facebook or Google.) 3. Usable: I'm able to navigate between pages and it functions as I would expect. The features that I expect are all there. The navigation, buttons, etc are using patterns that I'm familiar with. (This is where 99% of all services end, but great UX design goes further.) 4. Pleasurable: I know what you're thinking – a pleasurable online banking experience? Crazy! It may seem laughable now, but it's only crazy until someone actually makes one. Then the whole industry will scramble to catch up. ## The Extra Effort Goes a Long Way Great user experiences are the result of putting in the extra effort. When being usable just isn't enough. Maslow states that when a person is fully self-actualized, they find contentment as their needs have been all fulfilled. A user finds that same sense of contentment using a product that has invested in a great user experience that caters to their needs. That user is happy to be a returning customer and brand advocate. What are examples of user experiences that brought you pleasure? Is it the first time you sat in a car that had all the features you wanted? Was it the magic you felt the first time you used your fingerprint to unlock your phone? **Great user experiences can make you the market leader** While some of you may be too young to remember music consumption before smart phones or MP3 players, the world changed when we used the first iPod. Even though it disrupted what was then called the MP3 market by vastly improving the technical specifications – 5GB vs 128 or 64MB – this wasn't the primary reason for its global success. What made it really stand out was that you could browse a VERY large selection of songs fairly easily (aka the user experience). Remember the Zune? It debuted just after the iPod with similar technical specification, but it's overly complex interface drove away customers. !iPod ## Knowing all this, why are there so many badly designed products? So if it's obvious that a great user experience is the key to making products that result in happy loyal customers, why are there so many badly designed products out there? It comes down to priorities. **People confuse adding functionality with adding to the experience**
A lot of products are focused on what they can do rather than how they do it. They believe they must offer more than their competitors to stay relevant in the market. How do you do that? The knee-jerk reaction is to continue adding features. A truly great user experience is only created when you have a team that is committed to considering the user at every step. Just throwing features at the user isn't the answer as they tend to create a bloated, complex products that tire the user.

**People think only in terms of visual aesthetics**
What looks great doesn't always work well. A Ferrari might be gorgeous from any angle, but it's awful when your stuffed in traveling from point A to point B at 40 km/h. It's functionality and primary purpose is entirely different than of a Volvo's. A well-designed product is key to getting people seriously interested. While a Volvo isn't going to hold your eye like a Ferrari, it's built to be functional in our daily lives. Driving 40 km/h comfortably with room for kids, groceries, and a spare tire (just in case) is a designed experience.

**People think in terms of development/output, not design/functionality**
I've been on countless web and media projects where the tool was decided long before it's design/functionality. For instance, if a team hears, "Here's a brief for a creative campaign, keep in mind that we already purchased the TV spots!" you know they cringe. This mindset results in situations where they are left scrambling to make the design fit the tool. Instead, beginning with design and functionality saves development time and increases the quality of the product and it's experience. It's much easier to pick the right tool using all the information than struggling to get it the tool do what it isn't designed for.

**People think in terms of speed**
In startups there's a culture that moving fast gives you an advantage. Even giants like Facebook choose to "move fast and break things." Why breaking things ever would be a good idea is beyond me. While we're able to move fast in the digital age, it doesn't mean we should. Crafting great user experiences is hard because it takes time (and effort) to deeply understand the pain points of your users.

**People think in terms of financials, not investments**
Even though research shows that every dollar invested into UX brings you $2-$100 in return, most companies see it as something that's "nice to have." They fail to see the long term value it will bring them. Unless you're Apple with a cash reserve of $285 billion, it's wise to carefully consider how you're spending your cash. There's really no set time for when a user experience design is 'completed' so being able to identify when it's 'good enough' to ship is one of the key decisions you'll have to make. I think being good at judging when a product is 'good enough' is one of the key reasons behind Apple's cash reserve. ## Let's look at the paths again !UX vs Design **Here's what's wrong with this image** Both of the paths provide a user experience. They provide the user with different user experiences. The dirt path is a shorter path and great in ideal conditions. The concrete path is longer, but is a better choice when it's raining and you don't want to jump mud puddles. Both of these paths are designed. The paved path is designed by engineers deliberately and the other one was designed by users. >Therefore, the picture is misleading and totally fails to explain what UX is, and for no reason whatsoever, puts Design and UX in conflict, and even more so, it smirks and with a smug look puts UX in superior position to Design.
Design is a process, a method, a toolkit, a verb (to design) which is used by people to create various User Experiences. Design is a method, and UX is a desired outcome — outcome based on user research, heuristics, gut intuition, requirements, etc. These two cannot be confronted like the picture suggests.

It's not even apples vs. oranges comparison, these are both at least fruit, it's apples vs. rockets level of comparison.**Debunking Bad Design Memes, Part 1: "Design vs. UX" infamous pictures** \

Being cash-free puts us at risk of attack: Swedes turn against cashlessness

Anton Sten — Tue, 03 Apr 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>When you have a fully digital system you have no weapon to defend yourself if someone turns it off, he says.

If Putin invades Gotland [Sweden’s largest island] it will be enough for him to turn off the payments system. No other country would even think about taking these sorts of risks, they would demand some sort of analogue system.**Being cash-free puts us at risk of attack: Swedes turn against cashlessness** First of all, if Putin were to invade Sweden, not being to be able to pay for things would be the least of our problems. Secondly, to hack our digital systems, he surely wouldn't need to invade Sweden first. Thirdly, if he were to hack us, I'm pretty sure he would take down electricity, water supply and other crucial things before going after our payments.

Dieter Rams

Anton Sten — Tue, 03 Apr 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Rams - Teaser (Less and Better) from Film First on Vimeo.

>Dieter Rams’ ability to bring form to a product so that it clearly, concisely and immediately communicates its meaning is remarkable… He remains utterly alone in producing a body of work so consistently beautiful, so right, and so accessible.**Jony Ive** Undeniably one of the greatest designers of the last century. Thrilled about this upcoming movie by Gary Hustwit, who also directed Helvetica and Objectified.

Creative Class is open

Anton Sten — Mon, 09 Apr 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>I believe freelancing is the ultimate way to take control of my life, my finances and my daily happiness. I don't freelance as an interim step until I build a huge company. This is a long-term, long-lasting career that's now more stable than any corporate job. I freelance because I love being a freelancer.

It gives me the ability to chart my own path in life, not to mention working in my underwear (with my clients being none-the-wiser). I choose who I work with, when I work, and most importantly, when I don't need to work.**Paul Jarvis pjrvs.com** One of the freelancers I always seem to quote is Paul Jarvis. He has the gift to create his own amazing products and the determination to follow through. I've had the opportunity to talk to Paul on several occasions and he's a genuinely nice guy (and we share the same love of cars).You may know Paul's name from my books as I've interviewed him for both of my books or from the great ChimpEssentials. I'm excited that this week Paul together with Kaleigh - another freelance superstar, are relaunching their Creative Class. This is by far one of the best online classes I've ever purchased. **Because Paul and Kaleigh are such nice people, they'll give you $20 off if you use the code 'ANTONSE' when signing up.** Sign up here.

Karim Rashid

Anton Sten — Mon, 09 Apr 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Placeholder article - content coming soon.

Phone Bored

Anton Sten — Mon, 09 Apr 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>Phone boredom occurs when you’re technically “on your phone,” but you’re still bored out of your mind. It’s that feeling when you’re mindlessly clicking around, opening and closing apps, looking for something to do digitally and finding the options uninteresting.

Whereas previous generations may have scrolled through channels on the radio, wandered into different rooms in their house, or flicked through countless TV channels, today’s teens say they’ll sometimes open and close up to 20-30 apps, hoping that something, anything, will catch their attention.**Generation Z Is Already Bored by the Internet** Although not technically GenZ, I can relate to being phone bored. Wishful thinking would be that my mind is still young, refusing to grow old but Om Malik states a great case to why this might be to due to lack of great apps.

Why Small Teams Win

Anton Sten — Fri, 17 Aug 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>Ringelmann’s experiment consisted in letting twenty students alone and in groups on a five-meter rope, the other end of which led to a dynamometer. When two people pulled together on the rope, each of them performed on average only 93% of what he had before achieved alone. In three people it was still 85%, at four 77%, until in a group of eight people everyone provided an average of 50% of his most performance.**Why Small Teams Win And Bigger Ones Fail** Six people made the original Legend of Zelda. Just five people made the original Super Mario Bros which is still one of the best video games ever made. Small teams, big things.

Whose risk?

Anton Sten — Mon, 09 Apr 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>We cannot be part of a discussion on what risks a certain technology has without asking whose risks. It makes an awful lot of difference. …It’s quite pointless to talk about risk-benefit without saying, “Are those who are at risk also getting the benefits, or are those who are getting the benefits very far removed from risk?”

This is particularly the case if you look at development in the Third World, for example, where women are often in the end more disadvantaged than they were before. The questions to ask are “Whose benefits? Whose risks?” rather than “What benefits? What risks?”**Seven into seven.** While this great post by Ethan Marcotte originally discussed the topic of Google AMP, it's just as relevant today regarding Facebook. It's clear now that the users are taking the risk while Facebook themselves are getting the benefits.

The Real Technology Problem

Anton Sten — Wed, 11 Apr 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>But when you go out to dinner with a group of friends and the subject of the internet comes up, the focus isn’t on social media’s invasion of privacy. No one is getting a little buzzed and saying, _“My profile is being unethically shared to target me with ads that purport to know what I want. Now give me another drink.”_**The Real Technology Problem** This post hits home with me on so many levels. The problem isn’t Facebook—it’s us. We’re so addicted to technology that privacy has become an afterthought.

Europe’s tough new data-protection law

Anton Sten — Thu, 12 Apr 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>The GDPR is prescriptive about what organisations have to do to comply. They have to appoint a “data-protection officer” (DPO), an ombudsman who reports directly to top management and cannot be penalised for doing his job. They also have to draw up detailed “data-protection impact assessments”, describing how personal data are processed. And they have to put well-defined processes in place to govern the protection of personal data and to notify authorities within 72 hours if there is a breach. Companies that persistently ignore these rules face stiff fines of up to €20m ($25m) or 4% of global annual sales, whichever is greater.**The Economist - The Real Technology Problem** It'll be interesting to see how the GDPR will work in reality but it's definitely a step in the right direction. The latest Facebook / Cambridge Analytica breach is a great example of something that would have been avoided with a set of rules and regulation in place.

Tim Cook - We care about the user experience

Anton Sten — Thu, 12 Apr 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>The truth is we could make a ton of money if we monetized our customer. If our customer was our product, we could make a ton of money. We’ve elected not to do that.

Our products are iPhones and iPads and Macs and HomePods and the Watch, et cetera, and if we can convince you to buy one, we’ll make a little bit of money, right? But you are not our product.

You are our customer. You are a jewel, and we care about the user experience. And we’re not going to traffic in your personal life. I think it’s an evasion of privacy. I think it’s – privacy to us is a human right.**Tim Cook - We care about the user experience** There's been a lot of complaints about the lack of features in Siri compared to it's counter parts primarily Alexa and Google Assistant. The big difference is of course that while Amazon and Google make their profits of it's users (and hence need the data you provide), Apple is not in that game. Long term, I think it's becoming clear to us that the path that Apple has chosen, is the one that's going to last. And like Tim mentions in the final seconds of the clip: _"This is not something we just started doing because we saw something last week. We've been doing this for years."_

Design Systems: Better UX through Defined Standards

Anton Sten — Mon, 16 Apr 2018 00:00:00 GMT

I was recently asked to help a client develop a new cohesive visual identity. Their business is growing and, in our conversations, their CEO expressed concerns regarding their coming expansions into new markets. One reason he wanted to focus on a new visual identity was was due to fears that local markets would “play around” with the visual identity and, in a year’s time, their product portfolio would be a scattered mess. He wanted to make sure that they had a brand that everyone would stick to without “exploring” their own creative agendas. _*There may be a place and time for that too, but let’s agree on what colors and fonts we’ll use._ After thinking it through, it became clear that while I could help them develop a new visual identity, that alone wouldn’t ensure that all markets would follow the rules. Even with a strong style guide, there are always ways to interpret those guidelines to create branding within the brand. We want to avoid this at all costs. I told him that while I’d love to work with them on a new visual identity, what they really need is a design system. Now, if you’re a frequent reader of design related articles on Medium, “design systems” is a phrase you’ve heard before. If not, let me briefly explain what a design system is and why it can help your organization. ## Design systems broken down A solid visual identity is a key piece in any company's marketing strategy. For this specific company, I identified a couple of vital points for their visual identity. The company's product is very text-heavy and their target audience are primarily schools. So the typography needs to work in small sizes in order to stay crystal clear on tablets, phones, and Chrome books. The colors should offer a clear set of rules for hierarchy and interaction feedback. All colors need to be WCAG AA+ compliant to be accessible for the estimated 15% of people worldwide with a wide spectrum of permanent or temporary visual, auditory, motor, and cognitive impairments. When dealing with any digital product, the visual identity is more than just fonts and colors. It isn’t just colors and typography, but shapes and structures that form digital patterns. It is vital to make sure the brand is aligned in everything they do and create patterns that can re-used across their products. Patterns can be things like buttons, navigations, interactions, and forms. Together, these form a design system. This is not the same as a style guide, which at it’s best is a website with assets; colors, typography, buttons but - more often than not - a sad PDF that was created last minute five weeks after the agency considered the project to be delivered. A design system is a more of a living organism. While a design system may feature the same objects as a style guide, it offers coded elements and a Sketch file (or whatever tool) with objects that are editable in content, but not in context. This is particularly useful when you have many people, designers and developers, working on products. It’s a way of minimizing the guessing and allowing designers and developers to focus on their actual work - making great things. >With no common design language to unite the product, the user experience starts to break down, as does the design process. Design critiques become unproductive when there’s a dearth of design conventions. To create alignment within teams, there must be a shared source of truth—a place to reference official patterns and styles.

Design systems enable teams to build better products faster by making design reusable—reusability makes scale possible. This is the heart and primary value of design systems. A design system is a collection of reusable components, guided by clear standards, that can be assembled together to build any number of applications.**DesignBetter.co** Design systems are great for building products that stay coherent. Combined with Atomic Design, it can become a powerful and efficient way for your organization to make design work for you. ## Sharing design systems Lots of companies have started sharing their design systems online and publicly - a great way of showing for potential employees that they truly care about design! Here’s a couple I really like and that have served as great resources for me in my work: - Carbon Design from IBM - UX Patterns from Mailchimp - Lightning Design system from Salesforce - Yelp Design Guidelines (basic but good) - Design system repo

My #1 Piece of Advice to Freelancers: Lean Into The Moment

Anton Sten — Mon, 16 Apr 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>I worked longer than an 8-hour day on Monday because I felt it. I had a lot of work and I wanted to work. I wanted to crank it out and get a ton done. And when Tuesday came around, even though I had planned to work, something pulled me elsewhere. Instead, I leaned into that. And that Tuesday afternoon? I still got everything done I wanted to do in that day.

See, when you’re a freelancer, you don’t have to set daily goals. You have the luxury of setting weekly goals because you control your schedule. When you get those goals done during the week is up to you. It doesn’t have to happen Monday-Friday, 9–5. You have the ability to lean into the rest of your life, on your time, unlike “full-time” workers.**My #1 Piece of Advice to Freelancers: Lean Into The Moment** If it's one thing I want to work on and become better at it's precisely this. I'm great at getting a ton done but I always get this feeling on insecurity when I do something else besides working (especially if it's like 2pm on a Wednesday).

Productivity

Anton Sten — Mon, 16 Apr 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>It doesn’t matter how fast you move if it’s in a worthless direction. Picking the right thing to work on is the most important element of productivity and usually almost ignored. So think about it more! Independent thought is hard but it’s something you can get better at with practice.**Sam Altman - Productivity** I should get this framed and hang it over my desk.

Netflix has to 'produce great content, market it well, serve it up beautifully'

Anton Sten — Wed, 18 Apr 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>Netflix has to "produce great content, market it well, serve it up beautifully." If not successful in that pursuit, Netflix will be "run over, just like anybody else."**Reed Hastings - Netflix Earnings call** The Netflix saga is one of it's kind and Wall Street seems to love $NFLX - it's up over 70% YTD and more than 400% in just three years. It's refreshing how Reed Hastings (CEO Netflix) puts their task at hand though. It's all about providing content that the users want, market it and serve it up beautifully. Without any of the three, they'll be 'run over'.

Sen. Blumenthal: "your business model is to maximize profit over privacy."

Anton Sten — Wed, 18 Apr 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>We've seen the apology tours before. You have refused to acknowledge even an ethical obligation to have reported this violation of the FTC consent decree, and we have letters, we've had contacts with Facebook employees…that indicates not only a lack of resources but lack of attention to privacy. And so, my reservation about your testimony today is that I don't see how you can change your business model unless there are specific rules of the road. Your business model is to monetize user information, to maximize profit over privacy, and unless there are specific rules and requirements — enforced by an outside agency — I have no assurance that these kinds of vague commitments are going to produce action.**Sen. Richard Blumenthal** As Upton Sinclair put it: _"It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends upon his not understanding it!"_

Sen. Blumenthal: "your business model is to maximize profit over privacy."

Anton Sten — Wed, 18 Apr 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Facebook to exclude North American users from some privacy enhancements

Anton Sten — Mon, 23 Apr 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>There’s no way to sugarcoat this message: Facebook’s founder Mark Zuckerberg believes North America users of his platform deserve a lower data protection standard than people everywhere else in the world.

In a phone interview with Reuters yesterday Mark Zuckerberg declined to commit to universally implementing changes to the platform that are necessary to comply with the European Union’s incoming General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Rather, he said the company was working on a version of the law that would bring some European privacy guarantees worldwide — declining to specify to the reporter which parts of the law would not extend worldwide.

_“We’re still nailing down details on this, but it should directionally be, in spirit, the whole thing,”_ Reuters quotes Zuckerberg on the GDPR question.** Facebook to exclude North American users from some privacy enhancements** _"Directionally be, in spirit, the whole thing"_ sounds to me like it'll be very far from _the whole thing_ which is unfortunate for North American (or really anyone outside Europe) users. It would be far easier and faster for Facebook to just implement GDPR for _everyone_. If there was ever any doubt, this should be the final evidence. Facebook will not change it's behaviour.

Tech is not Neutral

Anton Sten — Tue, 24 Apr 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Placeholder article - content coming soon.

Vanity Metrics

Anton Sten — Thu, 26 Apr 2018 00:00:00 GMT

I don't know about your morning routines, but my mornings are pretty much the same every day. During the week, I get up at around 6am and one of the first things I do is check my phone. I don't dwell too long, but one of the highlights of my mornings is my GoSquared daily report. It's a beautifully designed email showing the number of people that visited my website the day before. It give me information like where they are based, what referral they came through (basically on what site they did click on a link to my website), how long they stayed, and so on. !iPhone with GoSquared Now you might not think this is weird since my website is an important piece in running my business and a big component of having the role of UX-lead. The higher the number of visitors, the happier I am! It also shows a percentage based on the same day the week before. My mind spills out questions like, "Is this Tuesday better than the week before?" And "Ooh looks like there's a link to my website from smashingmagazine.com, that oughta be great for SEO right?" Those seem fair and worthwhile, right? ## ...until I had a revelation Those all-important numbers don't really matter at all. We're constantly overwhelmed with numbers justifying or disqualifying every decision we make. Wether it's visitors on a website, subscribers to a newsletter, numbers of employees, followers on instagram, or upvotes on ProductHunt they all follow the same formula - BIGGER IS BETTER. It's a pattern I notice in many places: - They just raised $360 million! - His mailing-list has 15.000 subscribers! - They have a revenue of $20 million! - She has 300.000 followers on Instagram! Way back in 2012, Basecamp wrote a post "I heard you like numbers" where they outlined some key metrics for Basecamp. It was all really numbers like those I listed above - they have no meaning at all. There was one metric that made their readers see red. They posted that the one millionth image had been uploaded and that it was a cat image. No big deal, right? Well, it turns out the users were disturbed that Basecamp could see all the images they uploaded. While Basecamp later argued that they had only seen the name, cat.jpg, the damage was already done. Basecamp (of which I'm a huge fan) later posted a big apology and straight out admitted that they made a mistake. The lesson here is that it's easy to get caught up in all the data and lose perspective on what is real. With Google Analytics, Salesforce, and all of the other tools, we're constantly exposed to a huge amount of information. Ten years ago we had access to maybe 10% of what we do today, so it's no surprise that we're struggling making sense of it all. ## What's your end goal? The goal of my business is to allow me to do work that I enjoy doing while being able provide for my family. A very minor percentage of new clients come through my website as 90% of my clients are all through word-of-mouth and/or referrals. Now while they may visit my website before they reach out, there's very little connection between my website's visitor count and the amount of new clients talking to me. The goal of my blog is to force myself to think deeper about design and user experiences in particular. I love sharing these posts with you and sometimes that leads to some pretty big reader numbers. However, those numbers were never the goal; they are actually the result of writing something that challenged myself AND the reader to think differently about the topic. Understanding the purpose of what you do is important in making sure you're tracking the right data. Revenue is a pretty boring metric until the data focuses on profits. Instagram follower numbers don't matter if no one likes your posts. Visits to a website mean nothing until you can see correlation to higher conversions. So let's stop playing the vanity metrics game and start using the collected data as a tool to our end goals: sustained profit from a great product people love, growing a relationship with your follower, and higher conversion rates of visitors buying your product/services. After all, we are just people working with people.

A Modest Guide to Productivity

Anton Sten — Fri, 27 Apr 2018 00:00:00 GMT

> A person is not a brain driving a meat robot; it all runs together. If work is stymied, ask: are you eating clean? Getting enough sleep? Did your heart pump more than a sloth today? Start with your body, not your work methods. _Trust me._**A Modest Guide to Productivity** This is a great variation of what I was aiming for in 'New Tools Don't Always Equal Productivity'. Frank, one of my favorite designers/writers, really hits the head of the nail here. Whenever I'm stressed out or can't seem to be able to do good work I occasionally believe it's because I don't have a great to-do list app or missing a Sketch plugin. Most of the time, a workout, a Headspace session, a walk with my dog or a good meal takes care of it. We should learn to turn to these things more often.

Apple Should Make an Instagram Clone

Anton Sten — Fri, 27 Apr 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>Instagram is one of the last social networks I use these days, which I actually enjoy visiting. But I always get a little twitchy using it because it's owned by Facebook (which I'm really not a fan of). And the ads are getting pretty annoying these days.

So wouldn't it be awesome if Apple made a privacy focused clone of it? I know Apple doesn't really do well when it comes to social services, but I'm wondering if a simple photo sharing site might not be impossible for them to do well. From the outside, it looks like it's just a scaling problem. You've got photos, comments, and a list of folks to watch. It can't be that hard.**Apple Should Make an Instagram Clone** I think this is a pretty great idea to be honest. Apple themselves are actually decent at posting stuff to Instagram as they have a strong focus on the camera possibilities of the iPhone combined with, you know, 'creativity'. I've quit Facebook and have my concerns about Instagram too. I guess the only question is - if it's not ad-based, what's in it for Apple?

Google Debuts a Standalone To-Do App, Google Tasks

Anton Sten — Fri, 27 Apr 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>According to their announcement of Product Sans and their new logo, the typeface was supposed to be used in promotional materials and lockups, but there’s no mention of it being used for product UIs. In fact, the only other product I can find that has this same inconsistent mix is the new Gmail.com, also previewed today.

It isn’t just about what these typefaces look like, either, but how they’re used. For example, when entering a new task, the name of the task is set in Product Sans; when it is added to the list, it becomes Roboto. Tapping on the task takes you to a details view where, now, the name of the task is in Product Sans. There are three options to add more information: if you want to add details, you’ll do it in Roboto, but adding a due date will be in Product Sans. The “add subtasks” button — well, text in the same grey as everything else except other buttons that are blue — is set in Product Sans, but the tasks are set in Roboto.**PixelEnvy: Google Debuts a Standalone To-Do App, Google Tasks** I haven't bothered trying Google's todo-app because, well mainly, you know, it's just _another tool_ but I did try the new Gmail. After using it for less than 5 minutes, I can only pray that a) Google lets users keep the old version for a long time and b) that a new version of Apple Mail is on the horizon. Because the new Gmail is terrible and by the sound of it, so is Google Tasks.

Gdpr is ruining my life

Anton Sten — Sat, 05 May 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>And if you do just one thing?

It’s no longer ok to have just one tick box when someone makes a purchase for accepting the terms of purchase and for consent to marketing. This is not considered specific consent for marketing.”**GDPR is ruining my life** I've been looking into what a small one-man company like myself actually have to do to comply with GDPR regulations. While I doubt they'll come chasing down companies like mine, I think companies regardless of size should comply with these laws as they're actually for _our, the users, the public's, benefit._ This is a great rundown by Kate Jackson.

Requests for personal data from Apple, Google, and Facebook compared

Anton Sten — Sat, 05 May 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>The zip file I eventually received from Apple was tiny, only 9 megabytes, compared to 243 MB from Google and 881 MB from Facebook. And there's not much there, because Apple says the information is primarily kept on your device, not its servers.**USA Today: Apple took 8 days to give me the data it had collected on me. It was eye opening.** It's evident how much of your activity that Facebook logs when their file is 3x the size of Google's and almost 100x the size of Apple's.

Twitter logged all user’s passwords in plain text

Anton Sten — Sat, 05 May 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Pre-context: Twitter admitted they had found a bug that showed all passwords in plain text rather than masked and encrypted. Their CTO Parag Agrawal commented: >We are sharing this information to help people make an informed decision about their account security. We didn’t have to, but believe it’s the right thing to do.**Parag Agrawal** Just the mention of _"didn't have to"_ makes you question their views on integrity and privacy. I'm interested in how the GDPR would view this scenario as there technically isn't a breach (under the GDPR, the company is legally obliged to notify users within 72 hours), it's a breach waiting to happen. It's like the bank left all of their customers money in the lobby.

What’s in a pattern name

Anton Sten — Sat, 05 May 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>But perhaps even more than that, they knew they needed to _talk_ about their design patterns more consistently. As they started creating an inventory of all their existing patterns, they found one team used “atoms” to refer to each of its components, whereas another team used “atoms” and “organisms” interchangeably, regardless of how complex a given pattern might be; one team might refer to a specific kind of design pattern as a banner, while another might call a near-identical pattern featured hero; and so on.**What's in a pattern name** I can highly relate to what Ethan Marcotte is describing. I've worked with teams that refer to visual design as 'wireframes'. I'm especially intrigued by the final part of his piece: >But in addition to that, these workshop teams gradually realize the primary benefit to creating a pattern library isn’t the patterns themselves. Don’t get me wrong: identifying strong, sustainable patterns is, y’know, why we do this work. But rather, they understand the language used to name, organize, and find their patterns is what allows them to use those patterns effectively—and that is what creates more consistent designs. Would love to run something like this with clients.

Microcontent: A Few Small Words Have a Mega Impact on Business

Anton Sten — Sun, 06 May 2018 00:00:00 GMT

> Microcontent is a type of UX copywriting in the form of short text fragments or phrases, often presented with no additional contextual support. Microcontent usually communicates key messages in a concise form: it can be used to describe an article or long blog post, add clarity to an interface, or encourage a desired behavior.**Microcontent: A Few Small Words Have a Mega Impact on Business**

Unfoundered

Anton Sten — Mon, 07 May 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Placeholder article - content coming soon.

What Happened to Apple’s Whimsy?

Anton Sten — Tue, 08 May 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>I’m not sure that I would like to see too more of that goofiness, though. It’s not that I hate fun; rather, I think that Apple’s increasingly austere take on industrial design has made them better at shipping products that feel almost invisible. I appreciate that. It reduces the hardware to a tool, but not an appliance, yet I think Apple’s products feel even more approachable than they used to because so much of what they make is entirely straightforward. They don’t need to mask the complexity of the software with a layer of gumdrop plastic; in many ways, the software has become simple enough that the hardware can reflect that.**What Happened to Apple’s Whimsy?** Nick Heer at PixelEnvy is becoming one of my favorite bloggers.

Who would you trust more with your data, Apple or the government?

Anton Sten — Tue, 08 May 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>The theory is that one highly-protected database could be safer than having our personal data scattered throughout thousands of different databases.

The question is who could be trusted to be the central repository for personal data? The piece suggests that governments, Google, Amazon and Apple could all be candidates.**Who would you trust more with your data, Apple or the government?** It's an interesting topic and one that I think we should have a more open and serious discussion about. Given that the poll is on 9to5Apple, a website that mainly attracts Apple supporters, the results are biased but it's still interesting that Apple scores 87% of the votes while the government is below 3%, ahead of Google (1.6%) and Amazon (0.5%). I'm not even sure the people that voted for Amazon are serious, if they are I would love to hear their argument. I have no doubts that neither Apple nor the government would ever sell my data so for me it's merely a case of who I think would have better security measurements in place. iCloud was hacked years ago but so has most governments. With Google and Amazon, I'm 100% confident that they would sell the data, or at least misuse it.

The New Google Assistant

Anton Sten — Wed, 09 May 2018 00:00:00 GMT

> I can't imagine someone I know (like my hairdresser) receiving an incoming call from me and instead end up talking with my digital voice assistant. It's a great example of how from a technology standpoint, it may seem like the best thing ever. However, from a human perspective, it's downright insulting to the person on the other end who realizes that you can't even spare the 30 seconds it takes to call them yourself to make an appointment. This feature would make much more sense if the small business that you were calling had its own automated response capability. However, at that point, one has to ask why a phone call would even be needed in the first place.**Above Avalon Daily Newsletter 2018-05-09** One of the core differences between Apple and Google is that while Apple is driven out of human needs, Google is driven out of technical capabilities. When you're trying to create human services, it needs to take the human element into account far more.

How do you learn UX?

Anton Sten — Mon, 14 May 2018 00:00:00 GMT

The question I’m often asked after sending a newsletter or giving a talk is “How do I learn UX?” As we’ve just discussed the topic of what an user experience is, I thought this would be a helpful follow-up. I find this question incredibly difficult to answer. It’s almost as if I’m being asked to describe to someone, in detail, how to ride a bike. I just know how from doing it. My functional understanding of UX is a learned skillset built from observations, experience, and practice. I really don’t know where to start explaining it. However, I do get asked this enough that I really need to deliver something. After giving it a lot of thought, I discovered that it’s less about giving a to-do list and more about highlighting skills that tune you into the UX we encounter every day. **Here are five points to help you think and act in ways that consider UX:** ## 1. Analyze the things you like/dislike I think a good starting point with UX-design is to think about experiences you really like or dislike. What parts of that experience make it unpleasant or pleasant. What could be changed that could make you feel differently. This could be bigger features (like iMessage) or really small things like an animation (pull down to refresh spinner). Personally, I pretty much do this every time I use something. It’s almost second nature. Think about it, we interact with more than 600 objects daily, so there’s no lack of things to analyze. ## 2. Think about different parts of a user experience There are times I get excited about animations and times when I’m more excited about the structure and hierarchy something uses. I organize these observations into different categories that helps me to understand the make up of the user experience. This can be things like: - Animations - Structure and hierarchy - Navigation - User flow - Visuals (colors, typography, graphic design) - Tone of voice - Sounds ## 3. Remember, user experiences are everywhere! I try my best to not limit myself to just the web when I think about user experiences. I’ve found that the more outside of the web I can think, the better solutions usually appear. Don’t get me wrong, the web can be a goldmine too, but things like my PlayStation, my car’s entertainment system, or even an ATM can offer inspiration. Let’s compare experiences of shopping online and shopping in a retail store. What are the advantages of shopping online? Why do so many people still prefer to shop in a physical store? What part of the physical shopping experience is missing from online shopping? And what about the other way around? Most things that we do online (social forums, banking, sending mail) have offline counterparts as well. How can the these two experiences learn from each other? I think designers in general (myself included) need to be better at thinking more abstractly also. What feeling do I have when I’m out walking in the forest on a sunny day? How can love, sadness, and happiness translate into a digital experience? ## 4. Talk to users The most successful projects I’ve worked on are the ones where I have access to real users. It’s nearly impossible for one person or a team to fully understand a problem without talking to real people. Too often we are trying to solve that ‘one big problem’ that only makes the product 30% better. What we miss when we don’t talk to users is the ton of smaller problems that can outweigh that big one. Just asking the right questions and listening carefully can connect you to your most important tool - that user. ## 5. Ask why A LOT Finally, I think it’s good to ask why a lot. The Hyper Island Toolbox has a great exercise on this and great products are created when designers ask why. I recently bought a new TV and the remote was very minimalistic and felt nice to use. The big difference from every other remote I’ve seen for the past 20 years? It doesn’t have the number pad! While I initially was confused by it, I’ve come to realize that I don’t miss it at all. Questioning the status quo can be extremely powerful. I know that this is far from a comprehensive look at getting into UX, but it should help you get started. Like I said earlier, it’s really about tuning your focus to observing, experiencing, and practicing skills to gain a deeper understanding of the UX around you. It may not come easy at first, but soon you’ll wonder how you didn’t notice it before! **Experienced UX professionals:** As always, I am open to any input and want to hear if you have other points that can help people get into our field. I would love to add them and give you all the credit. Let me know!

Skype

Anton Sten — Wed, 16 May 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>Microsoft argued that the “criticism is overblown and reflects, in part, people’s grumpiness with software updates.” They say that now the focus is the corporate market. But that doesn’t deny the fact that it is a terrible interface, inhuman and difficult to use. It lacks any imagination — a fact that is repeatedly reinforced on social media every time you bring up Skype and its user experience.**Skype interrupted** I agree with Om Malik 100% in this post. I used to _love_ Skype and it was one of the online experiences that felt like magic the first time I experienced it. Now? It's usable at best. Every update introduces one new annoying feature (the latest being the uptempo beats playing when a call is connecting) and it's the one software I try and _not to update_ for as long as possible knowing that nothing good will come out of it.

Netflix Culture

Anton Sten — Mon, 21 May 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>Our vacation policy is “take vacation.” We don’t have any rules or forms around how many weeks per year. Frankly, we intermix work and personal time quite a bit, doing email at odd hours, taking off weekday afternoons for kids’ games, etc. Our leaders make sure they set good examples by taking vacations, often coming back with fresh ideas, and encourage the rest of the team to do the same.

You might think that such freedom would lead to chaos. But we also don’t have a clothing policy, yet no one has come to work naked. The lesson is you don’t need policies for everything. Most people understand the benefit of wearing clothes at work.**Netflix Culture** After browsing the original Netflix Culture slidedeck and reading the updated Netflix Culture page on their site, Netflix entered one of the few companies that could inspire me to take on a full time position. I love it!

Let them eat cake

Anton Sten — Thu, 24 May 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>The tech industry embraced that kind of progress by turning it into a narrative of quality for commercial products and branded it “beta.”

Because there’s always an update waiting round the corner, we’ve all begun to salivate in anticipation of the next model. For innovation it’s brilliant. But when dealing with democratic institutions and its problems, it promotes laziness.**Let them eat cake**

Netlify now shows your deploy status on its favicon

Anton Sten — Fri, 25 May 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>The colorized indicator overlay solved some of the problems we had with the colorized logos, but a large issue remained. Color blind and vision impaired individuals may have trouble distinguishing the red, yellow and green colors of the dots if they lack any distinguishing features independent of color.

When working with a fraction of 16x16 and 32x32 pixel icons, it may seem like it’s hardly worth including distinct status shapes, but it actually provides important distinguishing features to anyone who can’t easily distinguish colors.

First, we removed a lot of the “noise” from our logo by reducing it to its simplest shape. This helped ensure it looked sharp as a small 16x16 pixel icon and afforded visual room for the increased detail around the status icon.**Netlify now shows your deploy status on its favicon** These are the lengths you go when "good enough" isn't enough and when you _truly_ care about your customers. I've said this before but Netlify is becoming one of my favorite services on the Internet. It's one of those rare services that I can't believe it's FREE and I feel like I want to give them money.

Ai Ethics - A New Skill for UX-Designers

Anton Sten — Mon, 28 May 2018 00:00:00 GMT

AI has our attention. The possibilities clog our news feeds, create interesting conversations, and give tech leaders inspiration to explore solutions. What will the development of this technology look like? What will this mean for us as humans? Could this impact all of society? With all the questions being asked, only one thing is absolutely clear. We’re about to enter one of the biggest transformations our society has witnessed in the last century - if not millennium. A couple of weeks ago, Google held it’s annual developers conference, Google I/O. As usual, they introduced a range of new services and features and every one shared a common thread: AI. Google will use AI to continue to power Google Photos, their new Google News service, and even ways to make you use your phone less (JOMO = Joy of Missing Out). However, the big story was their demo of Google Assistant calling up a hairdresser on your behalf to book an appointment. Have a listen:
The voice sounds very natural - had I been on the other end of that call I would never have guessed I was talking to a machine. This is not only due to it’s clear sounding voice and natural speech patterns, but also because Google added human speech quirks like “hmm and um”. Bridget Carey of CNN was one of the first of many to call Google out on the ethical implications of this: >I am genuinely bothered and disturbed at how morally wrong it is for the Google Assistant voice to act like a human and deceive other humans on the other line of a phone call, using upspeak and other quirks of language. “Hi um, do you have anything available on uh May 3?”

If Google created a way for a machine to sound so much like a human that now we can’t tell what is real and what is fake, we need to have a talk about ethics and when it’s right for a human to know when they are speaking to a robot.
In this age of disinformation, where people don’t know what’s fake news… how do you know what to believe if you can’t even trust your ears with now Google Assistant calling businesses and posing as a human? That means any dialogue can be spoofed by a machine and you can’t tell. **Bridget Carey**

>Google Assistant making calls pretending to be human not only without disclosing that it’s a bot, but adding “ummm” and “aaah” to deceive the human on the other end with the room cheering it… horrifying. Silicon Valley is ethically lost, rudderless and has not learned a thing.**Zeynep Tufekci** I think we’re reaching the point now where the differences between companies like Apple and Google are going to become much more obvious. For years, the consensus has been that Apple has lagged behind Google in AI/personal assistants and we’re starting to understand why that has been the case. It’s always been my belief that Apple is a product-driven company focused on human needs whereas Google is a technology-driven company focused on leveraging data. It’s a fundamentally different way of valuing the user - the human. The call that Google Assistant (or Duplex?) makes to the hairdresser is less than a minute long. I’m not confident that average people could have so little time in their schedule to spare that a minute to call for an appointment. Instead Google could actually be aiming this product at people that simply don’t want to talk to another person, something that Rene Ritchie mentions. >I can't imagine someone I know (like my hairdresser) receiving an incoming call from me and instead end up talking with my digital voice assistant. It's a great example of how from a technology standpoint, it may seem like the best thing ever. However, from a human perspective, it's downright insulting to the person on the other end who realizes that you can't even spare the 30 seconds it takes to call them yourself to make an appointment. This feature would make much more sense if the small business that you were calling had its own automated response capability. However, at that point, one has to ask why a phone call would even be needed in the first place.**Neil Cybart** If you ask Oxford University or Ball State University one of the most likely jobs to be automated in the near future is telemarketers. Telemarketing is already a problem today and we still have humans making the calls - just imagine if you extract the cost of humans from telemarketings companies. Your phone may become as filled with spam as your email is. The true power of AI like Google Duplex is that once it’s deployed it can operate 24 hours a day, 365 days per year for the cost of an electrical bill. And while that electrical bill may be pretty hefty - we will have created a problem-solving, singularly-focused, intelligence that has no need to rest or be valued in any way. Solving “human” problems without the burden of humanity. David Cope who created EMI (Experiments in musical intelligence): >David Cope has written programs that compose concertos, chorales, symphonies and operas. His first creation was named EMI (Experiments in Musical Intelligence), which specialised in imitating the style of Johann Sebastian Bach. It took seven years to create the program, but once the work was done, EMI composed 5,000 chorales à la Bach in a single day.

Cope arranged a performance of a few select chorales in a music festival at Santa Cruz. Enthusiastic members of the audience praised the wonderful performance, and explained excitedly how the music touched their innermost being. They didn’t know it was composed by EMI rather than Bach, and when the truth was revealed, some reacted with glum silence, while others shouted in anger. ## Who do you trust? The simple fact is we’ve been using artificial intelligence algorithms for years - everything from your Google searches and finding partners on Match.com to your weekly playlist from Spotify or guiding your Amazon shopping experience. As ‘makers’ it needs to be clear that the tools we create are having a massive impact on people’s lives. What was ‘just an app’ yesterday, could be the thing forming your beliefs and inspiring your actions tomorrow. >Technology isn’t an industry, it’s a method of transforming the culture and economics of existing systems and institutions. That can be a little bit hard to understand if we only judge tech as a set of consumer products that we purchase. But tech goes a lot deeper than the phones in our hands, and we must understand some fundamental shifts in society if we’re going to make good decisions about the way tech companies shape our lives—and especially if we want to influence the people who actually make technology.**12Things Everyone Should Understand About Tech** Yuval Noah Harari, author of Homo Sapies and Homo Deus, argues that liberalism will eventually fade away as we eventually trust the algorithm more than we trust ourselves. Ray Dalio, successful investor has already switched his company to radical transparency using a point system that analyzes data to rate people’s ‘believability’ rather than operating through democracy or even hierarchy. I highly recommend you to watch his TED Talk: How to build a company where the best ideas win as an example of how AI can make us more honest, transparent, and guide better decision making. You might not have been able to tell that Google Duplex was a machine rather than an actual human being, but others claimed that the music composed by EMI was obviously lacking ‘soul’ and the human ear could tell. >Critics argued the music is technically excellent, but that it lacks something. It is too accurate. It has no depth. It has no soul. Professor Steve Larson from the University of Oregon sent Cope a challenge for a musical showdown. Larson suggested that professional pianists play three pieces one after the other: one by Bach, one by EMI, and one by Larson himself. The audience would then be asked to vote who composed which piece. Larson was convinced people would easily tell the difference between soulful human compositions, and the lifeless artefact of a machine. Cope accepted the challenge.

On the appointed date, hundreds of lecturers, students and music fans assembled in the University of Oregon’s concert hall. At the end of the performance, a vote was taken.

The result? The audience thought that EMI’s piece was genuine Bach, that Bach’s piece was composed by Larson, and that Larson’s piece was produced by a computer. ## What’s our responsibility? Developing technology is exciting and inspiring. However, the old rule still applies: just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. The impact of this tech on our daily lives is growing stronger each day and the shift is just starting. >In mature disciplines like law or medicine, we often see centuries of learning incorporated into the professional curriculum, with explicit requirements for ethical education. Now, that hardly stops ethical transgressions from happening—we can see deeply unethical people in positions of power today who went to top business schools that proudly tout their vaunted ethics programs. But that basic level of familiarity with ethical concerns gives those fields a broad fluency in the concepts of ethics so they can have informed conversations. And more importantly, it ensures that those who want to do the right thing and do their jobs in an ethical way have a firm foundation to build on.

But until the very recent backlash against some of the worst excesses of the tech world, there had been little progress in increasing the expectation of ethical education being incorporated into technical training. There are still very few programs aimed at upgrading the ethical knowledge of those who are already in the workforce; continuing education is largely focused on acquiring new technical skills rather than social ones. There’s no silver-bullet solution to this issue; it’s overly simplistic to think that simply bringing computer scientists into closer collaboration with liberal arts majors will significantly address these ethics concerns. But it is clear that technologists will have to rapidly become fluent in ethical concerns if they want to continue to have the widespread public support that they currently enjoy. **12Things Everyone Should Understand About Tech** There’s a rapidly growing urgency for us to have serious conversations about our ethical responsibilities for the products we create as well as the products we choose to use. Everything is still so new. There’s no real direction or consensus to help us determine what’s considered OK and what’s way out of line. Our world is always moving so quickly, we hardly ever stop and consider the ethics of our choices. Instead, we simply see a machine calling a hairdresser, think how awesome that is, and move on with our day… **If you enjoyed this post** (please share it), I think this is a great follow-up: The Moral Implications of our Apps

Conversion optimization with A/B tests

Anton Sten — Mon, 04 Jun 2018 00:00:00 GMT

I've been thinking a bit about conversions and A/B tests lately. I've recently worked with a client on helping them pick imagery for their new website. In the end, we ended up with two different hero images that we all seemed to agree aligned with the company's values and what we think will speak to potential customers. The decision was then to A/B tests the two images to see which one converts better. While this is great, I'm wondering how one could create a third option. In order to create an A/B test, you need to run an additional script on your site (so 50% sees images A and 50% sees image B). That script - like any script - adds additional loading time. Ideally I'd like to A/B test two images, but I'd also like to A/B test two versions - one with the script and one without the script. To understand how much time scripts add to a loading time, try visiting USA Today's new "European Union Expierence" (e.g. without scripts and tracking). >Booking.com A/B tests everything. If something cannot be A/B tested, Booking.com won't do it. There's more than 1,000 A/B tests running at any time.**Living a Testing Culture**

Designer Ethics & The Moral Implications of our Apps

Anton Sten — Mon, 11 Jun 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Lawyers, doctors, and even journalists have something in common. They all have studied ethics as part of their higher education. They’ve taken the time to construct, interpret, and follow written code of conducts that guide us in making good, ethical decisions. Is it a coincidence that these are also some of the world’s oldest professions? The design profession has a long history too, but it bothers me that there are hardly any discussions on ethics surrounding it. Design is all about viewer; drawing the eye and changing the heart. It’s truly one of the most powerful tools (superpowers?) that companies have today and that leaves us - the viewers - wanting… no, needing awareness and guidelines that ensure design is being used responsibly. With all the services and apps influencing us, is this too much to ask? ## What are ethics? Ethics can be a tricky subject to approach. Simply said, ethics are an agreed up set moral principles (rules) within a profession/community leading to consistency in behavior and conduct. Looking at those older professions we talked about earlier shows how complicated it can be, but how necessary it is. **Lawyers** are always required to work in the best interest of their client. Not themselves or what they personally think is “right”. It’s a keystone of our society - the right to legal representation and a fair trial. **Journalists** — who we might think are just out to sell magazines (e.g get clicks) — are guided by a code of conduct as well. People aren’t to be judged before they’re convicted and details are to be spared when there’s children involved for instance. **Medical doctors** have an ethical duty to protect the human rights and dignity of their patients - some of the most vulnerable members of our society. Doctors are guided by a common framework of four principles: - Respect for autonomy – the patient has the right to refuse or choose their treatment. - Beneficence – a practitioner should act in the best interest of the patient. - Non-maleficence – to not be the cause of harm. Also, "utility" - to promote more good than harm. - Justice – concerns the distribution of scarce health resources, and the decision of who gets what treatment (fairness and equality). On top of those, they are required to have: - Respect for persons – the patient, family, and practitioner (may or may not be a doctor) have the right to be treated with dignity. - Truthfulness and honesty – the concept of informed consent has increased in importance since the historical events of the Nuremberg Trials and Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment where physicians deceived patients. ## The time of “move fast and break things” is over. I can’t begin to understand why there’s no common framework for designers. Everyone can agree that the products we create have a major impact on society and our individual social identities, but there is very little to no open discussion on the implications of those products. Google’s recent demonstration of Duplex and the discussions that followed are surely a first step, but one has to wonder how that feature even got featured on the main stage? It’s clearly a problem if Google - one of the world’s largest companies and drivers of technical advancement - are able to design and build a feature like that without raising any critical questions internally? Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for indicatives like the Time Well Spent initiative and Apple’s newly launched Screen Time. My concern is that we can’t just keep building new tools to bandaid what we shouldn’t have broken in the first place. We use our devices too much, yes, but is another app really the solution for it? I believe it’s time for our industry to stop trying to fix the problems and start acting more pro-actively at not creating problems in the first place. The time of “move fast and break things” is over. Facebook doesn’t need regulation; it may help, but regulation alone won’t fix the problems. Facebook needs moral guidance. In both hearings on Capital Hill, Mark Zuckerberg reiterated that this was not what he had in mind when he created Facebook in his dorm room. I’m sure it wasn’t, but here we’re treating Facebook as if it’s something people in dorm rooms all over the world would still like to create. Our industry needs to learn a lesson. Mark may have created the Facebook platform, but he didn’t create ALL the problems. We, the designers, did the rest. Someone had to create the third party apps that stole our private data. We were failed by those who valued themselves over their users. >“The superior man understands what is right; the inferior man understands what will sell.”**― Confucius** ## A code of conduct for designers? Instead of focusing on holding ourselves to higher ethical standards, we just come up with other names for bad behavior. We give it a cool name like ‘dark patterns’ and accompany it with a picture of Darth Vader in-front of a computer. Awesome, right? How about we just call ‘dark patterns’ what they truly are - bad design and bad ethics. It’s dishonest and it’s short sighted. While the GDPR may not be perfect (and again, I don’t think legislation alone will solve this), but I think it’s an important first step. Let’s take a look back at the ethical duties of doctors and try to make it fit designers. It’s surprising how easily the principles can be adapted: - Respect for autonomy – the user has the right to refuse or choose what content they are presented with. No one has the authority to bypass this without penalty. This is what GDPR aims to do. - Beneficence – the app/service should act in the best interest of the user. No more dark patterns. No more use of user data without consent. - Non-maleficence – to not be the cause of harm. Also, “utility" - to promote more good than harm. Essentially Google’s original ‘Don’t do evil’ promise. No designer can intentionally cause harm or diminish the value of the user. Google is currently under some heavy fire with employees leaving because of it’s affairs with the US Military. - Justice – concerns the distribution of resources, and the decision of who gets what service (fairness and equality). All users are equal and all content providers are equal. Balanced access for all (read: net-neutrality). We’re just seeing the beginning of AI concerns and understanding the need for ethics in the industry. As voice assisted user interfaces bring up entirely new scenarios, we need to think about what kind of technology we want in our lives. We need to have the choice to opt out of those Google Duplex calls and to Alexa and Google home listening when they shouldn’t. If we all, as designers, agree to ethical standards, situations like this wouldn’t even be an issue. We’d all ask ourselves, “just because we can, does that mean we should?” While it’s still fiction, the dilemmas of a Westworld similar experience is not as far away as we’d like to think. If you’re not familiar with Westworld, I highly suggest you have a look. Briefly put, Westworld is a series about an AI-powered reality housed in a big theme park set in the Wild West where visitors are allowed to live out their wildest dreams. The habitants of this world are all robots that look, act, and respond in a very lifelike way - just like the Google Assistant in the Duplex call. What’s interesting about the show though is the philosophical questions - what really distinguishes us from the robots?

Today we’re sharing our AI principles and practices. How AI is developed and used will have a significant impact on society for many years to come. We feel a deep responsibility to get this right. https://t.co/TCatoYHN2m
— Sundar Pichai (@sundarpichai) June 7, 2018

**Update:** And just like that, Google has released a statement that pretty closely aligns with everything we talked about here. It’s true that there’s a big difference between making a statement and applying it to day-to-day business, but I see this as a good sign. Hopefully other designers of AI platforms take a cue from this statement and take responsibility. Uncle Ben from Spiderman said it best, _“With great power comes great responsibility.”_

Designer Ethics & The Moral Implications of our Apps

Anton Sten — Mon, 11 Jun 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Today we’re sharing our AI principles and practices. How AI is developed and used will have a significant impact on society for many years to come. We feel a deep responsibility to get this right. https://t.co/TCatoYHN2m
— Sundar Pichai (@sundarpichai) June 7, 2018

No classes, no professors: the alternative to business school

Anton Sten — Mon, 11 Jun 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>Hyper Island’s teaching methods are unconventional. Hyper Island does not employ academic teaching staff and there are no lectures. Instead students are given live briefs from industry experts, then set deadlines for written work.**No classes, no professors: the alternative to business school** Great article about Hyper Island in Financial Times. So proud of this place where I've not just studied, taught and invested in--but perhaps more importantly, met my wife and some of my closest friends.

Think inclusively at every step

Anton Sten — Tue, 12 Jun 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>Ethics are not just an afterthought, add-on, or checklist to fill out at the end of a project. In all development and use of technology, we will consider the broader social context of our products and services, and make this consideration part of our ethos. This means not only thinking about diversity of race, gender, and class, but also taking into account environmental, social, and psychological impacts. Thinking inclusively is creatively cross-disciplinary; it involves not just the sciences but also the arts.**Think inclusively at every step** Speaking of ethics.... The Canadian tech community is leading the way with an open declaration for using technology for good. I love this!

From the Drawing Board to the Board Room

Anton Sten — Wed, 13 Jun 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>I don’t think that any CEO in the world is smarter than their employees. For this to work, you have to make people understand the full complexity of an issue. If you only give halfway — if you only tell people on the surface that they can contribute — it’s a bigger risk because they’re acting without full information.**Lisa Lindström - From the Drawing Board to the Board Room** Lisa is a powerhouse. It's clear how the practises the founders of Doberman were taught at Hyper Island are reflected in how they choose to run Doberman. Transparency, honesty and trust. When trust is honest, it leads to success. This applies to both companies as well as products/apps.

Turn off your push notifications. All of them.

Anton Sten — Wed, 13 Jun 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>Over the last few years, there's been an increasingly loud call for a re-evaluation of the relationship between humans and smartphones. For all the good that phones do, their grip on our eyes, ears, and thoughts creates real and serious problems. "I know when I take [technology] away from my kids what happens,” Tony Fadell said in a recent interview. “They literally feel like you're tearing a piece of their person away from them. They get emotional about it, very emotional. They go through withdrawal for two to three days.”**Turn off your push notifications. All of them.** The single decision that has improved my life quality the most during the past year was to turn off almost all notifications (radical transparency; it was my wife who made me do it). I only get notifications from phone calls (but I always keep my phone on silent), messages, the SAS app (for flight changes and boarding passes) and a private Slack group with two of my closest friends. I have badges for Twitter, Linkedin and the App Store.

We are all trapped in the “feed”

Anton Sten — Thu, 14 Jun 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Placeholder article - content coming soon.

Stop “feeding” your users

Anton Sten — Wed, 13 Jun 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>But the longer I’ve spent working on Shopify Home, the more I’ve realized that feeds create user experience problems too. Machine learning is evolving and becoming more powerful everyday, but the way we design machine learning interfaces is stuck in 2006 — the year Facebook first launched News Feed.**Stop “feeding” your users** I love this approach and Gillian's critical thinking. Feeds are, in most cases, broken experiences. Companies throw money and resources at developing the "perfect algorithm" and most users (Instagram, Twitter to name a few) just want their ordered, chronological order back.

50% of Facebook's engineering effort goes into stuffing more noise into the newsfeed, and the other 50% into working out ways to filter it
— Benedict Evans (@BenedictEvans) March 7, 2013

>This overload means it now makes little sense to ask for the ‘chronological feed’ back. If you have 1,500 or 3,000 items a day, then the chronological feed is actually just the items you can be bothered to scroll through before giving up, which can only be 10% or 20% of what’s actually there. This will be sorted by no logical order at all except whether your friends happened to post them within the last hour. It’s not so much chronological in any useful sense as a random sample, where the randomizer is simply whatever time you yourself happen to open the app. ’What did any of the 300 people that I friended in the last 5 years post between 16:32 and 17:03?’ Meanwhile, giving us detailed manual controls and filters makes little more sense - the entire history of the tech industry tells us that actual normal people would never use them, even if they worked. People don't file.**The death of the newsfeed** I've taken a different approach on Instagram and to some extent Twitter (though I think their feed is the best of the three) - I simply unfriend people that clog up my feed. I have some people (even family members) that post so much content that it clogs my feed. Whenever I want to find out what they've been up to, I simply search for their name and have a look at their latest posts (note that this is only possible if they have an open account).

The Netflix Binge Factory

Anton Sten — Fri, 15 Jun 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>Mysterious though it may seem, Netflix operates by a simple logic, long understood by such tech behemoths as Facebook and Amazon: Growth begets more growth begets more growth. When Netflix adds more content, it lures new subscribers and gets existing ones to watch more hours of Netflix. As they spend more time watching, the company can collect more data on their viewing habits, allowing it to refine its bets about future programming. ‘More shows, more watching; more watching, more subs; more subs, more revenue; more revenue, more content,’ explains Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s chief content officer.**The Netflix Binge Factory** I love Netflix - I think they provide a great service and have produced some of the best shows as of lately. But this is exactly the kind of thinking I’m becoming increasingly tired of seeing and reading about in this industry; it’s all just _more, more, more_.

Good product writing is conversational

Anton Sten — Thu, 21 Jun 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>Good product writing is conversational. So use words people would actually say to each other in a conversation. Imagine you’re talking to a neighbor or friend you admire. How would you describe this feature to them? Think out loud to them as you write, and read your work aloud to review it. Keep editing and refining the language until everything is clear, friendly, and useful.**Good product writing is conversational** The entire article is a great piece but the above quote from Nicole Fenton stands out as one of the best pieces of 'great UX' that I've come across in a very long time. I've previously discussed why I think it's important for designers to write.

Retail is Not Dying, But it Has to Evolve

Anton Sten — Thu, 21 Jun 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>Looking to the future of retail in general, Ahrendts mentioned numbers from an analytic firm that suggest while the majority of shopping will move online, many customers will still venture out to physical locations to finalize a purchase. This means that shoppers will use apps and online websites to research products and items, and perhaps reserve them for in-store pickup, much like Apple already does today.
_You have your instincts and you use a lot of smart outside guys, and the smart outside guys they don't say retail is dying. They say digital is gonna grow at three times the rate of physical, but in the next five years... 75 percent of people will shop online, shop to learn [about what they want to buy], but 75 percent of business will still be done in physical stores._**Retail is Not Dying, But it Has to Evolve** Pretty much in line with my thoughts from the beginning of this year.

Rise of the machines: has technology evolved beyond our control?

Anton Sten — Sun, 24 Jun 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Placeholder article - content coming soon.

Confirmation Bias in Design

Anton Sten — Mon, 25 Jun 2018 00:00:00 GMT

I’ve recently been reading a book called The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb and it got me thinking about our confirmed way of thinking. The book focuses on the extreme impact of certain kinds of rare and unpredictable events and how we strive to find simplistic explanations for these events later on. The problem, as Nassim explains, is that we place odds on past events repeating themselves even if they are rare, unpredictable, and - most of all - unrepeatable. He calls these events Black Swans, a reference to a 17th century philosophical thought experiment. In Europe, anyone could have told you the ‘fact’ that “all swans are white” since that is all they’d seen. So what was the chance of seeing a black one? Zero? Just like imagining a green swan today, seeing black swans were beyond rare events until 1697 when explorers found black swans in Australia. >Nassim argues that most of the really big events in our world are rare and unpredictable, and thus trying to extract generalizable stories to explain them may be emotionally satisfying, but it's practically useless. September 11th is one such example, and stock market crashes are another. Or, as he puts it, "History does not crawl, it jumps."

Four hundred years ago, Francis Bacon warned that our minds are wired to deceive us. "Beware the fallacies into which undisciplined thinkers most easily fall--they are the real distorting prisms of human nature." Chief among them: "Assuming more order than exists in chaotic nature." Now consider the typical stock market report: "Today investors bid shares down out of concern over Iranian oil production." Sigh. We're still doing it.

Forecasting is not just at the heart of Wall Street, but it’s something each of us does every time we make an insurance payment or strap on a seat belt.**Chris Anderson** I’m fascinated by this line of thought and try to view it through the lens of my daily work. What black swans are hidden in the work we do? Perhaps because of the fact that digital products have evolved so quickly, we are even more prone to accept ‘facts’ that are in front of us. You and I need to accept our lives are loaded with confirmation biases. >People generally see what they look for and hear what they listen for.**Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird** ## Confirmation bias is everywhere Consider how common smoking in public places like airplanes and restaurants was just 20-30 years ago. It’s not that strange considering in the 18th and early 19th centuries, tobacco smoke was considered good for your heart and lungs. All of tobacco’s health ‘benefits’ were explored and some were outright strange. Tobacco enemas were so popular that they were placed along the banks of the river Thames to help drowning victims! This is a perfect example of confirmation bias at work. **Confirmation bias** - our tendency to accept evidence we agree with at face value and dismiss information we don't agree with unless the evidence is overwhelming. Confirmation biases limits our ability to seek out and uncover the truth. I see this over and over in my own work and in other’s everyday. We run A/B tests until they show the impact that we were hoping for and stop there. Even when the tests aren’t showing us the result we were hoping for, we make up stories for the failure and why our original theory still stands true. Self-validation. Confirmation bias. >Don’t build solutions in search of a problem. Just because you had an idea doesn’t mean someone needs it. The mere existence of a solution doesn’t validate the existence of a problem. **Josh Pigford** Michael Aagaard talks about this in great detail and suggest that, rather than testing our ideas, we should do detective work to find out what our customers really need and how they talk about it. We can use this new information to A/B test against our previous data and see success. This may change everything about how we develop products. ## Overcoming confirmation bias This is something I’ve experienced many times. Here are a few things I try to keep in the front of my mind: 1. People generally don’t know what they want. They know what they have and what they don’t like about it. Finding the solution to their problem is your work. 2. People usually say one thing, but act very differently. This is why the best user research is multi-faceted: talking to users, observing users, analyzing statistics, and sometimes trying crazy things. User action is much more relevant than user feedback. Feedback from users is great for understanding their line of thinking, but not great for understanding their actions. Words are their idea of what they do, actions are the reality. It’s not uncommon that these two don’t align. 3. Statistics are a great tool, but always remember that statistics are only relevant to the actions currently available. You can only draw insights from what you currently have in that moment. It’s not a great metric for looking at what people want and certainly can’t predict the future. >Our brains are wired for narrative, not statistical uncertainty. And so we tell ourselves simple stories to explain complex thing we don't--and, most importantly, can't--know. The truth is that we have no idea why stock markets go up or down on any given day, and whatever reason we give is sure to be grossly simplified, if not flat out wrong.**Chris Anderson** How to overcome confirmation bias? Like most things in life, it starts with accepting the fact that you could be wrong. Seek out a different perspective. Why? Because being biased towards information that confirms what we already believe often leads to errors in judgment and costly mistakes in marketing, something I’m guessing none of us wants. I’ve previously written of how I think more UX-designers - and people in general - should be more comfortable with the words ‘I don’t know’. Accepting that there is so much in this world that we simply cannot explain much less replicate is key. Nassim argues that this is why one shouldn’t read the news. The more we think we know, the less likely we are to be open to unpredictable events. Reading the news simply gives us an idea of what has happened and it’s in some extent naive of us to assume that this is related to what will happen. To sum up, confirmation bias is a very real part of our lives, both work and personal. Through skills like observation, communication, and analysis of the information in front of us, we can begin to sort out our personal “black swans”.

Tech Sector Values are Broken?

Anton Sten — Mon, 02 Jul 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Due to my recent explorations of AI Ethics - specifically in the design field - I’ve been thinking more and more about values and what they mean to us. As a small-business owner, my personal values are of course heavily tied to the values of my company. But it’s also interesting, refreshing, and scary to question the values that you live by day to day. Values that you inherited from previous generations might not align with who you really are today or want to be in the future. Both individuals and companies have a responsibility to question and, if needed, align their values. ## Thinking about values Being a primarily one-man company, it’s easy to not think about the complicated corporate “stuff”. For me it’s one of the reasons I continue run my own company as small as I do; avoiding company politics. However, I do think it’s important for even one-man companies to consider what kind of company you want to run. >Business shouldn’t just deal with commercial things since a business is nothing more than a collection of people. If people have values, then a company should have values. **Tim Cook** Some of the biggest companies in the world have had to realize the importance of values. It doesn’t matter what fancy words you have written on your entrance wall or how much you paid an agency to come up with your branding, your values are the combined values of all your employees. If these don’t align, you’re going to either have to change your staff until they do or re-align your company values to the people doing the work. I know this is a big statement, but stick with me. >“We believe that it’s really important to come up with core values that you can commit to. And by commit, we mean that you’re willing to hire and fire based on them. If you’re willing to do that, then you’re well on your way to building a company culture that is in line with the brand you want to build.” **Tony Hsieh** In a company blog post from January, Microsoft touted its pride in supporting ICE’s homeland security work. Now the Trump Administration’s controversial “zero tolerance” policy for people who cross the border illegally is making headlines for separating more than 2,300 children from their families. This caused more than 100 Microsoft employees to sign an open letter to CEO Satya Nadella. >“We believe that Microsoft must take an ethical stand, and put children and families above profits,” the letter says. “As the people who build the technologies that Microsoft profits from, we refuse to be complicit. We are part of a growing movement, comprised of many across the industry who recognize the grave responsibility that those creating powerful technology have to ensure what they build is used for good, and not for harm.” **Microsoft internal letter to Satya Nadella** Similarly, Amazon employees are responding to the company’s decision to sell its Rekognition facial recognition software to police departments and government agencies. The technology uses AI to identity, track, and analyze faces in real time. Amazon claims it can recognize up to 100 people in one image and identity “people of interest”. >“Technology like ours is playing an increasingly critical role across many sectors of society,” the letter says. “What is clear to us is that our development and sales practices have yet to acknowledge the obligation that comes with this. Focusing solely on shareholder value is a race to the bottom and one that we will not participate in. We refuse to build the platform that powers ICE, and we refuse to contribute to tools that violate human rights. As ethically concerned Amazonians, we demand a choice in what we build and a say in how it is used. We learn from history, and we understand how IBM’s systems were employed in the 1940s to help Hitler. IBM did not take responsibility then, and by the time their role was understood, it was too late. We will not let that happen again.” **Amazon internal letter to Jeff Bezos** Because of the Internet’s transparency, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to say one thing and do another. In the end, it all comes down to something all designers are should be familiar with - authenticity. Microsoft wants “to enable people and businesses throughout the world to realize their full potential.” Now while that sounds great, one has to ask whether that should come at any cost? Is Google’s statement “Don’t do evil” in line with their work for the US Military helping them analyze drone footage? Most agree that’s a solid no. >“At some point, I realized I could not in good faith recommend anyone join Google, knowing what I knew,” one resigning Google employee told Gizmodo in May. “I realized if I can’t recommend people join here, then why am I still here?” (In related news, the company quietly removed most mentions of its longtime “don’t be evil” motto from its company-wide code of conduct in late April or early May.) **What's Behind the Employee Revolts at Amazon, Microsoft and Google?** ## There’s no one way to run a successful company We all know that at the end of the day, the money needs to come in. While I’ve never had to take on clients I couldn’t align with, I’m aware not everyone is in the same position. Sometimes I turn down clients based on a gut feeling. I might loose a few dollars, but in the end, running my own business by my values is my choice. It’s my responsibility. If I had employees, the situation would obviously change. It wouldn’t be as black and white. >When I started working for myself, it felt easier to distinguish the companies I’d work with from the companies I wouldn’t. Now, there’s no longer a clear boundary between a given software company and, say, one of the American government’s more inhumane agencies. And as a small business owner, I’m not sure what to do with that. How do I screen a potential client for something I’d consider unethical—or worse, immoral? It doesn’t feel as clear-cut as sending over a list of questions similar to the ones I send conference organizers. Besides, when I’m speaking with a prospective client, can they tell me with certainty that their company’s not conducting business I’d find problematic? **Ethan Marcotte - Just Work** Companies need to think about the business they are in and what legacy they want to leave. Ben Thompson did a great comparison of Apple and Amazon earlier this year of how they are polar opposites. >I mean it when I say these companies are the complete opposite: Apple sells products it makes; Amazon sells products made by anyone and everyone. Apple brags about focus; Amazon calls itself “The Everything Store.” Apple is a product company that struggles at services; Amazon is a services company that struggles at product. Apple has the highest margins and profits in the world; Amazon brags that other’s margin is their opportunity, and until recently, barely registered any profits at all. And, underlying all of this, Apple is an extreme example of a functional organization, and Amazon an extreme example of a divisional one. **Divine Discontent: Disruption’s Antidote** You could argue that Apple isn’t struggling at services (nearly $30 billion per year) and that Amazon isn’t struggling at product (20 million Echo speakers in 2017), but the comparison is still valid. It proves that there’s no one way to run a successful company; no golden ticket, no shortcuts. ## Apple as a model? Apple has yet to be caught in the crossfire of employees not aligning with company values and views and that helps them. >According to Cook, Apple has always been about changing the world. It occurred to him a few years ago that Apple can’t accomplish that goal if it stays quiet on issues that impact the world. There’s no formula as to when Cook / Apple decides to speak on an issue. Instead, Cook thinks about whether Apple has a special expertise on an issue. If Apple can bring a certain knowledge to the discussion, then the company should become vocal. Cook listed five items for which Apple can bring a point of view: Education, Privacy, Human rights, Immigration and Environment. **Above Avalon** I can’t help but think Apple’s stance on privacy wasn’t based on financials, but more on values. Decision making like this is starting to look wiser and wiser from a financial perspective as well. Our recent discussions about AI (Google Assistant, Photos, etc) brings to light how when your values as a company are compromised, you make the public nervous about your intentions. There is so much to sort out before releasing these products into the wild. >“Tech needs its talent, and its talent knows better than most of us the seismic changes technology… will unleash. It’s not all good, and we have to be people before profit-makers.” **Maya Wiley** ## What values are important to me? What’s important to me is entirely different from what’s important to you. As Ethan mentions in his excellent post, Just Work, what may cause you to loose sleep is very different from what will cause me to stare at a bedroom ceiling. **Equality**
The board of my company is 50/50 male to female. It’s me and my wife (our dog too, so I guess it’s 33% male and 67% female, 67% human and 33% dog) It’s not just because we’re married, it’s because it’s a smart business choice. A diverse board is better for business. The same goes for my freelance pool. I currently have four freelancers on contract - two males, two females (so there’s an opening for more dogs!) **Professionalism**
Success isn’t measured by sales figures alone. While I may running long-term successful business, I also know there’s no reason for growth just for the sake of it. My values are more important to me than making yet another dollar (via Offscreen Values). They lead me to have a great work ethic, maintain strong business relationships, and produce great products. I just passed 10 years of running my own company and, hopefully, I have another good 30 years left. >What are you doing to last? Not to grow. Not to gain. Not to take. Not to win. But to last? **Jason Fried - Outlasting** **Being personal**
I’m a professional because I’m personal. Never loose sight of that. Professionalism comes from what you do and deliver - not by wearing a button-down shirt. If Mills can wear shorts to 10 Downing Street, surely I can wear a hoodie in a meeting. Talk with clients like you talk to your family, friends, and pets (via SNASK Manifesto). Be present, be attentive, be caring.

Cheap Shower Curtains

Anton Sten — Mon, 16 Jul 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>The unskilled cost accountant might suggest you outfit your new hotel with cheap shower curtains. After all, if you save $50 a room and have 200 rooms, pretty soon, we're talking real money.

On the other hand, experience will demonstrate that cheap shower curtains let the water out, causing a minor flood, every day, room after room. And they wear out faster. Cheap shower curtains aren't actually cheap.

Productivity pays for itself.

Once you start looking for metaphorical cheap shower curtains, they're everywhere. **Cheap Shower Curtains**

Rands Information Practises

Anton Sten — Mon, 16 Jul 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>Your most precious asset is your time. You can start and adopt the following set of habits right now to give yourself hours of your life back.
Make a copy of your bookmarks somewhere safe. Now delete all your current bookmarks. Wiggle uncomfortably in your chair a bit. Breathe deeply. Start rebuilding your bookmarks from memory a bit at a time. No hurry. Links to your web-based tools and critical documents belong in your browser bar. News, blogs, and other daily consumables belong in your feed reader because a browser is designed to browse, not read. **Rands Information Practises** I love this entire list from Rands and I deleted all of my bookmarks this morning. I've added three so far.

The Race to a Trillion

Anton Sten — Mon, 16 Jul 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>Historically, there has been diversification among the largest public companies. For decades, the top five companies have included representatives from different segments of the economy such as the tech, industrial, energy, and financial sectors. Many have looked at today's giants and concluded such diversification has disappeared. However, upon closer examination, a different picture comes into focus. There is still diversity at the top:
- Apple is a design company selling tools that empower people. - Amazon is a retailer intently focused on offering the best retail experience imaginable. - Microsoft is an enterprise-focused services company focused on helping people get work done. - Google is a services company aimed at delivering data-capturing tools to as many people as possible. - Facebook is a services company providing curated versions of the web (Facebook and Instagram). **The Race to a Trillion**

What Elon Musk Should Learn From the Thailand Cave Rescue

Anton Sten — Mon, 16 Jul 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>Silicon Valley moguls seem to believe they can fix most anything, and they appear befuddled when their attempts to do so aren’t met with unbridled enthusiasm.

He directed his engineers to build a miniature “submarine” (basically a sophisticated metal cylinder) that he hoped could be used for the rescue. He shared videos of the submarine with his 22 million followers on Twitter. And he received widespread media coverage and encouragement from his many fans.

Mr. Musk’s desire to help was commendable. But when the head of the rescue operation, Narongsak Osottanakorn, declared that Mr. Musk’s contraption was impractical for the task at hand — a task that had been completed, at that point, by some of the world’s top cave divers — Mr. Musk responded with irritation. He insisted on Twitter that leaders of the operation had in fact welcomed his assistance and that Mr. Narongsak was not the “subject matter expert.” He also expressed frustration that he was being criticized while trying to help. Instead of venting, Mr. Musk — indeed, Silicon Valley as a whole — can perhaps see the Thai operation as a lesson. This was a most improbable rescue against the longest odds. Safely navigating 12 kids and one adult, many of whom were not swimmers, through a dangerous cave relied on a model of innovation that Silicon Valley can and should learn from.

The Silicon Valley model for doing things is a mix of can-do optimism, a faith that expertise in one domain can be transferred seamlessly to another and a preference for rapid, flashy, high-profile action. But what got the kids and their coach out of the cave was a different model: a slower, more methodical, more narrowly specialized approach to problems, one that has turned many risky enterprises into safe endeavors — commercial airline travel, for example, or rock climbing, both of which have extensive protocols and safety procedures that have taken years to develop.

This “safety culture” model is neither stilted nor uncreative. On the contrary, deep expertise, lengthy training and the ability to learn from experience (and to incorporate the lessons of those experiences into future practices) is a valuable form of ingenuity. **What Elon Musk Should Learn From the Thailand Cave Rescue** Elon Musk went on by calling one of the divers "pedo guy".

High Fives, AI, and Connecting the Dots: MailChimp's VP of Design on What Business can Learn from Design

Anton Sten — Wed, 18 Jul 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>Your polar star should always be the mindset of the user. "The goal is to get rid of everything that doesn't add to what the user is trying to do," says Lee. Trim the fat of storytelling that doesn't relate to the ultimate goal. You can always go back and add more high fives later. **High Fives, AI, and Connecting the Dots: MailChimp's VP of Design on What Business can Learn from Design**

Yes, Alan, There Is An ROI For UX Design

Anton Sten — Wed, 18 Jul 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>The obvious place designers go when trying to calculate the bottom line is to ask the question, If I change the design, how much more income could we generate? But there’s another way design can help: reducing the costs.

A much-overlooked portion of design’s value is that poor design is very costly to an organization. Poor design generates costly support calls. It causes lost sales or dropped subscriptions. Poor design can increase development costs through rework and waste.

When we start looking for where poor design hurts our organization, we can talk about how much money we’d save. We make it easier to calculate the return to our investment for making better design decisions. **Yes, Alan, There Is An ROI For UX Design** Love every single bit of this.

Just keep at it

Anton Sten — Fri, 20 Jul 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>I still vividly remember my early days spent blogging, literally alone in my apartment. Some posts had just one or two readers (it’s not a joke to insert “hi mom” here, it’s the truth). Some even had none. None! Imagine the humiliation of putting yourself out there and zero people caring because zero people saw it. I know a lot of people feel this way when they start doing something with regard to content on the internet — I applied it to blogging, but I imagine it’s the exact same story with recording videos for YouTube, starting a podcast, etc. Just keep at it.

And so again, the advice is simply to keep at it. Even if the next post gets zero readers too. And the next one. Eventually, zero turns to one and then one to two and then you’re off to the races. **M.G. Siegler - Just keep at it** I can relate to this on so many levels. I've been blogging more or less frequently for a bit more than two years and I think things are (finally) starting to take off. I've been a frequent Twitter user for more than 11 years and I'm still at around 1500 followers. Building an audience takes an enormous amount of time and effort and even then, it's not guaranteed to succeed.

Five questions UX employers should be asking

Anton Sten — Mon, 23 Jul 2018 00:00:00 GMT

If you know me, you know I’m not a big fan of the title UX-Designer. Maybe it’s due to there not being a defined educational path focused in UX Design or simply because the fact that the title itself is so loose it seems anyone can claim to do ‘UX-design’. I was recently talking to a colleague who mentioned that someone else on our team also ‘did UX-design’. I realized that in my new role, I was faced with a new reality that I had never thought about before -- how do I find out if someone on my team has strong UX-skills? I’ve previously argued that everyone can recognize a great user experience because everyone knows when something feels intuitive, simple, and easy to use. The difference, of course, is it’s one thing to identify one and another thing entirely to create it. As our project teams grow larger and larger and the projects we build grow in complexity, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to understand from a portfolio - or even an interview - what someone’s actual role was on the project was. Still when someone labels them as a Designer or an Art Director, we can look at the visual design and see if we like what we see. When someone references themselves as a copywriter or even a UX-writer, we can read the words and see how they fit with our idea of the brand. For UX-peeps, this is much harder. Things like research and interviews are often not open for the public eye and the deliverables - be it wireframes, design, or a strategy - doesn’t really tell you that much about the person’s thinking behind it all. >Doctors who contribute to the academic community, are personable, take a moment to bring emotional labor to their patient, invest in staff and training and put their office in a medical crossroads always do better than doctors who don’t.

And the same thing is true for the web designer who thinks the job is merely typing good code, or the restaurant owner who’s merely focused on the food. That’s important, but there’s more to the work than what’s in the typical job description.

Doing your job is not always the same as doing the work. **Seth Godin - But are you doing your work?** ## Have we been asking the wrong questions? As companies value the importance of a good user experiences more, there are more positions opening up in these roles. Articles like The 7 Questions You’ll Be Asked at a UX Design Interview might cover the basics, but I don’t think the answers to those questions would really give me an idea of the quality of a candidate. Instead, what I’d look for is someone who can challenge my way of thinking. Now I’m never going to hire for my own company, but I’ve been part of the hiring process — at both ends of the table — on many occasions. The questions below are ones that I believe would yield much more information about a potential co-worker and what they think about the work we’ll be doing together. As there are no right or wrong answers to any of these, it would be an opportunity to have honest discussion. Sharing my own thoughts would allow me to see if they would just agree with everything I say or if they will challenge me to make a better product. An interview should be an opportunity for both parties to determine a potential fit. I’ve answered these honestly as if an interviewer had asked me them, but I welcome you to answer them for yourself and see how awesomely different we think: **What do you think is the most overlooked feature of a product?**
Personally, I think it’s speed. I believe HOW a feature functions for the user is just as important as WHAT it does. Speed is the one feature that we value so highly that it can break our entire experience with a product. It can keep us from making a purchase, navigating through a website, or can even harm our view of a brand. The reason most people upgrade their phones? They think they’ve become sluggish. Turns out, iPhone users worldwide all seem to think their phones have become slower when there’s a new model on the market 🤔. **Where do you see a great opportunity to delight the user?**
I’m a big fan of all products that take the time to craft a unique voice. I’ll take a fun corporate personality over a beautiful design any day of the week. Slack, as a product, might work well, but without its witty words and communications, I wouldn’t be a fan. Stripe and Dropbox are good examples of products that have their own unique voice while still staying professional and Mailchimp continues to delight with micro moments throughout the experience.

Does anyone else high five the @MailChimp after sending a newsletter? Just me? #guiltypleasure pic.twitter.com/77yoDLWgvB
— Becky Gilmore (@museumofbecky) April 5, 2018

**To what extent do you take accessibility into account when designing?**
An estimated 15% of people worldwide have a wide spectrum of permanent or temporary visual, auditory, motor, and cognitive impairments. Yet so many products use low-contrast typography, missing alt-captions for images or make tap targets too small. I’m proud of the work we did for the Municipality of Falkenberg - a beautiful website that’s still accessible to everyone. This is a question that’s interesting to get people’s thoughts on what accessibility even is and if they understand the importance of it (most people will say it’s important, that doesn’t mean they’ll act by it). **Tell me about a product you really like the user experience of?**
There are tools that offer a great user experience because they do one thing and they do that flawlessly. I love how Dropbox stays out of my way while I work yet still does it job — keeping all of my files safe. It’s accessible from anywhere, from almost any device (computer, iPad, mobile), and it’s fast. Similarly, 1Password creates and stores super secure passwords for all the websites and services I sign up for and keeps them synced across my devices. If a device breaks or gets stolen, everything stays safe because it is backed up. It has my 2FA credentials, my contact information, and even credit cards! It’s basically a super secure digital wallet. It’s never in my way, but it’s always there when I need it. **What do you think is the most interesting area for the future of UX-designers?**
Definitely voice input. Once the AI is good enough there will be a clear technological and social shift for sure. We’ve been used to using our fingers and hands since we started using tools and now we’re heading into a new era. >Between touchscreens and voice, most people in the future won’t even know how to touch-type, and typing will go back to being a specialist practitioner’s skill, limited to long-form authors, programmers, and (perhaps) antiquarian hipsters who also own fixies and roast their own coffee. My 2-year-old daughter will likely never learn how to drive (and every pedal-to-the-metal, “flooring it” driving analogy will be lost on her), instead issuing voice commands to her self-driving car. And she’ll also not know what QWERTY is, or have her left pinkie wired to the mental notion of the letter “Q,” as I do so subconsciously I reach for it without even thinking. Instead, she’ll speak into an empty room and expect the global hive-mind, along with its AI handmaidens, to answer. **How Podcasts and Voice Technology are Changing How We Navigate the World** ## Open for Everyone These aren’t questions that should just be discussed within a UX-team or between designers. I think these questions are generic enough to understand everyone’s viewpoint. The only way to create a great user experience is to have everyone realize the importance of the experience. You might be the one responsible for making sure that it’s being carried through, but it’s up to everyone on your team to make it work. Doberman, a highly successful product design agency in Sweden lets employees rotate into the management committee and lets all employees weigh in on the company budget. >We felt that the business world was kind of awkward, fitting people into roles but not really recognizing the capacity that talent has. So we said to ourselves what if real quality comes out of investing in your people? **From the Drawing Board to the Board Room** So why not spend the next lunch session or Monday morning meeting discussing these topics? People love to be included in the process and I think you’ll be amazed at some of the answers you’ll get!

Nikhil Sonnad on the banal evil of Facebook

Anton Sten — Wed, 01 Aug 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>“The imperative to ‘connect people’ lacks the one ingredient essential for being a good citizen: Treating individual human beings as sacrosanct. To Facebook, the world is not made up of individuals, but of connections between them… There are certain things you do not in good conscience do to humans. To data, you can do whatever you like.” **Nikhil Sonnad - Nikhil Sonnad on the banal evil of Facebook**

The bullshit web

Anton Sten — Sun, 12 Aug 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>The average internet connection in the United States is about six times as fast as it was just ten years ago, but instead of making it faster to browse the same types of websites, we're simply occupying that extra bandwidth with more stuff. Some of this stuff is amazing.

...But a lot of the stuff we're seeing is a pile-up of garbage on seemingly every major website that does nothing to make visitors happier — if anything, much of this stuff is deeply irritating and morally indefensible.**The Bullshit Web** This entire piece from Nick Heer is just brilliant.

Back to Work!

Anton Sten — Mon, 13 Aug 2018 00:00:00 GMT

You may have noticed that my blog has been quiet lately. I actually made a conscious choice to stay away from my computer and keep my consumption of digital media to a minimum. This allowed me to be out and about and enjoy the heat wave this amazing summer in Sweden has given us (while trying to ignore that it’s an obvious sign that the climate is changing). This time also freed me up to read some really good books which I want to share with you! And no, it won’t be UX books as I, as hard as it is to admit, never read books about UX…. well, not specifically. Of course I can recommend ‘What UX is’ and ‘How you can learn UX’ for those who are curious, but I like to read on different topics that relate to what I do. The ones I enjoy are about business (specifically running a small business) or about life (discovering how to live a ‘good life’). UX and business/personal growth books may seem to have very little in common at first, but I find they share a lot. To put it really simply, the key to success in business is doing the right thing. Do more of the stuff that makes sense and less of the stuff that doesn’t. Same goes for life in general, right? Do more of the stuff that’s of value to you and less of the stuff that’s irrelevant. The challenge, of course, is finding out what makes sense and what doesn’t; what is of value and what isn’t. This applies DIRECTLY to crafting a great user experiences! For instance, apps that have a great user experience are the apps where someone has taken the time to identify what makes sense and what doesn’t and applied it. Anyway, here are some of the books I’ve enjoyed during my summer: ## Business books **What they don’t teach you at Harvard Business School by Mark H. McCormack**
_“The best lesson anyone can learn from business school is an awareness of what it can’t teach you.”_ Mark was known as ‘the most powerful man in sport’ and offers great advice to running a successful business. Business Schools are great, but this book offers all the ins and outs of everyday business life focused on achieving. **The Million Dollar One-Person Business by Elaine Pofeldt**
_“Make great money. Work the way you like. Have the life you want.”_ That intro had me hooked, but I was a bit disappointed as many of the companies they bring up tended to scale up by eventually hiring more people. I enjoy being a one man show! **Small Giants by Bo Burlingham**
_“Business is business, and mistakes happen no matter how great a company you have. If someone finds a small screw in their risotto, they’re going to tell everybody they know. I can’t change that. But what I can do is make sure that when they tell that story they go on to say, ‘But do you know how the restaurant handled that?’._ Same goes for any great user experience. Errors will occur - but how they are communicated and handled is what will define your user’s experience. ## Personal growth books **Bored and Brilliant by Manoush Zomorodi**
_“When was the last time you were bored? When was the last time you had a brilliant idea? If the answer to both questions is ‘not since I had a smart phone’ then you are not alone.”_ I loved this book and have applied many of the techniques to cut down on my digital consumption. I highly recommend this book along with Manoush’s brilliant podcast, Note to Self. **The Universe Has Your Back by Gabrielle Bernstein**
_“How to feel safe and trust your life no matter what”._ For someone that’s a bit anxious and always want to feel as if I have things under control, this book was an eye-opener. Gabrielle brilliantly guides the reader through different stages; to be able to express out loud what you want and trust that in someway, the universe will guide you in the right direction. **Rest - Why You Get More Done When You Work Less by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang**
Pang writes about the importance of rest and how working less (and resting more) will make you do better work. Within the tech sector, there’s often a glorification of overworking and, in order to succeed, 80-100 hour weeks are a must. _“Instead of searching for life hacks to make us more efficient and creative, we can avail ourselves to the life hack that’s been around for as long as we have: rest. We have to be as deliberate about it as we are about work. If you want rest, you have to take it. You have to resist the lure of busyness, make time for rest, take it seriously, and protect it from a world that is intent of stealing it.”_

Google Employees Are Organizing To Protest the Company's Secret Search Engine

Anton Sten — Sun, 19 Aug 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>Google employees are demanding greater transparency from their employer and confronting management with their ethical concerns about a project named Dragonfly, a controversial censored search app for the Chinese market.

Employees are circulating a list of demands for the company in a letter obtained by BuzzFeed News (posted in full, below), calling for an ethics review structure with rank-and-file employee representatives, the appointment of ombudspeople, and an ethical assessment of Google projects including Dragonfly and Maven, Google's contract with the Pentagon to build AI-assisted drone technology.

"Many of us believe that Dragonfly poses a threat to freedom of expression and political dissent globally, and violates our AI principles," two employees wrote in an email distributing the demand list.**Google Employees Are Organizing To Protest The Company's Secret, Censored Search Engine For China** It's almost as if designers are starting to care deeply about ethics and the moral implications of our apps. Time to think about AI Ethics 😊

The Secret to Ant Efficiency Is Idleness

Anton Sten — Tue, 21 Aug 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>Ants are efficient because they know when to take a break. The insects exit a worksite when it gets too crowded, leaving 30% of the colony to do 70% of the work.**The Secret to Ant Efficiency Is Idleness** Fascinating!

Facebook's struggle to moderate itself

Anton Sten — Fri, 24 Aug 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Placeholder article - content coming soon.

How I kicked my email compulsion

Anton Sten — Tue, 28 Aug 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>I've been checking my personal emails 3 times a day or less for the last 2 months, and it's had a noticeable effect on my mood, happiness and self-esteem.

Your compulsion of choice might be Twitter, Instagram, or Reddit. Whatever it is, you might be a bit happier if you used it a bit less, so here are the habits and thought patterns that helped me with my emails.

[…]

Between 2013 and a few months ago, I had an email-hungry gorilla on my back. She was always demanding to know whether any long-lost friends, reporters (it happened once, it could happen again), or well-wishers had gotten in touch during the last few minutes. I also had a vague and mounting sense of wanting to check my emails less. Every time I did open my inbox I felt like I had failed at something, and had given in to my cravings and my gorilla. Whenever I even considered checking my emails I felt a duty to try to resist. Then I either spent some willpower, which we're assuming is a finite resource, or gave in and felt like a gross loser.** How I kicked my email compulsion ** I can relate to this on a number of levels. I once got an email from the design/HR team at Apple and since then, deep down inside, I'm expecting something similar to happen again. Also, I feel ashamed when I sometimes check my email on my phone and before it moves into "Checking email...", I have time to read "Last updated: 4 mins ago". 🤦🏻‍♂️

Voice Input’s Effect on Social Norms

Anton Sten — Tue, 28 Aug 2018 00:00:00 GMT

There’s an interesting shift happening with our technology as we move from touch based inputs to voice. The Amazon Echo is a huge success (despite it’s terrifying statements), the Google Assistant is getting better and better (although there are privacy concerns) and even Siri is catching up with Apple’s increased investment into the technology. What isn’t said is that it may be changing society around us without us noticing - for the good and the bad. ## Accessibility for all Voice is something that’s incredibly natural for us. Newborns recognize their mother’s voice moments after birth having heard a muffled version of it while in the womb. When we’re faced with extreme situations, we instinctively turn to our voice - screaming and crying for both help and joy. It’s easy to believe that voice input would remove some of the issues with accessibility that we have screen based user interfaces. No more being concerned with color contrast, font sizes, or missing alt-tags, right? While this may be true for many of us, it unfortunately can’t be accommodating for those who don’t communicate verbally. Don’t count the deaf and hard of hearing out yet though. Abhishek Singh created a web application that uses a camera to read sign language and translate it into spoken language for an Amazon Echo to understand. When the Echo responses the whole process plays out in reverse and it types out the reply for them to see. >“The project was a thought experiment inspired by observing a trend among companies of pushing voice-based assistants as a way to create instant, seamless interactions,” he told Fast Company. “If these devices are to become a central way we interact with our homes or perform tasks, then some thought needs to be given to those who cannot hear or speak. Seamless design needs to be inclusive in nature.” **This clever app lets Amazon Alexa read sign language** It’s inspiring to me how people are adapting these new technologies and working to find ways to make them more inclusive. However, this isn’t the universal norm when it comes to designing solution. The design industry, as a whole, will need to become more intentionally inclusive to accommodate continued growth of the voice input technology environment. ## Are we ok with lost privacy? The most difficult question that remains unanswered is everything surrounding privacy. While the general public is beginning to raise their concerns, we’re still too amazed / awed by the technical progress to clearly see what could be down the road. AI and voice are still too much ‘fun’ for us to consider the potential downsides. It’s almost as if the general consensus is “we’re having a party right now and it’s awesome - let’s think about tomorrow’s problems when we cross that bridge!” Marriott Hotels are now including Alexa’s in some of their hotels as a way for guests to access room service or make reservations. At first glance, this appears to be a cost-effective and smart choice, but with Alexa’s history of recording conversations, there are those who are beginning to get concerned. >"We don't fully understand the privacy risks we're taking," the senators wrote. "Amazon owes it to the American people to be clearer about what's happening with this technology."

>“This is just another way for Alexa to have access to you from your home away from home,” said digital lifestyle expert Carley Knobloch. “This is the new world order and these devices are going to follow us wherever we go now if we're on vacation or maybe at the office, or certainly at home.” **You can now get Amazon's Alexa in your hotel room — but concerns rise about privacy** “This is the new world order and these devices are going to follow us where we go now”. Eh, no thank you. You see, we are adults so we can choose how we live our lives. We can make decisions about what is acceptable in terms of privacy and adjust our exposure to the technology, but do you know who can’t choose though?

… Kids. Kids are drawn to the devices’ voice-activated interfaces and warm, playful tone. New research shows children as young as 1 are interacting with Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri long before they can type or swipe. ## Is voice input teaching us to be disrespectful? Toy giant Mattel planned AI etiquette features for its short-lived kids’ virtual assistant, Aristotle. Introduced in 2015, the smart speaker would read bedtime stories, soothe crying babies at night, and teach toddlers basics such as the alphabet. To enforce manners, Aristotle would refuse to go along with children’s requests unless they said “please.” While privacy concerns ultimately doomed the Aristotle, the idea of a machine that required respectful communication was a first. >“We love our Amazon Echo. Among other tasks, my four year old finds the knock knock jokes hilarious, the weather captivating, the ability to summon songs comparable to magic and Echo to be the best speller in the house. But I fear it’s also turning our daughter into a raging asshole. Because Alexa tolerates poor manners.” **Amazon Echo Is Magical. It’s Also Turning My Kid Into an Asshole.** I believe even if our voice assistants began to demand a ‘please’ or ‘thank you’, they certainly wouldn’t instantly make us a respectful society. In fact, the voice driven technology as it is today may be teaching us to be the exact opposite. It allows us to be too casual. I’ve even noticed this behavior in myself as I’ve been using Siri more with my HomePod and iPhone. For instance, when I leave my office I say, “Hey Siri, pause the music”. If the command doesn’t get through, I say it again but this time in a louder, more aggressive tone. It’s as if I think she did hear me, but just couldn’t be bothered to perform the task. That leads to an interesting distinction between voice and touch interactions. If I fail at executing a command through voice, I blame the system. “I know you heard me!” However, when I fail at executing a command through touch, I blame myself. “Am I doing this wrong?” It’s an interesting road ahead for sure and I’d be interested to hear what you think. Voice input is changing our social norms and influencing the way we interact with our digital environment daily. It has brought the best of us out (striving for inclusion) while also reinforcing some of our less positive personality traits. At times we are even turning a blind eye to privacy concerns! Is it worth it for the convenience? When has it gone too far?

Living among baby robots

Anton Sten — Thu, 30 Aug 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>"The real problem is that the car is too safe, they have to learn to be aggressive in the right amount." Even more difficult, they must understand the complex, local culture of driving in each location.** How I kicked my email compulsion ** Even most humans have trouble understanding and adapting to local culture of driving. Driving in Sweden is very different from driving in just Italy or France. The Middle East or even the US is something entirely different too. Thinking that driving patterns for a self-driving car could be linear is as naive as thinking that every user of your product thinks and acts in the same way.

Yuval Noah Harari on what the year 2050 has in store for humankind

Anton Sten — Thu, 30 Aug 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>Technology can help you a lot, but if technology gains too much power over your life, you might become a hostage to its agenda. Thousands of years ago, humans invented agriculture, but this technology enriched just a tiny elite, while enslaving the majority of humans. Most people found themselves working from sunrise till sunset plucking weeds, carrying water buckets and harvesting corn under a blazing sun. It can happen to you too.

Technology isn't bad. If you know what you want in life, technology can help you get it. But if you don't know what you want in life, it will be all too easy for technology to shape your aims for you and take control of your life. Especially as technology gets better at understanding humans, you might increasingly find yourself serving it, instead of it serving you.** Yuval Noah Harari on what the year 2050 has in store for humankind ** I'm a huge fan of both Sapiens and Homo Deus and from this article, Yuval Noah Harari's next book seems like another hit.

Serving your customer, valuing yourself

Anton Sten — Mon, 10 Sep 2018 00:00:00 GMT

My brother-in-law is a freelancer like me. He’s a camera operator and sets all the cabling for larger live streamed tv-events - mostly sports related. He called me the other day to ask for help raising his rates. You see, he’s been working for the same company for seven years and hasn’t renegotiated his rates at all. It is especially daunting to ask for an increase when you’ve worked for one company for so long. Many of us have found ourselves in very similar situations and this is tough to navigate. ## Communicate your value I told Johan, my brother-in-law, that I think its well deserved and he should begin think about solid reasons he can present about his need to raise rates. I explained that his customer would be motivated to agree to this raise if he gave a convincing argument. He came back with some great options: more experienced, more qualified to do specialized things, loyal to the company, and hasn’t received a raise for seven years. When working with one customer for so long, it becomes easy for them to lose track of your personal growth during your time together. Whether its experience, skills, or certifications/education, its important to clearly communicate this increase in your marketability. This discussion can lead to not only talks of increased rates, but of further opportunities to continue to grow. It can be a win / win situation for both of you! ## Why packaging is a wise method of increasing rates When I asked Johan about what he wanted for a raise, he said 150%. That’s a steep raise! When I said that may be going too far, he was certain that it was in-line with what others with similar experience were billing. I asked him if he had given any thought to how he would increase rates and what his customer would feel most comfortable with. There are a few options out there, so I asked him what he had in mind. He wanted to charge the same base rate, but put an hour limitation on it. He would charge $500 for the first 10 hours and then for every additional hour, he would charge an extra $50. This **flat rate with extended billable time method** ensures that he is guaranteed his usual rate if an event runs short, but also raises his pay for those insane 12 or 14 hour days. He actually gets paid for the extra hours of work. I understand this and it’s something I’ve done in the past too. But take my word for it, it’ll get your more money that day, but won’t make your fiscal year any better. You see, when you go into a restaurant or shop in a store, you prefer to know the price before your order. That’s just common sense, right? What if your email provider charged you according to the amount of email you receive? The first 500 are free, but each additional one is $0.02. I’d be terrified at the end of every month. Just like you and me, Johan’s boss wants to know the price before he signs the deal. He doesn’t have any influence over how many hours the work is going to take so it’ll be impossible for him to calculate - and budget for - the cost of the work upfront. I recommended **packaging** his services instead to make it beneficial for his customer to invest in him. Let’s say he charges $500 dollars for a day’s work (he doesn’t, but it’s just simpler for the mathematics). Instead of selling them one day at a time, maybe he could put them into packages to add a sense of savings. How about offering the employer the possibility of buying 20 days for $11,000? Or ten days for $6000? Make your pricing as friendly as possible for your customer - and make sure you benefit from it too! This, is in it’s most simplest form, is seen in almost every software as a service (SaaS) today. Monthly is $9.99 and yearly is $99 - a quick way for their customers to get 20% off by subscribing for a full year. For the company providing the service, it gives them cash upfront as well as committed customer for the next year. Regardless of what business you are in, how can you rethink your pricing strategy?

Automation, Unemployment, and Universal Income

Anton Sten — Wed, 12 Sep 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>Only 20% of the job loss in manufacturing is due to outsourcing and globalization. The other 80% is automation. And it's not just manufacturing jobs. There are many, many white-collar jobs that are also prone to automation — bookkeeping, accounting, being a lawyer, and medical fields like radiology and pharmacy. Journalism and content creation are increasingly threatened by automation. Advertising used to be about developing a brilliant ad campaign or slogan or tagline. Now a lot of it is just an algorithm getting products in front of the right people. Even things that you think of as sacrosanct, like being an artist or a musician, artificial intelligence can often create in a way that's indistinguishable from work done by humans. So the impact of technology is going to be much broader than many people believe.

The reality is that, as jobs are going away, they are not being replaced.** Dumb Questions for Smart People: Automation, Unemployment, and Universal Income ** This is topic that I'm struggling to wrap my head around. Will jobs disappear? Will new jobs appear? I hear new statistics on a daily basis and I think we'll have to accept the fact that it's very similar to the stock market. No one really knows what's going to happen. The faster we accept that we don't know, the quicker we can adapt.

The Long Goodbye (to Facebook)

Anton Sten — Wed, 12 Sep 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>I took a Facebook vacation about a year ago. It became a long break. And now it is a permanent vacation. Why? Because I don't need it and don't miss it. I left, not because of the company's dodgy approach to privacy, data accumulation or its continued denial of its impact on shaping modern society. I left because it was making me someone I am not — someone who lives life through the eyes of others. There is a hard edge in Facebook life. People are always fronting — putting their best life forward. Just like startup life these days. **The Long Goodbye (To Facebook)** No single decision I've made in the last year has had a more positive effect on my life than deleting my Facebook account. I'm down to checking in on Instagram every 2 or 3 days and I think before the end of the year I will have deleted the app from my phone (I've already moved it off my home screen).

The iphone Franchise

Anton Sten — Thu, 13 Sep 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>The strategy is, dare I say, bordering on over-confidence. Apple is raising prices on its best product even as that product’s relative differentiation to the company’s next best model is the smallest it has ever been.

Here, though, I thought the keynote’s “Mission: Impossible”-themed opening really hit the mark: the reason why franchises rule Hollywood is their dependability. Sure, they cost a fortune to make and to market, but they are known quantities that sell all over the world — $735 million-to-date for the latest Tom Cruise thriller, to take a pertinent example.

That is the iPhone: it is a franchise, the closest thing to a hardware annuity stream tech has ever seen. Some people buy an iPhone every year; some are on a two-year cycle; others wait for screens to crack, batteries to die, or apps to slow. Nearly all, though, buy another iPhone, making the purpose of yesterday’s keynote less an exercise in selling a device and more a matter of informing self-selected segments which device they will ultimately buy, and for what price.**The iPhone Franchise** This analysis from Ben Thompson was one of the most well-put pieces I’ve read in a long time. It was almost impossible to decide on what segment to include here but I think the closer is too good to miss.

Forget the new iphones - Apple's best product is now privacy

Anton Sten — Sun, 16 Sep 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>I now believe the best product Apple offers is intangible, yet far more valuable than a flagship smartphone. The best product Apple has–and the single biggest reason that consumers should choose an Apple device over competing devices–is privacy.**Forget the new iPhones - Apple's best product is now privacy** We spend months, sometimes years, iterating features that we believe will turn into great products. This sentence captures something that's been in the back of my head for some time, that great features and products all begin with our values. Privacy is a core value at Apple and they apply it to every aspect of their features.

Tesla, software and disruption

Anton Sten — Tue, 18 Sep 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>When Nokia people looked at the first iPhone, they saw a not-great phone with some cool features that they were going to build too, being produced at a small fraction of the volumes they were selling. They shrugged. "No 3G, and just look at the camera!"

When many car company people look at a Tesla, they see a not-great car with some cool features that they're going to build too, being produced at a small fraction of the volumes they're selling. "Look at the fit and finish, and the panel gaps, and the tent!"

The Nokia people were terribly, terribly wrong. Are the car people wrong? We hear that a Tesla is 'the new iPhone' - what would that mean? **Tesla, software and disruption** I can't wrap my head around this at all. 1. The success of the iPhone is largely because of the Apple eco-system. Without the AppStore, the iPhone would surely not have reached the masses in the same way. So while the iPhone is great, it's also things like the AppStore (and exclusive apps), Macs, iPads and even how the iPod's track record that made the iPhone a success. Tesla has none of these things. They have the charging stations, but as far as I'm aware, they are not exclusive to Tesla's and even for Tesla owners, they don't offer free (unlimited) charging anymore. 2. Nokia's fall was largely due to the fact that they were too late to bet on an operating system - and when they finally placed a bet, they picked the wrong one (Symbian). Had they had the knowledge to create their own iOS years ahead of Apple, who knows where we'd be today? Nearly all other phone makers adopted Android but wanted to put their own version of it on their phones making it a mess for users to use. In fact, this is the problem many non-Apple phones still struggle with. 3. One of the worst customer experiences I've ever had was at a Tesla showroom. Some of the best experiences I've had has been in Apple Stores. Now consider that Tesla sells a product for hundreds of thousands of dollars and Apple for a thousand dollars. 4. What can Tesla do that no other car company can't copy?

What about ’my’ responsibilities?

Anton Sten — Mon, 24 Sep 2018 00:00:00 GMT

The tech industry is growing at an exponential rate influencing society to the point that we are seeing the biggest shift, perhaps ever, in man-kind. Some tech services actually have billions of users. You read that right, not thousands, not millions, but BILLIONS of human beings using them regularly. It would be arrogant not to say that these services are forming our society and shaping our norms while their only objective was to keep the growth curve… growing. This has resulted in an increased public focus on the ethics and responsibilities these companies have to their users and society. There’s demand for governments to regulate, a growing concern about user privacy, and concerns within the companies about the ethical choices they make on a daily basis. It seems like there’s one thing we can all agree and that is that there’s reason for concern. ## But what about me? One of the things I’m currently working on is taking personal responsibility over my actions and the choices I make. It’s something that I haven’t always been great at and I still - especially in private situations - struggle to take responsibility and stand up for my own opinion and voice. I too often use phrases like “he/she made me do it” or even “I didn’t know/I don’t know” as a defense. This got me thinking about our relationship with technology. Sure, tech companies have things to sort out, but what about us - the users? Don’t we have a responsibility to use tech in a more mindful way? Just because you can does that mean you should? _(Please excuse the severe examples I use, but I think they are needed to make my point)_ When there’s a drunk driving accident, you don’t see anyone blaming the liquor company. They aren’t blaming the bar. It’s the individual who should have acted more responsibly. The blame for a school shooting doesn’t lie with the gun manufacturer. It belongs to the shooter. In the US, states are even held responsible for not having stricter laws instead of those manufacturers. In Europe, where guns are strictly regulated, the story is the same. It’s the individual that is responsible. It’s the user’s fault. >Technology isn’t bad. If you know what you want in life, technology can help you get it. But if you don’t know what you want in life, it will be all too easy for technology to shape your aims for you and take control of your life. Especially as technology gets better at understanding humans, you might increasingly find yourself serving it, instead of it serving you. **YUVAL NOAH HARARI ON WHAT THE YEAR 2050 HAS IN STORE FOR HUMANKIND** I think this is key because, frankly speaking, most of us have no idea what we want. >Most people hardly know themselves, and when they try to “listen to themselves” they easily become prey to external manipulations. The voice we hear inside our heads was never trustworthy, because it always reflected state propaganda, ideological brainwashing and commercial advertisement, not to mention biochemical bugs.
As biotechnology and machine learning improve, it will become easier to manipulate people’s deepest emotions and desires, and it will become more dangerous than ever to just follow your heart. **YUVAL NOAH HARARI ON WHAT THE YEAR 2050 HAS IN STORE FOR HUMANKIND** As AI evolves and corporations get even more information about their users (e.g. YOU), the possibilities of influencing the choices you make will be even greater. It’s no longer just your friends, family, and peers that influence you - it’s also Amazon, Apple, Google and Baidu. ## Personal responsibility So what to do? Should I just wait for Google to tap into my brain and start making all my choices for me? Nope. I make that choice. You see, just like my aim for greater personal responsibility, you have a choice with it comes to the influence tech has on you. As long as you are aware that every photo you upload to Facebook gives them more leverage on you. Every website you visit that tracks you (including this one - yeah sorry ‘bout that) gives them a better idea of who you are. Every Google Maps search you make, gives them input on where you are. Every interaction has a consequence. I think regulation is needed to rebalance the provider/user relationship. I fully support employees that are raising their voices on behalf of the user as that is a great first step. However, I think that we, the creators of these tools, need to take a responsibility of what we add into the (cyber) world. Because the online world isn’t just online anymore - it’s increasingly forming, shaping, and influencing our offline world too. When was the last time you were completely disconnected? >Of course, you might be perfectly happy ceding all authority to the algorithms and trusting them to decide things for you and for the rest of the world. If so, just relax and enjoy the ride. You don’t need to do anything about it. The algorithms will take care of everything. If, however, you want to retain some control of your personal existence and of the future of life, you have to run faster than the algorithms, faster than Amazon and the government, and get to know yourself before they do. To run fast, don’t take much luggage with you. Leave all your illusions behind. They are very heavy. ## Why Can Everyone Spot Fake News But YouTube, Facebook And Google? >The companies ask that we take them at their word: We’re trying, but this is hard — we can’t fix this overnight. OK, we get it. But if the tech giants aren’t finding the same misinformation that observers armed with nothing more sophisticated than access to a search bar are in the aftermath of these events, there’s really only one explanation for it: If they can’t see it, they aren’t truly looking.

How hard would it be, for example, to have a team in place reserved exclusively for large-scale breaking news events to do what outside observers have been doing: scan and monitor for clearly misleading conspiratorial content inside its top searches and trending modules?

It’s not a foolproof solution. But it’s something. **WHY CAN EVERYONE SPOT FAKE NEWS BUT YOUTUBE, FACEBOOK AND GOOGLE?** I should reiterate that tech companies need to address this problem more aggressively than they are. The fact that their business model is increasingly dependent on fake news and fake accounts isn’t a realistic sustainable business model, so there’s no excuse for doing nothing. I do, however, think it is odd that we continuously blame tech companies for fake news and trolls when we’re the ones clicking those links. Every time you click a “…you won’t believe what happened next” you need to own what happens next. That’s not the tech company’s problem, it’s yours. ## Here’s what I think you can do to serve a better Internet - Install an Adblocker. Personally, I prefer Ghostery. - Choose iOS over Android. Because of their different business models, Google tracks more of your usage habits and your location in comparison to Apple. - Use social media, but think about what you are uploading and if there are other people in the picture, do you have their consent? - Think of the sites and links you visit - what is their business model? People love to complain about how the fashion industry creates a world where 45kg (100 pound) girls are the norm, but it’s the readers that feed that business. What about the world that today’s tech industry creates? How are you feeding that business?

Stay humble, stay eager

Anton Sten — Mon, 08 Oct 2018 00:00:00 GMT

A couple of months ago my friend Femke, a product designer at Uber, started sharing her journey of becoming a runner. As someone who's been running for years, I found it fascinating to watch her quick progress. Looking at her back and forth progress during the past few weeks has reminded me of the process we go through in our careers. We look at the tools we use and believe they are what will make us cross the finish line (it's not) just as buying a new pair of sneakers doesn't make you a world class runner. >“Saying yes is easy but actually doing the work is hard. In order to fully commit to running I knew there was a few things I needed; A goal, a schedule, a coach and a tracker. I purposefully stayed focused on the goal and ignored shiny things like new headphones, shoes and running gear – things that are easy to think you need.

After all, new gear isn't what's going to get me to 5km. Commitment and perseverance will.”**Setting attainable goals** For 8 straight weeks, Femke ran three times every week and achieved her goal of running 5k in less than 30 minutes. It doesn't matter whether it's running or writing, cooking or singing, designing or building a relationship; they all share key ingredient for success: commitment. You need to keep going even if it feels like you're not making progress. >“I still vividly remember my early days spent blogging, literally alone in my apartment. Some posts had just one or two readers (it's not a joke to insert "hi mom" here, it's the truth). Some even had none. None! Imagine the humiliation of putting yourself out there and zero people caring because zero people saw it. I know a lot of people feel this way when they start doing something with regard to content on the internet — I applied it to blogging, but I imagine it's the exact same story with recording videos for YouTube, starting a podcast, etc. Just keep at it.

And so again, the advice is simply to keep at it. Even if the next post gets zero readers too. And the next one. Eventually, zero turns to one and then one to two and then you're off to the races.” **M.G. SIEGLER - JUST KEEP AT IT** I think it's the designer in Femke that made her deeply think about the reasons for her success and choose to share these three key factors with us: 1. Create a cue - every night before a run, she lays out her running clothes and puts her running shoes by the door to mentally prepare the body of what's to come. 2. Set a schedule - she blocked out time in her calendar for each morning of a run. It's a psychological commitment acknowledging that the time and the task is important. 3. Choose an attainable goal - Her goal was to run 5k after 8 weeks. 5k might not seem like that much, but it's a reasonable, realistic goal. Many (myself included) tend to overestimate their capabilities resulting in a set-back that may derail your entire journey. If you've never ran, signing up for a marathon next week is a terrible idea. I'd like to add a fourth reason for her success and it's actually one I've touched on before; the honesty and transparency of admitting that you're a beginner. Considering how young our industry is, it's sometimes ironic how focused it is on previous experience. Instead of giving pay raises, we add 'Senior' to titles and believe that we somehow gained extra knowledge. The truth is, many of us are winging it every day and it's ok to admit that we just don't know. One of the things I really admire about Femke's story is her ability to publicly say, _"I've never ran before, but I'm willing to give it a shot."_ She shared her first run (and most ones following it) online. I think you can agree that's something many of us would have been afraid to do. !Femke running I'd wish more of us were comfortable saying, "You know, I really don't know how to do this but I'm going to find out." Humble confidence is admitting you don't know, commitment is finding out how to do it. To add to my list of 5 questions I'd ask UX-designers, it would be: How does it make you feel when a question occurs that you don't know the answer to? Embarrassed? Or excited?

Tim Cook talks to VICE News Tonight about privacy

Anton Sten — Mon, 08 Oct 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>We're at a stage now where more information is available about you online and on your phone than there is in your house.**Apple CEO Tim Cook: The VICE News Tonight Interview** Another great quote: _"Technology itself doesn’t want to be good. It doesn’t want to be bad. It doesn’t want anything. It’s up to the creator."_. Creators - and users.

Organized for browsing

Anton Sten — Fri, 12 Oct 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>In the traditional world, most things are organized so you can find them when you’re looking for them. That’s why you keep your tools in your tool chest and the forks in the silverware drawer. That’s why books are stored in alphabetical order, by author.

But in the digital world, finding is easy. Type what you want in the search bar.

What we’re still exploring, and not very successfully, is how to organize things for browsing. How do you bump into the thing you didn’t know you were looking for? How do you decide what your next home improvement project should be, or the next movie you should see?**Organized for browsing** As a kid, one of my favorite things to do was to go into a record store and _browse_. I could buy perhaps buy one CD (or cassette in my early teens) per month so I'd have to make the correct pick. This was the album I was going to listen to non-stop for the next month at least. Same thing with going to video store (kids: think of it as a physical Netflix); the browsing was fun because it had meaning, you could only pick one. With digital streaming tool browsing is not fun because there's no pressure to pick the right item, if you don't like it you'll just pick something else. One of the reasons I love magazines and books is because I still have to make concious choices.

Morgan Knutson on Working as a Designer on Google+

Anton Sten — Tue, 16 Oct 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>If your team, say on Gmail or Android, was to integrate Google+’s features then your team would be awarded a 1.5-3x multiplier on top of your yearly bonus. Your bonus was already something like 15% of your salary.

You read that correctly. A fuck ton of money to ruin the product you were building with bloated garbage that no one wanted. No one really liked this. People drank the kool-aid though, but mostly because it was green and made of paper.**Morgan Knutson on Working as a Designer on Google+** The entire thread is just an insane look into how one of the world's most powerful companies is managed.

I’m taking a break

Anton Sten — Mon, 22 Oct 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Today was my 100th newsletter - an accomplishment that I’m quite proud of. However, I’ve been thinking a lot about the future of this newsletter and my website lately. What role does it fill in my life? Is blogging part of where I want to take my career? Where DO I want to take my career? Big questions. Honestly, I’ve been unable to point my finger at what is really bothering me. When I started blogging 3 years ago, I was unaware that it would lead to more than 200 blog posts, two books, and nearly 1000 subscribers (I started my list with 14 friends who I signed up without them knowing - sorry). My posts have been shared by publications I admire like uxdesign.cc, UX Booth, Adobe, Invision, Prototypr.io, UXDesign Weekly as well as by people who influence me like Brad Frost and Josh Clark. That was incredibly validating. ## Maybe I'm losing steam...? Lately, these blog posts haven’t come to me spontaneously. It turns into something a bit exhausting. I’ve felt pressured to write clever things and I guess I haven’t been feeling all that clever. Last night, I read a couple of lines by Cait Flanders that instantly spoke to me: >Now, it feels like every platform(blogs, social, etc.) is a place for people to shout and be heard. We have been told we need to build, grow, make money and have all the answers. We need to be experts.

I don’t want to be an expert. I just want to be a human. **Why I’m retiring from personal blogging** The downside of having success - if you can call posts being shared all over the Internet a success-is that when you write posts that aren’t shared, you consider them to be poorly written or without a worthy subject. You are constantly wondering if success was a fluke. I started to feel increasingly out of control with how posts would perform - an added pressure. ## So I’ve considered some options: Should I remove all analytics from my website? That way I’d be ignorant whether a post is read by tens of thousands of people or by ten? Not to mention, it’d be for a better Internet as a whole. That wouldn’t work because I really enjoy knowing who reads my stuff. I think one of the great things about the Internet is that it allows all of us to connect and analytics area way for me to connect with who ever spent time on my site. Should I stop writing and just share these bite-sized posts that require far less thinking? I could, but I KNOW that I’ve become a better designer through writing these posts. I think all designers should write. Hell, I think EVERYONE would benefit from writing more. Especially to those who think, “I don’t know how to write.” Just write. It doesn’t have to be perfect. It doesn’t have to be great. It doesn’t have to be even mildly good. It just has to be you! Share it with everyone or keep it to yourself - you decide. You WILL see the benefit and will grow from it. ## So what's going to happen? Truth be told, I don’t really know. I’m sometimes thinking of a new book on some of the topics I’m currently finding most interesting(Future of AI, Ethics in design). I enjoyed the process of writing the last two books and would love to do it again, but it has to have an audience that would appreciate it. Let me know if that’s something you’d be interested insee me do.Yes, your opinion matters! So if you’re reading this on my blog, expect fewer(I guess?) long-form posts in the coming weeks. If you’re reading this through my newsletter, expect a different format in a few weeks. I have some ideas, but it’s likely going to vary from time to time in the coming weeks and, again, your input is highly appreciated. _A couple of personal reflections to end with:_ - I’m currently working on a very large project as a UX Specialist. It’s a very new type of role for me and I’ve been spending a lot of time in Excel and Powerpoint lately. Who would have thought? It's extremely frustrating at times but it's also allowing me to experience a completely new side of UX design which is scary and fascinating. - Finding great people for projects is really hard. I’ve interviewed a lot of people lately. - This is the first year since the iPhone 5S that I won’t upgrade. - I’m still unsure if I prefer Spotify over Apple Music or not. - I’m currently reading “It doesn’t have to be crazy at work”. I’m really liking it. --- ## These are my most shared posts (in case you missed one): AI Ethics - A New Skill for UX-Designers
The future of the UX-Designer
Why Designers Need to Write
A Redesign
Designer Ethics & The Moral Implications of our Apps
Be the Butcher not the Supermarket
Chasing Growth
UX Design Explained
New Tools Don’t Always Equal Productivity
The Fundamentals of Good UX

Smartphones are our ever-present computers

Anton Sten — Mon, 29 Oct 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>Phones are the most important computer in most people’s lives. They’re the only computer in many people’s lives. Nobody says it’s crazy to spend up to $1,500 on a laptop — but most people use and care about their phone more than they do their laptop. That’s why phone displays are getting bigger. We’ve been corrupted by thinking of them as “phones” in the pre-2007 sense of the word.

A cell phone used to be just a wireless telephone. No longer. They are our ever-present personal computers. They are also our most important cameras (and often our only cameras). A decade ago, point-and-shoot cameras ran $200-400, easily. It’s your watch, it’s your alarm clock, it’s your Walkman, it’s your map and GPS. It’s your wallet full of photos of your family and friends. It’s also, increasingly, your actual wallet.

If you took an iPhone XR back to 2006 people would be amazed. If you told them they could buy one for $750 they’d think you were lying.**iPhone XR Review Roundup** I love those two final sentences.

Time travel through words with Merriam-Webster

Anton Sten — Mon, 29 Oct 2018 00:00:00 GMT

This fascinating tool from Merriam Webster, let's you see when a word was first used in print. 1981 (when I was born) includes words like: graphical user interface, LAN, screen saver, uninstall and unsubscribe but also autocorrect which I would have assumed was only used far later.

How Playing Games Helped Me Succeed at Business

Anton Sten — Mon, 19 Nov 2018 00:00:00 GMT

I firmly believe that I learned more about building businesses from playing Starcraft than I've learned from business books
— Tobi Lütke (@tobi) April 1, 2018

Some might dismiss Tobi Lütke's tweet's praise of a video game contributing to his success. Our culture - parents specifically - struggle to see video games as anything other than just 'time wasters' while other strategy games like chess are seen as positive to a child's development. Don't get me wrong, there will always be consequences for kids (or adults!) that play video games for 8 hours every day. But wouldn't you see the same effects with someone who plays chess for 8 hours at a time? Tobi, CEO and co-founder of Shopify, recognizes how playing Starcraft gave him invaluable lessons about running a business - more than any business book ever has. If you're unfamiliar with Shopify, they are the leading e-commerce solution and generated a revenue of $580 million in 2017. So clearly some of that Starcraft paid off… This got me to thinking about how we consider certain activities more valuable than others. Going to the theatre beats going to a football game, fine-dining beats a burger, chess is better than playing video games - at least if we should believe what society tells us. Are we being told what's 'better', what's 'right'? I can relate to Tobi's example as the FIFA series has always been my go to when it comes to video games. I've played every iteration of FIFA since FIFA 94 that I had installed on my PC. I'm currently enjoying FIFA 19 so that's 26 iterations of FIFA! What, if any, business lessons have I taken away from my gaming? If Tobi's playing of Starcraft helped him focus on creating strategy with limited data, what has FIFA given me? The game mode I play is called FIFA FUT. Basically, FIFA FUT lets you create your own squad and, through a market place, you can buy players from almost any league in the world. It's Fantasy League'ish, but you use the mode both to create and build your squad and to play against other players. You can set the formulation of your team, but any two players connected have to relate through either playing in the same league or having the same nationality. ## Here's what I've learned The relationship between sports and business is something that's surprisingly often overlooked, especially when you consider that our greatest sports teams are successful businesses in their own right! Mark McGormack's book, 'What they don't teach you at Harvard Business School', is one of my favorites and talks directly about this industry. Mark is one of the most successful entrepreneurs in American business and is widely credited as the founder of modern-day sports marketing. So what parallels have I've been able to draw between playing FIFA and the way I run my business? And while I, unlike Shopify, don't have an annual revenue of millions of dollars, I have been in business for 10 years - and I've been profitable every single year - something that few businesses can claim! ## Surround yourself with people that are just slightly better than yourself Your team is never stronger than its weakest link. If most of your players are rated around 70 (every player is rated from 0-99), getting a Ronaldo or Messi (both 99 rated players) won't save your team. Not only won't your other players improve that much, Ronaldo won't be able to perform at his best because, guess what - it's a team sport. Instead, the best tactic is to have players that are around the same point range with a couple of players that are slightly better. An 82 rated player will perform better when paired with an 85 rated player. In my experience, the same goes for business. Try to surround yourself with people that are slightly better than you in certain areas and you'll both benefit from each other and find success. !Fifa FUT Team ## It's a buyer's market In order to buy players, you need to sell players. Like any business, it's about staying cash positive and in order to grow, you need to do the work (e.g. play games) and ideally, sell players for more than you bought them for. You get a couple of players when you at the beginning of the game. The value of players go up and down due to a number of factors. 1. Players are linked to real-world events. Kane scored a hat-trick last weekend? Now more players will be looking for Kane and his price will surely go up. Regardless of what industry you are in and what service you provide, real world events will effect the demand for your business. 2. EA limits the amount of each player there is, supply and demand will play a large role. Just like any market, if you have a product that's rare, you can charge more for it. Especially if it's a premium product 🙂. A decade ago, skilled SEO consultants were able to charge $$$ for their services. Why? Because not that many were skilled in the area and demand was super high. Today the market is very different and it's not as profitable of a career as it once was. 3. It's a buyer's market. If I'm selling Salah, I can set the price for him to whatever I think he's worth, but the market will ultimately define the price. Let's say everyone decides he's worth around 300.000, but if there are no buyers at that price, no one is really coming out as a winner. The price is set by the buyer's will at the moment and your job is to match (or ultimately exceed) their expectations as much as possible. Just like in FIFA, I can decide to charge an hourly rate of $5000. However, it's unlikely that I'll get that many clients that are willing to pay that rate. So the key to having a successful business is understanding where the threshold is between what your clients are willing to pay and what you think your value is. !King Salah ## Lessons in business can come from anywhere I believe lessons in business can come from anywhere as long as you're open to it. I even wrote about how I think about clients as flowers or plants! Pauls Jarvis recently wrote about the business lessons he drew from watching The Americans. Just like Paul, it's rare that I get my best business insights from traditional business books (or even Medium posts), but I instead use my experiences and observations to define what a good business really is to me. One of the reasons I love staying at some of the best hotels in the world (well, besides that they are some of the best hotels obviously) is I get the opportunity to see how they treat customers and the extra touches they use to improve my experience. It's not unusual that a lot of these ideas are then adapted to my business! >It's important to remember that I'm not trying to convince anyone that staying small or questioning growth is the 100% right way to go either. I don't actually want to convince anyone of anything—instead, I want to offer a different perspective for your own introspection. I want to create space in your mind for a counter argument that you don't have to grow a business to succeed unless it makes sense and is truly what you'd want to manage and maintain after growing.**Paul Jarvis** Similarly, I think when you are open to defining what success looks like - you'll be open to find inspiration in the most unexpected places, even from playing video games!

The Most Important Survival Skill for the Next 50 Years Isn’t What You Think

Anton Sten — Thu, 22 Nov 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>Some people imagine that it will be like this one time, big revolution, that—I don't know—in 2025, 60% of the jobs are taken over. And then we have a couple of rough years in which people have to retrain, and new jobs appear, and some people don't find new jobs and you have a large problem of unemployment. But then eventually things settle down into some new equilibrium, and we enter a new kind of economy.

The problem with this scenario is that it assumes that AI will kind of reach its maximum capacity by 2025, which is extremely far from the truth. We're not even approaching the full capacity of AI. It's going to just accelerate. So yes, we will have these huge changes by 2025—but then we'll have even bigger changes in 2035, and even bigger changes in 2045, and people who have to repeatedly re-adjust to these things.

As individuals, what we can do is quite limited. If you are very rich and successful, then of course you have all the resources in the world to cushion yourself against these kinds of upheavals. But if you're an average person then you will need a lot of help. I think the most important thing is to invest in emotional intelligence and mental balance, because the hardest challenges will be psychological. Even if there is a new job, and even if you get support from the government to kind of retrain yourself, you need a lot of mental flexibility to manage these transitions. Teenagers or 20-somethings, they are quite good with change. But beyond a certain age—when you get to 40, 50—change is stressful. And a weapon you will have [is] the psychological flexibility to go through this transition at age 30, and 40, and 50, and 60. The most important investment that people can make is not to learn a particular skill—”I'll learn how to code computers,” or “I will learn Chinese,” or something like that. No, the most important investment is really in building this more flexible mind or personality. **The Most Important Survival Skill for the Next 50 Years Isn’t What You Think**

Why do we feel so busy? It’s all our hidden ‘shadow work’

Anton Sten — Thu, 22 Nov 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>Automation was always supposed to take care of the tedious jobs, so we could enjoy more leisure time. In reality, it’s taken paid work away from humans, while also increasing their burden of shadow work, by transferring tasks from employees to consumers.

These days, we serve not only as our own supermarket clerks, but our own travel agents and airport check-in staff, our own secretaries and petrol station attendants, and our own providers of journalism and entertainment, insofar as we spend hours creating content for Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. (Near me, there’s even a “self-service dog wash”, though I always think that’s asking a lot of a dog.)

There can be benefits to shadow work – saved time, increased autonomy – but as Lambert points out, one huge downside is that it’s socially isolating. That’s obvious in the case of the elderly person who’d struggle to book a trip online or collect train tickets from a touchscreen machine but it affects us all: every exchange between a shopper and a checkout worker, a bank teller and a bank customer, “help[s] glue a neighbourhood, or a town, together”.**Why do we feel so busy? It’s all our hidden ‘shadow work’**

Why scrap scrappy?

Anton Sten — Thu, 29 Nov 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>I’ve seen a number of small companies jump into big sophisticated content management, inventory management, e-commerce management platforms. Buying into something the big guys use helps a small company feel like they’ve arrived. Now they’re ready to scale! But now all the sudden they can no longer do the things they need to do. Trying a quick idea they used to be able to just whip up becomes a wrestling match with the new system that prefers you do things the more complicated way. Now _“let’s just try that”_ becomes _“when can we schedule a time to figure out how we can try that?_”

The other thing that’s lost in transition from small to big are instincts. I’ve seen companies paralyzed by ideas they can’t seem to implement anymore. They could still do things they same way they used to, but they can’t think that way anymore. For example, a small company that would have just spent a couple hours sending out 50 hand-written emails to test a personalized selling campaign, is stuck for days or weeks trying to figure out how to get their new e-commerce platform to automate the same thing. They could still just pick the customers and write the emails by hand, but they’re forgotten how to think about doing it that way. **Why scrap scrappy?** I read this as I was thinking about importing client email addresses into a Mailchimp list of it's own. I have had, perhaps, 10 or 20 clients during this year. Surely I can write each and one of them a personal email and wish them a happy holiday.

Seth Godin: A lesson in good content creation

Anton Sten — Mon, 03 Dec 2018 00:00:00 GMT

When I first started writing posts for my blog, I struggled. I didn’t have any writing experience and found it hard to articulate my thoughts in a way that made them clear for the reader. Adding to the challenge, there was also a conception at the time that a blog post should be between 700 and 1000 words for “optimal SEO effect”. I simply accepted that as a fact and made it my mission to write posts that were between 700 and 1000 words. The problem here of course as I’m sure you can tell is that some topics require more than 1000 words to make sense and others require far less. Thankfully, just adding words for the sake of SEO is something almost everyone now sees as unnecessary. Do you know what actually makes sense in terms of SEO? Creating content that people like. Content that people like gets shared and shared content is good for SEO. That is, if SEO is your primary goal. I believe having readers, and ultimately customers, enjoy your work should probably be goal number one. ## A great example For years, I’ve followed the work of Seth Godin. If you’re unaware of his work, I highly recommend looking into any of the books he’s written or simply start reading his blog. Seth’s blog is a perfect example of something that’s not optimized for SEO. In fact, some of his posts are not even a 100 words! He posts something every day and that kind of consistency is underrated. I find his advice directly applicable both to the work I (and likely you) do, but also my (and likely yours) personal life. Like this one: >Just because you don’t understand it
…doesn’t mean it isn’t true.
…doesn’t mean it isn’t important.

If we spend our days ignoring the things we don’t understand (because they must not be true and they must not be important) all we’re left with is explored territory with little chance of improvement. Working on a large business to business project makes me realize how little I know about how many users think. What I think is a poor user experience may be great to others. What I think looks like a bad user interface may look great to them because they are currently using a native Windows 95 application. It’s all relative. So instead, focus on surrounding yourself with great people: >The problem with people is that they outnumber you
It doesn’t make any sense to spend your life proving them wrong, it’s a losing battle. Far more effective is the endless work of building connection, forming alliances and finding the very best you can in those you engage with. Great advice. Thanks Seth!

We need the right kind of growth

Anton Sten — Tue, 11 Dec 2018 00:00:00 GMT

>We need the right kind of growth. Growth is not necessarily about stepping on the gas pedal, it can also be about steering in the right direction. **William Nordhaus** I was watching the Nobel Award Ceremony and this quote from William Nordhaus really struck out to me. We're so busy of thinking of growth as something two-dimensional and linear but what if it's three-dimensional?

The State of UX in 2019

Anton Sten — Thu, 13 Dec 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Placeholder article - content coming soon.

What’s my location?

Anton Sten — Mon, 17 Dec 2018 00:00:00 GMT

For thousands of years a person has had only one location. It was always where they were at the moment and it was impossible to argue any other possibility. However, as digital tools and environments become more heavily intertwined into our lives, even something as basic as one’s location gets challenging to define. There are more and more options to consider and what is “location” anyways… As you have probably noticed, apps are increasingly relying on your “location” as a feature and that has lead me to think about what location really means on a social and cultural level. ## My physical location Until there’s DNA copying and 3D printing of humans we can only be in one place at a time. This is pretty obvious and it’s defined by the physical location where I’m currently at (writing this on my sofa in my office). The things that surround me are all things I can relate to and these things are all connected to me - my dog sleeping besides me, the sofa, table, laptop, etc. ## My digital location Whenever I post or do something online I leave a digital trace. My phone knows exactly where in Sweden it is because of its integrated GPS and the fact it is pinging cell towers. I can fool it though… I have the ability to leave false digital footprints confusing the average user. I can remain on my sofa and post a picture on Instagram claiming I’m in Paris. I know what you’re going to say. The actual footprint would still say Sweden, but let’s take this a step further. By using VPN services, it’s easy to trick a connection to think I’m somewhere else (like Paris) or making it unable for anyone to even pinpoint me at all. I can decide as a user how much detail I want to give about my whereabouts as my digital location can be anything from very specific (my office) to local (Lomma, Sweden) to even broader (Sweden) or simply undefined. ## My virtual location As VR improves and becomes a more common thing, our third possible location will emerge; where I think and feel I am. >VR aims to parallel reality and create a world that is both immersive and interactive. Users fully experience VR when they believe that the paradigm accurately simulates the real-world experience that it attempts to recreate. The sense of presence, or “being there” in VR, is facilitated through the use of technology such as head-mounted displays, gesture-sensing gloves, synthesized sounds, and vibrotactile platforms, which allow for the stimulation of multiple senses and active exploration of the virtual environment. **The use of virtual reality technology in the treatment of anxiety and other psychiatric disorders** Location is relative to the observer. If I were to be in a VR livestream that places me in the Sydney Opera House, am I any less there than any other observer? If other VR users are there with me, from locations around the world, couldn’t we say we are there together? ## Where am I? When it comes down to it, our location is tied to our state of mind and our impression of self. While I may be sitting on my sofa in Lomma writing this post, I could take a teleconference call that instantly places me as a member of a meeting in a conference room in Stockholm… or New York. I am just as present there as I am on my sofa. I’m in two places at once. Place a VR headset on all of our heads and we can look, interact, and get genuine human experiences in completely constructed environments. We can literally be nowhere if we chose. The key word here is experiences. What we need to do is be intentional about our designing of experiences that fulfill our very human need for positive, seamless interactions with others - whether that be visiting a city park, having a Facetime call with a grandchild, or exploring a virtual galaxy in a VR rig. We need to ask ourselves if location is becoming less relevant to our social society and what we do about it. Does it really matter “where” we are in the end? What do you think?

What We Talk About When We Talk About Design Ethics

Anton Sten — Thu, 20 Dec 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Placeholder article - content coming soon.

2018 Year in Review

Anton Sten — Fri, 28 Dec 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Just like last year, I wanted to end the year by reflecting on what has passed. 2018 has been a very different year, both for my business and for me personally. There's been a lot of growth and change, but not exactly in the way I would have imagined at the beginning of 2018. ## Projects At the end of 2017 I was working with Thinkable in Stockholm as an acting UX Lead for one of their bigger clients, Apotek Hjärtat. During that fall, I had this bad feeling in my stomach, that perhaps not everything was as it should be. Invoices started to pile up and finally in January, I discovered that the agency was, in fact, bankrupt. It ended up being quite a costly lesson for me as I lost more than $10,000 in unpaid invoices. In April of 2018, I found out that because of an internal reorganization, my longest standing client, E.ON was forced to have all their digital assignments done by their parent agency, KAN - ending our partnership after working together for 4 years. I'm really proud of the work we've done during these years and the people I worked with are some of the nicest people. I'm sincerely hoping that our paths will cross again at some point! The lesson with both Thinkable and E.ON though is that even though the product may no longer be 'cool', it's really all about the people you work with and the team at E.ON and Patrik and Ninna from Thinkable will always have a very special place in my heart ❤️ The spring was not just bad news though! I worked closely with the team at Nationalencyklopedin to revise their visual identity and create a robust design system for them. It was one of the first large scale design systems I've created so it was a great experience to see that come to life. In May I was approached by an old client. However, it was not an ordinary website project. Without going into much detail, they are developing a sourcing and supplier tool for their internal use. It's one of the largest digital projects within the company and to be able to work on a B2B platform of this scale is something completely different to what I've ever done before. So since June, I've been working as their UX Specialist / Lead to ensure the best possible user experience for co-workers and suppliers. I'm excited by the work we're doing and happy to continue it well into 2019. It IS a huge change though from work I've previously done. I spend 90% of my time in Powerpoint, Excel, and meetings. I'll try to write more about my experiences from working within a large organization at some point too. I've also continued to work with the great teams at Lysa, Falkenberg and I was in charge of the User Experience module at Hyper Island this year. ## Website and blog Website visitors are up by 63% from 2017 and I posted 138 posts this year, something I'm more than satisfied with. The most popular posts were: 1. AI Ethics - A New Skill for UX-Designers 2. Designer Ethics and the Moral Implications of our Apps 3. New Tools Don't Always Equal Productivity 4. Five Questions UX Employers Should be Asking 5. The Fundamentals of Good UX While the total number of subscribers to my newsletter is down, the opening rates and click rates are up, something I find more rewarding than having a list of tens of thousands of subscribers. This year also saw the 100th newsletter go out! ## Personal & Exercise I've been continuing to practice Pilates at least on a weekly basis and I definitely feel that my body is in better shape. For people like me who sit in-front of a computer most of the day, that kind of workout is so rewarding! The usually warm and long summer here in Sweden meant I finally tried SUP boarding and I got hooked immediately! It's such a great exercise form - both for body and mind! Getting out paddling after a long day in meetings is the best form of rehabilitation I've ever experienced. I highly recommend everyone to try it! Extra bonus points that my wife got equally excited so it meant we had a sport and an activity that we could share!

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I've been to fewer concerts this year but one of the highlights was definitely Sam Smith in Stockholm. We had some amazing seats!

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## 2019 I'm looking forward to 2019 in a way I've not experienced in some time. I'm doing some personal development as well that I've started to see some results from so I'm curious to how that will pan out. Either way, I'll continue to share my thoughts here throughout 2019 and I'm looking forward to sharing the year with you.

Why we need to slow time and scale down

Anton Sten — Thu, 03 Jan 2019 00:00:00 GMT

Happy New Years! One of the first posts I read this year was a brilliant post by Om Malik, Why we need to slow time and scale down, a topic that returning readers of this blog is something I think about a lot - and something that many of do especially at the beginning of a new year. The basis of the post is from Tariq Krim's post 3 years later. >Shift focus from quantity to quality: For example, unfollow news outlets — they are all playing the attention-grabbing game and all it does is causes stress, even without knowing the facts. Instead, follow people who can analyze and contextualize the news cycle. For me, The Economist is a good option for world business stories. Others like Barry Ritholtz are a good follow for me. For those interested in technology news, again look for people who add context and analysis. Also, read and follow science publications. By making smart choices, you are declaring intellectual independence. This was one of the biggest changes I made to my media consumption in 2018. I hardly ever visit news outlets (and when I do, it's mostly for ultra-local news). Instead I enjoy the analysis from people like Neil Cybart, Owen Williams, Ben Thompson as well as curated readings like UXdesign.cc. Turns out, all truly important events seem to get across to me sooner or later anyway. >Go analog: In this digital age, it makes sense for us to be analog. It allows us to control the pace of time and allows us to create an environment that helps bring sanity, quality and relative ease on a daily basis. For example, go to museums, find places to have coffee or dine, where they know your name. I'm not entirely sure about the phrasing but I agree with the general idea. One of the things I truly enjoy living in a small town is the environment - nature of course but also the closeness to people, a community. >Unscale your life: This is actually a very big idea, because as Tariq rightfully points out that scale is no longer the force of good. Amazon, Facebook and Google are three examples of scale gone wrong. AT&T, Comcast and others are examples of scale-gone-wild. How to fight the scale-goonies? Well, how about favoring independents — stores, services and people. In other words, get off the platforms as much as you can. After quitting Facebook a while ago, I am looking to wean myself off Instagram and for 2019, I want to shop less on Amazon — Prime isn’t as much of a convenience as it seems to be. I deleted Facebook in 2018 too and it was extremely rewarding in terms of physical well-being. I'm thinking of quitting Instagram too (but until I do, I've heavily filtered out people from my following list).

Prescribed Technological Therapy: Is this our future?

Anton Sten — Mon, 14 Jan 2019 00:00:00 GMT

When we discuss technology, we often talk about things that are common in our daily lives — Facebook, how we use our smartphones, streaming services, and “disruptive companies” like Uber or even Tesla. But perhaps one of least noticed categories of technology that will have the greatest impact on our lives - literally CHANGE our lives - is one we need to start talking about now and thats technology interfacing with our health. This is still very much a work-in-progress, but companies are already experimenting. What do you think about companies requiring the use of smart watches for those with insurance policies? What about using apps to monitor everything from blood sugar levels for diabetics to mood tracking for people fighting depression? Even the newest Apple Watch features an FDA cleared algorithm and app combo that uses Apple Watch data to detect atrial fibrillation, an abnormal heart condition! Speaking of depression, with more and more people diagnosed with mental illness and substance abuse problems, there’s a huge opportunity for VR to play a part in treatment. This type of immersion therapy is in its infancy, but it’s showing great promise. In fact, this is just one example of a much larger movement where FDA has already started to approve ‘digital therapeutics’ like video games as treatment for ADHD. >Earlier this year, digital medicine company Akili Interactive announced that its video game for children with ADHD demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in a randomized, controlled clinical trial. That milestone paves the way for what could be the first prescription video game.**Wired: The Doctor Prescribes Video Games and Virtual Reality Rehab** While software and apps can measure and diagnose, can they actually treat diseases? Recent FDA decisions says the answer is yes. >Beyond behavior management, a growing number of companies are building products in which the software itself is “therapeutically-active,” meaning that use of the product directly impacts the condition (much like taking a drug has a direct impact on the body). In May, MindMaze received FDA clearance to bring a virtual reality rehabilitation platform to market for stroke and traumatic injury patients.**Wired: The Doctor Prescribes Video Games and Virtual Reality Rehab** This obviously raises a couple of serious questions, ethics being the biggest one. >“We need to ensure that the industry has strong ethical underpinning as it brings these monitoring and surveillance tools into the mainstream.” Hm, how do you think that’s gone so far? While social networks and games can have a huge impact on our social and cultural lives, they are still not specifically targeting people with a medical condition; and being in a vulnerable state can make you an easy target. I’m concerned that it’s our industry that, up until this point, only measure thing by metrics like user retention, growth, and user engagement. Not quite how you want to judge traumatic injury patients, much less help them overcome their ailments. There IS a silver lining to this. As AI and VR evolve and improve, apps and algorithms have the opportunity to augment doctors and complement - and maybe even one day replace - drugs. As for all the discussions about moral responsibility in the tech scene, there’s no better arena than healthcare to prove we are capable of using the possibilities of tech for the greater good.

Right to privacy

Anton Sten — Fri, 18 Jan 2019 00:00:00 GMT

>“In 2019, it’s time to stand up for the right to privacy—yours, mine, all of ours. Consumers shouldn’t have to tolerate another year of companies irresponsibly amassing huge user profiles, data breaches that seem out of control and the vanishing ability to control our own digital lives.

This problem is solvable—it isn’t too big, too challenging or too late. Innovation, breakthrough ideas and great features can go hand in hand with user privacy—and they must. Realizing technology’s potential depends on it.

That’s why I and others are calling on the U.S. Congress to pass comprehensive federal privacy legislation—a landmark package of reforms that protect and empower the consumer. Last year, before a global body of privacy regulators, I laid out four principles that I believe should guide legislation:

First, the right to have personal data minimized. Companies should challenge themselves to strip identifying information from customer data or avoid collecting it in the first place. Second, the right to knowledge—to know what data is being collected and why. Third, the right to access. Companies should make it easy for you to access, correct and delete your personal data. And fourth, the right to data security, without which trust is impossible.”**Tim Cook: You Deserve Privacy Online. Here's How You Could Actually Get It** Finally, Cook calls for the _"power to delete their data on demand, freely, easily, and online, once and for all."_ It's interesting how technically easy (well, sort of) this would actually be and how obvious it sounds that, yeah of course this is how it should be. Yet it's unlikely that it's a world we'll ever live in.

Imagine a world without ads targeted by personal information

Anton Sten — Tue, 22 Jan 2019 00:00:00 GMT

>Elephants wouldn’t be killed for their tusks if there wasn’t a demand for ivory. We can do all sorts of things to discourage poachers, but as long as the market is there, the killings will continue.

Likewise, the flood of privacy scandals involving Facebook, ad exchanges, and other privacy poachers all tie back to the same root cause: Personal information is valuable because we use it to target ads.

But what if you couldn’t do that? Then the personal information would cease to have value, and the flood of privacy scandals would stop (or at least greatly diminish).

The world of commerce spun around just fine in the era before ads could be targeted by personal information. When ad buyers would place their spots based on context. Got a new car to sell? Put an ad on a website that talks about cars. Maybe it wasn’t as efficient, or maybe it was. Either way: The societal price we pay for allowing ads to be targeted is far too high. **Imagine a world without ads targeted by personal information** Not mentioning the fact that even these 'targeted' ads more often than not are poorly executed and irrelevant. After searching for headphones online, I'm bombarded with headphone ads weeks after I already bought a pair (when it's very unlikely I'm in the market for a second pair).

Keeping AI Honest

Anton Sten — Wed, 23 Jan 2019 00:00:00 GMT

>Life-changing decisions are happening in the dark. Machine-learning algorithms now help make decisions from loan applications to cancer diagnoses. In France, they place children in schools. In the US, they can set credit scores and insurance rates, and decide the fate of job candidates and university applicants.

But these programs are often unaccountable. To arrive at their decisions, machine-learning algorithms automatically build complex models based on big data sets, so that even the people using them may not be able to explain why or how a conclusion is reached. They're a black box. **Wired: Keeping AI Honest (not online)** Again, design ethics are the most important thing we are facing right now.

Writing as part of the UX process

Anton Sten — Mon, 28 Jan 2019 00:00:00 GMT

People have been asking me to share a bit more about the day to day work that I'm doing now and while I can't share the actual work due to legal issues, I can share some of the processes use. ## A little background I'm currently the UX Specialist / Lead on a global project for a large corporation, building a business-to-business tool that will be at the very core of their company. The project is divided into 4 business streams and one of my responsibilities is to make sure the product we ship is correctly aligned across all streams. Projects like this where we have a lot of people involved from multiple nationalities (French, Indian, Dutch, Chinese, and Swedish just to name a few), we have to be very intentional when we consider establishing rules. After all, without well structured, super clear and easy to understand rule sets people will tend to do whatever comes naturally to them - especially as many of our end-users don't have English as their first language. Some time ago, I came across a brilliant article titled Making a case for letter case case by John Saito. John works as a writer at Dropbox Paper - a tool I have the utter most respect for (and am using to write this very article!). In the article, John discusses the pros and cons of using sentence casing (e.g Click to read more) and title casing (e.g Click To Read More). >"A little thing like capitalization can actually be a big deal. Capitalization affects readability, comprehension, and usability. It even impacts how people view your brand." ## Applying concepts (and rules!) to maintain brand While reviewing the product we're building it became obvious to me that this was one of the things we needed to set rules on. Allow me to illustrate with an example that I actually found: !Terrible sentence casing Can you spot the inconsistencies in the writing? This obviously mixes both sentence casing and title casing which is something you should never do. However, multiple developers may have been writing these input fields, so it's not a rare thing to spot. Small things like making sure that you're consistent with capitalization may seem like a very small thing, but is something that will have an enormous effect on your users. Because we have a lot of labels and forms like the above, we decided to go with sentence casing. Primarily because it's easier to read and easier on the eye as there's more visual balance. Here's an example of sentence casing on the left and title casing on the right: !Sentence casing or Title Casing Sentence casing is also 'friendlier' and more human, something that this company always strives to be. Our way of writing is always simple, conversational, and respectful to the reader. Besides it being easier to read and feeling 'friendlier', we also took into account our team and how we felt there was a need to set easy, unmistakable guidelines: >According to Google's first UX writer, Sue Factor, one of the main reasons why Google decided to go with sentence case was because it was just easier to explain to designers and engineers. In a product interface, it's not always clear what's considered a "title." Is a tab name a title? How about a settings checkbox? Or a confirmation message?
On top of that, there are multiple ways to do title case. Do you capitalize prepositions like "from" or "through"? How about articles like "the" or "an"? Depending on which style guide you follow, the exact rules for title case can be different. Below are the title case rules according to Apple:

If you have multiple people writing for your product or website, it's easy for people to forget all the rules when writing in title case. You can avoid this confusion by just using sentence case everywhere. There's only one way to do sentence case, so it's harder to goof up.**Making a case for letter case** ## The work I do has changed Just writing about this small part of the user experiences has lead me to thinking about how my career has changed over time. I have been designing websites for 22 years this year. It's refreshing to see how many different parts there are to building a user experience if you're just open to it. During these past 9 months I've worked in Figma for less than a week because I've been focusing on things like this instead. A user experience consists of so many different parts (even things like sentence casing!) so to boiling it down to 'just design' would be extremely disrespectful to your users. I'm extremely grateful and excited about how my work and career will continue to develop in the coming (at least) 22 years I still have to go.

Humans, not users

Anton Sten — Tue, 29 Jan 2019 00:00:00 GMT

>User experience design has led us to use a certain vocabulary: Instead of seeing human beings with goals and attitudes, we see users. We use words like subscribers, subs, visitors, spenders, whales or even just “traffic” or “installs” to refer to them. We assign a role to them. UX design dehumanizes people.

...

How do you create Human Experiences, instead of User Experiences? **Humans, not users**

Cameras that understand

Anton Sten — Thu, 07 Feb 2019 00:00:00 GMT

>One of the desire paths of the smartphone camera is that since we have it with us all the time and we can take unlimited pictures for free, and have them instantly, we don’t just take more pictures of our children and dogs but also pictures of things that we’d never have taken pictures of before. We take pictures of posters and books and things we might want to buy - we take pictures of recipes, catalogues, conference schedules, train timetables (Americans, ask a foreigner) and fliers. The smartphone image sensor has become a notebook. (Something similar has happened with smartphone screenshots, another desire path that no-one thought would become a normal consumer behavior.)

Machine learning means that the computer will be able to unlock a lot of this. If there's a date in this picture, what might that mean? Does this look like a recipe? Is there a book in this photo and can we match it to an Amazon listing? Can we match the handbag to Net a Porter? And so you can imagine a suggestion from your phone: “do you want to add the date in this photo to your diary?” in much the same way that today email programs extract flights or meetings or contact details from emails. **Ben Evans: Cameras that understand** The above excerpt is just a tiny fraction and the entire post is great reading and thinking by Ben. I've been thinking about voice controlled systems lately too, expect a longer post on that topic on Monday!

Voice assistants - are they really the future?

Anton Sten — Mon, 11 Feb 2019 00:00:00 GMT

We’re still at the beginning of the new year, so it’s common for experts to list their prophecies for the coming year. One thing a lot of people seem to be certain about is that 2019 is the year when voice input will take advance significantly and become a much more established way of communicating with our devices. According to Adobe Analytics, 71% of the owners of smart speakers (like Amazon Echo and Google Home) use their voice assistants at least daily and 44% using them multiple times per day. Over 76% of smart speaker owners increased their usage of voice assistants in the last year. So what’s the driver behind this change? You could say there are “changing user demands.” “There is an increased overall awareness and a higher level of comfort demonstrated specifically by millennial consumers. In this ever-evolving digital world where speed, efficiency, and convenience are constantly being optimized.” Me? I’m not entirely sure. I still get the feeling that we’re pursuing a lot of the voice technology because we can rather than there being an actual demand. Personally, I use an HomePod in my office to play music (and mostly control it through voice) and I use Siri on my phone to set timers a timer while cooking. In order for voice assistants to actually break through to the masses in 2019, I believe there are a couple of things they first need to be able to handle. ## #GTD yo First, they need to be able to help me be more productive and help me get actual work done. Activating Siri and saying ‘Add design review to my project in Things’ is not particularly faster than opening Things and just typing it in. I can open my email application and type a reply faster than I can tell Siri to do it. I can usually add an event to my calendar more quickly than telling Siri to add ‘Lunch with Klas on Tuesday, February 5th at 12:00 at Saltimporten successfully. It needs to help me get actual work done. And most importantly, I should able to trust it to complete it successfully without me having to double check to make sure it didn’t make a mistake. If voice assistants are to become true ‘personal assistants’, they need to be much closer to what an actual personal assistant would be. Would an actual assistant ever get confused by the same simple, mundane command twice eventually just answering that they can’t perform the task? No. However, these companies are working hard for us to think of Siri and Alexa as humans. Voice is the new Skeuomorphism. >The articulation of the metaphor of a human assistant and the way voice assistants mimic humans is literal. Just as buttons look literally like button on the skeuomorphic visual interface, the voice assistant that sounds literally like a human is a skeuomorphism. The New Skeuomorphism is in Your Voice Assistant ## Understanding context There’s a lot of talk about how the voice assistants are getting far better at understanding context. What this means is that follow-up questions are understood as related to a question asked before. So if I ask ‘What’s the weather like tomorrow in Oslo?’, I can follow-up with ‘Will it snow?’ and my assistant understands that I’m asking about tomorrow and Oslo. Or if I ask ‘Who’s the president of the United States?’ and follow-up with ‘Is he impeached yet?’, it understands that he refers to the president of the United States. While that’s great for micro interactions I think what’s really missing, from a user’s experience, is more personalized context. It should be aware of what apps I use. If I tell Siri to ‘Remind me to call Klas’, it should be aware that I use Things for reminders, not the default Reminders app. Then it will automatically place the reminder in the correct app (based on my settings). Similarly, if I ask about the weather, it should know what my default weather app is. The requests should be on my terms, not theirs. It should be aware of what I’m currently doing. If I’m listening to The Talkshow, I should be able to say ‘Remind me of this’ and it should create a direct link to 30 seconds earlier in the podcast. If I’m browsing something on Amazon and I say ‘Remind me to buy this’, it should include a link to the product without me having to specify it. I’m sure that there is a lot of future in voice commands, but if they are supposed to ‘be the thing of 2019’, I think the software and executions behind them really has a long way to go. People are not going to be entertained by being able to ask ‘Who starred in Casino?’ forever.* * not to mention you can still only set ONE timer on iOS and you can’t even do that on your Mac!

Silence is gold

Anton Sten — Fri, 15 Feb 2019 00:00:00 GMT

>We’re seeing a dramatic escalation in the rate at which people disconnect, unsubscribe and opt out to stem the barrage of content and messages that clutter daily life. As consumers, we’ve come to realize that it’s no longer simply a lifestyle choice, but a serious mental health issue. As we put up more barriers between ourselves and digital technologies, organizations must learn how to offer value to users who crave quiet in a noisy world. **Silence is gold**

Everyone should own a dog

Anton Sten — Mon, 18 Feb 2019 00:00:00 GMT

>I interviewed business leaders like GM CEO Mary Barra and Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg and on-screen celebrities like Lena Waithe and Lena Dunham, along with astrophysicists, comedians, economists, activists, artists, and more. I asked each of these women the same set of questions, including this crucial fill-in-the-blank line: “Everyone should own....”

Some women offered philosophical appeals (“Everyone should own a soul,” said MoMA curator Paola Antonelli). Others praised quirky objects (“Everyone should own an Italian espresso maker, the ones with the top that screws on,” said relationship therapist Esther Perel). But what I didn’t expect was the overwhelming, interdisciplinary, and completely shameless advocacy for owning a dog.

Of the 50 Visionaries, seven responded “Everyone should own a dog.” Other than that, no two women gave the same answer to this question. **Powerful women told me getting a dog is the key to success. They were right**

Leadership or management

Anton Sten — Fri, 22 Feb 2019 00:00:00 GMT

>When I was young I thought management was about distribution/delegation of responsibilities. I now realize it is truly about the maintenance of morale and motivation. Morale and motivation are moving targets that require consistent and proactive effort to maintain. **@mwseibel** Full article over at Medium.

Top 10 Application-Design Mistakes

Anton Sten — Fri, 22 Feb 2019 00:00:00 GMT

>Apps that keep quiet leave users guessing. Often, they guess wrong. **Top 10 Application-Design Mistakes** This entire piece is one of the best articles and summaries I've read it a very long time and a piece I already know I will refer back to several times going forward.

What is worth waiting for?

Anton Sten — Mon, 25 Feb 2019 00:00:00 GMT

What about speed? No, not the Keanu Reeves movie, but the speed of your product. How much thought have you given it? When building a product, speed is the one aspect that I think is often overlooked, yet it's one of the features we have a lot of influence over. Take a minute and think about it… Speed can keep us from making a purchase, navigating through a website, or can even seriously harm our view of a brand. We barely notice when a company does it right, but they enjoy huge sales and ensured brand loyalty. It really is the secret feature that everyone knows about. The list of things you can do to improve your product's speed is long (and to be honest, often technical). Reducing server requests, minimizing code, and optimizing images are a good place to start. We think, "of course we can do that," but all of the fancy aesthetic design (custom fonts, etc) choices, new functionality, and increased content cancel out any progress we thought we made. The truth is our users tend to care more about speed than bells and whistles. They want the information now. Did I mention that search engine rankings now consider speed too? How about that? Bells and whistles can occasionally serve a purpose, but the load time due to analytics and tracking scripts is becoming insane. When the GDPR launched in Europe, USA Today decided to launch a European version without tracking and ads - bringing the page size from 5.2mb to just 500kb - a decrease of nearly 90%! Nick Heer disassembled a CNN article only to find it contained 11 web fonts (414kb), 4 stylesheets (315kb), 20 frames, 29 XML HTTP requests (500kb) and approximately one hundred (100!) scripts totalling several megabytes. >The vast majority of these resources are not directly related to the information on the page, and I'm including advertising. Many of the scripts that were loaded are purely for surveillance purposes: self-hosted analytics, of which there are several examples; various third-party analytics firms like Salesforce, Chartbeat, and Optimizely; and social network sharing widgets. They churn through CPU cycles and cause my six-year-old computer to cry out in pain and fury. I'm not asking much of it; I have opened a text-based document on the web. **Nick Heer - The Bullshit Web** ## Speed is a two-way street While there's lots you can do to minimize the page load in your end, speed is a two-way street and even with the most efficient product, there's one thing you can't control - the user's connection. We can make our mobile apps load fast, optimize images, and reduce features that aren't used on mobile, but it'll only get us so far. If the user is on a slow carrier connection, there's nothing we can do to improve that situation. This is a situation that I've found myself working around lately in my work. The product I'm working on has many users in Asia with slower connection speeds. Often they also need to go through a VPN as well which slows them even further. So does that mean there's nothing we can do to better serve these users? Of course not! Jacob Nielsen wrote a great article on this topic that we've used as a guiding star in our work. The gist of it is this: There are 3 main time limits (which are determined by human perceptual abilities) to keep in mind when optimizing web and application performance. You can adjust the timings to what fits your situation, but basically we will think of scenarios from these three time limits: The basic advice regarding response times has been about the same for thirty years [Miller 1968; Card et al. 1991]: - __0.1 second__ is about the limit for having the user feel that the system is __reacting instantaneously__, meaning that no special feedback is necessary except to display the result. - __1.0 second__ is about the limit for the __user's flow of thought to stay uninterrupted__, even though the user will notice the delay. Normally, no special feedback is necessary during delays of more than 0.1 but less than 1.0 second, but the user does lose the feeling of operating directly on the data. - __10 seconds__ is about the limit for __keeping the user's attention focused__ on the dialogue. For longer delays, users will want to perform other tasks while waiting for the computer to finish, so they should be given feedback indicating when the computer expects to be done. Feedback during the delay is especially important if the response time is likely to be highly variable, since users will then not know what to expect. For anything that'll take 10 seconds or longer and we'll show a percentage indicator so the user gets an idea of the anticipated waiting time. Why? Because users don't actually hate waiting, __they hate not knowing how long they'll have to wait__. This is something that call-in customer service center's have known for years. Call a customer support line and you'll likely be greeted with the anticipated waiting time. Being told the wait time is 6 minutes may seem like a long time, but waiting for 6 minutes without being told will feel like a whole lot longer. Not only does being given the the anticipated wait time give you a reference - it gives you something that's even more valuable to users - the data needed for making a decision! 6 minutes? Ok I'll hold. 34 minutes? No I'll call back later. Without knowing the anticipated waiting time we don't have the knowledge to make that decision. Wouldn't you want this information for a lot more interactions in your life? Dinner at your mother-in-laws will be four hours. It sounds like you have a decision to make. Finally, as you're aware from waiting on the phone - the time remaining decreases. 6 minutes, now it's 4 minutes and boom - you're in. The same input is extremely useful dealing with technical data intensive digital tools. Has it crashed? Is it still processing? A visual indicator is there to show the user that the tool is still working - and even to give you something to rest your eyes on! This is why you're hearing music while waiting on the phone. The music might be pretty terrible, but in most cases, it at least beats silence (and if not, at least give them credit for trying). ## No man is an island Just like no man is an island, no problem has only one solution. It's therefore important to remember to tackle things like page speed from multiple angles as there's only so much you can do on each front - but combined you can achieve far greater results. It is important to look creatively at the problem, collaboratively, and present the solution in a way that considers the user's needs first. While I have some good ideas on how to improve this experience, my opinion is not the end all. It takes many minds to look at a problem as complex as making our speed strangled digital world faster - or at least more tolerable. So, what is your answer? What are the best solutions increasing our speed? How can we make ourselves more comfortable during the inevitable waits? I'm curious to hear what you have to say!

Accessibility, a powerful design tool

Anton Sten — Wed, 06 Mar 2019 00:00:00 GMT

>When given the choice between an accessible bathroom or a non-accessible one, many people would pick the accessible one: there’s more space, it’s more comfortable, it’s a no-brainer. Digital products are the same. When given the choice, people naturally prefer what’s easier for them to use, to read, or to understand.

But designers tend to be reluctant to follow accessibility standards — the design practices that help people with visual, motor, auditory, cognitive, or other disabilities make the most of a digital product. Accessibility is a complicated subject, and sticking to those standards is often perceived as a creativity inhibitor.

But accessible design helps everyone. It improves experiences not just for people with disabilities, but for people in temporary situations where their usual way of interacting with your product won’t work — say, if they’re outside and can’t see their screen well or if their mouse runs out of battery and they can only use their keyboard. Accessibility is not a constraint: It is a design philosophy that encourages you to make better choices for your users, and helps you focus on what really matters. Simplicity will always be the most difficult target to reach in a design, and accessibility can be one of the best tools to get you there.**Accessibility, a powerful design tool** From Hubert Florin, a designer at Slack. One of the best and comprehendible explanations and motivations for accessibility that I've ever seen. Accessibility is not a constraint, it's a tool to reach simplicity. And simplicity is what's best for _everyone_.

Neurodiversity and the Digital Divide: how our neurological differences shape the way we experience the web

Anton Sten — Wed, 06 Mar 2019 00:00:00 GMT

>Because neurodiversity can cover such a wide range of individual differences, it's not easy to specify what that translates to in terms of design standards, for example. If we got ten autistic people in a room and asked them about what makes for a good user experience, we'd probably get ten very different perspectives, just like you would if you asked ten non-autistic people.

But to provide an example: if you're looking at an ecommerce site where the goal is to make a purchase, there is a lot of whizzbangery going on. There are various banners, links, and buttons moving around. We probably all get a bit irritated by it, but when someone with, say, some cognitive load issues is trying to navigate that experience they may get easily sidetracked. So if the point of a site is to encourage completing a transaction, there may be self-defeating aspects in the design, because the person ends up being too distracted to buy anything.

There is a lot of potential for essential services – such as banking or grocery shopping for example – to provide easier, more accessible and inclusive experiences online.**Neurodiversity and the Digital Divide: how our neurological differences shape the way we experience the web**

Wireframes are becoming less relevant — and that’s a good thing

Anton Sten — Wed, 06 Mar 2019 00:00:00 GMT

>That doesn’t mean that everyone actually makes wireframes, but when someone admits they don’t it’s often in a hushed tone and without a lot of eye contact. They would like to include them. It’s just that the constraints of their organization, stakeholders, or project prevent it from always being possible. But the mindset that they are essential, and many beliefs about their advantages may be misguided. While I won’t deny that wireframes are ever useful, nowadays they’re valuable only in limited circumstances that are narrowing by the day. There are a number of shifts in industry thinking and practices that are contributing to this change and are worth examining.**Wireframes are becoming less relevant — and that’s a good thing** Completely agree, it's far less common for me to make wireframes these days and in many cases when I do, I question the reason. They _can_ serve a purpose but just like anything else, it's unreasonable to think they _always_ do.

Wireframes are becoming less relevant — and that’s a good thing

Anton Sten — Wed, 06 Mar 2019 00:00:00 GMT

How Notion pulled itself back from the brink of failure

Anton Sten — Mon, 11 Mar 2019 00:00:00 GMT

>It was around that time we noticed Ivan in Figma. He suddenly popped to the top of our most active user list — spending upwards of 18+ hours a day in our design tool. As we’d later find out, he was designing frenetically and barely sleeping, pumping out version after version of a new app that would become Notion 1.0.**How Notion pulled itself back from the brink of failure** At first I was just surprised to see Figma so openly saying they have a "list of our most active users" - and that they keep track of it. On a more general level, I'm sceptic to articles like this that celebrate Notion's success through "working 18+ hours a day".

What’s the meaning of work?

Anton Sten — Mon, 11 Mar 2019 00:00:00 GMT

I believe it is important to occasionally look back and reflect on the things that are important in our lives and lately I’ve been thinking a lot about my work. Is the work I’m doing something I’m proud of? Is it just a means to an end - something I do in order to be able to pay my bills? Does it serve a greater good? Or do I do it to give me a purpose? What I do know is that in the work I do, I’ve always highly valued the concept of ‘freedom’. But as my work has changed, I’ve felt less and less ‘free’. ## Work changes, perspective changes During the last year, the work I do has changed from working on 2-4 projects simultaneously with a typical project lasting between 3-6 months to working on a single project. While I still have my own company, I’ve experienced the transition from being a supplier to becoming a co-worker - from having a customer to having a colleagues. This comes with changes on multiple levels of course. In many ways, I find it way less stressful. I have a much longer contract as opposed to previously in my career. I don’t experience the same need of always looking ahead, “Just two more months to go, need to start talking to potential clients again”. But working this long for the same employer also blurs the line between being a supplier, a consultant, an external company, and being a colleague/full-time employee. In all honesty, not much is different except who pays taxes on my salary. More stability, less feeling of 'freedom'. A handoff for sure. During the past year, I have probably received less than 5 emails during after hours, including weekends. I realize, that this is a rare occurrence in today’s society and perhaps exceptionally rare if you work in what we refer to as “tech”. >But in reality, it rarely stops. It follows us home on our smartphones, tugging at us during an evening out or in the middle of our children’s bedtime routines. It makes permanent use of valuable cognitive space, and chooses odd hours to pace through our thoughts, shoving aside whatever might have been there before. It colonizes our personal relationships and uses them for its own ends. It becomes our lives if we are not careful. It becomes us. **Why do we work so hard?** So while the work does not follow me home through the usual channels (email being the main suspect), it does follow me home on a psychological level and causes similar stresses that many of us experience in relationship to our work. Let’s look at smartphones as an example. They are often referred to as the reason for our increasing levels of stress and anxiety. But perhaps they are just the tool, not the actual reason for the intrusion in our lives. >So I got an iPhone, and just like that, I signed myself up to check and respond to email wherever, whenever. No pay raise, no new job title, not even a request from my boss. For me, this was a 100% self-inflicted responsibility because I wanted a shiny object. **Six years with a distraction-free iPhone** Perhaps it’s not the possibility of checking email through out the day that’s the problem, perhaps it’s just the same thing that drives Instagram, Facebook and any of the other tools - the real root to our stress; __our need of validation__. ## Validation is a necessity? Our need of validation is the reason we hunt likes, check email (even when we checked it just two minutes ago), and why we work so much. The truth is, many of us work a lot, and perhaps we don’t really understand why. Could we actually be validating ourselves to others, society, or even ourselves? Could our value be defined by our work? >What is less clear to me, and to so many of my peers, is whether we should do so much of it. One of the facts of modern life is that a relatively small class of people works very long hours and earns good money for its efforts. Nearly a third of college-educated American men, for example, work more than 50 hours a week. Some professionals do twice that amount, and elite lawyers can easily work 70 hours a week almost every week of the year.

Karl Marx had a different view: that being occupied by good work was living well. Engagement in productive, purposeful work was the means by which people could realize their full potential. He’s not credited with having got much right about the modern world, but maybe he wasn’t so wrong about our relationship with work. **Why do we work so hard?** Perhaps the reason many of us struggle with relating to work in a healthy way is that we’re just not engaged in productive work? Or purposeful? And the result is that we’re unable to realize our full potential. Perhaps checking work emails on a Sunday morning is merely a call for purposeful work and we tell ourselves that the work we’re doing is purposeful while we deep down know, it’s not. Do you feel the work you’re doing is purposeful? How do you cope with managing with work?

Creating a UX strategy

Anton Sten — Tue, 19 Mar 2019 00:00:00 GMT

When joining larger projects one of my first tasks to myself is to see if there's an existing UX strategy. Some of you may not be familiar with the term, but don't feel bad as you aren't alone so I thought I'd write this post to clear it up. The tl:dr is that it's a document that outlines the goals and guidelines when it comes to UX. Think of it this way, it's nearly impossible for teams to be the best at everything. We need a way to align our priorities and focus on delivering the best possible experience in the areas that matter the most to our users. Having worked with a lot of startups as well as large corporations over the year, I've experienced teams where UX was a priority, and.. well, where it wasn't. Regardless of how the team approaches crafting a great user experience, it's vital to be aligned and organized. Every team has a limited set of resources, both financial and emotional, so we need to make sure we're spending our money and energy where we'll get the biggest return on investment. A UX strategy aligns the team members on how we should spend that energy and what a great user experience means to us as a team. ## What's a UX strategy? In order to really explain what a UX strategy is, I usually start by separating the two words. In order to make something, we need to make sure we fully understand what we're making down to it's simplest parts. For both UX and strategy there are a gazillion definitions so let's start by looking at them as I understand them. ## 1. UX When someone asks you what it's like to use a product or a service, they're asking about the user experience. Is it hard to do simple things? Is it easy to understand? How does it FEEL to interact with the product? The user experience is not about the inner working of a product or a service, it's about how it works when a person (i.e. a *user*) comes in contact with it and.. you guessed it, what they *experience*. Often there is a very distinct focus on *features.* It makes total sense right? Of course you have to focus on *what* the product should do. However, there are two risks to this approach: The first one is that there's the risk of assuming that *more features will equal a better product.* It'll solve more problems with more features so that's for the best, right? If you think about the products you truly love, I'm sure you'll see that there's usually a pretty tight focus on a couple of things instead of there being a glut of features. So, I guess *less is more* in many cases.* Secondly, describing features runs the risk of focusing on *what,* but not *how.* I realize that this is a bit harder to grasp so I try to offer real-world examples that everyone are familiar with. Below is one of the images I often use as a discussion point. ![an iphone and an android](/images/articles/ux_strategy_phone.webp) Most of us are familiar with both iPhones and Android phones. Most of us also have, for one reason or another, a strong preference. Why? If you look at their features, they are, more or less, identical. You can make calls, browse the web, send emails, listen to music - the list is almost endless. Most third-party apps are even available on both platforms! Even so, most of us would not consider switching if asked. Why? Because of *how they work* rather than *what they do.* So clearly, how something works can play a huge role in your product's success (just ask Tim Cook). A user experience is made out of three different design disciplines: ![what ux design is](/images/articles/ux_strategy.webp) 1. **Visual design** focuses on the aesthetics and visual communication within the user interface (UI). This includes the use of color, typography, spacing, and imagery. Not too long ago, most people assumed this was the user experience. 2. **Content design** is concerned with how information is organized and presented to the user. This ensures that it's clear, understandable, and useful. More and more we are seeing discussion about the importance of UX writing. This is not just because of a sudden trend, but more because words play a crucial role when creating a user experience. Written content is a great way to add personality, but also a way to remove friction and insecurity - the stepping stones of good UX. 3. **Interaction design** deals with the design of the interactive elements of a product. This defines how users interact with the product, including navigation and how they perform tasks. How a button interacts with you when you hover over it or press it is not merely visual design, its a way for the application to communicate with you. It communications that it's responding to your actions and, ideally, responding to them quickly. ## 2. Strategy A word that might make some of you think of a 113-slides McKinsey deck, a strategy doesn't need to be something dull or intimidating. A strategy is, briefly and overly simplified, three things: 1. **Where are we now -** It's, of course, critical to first understand your current reality/situation. Understanding this is vital to identifying what you need going forward. This includes, but is not limited to, an analysis of several areas. - Customers – What are their current and possible future needs? What are their perceptions of our performance? - Competitors – How do we stack up against our competitors? What are their recent and anticipated initiatives? - Industry trends – What recent shifts have there in our industry? What shifts are anticipated for the possible future? - Performance trends – How are we performing by product, by market, by channel? - Employees – What are their perceptions of our organization? How we can improve their perceptions? How can we make them more effective in their roles? - Organization profile – What are our strengths and areas for improvement regarding our organization's structure, processes, technology, culture, etc.? 3. **Where do we want to be -** Positioning statements help to outline future direction. However, the full business strategy must take a comprehensive approach to addressing goals (broad aims) and objectives (specific, measurable targets). - Goals - Objectives - Positioning statements and even very high-level, organization defining statements like: - Vision statement - Mission statement 5. **How do we get there -** Once the strategic direction is understood, the next step is to develop the road map for getting there. Personally, I think it makes sense and is beneficial to be as specific and as hands-on as possible during this step. What do we (practically) need to do in order to get there? Should the roles within the team change? Are we missing a required skill set? Are our ways of working standing in our way? I'm a sucker for improving the ways of working, so I love helping organizations with this step. :) ![ux quote](/images/articles/ux_strategy_quote.webp) ## Defining your goals As I've defined my take on what UX is and what makes a good user experience, it's time to define what goals we have and what we should aim for to call the results a success. Goals are principles - desired outcomes which I think are far better for a strategy than an action plan (features and to-do's). Your goals will be specific to your product and team, but some of the goals I've worked with in the past include: - **Design for everyone** - we should design features and a product that serves and focuses on the majority of our users (>80%). Too often companies listen to every individual request and end up adding feature after feature just to please these specific users. In reality, every added feature adds to the complexity and that can shortly become outrageous. This also ties into accessibility. Instead of just designing a solution, have an open and honest discussion on what your goals are when it comes to accessibility. When I've worked with state funded organizations and municipalities, accessibility isn't just an option, it's a legal requirement. - **Optimize for speed** - most products, whether it's the checkout of an e-commerce platform, an email application, or a business-to-business fulfillment solution, will be judged by the speed at which it operates. People tend to view this as an engineering issue and, while that may be true to some extent, it highly impacts the user experience making it your one of your top priorities. - **Different is good** - try to visually clearly distinguish key actions and place them logically. When designing a checkout experience, it's obvious that the checkout button should be prominent and easy to distinguish. It communications to the user that his is the primary action we want them to confidently do. Insecurity is the root of all bad user experiences. - **Always put the users first** - It's likely that your users spend the majority of their time in other applications, so when you're designing your experience look for common design patterns that are used either globally or specific to your industry. The fact that Google Docs looks and works a lot like Word is not a coincidence nor is it necessarily the best design pattern. However, it IS what users that start using Google Docs are already familiar with and that familiarity creates security and confidence. >It's counterproductive and wasteful to recreate basic components and patterns for every new government website. We should encourage building from a common collection of practical solutions that reflect modern best practices. Enable teams to focus on the their users and their mission, and less on reinventing existing solutions. Do less to do more. **United States Web Design System Design Principles** ## Changing the way we work In a lot of projects that I've worked on, there's been a set period of time for 'UX', but it doesn't just stop at the end of that time. Creating an experience is a continuous effort and, for good or for bad, it never ends. Some believe that investing months iterating an interface/user experience is too expensive, but it is probably the most cost-effective way to build a great product. The real failure would be having developers build something that's fails to be the best solution to your problem. Estimates have said that 50% of engineering time is spent on reworking that could have been avoided. What's even more terrifying is that fixing an error after development is up to 100x times as expensive as it would have been during development. The old adage 'work smarter, not harder' really does ring true, doesn't it? Establishing and paying special attention to a UX strategy from the beginning of any project, large or small, will be your saving grace. It will give you that baseline of goals and guidelines so that you and your team don't experience any confusion (brand, expectations, objectives, etc.) while going on to do the best work possible at every moment. Getting that great final user experience begins with a great UX strategy! *This post was originally published on April 23, 2019. Edited on March 12, 2024.*

Meet Q: the first genderless voice

Anton Sten — Wed, 20 Mar 2019 00:00:00 GMT

>Voice assistants like Apple's Siri and Amazon's Alexa are women rather than men. You can change this in the settings, and choose a male speaker, of course, but the fact that the technology industry has chosen a woman to, by default, be our always-on-demand, personal assistant of choice, speaks volumes about our assumptions as a society: Women are expected to carry the psychic burden of schedules, birthdays, and phone numbers; they are the more caregiving sex, they should nurture and serve.

Now, voice assistants are often gender-specific for a reason. Companies test these computer voices on users and listen to the results of those tests. At Amazon, users preferred Alexa as a woman rather than a man. That relatively small sample set was extrapolated to represent Alexa for everyone. Research has shown, too, that men and women alike report female voices being more "welcoming" and "understanding" than male voices, and it's easy to understand why these would be qualities any company would want in their always-listening voice assistant. But these companies and researchers only tested male and female voices. And testing a narrow set of options on a limited number of users isn't the best way to build representational technology. **Meet Q: The First Genderless Voice** I think they've done an amazing work on this and it's such an important topic.

Working as a UX designer

Anton Sten — Mon, 25 Mar 2019 00:00:00 GMT

One of the things I love about sharing my experiences through writing this blog is the feedback I receive from readers. I find it surprisingly exciting knowing that my content is being read across the world by people with so many different backgrounds and experiences. In fact, the highest engagement rate I have is on my on-boarding mail where I ask people why they signed up for my newsletter! Feel free to sign up and see the email for yourself! Some weeks ago, Maureen from Germany signed up for my newsletter. Maureen is a UX-designer at a Service Design Studio in Berlin and wanted to know more about what a UX-designer normally does! She feels the field is so broad and that the work she does is sometimes very different from what she had learned. Well Maureen, I hear you loud and clear. >When first learning design, there’s this notion that when we become designers we’ll do only beautiful, world-changing work. Then, we enter the industry and learn things aren’t exactly as we expected.**When You Dreamed About Doing What You’re Doing Now** Just like we're still struggling to define UX and what it is, there's no surprise there's some uncertainty around our job roles. In fact, most of the questions I get are around how to get better at UX in the work that they are doing. But before I dive into the topic, let me give you a quick background. I started designing webpages in 1997. Back then, there was very little talk around user experiences and, for years following, a good user experience was more or less defined by fancy graphics. While fancy graphics *can* be a factor in a great user experience, it should not be the starting point. After years of purely designing stuff for the web, I realized that my true interest and skillset was not based around setting that perfect gradient or drop shadow, but rather how everything related to each other. I loved graphic design and defining a grid system so the page would be easy to read and to find ways of highlighting what parts of the page were most important. With a background in design, I learned one of the basic things in UX - how to define the problem and use visual cues like grids, hierarchy, positioning, and white space to visually present a solution. ## Doing the work The work I normally do as a UX-designer is, in many ways, not much different from the work I did more than 20 years ago. I still approach problems in a similar way: - Define the problem - Explore different solutions - Execute through visual design What has changed - drastically - over the years is the way we approach each individual component. Technology, as an example, has evolved so much and our options are so further along than where they were two decades ago. Additionally, we use technology to a far greater extent today, our need for good experiences has increased leading to even the tiniest bit of design needing to be tested and validated. >Booking.com A/B tests everything. If something cannot be A/B tested, Booking.com won’t do it. There’s more than 1,000 A/B tests running at any time.**Living a Testing Culture** This way of working requires much more from us as designers than previously. We need more insight into how the business works, what the users are thinking, and a deep understanding of the technology involved. The playing field is increasing in size every day as technology advances. With things like the progress of voice controlled user interfaces, the playing field is not only growing, but adding additional dimensions. As that's not enough, the Internet is overloaded with articles like; *13 Things You Should Give Up If You Want To Be a Successful UX Designer, 7 steps to become a UI/UX designer* and *14 Uncomfortable Habits That Will Make You a Better UX Designer.* With reading topics like these, no wonder no one really knows what a UX designer does. So how can we define the work that we do as UX-designers? **We can't.** It depends on too many things. ## It depends on... Depending on the project and the organization you are in, the work you'll do as a UX-designer will vary a lot. Here are just a couple of different paths I've personally come across during the last years: - **Design.** Sometimes projects are mainly in need of visual design, but because they want a design that *works for them,* the work is labeled as UX design. I think it's important to highlight that having a clear focus on visual design is not 'less' UX-design in any way. Perhaps the user research is already in place, the processes and funnels work, and it just needs something to better highlight it. Design. The work I did for Nationalencyklopedin is an example of this. - **Optimization and analysis.** Other times, it's the opposite. Perhaps the project already has a clear set of design guidelines and even a design system in place. But what they don't have are steady conversions. So it's your job to try out different solutions to optimize and analyze the conversions of the project. Should this CTA move higher up the page? Can we change this copy to something more direct? Can we remove this third step in the process? These are very different questions from design related questions, but still just as likely to appear in your work as a UX designer. See the work I've done for Frank for an example of this. - **Product and feature development.** Working on a digital product or tool can be very different compared to working on a corporate website. When you're working on a digital product, you're often faced with the challenge of jumping between long term strategic goals and specific (sometimes seemingly minor) bits and pieces like refining filters, redesigning the login sequence, or looking through metrics for email engagement. The work I've done for E.ON contained all of this. - **User research and information architecture.** Similar to optimization and analysis is doing user research and working with the information architecture. When I worked with Falkenberg, for instance, their old website had nearly 9000 pages. One of the key factors in the redesign that we identified was therefor clearly to remove, unite, and organize the information in a more "user friendly" way. This work included redefining the navigational structure, something that's not an easy task in the world of municipalities as there are many stakeholders to please. (Hint: A good way of reaching a great goal is serving the user, not the stakeholder). Clearly, there's some variation in what a UX-designer actually does. And we haven't even got into the discussion whether designers should code or not... ## There's no 'one way'. So forgive me for the non-answer Maureen, but as you can see even from bits and pieces of my work - being a UX designer can mean a lot of different things! While some people prefer to specialize in one area and becoming guru's of a specific task, others (like me) prefer to know a bit about everything and use those skills to be able to work on a more diverse set of projects. Depending on your company, the clients you have (if you're an agency), and *your specific interest*, you can put together your work as it pleases you. After all, your experience with your work is what really counts at the end of the day! > After working for more than a decade as a designer, I can promise you this: There may never be a point when you’re consistently doing only creatively fulfilling, exciting work that perfectly aligns with your passions and values. For every one perfect project, there are 10 projects you’re doing just keep the lights on. Not only is that work a reality you will learn to accept, but it’s an opportunity. Any project, no matter how small, can change your life. It’s better to realize this early and take advantage of it.**When You Dreamed About Doing What You’re Doing Now**

Gumroadday: Get my books at -17% discount

Anton Sten — Wed, 03 Apr 2019 00:00:00 GMT

The tool I use for payment processing and file delivery of my books, Gumroad, is celebrating the day they launched (April 4, 2011) by reducing their fees for all purchases to 0% for that day. Normally I pay 8.5% so this is a huge savings for me and I want to pass that on to you by matching their reduction and discounting both my books by 17% for April 4! User Experiences that Matter is my first book about what makes a great user experience. We all know they're important, but do we know why? And do we know how to make great user experiences? This book will tell you just that. Get it for $24! Mastering Freelance is my second book where I outline all the mistakes and wins I've made throughout my 10-year long freelancing career. While there's no golden rule for all, it comes with great advice for people just starting their career or even those who already have been at it for years. Get it for $24! Just use the code **Gumroadday** when checking out to get a 17% discount and keep supporting creators!

Working as a UX-lead

Anton Sten — Mon, 08 Apr 2019 00:00:00 GMT

As I have just outlined what I think it's like working as a UX designer, I thought it would make sense to follow up with what I'm doing most of the time these days - the work of a UX-lead. The response to my post about working as a UX designer was super positive and I think that was partially due to that anxiety we all have if we are 'doing the right thing' in our roles. When I transitioned to a UX-lead a few years ago, I also had a similar bout of anxiety over what this role would actually entail and what success would look like. So, if anyone of you is thinking of transitioning into this role now - or in the future of your career - I thought sharing my experience might be helpful. I should point out that the below reflections are merely just that - reflections from my career and just like with UX design, the work is ultimately what you make of it. ## The title sort of gives it away The title says it all, as a UX-lead there's far less *design* and much more *leading.* For the past year I've been leading a UX team at IKEA and I would estimate that the total design time I've spent is probably less than 80 hours. A first change in my workflow between being a UX-designer and a UX-lead is that I've had to swap Figma out for Excel and Powerpoint*.* The second major change is that my calendar has gone from 3-4 meetings per week to at least 3-4 meetings per day. ** >As a designer, the majority of my week was unscheduled. With the help of my PM and design manager, I could protect my “maker’s schedule.” Almost every day, I had a 2–4 hour chunk for “deep work”, as Cal Newport defines it, time “to focus without distraction on a cognitively demanding task.” On an average week, about 80% of my calendar was unscheduled, and 20% was scheduled.

I had the opposite as a product manager — 80% was scheduled and 20% was unscheduled. I needed to ruthlessly manage my time.

One benefit of having the title of “product manager” is that you can invite yourself to any meeting and “have a seat at the table” — something designers often yearn for. But you lose your uninterrupted time by going to all those important (and some unimportant) meetings. It’s much harder to get into the flow states needed to solve gnarly problems.**Reflections from a designer turned product manager: 6 unexpected differences** To tackle this, I proposed scheduling "meeting-free" days, something that I was afraid to do, but then was surprised when it was met with positivity and even adopted by many others in the management team. When thinking about what kind of role you want to have and what kind of work you want to do, I think one of the key questions to ask yourself is: *When do I do my best work?* For me, I've learned that I need uninterrupted time to tackle tasks and without a clear deadline - if there's a meeting in 30 minutes, a gap of 1.5 hours is desirable before the next meeting. ## What, how - and why I often have to explain UX to people as something that's not just about *what* a feature should do, but also about *how* it should do it. Well, being a UX-lead is all of that and also being able to explain to stake holders, engineers, designers, and other team members *why* it should do something. Depending on which group you're explaining it to, you'll need to be able to justify it from a user, functional, or a business perspective as well. >I’ve always found “why” we’re building something as interesting as “how.” To put it another way, the problem-setting was as important to me as the problem-solving. This part of the product development process was often owned by PMs, not designers.**Reflections from a designer turned product manager: 6 unexpected differences** One of the first things I did as a UX lead was to create a **UX Strategy** for the entire project (my next long post will cover this so sign up for my newsletter to make sure you won't miss it). A UX strategy is a definition of how we as a team define UX, what our priorities are, and how we choose to approach it. It should define our goals, but also our ways of working. ## Managing people My last full-time job before freelancing was as a Creative Director where I managed both designers and developers, so I had experience with this part. What's interesting to see is how my approach to managing designers have grown and evolved over the past decade. I've gone from being driven by the possibility of *leading* a team to getting the responsibility and trust of *managing* a team. My work is not to make decision, but to help guide designers make the right decisions. >“This is the crux of management: It is the belief that a team of people can achieve more than a single person going it alone. It is the realization that you don’t have to do everything yourself, be the best at everything yourself, or even know how to do everything yourself. Your job, as a manager, is to get better outcomes from a group of people working together.”**Julie Zhuo - “The Making of a Manager”** ## Is this for you? Just like growth in companies - I think it's wise to question whether a move into leading a team is what's right for you. >We need the right kind of growth. Growth is not necessarily about stepping on the gas pedal, it can also be about steering in the right direction.**William Nordhaus** While going from UX-design to UX-lead may feel like a promotion, it's important to know that it's also a very different role. Don't assume this is a natural step in your career, it's also a shift. If you love design, stay within that field. For me personally, I've always been inspired and driven by the possibility of teaching and sharing my experiences with more junior designers. As a consultant, I have the possibility to switch between the two - I take projects as a UX-lead and then I can switch to design in the next project. >“I’m by no means a management expert. I’ve learned largely by doing, and despite my best intentions, I’ve made countless mistakes. But this is how anything in life goes: You try something. You figure out what worked and what didn’t. You file away lessons for the future. And then you get better. Rinse, repeat.”**Julie Zhuo - “The Making of a Manager”** While I may have felt that anxiety during the first moments of this career shift, I have found the experience rewarding and fulfilling. Being in leadership has shown me that I can impact the project - and the related users - in positive ways, guide a team of talented designers and support staff in creating awesome deliverables, and know that good work was accomplished that day. Don't get me wrong, this is definitely a different level of stress and it isn't for everyone, but I want to encourage any of you that have questions about what it is to be a UX-lead to reach out to me and I'll do my best to answer them!

Amazon Workers Are Listening to What You Tell Alexa

Anton Sten — Thu, 11 Apr 2019 00:00:00 GMT

>Two of the workers said they picked up what they believe was a sexual assault. When something like that happens, they may share the experience in the internal chat room as a way of relieving stress. Amazon says it has procedures in place for workers to follow when they hear something distressing, but two Romania-based employees said that, after requesting guidance for such cases, they were told it wasn’t Amazon’s job to interfere.**Amazon Workers Are Listening to What You Tell Alexa** ## What is the right thing to do? It's a difficult moral dilemma to attack and it's (yet another) great example of why it's so crucial for designers (and the rest of the team) to have a clear set of ethics. The tools we're building are no longer just 'gimmicks', they are integrated into our personal (and private) lives on a level that we've never seen in society before. Sure, adding things to your shopping list through voice is great but as long as the company that's listening in is in the business of 'personal data', don't be naive and think they'll only record the shopping list. I'm becoming increasingly terrified over the fact that there is no real debate around this on a national - and global - level. We're just letting the big 5 continue to hoard our data and then get upset over the fact that they sell it.

The elegance of nothing

Anton Sten — Tue, 16 Apr 2019 00:00:00 GMT

>And what is a brand? It’s not the logo, certainly. I have no idea what Everlane’s logo is. The brand is our shorthand for the feelings that an experience creates, the promises that a product or service brings with it.

If Nike announced that they were opening a hotel, you’d have a pretty good guess about what it would be like. But if Hyatt announced that they were going to start making shoes, you would have NO IDEA WHATSOEVER what those shoes would be like. That’s because Nike owns a brand and Hyatt simply owns real estate.**The elegance of nothing** Just perfect.

Venture capital money kills more businesses than it helps

Anton Sten — Tue, 23 Apr 2019 00:00:00 GMT

Thoughts on the downsides of venture capital funding for businesses.

Accenture sued $32m+ over website redesign for Hertz

Anton Sten — Wed, 24 Apr 2019 00:00:00 GMT

>Among the most mind-boggling allegations in Hertz's filed complaint is that Accenture didn't incorporate a responsive design, in which webpages automatically resize to accommodate the visitor's screen size whether they are using a phone, tablet, desktop, or laptop.

That has been standard website practice for years and was even included in the contract that was signed, but the boffins at Accenture decided that only desktop and mobile versions were needed, according to Hertz. When the rental giant's execs asked where the tablet version was, Accenture "demanded hundreds of thousands of dollars in additional fees to deliver the promised medium-sized layout.”**Accenture sued $32m+ over website redesign for Hertz** I guess this means bigger is not (by default) better then, no?

Why don’t we just use Material Design?

Anton Sten — Wed, 24 Apr 2019 00:00:00 GMT

>Material Design is astronomically popular. So popular in fact that I’ve spoken to numerous designers who refer to their work as “Material Design” when they have either never read the specification, or are ignoring it entirely.

The question posed in that meeting (Why don’t we just use Material Design?) reverses the design process in a way that epitomizes the problem with any design system. The question that should have been asked was: “Would employing Material Design solve some, or all, of our problems?”

There’s an assumption that Material Design, as published by Google, is a magic bullet that addresses most, if not all, challenges in modern web design. I think that assumption probably stems from the fact that the Material Design specification is well written, and feels authoritative. I also think that assumption is false.**Why don’t we just use Material Design?** I've heard this same question in countless meetings and even received it as a request from clients (_We want you to use Material Design_). It's true that it's a solid design system, but when even Google struggles to implement it successfully through out their suite of products, perhaps be a bit empathic to wether or not it'll solve all of your design challenges.

Clip sharing with Overcast

Anton Sten — Mon, 29 Apr 2019 00:00:00 GMT

Sharing clips with ⁦@OvercastFM⁩ is what I’ve been waiting for for ages! Thank you ⁦@marcoarment⁩.

And thank you ⁦@SamHarrisOrg⁩ and ⁦@johannhari101⁩ for this amazing episode. pic.twitter.com/xhvbIbbpsy
— Anton Sten 🐶 (@antonsten) April 29, 2019

Clip sharing of podcasts is something that's been on my wishlist for a long long time, so I was extremely happy to read about this update from Overcast. From a user experience perspective, I really enjoyed the simple sharing process and as podcasts have started to get longer and longer (many up to two hours), it's asking a lot of someone to say "you should listen to this episode" when most of the times, it's a specific clip you want them to listen to. Secondly, as actions are put in motion to limit the availability and freedom that we've always enjoyed from podcasts, I think this is a way in the opposite direction which I fully support. Thank you Marco.

Scapegoating User Experience Design

Anton Sten — Mon, 29 Apr 2019 00:00:00 GMT

>It tells the story of hackers compromising Nest Cams in private homes by taking advantage of lax security on the cameras. And it pins the blame for this on technology companies’ focus on reducing “what Silicon Valley calls ‘friction’—anything that can slow down or stand in the way of someone using a product.”**Scapegoating User Experience Design** To look at UX as something that simply reduces friction is one way but it's also a very short-sighted way. UX should be long-term and a great long-term user experience can weigh in the extra seconds it takes to add a layer of security even if it's slightly inconvenient when setting up. A great UX writer will help you describe for the user _why_ it requires 2FA (or something else) and the user benefits. >We could chalk this up to lazy journalism but in fact the fault lies with us, with designers who have utterly failed at explaining what it is that we do to the world at large. There is little comprehension of what design does or how to define user experience, and what possibilities exist within these broad, amorphous concepts for everyday people. **Scapegoating User Experience Design** This is the main reason why I've recently decided to describe what a UX designer does, how that role differs from a UX lead and why it pays off to create a UX strategy with your team.

Running my own company for ten years

Anton Sten — Sun, 05 May 2019 00:00:00 GMT

One of the think I believe we should all do to improve our lives is learn to celebrate the our successes no matter if they are big or small. Well, this month I have a pretty big success to celebrate and it gives me an excellent opportunity for reflection. You see, back in early 2009, the company I was working for was in the process of raising capital, but as the financial crisis hit, there were no investment funds to be found. So after a round of layoffs, everyone who was left found out that the company was essentially bankrupt. Up until that point, one of my wife and I's biggest concerns had always been to both get unemployed at the same time. Well that happened and, believe it or not, it turned out to be a great thing. That May is when I decided to start working for myself and founded my company. That brings us to today, May of 2019, and the 10-year anniversary of me running my own business. This big success I am celebrating! One of my favorite blog posts that I keep coming back to is Sam Altman's The days are long but the decades are short. While I've never thought about it in this context before, it sure applies to running my own business too. Sure, there have been some long days, but none the less, I find it just as rewarding today as I did when I started out. Just like Sam offers some life advice in his post, I figured it only makes sense for me to try and compile some advice for you on running your own business and to reflect on what I've learned during these past 10 years. ## 10 years, 10 lessons. 1. **It's not for everyone.** It might feel like a drag to open with a point like this, but there's this ever growing assumption among a lot of people that freelancing (which is a word I tend to avoid, here's why - yet I still named my book Mastering Freelance) is all play and no work. *"You can decide on your own work schedule! ", "You'll get to keep all the money you make!", "You'll be your own boss!".* While all of these things are true, they all come with consequences. I can decide my own schedule, but in reality, the work often decides my schedule. I do get to keep all the money I make (well not really, since a huge part of it is taxes), but I'm also responsible for making sure that I make money in the first place. And if you think your boss is a pain, rest assured that clients can be just as... demanding. >Freelancing is tough. Even if you have all of your processes sorted out, there’ll be ups and downs…especially at the beginning.
I think courses have a responsibility to caveat their marketing with some of the realities of self-employment. Freelancing is all-too-often dressed up as some sort of magic pill to solve work issues.
Freelancers share the responsibility not to oversell the benefits of working for yourself, too. When we’re spreading the good word about self-employment, it’s easy to ‘forget’ the months when overdrafts have been maxed out or you’ve been worried sick about the impact of a late payment, especially when the times are good.**Are you sure you want to go freelance?** 2. **You're not going to make full-time pay until you go full-time.** While I do think it's a smart move to start small, perhaps doing work on the side before starting your own business, it's important to remember that you're not going to make full-time pay until you go full-time. This advice still stands after ten years, unless I work full-time it's very unlikely I'll make full-time pay.

3. **Staying small by choice.** For years, whenever I met someone, they asked how my company was doing and whether it still was 'just me'. The notion has always been that bigger is better and it was even true to me for a while. When I first started out my plan was to eventually hire people too and build a team, but over the years, I've learned that the things that truly matter to me and that I value is the fact that it's just me. It allows me to do things that would be impossible even with 2 or 3 people more, let alone hundreds. >"Small companies can do things big companies can't do. Everyone wants to get big, but the big guys wish they could get a little smaller. I want to be small still."**Jason Fried**

4. **Financial goals can be great, but don't let them guide you.** For nearly 9 years, I had a financial goal of wanting to reach ~$200k in revenue. For years, I chased that goal and made financial plays with only that in mind. A little more than a year ago, I realized that it's only a vanity goal because it doesn't really tell me anything (revenue and profit are two very different things). Turns out, being a little bit more relaxed about the goal turned out to be a great thing because this is the year I reached that goal!

5. **Success is staying in business over time and staying profitable.** The words are Jason Fried's but as I've seen businesses come and go during my decade of work, I've realized that whatever profit I end up with is a sign of success. It does not have to be a gazillion dollars to be a success. If I know how much I need to make the living I want to live and then end up with more (even if it's just $10), then that has to count as a success. Be content with enough. >Profit buys you time and flexibility. Profit is the ultimate flexibility because it buys you the ultimate luxury: time. As long as you remain profitable, you can go in any direction you want and take as much time as you need. But if you can’t generate enough of your own cash through operations, and you have to go outside to borrow or sell off pieces of your company to generate the cash you need to continue, then the ones you owe are the ones who own your time. If someone else owns your time, you aren’t free. And if you aren’t free, you can’t be flexible. We value flexibility above almost anything else.**Why we choose profit** 6. **Be clear on deliverables.** One thing that I tend to over communicate when talking to potential clients is *what* I'll deliver and *when* I'll deliver it. Why? Because these are the two biggest concerns most clients will have. What will I get? Will I get it on time? In this sense, running a business is very much like designing an application. You want to remove as much friction as possible and plan for a smooth ride. No matter how much you'll communicate deadlines, if you don't keep them it doesn't really matter and, no, it's not *always* the clients fault.

7. **Invest in your office.** From the very first day, I've paid for an office space outside our home. While I still occasionally work from home, I love having the option of having a dedicated space for work. Since two years ago, I have my office just 500m from my home. One of the very first purchases I made for my company was my Herman Miller Aeron chair. I bought it second hand so it was far from retail price but still, for a newly started company, it was a notable expense. Ten years later, I'm still using the same chair and it's just as perfect now as ten years ago. I've probably spent close to 50.000 hours in that chair so the price spent per hour is basically nothing at this point. >This isn’t always easy when starting out, but it’s essential to have a space that you can feel productive in and a setup that’s ergonomic. Laptops can be killer for your neck, and even a desktop or external monitor can be too low, so experiment. Also, make sure you get a decent chair – Herman Miller’s are fantastic and can often be picked up second hand for a more reasonable price.**Five years of freelancing** 8. **Whatever service you provide, you're also now in Customer Service.** One of the things I personally always think is money well spent is wherever I get excellent, personal service. Whether that's at a hotel, a restaurant, a store or with a freelancer, I'm always on the lookout for small things they do that I could add to my service. It's usually small things that are marks of great service, not the grand gestures. For instance, my wife and I love going to Eden Roc in the south of France. When we make a dinner reservation, they ask to make sure that my wife is still allergic to nuts. While it might come across as a silly thing to ask, it shows that they care and that they note special requests. There are a lot of freelancers that could be better at simple things like this. >Remember if you're a designer or developer, you're providing a service. We're in a service industry and with that comes Customer Service. I know it may sound a bit trite, but treat clients as you would like to be treated. Treat them with respect and never lose sight of that fact that they are paying the bills.**Designing for the Web - Ch.5 - Working for yourself** 9. **Be open and transparent.** I get extremely restless when I'm low on work. While I've learned that I also need low periods to fuel up for the next intensive period, it's still one of the hardest things for me to accept. That said, I do have some time available from August and forward so if you want to grab one of these spots, now is a great time to reach out if you want to work with me. >Busy-ness is not a badge of honour. It’s great to be busy, but there’s nothing wrong with sharing that you have time for some additional work. It’s not uncommon for potential clients to think that a freelancer may be too busy to take on their project, so don’t hide your availability if things are looking a little lean.**Five years of freelancing** 10. **Be polite. Be fair.** I have three post-its sitting firmly attached on my computer screen that I use as guidelines in my daily work life.
The first one says: *Is this the kind of work I want to do?* to remind me that I am in control of choosing what kinds of projects I want to take on and *why* I should take them on.
The second one says: *It's not personal.* Even after ten years I occasionally struggle with taking feedback on my work too personally.
The third one says: *Be polite. Be fair.*
I'm a firm believer that one of the reasons that I've stayed in business for this long is my ability to be polite and nice to clients while always choosing to be fair. Clients can usually tell if you're just sugar coating them or just plain sucking up (and the clients that prefer that from you aren't the clients you should keep). At the end of the day they are hiring you for your competence, so be honest and don't be a know-it-all. Be polite, be fair is the advice everyone should live by a little bit more. >Be nice to people. Business doesn't have to be unpleasant. Treat people how you expect to be treated. Be fair, professional and above all, polite.**Designing for the Web - Ch.5 - Working for yourself** Throughout these ten years, I'm extremely grateful to all of my clients that have worked with me whether they are super big or a one-man company. Whether it was for a one-off project or recurring work over many years. The companies that I've played a minor, minor part in their huge successes and even more, the companies that I will help shape in the next 10 years. Thank you for everything!

There’s no crazy like soccer crazy

Anton Sten — Fri, 10 May 2019 00:00:00 GMT

>In the space of 24 hours, a pair of English clubs considered dead on the mat somehow lifted themselves to improbable victories. If you did, you won’t forget them. If you merely know someone who watched them, a warning: They are never going to stop talking about them.**There’s no crazy like soccer crazy** I normally don't write about my second big passion in life, Liverpool, here but I'll make an exception because of the amazing come back against Barcelona last Tuesday. I watched the second leg of the game in a hotel room in France. I was almost ready to tell my wife that we might as well go out to dinner, that there's no way they'll come back from a 3-0 defeat. But they did and it was one of the best Liverpool experiences I've had in a long time (anyone familiar with the club know that the last years have had their... downs). You'll never walk alone.

Hey Google, stop trying to redefine privacy

Anton Sten — Sat, 11 May 2019 00:00:00 GMT

>The CEO also makes it all sound like Google has been protecting the user’s privacy all this time, seemingly pretending that all those privacy offenses it had to deal with in recent years never happened. From the get-go, Pichai makes it sound like Apple is turning privacy into a luxury good — Apple’s name isn’t used, but it’s abundantly clear what he meant when he said that Privacy Should Not Be a Luxury Good.

Nobody said that privacy should be a luxury good, and it’s absolutely fine that Google is doing more to improve user privacy. The only reason Pichai can make that argument is because previous versions of Google products didn’t offer the cheap privacy he envisions to everyone, which is what Pichai’s Google wants to do now.

Comparatively, privacy and security have been core Apple product features for a few years now. Before that, Apple never dealt in user data. The only reason you would say Apple’s privacy is expensive is because you had no alternative from Google. Just last year, it was discovered that Google logged location data without explicit user permission, which is probably the number one reason why location privacy is now a priority for Google.**Hey Google, stop trying to redefine privacy** The two reasons Google is offering this cheaper Pixel is:
1) At the previous price point (~$1000) they did not manage to produce/sell any significant volume. 2) More users = more data. Not necessarily to sell but surely to _use_.

Anyone who thinks this is for any other reason is not thinking straight.

What “intuitive” really means

Anton Sten — Mon, 13 May 2019 00:00:00 GMT

>No one writes the i-word down because they are naive, or because they don’t mean good. They write it as a reminder of how important it is that, throughout the design process, the simplicity of the experience gets prioritized over less important things.

The problem with the word “intuitive” is that it means different things for different people: a product that is intuitive to me, might not be intuitive to my father.

Finding something intuitive depends on too many factors for designers to be able to standardize what the term really means: the user’s age, sex and gender, cultural background, technology savviness, past experiences with similar products — and the list goes on.**What “intuitive” really means** One of the key ingredients to the iPhone's enormous success is the fact that it's intuitive to such a large amount of people. That said, it's naive to expect it to be intuitive to everyone.

The next iphone

Anton Sten — Mon, 20 May 2019 00:00:00 GMT

Thoughts on what the next iPhone might bring.

Whose problem are you solving?

Anton Sten — Mon, 20 May 2019 00:00:00 GMT

One of the most preached sayings within UX is to always serve the user. Always focus on the user! Obviously this is a great thing to focus on, but it does require two things that from my experience that are not always apparent. First, you need to actually KNOW your user. What do you they like? what are their pain points? What is their dream scenario? Organizations tend to go to extreme lengths here to define their users - personas, edge-cases, and detailed funnels. The second thing though, and this is where I often feel companies tend to fall behind, is how they communicate this to potential users. While the company knows entirely who they think their users are, it's hard for users to understand whether or not a product is a good fit for me. ## The right solution for *you,* but who are *you?* One of the ways I personally like to stay up to date with new technologies and services is by using them on my website or in my side projects. For instance, I'm currently moving from Jekyll to Gatsby and I've been looking for a replacement for Gumroad (spoiler: I found one!). But browsing through these different e-commerce solutions made me realize how hard it is to understand who they are aimed at, their target market. They seem to make their own very detailed personas of who they're serving, but when it comes to communicating, these same companies tend to paint in really broad strokes. !broad strokes Looking for a solution for selling my books, I've used Gumroad - an all-in-one solution that works really well but unless you pay them a monthly fee, they take almost 9% of each sale. There's also more mature e-commerce solutions like Shopify (a company I love), but their lowest tier is $9/month and it's not really a system that's perfected for selling digital content. And finally, I can build something myself using Stripe and a string of Zapier hooks - which is what I'll eventually will move towards. Similarly, trying to give good advice to smaller clients that have an e-commerce is really hard with the current tools. Should they opt for Wordpress with WooCommerce? Something custom with Stripe/Paypal? Or perhaps look at tools like Squarespace or Webflow? They each come with their own sets of pros and cons, but they all go out out of their way to describe how their solution is for *you* without really defining who they think *you* are. *A recent experience:* A tool that's been receiving massive praise on Twitter is Superhuman. Superhuman is an email client. That costs $29/month. That's right, an email client, basically something that's forever been free is now almost $350 per year. And people are obsessed with it! Kinda makes you interested doesn't it? So as I mentioned, I always want to try out new things, I requested access and eventually booked my slot. You see, Superhuman is not something you just download. It's only for invited members and before you begin using the tool, you have a 30 minute on-boarding session with an on-boarding specialist. It was actually a nice experience and you go through some of the most valuable keyboard shortcuts and how the tools works (both desktop and iOS). I figured that even if I just save 30 minutes per month, it's still worth it right? Well, turns out that Superhuman wasn't for me. Basically it's some of the core features from Gmail (like snippets, keyboard shortcuts, snooze) but on steroids. It's a super powerful tool for sure if you receive hundreds of critical emails every day. But for someone who's perfected all of my filters, I get around 20 emails (to my inbox) on a busy day. Rest are filtered away and I'll get to them eventually. !superhuman You could say Superhuman allowed me to self select myself out of their program without them having to communicate too aggressively in their marketing phase. It wasn't until I had signed up and been officially onboarded (the getting to know you phase), did I see that the product wasn't right for me. A good time to learn, but perhaps a step too late. In reality, none of these examples actually took the time to know *me* (or *you*) enough during the early phase that I can confidently say that the choice of service is an easy one. As was said before, they know the user, but do they know you? ## Defining who your customers are also mean excluding people No brand or product is truly for everyone. It could be the features that you don't have or it could be because of the price you're charging. Either way, it's fine. Instead, try to use your uniqueness and your features as a way to truly let people know who you are talking to - them as individuals. Convertkit tells visitors they are an email marketing platform for creators. So it's not the best fit for banks, non-profits, or general stores. They even give examples of when you should NOT switch from Mailchimp (their biggest competitor) to Convertkit. Similarly, Podia - a platform for people selling courses, memberships and digital downloads - offers a great landing page that gives a great overview of who they are talking to (as it turns out, it's not me and again, that's fine!). ## Do your potential customers know if they are a good fit? So, while you know who your potential customers are, have you made sure that they know it too? Have you, like Convertkit, taken the time to define who your customer isn't? Sometimes the easiest ways to engage with your customer is to do exactly that - take the time to communicate with them. Be clear from the start about not only what your product offers, but what it offers TO the customer. Does the customer really want to know everything your email client will do or will the knowledge that using your product means they will spend less time in their email actually be a better selling point? It really depends on your customer doesn't it? So, it's time to get past just knowing who your users are and start understanding if your product is a good fit for them. Who's problem are you solving?

Simple is expensive

Anton Sten — Thu, 23 May 2019 00:00:00 GMT

On the cost and effort required to achieve simplicity in design.

Good reads this week

Anton Sten — Fri, 24 May 2019 00:00:00 GMT

Instead of quoting each post separately, I wanted to try something new and see if I can manage to do a link-post each Friday with what I've enjoyed reading during the week. - Improve your UX with micro-interactions The best products do two things well: features and details. Features are what draw people to your product. Details are what keep them there. - Abstracting the Microsoft Outlook Design Process I love getting insight like this into how other organisations do their day-to-day work. As an industry we tend to focus so much on the results but forget to look at the process that brought us there. - I'm learning new tech and it's hard Most of all, I falsely remember it being easy to learn HTML, CSS, and Photoshop because I wanted to learn those things. I was doing it for me, not for a job, and certainly not to keep up. - Taking Sunday Back Game of Thrones averaged two-and-a-half million viewers on average per episode in 2011, and only went up from there (the final episode had 13.6 million viewers, a far cry from something like The Big Bang Theory's 23.4 million, but massive for a premium cable audience). - Hire two designers, not one So, here's a crazy idea: hire two designers instead of one. Don't start off with a single designer. Hire two at once. Don't hire that lone person and expect them to perform miracles alone. And don't wait until you have a years worth of budget for two people. Invest! Invest in design by kickstarting your team with two people. - Dear designer: Your first job If you are a white dude, I need you to do me a favor: If you're in a meeting and Maria is talking and Kevin from Engineering interrupts her, I want you to turn to Kevin and say, "Shut the fuck up, Kevin. I want to hear what Maria has to say." - How Data (and Some Breathtaking Soccer) Brought Liverpool to the Cusp of Glory Analytics has famously influenced the tactics in professional baseball and basketball in recent years. Ultimately, it may have just as great an impact on soccer, which traditionally hasn't relied on statistics to figure out much of anything. Graham, who earned a doctorate in theoretical physics at Cambridge, built his own database to track the progress of more than 100,000 players from around the world. By recommending which of them Liverpool should try to acquire, and then how the new arrivals should be used, he has helped the club, once soccer's most glamorous and successful, return to the cusp of glory. - I was wrong about the iPad Pro What I've discovered this time around is a sense of delight from the iPad that I hadn't really seen in technology for a while. Essentially, I liked the iPad because, despite its restrictions and rigidity, it actually helps me get more work done.

I've redesigned my website and it looks exactly the same

Anton Sten — Tue, 04 Jun 2019 00:00:00 GMT

If it's one thing designers seem to love, it's to redesign things. One of the easiest way for a designer to gain social attention is to redesign something public - like the next version of iOS, a well-known website, or even their own website. While this can be a great way for designers to prove - and develop - their skills, they all have one thing in common. They focus entirely on the visual design of their product. As any senior designer will happily tell you, a design is made from the combination of many things with the visual design being just one of many. I don't have a product of my own to work on, but I do consider my website as close as I get to having one*.* So I try to iterate on it, add features, remove features, and see what works. Even if you're a frequent visitor, you might not have noticed that a week ago, my website was completely redesigned from the ground up. Everything still looks the same, but everything is completely new. ## What does a redesign mean? A redesign's primary focus should be 'improvement'. This can be done in a number of places, yet designers naturally tend to focus on the design bit by creating a completely new visual design and still using the same technology. I'm proud that my website has got quite a lot of praise over the years for its looks and ease of use - two things that I obviously hold dear as a designer. So when I started to think about a redesign, I wanted to keep the design as close to what it was. So why a redesign to begin with? Well, the fact that people like the visual appearance does not mean there's no room for improvement. ## The classic Steve Jobs quote There's one quote that's used more than a lot in the design scene and especially among UX-designers: > Most people make the mistake of thinking design is what it looks like. People think it's this veneer – that the designers are handed this box and told, "Make it look good!" That's not what we think design is. It's not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works. **Steve Jobs** For an industry that loves to quote it, for some reason we seem to focus _a lot_ on the _what it looks like_ part and completely disregard the _how it works part._ For this redesign, I wanted to focus entirely on how it works. ## Should designers code? I don't want to enter the "Designers should code" debate all over again, but it _finally_ seems like we're moving on from it. I do think it's important to understand the difference between actually being able to code and the view from a designer seeing value in things that derive from the marriage between design and code - accessibility, speed, privacy and SEO to name a few. We design to solve a problem, to serve a business - coding is part of that. My own coding skills are fairly limited - I know my way around basic CSS and HTML, but nothing more advanced than that. Luckily, I've worked with a talented developer and there are a lot of tools designers can use to improve their website experience. ## Accessibility & Privacy My priority for my website is to "provide users with relevant content in the most accessible way." While that might sound like a generic thing to say (and it is), living up to it is a whole other thing. You see accessible is a lot of things. To name a few, it means my website is easy to read and navigate all while keeping the site loading \*fast\* I've also decided to remove Google Analytics (and any other Google scripts) from this website. The only analytics service I run is GoSquared, but with their option to anonymize your IP. Because GoSquared charges me to use their product, they don't have to sell (your) data in order to be profitable. They are also fully GDPR compliant. So by respecting your privacy, I'm getting a faster website! Talk about win-win! ## Security Designers - get your act together and setup a SSL for your website. That 'Not Secure' title next to your domain is not doing you any favors. Your audience notices. Let's Encrypt offers free SSL certificates and if you use a service like Netlify (and you should), it's literally as easy as flipping a switch. This will improve your Google rankings too. A safer web is better for everyone. ## Google Lighthouse Google Lighthouse is a handy tool I use to audit the quality of a webpage. You can run it against any web page. It has audits for performance, accessibility, best practices, SEO, and more. Have you tried thinking about how you could improve the experience of your users _without necessarily_ adding features or doing a (visual) redesign? I'd be happy to help you define what those things could be! !lighthouse ## The only visual change So being a constant iterator, I couldn't redesign the website without doing a single visual change. The only visual difference is the change in the primary text color - from #FE6963 to #9c0061, from a bright raspberry red to a darker aubergine purple. Why? Because the raspberry red did not meet WCAG contrast ratio requirements for AA-level. This updated color scheme passes AA _and_ AAA for both small and large texts ✌️. Great design is for _everyone_. ## Your next redesign So what if for your next redesign, you don't just focus on the visual design, but also consider what you can do to ultimately better serve your users? For sure, this could be through a more intuitive and user friendly design - but remember that it's only _one_ of the things that define _how something works._

Dos and dont's on designing for accessibility

Anton Sten — Fri, 07 Jun 2019 00:00:00 GMT

!accessibility posters > Karwai Pun is an interaction designer currently working on Service Optimisation to make existing and new services better for our users. Karwai is part of an accessibility group at Home Office Digital, leading on autism. Together with the team, she's created these dos and don'ts posters as a way of approaching accessibility from a design perspective.**Dos and dont's on designing for accessibility** It's very rare that I post images on this site but for these posters I'll happily make an exception. Karwai Pun, I lift my hat for you. You can even find them hi-res here.

Hiring a Management Consultancy for Digital Is a Mistake

Anton Sten — Fri, 07 Jun 2019 00:00:00 GMT

Why hiring a management consultancy for digital work often leads to poor outcomes.

How Notion Is Going After Atlassian and Why It Just Might Win

Anton Sten — Fri, 07 Jun 2019 00:00:00 GMT

>“We focused too much on what we wanted to bring to the world. We needed to pay attention to what the world wanted from us.” **Ivan Zhao, Co-founder of Notion** It's a fascinating post about the early days of Notion, a tool I've started to become far more dependable on and really love it's flexibility. I like the above quote from Ivan, however later in the post, he says something that I think is contradicting to the above statement: >“The market is huge — everyone with a computer.”**Ivan Zhao, Co-founder of Notion** The market is everyone that has a need for a tool like Notion. My wife has a computer but would never use a tool like Notion, nor would my dad. The ultra corporate people all have computers, most of them will most likely never adopt a tool like Notion. To say that their market is everyone with a computer is like saying that Porsche's market is everyone that needs to be transported from A to B.

Just write: why Product Designers should write, and how to get started

Anton Sten — Fri, 07 Jun 2019 00:00:00 GMT

Why product designers benefit from writing and how to get started with it.

Simplicity is a war

Anton Sten — Fri, 07 Jun 2019 00:00:00 GMT

>This post was originally titled “simplicity is a battle”, but it dawned on us that that’s not strictly true – battles can be lost, while a war can still be won. Similarly, you can win battles while still losing a war. Simplicity is a war because it’s eroded in small battles that occur daily, often faster than the blink of an eye. You can win many battles for simplicity, but still end up with a complex product or company.

Simplicity is a war. And it’s being lost with thousands of tiny battles.**Simplicity is a war** Great post by James, made me think of an old post of mine that, for an unknown reason, has been getting some significant organic traffic - Why simple is hard.

Big Mood Machine

Anton Sten — Thu, 13 Jun 2019 00:00:00 GMT

>“At Spotify we have a personal relationship with over 191 million people who show us their true colors with zero filter,” reads a current advertising deck. “That’s a lot of authentic engagement with our audience: billions of data points every day across devices! This data fuels Spotify’s streaming intelligence—our secret weapon that gives brands the edge to be relevant in real-time moments.” Another brand-facing pitch proclaims: “The most exciting part? This new research is starting to reveal the streaming generation’s offline behaviors through their streaming habits.”**Big Mood Machine** I prefer Spotify over Apple Music and generally think their playlists are better curated but something about this is deeply disturbing. The notion was always that "If you're not paying for the product, you are the product" - but with Spotify we _are_ paying so one would assume that it would be enough. Apparently not.

Apple's bet on privacy is beginning to make more and more sense.

Let’s assemble like the Avengers and... do work

Anton Sten — Tue, 18 Jun 2019 00:00:00 GMT

It's been two years since I launched my second book, Mastering Freelance, which, in turn, was launched two years after my first book, User Experiences that Matter. It doesn't take a genius to do the math and understand why I've lately been considering my next venture outside of my normal work. Truth be told, I even have an outline of what my next book could be. However, I have a sneaky feeling that a third book is not what I am aiming to do at this point. I'm sure a third book will come one day, not just now. I've been trying to get back into more reading lately and while I was reading Paul Jarvis' book, Company of One, an idea started to form... but first, let me give you some context. I've been a consultant for more than 10 years. I've been successful at it and love the freedom it gives me. I can't ever see myself taking a full-time role again as I love running my own business too much. But does that mean there's no other way? Something in Paul's book sparked an idea in me, that maybe it's not either/or. Perhaps it's about choosing your own path. >Ever since starting MailChimp 18 years ago, I’ve always been told that my way was wrong. My way has never been to “be big.” My way was always to “be useful.” My company has become a global brand with millions of customers, over $525 million in annual revenue, and almost 1000 employees united by a single mission to help companies of one and entrepreneurs. Go figure. There’s not one, right way. Only your way. Paul’s book, Company of One, can help you find your way.**BEN CHESTNUT, CEO AND FOUNDER OF MAILCHIMP** Just like Ben's way was never to "be big", neither is mine. But lately, I've been starting to miss being PART of something bigger. I miss having my own team. I miss working with people that are so good in their industry that I have to give 150% at all times just to keep up. I want to take on bigger projects together with other small-business owners like myself. Most of all, I want to challenge clients in their belief that "bigger is a safer bet". My guess is that Hertz have learnt this lesson by now. ## More people does not equal success I'm always amazed at how long the idea that more people equals a better business continues to live on. But it's always one of the first metrics that people tend to focus on - how many people work at a company? The original Super Mario Bros. was created of team of 5 people and it seems that even launching a website now requires a team of 25+. Why? Because we live with the idea that the more people we assign to something, the less likely we will fail. I'm not sure if I've ever worked on a project that benefitted from just having *more* people... a project benefits from making sure it's the *right* people. >"Who you hang out with determines what you dream about and what you collide with. And the collisions and the dreams lead to your changes. And the changes are what you become. Change the outcome by changing your circle.”**Seth Godin** ## The Endgame I think a lot of freelancers share these same feelings - wanting to be part of a collective, while remaining independent. Wanting to have access to vetted talent to support them in projects while not being locked in to a structure. Wanting to have colleagues and water-cooler chitchats while still having the option of their own office. So my humble idea is looking something like this: Let's form the Avengers. Spiderman, Iron Man, Black Panther, Captain Marvel all have their own characters and their own movies. But when they need to fight Thanos, it's pretty sweet to be able to team up. And, like the Avengers, it's sometimes necessary to have that extra support to have a successful outcome. It takes the whole team to get the job done. Honestly, there's no "one way" of running businesses and I strongly believe that clients will find a solution like this "useful" if not necessarily "big" (I don't think it should be more than 15 people ever). Here's how my friend Dan describes Superfriend.ly, a similar setup (which I'm proud to be working with now!): >"When filmmakers make films, they pick the people who best embody the role. David Fincher doesn’t always use Brad Pitt, even though he was fantastic in Fight Club and Se7en. Christopher Nolan doesn’t always use the same lead actor either. Leonardo DiCaprio was awesome in Inception, as was Guy Pearce in Memento, as was Christian Bale in the Batman movies, but you couldn’t interchange them because of how well they were cast. Leo as the Dark Knight? “I’m the king of the world, Alfred!” Too weird."**Superfriend.ly** ## Making a commitment I don't have a timeline for this venture and I certainly don't have a deadline. But I shared some of this on social media last week and it spurred some interest and sharing it even more publicly will force me to act on it. It also gives YOU the option to reach out and talk to me - be it as a potential collaborator or as a client. As a potential client, I'm particularly interested in knowing more about what pain points (second Mario Bros reference of this post!) you're currently experiencing working with agencies.

Let's assemble like the Avengers and... do work

Anton Sten — Tue, 18 Jun 2019 00:00:00 GMT

It's been two years since I launched my second book, Mastering Freelance, which, in turn, was launched two years after my first book, User Experiences that Matter. It doesn't take a genius to do the math and understand why I've lately been considering my next venture outside of my normal work. Truth be told, I even have an outline of what my next book could be. However, I have a sneaky feeling that a third book is not what I am aiming to do at this point. I'm sure a third book will come one day, not just now. I've been trying to get back into more reading lately and while I was reading Paul Jarvis' book, Company of One, an idea started to form... but first, let me give you some context. I've been a consultant for more than 10 years. I've been successful at it and love the freedom it gives me. I can't ever see myself taking a full-time role again as I love running my own business too much. But does that mean there's no other way? Something in Paul's book sparked an idea in me, that maybe it's not either/or. Perhaps it's about choosing your own path. >Ever since starting MailChimp 18 years ago, I've always been told that my way was wrong. My way has never been to "be big." My way was always to "be useful." My company has become a global brand with millions of customers, over $525 million in annual revenue, and almost 1000 employees united by a single mission to help companies of one and entrepreneurs. Go figure. There's not one, right way. Only your way. Paul's book, Company of One, can help you find your way.**BEN CHESTNUT, CEO AND FOUNDER OF MAILCHIMP** Just like Ben's way was never to "be big", neither is mine. But lately, I've been starting to miss being PART of something bigger. I miss having my own team. I miss working with people that are so good in their industry that I have to give 150% at all times just to keep up. I want to take on bigger projects together with other small-business owners like myself. Most of all, I want to challenge clients in their belief that "bigger is a safer bet". My guess is that Hertz have learnt this lesson by now. ## More people does not equal success I'm always amazed at how long the idea that more people equals a better business continues to live on. But it's always one of the first metrics that people tend to focus on - how many people work at a company? The original Super Mario Bros. was created of team of 5 people and it seems that even launching a website now requires a team of 25+. Why? Because we live with the idea that the more people we assign to something, the less likely we will fail. I'm not sure if I've ever worked on a project that benefitted from just having *more* people... a project benefits from making sure it's the *right* people. >"Who you hang out with determines what you dream about and what you collide with. And the collisions and the dreams lead to your changes. And the changes are what you become. Change the outcome by changing your circle."**Seth Godin** ## The Endgame I think a lot of freelancers share these same feelings - wanting to be part of a collective, while remaining independent. Wanting to have access to vetted talent to support them in projects while not being locked in to a structure. Wanting to have colleagues and water-cooler chitchats while still having the option of their own office. So my humble idea is looking something like this: Let's form the Avengers. Spiderman, Iron Man, Black Panther, Captain Marvel all have their own characters and their own movies. But when they need to fight Thanos, it's pretty sweet to be able to team up. And, like the Avengers, it's sometimes necessary to have that extra support to have a successful outcome. It takes the whole team to get the job done. Honestly, there's no "one way" of running businesses and I strongly believe that clients will find a solution like this "useful" if not necessarily "big" (I don't think it should be more than 15 people ever). Here's how my friend Dan describes Superfriend.ly, a similar setup (which I'm proud to be working with now!): >"When filmmakers make films, they pick the people who best embody the role. David Fincher doesn't always use Brad Pitt, even though he was fantastic in Fight Club and Se7en. Christopher Nolan doesn't always use the same lead actor either. Leonardo DiCaprio was awesome in Inception, as was Guy Pearce in Memento, as was Christian Bale in the Batman movies, but you couldn't interchange them because of how well they were cast. Leo as the Dark Knight? "I'm the king of the world, Alfred!" Too weird."**Superfriend.ly** ## Making a commitment I don't have a timeline for this venture and I certainly don't have a deadline. But I shared some of this on social media last week and it spurred some interest and sharing it even more publicly will force me to act on it. It also gives YOU the option to reach out and talk to me - be it as a potential collaborator or as a client. As a potential client, I'm particularly interested in knowing more about what pain points (second Mario Bros reference of this post!) you're currently experiencing working with agencies.

The Cost of Lies

Anton Sten — Tue, 18 Jun 2019 00:00:00 GMT

On the true cost of lies and deception.

You care more about your privacy than you think

Anton Sten — Tue, 18 Jun 2019 00:00:00 GMT

>Friction is largely underrated in user experience design. Some of the people who understand friction’s effect best, alas, are those purposely designing privacy controls to make them even just a bit harder to use, understand, or discover.
The lack of friction in the Sign In With Apple experience — especially using a device with Face ID or Touch ID — is a key part of why I expect it to be successful. It’s not just more private than signing in with Google or Facebook, it’s as good or better in terms of how few steps it takes.
Designers need to design for what people will do, not what people should, in theory, do.**You care more about your privacy than you think**

Tim Cook’s Stanford Commencement Address

Anton Sten — Wed, 19 Jun 2019 00:00:00 GMT

>“First things first, here’s a plain fact.

Silicon Valley is responsible for some of the most revolutionary inventions in modern history.

From the first oscillator built in the Hewlett-Packard garage to the iPhones that I know you’re holding in your hands.

Social media, shareable video, snaps and stories that connect half the people on Earth. They all trace their roots to Stanford’s backyard.

But lately, it seems, this industry is becoming better known for a less noble innovation: the belief that you can claim credit without accepting responsibility.

We see it every day now, with every data breach, every privacy violation, every blind eye turned to hate speech. Fake news poisoning our national conversation. The false promise of miracles in exchange for a single drop of your blood. Too many seem to think that good intentions excuse away harmful outcomes.

But whether you like it or not, what you build and what you create define who you are.

It feels a bit crazy that anyone should have to say this. But if you’ve built a chaos factory, you can’t dodge responsibility for the chaos. Taking responsibility means having the courage to think things through.

And there are few areas where this is more important than privacy.

If we accept as normal and unavoidable that everything in our lives can be aggregated, sold, or even leaked in the event of a hack, then we lose so much more than data.

We lose the freedom to be human.

Think about what’s at stake. Everything you write, everything you say, every topic of curiosity, every stray thought, every impulsive purchase, every moment of frustration or weakness, every gripe or complaint, every secret shared in confidence.

In a world without digital privacy, even if you have done nothing wrong other than think differently, you begin to censor yourself. Not entirely at first. Just a little, bit by bit. To risk less, to hope less, to imagine less, to dare less, to create less, to try less, to talk less, to think less. The chilling effect of digital surveillance is profound, and it touches everything.

What a small, unimaginative world we would end up with. Not entirely at first. Just a little, bit by bit. Ironically, it’s the kind of environment that would have stopped Silicon Valley before it had even gotten started.

We deserve better. You deserve better.

If we believe that freedom means an environment where great ideas can take root, where they can grow and be nurtured without fear of irrational restrictions or burdens, then it’s our duty to change course, because your generation ought to have the same freedom to shape the future as the generation that came before.

Graduates, at the very least, learn from these mistakes. If you want to take credit, first learn to take responsibility.”**Tim Cook’s Stanford Commencement Address** I think one of Steve Jobs' most powerful speeches was his 2005 Stanford Commencement Address (the one about connecting the dots), but it's very possible this is even stronger. Steve was talking from a personal perspective - Tim is talking from a societal perspective but still manages to make it just as personal and private.

Delight Comes Last

Anton Sten — Thu, 27 Jun 2019 00:00:00 GMT

>The key to the product needs hierarchy is one that Walter only mentions tangentially: your product has to satisfy the needs at each level before moving on to the next. A product can’t be efficient if it isn’t functional. A product can’t be delightful if it isn’t efficient and functional.**Delight comes last** It's a great post by Matthew Ström, one of my favorite writers. I wrote about the same topic back in 2015 but didn't address the above point at all.

Citrix improves UX and cuts costs by 65%

Anton Sten — Fri, 28 Jun 2019 00:00:00 GMT

How Citrix improved their user experience while significantly reducing costs.

Advertising: contextual vs. behavioral and why it matters

Anton Sten — Mon, 01 Jul 2019 00:00:00 GMT

This might come as a surprise to some of you, but I haven't always worked with UX. In fact, my last few full time positions were at advertising agencies where I worked on advertising campaigns and not digital products and tools. This was a very different time, of course, as it was pre-content marketing, pre-influencers, and pre-"thought leaders" (_shrugs_). I spent nearly five years with advertising agencies like BBDO and Bates Y&R leading their digital efforts in online marketing land. At the time (2005ish) Forsman & Bodenfors had just released their epic online campaign "Dream kitchens" for IKEA - a revolutionary campaign and everyone in the advertising industry wanted to catch-up. Back then, I regularly saw a new campaigns that made my jaw drop they were so inspiring. Even outside of digital, there were campaigns made that _made the news_ even outside of our industry. Today, the story is very different. Advertising campaigns don't garner the attention they used to and the quality has suffered. They are missing components that drove those mind-blowing advertising experiences. They simply lack that connection to their audience only achieved through creative, relevant storytelling. ## Stories The Sony Bravia advert with the bouncing balls and Honda - The Cog are adverts that still stand strong today. The Sony Bravia is nearly 15 years old and Honda The Cog is even older. These commercials are masterpieces. The craftsmanship in them is something I feel we don't see anymore. These commercials are not based around CGI and they're certainly not tailored to meet your specific _interest._ You know what they are? They are good stories. !Stories _See - even Tyron Lannister knows good marketing_ The more companies know about their customers, the harder it seems for them to produce stories that are so universal they speak to everyone. They get stuck trying to find the perfect target audience for each message, but because their data points are so specific, the messaging gets lost and they waste an enormous amount of money. Even one of the first successful viral video campaigns was based around a story everyone could relate to, a group of friends - just how TV shows like Seinfield and Friends are successful because they address topics that everyone can relate to. Swap the landlines for iPhones and the ad would still work today. ## Where's the creativity? The annual _tête-a-tête_ for the advertising industry is of course the Cannes Lions festival in France. I used to be super keen on seeing who would get nominated (I was even nominated myself for a campaign I had worked on in 2003!), but I just don't see the creativity anymore. One of this years winners - a gold lion - is Droga5's campaign for Apple. It's surely not a bad campaign in any way, but it's likely it'll just be completely forgotten in a year. Surely, it won't be referenced in blog posts more than 15 years from now! The Apple campaign shows a team of people working hard to pitch an idea to their boss. So while there is a relatable story, there's zero connection to the greater audience. ## What's wrong with advertising? As companies collect more and more data about you and me, shouldn't their advertising feel even more spot-on _for me_? After all, they _should_ know me, but in most cases now, I feel like I have no idea who they're talking to. Turns out, it's because they want to show me behavioral ads (aka The New Kid on the Block) and not contextual ads (like we've done for the past 100 years). Companies like Google and Facebook are compiling millions of data points on you to make the perfect profile, but still have no idea how to actually match these data points with advertising that works. Worse yet, they make a ton of money from selling these data points to advertisers (with the promise of being able to tailor ads that will fit me perfectly) so they have no interest in respecting your privacy. > They (Google & Facebook etc) argue that strong privacy laws would hurt the digital ad market, create high costs for businesses and curb innovation. >

> These are all weak arguments. There is no reason to fear that sites cannot still make money with advertising. That's because there are already two kinds of highly profitable online ads: contextual ads, based on the content being shown on screen, and behavioral ads, based on personal data collected about the person viewing the ad. Behavioral ads work by tracking your online behavior and compiling a profile about you using your internet activities (and even your offline activities in some cases) to send you targeted ads. >

> Contextual advertising doesn't need to know anything about you: Search for "car" and you get a car ad. Over the past decade, contextual ads have been displaced by behavioral ads, aided by the rise of real-time bidding technology that auctions off each ad on a site based on user profiling. These behavioral ads are the ones that leave a bad taste in your mouth. They follow you around from website to mobile app based on your private information and, intentionally or not, enable online discrimination, manipulation and the creation of filter bubbles.

> Strong privacy laws will force the digital advertising industry to return to its roots in contextual advertising. That's a good thing, since contextual advertising does not affect privacy in the same way. > **What if we all just sold non-creepy ads?** ## What you can do The upside to all of this is that behavioral ads only work when they have the correct data points. If you use services that choose to respect your privacy, the big tech will eventually have to rethink their stand on collecting data. But if you're the CMO or CEO of a company running ads, I'm sure you're thinking that moving to contextual advertising only will reduce your profits, at the end of the day, there's share holders to satisfy. > This shift back to contextual advertising need not reduce profitability. A recent poll by Digiday of publishing executives found that 45 percent of them saw no significant benefit from behavioral ads, and 23 percent said they actually caused a decline in revenue. So if you're running a business, or if you're working for one, think about what you're building. > But whether you like it or not, what you build and what you create define who you are. It feels a bit crazy that anyone should have to say this. But if you've built a chaos factory, you can't dodge responsibility for the chaos. Taking responsibility means having the courage to think things through. And there are few areas where this is more important than privacy. If we accept as normal and unavoidable that everything in our lives can be aggregated, sold, or even leaked in the event of a hack, then we lose so much more than data. We lose the freedom to be human.**Tim Cook's Stanford Commencement Address** History clearly shows us that you can do great advertising without being intrusive (look at the technology used in the Budweiser commercial and think about what "data points" you think they had). Great stories are timeless and attract everyone. It's time the industry recognizes this.

Frank Chimero on causing ’good trouble’ and re-imagining the status quo to combat achievement culture

Anton Sten — Fri, 05 Jul 2019 00:00:00 GMT

Frank Chimero on challenging the status quo and combating achievement culture in design.

On Modus: It’s Time for a Code of Ethics for Designers

Anton Sten — Wed, 10 Jul 2019 00:00:00 GMT

It’s Time for a Code of Ethics for Designers is my first post over at Modus - Medium's design publication. I've been honoured to have been featured in other publications at Medium before, particularly UX Collective and Prototypr but this is my first piece in Medium's _own_ publication. I'd highly appreciate any 'claps' for this piece if you like it! >This is our vision for Modus: We want to create a place where designers can read high-quality, practical, thought-provoking pieces that will help them be better at their craft. We want to go beyond the design-basics articles you can find anywhere on the internet and be a trustworthy source designers can rely on to help them level up their skills and knowledge, stay current on the state of the design and tech fields, and dig deeper into the areas that interest them.

Your inbox is spying on you

Anton Sten — Wed, 10 Jul 2019 00:00:00 GMT

>Davidson’s extremely detailed posts get at a core issue of the privacy debate, which is that none of this invasive technology happens by accident. Our privacy crisis is a crisis of design. Take that telling line from Vohra, Superhuman’s C.E.O., which is less than a week old and has already aged poorly. We did not consider potential bad actors. But, as Davidson goes on to explain, Superhuman did receive negative feedback about email tracking; it just didn’t listen. “We did not consider” doesn’t mean the company was unaware but that they didn’t seem to take the feedback into consideration.**NYT Privacy Project Newsletter** Davidson's post are here and here.

Give them candy: small details make all the difference

Anton Sten — Tue, 16 Jul 2019 00:00:00 GMT

When we're designing digital experiences, we focus on the big stuff - the overall experience. We discuss things like information architecture, user flows, research, and visual identities. When we're working with an e-commerce solution, we discuss the full checkout experience, but rarely discuss the things that will actually make our users remember us - and even talk about us. This makes perfect sense, because the checkout experience is what will make the meal. But in order to have users that _love_ your experience, we need to offer not just the entrée, but also candy. Confused? I get that. Let's back up. Perhaps you've heard the expression "God is in the details" which was said by Mies van der Rhoe, mid 20th century architect. Mies, famous for being one of pioneers in modernist architecture, is often associated with his fondness for the aphorisms, "less is more>)" and "God is in the details". > "The devil is in the detail" is an idiom that refers to a catch or mysterious element hidden in the details, meaning that something might seem simple at a first look but will take more time and effort to complete than expected and derives from the earlier phrase, "God is in the detail" expressing the idea that whatever one does should be done thoroughly; i.e. details are important. If you're interested in creating great user experiences, you already know the important part well thought out details can play in the experience of a product. Do you remember that first time you "slide to unlock" an iPhone? Then, years later, you were mesmerized by TouchID. While these may feel like features and not details, they all have details that _make_ the feature. Whether it's that little click sound or the animation that follows, the entire experience is based upon those details. ## What does this have to do with candy? I was watching Malcolm Gladwell over at Masterclass (a great class - highly recommend it!) and he talks about how every story needs candy. > Candy, in a story, is stuff for people to talk about. The fun stuff. The meal is the thing they dwell on, and take home and process on a much more meaningful level. And it's totally fine to have candy as long as you have a main meal, as long as you have the entrée. It's a bad idea to have candy and no entrée, but also a bad idea to have an entrée and no candy.**Malcolm Gladwell** I think this is a far better analogy for what we want than just talking about 'details'. Details are easy to ignore when time gets short. Details are unnecessary. They become an expense that's hard to see when considering ROI. Details are the antithesis to the MVP, the darling of Silicon Valley. Unfortunately, when time is short we tend to cut out the candy in order to not mess up the entrée. And sometimes this makes sense; the candy won't be worth anything if the entrée is uneatable. Maybe we should instead think of candy as something that could take an ordinary entrée and transform it into a great night? Isn't that _really_ the experience we want to design? > "The details are difficult to include when you're building a product; they're expensive both in terms of time and technical overhead — which is why they're rare." > **God is in the details - Buzz Usbourne** ## Candy comes in all forms and shapes Candy is interesting because it can come in so many shapes and forms. Sweet or sour, large or small, thick or like jelly. As you may know, my commitment with IKEA is over, but my time with them offered me an example of candy that I love (I think IKEA does candy really well). Their offices in Malmö have 7 floors. While I usually took the elevator, I occasionally took the stairs to get some office exercise. Right above the baseboards there were small messages printed. They were very discreet and it probably took me a couple of times running up and down the stairs before I noticed them. After that, they always brought a smile to my face. !Staircase at IKEA It's such an easy thing. It doesn't cost much. It's not difficult. The result? You improve your co-workers' days, making them happier, more engaged and active. That's priceless. The thing about details - sorry candy - is that it works best when we're not expecting it. The unexpected treat is the best one right? > Surprise sometimes. You've heard of dopamine, right? The reward chemical? Here's some news: Dopamine isn't about the rush from the reward. It's about the good chance of a reward happening. We love that uncertainty. Therefore, let your words surprise sometimes, but not all the time (think of the flying Asana unicorn or Slack's random welcome messages). Bam!**A UX Writer's Journey Into the Deep … Parts of the Brain, and 3 Insights From It.** ## What's your favourite candy? When you start looking for candy, you'll notice that it's in places you've never expected. You can almost make a game of it! There's even a great little website, Little Big Details, that showcases small pieces of candy from all of the websites and software you probably use on a daily basis. (like what about this one from Google Forms or this one from the Invision Blog) What's your favorite candy? I would love to hear about it!

Superhuman and email privacy

Anton Sten — Wed, 24 Jul 2019 00:00:00 GMT

On Superhuman's controversial email tracking feature and the privacy implications.

Why Consultants Quit Their Jobs to Go Independent

Anton Sten — Wed, 24 Jul 2019 00:00:00 GMT

Exploring the reasons why consultants leave their jobs to work independently.

5 Years - 300+ Posts!

Anton Sten — Tue, 30 Jul 2019 00:00:00 GMT

One of the things I always try to push right away with new or potential clients is that I'm just a one-man company. That means more personal service and better communication. If you call me, I'll be the one answering (please email unless it's super urgent though). So I figured it's time to give some personal updates here too. Lately, I've been thinking a lot about the future of my work. On a general level - what will be the requirements for the UX designer or UX lead of tomorrow? It seems like it's been ages since we all agreed that voice is the future, but I'm not sure if we're any closer to that future at all? (The Future of the UX-Designer (2017), Hey Siri, what's the future of user interfaces (2015) and Voice Input is the Next Big Thing - Or is It? (2018)) On a personal level, what is the kind of work I want to do? I think any senior designer have thought along these same lines from time to time... "Will I still be doing websites 20 years from now?" "Do I have the motivation for *another* 20 years?" "How do I want to work?" "Do I have other options?" (Let's assemble like the Avengers and... do work (2019)) During the past year, I've been doing somewhat different kind of work for IKEA, leading a team and focusing on aligning people and deliverables rather than designing or focusing on features. I realized that it's not exactly the kind of work I wanted to do, but, in hindsight, I'm really grateful for the experience and the insight it brought. It brings to mind a quote from Kaleigh Moore from Mastering Freelance: >Everyone’s path is going to be different, but I think one of the best ways you can find your purpose is by doing a lot of things you DON’T like. I had a few jobs and internships in college that made me realize what things I absolutely did not want to be doing--so getting those experiences, even while they weren’t fun at the time--were important.**Kaleigh Moore** Since then I've begun working with Superfriendly. I reached out to my friend Dan to talk to him about my idea of a new type of consultancy. If you want to grow as a designer, as a developer or whatever it's really important to surround yourself with the best people out there. This is easy to dismiss because you don't have the power to change your co-worker's skills. However, you CAN always try and find other, better co-workers. Working with people who are better than you is the easiest way to grow your skills and makes work a whole lot more fun! (The Life of a Freelancer Shouldn't Be a Lonely One (2016) and Without Struggle, There Isn't Success (2017)) I'm planning some traveling in August (Biarritz, France), September (Antibes, France), and October (Toronto, Canada) as I haven't really had any time off at all since last summer. I was in Boston for a few days in the beginning of July and traveling is such a great way to find inspiration through reflection. (Built to last (2016)) A good sign that it's soon to be fall is that I've begun thinking about doing a minor update on the design of my website. This time, I'm thinking both of features and visual design (and less about technology). (A Redesign (2017) and I've redesigned my website and it looks exactly the same (2019)) I also want to get back into more long-form writing this fall. I've had a bit of a lack of inspiration lately and, to be honest, it's felt more like something I have to do rather than something I want to do. I have an idea where I would publish one article a day for a month. It sounds like a fun challenge! (Why Designers Need to Write (2017) The other week I ran a small ad for User Experiences that Matter in Dense Discovery, an excellent newsletter that I think you should subscribe to if you aren't already. It performed really well and I sold more than 10 books in a single day (which is about what I normally sell in a month). Yay! You can still get 20% off using the code 'DENSE'.

UX can't be defined by one set of 'rules'

Anton Sten — Mon, 12 Aug 2019 00:00:00 GMT

Even though UX is a very broad subject to write about, to find new ideas for my newsletter on a bi-weekly basis is sometimes hard. I don't want to sound like a broken record and after 300 posts - it's just hard to come across new ideas sometimes. I've found a lot of the posts that get traction on Medium all seem to offer the golden recipe for how to make your UX 'right'. Just like for personal advice, they all seem to offer this perfect formula of 'if you do UX *this way* then you'll see great results and users will love your product'. They all claim to be the "Ultimate Guide to UX in 2019"... Don't get me wrong, I do read some of these guides myself and find that they all seem to have one or two things that are worth reflecting over. Also, I know that especially junior designers or people just starting off with UX like to get these kinds of rules to follow. So what to do? As you might know, I'm a big fan of learning about great user experiences not only from UX design, but from design, writing, and life in general. In Kaleigh Moore's newsletter the other week, I read this quote from Gary Provost: >This sentence has five words. Here are five more words. Five-word sentences are fine. But several together become monotonous. Listen to what is happening. The writing is getting boring. The sound of it drones. It's like a stuck record. The ear demands some variety.

Now listen. I vary the sentence length, and I create music. Music. The writing sings. It has a pleasant rhythm, a lilt, a harmony. I use short sentences. And I use sentences of medium length.

And sometimes, when I am certain the reader is rested, I will engage him with a sentence of considerable length, a sentence that burns with energy and builds with all the impetus of a crescendo, the roll of the drums, the crash of the cymbals–sounds that say listen to this, it is important.**Gary Provost** For me, this highlights perfectly how to think about these golden UX guides. They're fine as long as you use them in moderation. If you adapt them to the product you're currently designing for. However, to think there is one set of rules to apply to any product and get a great user experience is nonsense. Total nonsense. Just like the rule that a blog post *should only be* 700-800 words for good SEO, this post is only roughly 400. I'm breaking that rule simply because I have nothing more to say on this. You wouldn't want to read uninspired filler text for 300 more words, would you? I didn't think so. :)

Freelance and Business And Stuff

Anton Sten — Fri, 16 Aug 2019 00:00:00 GMT

Thoughts on freelancing and running a business.

Data-driven Design Is Killing Our Instincts

Anton Sten — Mon, 19 Aug 2019 00:00:00 GMT

>We’re told all design decisions must be validated by user feedback or business success metrics. Analytics are measuring the design effectiveness of every tweak and change we make. If it can’t be proven to work in a prototype, A/B test, or MVP, it’s not worth trying at all.

In this cutthroat world of data-driven design, we’re starting to lose sight of something we once cherished: the designer’s instinct. “Trusting your gut” now means “lazy, entitled designer.” When we can ask users what they want directly, there’s no room for instinct and guesswork.

Or is there?**Data-Driven Design Is Killing Our Instincts**

A Mindful Approach to Technology

Anton Sten — Tue, 20 Aug 2019 00:00:00 GMT

>Instead of calling a friend to check in, we check our email. Instead of jotting down ideas, we see who liked our last Facebook post. Instead of writing in our journal, we end up scrolling through Instagram.

In short, we’re consuming instead of creating. By default, we’re constantly chasing “more.” We can’t resist the siren call of the new and shiny, so we’re pulled mindlessly toward the mesmerizing glow of our screen without thought to what we’re really doing there.**A Mindful Approach to Technology**

Fast Software, the Best Software

Anton Sten — Tue, 20 Aug 2019 00:00:00 GMT

>I love fast software. That is, software speedy both in function and interface. Software with minimal to no lag between wanting to activate or manipulate something and the thing happening. Lightness.

Software that’s speedy usually means it’s focused. Like a good tool, it often means that it’s simple, but that’s not necessarily true. Speed in software is probably the most valuable, least valued asset. To me, speedy software is the difference between an application smoothly integrating into your life, and one called upon with great reluctance. Fastness in software is like great margins in a book — makes you smile without necessarily knowing why.**Fast Software, the Best Software** I've been banging the drum of speed for years, but this entire essay is a piece of brilliance.

“i Just Knew I Was Going to Surpass These Guys I Was Working For”

Anton Sten — Tue, 20 Aug 2019 00:00:00 GMT

>When I was just starting out, I’d see some of the decisions my early bosses made and I’d think, I’m not experienced, but this is how I’d do it. I was beginning to get an inkling of my own tastes and judgment. I just didn’t have the certainty and maturity to act on it. I wasn’t a prodigy personality who is like, “Get out of my way, I’m doing this.” I was a little bit uncertain about my skills. But I just knew I was going to surpass these guys I was working for. I remember once I interviewed for an internship at the Washington Post, and a guy said I was too confident. I was like, “Why don’t you retire now, because you’ll be working for me?” Men are always trying to drag women down. I said, “I’m not too confident. I’m fantastic.” I was always, always like that. And I appreciate that about myself, I have to say.**“I Just Knew I Was Going to Surpass These Guys I Was Working For”** "I'm not too confident. I'm fantastic." is my new mantra.

People Are Starting to Realize How Voice Assistants Actually Work

Anton Sten — Tue, 20 Aug 2019 00:00:00 GMT

>Because the complex of AI tools and human review exists in this feedback loop, the stakes only get higher as companies improve voice assistants, asking us to embed them deeper into daily life. Amazon has patented technology that would allow its speakers to assess users’ emotional states and adjust their responses accordingly. Google filed a patent that would enable its speakers to respond to the sounds of users brushing their teeth and eating. Voice assistants are already being tested in police stations, classrooms, and hospitals.

The effect is that our tools will know more and more about us as we know less and less about them. In a recent article for The New Yorker on the risks of automation, the Harvard professor Jonathan Zittrain coined the phrase intellectual debt: the phenomenon by which we readily accept new technology into our lives, only bothering to learn how it works after the fact. Essentially, buy first, ask questions later. This is the second feedback loop grinding onward alongside the first, a sort of automation-procrastination complex. As voice assistants become an integral part of health care and law enforcement, we accrue more intellectual debt in more aspects of life. As technology gets smarter, we will know less about it.**People Are Starting to Realize How Voice Assistants Actually Work**

Stay in your lane and outlast your competition

Anton Sten — Tue, 20 Aug 2019 00:00:00 GMT

On the strategy of staying focused and outlasting competitors over time.

What to Do When You Feel Uninspired at Work

Anton Sten — Tue, 20 Aug 2019 00:00:00 GMT

>One of the most common sources of lowered motivation at work is what Harvard researchers called the progress principle, which is the idea that making progress in meaningful work is the “single most important factor” in boosting one’s “emotions, motivation, and perceptions during a workday.”

“Often you’re not motivated because your goal is too big,” Ms. Fosslien said. “So if you can just break that into mini-milestones — like what are you going to do today that you can cross at the end of today?”

Even tiny units of progress, like sending an email you’ve been meaning to write forever, can contribute to a sense of accomplishment, which can boost your overall motivation, Ms. Fosslien said.**What to Do When You Feel Uninspired at Work**

Analytics are reshaping fashion’s old-school instincts

Anton Sten — Fri, 23 Aug 2019 00:00:00 GMT

How data and analytics are changing the fashion industry's reliance on instinct.

Mobile E-Commerce UX: Deemphasize ‘install App’ Ads or Avoid Them Entirely

Anton Sten — Fri, 23 Aug 2019 00:00:00 GMT

>These issues make it clear that having an ad for “Install App” has a high cost in terms of causing an often severe negative impact on users’ product-browsing and -purchasing experience on the mobile website. During our testing “Install App” banners were the direct and sole cause of several abandonments of some of the world’s largest e-commerce websites.**Mobile E-Commerce UX: Deemphasize ‘Install App’ Ads or Avoid Them Entirely** Even for e-commerce sites that I visit on a weekly basis, like Mr Porter, I would never install their app.

Measuring UX with HEART

Anton Sten — Mon, 26 Aug 2019 00:00:00 GMT

One of the most important steps in developing any digital project is defining what success means is. Because we have the possibility to measure virtually everything, it’s easy to get caught in the trap of measuring all the wrong things. We often throw these numbers around and, of course, the bigger the number is, the more impressive it is. We tend to do this with almost everything nowadays! Page views, email subscribers, instagram followers, funding raised, revenue, and even numbers of employees. Big is better, right? Don't get me wrong, in some cases big is better - like profit, but in some cases it's just *vanity metrics.* >The only metrics that entrepreneurs should invest energy in collecting are those that help them make decisions. Unfortunately, the majority of data available in off-the-shelf analytics packages are what I call Vanity Metrics. They might make you feel good, but they don’t offer clear guidance for what to do.

When you hear companies doing PR about the billions of messages sent using their product, or the total GDP of their economy, think vanity metrics. But there are examples closer to home. Consider the most basic of all reports: the total number of “hits” to your website. Let’s say you have 10,000. Now what? Do you really know what actions you took in the past that drove those visitors to you, and do you really know which actions to take next? In most cases, I don’t think it’s very helpful.**Eric Ries on Tim Ferriss** With all of the tools available showing us all the charts, how do we know which are useful and which are just vanity metrics? Hint: the answer is right there in the question — "u-s-e-f-u-l." Metrics that help us make decisions are useful, metrics that can't be used to make actionable steps are vanity metrics. >It all comes down to one thing: does the metric help you make decisions? When you see the metric, do you know what you need to do? If you don’t, you’re probably looking at a vanity metric. Vanity metrics are all those data points that make us feel good if they go up but don’t help us make decisions.**Neil Patel - Metrics, Metrics On The Wall, Who’s The Vainest Of Them All?** ## Measuring UX While other areas have it easier to measure their progress in numbers, UX is still tougher to tackle. Because UX is so difficult to measure, we still struggle to define our value to organizations who could benefit from our work. Business metrics are often tied directly to dollars and cents, so it's a metric almost everyone understands. Improved sales and reduced costs equal profit and everyone loves money. If it's a business that relies on technology they already have tons of stuff they measure. Reduced server loads, faster software, and less latency are all things that while not everyone in the public truly understand them, most understand them as a good thing. But UX, and design in general, is harder to tackle. One way to measure its effect is through the HEART framework, designed by Kerry Rodden, Hilary Hutchinson, and Xin Fu from Google’s research team. >To make this work in practice it’s important to use the right metrics. Basic traffic metrics (like overall page views or number of unique users) are easy to track and give a good baseline on how your site is doing, but they are often not very useful for evaluating the impact of UX changes. This is because they are very general, and usually don’t relate directly to either the quality of the user experience or the goals of your project — it’s hard to make them actionable.**How to choose the right UX metrics for your product** The framework is a kind of UX metrics scorecard that’s broken down into 5 factors: - **Happiness**: How do users feel about your product? Happiness is typically measured by user satisfaction surveys, app ratings and reviews, and net promoter score. - **Engagement**: How often are people coming back to use the product? Level of user involvement, typically measured via behavioral proxies such as frequency, intensity, or depth of interaction over some time period. Examples might include the number of visits per user per week or the number of photos uploaded per user per day. - **Adoption**: How many people successfully complete the on-boarding process and become regular users? Adoption is measured by number of new users over a period of time or percentage of customers using a new feature. - **Retention**: The rate at which existing users are returning. You can measure how many of the active users from a given time period are still present in some later time period. As a product owner, you may be more interested in failure to retain, commonly known as “churn.” - **Task success:** Can your users achieve their goal or task quickly and easily? Task success is measured by factors like efficiency (how long it takes users to complete the task), effectiveness (percent of tasks completed), and error rate. Using the HEART framework gives you a better understanding of the user and their relationship with the product. The nice perk of this is that it can be applied to a single feature in your app or to your whole product. It gives you the option to measure just what you need to at any moment. ## Informed by data, driven by empathy The other day, I published this quote from Data-Driven Design is Killing Our Instincts that's stuck with me. >We’re told all design decisions must be validated by user feedback or business success metrics. Analytics are measuring the design effectiveness of every tweak and change we make. If it can’t be proven to work in a prototype, A/B test, or MVP, it’s not worth trying at all.

In this cutthroat world of data-driven design, we’re starting to lose sight of something we once cherished: the designer’s instinct. “Trusting your gut” now means “lazy, entitled designer.” When we can ask users what they want directly, there’s no room for instinct and guesswork.

Or is there? As we have access to all of this data, and the general consensus is that *data should lead the way*, I'm confused by what the future role of a designer is. What I truly like about the HEART framework is that while the output of it is informed data, it's all done through the eye and mind of a human. Just like we need to be careful to not measure everything just because we can, we need to remember that in order to really understand human's behaviors, we need to talk with them, not just look at charts. Charts are great for an overview, but human insight is the best way to understand the underlying reason for the chart's direction. >“Data-driven” is all the rage at the moment, everyone wants a slice of the “big data” cake. Data scientists are the new rock stars, replacing the JavaScript and Front-end gurus and ninjas from a few years back. My problem with trends like these is that they cause the so called “tunnel-vision”. Thing x is a trend right now and we should do that too because,… you know… everyone’s doing it. Some companies have already started to realise that data alone can’t answer all the questions they need answered. Booking.com put “Informed by data, driven by empathy” in their design guidelines.**Measuring and Quantifying User Experience** How do you get from the HEART categories to metrics you can actually implement and track? Unfortunately, there’s no off-the-shelf “HEART dashboard” that will magically do this for you. The most useful metrics are likely to be specific to your particular product or project. Personally, I like to start bigger projects with a UX Strategy. This UX Strategy should define what the most important tasks and metrics for your product is, and consequentially, what failure looks like. How might success or failure in the goals actually manifest itself in user behavior or attitudes? For YouTube, an engagement signal might be the number of videos users watch, but an even better one could be the amount of time they spend watching those videos. A failure category for YouTube Search might be entering a query, but not clicking on any of the results. Even fashion brands are using data to design products that will meet customers demands better: >“You never design by data, but the data provides a compass as you’re navigating a hunch.”**Analytics are reshaping fashion's old-school instincts** So while we as designers might not get the out-of-the-box dashboard with all the charts ready for us to act on, there are tools and techniques that we can use to get the information needed for us to act upon to get a confident start. Let me know if you need help getting started!

How we work with microcopy

Anton Sten — Thu, 29 Aug 2019 00:00:00 GMT

On the process of working with microcopy in product design.

Ux of Email Newsletters

Anton Sten — Mon, 09 Sep 2019 00:00:00 GMT

More often than not, when we talk about 'creating great user experiences' we think about the challenges from an internal point of view when we really should consider the _user_ - it's literally 50% of _user experience_. While there has been a lot of talk in recent years about the importance of email marketing and the value you can bring through email, it's still a communication channel that get's very little UX love. ## Email as a tool 91% of consumers check their email _daily_ and it beats any other channel in terms of return on investment (ROI). In fact, every dollar spent on email marketing gets you an estimated $40 in return! As a comparison, that number is $22 for SEO and $2 for banner ads (do people actually still run banner ads? 🤔). So while there's already a healthy premise for email marketing, I think there's an enormous possibility to make so much more from it. The key though? Don't treat it as a sales channel - treat it like a brand building opportunity. Any decent brand advocate will tell you that branding is primarily one thing: trust and the story we build our brand on. Instead, most brands primarily focus on selling. Since sending emails is cheap, they figure they might as well just send one more. What's the harm, right? I think brands should take a different approach to email marketing: _Your email marketing strategy should be to prepare someone to buy from you._ Perhaps they just signed up, but are they ready to buy from you? They may not know enough about you to trust you yet. Honestly, you don't enough know anything about them either! Without this knowledge about your new customer, it's impossible to know when they are ready to buy. Think of a physical retail space. When you enter the store, a person will probably approach you, but they probably won't ask you to buy right at that moment - they'll ask questions to better understand what you're looking for: 'How can I help?, Are you looking for anything specific?, Let me know if you need assistance.' But for some reason when it comes to email, our first impulse is to ask them to buy straight away. > As a creator, you need to be thinking about how you can turn subscribers into would-be customers. >

> This means that the curated pathways you've created have a single end: To prepare someone to buy from you. >

> What you're looking for are the right signals that show that somebody is sufficiently engaged with what you're sending, and (ideally) doing something with the information.**A better email marketing framework** ## Onboard users A lot of companies have blogs. A lot of companies ask readers for their emails. Very few of these companies balance the line of sending the appropriate amount of emails. It's either a lot - like every day - or the opposite which is even worse. Let's say I read an article on your blog and I want to know more. Congratulations, you now have my email. I signed up and then... nothing. Silence. It's like you're asking me to dance and then just walk away. !Confused dog I'm then left alone for three or four weeks and suddenly your name pops up in my inbox with 'an offer especially for me'. By this time, there's a 95% chance I've forgotten who you are and I'll just delete your email and unsubscribe. ## Your most important email: The Onboarding email Instead, the onboarding email should be the most thought-through email that you send. Why? Because it's guaranteed to go out at a time when a user (read: potential customer) specifically has asked to know more and agreed to have a connection with you. Unless you're selling Birkin bags, where there's a massive waiting list, you need to know when your customer is ready to buy - not when you're ready to sell. The onboarding email is your best chance at the one key thing that will help you eventually make a sale: knowing and understanding your customer and the problem they want help solving. > Curate your content. Front-load your best material, and line it up in a way that makes sense for somebody who's new to your list. Lead them. Your subscribers are often most engaged when they first join your list, so give them an amazing first-run experience.**A better email marketing framework** I would love nothing more than for everyone to sign up for my newsletter (where I share content just like this), but I also don't want to bloat my list with signups that will just go on to unsubscribe. Here's my onboarding email and how I handle this issue: --- ## Subject: This is a totally automated email. Let's get this out of the way. This is an automated email. But... I still wanted to say hello and let you know that I'm a real person. I'm Anton and I am the UX-designer whose website you just visited. I may not know you personally yet, but I'm excited that you're here 💃🏼 You have my word that I'll be respectful of your inbox and only email you when I have some new content or a big announcement that I think you may find interesting. **One favor before I go:** Reply to this email and let me know why you signed up? You can always connect with me on twitter or by just replying to this email. Until next time my friend, stay awesome. Best, Anton --- ## Here's why it works First, **it uses humor**. There's occasionally a fine line between being funny and not being professional, but the premise here is that - this is me, an actual person. Sometimes I'll throw in a joke, but either way, I'll always see to your interests. Secondly, **it's short**. People are busy and no one likes a long email especially if it doesn't have to be long. Third, **I'm asking for a favor**. It's not a demand or insisting they go to a website to fill out a long form. It's just one question. And while it's just one simple question, most people respond with fairly long answers. They'll tell me why they signed up (what posts they read for example) and tell me about their problems (I'm just getting started in UX and want to learn more, I've just been promoted to UX Lead and not sure what that means). I'm also giving them an idea of the amount of emails I'll send - it also states one email every two weeks when they sign up. The opening rate for the first onboarding email is over 80% and, after one week, I follow up with another email. I'm not going to post that one here, so you'll have to sign up to see it! ## Companies that "get it" Some companies completely get this. I wanted to highlight some of my favorites: - Gosquared (no onboarding sequence) - Their weekly email is one of the few link emails that I'll allow to go straight to my inbox. - Paul Jarvis - Master of email. It's no coincidence that Paul, whose list has 15,000+ subscribers and who created the email marketing class, Chimp Essentials, has thought these things through. - Val Geisler - I've followed Val on twitter for some time and she's always sharing awesome email tips. Her own onboarding email is funny and she lists #5 things that you probably didn't know about her. The 5th one being that she's on a mission to share what works and what doesn't in email marketing and she wants to share that with a list of 10,000 subscribers. It strikes a great balance between being personal and professional. What are you favorite email newsletters? Do they all end up directly in your inbox? ## UX in email is more than wireframes As you can see, creating a great user experience is a lot more than just designing wireframes, creating an information architecture, or even doing user journeys — it's everywhere and everything where your user could be interacting with you. So if email provides a channel that's direct, personal, and where they specifically asked for us to contact them - why don't we give this medium more love? Let me know (through email!) if you want to discuss email marketing with me. I'm always willing to share my knowledge and learn from you too!

Ad Age 2019 A-List no. 6: Work & CO

Anton Sten — Tue, 10 Sep 2019 00:00:00 GMT

Work and Co's inclusion in Ad Age's 2019 A-List.

Ad Age 2019 A-List no. 6: Work & CO

Anton Sten — Tue, 10 Sep 2019 00:00:00 GMT

Work and Co's inclusion in Ad Age's 2019 A-List.

Apple VP Nick Law: creative agencies must learn new capabilities or they're f*cked

Anton Sten — Tue, 10 Sep 2019 00:00:00 GMT

Apple VP Nick Law's warning to creative agencies about adapting to new capabilities.

Learning UX From The Real World

Anton Sten — Tue, 24 Sep 2019 00:00:00 GMT

One of the most recurring questions I get from people just starting out in the UX field is if I have any tips for getting started in UX design. _What books do you recommend? What should I do to get started? How can I get in the mindset of creating better user experiences?_ While they are all completely valid and reasonable questions, the truth is I really don't have a good answer. I'm happy to give out advice (and, I have) but, personally, I approach it in a very different way. As anyone who even knows me remotely know, I'm a sucker for traveling and visiting great hotels. Why? Because these establishments have perfected the customer experience - which is not that different from a digital user experience. So the way I tend to think about user experiences and how they can be perfected is by looking for inspiration in the real world and applying it. ## Reducing friction One of the core things that we look to UX design to help solve is reducing friction. This can be anything from reducing steps during a flow, like a signup or checkout process, to communicating more clearly during a critical action, like deleting something or making a purchase. Well for anyone that's ever traveled, you know that everything from booking your trip to being at the airport, flying and checking in to your hotel can be packed with friction. So where better to study how companies can reduce friction than by experiencing it in real life? The experience doesn't start when you're entering the hotel or even when you're flying out. No, the experience starts when you're booking the trip. That's the first touch. So if all hotels are supposedly 'unique experiences' why does all of their websites look and act the same? I have a couple of select hotels that I visit on an annual basis. During a recent stay at one of these hotels, they told me when I checked in that they have all my information on file already so there's no need for me fill anything out. The next morning, I found the Wall Street Journal outside my door, they had my wife's allergies written down when we visited their restaurant, and the invoice was emailed to me before I had even left the grounds! Needless to say, it was a great frictionless experience. The benefit of the staff not having to ask these repeating questions is that they can talk to me about more fun stuff, like plans for the day and getting to know me and my preferences even better for my next visit! Now compare this to another hotel experience - a hotel that even touts itself to be "like staying at a friends' house" even. Now while the service is really friendly they still occasionally ask me if it's my first time visiting even though I've stayed there five or six times. Such a simple thing to get right with good data keeping, yet so many hotels (and apps!) get these simple things wrong. There's that saying "success is 80% showing up". For an app or a website, I believe the saying should be "success is 90% getting the basics right". Whenever I do UX reviews of apps or websites (you can hire me to do this), one of the most common responses I get afterwards is that they can't believe how they missed all of these basics. We rarely talk about how difficult simple experiences are to create. > "Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it's worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains."**Steve Jobs** ## Keeping it simple and clear Something very weird is happening on the pizza scene where I live. Basically, there are two different kinds of pizzerias. There's the kind that made the menu include every possible option, just like the pizzeria near where I live which menu currently includes no less than 102 (that's one hundred and two!) different pizzas. For some reason though, I still have to make a custom order my pizza every time! The other version is the complete opposite, they are usually a bit fancier and their menu will have no more than four options. And you know what? Limited choices makes it far easier to make a decision. The same thing applies to design. In fact, here's something that I wrote in a client's UX strategy years ago and apparently you can apply it to pizza menus too! > Limit options. The time it takes to make a decision increases with the number and complexity of choices. More choices results in longer to think about these choices and make a decision. Simplify choices for the user to ensure by breaking complex tasks into smaller steps. Avoid overwhelming users by highlighting recommended options. ## The beauty of white space Designers love to talk about the importance of white space, but what's the right balance? And more importantly, how do you discuss white space with clients that want to get as much information per square pixel as possible? One of the thing that all great cities have in common is nature - whether it's in the form of parks, actual forest areas, or the sea. I like to think that white space is just like the relationship between commercial buildings and parks. A city with just commercial and residential buildings is boring. It's proven that people living in cities with access to green space actually feel a lot better. But if there are too many parks and green spaces, well, it's not really a city is it? !Aerial photo of Central Park by Jermaine Ee through Unsplash ## What do you use to think about experiences? So while books, podcasts, and conferences can be great for finding new ways of tackling the UX problems we face in our daily work, why not try to think about how the rest of the world faces these same sort of issues and how they solve them. I think you'll be surprised at how much inspiration you can find in the most surprising places if you only open your mind to it!

Leave the Phone at Home

Anton Sten — Wed, 25 Sep 2019 00:00:00 GMT

>Buying things is more fun than running, which is why I convinced myself that an Apple Watch was the perfect inspiration to get back into my trainers. It is now a few months on—I’m still not running regularly, but the watch provided a different and unexpected benefit. I can now leave the house without my phone and still maintain a line of connection to the world with messages, email, and maps. It is freeing. I have no social media on the watch, so no snares in which to get stuck in idle moments. It’s a tremendous relief to be free of the drag of demented global consciousness, and I predict that many others will find the appeal of this situation.**Leave the Phone at Home** I have just got my hands on an all-new iPhone 11 Pro but this makes me really wanting the Apple Watch.

Finding Your Professional Path

Anton Sten — Tue, 08 Oct 2019 00:00:00 GMT

_This is a write-up of a keynote I held at Hyper Island on October 4 for the students of the Digital Media Program on the topic of Professional Paths - e.g. reflections and discussions around choosing a career. Questions and discussions are removed for clarity._ ## Introduction Life is full of questions. One of the most important questions is, what will you spend your life doing? If you think I'm joking, maybe taking all of this a bit too seriously, I'll let you in on a secret, I am. Over the course of your career, you're likely to changes jobs, companies, personal and professional interests tens of times. What you spend your life doing is important because you will - most likely - spend a lot of your time on this earth doing work. Thinking ever further, who you spend your time with and what you do with that time, are equally important questions. Life is a journey that we are embarking on, today, and we'll start with these three things. 1. The Digital Industry – Past, present, and what I think is the future. For a younger-aged industry, it has changed a lot over the course of time and will likely change even more going forward. 2. Evolution of Roles - I want to tell you about my career up until today. As someone who's been employed, managed people, been let go, let people go, freelanced, worked as an in-house consultant, worked in offices and remotely, supported one-person companies and massive corporations to boot, I have a decent amount of insight to share. 3. Your Role – Let's have a conversation. I want to learn about you, your interests, and discuss your role within the digital industry. While it's likely you'll change your career many times, having a plan is a good idea. ## The Digital Industry We are embarking on a very young industry. The digital industry - even if you include CD-ROM's, is just a baby, perhaps better stated, an embryo. Depending on how you 'slice the cake' it's an industry that's roughly 25-35 years old. Compared to industries such as industrial design, which originated in the 17th century, or design and branding, whose practices date back to 2700BC, it's no wonder that we're all occasionally confused about the roles and purpose of what we're doing in the digital industry. So, if you're feeling insecure about the digital industry, find comfort in the fact that this is the beginning for all of us. While I may have 20 years of experience creating digital products, the industry as a whole is a baby, and to be honest, so are we. Even though babies scream, and for lack of better words, shit themselves, they are also full of life and energy, and are eager to learn. The digital industry is no different. You find yourself here today, attending Hyper Island, because you too will learn to walk alongside us in this new age of technology. With all of the amazing opportunities to try new things, explore and create, you can become a part of the journey. In the past 20 years since I've graduated from Hyper Island, the journey has been remarkable. Back then, things were quite different from what they are today. ## Evolution of roles In August 2002, I began working as a designer at an agency in Stockholm, called Projector. Our business designed, managed and developed corporate and campaign websites, either in Flash (now outdated), or just plain HTML. This was 10 years before there was any discussion about Responsive Design. At this point, a typical project was run by three to four people at best. There was a designer (me), a project manager, a developer, and for bigger projects we added a copywriter. For the biggest projects, there would be multiple people with the same role (two designers, two developers, etc). So the typical project was the following equation: Designer + Project Manager + Developer = Product Fast forward to today, and each role has expanded into niched variations, each of which with their own niched variation, of a niched variation. You get the point. Today, a designer can be an Information Architect, UX Designer, UI Designer, Product Designer, Design Director, Art Director, Senior Art Director, Creative Director, Executive Creative Director, Content Designer, Design Researcher, Design Ops, Motion Designer, Design Lead, UX Lead, Design Manager, Design Producer, Graphic Designer, iOS Designer, and Visual Designer...

2005: I'm a web designer
2009: I'm a UI designer
2011: I'm a UX designer
2014: I'm a product designer
2021: I'm an experience sommelier
— 🎃 Tomb Frighten 💀 (@tomcreighton) May 31, 2017

We see this trend in other roles as well. For example, the role of developer has evolved into one of the most sought-after jobs in the industry, I call it, "THE FULLSTACK DEVELOPER." Funny, how developers were all over the place a decade ago, but now to keep up, people in the industry need to understand the differences between a front-end and a back-end developer, if the developer focuses on Ruby on Rails, Javascript or PHP, and if the developer works primarily with Web, Android or iOS. What was a developer is now an engineer. !Future of Roles All of these roles will continue to expand into new territories as we're moving into new digital arenas. Apple, Amazon, Google and Facebook are all betting big on voice assistants, so we'll soon see more job postings for designers for voice-enabled personal assistants and developers for AI-powered micro-banking. As digital becomes a core market for more and more companies, it's not just agencies (and freelancers) that needs these skills - every company will need them. In fact, most of my friends that work in digital are no longer employed by agencies but by banks, magazines, insurance companies, and retail. Digital will no longer be a separate area within these companies; it will be the core. ## Your role - What are you interested in? As the number of roles and titles will only continue to grow, it can be overwhelming to even start to think about what kind of work you should be looking for - or aiming towards. If we're talking about the journey, this is the start. I encourage you to use the time at Hyper Island to try everything. I know from my own time at Hyper Island that I got really tired of hearing "this is the time in life to try everything", which is what I just told you to do, but once you're employed, you'll miss the freedom of this time in your life. Much to everyone's surprise, I wish that I'd experimented more with different things. !Intersection of what you're good at, what you enjoy and where you can create value > I think you wanna look for the intersection of what you're good at, what you enjoy and what way you can create a value for the world. And in my experience, if you don't find something at the intersection of those three, it's hard to really have an impact. I think most people kind of just fall into what they work on. They don't give it much thought and there is benefit to that. Sometimes you actually have to just try stuff to figure out what you like. But I really do think it is worth upfront thought about what you're going to spend most of your waking time doing.**Sam Altman** Let's say that you are good at programming. While you may not deeply enjoy doing it, you may enjoy the process of solving technical problems through developing software. If there's a market need for this, you have all the ingredients you need for a successful career. You might really love writing poems, but maybe there's not enough interest in your poems for people to pay for them. That's ok, you can continue to be a poet on the side. The power of Hyper Island is the talent in your class. While Jessica doesn't know Sketch or Figma, Johanna does. Björn doesn't know how to write CSS, but fortunately Emma is a killer at it. Set up your own workshops and learn from each other outside of the curriculum. Regardless of what career you end up choosing, you'll work with people (or super smart AI robots) - so working together and teaching co-workers are two crucial skills you can use to grow. Okay, so you have an idea of what you're interested in, that's great. Now it's time to specialize. Here's what my friend Dan Mall thinks: > Try to become an expert at something that nobody else is good at. If you try to become Java Script expert, well there are many Java Script experts that exist. > That's going to be a hard path for you to traverse. > But if you could become the Java Script expert for travel sites, maybe none of that exist as much. Think about narrowing your positioning and finding that expertise within a niche.**Dan Mall** > — Further supported by Sam Altman: > Most people understand that companies are more valuable if they are difficult to compete with. This is important, and obviously true. But this holds true for you as an individual as well. If what you do can be done by someone else, it eventually will be, and for less money.The best way to become difficult to compete with is to build up leverage. For example, you can do it with personal relationships, by building a strong personal brand, or by getting good at the intersection of multiple different fields. There are many other strategies, but you have to figure out some way to do it. > Most people do whatever most people they hang out with do. This mimetic behavior is usually a mistake—if you're doing the same thing everyone else is doing, you will not be hard to compete with.**Sam Altman** I encourage you to use this time to build crazy stuff, and use online communities, like Makerpad, to understand how things work. Then, make a plan. It doesn't have to be for the rest of your life, but if you're just going from one thing to another, it'll be hard to grow your work into a career. That being said, let me tell you a couple of things about my career leading up to today. # My Background Not long ago, planning your professional path was pretty easy. Basically you got a degree, hopefully got a job that you did not hate and for the rest of your life, went to the office and sat behind a desk. Today, this scenario has become somewhat more nuanced. Within the digital field, you'll find everything from individual consultants charging premium rates, to freelancers utilizing websites like Upwork and Fiverrrr. More and more companies, such as Basecamp, Buffer and Invision (who are 800+ employees, all remote) are recognizing the benefits of a remote workforce. Before we head into the pros and cons of remote working, let's back up to 1999, before the new digital age, when I had only heard of this place in the south of Sweden called Hyper Island. My family got our first desktop PC sometime in the mid-90's. While I primarily used it to play Captain Keen and UFO Enemy Unknown, I also started playing out with Photoshop. I hung out in a lot of online chat communities (IRC) and got into the hardcore / straight edge music scene. Within the scene, there's a strong DYI culture so making flyers for shows, writing and designing a fanzine and even creating custom covers for mixtapes (you guys must think I'm a 100 years old now) was all a given so learning Photoshop through my passion was effortless. In 1997, if you knew Photoshop and the basics of HTML (in fact, there wasn't anything besides basic HTML at that point) you were essentially a web designer. Through some connections, I managed to get a couple of jobs designing websites for companies when I was still in high school, but I had my eyes set on Hyper Island. As soon as I had finished high school I applied and was luckily accepted (I didn't really have a backup plan). Back then, Hyper Island was just 45 people and Karlskrona. With all of the changes I've seen coming back year after year, I can say that many things are still the same, namely, the culture, the ambition and the human nature of learning through experimentation and exploration. From 2000 to 2002, I attended Hyper Island, completed an internship in London, and met my wife-to-be (making my decision to attend Hyper Island the most important in my life). Following graduation we decided to move to Stockholm during a difficult time for the job market. Just a year after the 'dot-com' bubble burst, I managed to find a job in an agency as a designer. For the next six years I moved around, working at three different agencies – one smaller, one medium-sized, and one network agency (BBDO). My professional moves were never a conscious choice but looking back on it, the dots line up. In 2008 my wife and I moved to the south of Sweden and I started working for another large agency in Copenhagen (Bates Y&R). About two years in, I wanted to do something else. I had always dreamt about running my own agency, so in 2009, I decided to start working for myself. At the beginning of my solo-career, I thought that working by myself would be temporary, expecting that one day, I'd begin to hire people and eventually build an agency just like the ones I had worked at. Of course, the difference being that mine would be so much better; no more office drama, no more bureaucracy, just fun work! Coming from a family of business owners, my views on business ownership were taught to me at a very young age. It was expected that I would follow this same path, differently of course, but the same. My parents both built companies with a traditional model that accomplished goals with the help of employees and led to professional successes. As their son, I believed that it was only a matter of time before my business would follow suit. As the years passed by, I realized that I kept coming up with excuses as to why it wasn't time to grow my staff. Subconsciously, I was inching away from the traditional way of doing business and eventually realized that I had absolutely no desire to hire anyone, ever. As a freelancer, I can be my own boss and not have to be anyone else's. I am not responsible for anyone's income. This frees me to make decisions quickly. I can work from anywhere, and can even choose if I want to work today! This is something I truly love. Staying small is the choice I've made and it allows me to be flexible. > "Being small is nothing to be insecure or ashamed about. Small is great. Small is independence. Small is opportunity. Celebrate it…It's truly to your advantage."**Jason Fried** If I were only allowed to give you one piece of advice it would be this... Be open to change. What you think your future holds for you could be very different than how it will actually pan out. And that's ok. Follow the flow, don't try to swim upstream. That said, freelancing is at times... is a struggle.

Freelancing in a nutshell:

how am I going to pay my bills I don't have enough wo-OH GOD TOO MUCH WORK HELP
— Kelly Vaughn 🐞 (@kvlly) September 11, 2019

I still struggle with the ups and downs of freelance work. It is so rare to have "the right amount of work" even after having a 10-year streak of profitable years in business. Honestly, I still freak out about every six months. Luckily, the choice I made to attend Hyper Island and the life partner I found there help in those situations. The freedom I have in running my own company also comes with a ton of anxiety about whether or not I'll be able to stay in business. I revel in being able to work remotely, but I miss having colleagues. Working on shorter term projects is a lot of fun - starting something new always is - but that means I need to find new projects more often. Simply put, every choice made comes with consequences and understanding them and their impact to you will help you make the right decisions. If you want that Creative Director title, understand that there will be things that you need to give up. > People want to start their own business or become financially independent. But you don't end up a successful entrepreneur unless you find a way to appreciate the risk, the uncertainty, the repeated failures, and working insane hours on something you have no idea whether will be successful or not. > Who you are is defined by the values you are willing to struggle for. People who enjoy the struggles of a gym are the ones who get in good shape. People who enjoy long workweeks and the politics of the corporate ladder are the ones who move up it. People who enjoy the stresses and uncertainty of the starving artist lifestyle are ultimately the ones who live it and make it.

> This is the most simple and basic component of life: our struggles determine our successes. So choose your struggles wisely, my friend.**Mark Manson - The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck** Whatever type of work you choose, no matter how or why you chose it, there will be pros and cons. You'll have to learn to enjoy the struggles, combat the anxiety and stress, and focus on the WHY you are doing it. To generalize a bit, the generation before me all hated their jobs. It was a necessary evil to get paid, end of story. Now the kids today seem to think that a job is something that should be fun and a unique experience at all times. The truth, however, is somewhere in the middle. A job CAN be fun and an experience, but it's probably not going to be that way everyday. Sometimes work is just work. > It's difficult to do a great job on work you don't care about. And it's hard to be totally happy/fulfilled in life if you don't like what you do for your work. Work very hard—a surprising number of people will be offended that you choose to work hard—but not so hard that the rest of your life passes you by. Aim to be the best in the world at whatever you do professionally. Even if you miss, you'll probably end up in a pretty good place. Figure out your own productivity system—don't waste time being unorganised, working at suboptimal times, etc. Don't be afraid to take some career risks, especially early on. Most people pick their career fairly randomly—really think hard about what you like, what fields are going to be successful, and try to talk to people in those fields.**The days are long but the decades are short** This quote brings up something that is near to me. You see, I don't spend as much time thinking about how to excel at my work as I do about how I can work better, how I can improve my process. I realized early in my career that I am not the best designer. I think I'm a good designer, but there are a ton of those out there. What I'm great at is communicating with clients, setting expectations, and running a tight ship. This means I keep my promises and give my all. This mindset applies people in every industry. Here's my hero, Jürgen Klopp (manager of Liverpool FC): > "I'm old enough to know that I give this job everything. I'm not a genius, I'm not perfect, but I give the club 100 per cent. If that's enough, great. If it's not, then it's just the problem of the situation." > **Jürgen Klopp** Likewise, being a good human who is dedicated to their journey will get you where you need to go. No matter your career path, whoever you work for, your skills as a designer, developer, or something else, it all means nothing if you don't carry that drive to be the best human you can be. If you ever find yourself in a place where your skills are valued more than you as a person, perhaps it's time to consider if this is where you should spend your time.

I've hired a few people in my time.

I've never been disappointed by hiring someone who is less technical but is a great human who cares for others.

I can teach tech pretty easily.

But boy have I seen people who are strong technical people with toxic attitudes destroy a team.
— Brian P. Hogan (@bphogan) September 15, 2019

## What story do you want people to tell? I choose to always speak in an open, personal, and professional manner whenever I'm talking to my clients. This tells my story, my promise to the client. It's important to always know what story you want to people to tell about you. You have to decide for yourself otherwise others will do it for you. Either way, a story will be told. Make sure it's in your favor. (I had a cut down version that ended after roughly 5 minutes) I think it's important to think about the word promise. It is a term that means you pledge to do, bring about, or provide something. In our case it's a statement you are making to your client on what they can expect of you. Mine is pretty simple, but it guides every business decision I make. _My Promise to My Clients:_ I promise that my clients will always get an agency-quality delivery while keeping communications positive and open-minded. My promise is not to be one of the best designers, but I'll deliver the best solution for them. I'll stay true to my promises, add value, and do it all without the bureaucracy or a buttoned-up personality. Looking at the things my clients tell me, it's seems like I'm succeeding with my promise! > Anton is a renaissance man. It's rare to find someone who can help in so many areas at such a thoughtful and high level of quality. Anton makes any team better.**Dan Mall** > Anton was thorough and a pleasure to work with. He's a great collaborator and partner to work through product solutions alongside. He does what he says and never misses a deadline, an unfortunate rarity these days that you don't have to worry about with Anton.**Travis Schmeisser** > I am enthused and impressed by how Anton chooses simplicity over complexity and keeps the design interesting, appealing and accessible. Furthermore, he is a humble and unassuming person that is a pleasure to work with.**Hubert Kjellberg** Humble and personal, deliver on time and a wide array of skills. So, what's your story? What's your promise? ## Planning Your Path So far I've told you a bit about my experiences regarding the industry, I've told you a bit about my background, looked at the pros and cons of being employed vs. running your own company and remote vs. on location, and talked about what struggles you're willing to accept in order to reach your goals. For this final section, I want to focus our attention even more on you and the future of our industry. But first, I want you to think if you're interested in a job, a career, or a calling. Let me clarify a bit: 1. Your *job* is what you do for money. It will be 9 to 5 and, eventually, you will be always awaiting for TGIF. Most people end up doing this for their entire lives. 2. Your *career* is a step above a job where you seek advancement both personally and professionally through promotion or other means. You could find a job that's also your passion. A professional soccer player is probably not playing for the paycheck alone, they're playing because they love the game. I do what I do because I love working with tech and understanding how users think (and because I hate poorly-designed websites!). 3. Your _calling_ is what what you would do even if you weren't financially compensated. It is intrinsically fulfilling to you. You don't care if it's Monday or Friday. It is something that "fills your cup". Think of a doctor working for Medecins Sans Frontieres or people working at homeless shelters... or better yet, think about Greta. !Greta Thunberg You're probably thinking something like "have I missed my calling?" or "I think I only have a job, not a career". Don't lose faith or feel bad. These aren't ranked in any order. Having a job can be a great thing as long as you have other things in life to lift you up. A career is wonderful if you are confident in your passion and want to grow with it. And a calling, well, that's not a prerequisite to having a great life. Honestly, would you all be sitting here if you knew your calling? No, you'd be out there making it happen! ## What kind of work do you want to do? The things you design will end up affecting millions of people's lives. Countless experiences will be created through the work of your hands. For this final chapter of the day, I think it's important to talk about the future of technology because you, yes YOU, are our future. > "We don't design just apps or websites, we design habits and social behaviour." > **Priya Prakash** We're in a dangerous moment in human history. Technology is advancing fast than ever before and that is shaping our social behavior. Ask yourself, have we considered the consequences fully? The companies developing these technologies are guided by profits (and rightfully so), but as designers, engineers, and managers, we need to take responsibility for the work we ship. Take as an example a feature introduced a year ago by Google, Google Duplex: The "person" calling to make the appointment isn't actually a person. It's a virtual assistant with a natural sounding voice that even has quirks like euhm and ahaa to make them sound more human. How could any really tell the difference if it wasn't announced?

Google Assistant making calls pretending to be human not only without disclosing that it's a bot, but adding "ummm" and "aaah" to deceive the human on the other end with the room cheering it... horrifying. Silicon Valley is ethically lost, rudderless and has not learned a thing.
— zeynep tufekci (@zeynep) May 9, 2018

When humans can't tell the difference between a machine and an actual human, what's next? Now we're seeing AI generated videos published by disreputable organizations spreading messaging that is meant to deceive. With as little effort as a click, these can be spread through Facebook, Google, and every other social platform to affect millions if not billions of people. We know how fast something like that can spread. A recent study finds that at least 70 countries have had disinformation campaigns through social media, (including Sweden) that affected elections. So, what does your moral compass tell you? Over the years, I've worked with many students at Hyper Island and, in some modules, with real clients. I've seen students who don't want to work with alcohol companies or energy drink vendors. I've seen others who don't have any issue with working with political parties or betting sites. And truth be told, there are those people who would work with Satan as long as the money or exposure is worth it. Again, I don't want you to think there are any rights or wrongs here. I wouldn't think bad of a person if they went to work for Facebook. I just want to challenge you, as designers, to think about where we stand and what change we want to see. The things we create, have consequences. > The combustion engine which is destroying our planet's atmosphere and rapidly making it inhospitable is working exactly as we designed it. Guns, which lead to so much death, work exactly as they're designed to work. And every time we "improve" their design, they get better at killing. Facebook's privacy settings, which have outed gay teens to their conservative parents, are working exactly as designed. Their "real names" initiative, which makes it easier for stalkers to re-find their victims, is working exactly as designed.**Mike Monteiro** !Our responsibility ## What's our responsibility? I think we can all agree that technology is exciting and inspiring. However, the old rule still applies: just because you can, doesn't mean you should. With the impact of tech on our daily lives growing strong every day, we are setting ourselves up for some challenges ahead. The shift is just starting. > In mature disciplines like law or medicine, we often see centuries of learning incorporated into the professional curriculum, with explicit requirements for ethical education. Now, that hardly stops ethical transgressions from happening—we can see deeply unethical people in positions of power today who went to top business schools that proudly tout their vaunted ethics programs. But that basic level of familiarity with ethical concerns gives those fields a broad fluency in the concepts of ethics so they can have informed conversations. And more importantly, it ensures that those who want to do the right thing and do their jobs in an ethical way have a firm foundation to build on. > But until the very recent backlash against some of the worst excesses of the tech world, there had been little progress in increasing the expectation of ethical education being incorporated into technical training. There are still very few programs aimed at upgrading the ethical knowledge of those who are already in the workforce; continuing education is largely focused on acquiring new technical skills rather than social ones. There's no silver-bullet solution to this issue; it's overly simplistic to think that simply bringing computer scientists into closer collaboration with liberal arts majors will significantly address these ethics concerns. But it is clear that technologists will have to rapidly become fluent in ethical concerns if they want to continue to have the widespread public support that they currently enjoy.**12 THINGS EVERYONE SHOULD UNDERSTAND ABOUT TECH**

UX doesn't end at the edges of the screen. Every decision we make can potentially have a negative or positive impact on people's lives. We must wield this craft responsibly w/ our ultimate aim being to help this & future generations live more meaningful lives beyond the screen.
— Nick Finck (@nickf) September 6, 2019

## Exercise: Why, How, What Simon Sinek, author of "Start with Why", designed a great exercise for communicating more purposefully. You see, when we spend time thinking of solutions to problems, we tend to think about 'What' and 'How' first. However, we need to consider the 'Why' before all other things and this is the incredibly difficult to fully understand and get right. I like Simon's approach of starting with 'Why'. Here's a brief rundown of how it works: - Looking at the outer circle, your 'What' is what you do. This could be as vague as 'a developer' or as specific as 'a freelance PHP developer'. If you haven't yet decided what you do quite yet, you at least know what you WANT to do. - The next ring in is a little trickier. 'How' is what you do that sets you apart from your competition. This is what makes you unique. It could be that you work exclusively with travel sites or specialize in UX driven, simplified solutions. Now, it's ok to not know what this is for you yet as defining your self and communicating it is a learned skill. - At the center is your 'Why'. Call it whatever you want - purpose, cause, reason - but it is the core of what you do and who you are. Be very careful not to confuse your 'Why' with the need to make money. That is the RESULT of your understanding your 'Why' and executing your 'What' through your 'How'. Take a look at Simon Sinek as he explains in more detail how this works: Now, let's think about what your 'Why', 'What', 'How's' are. Take this time to think about what story you want people to tell and _why_ you want them to tell that story. > The two most important days of your life are the day you are born and the day you figure out why.**Mark Twain** So to wrap up, here are three things for you to think about: 1. Try a bunch of different things to know what _you enjoy._ Only when you know what you enjoy doing, you can become truly great at it. 2. Understand _why_ you want to work. 3. Define _your story._ Regardless if you're running your own company or getting hired, you'll have to sell yourself. Someone will have to choose to pay you for the work you're doing, so make it supereasy for anyone to understand. > Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it.\* > **Steve Jobs** Thank you for your time.

The Hot Potato Process

Anton Sten — Wed, 16 Oct 2019 00:00:00 GMT

>The big misconception I’ve seen designers and developers often fall victim to is believing that handoff goes one way. Designers hand off comps to developers and think their work is done. That puts a lot of pressure on the designer to get everything perfect in one pass.

Instead, great collaboration follows what Brad Frost and I call “The Hot Potato Process,” where ideas are passed quickly back and forth from designer to developer and back to designer then back to developer for the entirety of a product creation cycle.**The Hot Potato Process** When I've had the honour of working with Dan, even as a designer, we sent stuff back and forward quite a bit and there was never this need to feel that something was 'more or less done' before passing it over. Instead, really rough ideas were sent back and iterated on. It's a process I really enjoyed and I can only imagine the difference in both process and output when it's between designer and developer.

Choosing simple over complex

Anton Sten — Mon, 21 Oct 2019 00:00:00 GMT

Here's a couple of random things that I've been thinking about lately: Often when I talk to businesses, I highlight the importance of focus. However, when looking at my own business I can see how easy it is to become influenced through what *everyone else is doing*. It can be a good thing (like when I decided to write a book because I had enjoyed the books Paul Jarvis had written and self-published), but then there are cases when looking too hard at other's accomplishments can guide you away from your true passion. For example, I thought a while ago that along with my consulting and blog writing I should also sell products. In order to sell these products, I needed other things to support them like free email courses which then needed fancy email marketing tools where you can do automations and segmenting and sequencing and... phew. Just like that, having a simple course to share knowledge became a part-time job. Almost exactly a year ago I was in a similar position and decided that taking a break was my best choice. Today I think it's time to rethink the purpose of all of this. I've already started the process of moving my newsletter from Convertkit to a free service with far less features, Buttondown. Much like when mobile phones turned into smartphones, I'm struggling to use just the basics. One perk of this move is that there's finally an option to archive (almost) all of my past newsletters! Here's what Frank Chimero said when I asked him about Buttondown: > It’s straight-up: type some markup and email it to people, which is what I need. Mailchimp was overkill. So you can expect less A/B-tested subject lines sent on optimal times tailored directly to your preferences and more of these personal updates. Instead, I'll opt-in to the fact that I'm professional because I'm personal - something I wrote nearly four years ago and is still true today. I want the newsletter, and my business, to be more personal. Less 'push' and more 'dialogue'.

Interview with Cap Watkins

Anton Sten — Thu, 24 Oct 2019 00:00:00 GMT

>What do most new leaders get wrong?

They try to control the outcomes directly at a very low-level, rather than set up principles and structures so that people can make good decisions on their own that, taken together, are congruous with other decisions being made across the team. Basically, you have to find ways to scale yourself and your vision for the team without it all relying on you being present for every decision.**Interview with Cap Watkins** This highlights perfectly why I often start with a UX Strategy. A great team is formed when everyone has the same goal and everyone has confidence to make decisions based on a common strategy.

Why Designers Need To Speak Business

Anton Sten — Mon, 04 Nov 2019 00:00:00 GMT

One of the most rewarding things with having a newsletter is getting insight into your subscribers every day lives. People will reply to my onboarding email and tell me why they signed up - and usually a bit about what they're hoping to get out of it. Occasionally, some will also email me questions about how to tackle something in their professional life. Similar to going to places like Hyper Island to talk about user experiences and choosing professional path, I love getting questions from subscribers regarding situations they've encountered in their professional lives. Getting insight into other's daily lives makes it obvious to me that, one way or another, most of us actually share the same kind of problems. Sharing these experiences, makes tackling the situations easier. Don't get me wrong, there's a lot to be said about using forums like design twitter, it's also important to remember that a lot of value comes from simple conversations with others. I consider it a privilege to be able to help and I can't thank the people that have helped me along the way enough. A couple of weeks ago, I got an email from Johan (published with his consent): _Hi Anton,

Thanks for another great straight forward e-mail! I really like your writing style and all the subjects you share.

What I would love to know more about is probably the UX design and business aspect. Today I experienced something where it would be nice to have an example on or a person like you on my side. So here it goes:

I just started (3 weeks and counting) working as a UX Designer in a new automotive e-commerce focussed company. Although I was first focussed on visual design I like to develop myself more into UX design. So I'm still learning, but what I mostly fail at is the business part. Today my opinion was asked on a search element on a new landing page. It was not clear, not user-friendly and designed by someone with zero design skills. The visual designer asked me what would work better. First of all I had no briefing at all and dropped in, so I asked what is the target group and why the desktop (full of icons) were different from mobile (dropdown). And why they didn't choose simple (what people who buy cars / rent cars are used to) but choose something 'fancy'. Even though I had strong arguments, they didn't followed my opinion because still, the manager of the department, liked the fancy part more. Unfortunately AB testing is something I have to set up, so I couldn't say "let's run a test..." but here I feel like failing, even though they hired me for this job.

Hopefully you can help!

Many thanks in advanced and keep your emails coming, although I'm not always replying doesn't mean I don't read them ;)

Kind regards,

Johan_ ## The bad news I already answered a shorter reply of this post, but I also felt it was important to discuss the topic on a more general level before diving in deeper. So Johan and the rest of you, first the bad stuff... Unfortunately, we live in world that values shiny, fancy things over useful things. One could even argue that most designers actively help in creating this mindset. While it's certainly not as bad as it used to be, we are still an industry that's very much focused on how things look rather than how they work - or even *if* they work! If they have to choose between something that *could* work that looks nice and another that *will* work without all the fancy stuff, they'll pick the option that appears to have less risk. Who knows, maybe the fancy version also works! If you're arguing against the fancy options, you need to come prepared with strong arguments. Not having all of the context and background information to design choices is a battle you'll have to be ready to fight as a designer within any organization. ## Understanding stakeholders Fortunately for Johan and the rest of us, there's hope! You see, arguing for design choices isn't really a battle, it's strategy. Rather than fighting option A against option B, what if you could have a strategy that trumps every fancy drop shadow? The key to getting your message across goes beyond understanding your customers and ends up with having a strong understanding of those allowing you to do the work that *actually* reaches your customers. Knowing what drives your manager and stakeholders is vital. Without them on your side, you'll end up working on things that may never see the light. So if your manager loves financial results or any other KPI, once you possess that knowledge, you'll have a better understanding on what you need to pay attention to in order to successfully navigate within your organization. The best way to understanding and reaching managers? Learn how to speak business. ## Why designers need to speak business I've argued that designers need to write and one of the main reasons *why* is actually to come across as clearly and thoughtfully as possible to - you guessed it - managers and stakeholders. >Business and design are separate planets, and this needs to change. We have a translation problem.**Erika Hall** Design is still a young industry and it's limited to certain areas. Whereas business and financials, they are literally everywhere. It's obvious that if we as designers want a change, we'll need to understand this other way of thinking rather than demanding that they should listen to - and understand - us. We'll go on about white space, jam stacks and design systems, but... They. Don't. Care. >The user experience design community is a wonderful place, full of very clever people, but as a discipline, it's fair to say is still not fully matured. The fact we're still rabidly debating how we describe ourselves is a sign of how far we have to go.**Your designers should learn to speak business** ## Speaking business 101 Unfortunately you can't just pull out that beautifully designed Duolingo app and take a crash course in speaking business - it's not even an option in Google Translate. While I personally saw value in actually taking business classes, you don't really need to go that far. There's a couple of much easier things you can do to get started! **Literally use business terminology.**
Our industry loves coining terms. Just try talking about design in the way you do to colleagues with your parents and chances are they won't even know what language you're speaking. So while it might seem obvious to use more common words when talking to someone outside of the field, many designers will use design terminology in meetings to highlight the fact that they work with design. >If your organisation is revenue driven try using phrases replacing phrases like 'inconsistencies' with 'design debt' to describe the situation. People in revenue hate debt.

Or if your company is fixated with improving operations and efficiency, why not try switching terms like 'rubbish copy' with 'content overhead'. Nobody working in operations wants to be that person who increased overheads.

Mentioned this in a few talks recently. Here are some notes I made on translating UX terms in to business terms for greater impact.
The phrases that work will be different in each org, but I would love to hear anyone elses ideas
(cc @sgolubev @yandle ) pic.twitter.com/Ek95jdj9iM
— Martyn Reding (@martynreding) March 11, 2019

**Understand their true end goal**
The end goal is to going to be to sell products, be it cars, SaaS subscriptions, or anything else that your company produces. But sometimes, combined with sales, stakeholders will look at creating measurable subsets - recurring revenue products, newsletter signups, or brand awareness and likability. Whatever their goal is, it's your job as a designer to understand it fully and adapt your design to it. A design that only can do one thing is not dynamic enough to age gracefully. Instead of asking what users prefer in terms of the location of the search bar for instance, discuss the financial impacts of moving it. This requires more knowledge and a deeper understanding of the problem, but it's also what will help you get their attention. While both you and I know that what users prefer and financial impacts may not be closely related, it's all about the framing and talking about it from their perspective. >Being the outsider is cool for short bursts of energy, but deeper changes come from connecting to the heart of an organisation.**Your designers should learn to speak business** ## What's on your mind? Would love to hear more about what's on your mind and if there's a specific question that you've been thinking about.

How to Have a Successful UX Career at Google (or Anywhere Else)

Anton Sten — Thu, 14 Nov 2019 00:00:00 GMT

>Upping your vocabulary and understanding of basic business and product terminology is another fairly simple way of being able to speak shark. Get familiar with business metrics like KPI, sales revenue, net profit margin, gross margin, customer lifetime value, and product metrics like daily/monthly active users (DAU, MAU), churn rate, conversion rate, engagement etc.**How to Have a Successful UX Career at Google (Or Anywhere Else)** YES.

Tool tips: How our design team switched to Figma

Anton Sten — Thu, 14 Nov 2019 00:00:00 GMT

>When Figma initially marketed themselves as the first collaborative design tool, I asked myself: “Why would I need that? Why would I want some manager to poke around my designs? Why would I need to work on a file simultaneously with another designer?”

It was only after the switch that I came to understand the value.

At Intercom, we do regular design critique sessions where designers get feedback on their work. The fact that multiple designers can jump into and inspect one file at the same time in Figma turned out to be a dramatic improvement for these sessions.

But it is when you start looping in engineers that the collaborative aspect of Figma truly shines. The very fact that the entire handover now happens with a single click on the “Share” button is amazing, a considerable improvement on the previous process.

Another benefit lies in how its commenting feature works – conducting design reviews and gathering feedback, looping in managers and content designers, even asking for support, Figma brought together all these various types of communication inside the tool, and it goes even further now with plugins. This opened a whole new world of possibilities.**Tool tips: How our design team switched to Figma** I'm currently working on two separate projects where most of the reviewing and discussions are in Figma and I absolutely love the experience. Engineers, managers and stake holders all comment on progress in Figma - and they always know exactly where to find the latest designs. No more: _here's something the team is working on but this isn't actually the latest design, can you send me an updated .png?_

The Enemy

Anton Sten — Mon, 18 Nov 2019 00:00:00 GMT

>I even received an email from my mailing list provider the other day that my welcome email had a higher rate of abuse complaints than they allow. This isn’t Mailchimp’s fault either—they’re looking out for the sender reputation of their service and their customers. The problem is that people are freely signing up for my list, getting my welcome email, disliking it for some reason, then marking it as spam (when it’s clearly not—spam is email you get without asking for it). It’s totally demoralizing, because my welcome email was something I was quite proud of, and has been talked about all over the internet as something unique and interesting. And, of course, I teach an online course about using Mailchimp... the irony here is not lost on me.

In the end, I axed: the silly tattoo story (which I felt was on-brand and truly me since I have a lot of tattoos), a single swear word I used (purposefully), toned down my voice and very clearly remind people of the specific URL they used to sign up to my list. The experience of signing up for my mailing list, my most valued part of my business, is now diminished because it has to be if it’s to keep existing. But it did bring my “spam” rate down to zero.**The Enemy** 😢 Paul's newsletter has remained as one of my favorites for years, he was the one who even introduced the concept of an onboarding email to me.

Will millions in funding ruin 1password?

Anton Sten — Mon, 18 Nov 2019 00:00:00 GMT

>Twitter was alive yesterday with drama, after 1Password raised a whopping $200 million in funding, breaking an independence streak of 14 years. Usually, funding announcements are met with a resounding meh, but the internet was divided on a single point: why is 1Password taking all this money, and isn't that bad in the long run for its users?

The disdain resonated with me for a single reason: tech companies, particularly those focused on consumers, that take a metric ton of cash from venture capitalists usually hunker down on growth at all costs, pivoting into new features and markets... when those customers were perfectly happy before.

It always seems that when a startup raises too much cash, or a company gets too big, it just can't resist adding random bloat. The infamous @DHH put it well on Twitter:

_Whenever I read about a software service I like hopping on the venture capital train to unicorn-ville, I fully expect them to go to shit. 1PW now need to beome a many billion dollar company OR DIE TRYING. That usually lead to desperate/shitty decisions._

It's easy to find evidence of this in companies that have previously had incredibly focused products, like 1Password, but ultimately pivoted away from their core competencies to justify their valuations. Dropbox is a prime example of this: the company recently pivoted to be more than a file sync service, instead offering a "work management utility" to help busy knowledge workers organize all of their digital things.

The overwhelming sentiment? The new Dropbox sucks, and the company has been railed for forcing users into using a bloated, feature-laden app they didn't actually ask for. Another example of this can be found in Google's rumored plan to offer banking in 2020, which prompted me to wonder: does every tech company need to do every damn thing?

1Password is good because it's focused, simple, and does the job very well, so taking on venture capital money does seem dubious. That's what makes the reaction to 1Password's fundraising so visceral: a worry that a huge blob of cash will lead the company to add new features, pursuing growth at all costs in markets that nobody really wanted them to be in anyway.**Will millions in funding ruin 1Password?** Sorry for the long quote but to be honest, I could have pasted the entire post, it's a great read by Owen. Choosing simple over complex still remains the holy grail (unfortunately).

Who’s listening?

Anton Sten — Mon, 02 Dec 2019 00:00:00 GMT

Most of the time, I'm unable to share the work I've done with companies or even talk about what was made because of rather lengthy NDA's. It's not odd of course, companies want to protect their upcoming features or processes as much as possible. Honestly, it has a lot to do with not letting freelancers get any of the glory either. Whether it's been Spotify, IKEA, or iZettle - bulletproof NDA's are the reason you don't find these case studies in my portfolio. This level of privacy is understandable. Getting into the outside world, the same level of secretive privacy-focused concerns remain in some areas. Look at the way public cameras are viewed currently. They are seen as an intrusion to our private lives. When it comes to our personal tech, we seem to lose all our morals as long as there's some new fancy feature to give us a quick buzz. We are all guilty of this to one degree or another. We fail to ask ourselves, "Who's watching?" and "Who's listening?". ## Who's watching? A while back, there was a huge buzz around the app Face App. What that app does is it takes a picture of you and then adds wrinkles to give you an idea of what you'll look like in 30 or so years. Funny right? Lots of people sure seem to think so given that the app has 800,000 reviews on the AppStore with a 4.7 rating. In 2017, it was reported to have around 80 million active users. But when it really comes down to it you just gave permission to a company you know nothing of to use your picture. A company that's specialized in face detection algorithms. To top it all off? It's a Russian company. >Shortly after the playful photo-transforming FaceApp went viral Wednesday as the most downloaded smartphone app in America, a nationwide panic began to set in: Who was this shadowy Russian tech firm everyone had been sending their photos to? And what did they want with millions of people’s faces? **Washington Post: Panic over Russian company’s FaceApp is a sign of new distrust of the Internet** Luckily with Face App, it seems like it wasn't any cause for alarm we think. The photos are all stored on American servers run by American companies (mostly Amazon) and there was no evidence found that the company has any ties to the Russian government - BUT neither did Cambridge Analytica and Facebook at first, so keep that in mind. ## Who's listening? While sharing our image with little thought can be scary, it's not just our faces that we are mindlessly sharing. People talking on their phones seem to forget that they're still in a public space. Even without eaves-dropping, I'm sure you've heard a lot of things that wasn't meant for public knowledge. Even worse, some people use the external speaker on the phone rather than the internal one, practically inviting everyone to hear both sides what's said.

It's amazing how many (actionable) company secrets you can overhear by just sitting in a public place for an hour. And we keep talking like "advanced IT security" is what's most important...
— Erik Bernskiöld (@ErikBernskiold) October 24, 2019

We're concerned about having our meetings "in private" while, at the same time, we keep filling these conference rooms with 'smart assistants' even though we all know better. >By now, the privacy threats posed by Amazon Alexa and Google Home are common knowledge. Workers for both companies routinely listen to audio of users—recordings of which can be kept forever. **Ars Technica: Alexa and Google Home abused to eavesdrop and phish passwords** So far these smart assistants have primarily been in our homes (still listening to private conversations, but of a different kind). That is changing though as Google is ready to roll out Smart Assistants for Work. It's weird how even though we all know that they listen in on way more than they should - we're still too focused on _new features:_ > Assistant is finally getting ready for work, and what's fascinating is coming to realize how compelling it could be for businesses that are already using Google's tools all day long, even at a basic level. In the near future, Assistant will be able to:
- Access work calendars, *finally*, on Assistant devices (provided your admin doesn't disable it)
- Jump *into* work meetings from Assistant devices by saying 'Hey Google, join my next meeting'
- Hangouts Meet hardware will allow voice commands as well, so you can say "Hey Google, end the meeting" or "turn on spoken feedback" to get accessibility features. **Charg.ed: Google Assistant goes to work** So in return for having to _click ONE BUTTON_ to join or end a call, we're willing to give away the contents of the entire meeting to Google? We're just not thinking this through... ## What does it take? I wouldn't describe myself as someone who's overly concerned about privacy. Years ago, I deleted my Facebook account, but it was more because of personal health issues than privacy concerns - I still have Instagram so... I AM amazed at how upset people were about the Facebook Analytica scandal, only to run straight to the next thing that's waiting to abuse your privacy. >Still, experts said, the FaceApp anxiety highlighted how quickly public attitudes about the Internet have changed amid a widespread reckoning over data privacy and election interference, with more people beginning to think twice about the personal data they freely give up — and the companies they decide to trust. **Washington Post: Panic over Russian company’s FaceApp is a sign of new distrust of the Internet** I agree that our concerns and awareness about privacy have grown, but if anything the FaceApp anxiety showcased just how we act as humans - a big dose of 'too little, too late'. There's almost no point to thinking twice about how much personal data you've given up and to what companies _after_ the fact. What's done is done and you're in damage control mode now. We're still find ourselves blinded by features and will not think of the consequences until afterwards, once buzz has settled. We praise Tesla for the always on-connectivity, but have little to no knowledge what they're tracking. We use Google and Facebook services on a daily basis even though we've seen the evidence over and over that the data is being misused for their own benefit. I believe it's our duty not only as designers to design better products, but also to raise awareness of the privacy concerns that some of these beloved products come with. With our united voice, perhaps we can begin to awaken the consumers to the danger they're in when they consider the feature before the intent of the product. Stay safe everyone and keep your data as private as you can.

Year in review: 2019

Anton Sten — Mon, 16 Dec 2019 00:00:00 GMT

As with previous years, I like to finish out the year by taking a look back. This gives me a moment to get some perspective on all my accomplishments and areas where I've grown. If you're interested, you can read my thoughts from the end of 2018 and 2017 as well. ## Projects & Work A large part of this year was dedicated to finishing up an internal tool at IKEA. I began working with them in June 2018 and stayed with the project all the way until the first launch in June 2019! It was a different experience for me to spend such a long time working on just one project. I'm really proud of the work we did at IKEA and it's unfortunate that I'm not able to share more of the work and the processes we used to create it. However, it did give me opportunities for reflection resulting in what it's like working as a UX Lead as well as how to create an UX strategy. During the summer, I began to feel that I wanted to move on and work with a diverse set of clients again. Around that time, I got back in touch with my friend Dan Mall who runs Superfriendly. As a coincidence, Dan was just looking for someone like me to join a project so the timing was perfect. I ended up working with Superfriendly for two months on a really cool project during the summer and even got to go to Boston and meet everyone. Again, I was reminded how important _who_ you're working with is. You can even say that it's more important than what the brand is or even what you're building. We're all people, after all. I loved the team at Superfriendly as well as the client - so much I got the chance to continue working with them in November. During the fall, I've worked with various startups on mostly different UX improvements and implementing smaller design systems. I recently started working with a really nice set of people based in the Philadelphia area, leading the UX and design for a coming SaaS. I've also been back to Hyper Island talking to students there about their career options and their goal timelines. I took the time to really walk them through the how, what, and when of choosing a career and how important intentional reflection is. You can find the summary in my post, Finding your Professional Path. The talk was 5+ hours so it was an intense (but fun!) day! Whenever I get the opportunity to invest in something I value, I go for it. Two years ago I invested in Hyper Island (with an additional investment this year). In fact, this year I bought a minority stake in the car service, The Car. The Car is a premium service that I've really enjoyed experiencing as a customer. They're different from Uber and regular taxis in many ways - they _only_ have electrical cars (Tesla X) and their drivers are _employed_ by the company _with_ benefits. I'm proud to say that I'm now also consulting for them, mainly to help them navigate the digital landscape. ## Website and newsletter My website is continuing to perform well and traffic is increasing (I know this isn't really anything besides a vanity metric, but hey - I like it). So in the spirit of transparency, my website visits for 2019 is an estimated 77.5k (at the time of writing, Dec 11, it's 72.8k). This is an 88% increase over 2018! My most popular post of 2019 was "Working as a UX Designer"" and the most popular page was actually the homepage, with credit going to being listed as one of the best UX Designer portfolios of 2019 (Thank you!). Something about my blog feels... different during the last year though. I've been struggling more and more to find things that I really want to write about - things that create value and meaning for an audience. But at the same time, I'm planning something much grander that I'll be able to tell you more about in a near future. People on my newsletter will be the first to know 😁. I was trying out a bunch of different tools for my newsletter in 2019. I started out with Mailchimp, transitioned to Convertkit for a couple of months only to change to Buttondown... and finally go back to Mailchimp. I'll try and stay with Mailchimp from now on... after all, someone once said that New Tools Don't Equal Productivity... 🤔 And unlike previous years, I'll be deploying an update to the design of my website in the coming weeks. My developer and I have found this rather nice way of working now. Basically I'll start off in Figma, then do some CSS changes to the current site - try out new fonts and colors in the browser. He'll then go on and create the templates and restructure the layout and finally I'll do minor tweaks. It feels nice being able to play a part in the coding process again. ## Personal 2019 has been a year of personal change for me. I've started therapy again and am working on being able to allow myself to do things _for me_ more often. I've previously struggled to raise my voice in certain settings and, while it's still super difficult, I think I'm getting better at this. I could not do this without the support of my family and friends. I've never been someone who's worked out regularly - and certainly not going to a gym. But for some reason in August, I decided to give it a go. And because I have people I work out _with,_ it's not just working out - it's a social thing. For someone who's mostly by himself in his office having meetings on Zoom or Slack, getting recurring physical time with friends is really nice. So since August I've been working out 3-5 mornings every week! I can hardly believe this myself as I'm typing it, but I really enjoy it and I've even made a habit of packing workout clothes for all of my trips too. This is something that's reflected in my yearly Spotify playlist too as most of the most played songs are from my workout playlist (don't judge). I've experienced some amazing travel during the year too - my wife and I've been to France multiple times and visited San Sebastian together with my parents too. I've been to Boston and later got to go to Toronto as well. We've also visited some of our favorite hotels in Sweden, Ett Hem in Stockholm and Wanås Slott. Waking up in Ramatuelle, France: !Waking up in Ramatuelle, France Also, I finally got the tattoos I've been thinking about for nearly 10 years! !You'll never walk alone ## 2020 At the end of 2018, I wrote: > I'm looking forward to 2019 in a way I've not experienced in some time. I'm doing some personal development as well that I've started to see some results from so I'm curious to how that will pan out. For some reason, I expect big things from 2020. I can see things more clearly now and I'm getting more prepared to achieve my goals. Professionally, I have something brewing in the back of my mind that I'm really excited about. Basically, it's something that has the potential to transition my business quite a bit. Just like previous years, I've decided not to send gifts to my clients and instead donated to Hand in Hand for the forth consecutive year. Hand in Hand helps women find a way out of poverty through entrepreneurship via access to micro loans, training, and market linkage. They are currently supporting women in Afghanistan, Cambodia, India, Kenya, Namibia, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe. I'm looking forward to talking to more of you in 2020. I hope all of you will get a chance to slow down this holiday season and spend time with the people that mean the most to you.

Smart people use simple words to make others feel smart.

Anton Sten — Tue, 14 Jan 2020 00:00:00 GMT

Effective communicators use accessible language to make others feel smart, not to showcase their own intelligence.

The great paradox of our time: everything is both better and worse than ever before

Anton Sten — Tue, 14 Jan 2020 00:00:00 GMT

>Our world is better off now than at any point in human history, but at the same time things have never been worse.

It's a contradiction that presents us with a seemingly unresolvable conundrum: the source of our progress has become the source of our downfall. Things are too good for us to change it all, yet too bad for us to leave anything as it is.

This is the great paradox of modern times.**The great paradox of our time: everything is both better and worse than ever before** I loved this piece but at the same time it left me wondering - hasn't this always been the case?

Accessibility drives aesthetics

Anton Sten — Wed, 15 Jan 2020 00:00:00 GMT

>Oftentimes, ableist people use this as an excuse to avoid designing for disabled people. That’s not what this rule is actually about. This rule is intended to focus on the most common user goals and scenarios. Take a pet supply online store, for example. If 80% of people want to buy pet food, we can de-prioritize the case where 20% of people want a treat tasting subscription service. But people should be able to buy pet food whether they are Blind, or Deaf, or have cerebral palsy, or have any kind of disability that requires accessibility.

Edge cases refer to scenarios, not humans.**Accessibility drives aesthetics**

How putting a price on speed helped one retailer increase mobile revenue in just 2 months

Anton Sten — Wed, 15 Jan 2020 00:00:00 GMT

>While Olsson himself was immediately sold by the idea, convincing K-Rauta’s internal stakeholders of the need for speed was less easy. “It’s difficult to connect speed with revenue, which understandably doesn’t sit well with most C-levels. I’ve learned that having a checklist or one-pager that stresses the importance of speed can do wonders – the key is keeping the information bite-sized, and focusing on product data and direct impact.”

...

Getting everyone on board wouldn't have been possible had K-Rauta not been able to calculate the value of speed. “Being able to illustrate that better site speed could lead to a 25% increase in sales made C-levels aware of business value, and showed developers the impact of low hanging fruit,” says Olsson. “To effectively roll-out a project this big, you need decision makers as well as technical experts. It’s this multi-level collaboration which has allowed us to work efficiently while keeping everything in-house.”**How putting a price on speed helped one retailer increase mobile revenue in just 2 months**

Redesign to learn

Anton Sten — Mon, 20 Jan 2020 00:00:00 GMT

If you're a frequent visitor of my website, you've probably noticed that there's a fresh coat of paint. And if you're truly a frequent visitor, you're probably aware that it's just 6 months since my last redesign which was a technical redesign rather than a visual one by switching from Jekyll to Gatsby. That redesigned focused on things I value, but might not be apparent at first glance - privacy, speed, accessibility, and security. This redesign, however, focuses more on the visuals. But it also got me thinking, why should we keep redesigning? ## Learn by doing Ever since attending Hyper Island back in 2000, I've been an avid fan of learning by doing. I love to read, but I've realized that I learn by doing, not by simply reading something. So redesigning my website has always been a way for me to learn new things. Even though I rely on Alexander Hansson to help me with the core development, I love fiddling with the site's CSS to get the sizes and spacing right. I love being able to try things on my own. I loved being able to take an active role in the development, which is something I rarely get to do in my 'real' work. > Learning by solving specific problems is probably the best way, because then you get to apply what you learn immediately through practice, so it won't become only theoretical knowledge, but a useful skill that you can use in the future too.**Case Study: Interview with Daniel Korpai** But even learning isn't the full picture. It's the obvious answer and it's surely part of the truth. When I read Frank Chimero's post Wants and Needs, things fell into place: > I've redesigned my site a lot in the last decade. A lot. Too much and too frequently, most certainly. The stated reason was to practice using new methods (trying CSS grid, taking a new typeface for a spin, and so on). But that isn't the full story. Too often, I'd redesign because I needed to feel capable at my job, which required a design challenge that wouldn't drive me nuts. The simplicity of redesigning my personal site became a way to hide from the crazy-making and humbling (humiliating?) complexity of systems design. The redesigns were a happy little bubble of sensibility and control, a way to practice and use technology at work without feeling trapped.**Wants and Needs** Because the work I usually do is complex, large, and filled with stake holders, redesigning my own website is limited, appropriately sized, and no one to answer to but myself. It's a way to feel a sense of control in a world that seems to be moving faster each day. Designers love to run multiple side projects and even though it's my business' primary marketing window, I still see it as a side project. It's a place where I can try things out and see what actually works. > Side projects make you the boss.
> "When you feel real ownership for a project, you become more confident in your decisions," says van Schneider. "You might change your plan and that's okay. You are always right when it's your project."**Why Side Projects Should be Stupid** !New website, who dis? ## What's new As an admirer of great user experiences, I love reading release notes and especially those that provide insights into why something was added, changed, or removed. Notion, that I'm writing this post in, features all of their release notes in a shared doc (a Notion doc!). My primary goal for this redesign was to make it more visual. While I still prefer a clean, minimalistic aesthetic it doesn't make sense for my website to look like Google Docs. There's a bit more color on the website now and solid blocks to clearly differentiate the elements. - I wanted a bit more attitude in the typography while still maintaining a great readability. So the main typeface is now Lyon, a beautiful and easy to read serif from Commercial Type. It's paired with Prachar from Indian Type Foundry. I love it's hand-written look and the boldness that comes with it being an all-caps font. - I also wanted to have a template design that would give me more flexibility compared to the one-column design that I had previously. With this 1/3 + 2/3 column grid, I can give elements hierarchy in a way that wasn't possible previously. It allows me to set image captions on some of the work in my portfolio and to break out testimonials much prominently. - Finally, my notes are separated from my blog to give each the attention they deserve. I would love to hear what you think! Whenever I change something, I value any feedback that lets me know if I'm moving in the right direction. This redesign is no different. So give it a look over and shoot me your thoughts. Much more content coming shortly, stay updated through my mailing list!

Fathom Analytics

Anton Sten — Wed, 22 Jan 2020 00:00:00 GMT

>Fathom Analytics exists because we were sick of compromising when it came to website data. We didn’t want to settle for analytics from “big tech” companies who like to make us the product and sell our data. We didn’t want to collect data but have to pour through 100s of pages of reports to interpret it, we wanted quick and easy (which is why our software is ONE page). I just started using Fathom and it's one of the products that you immediately can tell that it's built with love. If you want dead simple analytics that respect your user's privacy - Fathom is for you. Fast Company listed them as one of the options to ditch Google Analytics which, let's be honest, no one really knows how to use.

The last tracker was just removed from Basecamp.com

Anton Sten — Tue, 28 Jan 2020 00:00:00 GMT

>Can you believe we used to willingly tell Google about every single visitor to basecamp.com by way of Google Analytics? Letting them collect every last byte of information possible through the spying eye of their tracking pixel. Ugh.

But 2020 isn't 2010. Our naiveté around data, who captures it, and what they do with it has collectively been brought to shame. Most people now sit with basic understanding that using the internet leaves behind a data trail, and quite a few people have begun to question just how deep that trail should be, and who should have the right to follow it.

In this new world, it feels like an obligation to make sure we're not aiding and abetting those who seek to exploit our data. Those who hoard every little clue in order to piece of together a puzzle that'll ultimately reveal all our weakest points and moments, then sell that picture to the highest bidder.

The internet needs to know less about us, not more. Just because it's possible to track someone doesn't mean we should.**The last tracker was just removed from Basecamp.com** I just started using Fathom for this particular reason. While it does cost (as opposed to Google Analytics that people refer to as 'free'), it's not much unless your website has millions of visitors (which in that case, good for you!). Give your website visitors a treat and switch from Google Analytics today.

Debbie Millman - Time Well Spent

Anton Sten — Thu, 30 Jan 2020 00:00:00 GMT

A reflection on Debbie Millman's insights about how we invest our time and what makes time truly well spent.

Ux: What happens when the user wants out?

Anton Sten — Tue, 04 Feb 2020 00:00:00 GMT

As people obsessed with great UX, we tend to discuss the importance of the entire user journey. As we design experiences, we highlight the importance of the *onboarding*, how crucial *engagement* is, and when to offer *delightful* details. But have you ever considered the experience you provide users when they want out? ## Wanting out made complicated A couple of months ago, I caved in and signed up for a digital Wall Street Journal account. Signing up was, as you'd probably expect, painless. Click-click, done. The first three months were just a mere dollar which, of course, required me to enter my credit card information. Well, time passes and I realize I hardly ever read it. I did read a couple of articles here and there, but not enough to the justify the $36.99 per month that my subscription now cost. I remembered the smooth and frictionless onboarding and headed over to my account to look for ways to cancel it. Nothing. Nowhere. After digging, I finally saw 'Manage subscriptions'. Surely this is where I could cancel my subscription. Nope. Dead end. I could see my subscription and when it would renew (ironically the one thing I did know). I tried searching for 'Cancel account' and got one hit: Cancellation and refund policy. This didn't really seem like the right place, but guess it's the closest thing I can get. The first lines I'm met with is: >"In order to change or cancel your subscription, please contact Customer Service. We do not accept cancellations by mail or email or by any other means other than calling Customer Service." Honestly, this would be where most users would just give up. It seems very user hostile to allow me to subscribe digitally, but cancellation required a call to Customer Service. I'm redirected to a page with toll free numbers for every country and finally find the one for Sweden. I called the number and was greeted with a voice saying that this number is no longer in use or it's been disconnected. Clearly, they really don't want people to cancel. I decided to call the UK number - obviously *not* toll free - and I was finally patched through to someone who could help me cancel my account. It probably took her 4 or 5 attempts before she got my email address typed in correctly (spelling lepetitgarcon.com over the phone is not the best experience). Once she found my account, she broke into some dark design patterns trying to convince me to not just cancel, but to instead add more features at the same monthly cost. I declined. After 10 minutes on the phone, and surely an hour since I started this endeavor, my account was finally closed. Let me tell you this much, I'm going to think long and hard before I ever sign up for a digital service from the WSJ again. ## Wanting out made simple Since I started working out a couple of months ago, I'd been playing with the idea of getting an Apple Watch. I had the original Series-0 Apple Watch, but hadn't used one since. In a way, I think it's fair to say that I'd never used an Apple Watch that is fair to evaluate. So two weeks ago, I headed over to the Apple Store to pickup a space grey aluminum Apple Watch. I was just planning on primarily using it for workouts, so I got the base model with a sport loop. The guy in the store was super helpful and, since I have smaller hands, offered great advice on which case size to get even though it's less expensive. I soon learned the Apple Watch just isn't for me. I don't particularly like having all that data available as it tends to stress me out more than actually give me insights. The app that my glucose meter uses only worked with one of the complications for the watch faces so that didn't give me much value. This was one of the primary reasons for me getting one - to easily see my blood sugar while working out. So last week I went back to the Apple Store to return it. I've done this with Apple products before - bought something, tried it out for a few weeks, and returned it. The experience is always the same. They let me return it, no questions asked. They smile. They validate me when I say that it just wasn't for me and I leave feeling good about the experience. I was telling my ex-wife about this experience later that evening. I said to her that it's almost as if I get even better service when returning something than buying it! _"Of course, because that's the experience you will remember,"_ she said, _"and it'll lower your barrier for buying something there again"._ Why are these experiences are so rare in the digital space? Even when it's easy to delete an account, it always leaves you feeling like you're breaking up with someone (or something!). And then after 3-6 months and they start emailing you asking to come back. What if we instead focus on delivering a service that's so good you'll never want to leave, but if you do, you'd actually *want* to come back. End things on good terms. Remain friends.

A newsletter is a relationship

Anton Sten — Wed, 05 Feb 2020 00:00:00 GMT

>For me, the most significant insight was to understand that a newsletter was a relationship — a chance to serve. Not just to sell.

An example.

You have two friends. One who calls you and always wants something. Then the other friend, who just calls to see how you are, and tells you about a film you would love or a podcast you should listen to.

Now, when you are busy, and the phone rings, who do you always take the call from?

We all know the answer.

So why does that matter? Because our competition is not another brand, but the fact that our customer is busy. **E-mail for growth**

Basecamp is releasing a new product, Hey

Anton Sten — Fri, 07 Feb 2020 00:00:00 GMT

>Is it a paid service? I'm done with free.

Aren't we all? It is indeed pay. I mean, all services are. We just accept the payment in cash money, whereas so many others take their payment in privacy violations or attention hoarding.**@dhh on twitter** Basecamp is releasing their first new product in years, Hey and I'm very excited about it. I've been looking at options to move away from Google for years and this could be it. Loved the above response from @DHH in his Twitter thread.

How Slack ruined work

Anton Sten — Mon, 10 Feb 2020 00:00:00 GMT

>“With email you know you probably have time to read through a bunch of messages and have a day to respond,” he says. “Slack is instant and we get a rewarding hit of dopamine every time we respond to someone or someone reaches out to us to let us know a member of our 'work tribe' needs us. It makes us feel valued and informed, but it also makes us fearful every time an alert comes in that we’ll be out of the loop or ill-informed if we don’t check a message, even though very few truly need our instant attention.”**How Slack ruined work** I should probably limit my Slack usage.

What We Want Doesn’t Always Make Us Happy

Anton Sten — Mon, 10 Feb 2020 00:00:00 GMT

Exploring the disconnect between our desires and genuine happiness, and what this means for product design.

Investing in things that don’t go out of style

Anton Sten — Wed, 12 Feb 2020 00:00:00 GMT

>The best business advice we ever got is from Jeff Bezos from Amazon.com (Jeff bought a small piece of our company in 2006). He told us “Find the things that won’t change in your business and invest heavily in those things.”

He explained it like this… “Take Amazon for example… 10 years from now people aren’t going to say ‘I wish Amazon shipping was slower’ or ‘I wish Amazon had a worse selection’, so we invest heavily in fast shipping and a broad selection.”

So what are those things for us? 10 years from now people aren’t going to say “I wish Basecamp was harder to use” or “I wish Basecamp was slower and less reliable” or “I wish it took longer to get an answer from someone at Basecamp”, so we invest heavily in infrastructure, great design, and customer service.**Investing in things that don’t go out of style**

Engagement is an antimetric

Anton Sten — Fri, 14 Feb 2020 00:00:00 GMT

>As a word, engagement is meaningless. It’s a stand-in for any number of measurements collected by the tracking technology embedded into every website, app, and TV. For Google, engagement might mean the number of times an ad is seen. To Instagram, engagement is probably a complex formula comprising likes, comments, and follows. Netflix could count the number of hours the average person spends watching Friends as engagement.

A meaningless word, but a meaningful measurement; engagement drives algorithms. So engagement is closely monitored. Right now, product managers, designers, and engineers are planning, building, and shipping to drive more engagement. Those measurements feed the formulae that guide what shows we watch, what ads we see, and what products we buy.**Engagement is an antimetric** Matthew Ström is quickly rising to become one of my favorite bloggers.

Understanding team culture

Anton Sten — Mon, 17 Feb 2020 00:00:00 GMT

I was recently talking with a potential client about a position that sounded interesting. Like most of the work I do, it would mean leading the UX and shaping the team's objectives and goals. Additionally though, it would be similar to my teaching at design schools or my newly launched "Pick my brain" - the sharing of knowledge to help a team reach a higher goal. The discussions were going great and I was truly excited about the project. Being a client that has one of their offices nearby from where I live (and have my office), I realized that the discussion of remote or on-location would surface. He had already mentioned that they had a couple of designers at another office too, so I figured working remotely wouldn't be an issue with weekly or bi-weekly office checkins. But as discussions were about to finish up, he said that *"as such an important part of the work is to help form the culture, he strongly believes that I should be on-location at least 4 days / week".* I was a bit amazed to be honest. I admit that there are benefits to working in the same location, but I was baffled that people still so strongly believe that physical presence is needed in order to perform work. The discussions have left me wondering why this struck a chord inside of me and what I believe. ## The SuperFriendly Model As you might already know, I'm a big fan of the SuperFriendly model (aka Hollywood model). To recap, here's how Dan describes it: >When filmmakers make films, they pick the people who best embody each role. David Fincher doesn’t always use Brad Pitt, even though he was fantastic in Fight Club and Se7en. Christopher Nolan doesn’t always use the same lead actor either. Leonardo DiCaprio was awesome in Inception, as was Guy Pearce in Memento, as was Christian Bale in the Batman movies, but you’d never interchange them—they were too perfectly cast. Leo as the Dark Knight? “I’m the king of the world, Alfred!” Too weird.

Similarly, SuperFriendly “casts” the best person for each role in your project. SuperFriendly doesn’t keep a full-time staff. Instead, we use what we lovingly call “The SuperFriendly Model.” We scrutinize your project’s needs and summon a super team—handpicked from among the best folks in the industry—to collaborate. **About SuperFriendly** But if shaping a culture would mean you need to be in the same office, wouldn't that mean that these teams would be completely without culture? ## What culture is Well, first of all, I think we need to state the obvious. Regardless of what you do and where you are, you're going to have *a* culture. It might not be a *great* one, but it's sort of like physical appearance. Regardless if you workout, wear make-up, or eat junk food you're going to have one. It will surely differ depending on your choices, but either way, you're going to have one. Culture is just like that. I recently started a new project with SuperFriendly and it's my first experience *directing* a project with them. I was fortunate enough to get to work with Jessi Hall again, who also produced our project for Toast last fall, but also have Sāra Soueidān (who I've followed from a distance for a long time!) and Sarah Azpeitia on my team. So if culture requires someone to be on-location, how would I be able to help shape a culture for a team of four? We're not just in different countries and timezones, but actually on four different continents! In the back of my mind, I've been processing what I think the foundation of a great culture is and how that tends to lead to at least *better* project results (and sometimes *amazing* results). Sometimes you need the input of someone else though to put your thoughts into words:

What is company culture? The way you
* communicate
* allocate responsibilities
* give praise, celebrate results, care for each other
* are allowed to share ideas and critique
* feel as a valued and included teammate
* make decisions, iterate and handle failures
— Alex 🌚 (@alexmuench) February 10, 2020

Alex clearly articulates what I think defines culture and all of these points will exist whether you are in the same room or thousands of miles apart. Some of them might be completely lacking, like being allowed to share ideas and critique, but I've experienced that in many offices too. Working with SuperFriendly, I thought it'd be interesting to ask Dan (who founded SuperFriendly) thinks culture is: > Regarding culture, I’m a big fan of the way Daniel Coyle talks about it in his wonderful book, The Culture Code. First, the single-sentence prologue of the book says, “CULTURE: from the Latin cultus, which means care.” In the book’s introduction, Coyle sets his own definition: “Culture is a set of living relationships working toward a shared goal. It’s not something you are. It’s something you do.”

At SuperFriendly, we try to start every project with a conversation about how we might care for each other and our clients. We do this by putting all personal and professional goals on the table and actively committing to and even being responsible for helping each other achieve those goals. Whether sitting in the same room or working in a distributed way across multiple continents, good culture fit happens when disparate goals begin to converge. **Dan Mall** So again, culture is clearly more about how you relate to one another, care for another, and treat people as... humans striving towards a common goal.

Wasting it

Anton Sten — Mon, 24 Feb 2020 00:00:00 GMT

>When you bought your first smartphone, did you know you would spend more than 1,000 hours a year looking at it?

Months later, can you remember how you spent those hours?

When you upgraded to a new smartphone, so you could spend more hours on it, did you think about how you had spent so much of your ‘free’ time the year before?

If we wasted money the way we waste time, we’d all be bankrupt.**Wasting it** That last line is a puncher.

Hard startups

Anton Sten — Sun, 01 Mar 2020 00:00:00 GMT

>Be willing to make a very long-term commitment to what you’re doing. Most people aren’t, which is part of the reason they pick “easy” startups. In a world of compounding advantages where most people are operating on a 3 year timeframe and you’re operating on a 10 year timeframe, you’ll have a very large edge.**Hard startups** Doesn't just apply to startups FWIW.

The Sliding Scale of Giving a Fuck

Anton Sten — Sun, 01 Mar 2020 00:00:00 GMT

>One day, we were going a few rounds over a small detail (I can't even remember what it was, honestly) when Andy suddenly brought the conversation to a halt:

Hold on a second. I'm like a two-out-of-ten on this. How strongly do you feel?

I'm probably a six-out-of-ten, I replied after a couple moments of consideration.

Cool, then let's do it your way.

...

Someone said to me once: if everything is an emergency, then nothing is.**The Sliding Scale of Giving a Fuck**

Answering your question - How I design

Anton Sten — Mon, 02 Mar 2020 00:00:00 GMT

A few weeks back, I asked people who subscribe to my newsletter if they would be interested in joining a Slack channel with me and others from the newsletter. I really didn't have a plan for what would happen next other than I would get to know some people from my mailing list a bit better. You see, having a mailing list is great, but it can sometimes feel like shouting in a forest. Is anyone actually listening? Who are you? Why are you listening? I guess you could say that I wanted to do some user research (so I could better serve subscribers). Even though this started small (we're just about 20 in the Slack channel now), it's fascinating to see how there's people from all over Europe, Australia, the US, and Asia. Most seem to work with UX in one way or another and there's a healthy balance between males and females. Writing regular blog posts is difficult. Coming up with a topic/problem, researching it, seeing it from your audience's point of view and, most importantly, finding something that resonates with the readers. So being able to ask readers what they want to know more about is super valuable to me because I know that the topic will resonate with at least one of my readers (and most likely more than one). So a couple of days ago I asked if there was anything specific that they were curious about. I'll continue to do this, so if you want to ask me anything, just sign up for my newsletter and join our Slack! !Slack conversation Johan wanted to get a more detailed look into some of my work from a design perspective and, more specifically, what tools I use. I've previously outlined which tools I use (and I do my best to keep that page updated), but more specifically when it comes to design, there's a short and a longer answer. The short answer is unfortunately just as ambiguous as when Maureen (who is also on Slack!) asked me what kind of work I do as a UX-designer. _"It depends."_ ## The work defines the tools, never the other way around The work I do varies the tools I use. So let's look at some of the project work I've recently done. ## Writing user stories Part of my work at the moment is to define the process of users interacting with a tool. I enjoy writing user stories because they're an easy way for me to understand not only the process, but also where there are what I refer to as 'unknowns' - things I don't know or understand at this point. This makes it easier for me to ask relevant questions and highlight parts of the process that we need to define in more detail. An unknown is also related to assumptions I make in the user story. Let's say I write that Cathy (my user in this scenario) completes the survey in 15 minutes, I'll add an unknown asking whether 15 minutes is a reasonable time. I'll usually use Dropbox Paper (although I've moved away from Dropbox) or Notion depending on if the team has a preference. The most important thing for me is that the writing experience is focused (I can't write in Google Docs) and that the team members have the ability to comment. I'll add comments for sections that I need to flesh out even more. For larger projects, I use the user story to define what key pages we need and what components I think each page will have. This makes it possible for a designer (if there's someone designing other than me) to start playing around with components and trying out styles. Either way, the user story is a good way to define the story of the product before moving over to... ## Wireframes To be honest, since I've started working more and more with design systems, I'm a bit conflicted when it comes to wireframes. With a well-defined design system, wireframes can often feel like an extra and unnecessary step. There is value with wireframes though in the sense that they're so quick to make, you can try out different ideas without ending up stuck on type sizes, colors, or even image treatments. I try to make my wireframes as loosely defined as possible so there's freedom in the design process. I hate it when the final design feels like they just colored the wireframes. I'll usually begin with pen & paper to try out a couple of early ideas. I find it easier to try out different things on paper as I don't have to think about straight lines or even ratio. I guess it helps that I'm a terrible at drawing so I have very low expectations on my pencil drawn wireframes! Eventually, I'll move into Figma, my design tool of preference. I found so many positive outcomes from working in Figma over the last years that I never would have anticipated (more on this in a later blog post). The fact that everyone can view the up-to-date design in their browser, comment on specific areas, or even chime in with copy edits, etc. This is a god send when it comes to collaboration. Because I use objects in Figma right from the start, when the wireframes get approved it's easy to begin designing components and see the design come to life. ## Visual design So for visual design, it comes as no surprise at this point that I love Figma. The addition of plugins was a real game changer and I'm still trying to figure out how to best work with Auto layout, but it's clear that there's potential there too. At first I was a bit concerned that all my files were just accessible through Figma (no local files), but I think this is more a mind-set change than an actual concern. As for extending Figma, I'm a big fan of Unsplash, Content Reel and Stark. Three plugins that speed up my workflow enormously. If I'm designing something from scratch without an existing visual identity, I'll use Fontstand to try out different typefaces. Even though Figma comes with Google Fonts, I like to play around with options that aren't as widely used. The ability to try out professional typography is amazing! I'll also use Iconjar to collect icon libraries, Droplr to share screenshots and Paste to have access to multiple clipboards. ## Thanks for the question! So Johan, what tools I use? Well I guess the short answer is Figma, but I hope you enjoyed my detailed answer! Do you have a question you'd want me to answer? Just let me know.

From Error to Understanding: The Importance of Brand Voice When Things Go Wrong

Anton Sten — Wed, 11 Mar 2020 00:00:00 GMT

Why your brand voice matters most in error messages and how thoughtful communication turns frustrating moments into trust.

Stuck at home

Anton Sten — Wed, 11 Mar 2020 00:00:00 GMT

>What if we committed to watching less Netflix, not more? Fewer news updates, fewer YouTube videos, fewer digital distractions.

What if we decided to find a way to connect with people who need us, to lead people forward, to weave something generous for the community?

And what if we chose to learn something? All the time not spent commuting or in meetings–a chance to dive deep into the work of McCoy Tyner, or to understand how probability works.

Even as we retreat from physical interaction, there’s a huge opportunity to actually connect, to learn and to understand.

Panic is a choice, and so is productive generosity.

Good health and peace of mind to you and to people you care about.**Stuck at home**

What Great Managers Do

Anton Sten — Wed, 11 Mar 2020 00:00:00 GMT

>There is one quality that sets truly great managers apart from the rest: They discover what is unique about each person and then capitalize on it. Average managers play checkers, while great managers play chess. The difference? In checkers, all the pieces are uniform and move in the same way; they are interchangeable. You need to plan and coordinate their movements, certainly, but they all move at the same pace, on parallel paths. In chess, each type of piece moves in a different way, and you can’t play if you don’t know how each piece moves. More important, you won’t win if you don’t think carefully about how you move the pieces. Great managers know and value the unique abilities and even the eccentricities of their employees, and they learn how best to integrate them into a coordinated plan of attack.

This is the exact opposite of what great leaders do. Great leaders discover what is universal and capitalize on it. Their job is to rally people toward a better future. Leaders can succeed in this only when they can cut through differences of race, sex, age, nationality, and personality and, using stories and celebrating heroes, tap into those very few needs we all share. The job of a manager, meanwhile, is to turn one person’s particular talent into performance. Managers will succeed only when they can identify and deploy the differences among people, challenging each employee to excel in his or her own way. This doesn’t mean a leader can’t be a manager or vice versa. But to excel at one or both, you must be aware of the very different skills each role requires.**What Great Managers Do** I'll do a separate post on my thoughts on wireframes later on but this pretty much sums up how I feel.

Wireframes are too concrete

Anton Sten — Wed, 11 Mar 2020 00:00:00 GMT

>When design leaders go straight to wireframes or high-fidelity mockups, they define too much detail too early. This leaves designers no room for creativity. One friend put it this way:

I’ll give a wireframe to my designer, and then I’m saying to her: “I know you’re looking at this, but that’s not what I want you to design. I want you to re-think it!” It’s hard to do that when you’re giving them this concrete thing.**Wireframes are too concrete** I'll do a separate post on my thoughts on wireframes later on but this pretty much sums up how I feel.

All books are now free

Anton Sten — Mon, 16 Mar 2020 00:00:00 GMT

These are challenging times and the future is very uncertain for many businesses. Small businesses in particular will face challenges over the coming months as the Corona-virus situation evolves. Instead of panicking, I think it's important to remember this post (originally by Seth Godin). What if we try to use this time to connect with loved ones, slow down our pace, and choose to learn something new. In order to better support you during this time, I've decided I'll be offering both of my books free of charge starting today (you can select your price from $0 to whatever). So, if you want to learn more about UX, User Experiences that Matter is available here and if you're thinking of going freelance (or just want to up your game) Mastering Freelance is available here. Stay safe out there my friends and chill with the toilet paper hoarding already. _PS. Did you buy one of my books within the last 3 months? Email me and I'll give you a full refund!_

Emotions and work - know yourself

Anton Sten — Mon, 16 Mar 2020 00:00:00 GMT

A couple of times every year, I like to get away for a few days and reflect on the work I'm doing. It's crucial for everyone, but for even more important for someone who's running their own business. You need to redirect your focus and set new priorities. One thing I do on these trips is to make sure to catch up on my reading. I generally try to read two books each trip and choose ones that seem very different on the surface. This past trip I found that both books actually struck the same chord within me. Here's what discovered... ## Stillness is the key After enjoying Ryan Holiday's Ego is the Enemy, I was looking forward to reading his newest book, Stillness is the Key. Like presumably so many of you, I too find it difficult to disconnect from all of the inputs our digital life keeps throwing our way — emails, Slack notifications, Linkedin requests, Twitter messages, and Instagram likes. > We now live in a world where we’re connected to everything except ourselves.**The most important skill nobody taught you** Unfortunately we can't blame just technology because this isn't a new phenomenon. Technology certainly adds to the mix, but man's inability to sit is something we've struggled with for centuries. We often use the noise of the world to block out the discomfort of dealing with ourselves. This, however, doesn’t mean that this discomfort goes away. Blaise Pascal, a French mathematician in the 17th century famously quoted: > All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.**Blaise Pascal** ## No hard feelings The other book, and one I truly enjoyed, was No Hard Feelings: The Secret Power of Embracing Feelings at Work. It touches on a subject which I think most of us have had close encounters with - what's an appropriate relationship to have with your work? Feeling fulfilled by your work is awesome, but how do we make sure that we don't BECOME our work? Let me know if this sounds like something you've experienced. > How do you stop the office grouch from ruining your day? How do you enjoy a vacation without obsessing about the unanswered emails in your inbox? If you're a boss, what should you do when your new, eager hire wants to follow you on Instagram? >

> The modern workplace can be an emotional minefield, filled with confusing power structures and unwritten rules. We're expected to be authentic, but not too authentic. Professional, but not stiff. Friendly, but not an oversharer. Easier said than done! >

> As both organizational consultants and regular people, we know what it's like to experience uncomfortable emotions at work - everything from mild jealousy and insecurity to panic and rage. Ignoring or suppressing what you feel hurts your health and productivity -- but so does letting your emotions run wild.**No Hard Feelings: The Secret Power of Embracing Feelings at Work.** Just like Ryan Holiday essentially advises us to allow ourselves to feel bored, this book tells you how to make the boredom result in something of value. I've personally struggled with being bored, but not being able to find ease with boredom or turn it into something valuable _(not necessarily 'a thing')_. !Emotions at work ## Knowing yourself is the most important skill One of the quotes from last year that kept popping up in my head recently is from Yuval Noah Harari. Yuval was asked what the most important skill people will need to know in the next coming decades. While some might argue it's 'programming' or 'Chinese' or even 'creativity', Yuval argues that it's more about being flexible and knowing ourselves. > Unless you are 80 years old or something, you will have to repeatedly reinvent yourself in the coming decades—you'll probably change your job a number of times. Some people imagine that it will be like this one time, big revolution, that—I don't know—in 2025, 60% of the jobs are taken over. And then we have a couple of rough years in which people have to retrain, and new jobs appear, and some people don't find new jobs and you have a large problem of unemployment. But then eventually things settle down into some new equilibrium, and we enter a new kind of economy. >

> The problem with this scenario is that it assumes that AI will kind of reach its maximum capacity by 2025, which is extremely far from the truth. We're not even approaching the full capacity of AI. It's going to just accelerate. So yes, we will have these huge changes by 2025—but then we'll have even bigger changes in 2035, and even bigger changes in 2045, and people who have to repeatedly re-adjust to these things. >

> I think the most important thing is to invest in emotional intelligence and mental balance because the hardest challenges will be psychological. Even if there is a new job, and even if you get support from the government to kind of retrain yourself, you need a lot of mental flexibility to manage these transitions. Teenagers or 20-somethings, they are quite good with change. But beyond a certain age—when you get to 40, 50—change is stressful. And a weapon you will have [is] the psychological flexibility to go through this transition at age 30, and 40, and 50, and 60. The most important investment that people can make is not to learn a particular skill—”I'll learn how to code computers,” or “I will learn Chinese,” or something like that. No, the most important investment is really in building this more flexible mind or personality. > **The Most Important Survival Skill for the Next 50 Years Isn’t What You Think** The hard truth is that most of us don't really know ourselves. We're easily manipulated and directed by external factors - people and technology. And here's the killer piece... AI doesn't have to know us perfectly, it just has to know us better than we know ourselves in order to rule. Unfortunately, for most of us, that's not a high bar to set. ## Words, like emotions, matter We as UX designers are creating tools and services for people using user research and testing. It's ironic then when we consider that we may not know ourselves all that well. Think about it this way, if we don't know ourselves and our users don't know themselves, who are we creating for? Meanwhile, we design our apps to be _human-like_ and exhibit qualities like "inspiring", "addictive", "engaging", or even "fun". I'm currently working on a project where we had a discussion around the concept of _fun._ In our guiding principles, we had described the service as _fun,_ but during a team meeting, it was obvious that our individual ideas of _fun_ were very different from one another's. While I initially thought of fun as something that's engaging and the opposite of serious (while still professional), others on the team thought of fun as _haha._ > Follow fun. "My main focus in life is surrounding myself with interesting and fun people and curating my environment to be maximally fun" writes MIT Media Lab Director Joi Ito. Take not of the moments that bring you lightness to help you uncover the parts of your job you find most meaningful.**No Hard Feelings: The Secret Power of Embracing Feelings at Work.** I think a lot of us would benefit from spending as much time on ourselves, improving our working methods, and getting to know what we enjoy as we do trying to perfect the apps we work on. I strongly believe in order to do great work you have to be comfortable with yourself. Going to the gym is seen as a sign of willpower and determination, yet going to a therapist is still mostly seen as something negative. That's a problem. I wish we'd spend more time improving ourselves as humans as we do perfecting the work we do. I'm confident improving ourselves will naturally flow over into the our work, but I'm not sure it works the other way around. Why can't we run a small A/B test on ourselves? We all know the tools, it's all about applying it to something we might not know as well; ourselves.

Get static

Anton Sten — Sun, 29 Mar 2020 00:00:00 GMT

>If you are in charge of a web site that provides even slightly important information, or important services, it’s time to get static. I’m thinking here of sites for places like health departments (and pretty much all government services), hospitals and clinics, utility services, food delivery and ordering, and I’m sure there are more that haven’t occurred to me. As much as you possibly can, get it down to static HTML and CSS and maybe a tiny bit of enhancing JS, and pare away every byte you can.

Because too many sites are already crashing because their CMSes can’t keep up with the traffic surges. And too many sites are using dynamic frameworks that drain mobile batteries and shut out people with older browsers. That’s annoying and counter-productive in the best of times, but right now, it’s unacceptable. This is not the time for “well, this is as performant as our stack gets, so I guess users will have to live with it”. Performance isn’t just something to aspire to any more. Right now, in some situations, performance could literally be life-saving to a user, or their family.**Get static** Such an important message. Now, more than ever, we need to realise that everyone plays a part.

Why wireframes are becoming obsolete

Anton Sten — Mon, 30 Mar 2020 00:00:00 GMT

A couple of weeks ago, I posted a short excerpt from Basecamp's Shape Up called Wireframes are too concrete. It highlights something that I've been experiencing over the past years, but never really got round to writing about — do wireframes still serve a purpose? Wireframes are the middle ground. They're not sketches, but they're not high fidelity designs either. They're intentionally designed without color. A wireframe simply attempts to be an accurate representation of layout and information architecture while intentionally avoiding high visual and content fidelity. ## The argument around wireframes So why do we still keep planning for a phase of wireframing in so many projects? The purpose and argument for wireframes often fall in one of three buckets: - _Wireframes focus attention on usability instead of aesthetics. They prevent stakeholders from derailing meetings over irrelevant details like button color and allow user testing to focus on interactions instead of visuals._ - _Wireframes are faster to create. They keep things conceptual and avoid the risk of getting too invested or attached to a particular design direction._ - _They're a tool for detailed documentation of interactions without the additional overhead of visual design. (for enterprise level users)_ Let's we break these arguments down one by one: ## 1. Wireframes and stakeholders I think most stakeholders over the past years have evolved a ton when it comes to reviewing and giving feedback on digital products. It's extremely rare nowadays to be in a meeting where the conversation derails over things like button color. And even if they do, any good designer should be able to shift the focus to more relevant discussions. ## 2. Wireframes are faster to create When there's a design system available, I find that creating high fidelity designs is _faster_ than creating wireframes. Most of the elements are already created so dragging and dropping them is, of course, more efficient than creating ones from scratch, even if they are just black and white. With collaborative tools like Figma, the matter is even further simplified. In most projects I'm working on these days, I'll give my client access to Figma and, within days, I can see them trying stuff out. This makes collaboration fundamental in the relationship and takes a lot of pressure out of the meetings and presentations when you've created something _together_. ## 3. Wireframes are a simpler tool for documentation The argument that wireframes serves as a tool to disregard visual design might be true, but that doesn't really make it a valid one. During my 20+ years in this industry, I'm not sure I've ever worked on, or even seen, wireframes that detail documentation of interactions — unless you're talking about 'links', but a high fidelity design absolutely do that. First of, I don't think I've ever worked on wireframes that transferred truthfully into a visual design without moving or at least slightly re-arranging some of the elements. And if you're moving things around from the wireframes - and hence, breaking the structure and hierarchy that the wireframes were supposed to communicate - then what's the point in the first place? > I'll give a wireframe to my designer, and then I'm saying to her: "I know you're looking at this, but that's not what I want you to design. I want you to re-think it!" It's hard to do that when you're giving them this concrete thing.**Shape Up** ## What do I do instead of wireframes? Instead, try sketching. I know what you may say, _I can't draw._ That's completely fine! If you'd see some of my sketches, you'd understand that you don't have to be able to draw. What you should be able to do, is communicate. !Simple sketch on paper Here's something I shared with my SuperFriendly team. You can see that this is very rough, but you probably get the idea of _roughly_ what I'm trying to communicate. This is arguably much faster than wireframing, and more importantly, it allows the team to focus on their expertise. > Work in the shaping stage is rough. Everyone can tell by looking at it that it's unfinished. They can see the open spaces where their contributions will go. Work that's too fine, too early commits everyone to the wrong details. Designers and programmers need room to apply their own judgement and expertise when they roll up their sleeves and discover all the real trade-offs that emerge. No designer likes to get a wireframe, only to apply color. No developer wants to get a design that doesn't leave room for their own judgement and expertise. Teams that collaborate flourish. When you intentionally leave room for discussion, that's when magic happens.

Regarding Zoom

Anton Sten — Tue, 31 Mar 2020 00:00:00 GMT

>Here’s the thing: Zoom doesn’t need to be in the advertising business, least of all in the part of it that lives like a vampire off the blood of human data. If Zoom needs more money, it should charge more for its services, or give less away for free. Zoom has an extremely valuable service, which it performs very well — better than anybody else, apparently. It also has a platform with lots of apps with just as absolute an interest in privacy.**Regarding Zoom** I use Zoom on a daily basis and I love it. Their technology is so much better than Hangouts or even worse, Teams. But this entire article is concerning to say the least. I get that some apps rely on advertising revenue but Zoom charges most of their users money - good money even.

The USER

Anton Sten — Wed, 08 Apr 2020 00:00:00 GMT

Understanding who the user really is and why putting them at the center of design decisions matters.

Scoping & Running Projects

Anton Sten — Mon, 13 Apr 2020 00:00:00 GMT

Some weeks ago, I asked people from my newsletter who are on my Slack channel what they wanted to learn more about. One of the common requests I kept getting was to learn more about how I work. Previously I described my process from a design perspective, but this week I wanted to give you a more detailed peek into how I scope and plan my projects. To give new readers some background and context, I've been freelancing for more than 10 years, so it's fair to say I've completed at least 100 projects. During that decade, you'd assume my design skills would grow the most, but instead I found my project management skills developed more significantly. Honestly, it doesn't matter how talented a designer you are, if you can't manage and run a project, you won't be successful. You need to have good planning and research skills! ## Vetting clients and the scope Vetting clients is difficult, but it's definitely something that you'll improve over time. In the beginning of your career, it's common to be afraid of turning projects down. I still occasionally feel this, but I've become far better at it - usually because my gut feeling tells me to! And whenever I've gone against my gut feeling and committed to the projects anyway, they've always ended in disaster - usually in the form of late or missing payments. Designers are often told that asking _'Why'_ a lot is the key to great solutions. But for some reason, most designers fail to ask. Last summer when I worked on Toast, they initially came to SuperFriendly wanting a media hub. But because Dan runs his business like a professional, he didn't go ahead and quote them for that right away. Instead, he opted for curiosity and asked, _"Cool, why do you want that?"_ Turns out, it wasn't actually what they needed. By choosing to be curious and ask _'Why'_, we were able to deliver something that provided much more value and solved their problem. Once I've made sure I understand the problem and I believe that I'll be able to do great work _together_ with the client, I begin scoping the work. In my early days, I usually scoped work by thinking of something I've previously done, how long that took, and then charged the client roughly the same. At that time I didn't really track hours for projects, so I had no idea of knowing which projects were financially beneficial. I fixed that pretty quickly when I began having issues valuing my projects. Lesson learned. >Scoping is about appropriately setting expectations for yourself, your team, and your clients and managers. It’s a rare skill that separates the amateurs from the professionals. Which one are you?**How to scope work** Once the project is scoped, I turn to my contract template and write down the project brief along with my terms: budget, deadlines, and deliverables. Basically what gets done and when. ## The tools I use I send a contract to my client through DocuSign and inform them that I won't be able to reserve the time for the project until the contract is signed. Once they sign it, I set up the new project in Harvest with the budget. For keeping track of things I primarily use a mix of Notion and Things. I set up a new template in Notion with a basic Trello-board _(Backlog for ideas, Doing for current activities, In Review, and Done)._ Each activity has its own page with additional details but this overview makes for a good homepage for the project and all its important information. In Things, I keep track of daily stuff I need to get done. These are usually more practical things like *Design landing page* or *Review filters.* For production heavy projects, I do most of my project management through Things! ## Plan, and then revise I initially said that project management and having a defined plan is key to any successful project. And while I do think that is true, here's the flip side of that coin. Most projects won't end up like you planned them. Things happen (_Hello COVID-19_) that turn your planning upside down and force you to adapt your plan to the new scenario. That's ok though! The important thing is not to get it right the very first time... the important thing is to have _something_ to start from!

Scoping & Running Projects

Anton Sten — Mon, 13 Apr 2020 00:00:00 GMT

Designers: the only certainty is change

Anton Sten — Thu, 16 Apr 2020 00:00:00 GMT

>There are certain foundational design principles that will never change. They are the source material for anything you create — no matter if you’re working on a website, a mobile app, an ATM machine, a virtual reality experience, a poster, a TV application, a digital kiosk.

Start here: visual hierarchy, information architecture, balance, alignment, composition, proximity, continuation, repetition, framing, mimicry, readability, contrast, consistency, affordances, feedback, orientation, similarity, closure, horror vacui, symmetry, inputs, navigation.

These should give you enough to focus on for the first 10 years of your career. Master these. Really master these. Strive for perfection. Improve your skills. Rinse, repeat. You can never un-learn such principles. Technology will always change; these won’t.**Designers: the only certainty is change**

Don’t be afraid to ask a question that may sound stupid

Anton Sten — Thu, 16 Apr 2020 00:00:00 GMT

The best insights often come from questions that seem obvious. Asking them shows curiosity, not ignorance.

Design better, not more

Anton Sten — Mon, 27 Apr 2020 00:00:00 GMT

Nearly three years ago, I wrote about what I envisioned would be the future of the UX-designer. One thing that stuck out to me when I revisited the article was this: > As technology offers us more and more options and possibilities, our work as UX-designers will grow to include even more edge-cases. As our acceptance of friction with these services continues to decrease, our work will increasingly need to include more ‘what if’ scenarios.**The future of the UX-designer** I feel that in many cases, we tend to work - even more focused - on one specific scenario. And while being focused and specific like this may serve its purpose, I'm not sure this is the best way to proceed. What I think UX-designers, in general, need to improve on, is to factor in the different scenarios that might occur when a user is engaging with their product. That's NOT the same as producing *personas* and different use cases! It's about envisioning things that may go wrong. There's so much we should factor in as UX-designers; technology (connection speed, operating system, device), user behavior (stressed, relaxed, nervous), and everything related to accessibility (color blind, screen readers, etc). In fact, Jennifer Aldrich argues that "we should all move towards thinking of ourselves as _“temporarily abled”—to switch our bias from creating a regular experience for an idealized set of abilities, and towards creating an experience that can accommodate the widest possible range of needs (without having to enable “accessibility options”)." And this isn’t just about long-term disabilities - she makes the excellent point that “angry, sobbing, or drunk people may try to use your product” differently._ ## Better, not more The other day I was listening to Om Malik talking to Jason Fried talk about how AI has introduced so many new data-sets and it's being used in algorithms like never before. We've all experienced it, whether it's through a simple Google search, Netflix recommendations, Amazon add-ons or Youtube suggestions. It's always the same thing: More, not better. More suggestions, more results, and more recommendations. Not better. Engagement, not value, drives these platforms. > As a word, engagement is meaningless. It’s a stand-in for any number of measurements collected by the tracking technology embedded into every website, app, and TV. For Google, engagement might mean the number of times an ad is seen. To Instagram, engagement is probably a complex formula comprising likes, comments, and follows. Netflix could count the number of hours the average person spends watching Friends as engagement.

A meaningless word, but a meaningful measurement; engagement drives algorithms. So engagement is closely monitored. Right now, product managers, designers, and engineers are planning, building, and shipping to drive more engagement. Those measurements feed the formulae that guide what shows we watch, what ads we see, and what products we buy.**Engagement is an antimetric** If I look ahead to the future and try to think about what I believe is the next step for UX designers (refreshing to think about the future when it's not related to COVID-19...), I think our main priority should be to design better, not more. How do we design services that doesn't offer more, just better. If YouTube offers me options on what to watch next and they offer 100 options, surely one of them will be interesting. However, the truth is that most won't be. So if they offer 10 options, does the same ratio still stand? ## Should designers code? (🤣) It's been a while since we moved on from the discussion whether or not designers should code (spoiler: I don't think it matters - if you can code, great, if not then you're still not a lost case). Going forward I do believe that it's critical that UX designers not just understand how technology works, but also understand how they can best utilize it. > To date, the areas of investment have been primarily on the highly technical side — building better algorithms. The user experience has, for the most part, taken a backseat to the mechanics. The result is that there is a huge opportunity for the design and research communities to create much better user experiences for AI and ML.**Design Must Lead the Way on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning** It's not just the work that will change over the next years, but how we get there. Most agree that VUI (Voice User Interfaces) will play a large role in our interactions in the future, but have you ever considered how different designing for a voice user interface is from designing for a graphical user interface? Even testing is widely different! > Eventually, we discovered that all the traditional approaches to usability testing that we’d executed for other projects were ill-suited to the unique problems of voice usability. And this was only the beginning of our problems.**Usability Testing for Voice Content** It's not just about switching platforms, from desktop to smartphone or even about switching contexts, from fixed to mobile. It's about switching processes and understanding the user's needs far better than what we are today. Think about it... While 100 suggestions might work on YouTube today, when the primary interface is voice you'll get one shot at making the correct suggestion.

What you do ≠ what you are

Anton Sten — Mon, 11 May 2020 00:00:00 GMT

Guilty song confession time: when I'm out driving, I like to listen to the song "What am I" by Why Don't We. It's catchy, easy to sing along to, and good for driving fast. These are the three things I want from a good car tune. I know what you're thinking... Is this post going to be about cheesy driving songs? No, but it is going to as the question the song poses, what am I, and more specifically - what do you do? Here's Jonathan Stark in one of his emails: >When people ask you what you do, what do you say?
Do you stumble and have trouble answering?
Do you say something flippant or dismissive, like "computer stuff"?
Do you answer differently every time, depending on who's asking? We experience the same struggle over and over. To be honest, it doesn't matter whether people ask us about what we do, what our product does, or even what our company does. We have trouble answering in a short and understandable way when put on the spot. You may be thinking that what you do actually is really simple to describe - that you're a 'designer' or a 'developer'. You may even be more specific and say something like you're a 'Javascript developer for form-dependent webapps'. But, either way, what you're describing is just your expertise or your deliverables. Unless the person you're talking to is someone who is on the hunt for a Javascript developer for a form-dependent webapp, your answer is just talking about *you* and not the potential *client outcomes*. Again, all of this is just as true when it comes to products or companies, but let's continue looking at this from a person-perspective. Jonathan uses an example that's outside of our digital sphere. Imagine meeting someone and you ask them what they do: >Which of these answers do you find more powerful?
"I stretch and manipulate deep layers of muscle and connective tissue to the max."
"I help professional athletes get back in the game after being sidelined by an injury." Just like in Pain, Dream, Fix, it focuses on the client outcomes and the result you can bring them instead of focusing on irrelevant variables. After all, we just tend to throw around variables to make it sound like we're the *experts,* right? This example from Jonathan offers a clear outcome and fix (get back in the game), for a defined pain (being sidelined by an injury) for a defined set of customers (professional athletes). Most importantly, it tells the story of what they do in a way that is easy to understand and engage with. >The customer is focused on their pain point and looking to the open market to provide them with their solution. Your product isn't what they want, the end result is. Your customer doesn't want your vacuum cleaner, they want a clean apartment.**Pain, Dream, Fix** Once you know what problem you can solve, you can start to think about how you'll communicate it differently than everyone else and stand out. ## Why you? There's thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of people that have a similar knowledge of things that you do. I'm certainly not the only freelance UX-designer and while more and more of the work I do is leading teams, it's still not a differentiator. Someone who knew that he had to find his own style was Ed Sheeran. Before Ed Sheeran got his first hit, he started injecting rap into his singer/songwriter songs - because it was something he loved. The added effect is that it was something that positioned him differently. There are *millions* of unrecognized singer/songwriters. Not only did it change his style, but it also changed his context. Instead of playing singer/songwriter nights, he started playing open mic's. In fact, one of his breakthrough moments was when he was sleeping on the Jamie Foxx's couch. >It was like 800 black people, all black, just the best musicians," Foxx said of the show. He explained that his musician friends were initially incredulous that Sheeran would do well in such an environment. "So all of a sudden I say, 'Ladies and gentleman, Ed Sheeran!' He pops out, with red hair and a ukulele," Foxx continued. "It was just like a movie. I said, 'Well, let's see what the kid has.' And he went out there on that ukulele — got a standing ovation in 12 minutes. And the rest was history." ## So... what do you do? Defining what you do or what your product does is one of the most difficult things to clearly state. It could also be one of the most important things you state. Take the time to think about beyond your expertise and into how you implement it. It isn't that you DO something, it's how that thing EFFECTS outcomes. After all, you're not just a UX-designer... You actually provide solutions for clients that help them connect with their audience through meaningful, thought-provoking experiences. Right? \

What you do ≠ what you are

Anton Sten — Mon, 11 May 2020 00:00:00 GMT

How to Combat Zoom Fatigue

Anton Sten — Fri, 15 May 2020 00:00:00 GMT

Practical strategies for dealing with the exhaustion of constant video calls and maintaining energy in remote work.

My 2020 Setup in Notion

Anton Sten — Fri, 15 May 2020 00:00:00 GMT

>If you know me, even in the slightest, you’re probably aware of just how much I love the note-taking tool Notion, likely because I talk about it far too often. I’ve used it to track each and every day of my life for the past three years; positive events, negative events, exercise, daily goals, caffeine, alcohol, and more. It’s all there. At this point, Notion really is like my second brain.

But for as much as I love the tool and those talented folks behind it, admittedly, one of the trickiest things about it is how difficult it can be to, well, get started. **My 2020 Setup in Notion**

Treat it like trash - Let's learn design systems

Anton Sten — Fri, 15 May 2020 00:00:00 GMT

Design systems have become an essential part of modern web development and design. They help teams create consistent, scalable, and maintainable products. But how do we approach learning about design systems? How do we start building one? The title of this post might seem provocative, but it's actually a mindset that can help us learn and improve. When we treat our first attempts like trash - meaning we don't get too precious about them - we free ourselves to experiment, make mistakes, and ultimately learn more effectively. >Tools like Figma help you create pictures of software. These pictures help provide guidance as we write software, but the pictures themselves end up in the trash after the software is built.

This requires a subtle, but very important, shift in how we think about design systems: the artifacts we create along the path to a shipped product are temporary and disposable.**Treat It Like Trash — Let's Learn Design Systems**

Treat it like trash - Let's learn design systems

Anton Sten — Fri, 15 May 2020 00:00:00 GMT

The stakeholder interview

Anton Sten — Wed, 20 May 2020 00:00:00 GMT

One of my worst kept secrets is that I don't design very much despite being a designer. My preferred process is to start by writing and only when I am satisfied with what I've discovered there do I jump to designing. However, when the occasion calls for it, I put another step in even before writing. I usually use writing to find out what I know, but more importantly, what I don't know. Sometimes that doesn't give me all the answers I need unfortunately. That's when I add the other great way to discover what I don't know… I talk to directly to stakeholders and/or users! These conversations are not about me talking though - it's the opposite - it's listening. In order to design the right thing - in the right way - you need input to understand the problem that you're solving. ## It's not users vs. business, it's users and business The way I run interviews is through the lens of the two distinct parties - users and the business. While I'm always looking to create things that will benefit the end-user, it's important to remember that the business has goals that need to be fulfilled. It's only when you, as a designer, consider both party's goals and expectations that you can succeed. ## Facilitating a conversation Most of the people I do these interviews with have never done anything like this before and are unsure of what to expect. In order to ease any anxiety, I communicate the entire process, the reason for the interview, and agenda for our time together. I inform them that the interview will be recorded so I can better focus on the conversation instead of taking notes. This open, transparent communication style helps them feel relaxed and confident in what they have to share. I, of course, want the project to be successful, so I need to tap into the unfiltered core of their experience and knowledge. This helps me have a cohesive vision of what it is that we're supposed to create from both sides of the coin - the user and the business. ## Starting small I usually begin with a simple question that is easily relatable. For instance, I'll ask what their role is and how they became involved in this project. This allows them to begin talking more freely and it shifts the "talking part" from me to them. As I move to asking questions about the business itself, I want to talk more about what the short-term and long-term goals of the project. I need to know what they would define a successful outcome. I also need to understand what would happen if the project wasn't completed. One of my favorite answers to the last question came from a South American who simply stated, "Well you know, life goes on..." It sure does. :) I move on to trying to understand the motivation behind the project. For instance, what do you currently have too little of (sales, profits, customers, etc.) or too much of (complaints, product returns, service calls, etc.)? This gives me an idea of what outcomes could be and allows me to start thinking of additional solutions. Next I'll ask about how they would describe their users (or customers). I encourage them to think like their user and ask about what steps they would go through before making a purchasing decision. What would their user believe the most important message or feeling they should remember from the product? This helps to focus them on the pain that we're trying to solve instead of just on a deliverable. At the end I like to ask them for one thing that they believe no one else from their team has mentioned. You can find some really great insights in these responses! ## Here are some of my questions that I use: **Business** - How did your organization or team get to where you are today? - What are the short-term and long-term business goals? - What would a successful outcome of this project look like to you? - How is your organization experiencing the problems? - As a business, what do you currently have too little of or too much of? - What should this project accomplish for the business? - What happens if this project is not done? **Customers** - Who are the users? - How would you describe your customers? - How do they currently think or feel about your industry as a whole? - What steps do they go through before making a buying decision? - What are some surprising insights you've gained from working with these customers? - What problems do customers currently have that this offering solves? **Product** - What are a few product concerns? - What's missing in the current process that this tool will provide? - What is the single most important message your audience should remember from this deliverable? - What is the single most important message your audience should feel from this deliverable? - What action should this deliverable entice the user to take? - If users had a "magic wand" and could wish for anything to make the process better, what would they wish for? **Wrap-up** - What do I need to know that you don't think other members of your team have said? - Is there anyone else, in particular, you think we would benefit from interviewing? Who? ## The real insights are not in these answers While the above questions and their answers are valuable, that's not where the real insights lie. The real insights are hidden in the follow-up questions and answers. The key to a good interview is to listen carefully and actively follow-up with questions that go deeper. With any question you ask, it's important to keep them as open-ended. This helps to make sure the discussion stays as open as possible. The method I like to follow is TEDW - Tell me about.. Explain.. Describe.. Walk me through. These offer the other person the option to not just answer, but paint the whole picture. As for facilitating, the key is to stay positive and engaged. When you're on that third hour of Zoom calls this becomes especially difficult. It's so easy to get distracted or just quickly check your email. Unfortunately, the other person will only stay engaged as long as you do and the can sense when you check out. They'll then lose focus just like you and it's hard to get back on track. I always strive to stay curious through this whole process. It's not uncommon for people to start brainstorming solutions in the moment. Even if they start pitching something that you know probably won't work, or would probably cost trillions of dollars to build, it's important to stay open to what their saying. "Wow! Explain to me how you think that could work!" and let them go for it! Having an interviewee that's thinking freely and creatively is exactly where you want to be! *This post was originally published on May 25, 2020. Edited on March 25, 2024.*

The need for speed, 23 years later

Anton Sten — Mon, 01 Jun 2020 00:00:00 GMT

>23 years ago, the internet was quite different from the one we use today. Google didn't exist yet, fewer than 20% of U.S. households had internet access, and those who did were using a dial-up connection. >It's no wonder that people complained about slow speeds on every website we tested back then, because the internet and the computers used to access it were painfully slow. What is surprising is that, despite today's much faster network speeds and computer processors, people using the internet today are still plagued by the exact same frustration: slow websites. ... If you're in a group of people being chased by a bear, you only need to be faster than the slowest person in the group. But that's not how websites work: being faster than at least one other website, or even faster than the 'average' website, is not a great achievement when the average website speed is frustratingly slow. **The Need for Speed, 23 Years Later**

Habits of High-Functioning Teams

Anton Sten — Thu, 04 Jun 2020 00:00:00 GMT

>I often struggle to explain what it means to be part of a high-functioning software team. Sure, there are mountains of literature, and an entire genre of LinkedIn thought leadership that professes all kinds of guidelines and heuristics about what makes teams work, but in my experience, it’s hard to internalize these ideas and follow someone else’s model if you’ve never seen what good looks like.

I’ve been very lucky to have worked directly with dozens, if not hundreds, of developers by this point in my career. I’ve been on some unhealthy teams: teams where people were fearful, and held their cards very close to their chest out of a perceived or real worry around their job security. I’ve also been on dysfunctional teams, where many days or weeks of development time was wasted while the team whiplashed between unclear priorities, or where the cost of coordination had grown so high that no one simply wanted to do it, leaving team as a collective of individuals rather than a unit. But I’ve luckily spent time on some very high-performing teams. When I’ve been on those teams, I was excited to come to work everyday, I wasn’t afraid of disagreeing publicly with those more senior than me, and I felt like my voice and my work had impact. **Habits of High-Functioning Teams**

Notion: A small company with a big audience

Anton Sten — Thu, 04 Jun 2020 00:00:00 GMT

>Notion strives to solve problems in a delightful way. They serve three distinct audiences: Individuals who use it in single-player mode, Small businesses or teams who adopt it self-service and Enterprises that use it department- or company-wide and typically interact with Notion’s sales team.

Camille explained that this broad range of customers drives Notion to be serious about segmentation. Getting to a high level of specificity in their key content—like onboarding emails—enables them to connect effectively with prospects and users. It’s all about understanding how different personas use Notion and how they benefit from it. **Notion’s Marketing Secrets for Small Teams with Big Dreams**

Speed matters: Why working quickly is more important than it seems

Anton Sten — Thu, 04 Jun 2020 00:00:00 GMT

>The obvious benefit to working quickly is that you’ll finish more stuff per unit time. But there’s more to it than that. If you work quickly, the cost of doing something new will seem lower in your mind. So you’ll be inclined to do more.

The converse is true, too. If every time you write a blog post it takes you six months, and you’re sitting around your apartment on a Sunday afternoon thinking of stuff to do, you’re probably not going to think of starting a blog post, because it’ll feel too expensive.

What’s worse, because you blog slowly, you’re liable to continue blogging slowly—simply because the only way to learn to do something fast is by doing it lots of times. **Speed matters: Why working quickly is more important than it seems** This is something I struggle with too. Writing posts for my newsletters often feel like a bit of a chore, just because it takes me hours. But what if I committed to being OK with not making it perfect? With not making each post at least >1000 words?

Managing a distributed team

Anton Sten — Mon, 08 Jun 2020 00:00:00 GMT

Working remotely is something that a lot of people have been forced to get used to during the last months. For someone that has been working remotely for the last ten years (and have continued to go to my private office through out the pandemic), it might seem like business as usual. But since my work is no longer focused on me producing design deliverables and instead primarily focuses on managing a team, it'd be unrealistic to think that the last months haven't affected my day-to-day work. One of the things we like to focus on over at SuperFriendly is what we *love* to do. While all of us have our own areas where we are already professionals it doesn't necessarily mean that it's what we'd like to focus on in each project. During the last weeks, I've talked to my team about this as well as discussing it with Dan. One area where I've been able to spot an overlap between '*what I would like to do'* and '*where there is room for growth and improvement'* is in managing people and helping them flourish. I've been educating students at Hyper Island on and off for the last 19 years, but because they are *students*, the process is a bit different. The similarity between the two experiences is that I get joy from seeing people flourish! So I thought this might be a good time to share what I've learnt over the last months running a fully distributed team. ## Managing teams One of the things I realise now is I should have scheduled more 1-1's from the beginning. Regardless of how small your team is, there's a chance that there will be things that aren't shared in public. You as a manager should be able to catch these during more private conversations. I didn't really start scheduling these until we were closing in on the end - because you know... work. Had I scheduled these from the beginning, there's a chance that we would have avoided some misunderstandings that occurred. > Regular retrospectives, with a reasonable number of items in the “what’s not going well?” column. It shouldn’t look like sunshine and rainbows all the time. That would actually make me question whether difficult topics are being raised in retros. Healthy teams should be able to openly introspect and self-critique, because everyone understands that constructive feedback is in the service of continuous improvement.**Habits of High-Functioning Teams** It can be difficult knowing the timing on when to speak up. These come at very different times for professionals than students. Striking a healthy balance between leading and pushing the team forward in a way that works for everyone on the team can sometimes be difficult. >As a manager you need to care personally about your employees while also challenging them. That's "radical candour". If you challenge someone but don't show that you care about them, that's "obnoxious aggression". Having a senior leader who behaves this way creates a culture of fear. But it's also one of the mistakes we most fear making. Often when we realise we've been a jerk, we move in the wrong direction. We say we 'didn't really mean it' or 'it's no big deal' when, in fact, we did mean it and it is a big deal - and we end up in the worst place of all. The majority of mistakes are made when somebody is so worried about not hurting someone's feelings that they don't tell them something they would be better of knowing. This hapens all the time at work: mistakes that don't get corrected get repeated. **Kim Scott** ## Realising management is a two-way street One of the most valuable insights I've had from teaching is that in order to reap all the benefits from it, you have to look at it as a two-way street. Regardless if it's with students, junior people on your team, or super seniors - there's always something that can expand your mind. About a year ago, I was hiring to run a design team at IKEA. Being able to see their growth over time was inspirational, but it wasn't until I came across a post from Mathilde Collin that I was able to understand how high-functioning teams work. Mathilde shares her entire process for conducting 1-1's, but there was one specific question that I've used in every 1-1 since then. > If you were me, what would you do differently? It's so simple and I've yet to asked it without the other person getting seemingly caught off-guard. I like the question because it highlights how our work is a partnership. A 1-1 is not a meeting where one should instruct the other on things to improve at. It's a meeting that should focus on how the collaboration can improve and through that, how both people can grow. I'm not asking them to tell me what they think I'm doing wrong, I'm simply asking what they would do differently. There's no blame assigned in the answer. What I enjoy when working with teams is that it's entirely different from me working solo (duh). My purpose is to help people be happier at work. It's why I wrote Mastering Freelance and it's why I enjoy leading teams rather than leading design.

Summer update

Anton Sten — Mon, 22 Jun 2020 00:00:00 GMT

There's no new post this week. Why? Because it's summer and I have been prioritizing regaining strength after a year of intense work (not mentioning a pandemic). Instead, I wanted to give you three updates: ## 1. Pick my brain re-opens in the fall! I've had a couple of requests for work just like this in the last weeks so starting August, you can get access to me on a short-term basis. Do you want to bounce ideas for a product? Do you want to accelerate UX within your organisation? Or do *you* want to personally accelerate? Either way, I'm open for consulting! Find out more and book your spot: Pick my brain ## 2. Let's meet! One of the few positives of not having a dog with me at work anymore (😢) is I'm far more flexible when it comes to traveling. So if you want to schedule something in-person for the fall, I'm open for it! That could be a workshop where we define the core features of your product or a review of your current product along with a time plan of necessary fixes going forward. While I love working remotely, some meetings are better in person. E-mail me! ## 3. Tell me what you want, what you really really want I've written my blog for nearly 7 years and had this newsletter for just about as long. There's still a few of you here from the very beginning - thank you - although I think I may have forced you to join. Care to help me continue providing you with insights? Answer these quick questions (less than 2 minutes)! I'll be back with a new post in about a month or so. Until then, I hope you're having a great summer and taking time to just... breathe again. If you want to tell me or ask me anything, just hit reply. I respond to every email 😃

Marketing features

Anton Sten — Tue, 23 Jun 2020 00:00:00 GMT

>When I recently logged into my Mailchimp account, I quickly got frustrated trying to navigate my way around all the things I didn’t want to do. Even more off-putting than dealing with the usability challenges of feature bloat are the constant little hints that I’m not doing enough.

Mailchimp keeps telling me to “boost sales with shoppable landing pages and social media ads”. With every update, Dropbox reminds me that it needs access to my calendar, so I can make full use of “the world’s first smart workspace”. Seemingly every week, Adobe notifies me about some new cloud feature that will “enhance my creativity”.**Dense Discovery Issue 93** As much as I'd like to love Mailchimp, I've been experiencing this a lot lately too. What used to be a great product with an amazing brand is now a product filled with banners trying to get me to share my newsletter on Instagram or sell something off Facebook. I understand why, I'm just saying it's not for me. GoSquared, another company I really like, is heading down the same path with marketing automations and a light-weight CRM. Netlify are seemingly heading down this route too - charging more for bits and pieces here and there. Again, I understand why, I just wish... they wouldn't. I've already ditched Dropbox and Adobe due to primarily these reasons. I sincerely hope the companies and products I love, like Figma, 1Password and Things will continue to do one thing, and do it well.

Freelancer vs Consultant

Anton Sten — Mon, 03 Aug 2020 00:00:00 GMT

>Lots of freelancers don't really understand what the word "consultant" means.
It might be because they heard that they should stop calling themselves "freelancers" and start calling themselves "consultants", and assumed it was merely a semantic difference.
A freelancer is a mercenary.
A consultant is an advisor.
Mercenaries do as they're told.
Advisors answer questions when asked.
It's a big difference.**Jonathan Stark**

More isn’t better

Anton Sten — Mon, 10 Aug 2020 00:00:00 GMT

If you've followed my work for some time, you know I enjoy discovering new products and surgically inspecting how they work, what features they have, and how they've decided to solve some of the common UX problems. To be honest, this is one of the ways I learn and develop a lot of my skills - by reviewing and understanding what others do. ## Losing focus For some time though, some of my favorite tools doesn't feel as magical anymore. It's not because the excitement has worn off, but because they've started serving even more customers, a larger audience, and by adding more features. From a financial perspective, I totally get it. Hell, even from a purely human perspective I get it. Coming up with new features has to be much more exciting that just iterating on existing ones, right? ## Some examples I've found For years, I've used GoSquared instead of Google Analytics to track users on my website. I keep track of what articles have the most reads (it's AI Ethics - A New Skill for Designers), who's tweeting my about my site, and where my visitors are coming from (about 60% are from the US). As much as I still love the team behind GoSquared, my website now only runs Fathom. Here's my problem... You see, during the last years GoSquared has focused more on automations, identifying users, and being able to communicate with them - so more Intercom than Google Analytics. With Fathom, I can run privacy-focused analytics and get almost the same amount information. After all, most metrics are really only vanity metrics anyway. If you're subscribed to my newsletter, you'll know that I've tried my fair share of tools - Mailchimp, Drip, Convertkit, Buttondown, Mailerlite... and now I'm back on Mailchimp. I still feel like they are doing way too many things, but unlike with analytics, I haven't found a great alternative. Most email marketing tools are either solely focused on automations, transactions, and e-commerce or trying to be a full-fledged CRM. Me, I just want to be able to email my list every other week and tell them about what I've been thinking about lately. I don't need all the complexity. I was reading Derek Sivers' new book Hell Yeah or No the other day and the chapter Subtract stood out: >Life can be improved by adding, or by subtracting. The world pushes us to add, because that benefits them. But the secret is to focus on subtracting. The adding mindset is deeply ingrained.
It’s easy to think I need something else. It’s hard to look instead at what to remove.

The least successful people I know run in conflicting directions, are drawn to distractions, say yes to almost everything, and are chained to emotional obstacles. The most successful people I know have a narrow focus, protect themselves against time-wasters, say no to almost everything, and have let go of old limiting beliefs. More people die from eating too much than from eating too little. Most of us have too much baggage, too many commitments, and too many priorities. Subtracting reminds me that what I need to change is something already here, not out there.**Derek Sivers - Subtract** I'm curious as to how much of the same thinking would be applicable to the products we create. A lot of the products I once truly enjoyed using outgrew me and added more and more features until I couldn't identify their core service anymore. Dropbox added Paper, Showcase, and even an App Center instead of just continuing to be the best-in-class file-syncing service they once were. If you're curious about what tools I'm currently using the run my business, I've just updated my list.

A good design review

Anton Sten — Wed, 19 Aug 2020 00:00:00 GMT

>A good design review:
— Very briefly allows the designer to introduce their work. One or two minutes tops, honestly.
— Establishes boundaries for the desired type of feedback. Where are they in the process? What kind of feedback is most helpful — high-level or more granular? Is this production-ready, or early conceptual thinking?
— Lets the reviewers do most of the talking. The presenter does not get a rebuttal unless it’s in the form of a question.
— Allows for more in-depth follow ups where there are more probing questions or issues of work overlap.**The Ultimate Guide to Leading a Remote Design Team**

Working as a UX Lead - following up

Anton Sten — Mon, 24 Aug 2020 00:00:00 GMT

If you haven't read my previous posts in this series, you might find the other parts interesting: Working as a UX-designer and Working as a UX-lead. Both of those came from reader questions and this is, I guess, a follow-up to that follow-up. Anyway, a couple of weeks back, I got an email from Jonathan: >*Would like to hear more a little more about the kind of strategic and tactical work a UX Lead is required to do in broad strokes (understand it differs from organization to organization). After reading your article on being a UX Lead and personally making the transition, this is something I'm really curious about.* Well Jonathan, I'm glad you asked (in fact, I'm glad for all reader questions). Like you said, this does vary from organisation to organisation, so I'll only be able to answer based on the organizations I've had experience with. The beauty of being a consultant though is that I get to work with companies of all sizes and kinds, so hopefully I can represent some middle ground. The way I see it, a UX lead is split into two distinct roles. In some organizations you'll do a mix of both and in others you'll be limited to one or the other. Ideally, this is based on your preference and skill level. These two roles are: 1. Leading a team 2. Setting the long-term vision and direction ## Don't lead unless you want to I've discussed this topic a bit already, so I'll just say that choosing to lead a team is a very personal choice. It's important to think about what *you* want and not just act on what you think *the company* expects from you. Someone that doesn't *want* to lead will never really succeed and the consequences of doing poorly doesn't just affect you, but the entire team as well - it almost always tends to ripple outside the team too. That being said, it's quite unfortunate that leading a team has almost become a requirement of a senior designer these days if they want to grow in their field. As for the other part, and I think this relates more to Jonathan's question so I'll spend the majority answering it. ## Vision and direction Vision and direction is important in terms of seeing the bigger picture. It's easy to become caught up in whatever crisis you're currently trying to avoid while simultaneously being in end-to-end meetings. Thinking about the long-term can feel like a joke when you have 15 minutes of spare time a week to commit to it. Unless you intentionally set aside dedicated time for thinking long-term, you'll just continue to fight fires day after day. I make sure to create a UX-strategy so there can be a unified view of what that long-term goal and vision is. Because strategy is such a misused word, I like to define it as three things: - Where we are now - Where we'd like to be - How to get there Now that may sound really simplified to most of you and something that's copied from a "Strategy for dummies" book, I think keeping it simple is fundamental to making sure everyone is onboard and agreeing with the strategy. So just like I've argued that designers need to speak business, I think it's important to keep your language as accessible as possible. As much as I love explanations like *"Strategy is a concise, high-level approach to achieving an objective by playing strengths against weaknesses in an unexpected way,"* it doesn't actually tell us what we need to do. Whether you're leading a team or just setting the vision and direction, the last thing you want to do is make someone on your team feeling stupid. This only leads to fear and fear keeps people from participating. The one thing you need to understand is that in order to achieve truly exceptional user experiences, everyone needs to onboard. Don't create barriers. >Being a good communicator and sharer is more valuable than being a rockstar designer.**Frank Bach, Lead Product Designer Headspace** Honestly, this is something that takes a lot of practice. It's not like programming or design where you have the option to practice at home during evenings. Honing your skills will happen by doing the job and you will probably mess up - I know I have. I've found that being honest about being out on a bit of thin ice usually gets you a lot of grace. ## Defining a purpose Defining a purpose with your user experience and design is crucial because it gives you something to anchor onto when shipping new features. That can be a technical feature like being highly accessible or it quick load times or it can be more ambiguous. On a project I'm currently working on, I've advised them that all designs need to be more *intentional* than what they currently are. What I mean by that is that we can't just *nudge* users in a certain direction, we need to clearly point them in the direction we need them to go. Every page and every feature needs to have a clearly defined purpose and that's absolutely vital to our end-goal. Unfortunately I find that there's still a lot of clients who ask designers to come in at the end of a project and *"apply the UX"*. It simply doesn't work that way. If the UX strategy isn't defined at the very beginning, it will be very expensive/time consuming to apply it at the end. If they're not willing to invest that deeply it'll end up being really bad directly impacting their solution It is though important to know that it's pretty rare that you'll be brought in at the very beginning of a product's lifecycle. This means that in many (if not most) cases, there'll be a lot of fixing and redesigning over months (or even years) until you've reached your goal - and by now it's not unlikely that you've iterated on that goal a couple of times. It's a long process and it takes time and energy to convince stakeholders of why this is important and worthy of their investment. So Jonathan, I hope that answers your question at least to some extent! I look forward to hearing more about how you're transition is going and any new questions or comments that arise!

User Experience is a Spectrum

Anton Sten — Tue, 25 Aug 2020 00:00:00 GMT

>User experience is a spectrum. Web performance is a distribution. There are no two same experiences, same as there are no two identical people in the same location, on the same device, in the same network. Expecting a single number to be able to provide a rating or something to aspire to is a flawed assumption.

Don’t build for the user. Build for all users.**Calibre Performance Newsletter**

Successful Product Design

Anton Sten — Thu, 03 Sep 2020 00:00:00 GMT

What separates successful product design from the rest and the key principles that lead to meaningful outcomes.

Designers: design less, think more

Anton Sten — Mon, 07 Sep 2020 00:00:00 GMT

Albert Einstein supposedly said "If I had 20 days to solve a problem, I would take 19 days to define it”. Then why do so many designers still jump straight into *insert designing tool of preference* ? One of the biggest shifts in the way I work as I've become more senior is the way I approach (visual) design. I added in the visual to that sentence because defining the problem and making sure you understand it IS part of any good design process. In the early days of my career, I'd be happy to start designing by knowing what brand the site was for and maybe a rough outline of what the site should achieve (marketing site, corporate site, etc). In the early 21st century, I wasn't alone tackling projects this way. Fast-forward 20 years and you'd assume things in the field have changed - that designers approach projects more thoughtfully and disciplined?

Design is visualized thinking.

I love Dribbble but it seems like many designers there aren’t thinking much of anything.
— Halli (@iamharaldur) August 25, 2020

One of the reasons I realized that I'm a better Product / UX Designer than visual designer is that I never had the patience (or lets be honest, skill) to do in-depth visual design. I love understanding the problem we're trying to solve through stakeholder interviews, research, and strategic analysis. Design? That's just the execution. But without knowing what problem you're solving (and I mean what's *really* the problem), there's a good chance you'll end up with something beautiful that doesn't fulfill the goals of the project or, even worse, solve the problem. ## Is it generational? Some weeks ago, Frank Bach asked what some of the surprising things working in Product are on Twitter. Sean Goodwin, a product designer at Twitter (well this turned meta) really hit the nail with: *Once you get to Figma, most of the hard work is already done*. My only edit would be "Once you get to Figma, most of the hard work *should* already be done".

Once you get to Figma, most of the hard work is already done. 👀 https://t.co/oEzG0FxLvx
— Sean Goodwin (@TheSeanGoodwin) August 19, 2020

So maybe it's a generational thing and each generation is forced to learn this themselves - that spending time understanding and defining the problem is key to achieving success. Maybe it's something you learn only by rushing off to Figma to start trying to elaborate and discovering the need to define the problem, sometimes too late. ## Break the loop? Surely I can't be the only one who recognizes that this is a problem. One generation should share the processes that lead to success with the next, right? Make it completely accessible. Instead, we see too many instances where knowledge isn't shared and, instead, guarded as if the next generation is a threat. New designers (visual of course) are shuffled almost universally into production roles regardless of their skillset when they could be inspired to evolve into product owners and leaders. This "I'm going to limit you until I say the time is right" mentality slows the growth of our industry whereas the "I'm going to empower you and give you the right tools" mentality provides valuable resources to the whole community and inspires innovation and new processes. The reason I'm saying this is that it is core to what I believe. Sharing information - hard fought knowledge - is necessary. That can be done through mentoring, teaching (like I have at Hyper Island), and free exchange of ideas and knowledge to the wider masses (in blogs like this one and others that have inspired me). Only then can we break the loop and lift up the next generation of designers to solve the problems that an ever evolving world presents. So, who will be the design innovators of tomorrow? Of 20 years from now? Answer: the ones we share with - and inspire - today. Get out there, inspire young designers, and break the loop!

Don’t draw the UI, draw the priority

Anton Sten — Mon, 07 Sep 2020 00:00:00 GMT

>Someone gave me some great feedback in the moments when I’m struggling with a design: “Don’t draw the UI, draw the priority instead.”

What they meant by this is that I should go away and write a humble list of priorities for every project: most important info at the top -> least important info at the bottom. So instead of trying to figure out the order of the information in a component—like a card or a table or what have you, we should use this content audit to help define the visual priority of each bit.**Don’t draw the UI, draw the priority**

Books that helped me grow

Anton Sten — Mon, 21 Sep 2020 00:00:00 GMT

A couple of weeks ago, I was on a coaching call with Matt. At the end of the call, he asked me to recommend some of my favorite books on the topic of UX and design. While I was happy to recommend the usual suspects, I realized the reading I generally do isn't particularly related to UX or design, but still influences my thinking on a very deep level. I didn't gave Matt a great answer by the end of that call, but still wanted to answer the question to the fullest. So, here's my latest reading list along with some of my takeaways on both a personal and professional level. ## My reading process Years ago, I decided to change my reading process. I was mostly buying physical books and was never really sure what to do with them after I was finished. Seeing as most of them shipped from the United States, I also wanted to change my process to minimize the environmental impact. Additionally, I wanted a better way of highlighting sections and being able to search them at a later time. This lead me to read mainly on a Kindle, but the process of syncing notes from the Kindle was too cumbersome. So about a year ago I decided to switch all of my reading to my iPad and iPhone. At one point I had an iPad mini almost entirely dedicated for reading, but eventually changed it for an iPad Pro. Using iBooks (Apple Books?) I can easily share notes to Notes (euhm, so my highlights go to an app called Notes). Reading progress is synced perfectly across devices as is my library. Books are generally about the same price in iBooks Store (Apple Books Store?) as on Amazon. So... onto the books! ## The usual suspects There are a couple of books on design and user experience that I highly recommend in case you haven't already read them. If you've read *any* list of suggested books for designers, you've surely come across many of these already. **The design of everyday things - Don Norman** - Amazon Description copied from Goodreads: *"Anyone who designs anything to be used by humans -- from physical objects to computer programs to conceptual tools -- must read this book, and it is an equally tremendous read for anyone who has to use anything created by another human. It could forever change how you experience and interact with your physical surroundings, open your eyes to the perversity of bad design and the desirability of good design, and raise your expectations about how things should be designed."* If that doesn't sell it, I'm out of words. **The elements of User Experience - Jesse James Garrett** - Amazon I often quote this book when talking about what a user experience really is. **Shape Up - Ryan Singer** Fascinating insight into how Basecamp works - how they decide what to build, how to scope it, and how to actually go about building it. It's available for free online. **It's not how good you are, it's how good you want to be - Paul Arden** - Amazon For an industry that sometimes seems obsessed with failing (especially failing fast and often), we're not especially good at owning up to failing, at least not until we've succeeded. Then it's perfectly fine to talk about your first 1000 failures, right? > The perosn who doesn't make mistakes is unlikely to make anything. **Factfulness - Hans Rosling** - Amazon Everyone should read this book. As for designers, it's crucial to understand how much of your thinking is, in fact, biased. If you're reading one book from this list, I'd suggest it's this one. ## Also worth mentioning: **Zero to One - Peter Thiel** - Amazon **Start with Why - Simon Sinek** - Amazon **Rework - Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson** - Amazon **Design is a Job - Mike Monteiro** - A book apart ## Recently read (and enjoyed) **The Making of a Manager - Julie Zhuo** - Amazon After writing about becoming a UX-lead, many people asked me about the role as it's something they're about to transition into. Julie's book was one of the books I read during my transition that didn't necessarily bring me all of the answers I was looking for, but it did bring me something more important - a calmness. >“I’m by no means a management expert. I’ve learned largely by doing, and despite my best intentions, I’ve made countless mistakes. But this is how anything in life goes: You try something. You figure out what worked and what didn’t. You file away lessons for the future. And then you get better. Rinse, repeat.”**Julie Zhuo - “The Making of a Manager”** **Hell Yeah or No - Derek Sivers** - Derek Sivers Derek's premise is simple; unless you go "Hell Yeah!" about a decision you should say no. It's hard in practice, but very impactful. At less than 100 pages, this is a very solid read packed with great advice and thinking. So much of this is incorporated into how I work. > “People say that your first reaction is the most honest, but I disagree. Your first reaction is usually outdated. Either it’s an answer you came up with long ago and now use instead of thinking, or it’s a knee-jerk emotional response to something in your past” **Hell Yeah or No** **Hourly Billing is Nuts - Jonathan Stark** - Jonathan Stark I'm still working to move more projects away from hourly billing, but this is surprisingly difficult. Jonathan's book is extremely inspiring in how he lays out the options and reasons to move away from hourly billing. >Hourly billing misaligns the direct financial incentives between you and your client (i.e., the longer the project takes, the better it is for you and the worse it is for the client). This creates trust fractures which erode the relationship over time if your estimates are not accurate. This erosion manifests itself as questioning hours, micromanagement, and lack of testimonials/referrals. Hourly billing allows you to get started before knowing your client’s goal. It’s a classic example of “Something must be done! We’re doing something! Something has been done!” Consider this: If you don’t have a goal, you can’t succeed. If you can’t succeed, you must fail. If you fail, your client will regret their decision to hire you.**Hourly billing is nuts** **The Courage to be Disliked - Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga** - Amazon This book has surely been one of the most impactful reads I've had in a long time - if not ever. It's something I've struggled with for most of my life - seeking assurance and confirmation from others. One a broader note, I believe many of these lessons apply to building products. >“The courage to be happy also includes the courage to be disliked.” **The Growth Handbook by Intercom** It's not a growth handbook in it's usual form - you know, add some overlays, a few huge CTA's, and some dark patterns then you'll be on your way to millions of users. Quite the opposite, it's about taking a more meaningful approach to growth. You can get this for free from Intercom. >“There’s a silly old business expression that says: “We’re going to lose a dollar on every deal, but we’ll make it up in volume.” It is also an extremely common way that venture-funded businesses think about how to grow.”**The Growth Handbook** **No Hard Feelings - Liz Fosslien and Mollie West Duffy** - Amazon I think most of us have worked with people who overshare just as often as we've worked with people who never show any feelings at all. While none of these two extremes might be a healthy long term option, striking a balance can be easier said than done. This books helps you find that balance. Even better, it's humorous and has cute illustrations. >"If you feel unmotivated by your job, it's time for some tough love: you've probably given up on learning." **No Hard Feelings** **The Power of Habit - Charles Duhigg** - Amazon Much like Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products by Nir Eyal, this book explains the basic theory on how habits operate and how they're created. What I like about Charles' book is that it's looks at habits on a broader level. While Nir's books primarily focuses on how to design digital products that create habits in users (or addictions), Charles looks at how we can use habits in our daily life and how they are the keys to success. >Champions don’t do extraordinary things Dungy would explain. They do ordinary things, but they do them without thinking, too fast for the other team to react. They follow the habits they’ve learned.**The Power of Habit** ## What I'm reading now **Radical Candor - Kim Scott** - Amazon I'm (as you probably can tell by now) fascinated about how great teams are formed and how to nurture them. Kim Scott's book is one of the most fascinating books I've read on this topic. I've also spent a lot of time thinking back to all the different teams I've been on and what I believe made some teams flourish and others to go stale. In all cases, the leader of the team played a crucial part (in either direction). > “Ultimately, though, bosses are responsible for results. They achieve these results not by doing all the work themselves but by guiding the people on their teams. Bosses guide a team to achieve results.”**Radical Candor** ## Next up These are books I've already bought (I've actually started Traffic Secrets, I tend to read 2-3 books at a time). **Adventures in opting out - field guide to leading an intentional life - Cait Flanders** - Amazon **Traffic Secrets - Russell Brunson** - Amazon **How to be an Antiracist - Ibram X Kendi** - Amazon ## Inspiration is everywhere So as you can see, most books I've read aren't about design or user experience, but about something I've always valued higher - how to work well together. I think this is a lesson earned from my time at Hyper Island where the emphasis was always on teamwork rather than learning the practicalities like the latest tools. What books have you read lately that has influenced your thinking?

Do not tolerate brilliant jerks.

Anton Sten — Mon, 21 Sep 2020 00:00:00 GMT

Talent doesn't excuse toxic behavior. The cost of brilliant jerks on team morale and culture outweighs their contributions.

Good design

Anton Sten — Thu, 01 Oct 2020 00:00:00 GMT

Defining what makes design truly good and the principles that guide meaningful creative work.

Finding balance: giving in vs standing your ground

Anton Sten — Mon, 05 Oct 2020 00:00:00 GMT

Having expertise within an area comes with its challenges. This is especially true within both design and user experience where all people have strong opinions. An opinion isn't the same as knowledge though, but not everyone is able to tell the difference or even acknowledge which one it is that they possess. In my Slack group, Matt asked me if I had any advice on dealing with a customer who pays you to design a product exactly in the way *they* feel it should be. I think it's safe to say that anyone that's been in this industry for a longer period of time have had a client just like this. The easy way out is, of course, to just say that they're paying you and however they choose to use - or ignore - your expertise isn't really for you to decide. Just let them pay you and go on living your life. However, this approach isn't really viable in the long term. We do better work when we do work we're proud of and, more importantly, we *feel* better when we get to do work we're proud of. I think there's a clear distinction between only shipping work that's "perfect" for the client and work that you have pride in. So, getting paid and shutting up really isn't the solution, is it? The other side of this equation is self-knowledge. Do you have all the information? Do you have the required knowledge about this industry, it's customers, and habits? In every project I've ever worked on, the client knows more about their industry than I do - if not, they're likely to go out of business very soon. I believe it's really important to be a bit self-critical as well, realizing that it's unlikely that you have *all* of the answers. That said, they've hired you for your expertise and knowledge. So, being able to communicate and distill those years of experience into something that the client can understand and respond to is ultimately your responsibility. As I mentioned in my last post, one of the books I'm currently reading is Radical Candor by Kim Scott. Scott, who also worked for Apple under Jobs, writes: >“Jobs articulated this approach more gently in an interview with Terry Gross: “At Apple we hire people to tell us what to do, not the other way around.”**Radical Candor** While it might take some time to spot the cues, aim for clients that hire you to tell them what to do not the other way around. ## What's important I was initially going to name this post "How to pick your battles" which I think in theory is true, but I dislike the use of the word "battle" as it assumes that there'll be a winner and a loser. At the end of the day, there should be only one winner - the product you've created. So instead of picking your battles, think of when it makes sense to listen and when it makes sense to speak up. A process that I've found especially useful when discussing product decisions is the Sliding Scale of Giving a Fuck by Cap Watkins (edited for brevity) >For the most part, our relationship worked pretty well. At times, however, I'd find myself in endless, circular arguments with Andy on how the product should function. What are the rules for when an item can be reviewed? What about problems with an item? How long should a single review impact the overall average for the shop? Should this flow be two steps, or should we consolidate down to one? Between the two of us, we could easily spend half an hour debating these topics, both advocating for our different points of view and trying to convince the other that we were right. And while most of our topics merited the scrutiny, at times I felt like he was pushing back on something extremely small and inconsequential, which in turn led me to push back even more.

One day, we were going a few rounds over a small detail (I can't even remember what it was, honestly) when Andy suddenly brought the conversation to a halt: *Hold on a second. I'm like a two-out-of-ten on this. How strongly do you feel? I'm probably a six-out-of-ten,* I replied after a couple moments of consideration. *Cool, then let's do it your way.*

I realized two things at that point. First, sometimes Andy just likes a good, healthy debate (to ensure that we've thought through everything). Secondly, I was frequently out of touch with how strongly (or not strongly) I felt about a particular topic of discussion. Regularly, I'd find myself impassioned more towards the ten-out-of-ten side of things, mostly because I wasn't stopping to think about the scope and importance of those topics.

Ever since then, I've found myself more and more rating both my feelings and the importance of any particular decision on that same one-to-ten scale. Is the decision non-critical and I don't actually care that much one way or another?

Interestingly, it turns out that many, many of the decisions I'm a part of day-to-day and week-to-week rate pretty low on the scale. It's rare that I find myself beyond a five, which is probably right. *Someone said to me once: if everything is an emergency, then nothing is.* Similarly, if I'm a ten-out-of-ten on every single decision I'm ever a part of, how can anyone know or trust me when I say something's very important to me? Having an internal barometer for what's important and what's less critical is incredibly useful for helping others trust your responses to ideas and proposals.**Sliding Scale of Giving a Fuck** ## Finding balance Thinking about decisions through the lens of a framework like that can help you make better decisions not only in work, but in your personal life too. I'm particularly proud when clients highlight this about me, like Elsa from Karma who've I've recently worked with: > If you dislike working with consultants as much as I do, you’ll love working with Anton. He was challenging when appropriate and accommodating when necessary.**Elsa Bernadotte** So instead of thinking about how to win the argument, think about which ones are important. Once you understand what you feel strongly about, you'll be able to focus on these specific points more clearly through actually listening to what the other party is saying and distilling your reasoning more clearly.

Function + Feeling - Haraldur Thorleifsson, Ueno (config Europe)

Anton Sten — Thu, 08 Oct 2020 00:00:00 GMT

>We can push a button in an app and we can get anything we really want, but it's not making anyone any happier. We can talk to anyone at anytime, but more and more of us feel isolated. We should be more connected than ever, but we're getting more and more fractured.**Function + Feeling - Haraldur Thorleifsson, Ueno (Config Europe)** Proud to be working with this guy. Watch the whole thing.

Function + Feeling - Haraldur Thorleifsson, Ueno (config Europe)

Anton Sten — Thu, 08 Oct 2020 00:00:00 GMT

Manager of one

Anton Sten — Mon, 12 Oct 2020 00:00:00 GMT

The ability to manage yourself - setting priorities, staying focused, and delivering without oversight - is the ultimate professional skill.

China plans to focus on quality over speed

Anton Sten — Thu, 29 Oct 2020 00:00:00 GMT

>China unveiled the first glimpses of its economic plans for the next five years, without mentioning what speed of growth it’s targeting. The overall plan is expected to focus on technological innovation, consumption, pollution control and more promises to continue opening the economy to foreign competition.**China Pledges Quality Growth in New 5-Year Economic Plan** Looks like quality over speed makes sense for countries and not just SaaS.

Make it fun: chaos in Product Design

Anton Sten — Fri, 30 Oct 2020 00:00:00 GMT

Embracing chaos and playfulness in product design to create more engaging and memorable user experiences.

Creating connections

Anton Sten — Mon, 02 Nov 2020 00:00:00 GMT

For the past 10 weeks I've met with Magnus every other week to talk about design and UX. Magnus' situation isn't that different from what I assume many of your situations may be like; he's the only designer in a fairly large organization. The organization completely agrees and understands the value of focusing on the user... but then life happens. You know the dance - sprint plans, features that need to ship, and, of course, KPI's that need to be met. What we've worked for the past weeks is to setup up his organization for success by focusing on the user experience. As I've mentioned in previous articles, the user experience is always a joint effort. While you might have a UX designer, a UX lead, or someone else responsible for certain areas, it's impossible to create a great user experience without full team alignment and commitment. So we've setup a plan to get alignment on what they believe defines a great user experience and what they think is important (and similarly, what's *not* important). We've designed small exercises that can be done in pairs for basic user research and ways to sketch out possible solutions. This is something that *everyone* on their team must do - not just designers. We had our final session this Friday and one of the things Magnus mentioned in his feedback really stuck with me. He said that outside of the help in getting alignment internally, he had really enjoyed just having someone to talk to about these things. While I think this would have been the case in a more normal scenario, I can't help but think that the feeling of "having someone to talk to" is even more important now. Designer or not, this year is different for everyone compared to what most of us ever experienced before. *As Tim Cook recently said:* >Work can’t solve for all the things we’re missing right now, but a shared sense of purpose goes a long way. A belief that we can do more together than we can alone, that people of good will, driven by creativity and passion and that certain itch of a big idea, can still do things that help other people in our own small way to teach, to learn, to create, or just to relax at a time like this. Even as the things we make require us to operate at the very cutting edge of technology, in materials, products, and ideas that didn’t exist just a few years ago, this year has forced us to face plainly the things that make us human — disease, resilience, and hope.**Tim Cook** Some weeks ago I shared some personal news on Twitter. This year has been challenging on so many levels; COVID, the loss of my long trusted dog, and a divorce. Through all of this, I've been receiving a ton of emotional support from friends and family and it has made me realize how much we need the support of one another. We spend hours, days, weeks, and months discussing and refining the perfect user experience for an app, yet we're not that great in designing the experiences of our own lives? One thing COVID has proven is that we need our physical connections and the emotional support of one another. So do me one favor, reach out to someone you haven't talked to in a while and ask them how they're doing. Tell them that you value them. And here's my offer: if you ever want to talk, you can always email me... I will answer. ♥️

Restoring your team’s passion

Anton Sten — Tue, 17 Nov 2020 00:00:00 GMT

I recently did a short survey with my newsletter subscribers - I wanted to know more about them AND I wanted to test Mailchimp's Survey tool. I do these kinds of check-ins on a regular basis, but make sure to keep them pretty light-hearted. I was happy to find out that my subscribers generally really like my newsletters - on a scale from 0-10 (0 =I'm about to unsubscribe to 10=I love them), I got an average rating of 8.6! Only about 10% of the respondents reported that they consider themselves to be a freelancer or consultant, which was lower than I had expected. I was saddened to see that only 14% consider themselves happy and only 7.5% (just one in 13!) are in love. As a final step, I asked them if they wanted to share something they identify with and I was happy to see Patrycja end with "a woman from Poland, fighting for our rights". From a man in Sweden, I stand by you, Patrycja! I make sure to end surveys like this with open-ended questions so they are free to ask me anything they want. This time, it didn't require an education in user research to spot the common theme: "How do you discover what work you are truly passionate about?" and "How do you help a design team who may have lost their passionate find it again?" and so on. There was a clear consensus around lack of inspiration and passion. Warwick specifically asked for advice on how to guide his team: "What kind of space do you prepare that allows them to express themselves? Do I approach each team member individually or as a collective?" First of all, while I hate that all of us aren't just satisfied and fulfilled all the time, I focus on the fact that people are actually *thinking* about these topics and desire to change the circumstances. I instantly think of a quote from Cait Flanders beautiful book, Adventures in Opting Out: >And when things start to feel difficult, you must remember this: If you want to change your life, you have to change your life.**Adventures in Opting Out** So often, we want change, but we don't actually want *to* change. For someone that's gone through a lot of change this last year (and have more to come), I can highly relate to how it easy it is to want change, but feel afraid of actually changing. This year has been tough on all of us. It has been *so long*. In February, I met with a team from SuperFriendly and Herman Miller in Atlanta, GA and, seriously, that feels like a decade ago. What's may be even worse is that we still don't know when our lives will get back to some sort of normal - or if, god forbid - this may be the new normal. ## Calm is contagious But in order to find passion and inspiration I believe we need to find calmness. It's impossible to find passion and inspiration if you're all you're experiencing is anxiety. I once read a quote from former Navy Seal commander Rorke T. Denver that's stuck with me and that I try to bring into every team. In a keynote address the former 13-year Navy SEAL said the best leadership lesson learned in military training was simple: > "As officers, at a minimum, the boys are going to mimic your behavior. In our line of work, based on our personalities, they're probably going to amplify your behavior, and athletes are the exact same way. As leaders, as captains, as officers, if you keep your head, they'll keep their head. If you keep it together, they'll keep it together. And if you lose it, they'll lose it.

So I'm going to share with you the best thing I learned as a master chief when I was a new guy from a master chief in Vietnam:

Calm is contagious." What's even more interesting is that you can apply this to any feeling or emotion... chaos is contagious, panic is contagious, stupid 100% is contagious, and uninspired is contagious. So in order to be able to help your team feel inspired, you have to find your own inspiration first. I absolutely realize that's much easier said than done. Like any good self-help advice, I'll start with stating the obvious. You have to start by admitting that you're uninspired and that it's OK. *Let me say that again, admitting that it's OK is not the same as saying that you don't want to change.* If you think about yourself as if you were an app, it's no different than admitting that a feature doesn't work exactly as you want it to. It is what it is for the moment and you know you'll eventually change it, but in order to do, you need to understand why it's not working the way you think it should. ## What I do to find inspiration Working by myself, and at least to some extent for myself, inspiration is definitely something I struggle with from time to time. What I've done in the past is usually a mix of applying for full-time roles, getting a new office space, or something else that will deeply change the circumstances short-term. It, however, won't help long-term. ## Work from somewhere else Obviously this was easier in pre-COVID times, but luckily in Sweden the cafés have stayed open. So whenever I need to boost my energy levels, I've found that working from another location can help. If you're in lockdown, you could try working from another place in your home. If you have a garden, try sitting outside as much as the weather allows! ## Don't work Sometimes, the best thing to find inspiration for work is to... not work. I tend to go for walks in the forest or just watch a show. Personally, this comes with two sets of challenges for me. First thing is to not feel guilty for not working. Realizing that you're just filling up gas so that you can work better. There's no shame in realizing that you need a break, but for a Finn/Swede with a strong work ethic, like myself, this can be a challenge. Second thing is to just do stuff you know works for you. For years, I told myself that playing FIFA gave me inspiration when in fact it was just an escape. That's fine as long as you're honest about the purpose of it. Thinking about something else can give you clarity. ## Read For someone whose work is visual, I like switching context to something that's not visual. So reading something is usually helps me because I feel that it activates another part of my brain. I tend to read stuff that's not directly related to my work, but where I can see clear connections and similarities (sort of like how this post could easily be translated to working on a product instead of yourself). ## Design something else I like to redesign my website for this exact reason. It allows me to play with design and try out things without having any set of business requirements in mind. So if you're uninspired, what if you tried designing something else? ## All of this works for teams too I think all of the above examples work just as well for teams, but I'd like to point out is inspiration is very hard to 'demand' from an exercise. What works for me might not work for you and what works for you might not work for your co-worker. Each have to find their own way. When Warwick asked whether to approach each team member individually or as a collective - the answer is there's no "right" way. Some people prefer to talk in a group setting while others might feel more safe in a 1-1. As for creating a space that allows them to express themselves - this is what managers should be doing *all the time*. That is the most important role of a manager - to create a space that is safe and trusted. > “Ultimately, though, bosses are responsible for results. They achieve these results not by doing all the work themselves but by guiding the people on their teams. Bosses guide a team to achieve results.”**Radical Candor** I would love to hear more about how you are finding inspiration in these times. Feel free to tweet me (also DM's are open) or email me.

2020 Year in Review

Anton Sten — Sat, 02 Jan 2021 00:00:00 GMT

It's become a tradition for me to review my year as it comes to the end. I've been doing so since 2017 (2017, 2018 and 2019) and it's nice to reflect and take some time to think ahead. Let's start by stating the obvious - 2020 was unlike any other year. There's hardly anyone on the planet that hasn't been affected by the COVID pandemic. I'm so extremely grateful that I've managed to stay healthy and that the restrictions in Sweden have been very loose compared to many other countries. Unfortunately, that has also had serious ramifications on the amount of cases as well as deaths that Sweden has recently experienced. Going beyond COVID, 2020 has been an extremely tough year for me and surely a year I'll never forget. ## Projects & Work On the work side of things, 2020 has actually been a really prosperous year for me. I've been fortunate to get to work with amazing people and brands - growing my relationships and experiences. Financially, I haven't been affected at all, in fact financially 2020 is looking to turn out great. I've worked two major projects this year which feels like a good balance - Herman Miller (through SuperFriendly) and a project with Ueno. ## Herman Miller The year started with me directing my first SuperFriendly project for a long-time dream client, Herman Miller. It feels weird looking back and remembering how all of us met up in Atlanta, GA for a few days back in February. The pandemic had just started to get some publicity, but no one had a clue of what was to come. To put it in perspective, when I flew to Atlanta the US had a total of 8 confirmed cases. Today that number is more than 19 million. My takeaways were numerous. I learned how different leading a team is than managing a team. And leading a team is also (obviously) very different from being the Design Lead on a team. During this project, my main objective was to set the course for the team and ensure that we were all doing the best work possible. This team became one of the most loved teams I've ever been on and I am extremely grateful. What was also very different was leading a team during a pandemic - especially when they are scattered across the world - Sweden, Lebanon, Mexico, the US (Dallas). I still talk to them on a weekly basis even though the project ended 6 months ago and I care about these people deeply. Sara's testimonial was one I really appreciated as it showed that I take the time to communicate effectively. Even some of the people from Herman Miller turned out to become great friends and we stay connected. Maybe this is partly due to us navigating the first few months of the pandemic together? !Zoom - Herman Miller From top left: Ryan Andersson, VP Digital Innovation Herman Miller, me, Sara Soueidan, Nicole Hampton, Sarah Azpeitita, Jessi Hall (all SuperFriends) ## Ueno The other large project I worked on during the year (and am still work on!) is agency work for one of Ueno's clients. I've been a fan of Ueno's work for a long time, so it's been fascinating to get glimpse behind the scenes. The project I've been working on is an e-commerce app for a large retailer which is awesome, and at times, very frustrating work for a product design guy like me. Ueno was one of those companies who were fairly quick in closing their offices early on and we'll be remote until the end of 2021 at the earliest. !Zoom - Ueno Our intro call in August: Amanda Chessa, me, Joel Wasko, Halli, Carrie Ko, Marco Coppeto, Lee Simpson, Louise Dreier, Greg Whitescarver ## And a bunch of other lovely people I've also worked with a couple of other companies and people doing great things: - Alight that builds solar parks - Karma that makes it easier for restaurants to sell surplus food (reducing food waste) - Bark, whose mission is to make dogs as happy as they make us. Bark made their decision to go public during our project, at a $1.6 billion valuation. - and I've continued through-out the year to work with my friends at RedRover. I've also been happy to have more people hiring me for my coaching services that I launched during this year. ## Website and newsletter Throughout the year, I've felt an decreasing interest in my newsletter and website. Well... that's not entirely true. I've felt a decreasing interest in monitoring subscriber growth, page visits, and other pointless _vanity_ metrics. Instead, I've been more interested in engaging with the people that are on my list. I'm more excited about writing to them privately than sharing everything on my blog. And, I'm more interested in having a focused discussion than to monologue. Blogs are not great for discussions. If you want to join the list, just sign up. Once you've joined, you can join our Slack group too. This August, I did a major redesign of my website. I decided to drop both Google Analytics and later my long-time favorite GoSquared in preference of using just Fathom because of their focus on privacy. The three most popular posts from the last year: - Working as a UX Lead - Why wireframes are becoming obsolete (this continues to stir emotions on Medium) - Designers: design less, think more ## Personal I already mentioned that it has been a challenging year for me, but more due to other things in my life than the pandemic. This year has been a roller coaster of highs and lows and, unfortunately, those lows have been more frequent and longer lasting. There are two major events that has happened in my life this year. ## The loss of my best friend For nearly 15 years, I had Meta with me day and night. She slept as close as she could to me almost every night and she slept under my desk everyday at work. We walked back and forth to the office and even shared meals together. It might seem odd to describe that kind of relationship with a dog, but she was my best friend. At the end of 2019 and the beginning of 2020, it became more obvious that not everything was well with Meta. She didn't seem to be in pain per se, but it was clear that she wasn't fine. She would walk around at home without direction and she became increasingly short-tempered. Finally in March when I came to pick her up, it took a good minute before she recognized me. So in May, I finally took the decision to let her move on to the after life. It was a decision that was filled with mixed feelings. I _knew_ it was the right thing to do, but it felt _heart breaking._ !Me and Meta ## The divorce I met my (ex) wife when I was just a boy. I was just returning from my internship at Lateral in London back in 2001. She was a student at Hyper Island as well. We moved in together after just a week and got married five years later. These last years, however, have shown us that we want different things in life. It took me probably a couple of years to realize that this was the case, but once you admit it, you also give in to the fact that there's no return. Cait Flanders mentions the same in _Adventures in Opting Out, "Once you see things, you cannot unsee them._ Once you admit to yourself that you know you will be better off without her."\* We've worked hard at staying good friends through communication, but I can tell you that living with your ex wife for 6 months during a pandemic is at times "challenging". I've probably listened to Exile a million times this year. We told our families, we sold our home, and we cried a lot. Only the future knows what happens next and what our relationship will be like. ## Looking ahead So I'm stepping into 2021 without a dog and without a wife. I'm doing my best at looking at this as endless opportunities with freedom for growth. I'm excited to move into my own apartment as I haven't lived by myself since I was 21. I'll be moving to Malmö, so I'm excited about exploring a new neighbourhood. I've met someone that I really like and it's weird, but fantastic, experiencing new love. I'm hopeful that 2021 will allow me to travel again. I haven't seen family in well over a year and I miss them terribly. I wanna go to Paris, Amsterdam, Chicago, and London. I wanna go visit friends in Oslo and Stockholm, have dinner in Copenhagen, and travel for work to the US again. I've connected with a ton of new people during 2020 and I'm curious to see where these new connections will take me. And if this year has taught us anything, it's to cherish the people around us and that sometimes being healthy is enough.

My typical day

Anton Sten — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 00:00:00 GMT

I was recently tagged by my friend Sara Soueidan to describe my typical day. It's a trend going around on Twitter, but I enjoy reading these kind of posts from other people, so perhaps some of you will find this interesting too. You can read about Sara's typical day, Dan Mall's, or Chris Coyier's. As much as everyone - especially freelancers - like to say they don't have a typical day, I think I need to preface this post with some context. I think most people have a "typical day" in one way or another. As humans, we're always looking for structure and familiarity, so no matter what we like to think of ourselves, we have days that would be "typical". That said, the last year has seen me going through a divorce, moving into an apartment in a new city, and meeting someone new. For the first time in a very long time, I'm living by myself and also working from home. I'm also currently on a project where we have team members in Europe, US East coast and US West coast so that certainly affects my planning for the day. Needless to say, it's not that I don't have typical days, it's just that I might not really know what they look like quite yet. **6.30 - 8.00 AM -** Around this time is when I usually get up. I'll make my breakfast and start the day pretty slowly. I'll have some coffee and just ease into the day. If it's summertime, this is when I do my workout, but during the winter, it's usually later in the day. At this time of the year, it's still pitch dark outside in Sweden. **8.00 - 11.30 AM** - First work session. I've noticed that this is when I do my best, most focused work because there's usually no distractions at this time of the day. This is when I attack tougher problems or tasks that need more detailed structure. **11.30 AM - 12.30 PM -** Winter workout time. I like breaking up the day into segments and this allows me to sort of reset my brain for the afternoon. If the weather is nice, I'll go for a run, but when it's not, I'll likely use my Waterrower or dumbbells at home instead. **12.30 PM - 1.30 PM -** Lunch. When there's not a pandemic roaming the world, I like to meet people for lunch. I think it's far nicer to eat with others. **1.30 PM - 4.00 PM -** Second work session. I'll review my own work from the morning and reply to emails, Slack messages, and start engaging with my team as collaborators in Europe and US East coast are starting to come online. This is where I do work that's less affected by me being pulled into other directions. **4.00 - 7.00 PM -** Meetings. This is the overlap time that I have with my peers on the US West coast so there's usually at least one meeting per day, but more often than not that slot is pretty filled. I think it's generally fine though because it allows me to recap my day too. **7.00 - 8.30 PM** - Dinner and chill. My girlfriend works late evenings too so we'll generally not catch up until around this time. We'll cook together, have some wine, and talk about what not. **8.30 - 9.00 PM -** Answer Slack / Figma / Notion comments that come in so they'll have a chance to respond again ahead of my day tomorrow. I'll keep this time to a minimum. **9.00 - 11.30 PM -** Movie or just hanging out. I've found that there's a huge benefit to my mental health, sleep, and general mood when I hardly use my phone after 9.00 PM. **11.30 PM -** Bedtime. I'll generally fall asleep within < 10 minutes. The tasks for each day is heavily dependent on two things: - **the "remind me" feature in Slack** (I use this _a lot)_ to remember to come back to specific tasks or messages that was sent the previous evening. - **Things.** I have projects setup for all client projects, but also private projects (from grocery shopping to long term goals). I then use the 'When' feature to assign dates for everything so I know each morning what I have to accomplish during the day. Once the 'Today' list is all taken care of, I can head into a specific project to cross of additional tasks if I'm on roll. The list isn't definitive though, I'll keep my days flexible enough so that most days, almost any of the tasks could be moved until the next day. !Typical day in Things ## Closing thoughts I'm curious to see how my typical days will change over the coming months. Transitioning into my new life will surely come with new routines. Hopefully the pandemic will also have less of an impact on all of our lives. Less restrictions will certainly allow me to travel and engage in more social situations. What does your typical day look like?

40 - halfway there

Anton Sten — Mon, 01 Mar 2021 00:00:00 GMT

This week I'm turning 40. I thought that was a big enough sentence to stand on its own. However, I won't spend this post trying to share words of wisdom from what I've learnt about life so far because if the last couple of years has taught me anything it's that I don't know much about what's actually going to happen. And besides, whenever I'm looking for long-term life advice, I still think Sam Altman's "The days are long but the decades are short" has far better advice than I could deliver. What I do want to talk about is context switching and why I think it's important for perspective and future growth. I designed (and coded the HTML) for my first professional website in 1997 (although the first snapshot at web.archive.org is from 1998 but I made that version too). I've been designing websites for the last 24 years and it does feel like a long time. I've spent about 60% of my life perfecting my craft so, by most standards, I'm considered to be senior in my profession. But this post isn't about looking back, it's about looking forward. Fingers crossed, I'll be able to live a long and healthy life meaning I'll work until I'm at least 65-70 years old before I can retire. If we look at my career from that point of view, I haven't even made it to the halfway point! Albert Einstein famously said *"The more I learn, the more I realize how much I don't know"* - ironically: one thing that I have learnt though is to take quotes on the Internet with a grain of salt - and it's a quote I can relate to. I do think though that it's not as much about *realizing how much I don't know,* but *rather being OK with not knowing.* I've spent the last couple of weeks intentionally thinking about my future career path. Where do I want to take my career? What kind of work do I want to do? I truly believe people benefit from thinking about where they want their career to go and planning for whatever steps that may include. In the same way I love to think about future strategies for my clients, I love thinking about it for my own business and for me personally. In a couple of weeks I'll be leading an UX-upskill class at Hyper Island called "Design principles" and when I read the program description I was instantly drawn to this section: >The digital age brings great wealth, freedom and power to millions of people - but not yet in an evenly distributed fashion. The underlying premise of this program is that a UX Designers' main purpose is to fix that distribution problem by designing products and services that will be used by more people sooner. Never before had something resonated with me in the way that paragraph does when it comes to *what* and *why* our work with digital tools can be important. I'm saying *can be* because, in all honesty, most of us haven't begun to address these issues. Truth be told, a lot of the products we're building help bridging the gap even further (#gigeconomy). So, here's my challenge for you. What's your plan for the next week, year and decade? It's a tough question. It means that you can evaluate where you are and if that place is right for you. Just because you've done something for, say, 24 years doesn't mean that is going to be your path forever.

Home office or office at home?

Anton Sten — Mon, 08 Mar 2021 00:00:00 GMT

One of the challenges about running a blog like mine is surely coming up with topics to write about. Previously, I was extremely strict about _always_ sending a newsletter every two weeks with a new post like clockwork. As soon as I gave myself some breathing room I decided that it's OK not to write or send a newsletter if I don't have anything to say. Downside? I basically stopped writing altogether. This, however, allowed me assess how much I really value what I had to say previously.. Then early this year I stumbled upon a post from Brian Lovin that resonated with me - Reasons you aren't updating your personal site. One of the tips Brian suggested was to keep a list in Things about potential blog topics. I had previously done something similar, but housed my list in Notion. For me it was easier to have it in Notion as it's where I do my writing. The disadvantage was (and this is crucial) adding the idea to Notion is more difficult than adding it to Things. One method I use to get new topic ideas is to ask my newsletter community about what they're interested in. A couple of weeks ago I did just that and got a ton of interesting replies and questions! Many of them were so well articulated and complex that they deserve more thought and research before I even attempt to answer them. One really interesting one that came in was when Edvin asked about what my home office setup is like and how I think about the balance between work and private life. It might strike as a bit weird that I've worked primarily remotely for the last 10 years but I've always had an office - even during this pandemic. When I was looking for a new apartment I knew I wanted to find a place that would allow for a dedicated office in my home - something I've never really done. So in January, I moved to my new apartment in Malmö and finally began working from home like most of the rest of the world. It's been about 6 weeks so far and I think my impressions are still very early, but then again, writing them down now allows me to better review and update them in a year's time. !Office ## Setup My home office also keeps the home gym equipment I have so it's a bit of a mix. However, it was important for me to have a dedicated space for my office and not work from my living room or kitchen (my kitchen is too small to work in anyways). I prefer my work area to be very clean and minimalistic (Hello Scandinavia!) as well as having a warm, comfortable feeling. Natural surfaces and plants are a must. I try to combine quality products with decent cheaper options, so I'm comfortable with the IKEA desk as long as I have my trusted Herman Miller Aeron chair. The rug is also from IKEA, but the shelving system is from String. I've invested in a decent microphone as I'll spend most of my days in online meetings and I think sound quality is important. I'm certainly not a fan of using headphones all day. I'd eventually like to have a decent camera solution (I'm definitely team camera-on when it comes to meetings), but I don't want to clutter my desk with having a DSLR connected. Dan always has some of the best looking webcam setups though. Maybe when I'll upgrade my iPhone, I'll use Camo with my then-replaced-iPhone. I also enjoy having beautiful and quality books near me even though I must confess that I don't read them nearly as often as I should. !Office ## Work / Private life balance I realise that for a lot of people working from home blurs the line between private life and work life - _I strongly discourage from using the term work-life balance._ However, I've found that working from home has almost had the opposite effect on me. Previously when I had an office, as long as I was in the office, I felt like it was necessary to work. My habit is to work early in the mornings and have meetings in the evenings, so my days ended up being really long. Now, when working from home, I'll work for an hour or two in the morning, then have breakfast and and maybe go for a long walk or workout. I'll do a couple of more hours when I return until my meetings begin. If there's a 30 minute gap between meetings I can easily relax and do something else whereas I was previously more bound to doing work constantly. If I have meetings later in the evenings, I can easily make myself dinner in-between meetings and not having to show up like a cranky drama queen at 9pm. I've always enjoyed doing some catch-up work on weekends when everything is quieter which feels far easier with a home office too. It is really working out for me and, while not unexpected, is a pleasant surprise. Curious to hear more about how you're finding working from home! Drop me a note.

What are Design Principles? Part 1

Anton Sten — Mon, 22 Mar 2021 00:00:00 GMT

_I'm currently leading the "Design Principles" class for Hyper Island's UX Upskill Program. This post is part of my introductionary talk about what UX is and through what lens we should look at UX. This is part 1 out of 4. You can read Part 2 here, Part 3 here and Part 4 here.._ The baseline of this class is Design Principles, but we'll be focusing more on the fundamentals of the design process. By first focusing on the steps in the process, you'll be able to identity what's needed to create a great user experience. !Design process **Product requirements** - What, for who, why, what are the constraints, what are the requirements? **Wireframes** - What is the structure? What are the high level features and logic that we're creating? **Visual design** - What is the brand personality and identity? What are we trying to communicate with our visual design? **Presentation** - How do we describe what this does in less than 5 minutes? These are equally important, but... If you don't do each of the steps in the right order and complete them properly, you'll end up with a very shaky experience and app. !Yanky process So over the next four weeks, I'll walk you through each of these steps. For today, I want to focus on the broader subject of what is UX. I believe it's fundamental that all of us start on a common idea and understanding of what a user experience is. ## So what is UX? With all the hype and attention that the term UX has got in the last few years, you'd imagine we'd be pretty aligned on what we mean when we talk about UX. For a subject that should focus around _simplifying,_ there sure are a lot of images trying to explain what user experience and only resulting in confusion. Is UX a bowl of cereal? And UI is a spoon? !UX Cereal For years, this one floated around the Internet arguing that "Design" is what someone intended the usage to be and "User experience" is how users actually interact with the product. !two paths I think this image actually hits closer to home... !Two paths Choosing a dirt road over a paved one doesn't describe a user experience, but can describe a user scenario - a pattern if you will. A user experience isn't as black and white as these pictures want us to believe. They are both, in fact, expressions of different user experiences. Let's look at a real life scenario for some context: > Everyone, every once in a while, has one of those days. > You know the kind of day I'm talking about: You wake up to sunlight streaming in your window and wonder why your alarm clock hasn't gone off yet. You look over to see that your alarm clock think it's 3:43 AM. You stumble out of bed to find another clock, which tells you that you can still make it to work on time — if you leave in 10 minutes. > You turn on the coffeemaker and hustle to get dressed, but when you go to retrieve your dose of life-sustaining caffeine, there's no coffee in the pot. No time to figure out why — you've got to get to work! > You get about a block from your house when you realize that the car needs gas. At the gas station, you try to use the one pump that takes credit cards, but this time it won't accept yours. So you have to go inside and pay the cashier, but first you have to wait in line while the cashier very slowly helps everyone in front of you. > You have to take a detour because of a traffic accident, so the drive takes longer than you expected. It's official: Despite all of your efforts, you are now late for work. Finally, you make it to your desk. You're agitated, harried weary and irritable — and your day hasn't even really started yet. > And you still haven't had any coffee.**Jesse James Garrett - The Elements of User Experience** I think most of us can understand how a bad start to a day can result in a downward spiral. It may seem like bad luck on the surface - just one of those days, right? When we look closer, we see how each of the issues could have been avoided through intentional design of the products involved. **The clock** started this whole mess. The alarm didn't go off because the time was wrong. The time was wrong because in the middle of the night your cat stepped on it and reset it. A slightly different cat-proof configuration of buttons and you'd be awake in good time for work - coffee in hand. **The coffeemaker** didn't start because you didn't push the button all the way down. The machine itself has no visual or audio cue that it's been turned on - no light, no sound, and no resistance when the button pushes in. You thought you had turned it on, but being in a hurry, you didn't double check it. This could have been avoided if you had set the coffeemaker to start brewing automatically in the morning, but you never learned how to use that function — let's face it, none of us do. **The credit card** didn't work at the pump because there was no infographic or visual guide defining which way the card should be inserted. Because you were in a hurry, you didn't think of trying all orientations. **The line at the gas station** moved slowly because the cash register was overly complex and confusing. The clerk spent extra time making sure he was correct rather than run the risk of having to start the transaction from scratch - a real possibility. The popularity and simplicity of registers like iZettle and Square is no coincidence. **The accident** happened because the driver momentarily took his eyes off the road while he turned the radio down. He had no choice but to look down because it was impossible to identify the volume control by touch alone. So much for futuristic touch-screens! Each one of these instances of 'bad luck' could have been avoided if only someone had made better choices while designing the products. Take a look around you right now. It's frightening how many of the products we interact with daily haven't taken the user into account when they were created. So clearly UX is a field that can have an enormously high impact on improving the lives of those who use the products we design. > "User experience" encompasses all aspects of the end-user's interaction with the company, its services, and its products.**Don Norman** User Experience is not about the inner working of a product or a service. Instead, User Experience is about how it works on the outside, where a person comes in contact with it. When someone asks you what it's like to use a product or a service, they're asking about the user experience. Is it hard to do simple things? Is it easy to figure out? How does it feel to interact with the product? To me, this consists of three main areas: 1. **Visual design -** Not long ago, this is what most people assumed was the user experience. How things look. Even when Material Design concepts were first launched, the discussion was primarily focused around how it looked, not how it should be adapted, combined with words, or the interaction! 1. **Visual design -** Not long ago, this is what most people assumed was the user experience. How things look. Even when Material Design concepts were first launched, the discussion was primarily focused around how it looked, not how it should be adapted, combined with words, or the interaction! 2. **Content design -** During the last year, there's been more and more discussion about the importance of UX writing (even by yours truly). This is not just because of a sudden trend, but more because words play a crucial role informing the user of the user experience. Written content is a great way to add personality, but also a way to remove friction and insecurity - the stepping stones of good UX. 3. **Interaction design -** How a button interacts with you when you hover over it or press it is not merely visual design or eye candy its a way for the application to communicate with you - "I'm responding to your actions" - and ideally, "I'm responding to them quickly." Secondly, interaction design is related to information architecture - how the service is structured. ## Let's look at the two paths again !two paths **Here's what's wrong with this image** Both of the paths provide a user experience. They provide the user with different user experiences. The dirt path is a shorter path and great in ideal conditions. The concrete path is longer, but is a better choice when it's raining and you don't want to jump mud puddles. Both of these paths are designed. The paved path is designed by engineers deliberately and the other one was designed by users. > Therefore, the picture is misleading and totally fails to explain what UX is, and for no reason whatsoever, puts Design and UX in conflict, and even more so, it smirks and with a smug look puts UX in superior position to Design. > Design is a process, a method, a toolkit, a verb (to design) which is used by people to create various User Experiences. Design is a method, and UX is a desired outcome — outcome based on user research, heuristics, gut intuition, requirements, etc. These two cannot be confronted like the picture suggests. > It's not even apples vs. oranges comparison, these are both at least fruit, it's apples vs. rockets level of comparison.**DEBUNKING BAD DESIGN MEMES, PART 1: "DESIGN VS. UX" INFAMOUS PICTURES** ## The difference between UI and UX So hopefully we're a little bit more aligned on what we mean when we talk about UX. To take things to the next level, let's take a quick look at what UI is and more importantly, how it relates to UX as these are often intertwined and exchanged randomly. So putting this as simply as I can UX design aims to achieve: - To improve customer satisfaction; - To improve the quality of interaction between a company and its consumer; - To make sure that the product, whether that be a website, app or software program, logically flows from one step to the next; UI design on the other hand aims to: - Translate the work of a UX designer be it research, wireframes and what not into an attractive, guiding and responsive experience. - Use visual elements in a consistent way so users can guide themselves easier by understanding the visual design system at play. _I'm currently leading the "Design Principles" class for Hyper Island's UX Upskill Program. This post is part of my introductionary talk about what UX is and through what lens we should look at UX. This is part 1 out of 4. You can read Part 2 here and Part 3 here._

What are Design Principles? Part 2

Anton Sten — Mon, 29 Mar 2021 00:00:00 GMT

_I'm currently leading the "Design Principles" class for Hyper Island's UX Upskill Program. This is part 2 out of 4. You can read Part 1 here, Part 3, and Part 4 here._ When people ask what I do, I tell them I'm a UX-designer or that I lead UX. The reality is, these are not titles I'm a fan of. It's true that I help companies design user experiences. While you'd think the title would be suitable, it also suggests that I am solely responsible for the complete user experience. As we talked about last week, the user experience is much larger than most assume and something impossible for one person to create. Today we're going to start off by talking about the other half of the term UX-designer, namely designer. I hear a lot of people saying they don't know anything about design (even accomplished designers say this!). Years ago, I was listening to Erika Hall give a talk (I've since then had the honor of working with Erika, she is an amazing researcher) and she had this a slide that stuck in my mind ever since. > Design is a series of decisions. > **Erika Hall** It's a simple concept, but anyone that's ever worked on a design project knows just how true it is. One could easily argue that, you know, life is the same. Just a series of decisions. But I think it'd be great if we could apply this mind space more often when designing products. After all, with any decision of importance we want to make, we tend to research the subject, right? We ask our friends or other people we trust what they think and, beyond that, what they believe. Do they have experience using the product? That's the logical starting point. For some reason when it comes to design, we tend to just... start designing. We often approach the task of designing with the preface that "I'm not _really_ a designer" or "I _really_ don't know anything about design" and instantly set ourselves up for failure. Ultimately, design is just like any profession - you get better by practicing. So that's what we're going to do now! > I DON'T KNOW anything about design. Bullsh\*t.

> Look around you. You make choices based on design every day.

> Even if you can't design those things yourself, that doesn't take away from your ability to decide that was the chair you wanted to sit on, or the shoes you wanted to wear, or the car you wanted to buy.

> You know bad design when you encounter it. From every chair you've sat in that hurt your ass, to every coffee cup that burned your hand, to every time your finger triggered the wrong link on your phone, to every airline booking site that pissed you off. You know bad design. You hate it.**Mike Monteiro - You're my favorite client** We DO make design decisions every day. And if you think about it, you have since you were a child. Maybe you drew up a football field in the dirt, maybe you came up with a game (that somehow only you could win) or perhaps you played your parents against each other to land a trip to Disneyland. You could easily define a goal. You knew whether or not you'd achieved it. When you did, you said that your plan has gone "as designed". That is design. A designer isn't someone who makes pretty things in Figma or a similar tool. A designer is - or at least should be - someone who can help you solve problems in a way that you can't. Perhaps you were thinking design is some kind of black magic arts. I'm sorry to say it's not. It's not magic and it's not art. It's a craft. The craft of a designer is to solve a problem within a given set of constraints utilizing tools of the industry. Just like a doctor needs to know symptoms in order to practice their craft of diagnosing what's wrong or a chef needs to know the ingredients necessary to make a great dish, we need constraints as designers in order to solve a problem. Today we're going to start by looking at how to set these constraints. ## Product Requirements

Design is visualized thinking.

I love Dribbble but it seems like many designers there aren't thinking much of anything.
— Halli (@iamharaldur) August 25, 2020

I'll start by giving you some career advice: One of the biggest shifts in the way I work as I've become more senior is the way and methods I use when I approach visual design. In the early days of my career, I'd be happy to start designing by knowing what brand the site was for and maybe a rough outline of what the site should achieve; marketing site, corporate site, etc. In the early 21st century, I wasn't alone tackling projects this way. Fast-forward 20 years and you'd assume things in the field have changed, right? That designers approach projects in more thoughtfully and disciplined ways? The successful ones do. Continuing on the career advice path, here's two more: - You'll spend a lot of time trying to figure out if you're solving the right problem - Once you get to Figma, most of the hard work is already done

Once you get to Figma, most of the hard work is already done. 👀 https://t.co/oEzG0FxLvx
— Sean Goodwin (@TheSeanGoodwin) August 19, 2020

> The hard work is to make sure you are solving the right problem. ## What a designer should focus on: - **The problem:** What is the opportunity or issue that needs to change? What's the history? - **Constraints:** What do we know already? Where do we start exploring and unearthing more? What are our limits? - **People:** Who are we doing this for and what matters to them? - **Craft:** Less about the "project" and more about a designer's own ability to be effective, efficient, and capable of communicating their ideas. A great way to document and highlight the first three are through a Product Requirements Document, commonly known as a PRD. A PRD defines the value and purpose of a product or feature. It is written to communicate what you are building, who it is for, and how it benefits the end user. They help to provide an understanding of what products should do. It is advisable, however, that such a document does not concentrate on "how" the product should be developed. That way the developers are free to use their experience to work out the optimal solution for each requirement. Requirements documents should also describe the assumptions of the customer regarding your product. Without a PRD, it's easy to end up here: !Product The contents of the PRD can vary, but I think a certain set of parameters make sense to include: - **Features** - The name of the feature - **Description** - Description of the feature - **Purpose** - What should be accomplished - **User problem** - Pain points or challenges - **User value** - Experience of using the products and its benefits to the user - **Assumptions** - User, business, and technical assumptions - **Not doing** - What is out of scope for a certain feature - **Acceptance criteria** - A set of parameters determining whether a user story is complete and working I've been working on a grocery delivery service for the last few months and a PRD for something as basic as a search function might look like this: - **Features** - Search - **Description** - Search by keyword, product name, category or brand - **Purpose** - Giving the customer an accessible, easy-to-use way to find specific products - **User problem** - Browsing categories too time consuming or unsure of which category a product belongs to - **User value** - Ability to quickly find a specific product - **Assumptions -** - We assume that search will also serve product results based on tags such as gluten free, lactose free, organic, etc. and that the metadata will be in place to serve them up. - We assume that search will be for products only and will not turn up things like store location. (For the store finder we will have a map with address search.) - We will design the following search states: initiation, in-progress, results, results sorted, no results. - **Not doing** - We are not designing for edge-cases - **Acceptance criteria** - A user can search in the set language and receive appropriate results every time. ## Wireframes I do a fair bit of writing now. Sure, I was terrible at it in the beginning, but it's something that I've felt has helped me immensely as a designer. Last year I wrote a post called "Why wireframes are becoming obsolete". It gained a bit of attention and has been read by ~30.000 people to date and a bit more than 3000 claps on Medium. I outlined why I thought wireframes were becoming obsolete as we have design systems and better tools at our fingertips. Ironically, I've primarily been designing wireframes for the last year. ## First things first A wireframe is a low-fidelity design layout that serves three simple, exact purposes: - It presents the information that will be displayed on the page - It gives an impression of the structure and layout of the page - It conveys the overall direction and description of the user interface Wireframes are a middle ground. They're not sketches, but they're not high fidelity designs either. They're intentionally designed without color. A wireframe simply attempts to be an accurate representation of layout and information architecture while intentionally avoiding high visual and content fidelity. This is efficiency in process. ## The key to a good wireframe All you need to do is show how elements are laid out on the page and how the site navigation should work. You can add fancy images and flashy typefaces later. Minimize all distractions. Keep these guidelines in mind: - Keep your colors to grayscale: white, black, and the grays in between. - Use a maximum of two generic fonts, maybe one serif and one sans-serif. Showing the hierarchy of information can be shown through changing the size of the font and its styling (bold, italics, etc.). - No flashy graphics and images. Instead, try using simple rectangles and squares as placeholders with an "x" through the middle of the box to show where an image will be placed. ## Why wireframes? The purpose and argument for wireframes often fall in one of three buckets: - Wireframes focus attention on usability instead of aesthetics. They prevent stakeholders from derailing meetings over irrelevant details like button color and allow user testing to focus on interactions instead of visuals. - Wireframes are faster, more efficient to create. They keep things conceptual and avoid the risk of over-investment or attachment to a particular design direction. - They're a tool for detailed documentation of interactions without the additional overhead of visual design. ## Three types of wireframes Generally, I like to think there are three basic themes of wireframes; sketches, lo/mid-fidelity wireframes, and hi-fidelity wireframes. ## Sketches (lo-fidelity wireframes) Using pen and paper to sketch is a great way to get started and aligning on hierarchy. It's beneficial to use directly with clients as it's impossible (hopefully!) to misinterpret as the final design - giving them a sense of where they are in the process. They are fast and easy to create but the the downside is that making changes isn't ideal - nor is sharing. !Lo-fi wireframes ## Mid-level wireframes Mid-level wireframes are good for describing not just hierarchy but also giving a good glimpse of what the content is. It's still rough enough for (most) clients to understand that it's not the final design. The challenge here is keeping it raw, while still communicating the precision necessary. !Mid wireframes ## Hi-fidelity wireframes Hi-fidelity wireframes are more detailed and give the client a strong idea of the visual representation of elements within the interface. These are more time-consuming to create and runs a greater risk of the viewer assuming that it's the actual "design". However, because they "look better", clients tend to have a more positive reaction to hi-fi wireframes. Upon approval, it's far easier to apply this representation of visual design to a hi-fi wireframes compared to something sketched on a paper. !hi-fi wireframes ## So are wireframes obsolete? Wireframes are a tool. In some cases, it does make sense to make wireframes in order to more easily align on the overall purpose of a feature or product Does every project require wireframes? Absolutely not. It will always depend on the project scope, the project itself, the stated requirements, the client, and even the designer's process! Some designers prefer to work based off wireframes and other prefer to have something more loosely defined. _I'm currently leading the "Design Principles" class for Hyper Island's UX Upskill Program. This is part 2 out of 4. You can read Part 1 here and Part 3 here._

What are Design Principles? Part 3

Anton Sten — Mon, 12 Apr 2021 00:00:00 GMT

_I'm currently leading the "Design Principles" class for Hyper Island's UX Upskill Program.. This is part 3 out of 4. You can read Part 1 here, Part 2, and Part 4 here. This session was held by Patrick Sundqvist, a very seasoned designer whom I have the outmost respect for. These are my thoughts and reflections based on his session._ For a long time, moving from wireframes to visual design was considered the 'making the thing pretty' stage. The reality is, taking wireframes into visual designs is not about making things pretty, but rather about making things a pleasure to use and interact with. As we define requirements and constraints, we're making sure that what we're building will be functional and reliable. When creating wireframes, we order and arrange each feature in a way that's logical and user friendly so the product will be usable (note that usable and useful aren't the same thing). During the visual design stage, we can make our product even _more_ usable, but it also gives us an opportunity to make something that's a pleasure to use. It's important to remember that adding visual design doesn't me that the product will automatically be a pleasure to use. After all, everything we use have visual design (even wireframes have visual design, just... 'less' of it). !Maslow ## Pleasurability If we look at ways we use visual design to make a product pleasurable we can use the different aspects of a user interface to find opportunities to delight. - **Form -** Shapes allow us to communicate different things and inspire different emotions. Round shapes are considered to be more friendly vs shapes with sharper edges. - **Color -** Colors are used to communicate throughout our society. It's important to understand that depending on geographical location, colors may communicate different things. In the Western world, we generally use red to communicate danger, green to communicate positive actions, and blue has long been considered a calming color. - **Typography -** Type allows us to strengthen the message we want to send with form and color. Not just between serifs and sans-serifs, but also how we use capitalisation, bold typography, etc. - **Images -** The old saying that an image is worth a thousand words surely has some truth to it. Images are an easy, efficient, and universal way to communicate with users. - **Animation -** Animation can define a product and in many cases, a lack of animations can define a product even more (in a not so positive way). Animations are a great way of giving feedback back to the user - to clearly say that the product has understood our request and that it's acting upon it. - **Haptics -** Haptics can act as a strengthener for cues from the user interface to the user. The way your smart watch buzzes to alert you or the way your phone prompts you when you pull to refresh. > Pleasurability is an extremely important aspect of a user interface. > **Patrick Sundqvist** As mentioned earlier, a user interface is not just there to make things look pretty, but rather serves important aspects of the user experience: - **Clarify -** The user interface needs to clarify any uncertainties or doubts a user may have about the product and how it works. - **Guide -** The user interface should guide the user to certain desired tasks and actions. A checkout flow should guide the user to finalizing their order and a messaging app should guide the user to send and receive messages. - **Explain -** Furthermore, the user interface should explain how the product works and _why_ it works that way. - **Fortify/Augment -** Finally, the user interface should augment all of the above to reduce friction and remove confusion. > A user interface is like a joke. > If you have to explain it, it's not that good. In order to create good user interfaces, we've looked at the tools we have at our disposal to create good user interfaces, but, as with anything, the tools are worthless if we don't know what we want to achieve with them. A good user interface is: - **Useful, relevant, and necessary -** While want to make a product pleasurable to use adding visual cues just for the sake of it doesn't necessarily achieve our goals. A user interface needs to be useful, but even more importantly, relevant. - **Clear and intuitive -** I think this is something everyone can relate to. A huge factor in Apple's success over the last two decades has been their ability to create user interfaces that are clear and intuitive. - **Simple to grasp and understand -** Continuing on that note, interfaces need to be simple enough to grasp (high-level) and understand (in-detail). - **Specific - easy to understand what is to be done -** The user interface should be specific when needed, but always showcase essential information. - **Trustworthy -** Regardless of what the product is, trust is key. As a user, I need to be sure that the actions I perform actually are executed and that the information is correct. - **Explorative -** The key features and information need to be front and center while striving to educate users. It's important to have a user interface that's also explorative and allows them to explore new features and topics. !Scanning --- _I'm currently leading the "Design Principles" class for Hyper Island's UX Upskill Program.. This is part 3 out of 4. You can read Part 1 here and Part 2 here. This session was held by Patrick Sundqvist, a very seasoned designer whom I have the outmost respect for. These are my thoughts and reflections based on his session._

What are Design Principles? Part 4

Anton Sten — Mon, 19 Apr 2021 00:00:00 GMT

*I'm currently leading the "Design Principles" class for Hyper Island's UX Upskill Program.. This is part 4 out of 4. You can read Part 1 here, Part 2 here. and Part 3 here.* We spend a lot of time talking about tools, processes, and creative thinking in creating products. The crucial part that sometimes gets ignored until it's too late is the final part - presenting your idea. Tons of great features and ideas never see the day of light, not because they weren't great ideas, but because people failed to explain their idea in a simple and digestible way. All that time testing, designing, and iterating is wasted. Whether it's presenting to your co-worker, your team, investors, the board, other stakeholders, or potential clients and agencies - you will need to be able to SELL your work. Luckily for you and me, all of these groups share similarities: - **They will have limited time -** Any decision maker or stakeholder will have limited time, so it's essential that you're able to boil down your pitch to the very essentials. What problem are you solving and why does it matter? - **They will not have all of your context and won't share your POV -** While you've spent the last few weeks or months thinking almost exclusively about this problem, they have not. So in order to communicate your solution, you need to be able to put yourself in their shoes. - **In some cases, their engagement may be low -** They could have multiple projects their reviewing or their thoughts may wander off while you're presenting. You need to *bring* engagement so that they can feel it too. But engagement isn't about being 'pumped' or 'excited' in front of them. It's not about speaking rapidly or having a ton of gestures and it's certainly not about using more foul language (which was the suggestion someone once gave me as feedback). I keep coming back to this video, but I do think it highlights well how Sasha uses some simple tactics to keep his audience engaged from the very beginning. He asks them to whisper to the person next to them (interaction) and then asks them to shout (dynamics). ## What makes a good story? I absolutely love the image below. It clearly communicates how we should be thinking about developing and marketing our products. The customer is always focused on their pain point and looking to the market to provide a solution. Your product isn't what they want, the end result is. Your customer doesn't want your vacuum cleaner, they want a clean apartment. They don't want an iPhone, they want the solutions it brings: mobile business management, entertainment, staying in touch with friends and family, etc. !Pain, Dream, Fix “Pain, Dream, Fix” is a strategy originally used for creating great sales copy and has become something that many designers, both physical and digital, use every day. It puts you in the mind of the user and helps you to empathize with their current pains, their dream without the pain, and present them with the ideal solution that would make the pain go away. Let's take a minute and use this strategy to understand Mario's and his problem: **Pain** – Mario needs to defeat his enemies, but he is woefully outmatched. His enemies are larger than him, faster, and better armed. Jumping on them works, but he risks being hurt - a big risk. **Dream** – Mario knows that if he were to be bigger and, maybe, able to throw something (like fire) at his enemies, he would have a much better chance of surviving long enough to rescuing the princess. **Fix** – Mario finds the product, a fire flower, and now can easily defeat his enemies from a safe distance! He is able to achieve his goals. It's important to understand the the flower itself isn't the amazing thing here - what it brings is. Unless people understand what they'll be able to actually do with your product, it's not going to get them excited. Apple have been fantastic with this in regards to the story they tell to sell the Apple Watch. Just two years ago, I doubt anyone (outside of Health) really knew what blood oxygen levels are and why they matter. Most of us ever wouldn't even consider why we'd ever need to be able to measure our ECG outside an hospital. But -because they are claiming that 'a healthier, more active life' is within reach - we're sold. > Measure your blood oxygen level with a revolutionary new sensor and app. Take an ECG anytime, anywhere. See your fitness metrics at a glance with the enhanced Always-On Retina display. With Apple Watch Series 6 on your wrist, a healthier, more active, more connected life is within reach. We can use these same tactics when we design our portfolios. ## "👋 Hi, I'm John, a digital designer based in Brooklyn, NY." ...is how every other portfolio on the Internet begins (I'm aware that mine isn't that different in that sense, which I guess ironically goes to prove my point). When reviewing portfolios, usually ten or twenty at a time, it's obviously crucial to stand out from the crowd. What will your portfolio have that will make the recruiter remember you? - **Personality** - In his talk "Worms, sustainability and innovation", Matt Orlando puts it beautifully when he says, "You can teach skills but you can't teach personality". I think Mr Bingo does a great job of communicating his personality through his bio. > "You can teach skills but you can't teach personality". Matt Orlando - **Something to remember -** 99,9% of all portfolios look almost exactly alike. Is your work that good that it alone will differentiate you from thousands of qualified candidates? Joe Coleman's uses a slider to customize the copy on his page from modest to hard sell. When I start looking at his work, I'm already sold. - **THE WORK -** Ultimately, the work is very important. But presenting the work is even more important. I'm utterly impressed by how Taha showcases the work he created for Gluco (being a diabetic myself, I can identity with the problems he's stated). It goes to show that 1) made up projects can showcase your skills and thinking clearly and 2) that it's important to showcase the entire process, not just the end result. >"There are three responses to a piece of design– yes, no, and WOW! Wow is the one to aim for." Milton Glaser --- *I'm currently leading the "Design Principles" class for Hyper Island's UX Upskill Program.. This is part 4 out of 4. You can read Part 1 here, Part 2 here. and Part 3 here.*

Career trajectories aren’t a straight line - and that’s ok

Anton Sten — Tue, 04 May 2021 00:00:00 GMT

I've been feeling tired of work lately - well, kind of. The work itself is challenging to say the least as there many problems to solve - which for any type of designer, should be absolutely thrilling. But, you see, I've been feeling uninspired. At first, I thought it was because I haven't really had any time off since August. I've been working many Saturdays and took hardly any time off during Christmas. Then I thought it could be the global pandemic and its haunting effects over all of us for the past year. Sweden is certainly looser in terms of restrictions, but it IS affecting all of us. As vaccinations are starting to roll out here and we can finally get a glimpse of hope which can also lead to weariness. But after deep self-reflection this weekend, I believe it might also just be a case of... grinding. Let's back up. ## A history Most people's career trajectories follow a path where it's gradually progressing but it's not a straight line. This line plateaus every now and then. For someone that has been consulting for as long as I have, the goal is to always be chasing that next step, that next level. Looking back, I think I've had a great career experience (and hopefully just as long to go). I've lead the design of an IKEA.com redesign. I've worked for brands like Volvo, Spotify and tens, as well as hundreds of brands that you've never heard of. (I wanted to highlight that because it's actually what most people's careers look like while looking at other designer's portfolios it's easy to think they *only* work for well-established brands). When I did my first project with SuperFriendly, I was so excited to get to work with people that I looked up to. I remember boarding the plane thinking that this was me moving from a good but not *as good* league, say the Dutch Eredivisie to the Premier League (apologies to my American readers, there will be more football references in this post). This was the next level. And it turned out to be. It was thrilling and at a pace that was refreshing. I found that I was able to quickly to adapt to it. --- *Side note: The branding work that DesignStudio did for the Premier League is, in my mind, really great. Realizing this just now, but it's fitting to compare SuperFriendly to the Premier League, seeing how they both work so actively against racial injustices.* --- Then I started working with Ueno, an agency I've admired for so long and with people that seemed so genuine and nice. My encounters with them always lived up to it. Is this like competing in the Champions League? It sure seemed like it. Then Ueno got acquired by Twitter and at first I wasn't really sure what to do. I considered continuing with the new team - many of us were freelancers on my Ueno project, a lot of us continued to work together and, sticking to football references, I LOVE these team mates. So work was fun and challenging, I loved the people I worked with and I felt like I was competing on a very high level. What was wrong? It wasn't until this weekend when I saw a documentary about one of my football heroes, Steven Gerrard, that I was able to put the pieces together. Playing in a top league might look glamorous and fantastic to a kid, but you know what most of their days are spent doing? Practice. Day in, day out. Practice over and over again. Grind. Until all the details/skills are there. Refine to perfection. It's not always fun. In fact, most of the time it's not fun at all. There are times when everything seems to go your way and there are times when you feel like you're playing against the odds. > Football isn't about what team I'm playing. It's about dealing with whatever that comes with it.**Steven Gerrard** I think this is worth highlighting. It doesn't matter if you're at the beginning of your career, or whatever league you play in, most of your time is spent practicing for the big game. This is not the same as actually playing the big game. I've been trying to get back into reading more (and watching less) and really enjoyed this piece from Rands on career progression. > My wife wrote a very nice birthday card where she listed things she liked about me. Item number four on that list read, “How you are always on a quest.
She’s right. At any point in my life, you could ask me, “What quest are you on?” and I’d instantly have an answer:
• Growing an American Chestnut.
• Making sure I don’t miss out on this Internet thing.
• Figuring out how humans make decisions.
• Explaining leadership to engineers in a helpful way.
• Getting the hell out of a no-win job scenario.
• Writing and publishing a book.
**You are Going on a Quest** Reading this, and watching the Gerrard documentary, didn't necessarily give me an answer, but it did give me something more - relief. I know what my quests are and what I'm doing right now will ultimately help me fulfil those quests. > A title is a sign-post. It tells you where you are. A title is a comforting reminder of where you are, but what is more interesting is where you are going next and how you will get there. This will involve a quest.**You are Going on a Quest** What quest are you on?

Ethics in Design - Part 1

Anton Sten — Mon, 31 May 2021 00:00:00 GMT

*I’m currently leading the “Design Ethics” class for Hyper Island’s UX Upskill Program. This is part 1 out of 2. Part 2 is here.* Approaching ethics is tricky by default. It should be simple as ethics are basically an agreed up set moral principles leading to consistent behaviour and conduct. However, our interpretation of these rules is up to us as individuals and what we feel is morally acceptable. Believe it or not, lawyers, doctors, and even journalists have something in common. They all have had to study ethics as part of their higher education. They’ve taken the time to construct, interpret, and follow a written code of conduct that guides them in making good, ethical decisions. Is it a coincidence that these are also some of the world’s oldest, most respected professions? **Lawyers** are always required to work in the best interest of their client often disregarding themselves or what they personally think is “right”. It’s a keystone of our society - the right to legal representation and a fair trial. **Journalists** are those who we might think are just out to sell magazines (e.g get clicks) at first glance, but they are guided by a code of conduct as well. A few examples of this are that people aren’t to be judged before they’re convicted and details are to be spared when there’s children involved. **Medical doctors** have an ethical duty to protect the human rights and dignity of their patients - some of the most vulnerable members of our society. Doctors are guided by a common framework of four principles: - Respect for autonomy – the patient has the right to refuse or choose their treatment. - Beneficence – a practitioner should act in the best interest of the patient. - Non-maleficence – to not be the cause of harm. Also, “utility” - to promote more good than harm. - Justice – concerns the distribution of scarce health resources and the decision of who gets what treatment (fairness and equality). On top of those, they are required to have: - Respect for persons – the patient, family, and practitioner (may or may not be a doctor) have the right to be treated with dignity. - Truthfulness and honesty – the concept of informed consent has become crucial since the historical events of the Nuremberg Trials and Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment were examples of physicians deceiving patients. ## So where does that leave us as designers? While we may not guide people between life and death as both doctors and lawyers do, we do play a serious role in the future and fate of not just individual humans, but more so humanity. We’re not just responsible for what we choose to design, but just as much, what we choose *not* to design. Those of you who remember the Internet 20 years ago can probably agree that while the Internet was far from perfect then, it wasn’t filled with as much hate, anger, and prejudice as today. >Social media has been described as more addictive than cigarettes and alcohol, and is now so entrenched in the lives of young people that it is not longer possible to ignore it when talking about young people’s mental health.**Shirley Cramer, chief executive, Royal Society for Public Health** Social media has made anxiety and depression skyrocket among teenagers (also resulting in sleep disturbances). The fake news phenomenon has affected local and global politics and elections. What will the next 20 years look like? That’s up to you. > You are responsible for what you put into the world. You are defined by the clients you take on, and you can only stand as proud of the work as its benefit to society entitles you to. I urge each and every one of you to seek out projects that leave the world a better place than you found it. We used to design ways to get to the moon; now we design ways to never have to get out of bed. You have the power to change that.**Mike Monteiro** Sure. I get it. Getting a job at Facebook might be your big break. Hey, I know. Getting *a job* isn’t to be taken lightly. We've all got bills to pay and mouths to feed. The thing we need to ask ourselves is where - and when - do we ultimately draw the line? Gordon Gekko said, "Greed is good" but I'm not so sure, especially not when greed ultimately controls our elections, affects our thinking and our mental health. > We are paid a ton. Looking forward to my yearly bonus of $100K.
Fuck ethics. Money is everything. **Anonymous Facebook employee posting on Blind, an employee gossip site.** It’s going to take a lot of courage to head right in there and start demanding change, but here’s the tough truth, change is needed. Do you know who is responsible for making that change happen? You. Me. Not them. Not someone else. It’s you and me. I want to believe that most of you still know where that line needs to be drawn because once we pass it, it's incredibly difficult to go back. Finding the balance to support business goals (to keep those churn rates down) clearly shows us the unfriendly user behavior is what needs to addressed. > “You know that line about every group of friends having at least one asshole and if you can’t figure out who it is, it’s probably you? Right. Well, every place you work has someone responsible for making sure the work you’re doing is ethically sound. I’ll give you a minute to figure out who it is.

Please tell me you got that.”**Mike Monteiro** ## What’s your moral ground? The water gets muddy way too often. As I said before, we like to believe that we all have a similar moral compass, but that simply isn't true. It seems that whatever brings in money, regardless of consequences, can be justified. Honestly, this is why weapons of mass destruction exist. It isn't so much if we can do something, it's if we should or not. Some even believe it isn't morally acceptable to create website as it will consume power which may, or may not, come from coal mining. ## So let’s gut check our own moral compasses 20 years ago, there were primarily three main industries that were to be morally questionable as they fed people's vices: - Alcohol (but working for Absolut Vodka in the 1990’s and early 2000's was seen as really cool) - Tobacco (yet way more people were smoking back then) - Gambling (and this was pre online casinos) Still, you easily understand the morals and ethics as each led to addictions that we had experienced throughout centuries. As the Internet scaled, the list of questionable industries grew: - Porn (still one of the biggest industries online) - Gig-economy (underpaid workers without any safety net at all) - Social media (well, you know...) And more recently, what about: - Bitcoin (consuming more power than the entire country of Argentina or Holland) - Voice assistants (quietly listening in on conversations at home removing whatever little privacy you still had) Let's make it even muddier: Uninformed, ethically-devoid design choices are increasingly impacting every product and service we use. The less attention to diversity we have, the more likely we’re going to design something that is only relevant for those just like ourselves. When even a simple thing like a soap dispenser can be racist, it’s easy to understand how features need to account for diversity. > The dispenser used near-infrared technology to detect hand motions, an article on Mic read. The invisible light is reflected back from the skin which triggers the sensor. Darker skin tones absorb more light, thus enough light isn't reflected back to the sensor to activate the soap dispenser. Which means that dark-skinned restroom users will have to skip washing their hands with this not-so-sensitive soap dispenser.

This epic design flaw may seem hilarious on the internet, but demonstrates a major issue with many technology-based companies: diversity. The soap dispenser was created by a company called Technical Concepts, which unintentionally made a discriminatory soap dispenser because no one at the company thought to test their product on dark skin.

“If you have an office full of white people, whatever products that come out of that office are more likely to be geared more towards white people. The less diversity there is in a workplace environment, the more likely major design flaws will be present that only affect people of color,”**BIGOTRY ENCODED: RACIAL BIAS IN TECHNOLOGY** So where’s your moral ground? What do you find acceptable? Where is the line drawn? ## User privacy > Arguing that you don't care about the right to privacy because you have nothing to hide is no different than saying you don't care about free speech because you have nothing to say. **Edward Snowden** Luckily, over the last few years there's been more and more attention given to user's privacy. Laws like the GDPR, which ultimately puts users in control of their own data (or at least that's what it's meant to), are steps in the right direction. In 2016, Facebook exposed the data of 87 million users to Cambridge Analytica, a company working for the Trump campaign. In 2018, Mark Zuckerberg was pulled before congress for questioning. Democratic congresswoman Anna Eshoo asked him: “Are you willing to change your business model to protect users’ privacy?” His reply? “Congresswoman, I don’t know what that means.” It's easy to imagine that this would only concern Facebook users though, right? I've even heard numerous friends argue that while they do have a Facebook account, they're not active so what harm does it do? It doesn't matter if you are active or not, Facebook still collects data about you. In fact, it doesn't even matter if you have an account or not - they collect data about you. The data they collect for ad-purposes on their users (and even non-users, aka shadow profiles). > The most powerful example came from Rep. Ben Luján (D-NM), who confronted Zuckerberg on the company’s use of shadow profiles — a term for non-user data collection that Zuckerberg was apparently unfamiliar with.

“It’s been admitted that you do collect data points on non-Facebook users,” Luján asked. “So my question is, can someone who does not have a Facebook account opt out of Facebook’s involuntary data collection?” “Congressman, anyone can opt out of any data collection for ads, whether they use our services or not,” Zuckerberg said. “But in order to prevent people from scraping public information, we need to know when someone is trying to repeatedly access our services.”

“You’ve said everyone controls their data, but you’re collecting data on people who are not even Facebook users, who never signed a consent or privacy agreement and you’re collecting their data,” Luján continued. “And you’re directing people who don’t have a Facebook page to sign up for Facebook in order to get their data.”**Shadow profiles are the biggest flaw in Facebook’s privacy defense** Facebook intentionally designed a system that can collect data without user consent and in order to delete that data, you have to sign up for a Facebook account. This isn't by chance, this is designed. And unfortunately, it was created by designers like you and me. > While the products we build every day have evolved, our ways of thinking about user engagement have scarcely changed since the days of dial-up. We assume that the higher the metrics, the more successful the business and, thus, the smarter the product designer. **The world needs a tech diet** We claim to design for the users but the metrics we go by are all driven by the business. - Clicks - Views - Session duration - Shares - Sign-ups - Avg time on page - Pages per visit If we'd truly considered the user first, we'd consider as low numbers and metrics as possible as win, right? It may feel counter-intuitive, but less clicks, shorter session durations, less time spent on a page, and fewer pages per visit are actually a win. The quicker we can solve the user's request, the better. But most business' goal is to lure them in and make them stay. In fact, we've even come to the point where we think of success not by what services are getting traction, but by services deprive us of something *we know* is crucial to our well-being; sleep. The worst part? We consider it an even greater win and a new metric 'to beat'! > “You get a show or a movie you’re really dying to watch, and you end up staying up late at night, so we actually compete with sleep,” he said of his No. 1 competitor. Not that he puts too much stock in his rival: “And we’re winning!”**Netflix CEO Reed Hastings: Sleep Is Our Competition** Next week, we'll start to look at the patterns designers use to make products less user-friendly and more business-optimised. I want to make it absolutely clear that I don't consider the two to be opposites, but I do think it's 100% possible to create a service that is revenue-generating *and* user-friendly without forgoing optimization. But it does require difficult conversations and pinpoint focus. > “People think focus means saying yes to the thing you've got to focus on. But that's not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully. I'm actually as proud of the things we haven't done as the things I have done. Innovation is saying no to 1,000 things.”**Steve Jobs** ## What's human? And what's humane? For the last years, AI sure has been the talk of the town. From how it will empower our digital experiences to how it will revolutionise science. And, of course on the other end of the spectrum, how it'll make all of us unemployed and everything will ultimately be run by AI algorithms and computers. AI has our attention. The possibilities continually clog our news feeds, create interesting conversations, and give tech leaders inspiration to explore unique solutions. What will the development of this technology look like? What will this mean for us as humans? How will this impact society? With all the questions being asked, only one thing is absolutely clear. We’re about to enter one of the biggest transformations our society has witnessed in the last century - if not millennium. Google Duplex scheduling a hair salon appointment by AlexisMadrigal Anything you find odd in the clip? No? What if I told you that the 'person' making the appointment was Google's Assistant. As if defining ethics between humans was difficult enough, we're having to define ethics between humans and machines. And to add to that complexity, we're becoming increasingly unaware of what a machine is. Classical Music Composed by Computer: Experiments in Musical Intelligence David Cope has written programs that compose concertos, chorales, symphonies and operas. His first creation was named EMI (Experiments in Musical Intelligence), which specialised in imitating the style of Johann Sebastian Bach. It took seven years to create the program, but once the work was done, EMI composed 5,000 chorales à la Bach in a single day. Cope arranged a performance of a few select chorales in a music festival at Santa Cruz. Enthusiastic members of the audience praised the wonderful performance, and explained excitedly how the music touched their innermost being. They didn’t know it was composed by EMI rather than Bach, and when the truth was revealed, some reacted with stunned silence while others shouted in anger. > I am genuinely bothered and disturbed at how morally wrong it is for the Google Assistant voice to act like a human and deceive other humans on the other line of a phone call, using upspeak and other quirks of language. “Hi um, do you have anything available on uh May 3?” If Google created a way for a machine to sound so much like a human that now we can’t tell what is real and what is fake, we need to have a talk about ethics and when it’s right for a human to know when they are speaking to a robot. In this age of disinformation, where people don’t know what’s fake news… how do you know what to believe if you can’t even trust your ears with now Google Assistant calling businesses and posing as a human? That means any dialogue can be spoofed by a machine and you can’t tell.**Bridget Carey, CNN** I think we’ve reached the point now where the differences between companies like Apple and Google are becoming much more obvious. For years, the consensus has been that Apple has lagged behind Google in AI/personal assistants and we’re starting to understand why that is. I've always believed that Apple is a product-driven company focused on human needs whereas Google is a technology-driven company focused on leveraging data. It’s a fundamentally different way of valuing the user - the human. The real danger with a service like Google Assistant voice? If you ask Oxford University or Ball State University one of the most likely jobs to be automated in the near future is telemarketers. Telemarketing is already a problem today and we still have humans making the calls - just imagine what will happen once you extract the cost of humans from telemarketings companies. Your phone may become as filled with spam as your email is. > Technology isn’t an industry, it’s a method of transforming the culture and economics of existing systems and institutions. That can be a little bit hard to understand if we only judge tech as a set of consumer products that we purchase. But tech goes a lot deeper than the phones in our hands, and we must understand some fundamental shifts in society if we’re going to make good decisions about the way tech companies shape our lives—and especially if we want to influence the people who actually make technology.**12 Things everyone should know about tech** Yuval Noah Harari, author of Homo Sapies and Homo Deus, argues that liberalism will eventually fade away as we eventually trust the algorithm more than we trust ourselves. Ray Dalio, successful investor has already switched his company to radical transparency using a point system that analyzes data to rate people’s ‘believability’ rather than operating through democracy or even hierarchy. I highly recommend you to watch his TED Talk: How to build a company where the best ideas win as an example of how AI can make us more honest, transparent, and guide better decision making. Simply put, there’s a rapidly growing urgency for us to have serious conversations about our ethical responsibilities. This goes for the products we create as well as the products we choose to use. Everything is still so new. There’s been no real direction or consensus to help us determine what we should consider OK and what is way out of line. Our world is moving so quickly and we hardly ever stop and consider the ethics of our choices. Instead, we simply see a machine calling a hairdresser, think how awesome that is, and move on with our day… *I’m currently leading the “Design Ethics” class for Hyper Island’s UX Upskill Program. This is part 1 out of 2. Part 2 is here.*

Ethics in Design - Part 2

Anton Sten — Tue, 08 Jun 2021 00:00:00 GMT

_I'm currently leading the "Design Ethics" class for Hyper Island's UX Upskill Program. This is part 2 out of 2. Part 1 is here._ Last week, we looked broadly on ethical design - well, primarily unethical really - and the benefits of ethical design. This week, we'll look at the more practical side of things. How unethical design is created and why it's necessary to become advocates for a user-first policy. After all, we need to be able to clearly identify patterns of unethical design even as it becomes more difficult to do so. ## Dark patterns & Nudging If you've used any digital tools from the last decade the chances are high that you've been exposed to 'dark patterns'. From trying to cancel a subscription to browsing available hotel rooms, designers use these dark patterns to lure users into what benefits the business rather than what would benefit the customer. Some time ago, I signed up for an online subscription to the Wall Street Journal. I enjoy following the stock markets and they do have great articles online. They had a fair price for the service, so it seemed like a great deal. As you can probably imagine, signup was _absolutely effortless_ and within seconds I had given them my person information as well as my credit card. After a few months, I realised I wasn't really taking advantage of the subscription and the monthly cost had increased from $.99 to $7.99, quite an increase percentage wise! So, like any average user, I logged into my account to cancel the subscription. It turns out that's impossible. You can't cancel the account online at all, not even through email. It's 2020 and I had to use my phone to _call_ them to cancel my online account. Again, this was the account that I created online without any trouble at all. This was certainly not designed to be user friendly and while surely a large portion of customers will just let the subscription run on their brand perception of Wall Street Journal (or whoever else is running the same tricks) will be severely damaged. Recently, New York Times editorial board member Greg Bensinger highlighted dark patterns like the one above in a column: > Consider Amazon. The company perfected the one-click checkout. But canceling a $119 Prime subscription is a labyrinthine process that requires multiple screens and clicks.
Or Ticketmaster. Their online customers are bombarded with options for ticket insurance, subscription services for razors and other items and, when users navigate through those, they can expect to receive a battery of text messages from the company with no clear option to stop them.
> These are examples of "dark patterns,", the techniques that companies use online to get consumers to sign up for things, keep subscriptions they might otherwise cancel or turn over more personal data. They come in countless variations: giant blinking sign-up buttons, hidden unsubscribe links, red X's that actually open new pages, countdown timers and pre-checked options for marketing spam. Think of them as the digital equivalent of trying to cancel a gym membership. The irony of this New York Times story is that, of course, in order to cancel their subscription you also have to either call or chat with customer service. There's no way to cancel a subscription yourself because as Greg puts it, '_Companies can't be expected to reform themselves; they use dark patterns because they work.'_. Now one might argue that there could be a technical issue - or at least an additional cost - to build a cancelation feature. Unfortunately, there isn't. The State of California has taken some steps against these tactics and there's a now a law in play. > But a California law that went into effect July 1 aims to stop companies from blockading customers looking to cancel their services - along with the practice of sneakily sliding them into another month's subscription without much clarity on the real, full cost of the service. Among the changes: It bans companies from forcing you to, say, call a hard-to-find telephone number to cancel a subscription that you purchased online.**Thanks to California, a news site (or other business) now has to let you cancel your subscription online** So it turns out, that "difficult technical feature" is actually already in place. However, it's only available if you reside in California because... well, it's the law. How many of you have sat down to watch a video on YouTube or a show on Netflix only to realise that you've spent 5x the time you planned on spending? Features like auto-playing next episode might seem useful for users, but are designed to remove any friction from the experience and to hold users locked in for as long as possible. Obviously, users always have a free will, but these features are designed to keep engagement numbers at a high rather than what is in the users' best interest. !netflix pattern Dark patterns are loops and labyrinths created to make what should be a simple process as complicated as possible. Nudging, is when companies use sets of patterns and communication to make you choose what they think you should pick rather than the option you initially wanted. This could, more or less, force you to sign up for a newsletter while simultaneously shaming you if you don't or even send you on an all-expenses paid guilt trip for trying to cancel an order or account. !shaming pattern Images: David Teodorescu Facebook takes it to the next level when you try to cancel your account. They show you images of friends and family saying that they will be sorry to see you go. They imply you will no longer be able to keep in touch with your loved ones anymore. as Clearly, it'll be impossible without a Facebook account, right? No. > UI copy that fabricates a sense of scarcity, urging you to book a hotel room before someone else does. Confirm-shame links that try to bully users into entering their email addresses. Streaming platforms that autoplay new episodes, encouraging binge-watching behavior.
Eager for clicks and views, tech platforms are always looking for new ways to use basic human instincts like shame, laziness and fear to their advantage. Digital junk foods, from social networking apps to video streaming platforms, promise users short-term highs but leave depressive existential lulls in their wake.
> The result? Our relationship with technology is becoming increasingly characterized by dependency, regret, and loss of control.**The world needs a tech diet** ## How do we break this cycle and design products that _actually_ are user-friendly? As we discussed in a previous course, setting Design Principles are helpful. By defining the experience that we want to create, we're able to make sure that whatever we choose to design aligns with these defined principles. So if a principle is to design something that is easy to use, that should, by default, include easy options for the user to _not_ to use it as well. If we're designing something that should put customers first, being able to chat, email, or call customer service at convenient hours without long wait times should be the priority. CalmTech is a set of principles to help designers create better digital products. With principles that are broad enough to apply to most digital products, they offer a great checklist of what to have in mind when designing. - Technology should amplify the best of technology and the best of humanity - Technology should require the smallest possible amount of attention - The right amount of technology is the minimum needed to solve the problem - Technology should respect social norms ## Act as a designer, not as a pair of hands > As designers, we can play a crucial role in the creation of healthier products and services. Ultimately, we are the ones choosing UI patterns, writing copy, and defining flows and interactions. So it's on us to question whether we are doing our jobs responsibly. The same way tech addiction is created through design, design can also be used to promote a healthier relationship with technology. Humane by Design is a resource that provides guidance for designing ethically humane digital products through patterns focused on user well-being. It offers great examples divided by topics (Empowering, Inclusive, Respectful etc) to help designers create features that put the user's interest and well-being first. ## Challenge the KPIs > Until we measure what we value, we will over-value what we measure.**Kim Goodwin** Because technology is, in essence, made up out of 1's and 0's, it's easy to measure binary data. A yes or no answer is by far the easiest thing to measure without having the full context. Did the user sign up? Yes/No. Did the user checkout? Yes/No. There are two common practices when it comes to metrics: - The business has a focus on growth metrics and the design work is limited to aggressively improving those numbers. _(In my experience, this is less common)._ - The business has not established its own metrics and relies on canned metrics, meaning the design work is disconnected from the actual impact on users. _(In my experience, this is very common)._ Both scenarios can quickly lead to a designer using dark patterns to hit their goals faster. ## Think about edge-cases and scenarios that are out-of-the-normal As designers, we tend to work on what usually referred to as 'happy paths'. If it's an e-commerce site, we'll design the flow starting from the homepage to the category page to the product detail page and finally to the checkout. This assumes the user has no missteps or uncertainty of anything along the way. _Everything just works._ But all of us are aware that this is basically never the case. It's what we design because it's what we _hope_ is going to happen. It's what we design because once we open that can of worms of edge-cases, who knows when to stop? And besides, it's edge-cases right? Let's say 5% of all users? Well, think of a service like Facebook that has 2.5 billion active users. 5% of that is 125 million people. That's almost the population of France and Germany combined. Not so much an edge-case now, is it? > Imagine this: A young woman joins the LGBTQ choir at her college. Her choir leader adds her to the group's Facebook page, and Facebook automatically shares this action on the student's Newsfeed. However, she had not come out to her family yet. When they see the news on Facebook, the extremely religious community from her hometown sends her hate mail.**Mike Monteiro** Us designers need to do a better job of highlighting where and when things might not go as planned. Let's be clear, in many cases this will be a difficult discussion that won't be met with support throughout your organization. If it is, you should consider yourself very lucky and know that you are working in a very good company! In the average company, as we've discussed, this change has to start with us who are designing these services. Think about how your product might impact users' behavior. Borrowing this straight of from The World Needs a Tech Diet: - **Depression -** Is your product stimulating depressive behaviors, or could your product experience aggravate symptoms of depression? How might a person with depression or someone experiencing suicidal thoughts use your product to hurt themselves? - **Addiction -** Does your product encourage addictive behaviors? What is the worst case scenario for users susceptible to addiction? - **Exclusion -** Is your product accessible to all user groups, regardless of disabilities, culture, education levels, and language? Is it possible that your product could be used to exclude certain groups? Or does your product unwittingly perpetuate cycles of exclusion? - **Oversharing -** Does your product encourage sharing personal information? What are some of the possible negative outcomes of that overexposure? What emotions can content trigger in other users and what kinds of effects might these emotions have? - **Abusive relationships -** Could someone take advantage of your product or platform to create a relationship of unhealthy dependence or domination with another user (e.g. blackmail, bribery)? ## What about you? If you think about a normal day in your life; what are some of the spaces, objects, and interfaces that you interact with? Think about how they are affecting your daily life - and more specifically - when are you actually choosing technology and when is technology choosing you? > Technology isn't bad. If you know what you want in life, technology can help you get it. But if you don't know what you want in life, it will be all too easy for technology to shape your aims for you and take control of your life. Especially as technology gets better at understanding humans, you might increasingly find yourself serving it, instead of it serving you. Have you seen those zombies who roam the streets with their faces glued to their smartphones? Do you think they control the technology, or does the technology control them?**Yuval Noah Harari** _I'm currently leading the "Design Ethics" class for Hyper Island's UX Upskill Program. This is part 2 out of 2. Part 1 is here._

Full-time? I feel a change coming

Anton Sten — Mon, 05 Jul 2021 00:00:00 GMT

For readers of my newsletter, I hinted at some exciting news I wanted to share. Something that has come as a huge surprise to the people I've shared this news with and while the reactions have all been positive, everyone have been curious to know... why. I'm happy to share that I've decided to join Product Inc full-time as their Director of User Experience. As many (most) of you probably are not familiar with Product, let me share a back story first. About a year ago, I started freelancing for Ueno. Historically, I was never a fan of freelancing for agencies. The agencies I had worked with previously all seemed to do 'gimmicky' products and spent a lot of time pursuing ideas that would get attention (but not actually solve actual problems) or design stuff that merely looked great (knowing deep inside that they're never going to launch). With Ueno, I finally experienced something different. The team was extremely skilled and I quickly realised it was a team I enjoyed working with. But as you might know, Ueno was acquired by Twitter in January. Our project wasn't quite wrapped up yet and since most of us on the team were freelancers, the project kept running under a new umbrella. Well, the person who initiated that umbrella was Aaron Shapiro (who once founded the agency HUGE). The project ultimately kept going and as Product, I realised I enjoyed working with the team even more as I was reunited with some old favorites like Nicole Hampton whom I had worked with on Herman Miller about a year ago. The new team also includes my visual counterpart, Creative Director Allen Orr as well as some of the people I really enjoyed working with from day 1 with Ueno, Louise Dreier, Amanda Chessa, Lee Simpson and many more. To top it all off, I've been reunited with my favorite producer Jessi Hall and the amazing designer Isabel Sousa. I guess *why* I decided to try full-time is pretty obvious at this point - all because of the team I get to work with. We're spread out over the world (Sweden, Russia, Portugal and both east and west coast in the US) meaning a remote-first mindset in everything we do. A couple of years ago I read an article that outlined what humans need from their work in order to feel fulfilled: - Passion, meaning you have to feel a passion and a connection to the work you do - Education and improvement, the work has to allow you to get better over time and grow within your field - Reward which can be financial, encouragement from co-workers, local appreciation, personal growth etc. Ideally your work covers multiple rewards So looking at this list, I realised that with Product I'll have the opportunity to continue to work on something I'm passionate about, which is creating great user experiences. While this has already been my main focus for the past decade, as a freelancer I occasionally had to take on work that was related to this, but not quite right (build a design system or design a visual identity). At Product I get to focus on user experiences. Secondly, working with a strong team is a game changer for anyone. I first experienced this working with SuperFriendly when I got to work with people that were true experts. Working with talented people doesn't just make it easier for me to grow, it forces me to stay focused more. There's the saying that if you're the smartest person in a room, you're in wrong room (or Zoom). Well, with my team mates here I don't have to worry about being in the wrong room. Working with people that challenge you and question your thinking is one of the most important aspects of a rewarding job. I've really enjoyed the support system that I've felt working with these people. Having colleagues is a great feeling after having freelanced for nearly 12 years. I'm really curious about the future to see where this opportunity leads me, what people I will meet and how being employed again will affect my relationship with my work.

Structure, Not Design By Committee

Anton Sten — Fri, 30 Jul 2021 00:00:00 GMT

_I wrote this for the Product blog._ In The Simpsons episode “Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?”, Homer is asked to design a car for a company run by his long-lost brother. Homer, to no one's surprise, fails so miserably that he drives his brother out of business. One of the things that makes this Simpson's clip so interesting is that Homer has real dreams for the car that are perfectly reasonable. As designers, our job is to figure out people’s problems and desires and then translate those into great products. - Homer wants a large car, since he is a family man with three kids and two pets, but he doesn't want to be distracted by his family and pets while driving - Homer wants places to put his drinks. - Homer wants an easily recognizable care as he struggles to find his car when he parks in a large parking lot. - Homer wants a car that is pretty quick because he wants to feel alive every now and then in his suburban dad life. All reasonable requirements, right? User feedback is something that should be considered in the design of every product. Honestly, the biggest requirement for any product should be that it solves actual problems. So why did Homer's car not turn into a great success? The story implodes because the car company also let Homer design the actual car. While Home might be great at recognizing the problems he is experiencing, he's simply not a designer. Our job, as designers, is to understand a problem and find the best possible solution. We can utilize user interviews to gain insights and test a thesis, but just like any data insight, they should steer our decisions, not fully educate them. Homer fails because he can't take his very sensible requirements and turn them into a great product. It's nothing against Homer, in fact almost no user can. ## A camel is a horse designed by committee Humans (research shows - men much more than women) tend to want to solutionize. When we understand the problem, we want a solution, right? Most of us tend to either take the approach that 'we're not designers, so we can't really say anything' or the complete opposite. Mike Monteiro puts this brilliantly in one of my most overused quotes throughout the years: >I DON'T KNOW anything about design. Bullsh*t. Look around you. You make choices based on design every day. Even if you can’t design those things yourself, that doesn’t take away from your ability to decide that was the chair you wanted to sit on, or the shoes you wanted to wear, or the car you wanted to buy. You know bad design when you encounter it. From every chair you’ve sat in that hurt your ass, to every coffee cup that burned your hand, to every time your finger triggered the wrong link on your phone, to every airline booking site that pissed you off. You know bad design. You hate it.**Mike Monteiro - You're my favorite client** It's true that we all know bad design when we experience it. Attention to the user's experience has been a focus for the last few years, and we've become better at spotting not only bad design, but bad user experiences. Everything from confusing navigation to checkouts with way too many steps and friction. We need to be capable of understanding all of the context around a problem before we start to design a solution - full disclosure: designers tend to be very quick at coming up with solutions too early in the process too! User research and problems needs to be distilled down to core principles and, most importantly, to a strategy. We need to follow these principles vigorously throughout the whole design process. As the project progresses, we need to stay true to the principles even when feedback starts to appear from every direction. The most certain path to a failed project is trying to please everyone all the time. Coming from Sweden, I've been on numerous projects where the consensus always seems to win. This, essentially, meaning that no one wins. Sir Alec Issigonis, designer of the iconic Mini car famously said: _"A camel is a horse designed by committee."_ ## A structure creates usability I’d prefer to set purpose and structure for each phase of a project. In larger meetings with stakeholders, we can agree on what problem we are solving, for whom and, most importantly, why it needs to be solved. A smaller team of strategists and UX designers can then regroup and brainstorm on possible solutions given the context and framing that the larger group agreed upon. As we define these requirements and constraints, we make sure what we’re building will be functional and reliable. When creating the wireframes, we can order and arrange each feature in a way that’s logical for the user so the product will actually be usable (keep in mind that usable and useful aren’t the same thing!). Once that solution and framework is set, the visual designers can work on solutions that will bring the experience to life. For a long time, moving from wireframes to visual design was just considered the ‘making the thing pretty’ stage. Truthfully, taking wireframes into visual designs is not about making things pretty, but rather about making things a pleasure to use and with which to interact. During the visual design stage, we can make our product even more usable, but it also gives us an opportunity to make something that’s a pleasure to use. To summarize: each step of the project is important in itself, but to have a successful product, it's crucial to separate the desired actions and outcomes of each step: 1. What to build, why and for whom (strategy) 2. How it should work and why (UX principles) 3. What it should look like and how it should act (visual and interaction design) By following these steps we can minimize the risk of creating the digital equivalent of Homer's car, or worse, a camel when users specifically asked for a horse.

Defining the WHAT and WHY of Design Principles

Anton Sten — Thu, 05 Aug 2021 00:00:00 GMT

One of recurring topics of this blog over the past year has surely been Design Principles. I've helped form Design Principles for the projects I've worked on, I've held classes at Hyper Island on Design Principles (although I kinda pivoted it to Design Process), and I've helped coach other designers on how to form actionable Design Principles. But I never really dove into *what* they are and why they are important. ## Definition The website Design Principles (touché) clearly states principles as: >Design Principles are a set of considerations that form the basis of any good product.**Design Principles** They are immensely valuable when aligning a team on a direction. They help your team with decision making processes. And also provide a few simple principles or constructive questions that guide your team towards making appropriate decisions. Sounds great right? Principles generally relate to a specific product. So while Google has its own set of universal principles, each product also has its own principles. That makes sense, right? A product like Google Calendar couldn't share the same principles as Google Glass because the products themselves are so different from each other. A great principle for Google Calendar is *"More than boxes on a screen"* whereas I think a great principle for Glass is *"Don't get in the way".* Principles can also be more generic. For instance, Yves Behar created these 10 principles for Design in the age of AI. A great example of a principle for AI is *"Good tech and design is discreet",* showcasing that while AI gives us great opportunities it doesn't mean we should need to interact with it constantly, but only when necessary. They can also be descriptive of a process or an area, like Experience Design or Visual Design. A great example of a principle for Experience Design is *"Make actions reversible"* and *"Reduce latency".* These clearly are related to the experience a user is having with a product, but wouldn't be applicable to that product's visual design. In fact, perhaps the most famous set of principles are Dieter Rahms Principles of good design. Just like brand values, mission statements, or vision decks, design principles can be generic and provide little to no actual value. Paypal's design principles used to be; *We Craft, We Simplify, We Connect, We Go All In.* The description to the last one begins with *"We invent, then reinvent. Design, then redesign."* Ok... But used correctly, design principles help you make decisions resulting in a superior experience. ## How to validate your principles The way I prefer to think about principles is how they serve the user first-hand and the business second-hand. An obvious example would be that your first principle is to create an *"easy and efficient user experience".* This is often something that many digital products would like to do second, right? It turns out the easy way to validate a principle is to think of the opposite. No one wants a user experience that is complex and difficult to navigate, right? But what about the scenarios that might not align with your business goals? If *easy to use* is a principle, how easy should you make it to cancel your account? To unsubscribe from your newsletter? To navigate the page with a screen reader (or are you saying your principles only apply to some users)? Amazon famously introduced the one-click checkout. It also turns out that canceling your account is far from one-click. In fact, it's nine clicks and that's assuming you know exactly where to click which is far from obvious. Another example is AirBnB that has *"Conversational"* as one of their principles. While this is true for most of their website, if you look at their Privacy Policy you can easily tell that it's just legalese. It's easy to argue that it's written by lawyers and that it has to be a certain way. But if one of your principles is to be Conversational, why not look at what LinkedIn does? On top of every section, they explain the section in plain English. You can have legalese AND still be conversational. In short, principles can't just be fancy words. They need to guide us. They need to point us in directions that we might not had anticipated heading towards. They need to help us verify our designs and solutions. They need to help us better serve our users AND our companies.

First to market don’t always succeed

Anton Sten — Thu, 12 Aug 2021 00:00:00 GMT

Most people in our industry believe the common 'truth' that the first to market will always succeed. That being first gives you an unrivaled advantage and is crucial if you want to set yourself up for success. Whether or not that is true - I'll leave it to others to debate - I will say that the only way to ship any products is to ship imperfect products. Perfection never gets shipped because things can always improve. At one point, there needs to be a moment when the pencils are put down even if it hurts OCD designers. This isn't exclusive to apps and digital products, but even applies to the work we do. Perhaps it's not surprising then that 78% of CEOs believe they only have a 90-day window to prove themselves in an organization. If that's the feeling at the very top of the company, surely it's something that ripples down to us as designers, producers, and developers. Even worse, 60% of CEOs also believe this window is dangerous and encourages short-termism. The 90-day window is encouraging not just CEOs but all of us to prioritise tactical, short-term wins. This has consequences. With short-terms wins it's easy to get immediate, positive results. The flip side is that it's not preparing you for the future. Instead, it may be taking advantage of the current, temporary situation and harm the long-term outlook. You may be at a disadvantage compared to competitors who invest in the long-term now. What you do today determines the type of business you can become. ## Choices, choices So when we build digital products, we're forced to make decisions based on how we plan. Do we push to become first to market with a product that is made out of bits and pieces or do we allow ourselves the extra time to build out a design system of atoms, molecules, and organisms (e.g components)? Sure, it takes additional time now, but it's setting us up for a more cohesive product. Even more importantly, a system like this allows us to scale much faster, and better in the future. A design system is best created simultaneously with the development of your product. It's incredibly difficult to create the design system before creating your product since there's no real way to know all of the requirements until you head into design. Creating a design system once the product is all buttoned up is a cumbersome process as you'll have to rewind and duplicate a lot of work. As if that's not enough, the size and complexity of a design system can range from something relatively simple as with typography, colors, and the most re-used components to something that features principles, voicing, and experience. With design systems, as is true with most of life, there's no 'one-size fits all'. We've recently created a very small design system for a client that includes just the bare minimums and, at the same time, we're working on a very big, fully-featured design system. Why? Because both of these design systems are what the organization needs due to their current needs, plans for the future, and the time allotted. What we do know, is that both organizations require an intentionally created design system and, while not creating one at all would have been quicker, it would have been a short-termed win that we would have regretted. The long-term would have suffered. >There’s always someone who is more willing to play the short-term game than you are. Someone who is willing to cut more corners, send a more urgent text, borrow against the future, ignore the side effects, abuse trust and corrupt the system–somehow justifying that short-term hustle with a rationalization (usually a selfish one) about how urgent it is. On the other hand… There’s plenty of room to win as someone who takes a longer view than the others.**Seth Godin** ## Are you building for long-term or quick turn around? There’s a smart, simple system you can use to consider the main constraints that shape what you build. It’s called the Project Management Triangle. Understanding this triangle and how to use it will means you will create better plans and ultimately get better results for whatever you’re working on. The Triangle works like this - there are three fundamental outcomes to any project: good, fast, and cheap. Your project can have any two of these outcomes, but can never have all three. That means there’s always a trade off... **Cheap + fast** = lower quality work **Fast + good** = expensive **Good + cheap** = not happening anytime soon The trick is that this isn't completely true when it comes to design systems. Why? Because no matter how much money you'll throw at it, it's very difficult to create a great and robust design system in a very short period of time. Each component of a truly great design system need time to align with one another. They need to be flexible enough to be modular and usable in a various situations. This has to happen while also being defined and distilled into core functions so your product team understands exactly how AND WHEN to use them. Fortunately you don't need years to do this, you can get a well-designed, usable, and scalable design system in place within that 90-day window that CEO's acted against. But as with anything in life, this kind of quality takes time. Perhaps Warren Buffett put it best: > No matter how great the talent or efforts, some things just take time. You can't produce a baby in one month by getting nine women pregnant.**Warren Buffett** Join me next time when we'll look more practically at what a design system is, how to build one and what the benefits of having one are!

Design Systems 101

Anton Sten — Mon, 23 Aug 2021 00:00:00 GMT

Any senior designer can probably tell you exactly what design school failed to teach them. This missing item? It's that a fairly decent part of your work will be about selling. (Maybe they've updated their curriculum since I was there, who knows!) Often you'll be selling and justifying your design internally and then need to switch gears and do the same thing for clients and their various stakeholders. If you're like most designers who already struggle with a bit of imposter syndrome, this added selling component just ups the stress level! Selling visual design is nearly always difficult because everyone has an opinion about how something looks. As a seasoned designer, you're able to demonstrate the motivation for your choices and build arguments for them in relationship to the brand while calling back to the general feeling you're trying to convey. UX design can be trickier to sell as not everyone is familiar with things like wireframes. We do have the advantage of being able to justify our choices using user research results, best practices, and ultimately, that we're creating something users have said they want. This brings us to design systems. This is absolutely harder to sell, but so worth it for your client. With an e-commerce site, you can add features and measure the impact. With other conversion-based experiences, you can track conversions. But because a design system is an internal tool, it makes it easier for the client to connect those dots. So today, I thought we'd spend some time on talking about what a design system is, what the benefits of one are, and how to create one. ## What's a design system? But before we talk about the benefits and how to create one, let's start with the basics and defining what we mean when we mean when talking about design systems. The short explanation is that it's a set of components (buttons, the navigation, input fields) and guidelines that your organization needs when making digital products (apps, websites, emails, etc). This makes the entire process more consistent, efficient, and speedy. Others describe it differently, like Brad Frost who thinks _"a design system [is] the official story of how your organization designs and builds digital products.”_ The generally-accepted definition of a design system is that it's the outer circle - it encompasses pattern libraries, style guides, and any other artifacts. _But there's more to it_. Having a collection of design patterns doesn't mean you have a design system. A system is a framework. It's a rulebook. It's what tells you how those patterns work together. Nathan Curtis outlined the complexity and scalability of a design systems: !Nathan Curtis To put it as simply as possible, design systems are a shared place of truths where designers and developers both find re-usable components resulting in them spending less time on repetitive work and more time on building the best possible product. Design systems are our best bet against at ending up with a random library of components like this: !mess of components ## The benefits of a design system Hopefully we are now on the same page on what a design system is, but just knowing what it is doesn't really answer our main challenge - selling one internally (or let alone, externally). We need to understand what the benefits of a design system are to truly understand why we need one. Let's dive in! ## Efficiency The first and most primary benefit of a design system is efficiency. Take a very simple component... let's say a button. While it only takes a designer, let's say, one minute to create one if we multiply that by 10x per day and 150 days per year, that's 25 hours just creating that same button over and over. Now apply this to not only buttons but checkboxes, search fields, and a million other things. You'll quickly notice that a lot of work can be repetitive resulting in lost productivity. Design systems allow for the rapid prototyping of new ideas using existing, production-ready components. They allow teams to reuse designs and code freeing individuals to focus their creative energy on new problems. While the initial work load of creating a design system may be bigger, just like compound interest, the earlier you create one, the larger the benefits will be. !efficiency > Design systems enable teams to build better products faster by making design reusable—reusability makes scale possible. This is the heart and primary value of design systems. A design system is a collection of reusable components, guided by clear standards, that can be assembled together to build any number of applications.**Designbetter.co** ## Scale Previously, the only way to scale productivity was to hire more people. More bodies doing work. But a design system allows us to be more efficient (as previously stated) and we're able to scale productivity without the complexity of hiring. It allows us to reuse components, work faster, and the results will be more consistent (more on this later). It's obvious for anyone that's ever worked on a project with multiple designers is that every new designer wants to put their mark on the work. UX Pin has a design system guide that starts by acknowledging this: > Scaling design through hiring, without putting standards in place, is a myth. With every new hire, new ideas for color palettes, typography and patterns appear in the product, growing the inconsistency and increasing the maintenance cost. Every new hire increases the design entropy. ## Onboarding When you do hire more designers (or developers, product managers, etc) having a solid design system in place helps onboarding and lowers the learning curve. Let's compare a design system to a game of football. Since there are rules, new players and spectators can easily enjoy playing and watching the game. If there were no rules, game strategy, or player positions, the game couldn't flow as beautifully or be enjoyable to watch. New hires can hit the ground running more easily when there's less room for ambiguity and confusion. Please note that these are all primarily internal benefits. Work is more efficient, staff is easier to onboard, and scaling is easier. These aren't things that the end user cares about even if the CFO may. _So let's switch our POV and see how a design system can benefit our end users!_ ## Consistency > With no common design language to unite the product, the user experience starts to break down, as does the design process. Design critiques become unproductive when there's a dearth of design conventions. To create alignment within teams, there must be a shared source of truth—a place to reference official patterns and styles.**Designbetter.co** I know from personal experience that working on the same product for a long time, it becomes easy to tweak things when you see a need to bend the system. Without a design system, it's obviously even easier to bend the system until it risks breaking it (well, meta discussion - can you break a system if there is no system?). The larger the team, the easier it is for any consistency to fall apart. This harms the user experience as patterns aren't consistent and their expectations aren't met. These inconsistent experiences result in our users lose trust in the brand. They've been conditioned to expect a certain kind of experience across multiple websites or products. When the user uses our product to complete a task, that task is the only thing that truly matters to them. Break that consistency, make it harder for them to do what they want to do, lose their trust. Stay true to that consistency, allow them to complete their task, build their trust. ## Trust I like to point out that when creating user experiences trust an often overlooked variable. We focus on things like conversion and pleasurable experiences, but forget about the first steps in the hierarchy of needs; we can't create a pleasurable experience unless we first make sure it's functional, reliable, and usable. That's pretty obvious when you think about it. !Maslow ## Accessibility Give me a designer that doesn't claim to have a love-hate relationship with accessibility and I'll show a designer who's lying. I get it, we're confused about how some of the color-contrast options are accessible when our eyes tell us something completely different. We struggle to understand how large a tap area actually should be. And don't even get me started on screen readers! BUT (and that's capitalisation for effect): **Accessibility is important**. Accessible design creates a better web for everyone. In many countries, making physical stores and services accessible to those with impaired vision, hearing, or mobility is a legal requirement. Slowly, this is making its way to the digital world as well. When Joe Biden was inaugurated, the White House published their commitment to a more accessible web. A design system makes it's easier to create accessible components from the very beginning. Re-using the well-researched, accessible color combinations is not only consistent, but it helps us in making accessible products. ## Usability As previously stated, trust comes from knowing what to expect. Better usability comes from repetition, as is often said - "familiarity breeds usability". With well-constructed systems, it's easier to solve a usability challenge once, make it repeatable, and then focus energy on the next one. > Your customers will learn to use your products and begin to subconsciously rely on that familiarity with the experience to lower their cognitive load. This should be just as important to our executive leadership as it is to those of us who are practitioners. > **A list apart** ## What to think about when creating one? I should preface all of this by saying that there's no one-size fits all when it comes to design systems. Consider these guidelines as just guidelines and not as directions. Your purpose with a design system may vary and so might the tools your team uses. Simply put, your mileage may vary. As with any systems, it's all about applying the guidelines in a way that fits _you_ and _your organization._ The process I'm defining below uses the same methodology as Atomic Design. Atomic design is not a linear process. It's a mental model to help us think of our user interfaces as both a cohesive whole and a collection of parts at the same time. In the natural world, atomic elements combine to form molecules. These molecules can even combine further forming relatively complex organisms. **_Atomic design is a methodology composed of five stages that work together to create user interface design systems in a more deliberate and hierarchical manner._** The five stages of atomic design are: - Atoms - Molecules - Organisms - Templates - Pages While we're not using all of the five stages in creating the design system below, you'll see we're using some of the same terminology to define the different steps. Let's dive into our design system process! ## 1. Define purpose and needs First of all, we need to define the purpose of our design system and what needs we have internally. As with any solution, we need to start by understanding what problem we are trying to solve. I cannot stress enough that it's important that this discussion is meant for both design and engineering. A design system that only lives in Figma won't allow you to scale at full effect. Define a naming and file structure that works for everyone involved. Setting these pillars is the foundation of the system we're building. ## 2. Set tokens; color and typography Start by defining the typography and colors that your brand uses. Set a type scale that works well, that's flexible, but is limited enough so it's clearer when to use what. By setting our type and colors first, we can use these styles in all of our components and link them to the style library. That way, if we ever want to change colors or type, it'll automatically update in all of our components. ## 3. Define spacing and layout It's easier to create components if we know what grid system they will live in. Setting the layout and grid spacing initially helps us a lot. We tend to use a grid system of 8px that is set up by intervals of, well 8px meaning spacing is 4px (0.5x), 8px (base), 16px (2x), 24px (3x), 48px (6x), etc. ## 4. Define shapes Now it's time to get a little bit more visual and define shape settings, i.e are we using rounded shapes or sharp edges? _Now we have the essentials of our design system in place, naming structure, tokens, spacing and shapes. It's time to build our first component!_ ## 5. Build out first atoms We'll start with the smallest components (i.e atoms). They are made out of the pieces that we've just defined; shapes, text, and color. This could be something basic as a button or an input field. Atoms are components that can't be broken down any further without ceasing to be functional. ## 6. Build out molecules Using our first atoms we can piece together multiple atoms together to create a molecule. Molecules are relatively simple groups of UI elements functioning together as a unit. Think of a molecule as something that's a little bit more advanced yet still pretty easy to define. This could be a product card that includes an image, a button, and a text description or a search field that has two atoms combined - an input field and a button. ## 7. Build out organisms Organisms are relatively complex UI components composed of groups of molecules and/or atoms and/or other organisms. This could be a navigation that includes a search molecule, a login section, and navigation items. ## 8. Document Often overlooked or disregarded due to lack of time, documentation collects how the components are built and how they should be used. This is one of the most important pieces of a design system. Without good documentation, it's not a system. It's just a collection of components. Agree on the documentation within both design and engineering teams so there's a shared belief and understanding of the system. ## Need help? Are you curious about what a design system could solve for your organization? As mentioned, it's difficult to outline a process that works for every team as requirements will vary. Not sure where to begin? Reach out and we'll be happy to walk you through our thinking!

What does 'best' mean?

Anton Sten — Wed, 22 Sep 2021 00:00:00 GMT

During a coaching call with a senior designer the other week, we were discussing his goals for our sessions. This designer is a very determined and mindful, so I was intrigued when he said one of his goals was to become one of the best UX designers in the industry. I had never really stopped to reflect over what that could entail, so I was curious to hear his meaning of "best". It turns out he wasn't really sure what "best" meant to him either, so I asked who he thought were the "best" now. His list included many familiar names including Brad Frost, Mike Monteiro and Dan Mall. I know Dan personally, I know of Brad through SuperFriendly, and I've read most of Mike's writing. What's interesting about this short list is they three very different profiles. I'm not entirely sure any of them would actually see themselves as a UX-designers - and if so, certainly not one of the best in the industry. Instead, what I think they all have in common is that they are very skilled communicators and all of them possess strong personal brands. ## My "best" This conversation led me to think about my own career, my personal brand, and what are my strengths? What helped me get to this point in my career? I was recently interviewed by Maze and they asked the me, "What do you think you're most known for?" Despite being a designer per trade, I do think I'm most known for writing rather than designing. For voicing my opinion, which could be done through design too, but I think more elaborate thinking requires words. So just like Dan, Brad, and Mike, I've built my brand on having an opinion, on encouraging discussion, and - perhaps most importantly - on educating. I try to connect with everyone that reaches out and attempt to connect with anyone looking for help transitioning into the field of UX. What I believe has served me well is something that's often overlooked when you think about being the "best" - being easy to work with. I'll try and stay off tiring football references, but even someone like Zlatan realises that in order to succeed, you need to be a team player. I've worked with countless designers, developers, and managers throughout the years that were possible the best in their fields, but were terrible to work with. Some time ago, I read a tweet that resonated with me (which I can't find now obviously) that stated that 'a job interview is merely a vibe check'. Having been on both sides of the table in countless job interviews, this really hits the mark with me. Matt Orlando of Amass in Copenhagen emphasises something similar: "You can teach a skill. You can't teach personality." The most common feedback I give on student's portfolios? There's no personality here. They're great at showcasing cases that highlight their skills, but there's no sign of them as individuals. ## The downside of being "best" For an industry that focuses on metrics and KPI's, I find it interesting that there's not even the slightest suggestion to what being the "best" looks like. And don't get me wrong, I don't think there should be one. So many professions compete within their professions, sports obviously but same goes for realtors, artists, and many more. A few days ago, the Michelin guide handed out their stars to restaurants which is arguably their industry's way of selecting the "best". Talking to my girlfriend (who's a head chef, so more familiar with that world), she told me that there are restaurants turning down stars. I was absolutely baffled. Isn't that what they're all striving for? Would an olympic athlete not want to win the gold medal? Would an actor not be interested in winning an Oscar? The reason she said, is that once you have a star, there's an enormous amount of pressure. You will have to spend the next year making sure that you will keep that star or get another one, which then will add even more pressure the coming year. Because if you get a star and then lose it, you might as well close up shop because you'll be out of business. If you think about it, this applies to many professions. Once you reach the top, there's just one way from there. So while striving to become the "best" is admirable, I think it's worth reflecting over why that's important and, frankly, what made you want to become a UX designer - or a chef - in the first place? I'd imagine the answer fairly seldom is to become the "best".

Break your own laws

Anton Sten — Mon, 11 Oct 2021 00:00:00 GMT

If you've followed my writing for some time, you'll know one of the things I keep repeating is that UX shouldn't be seen as an isolated process or deliverable. Team mates will know I can get extremely frustrated if someone references "delivering UX" as part of a project. UX is part of *every* process. Everything from the very first strategy sessions to final development and all the ongoing processes as customer feedback starts rolling in. What color combinations or typefaces the visual designer chooses can heavily affect the UX as does the tech stack the developer chooses. What features will be included in the MVP matter just as much as whether a button reads "Submit" or "Hit me baby!" Not saying one is better than the other just that both of them will influence the users' experience. In fact, back in 2016, I wrote a post about the most overlooked feature when it comes to UX (spoiler: it might not be what you think it is). I was reminded about this while I was reading Derek Sivers book, Anything you want. If you're not familiar with his writing, I highly recommend it. Derek's writing is to-the-point and very thought-through and has always been a huge influence on me. We need to keep things as short as needed rather than aiming for the idea that a book "has to be a certain set of pages". Anything you want is 84 pages and you can finish it in about an hour (just like my two books, both of which I recently redesigned for better readability!). In the book, Derek shares how one of the small things he changed running CD Baby was an email. Like most businesses, CD Baby sent an email every time an order was shipped and it was, you know, like most shipping confirmations. "Your order has shipped today, here's the tracking, yada yada". Nothing exciting, just purely transactional. Derek then spent 20 minutes crafting this email: >Your CD has been gently taken from our CD Baby shelves with sterilized contamination-free gloves and placed onto a satin pillow. A team of 50 employees inspected your CD and polished it to make sure it was in the best possible condition before mailing. Our packing specialist from Japan lit a candle and a hush fell over the crowd as he put your CD into the finest gold-lined box that money can buy. We all had a wonderful celebration afterwards and the whole party marched down the street to the post office where the entire town of Portland waved "Bon Voyage" to your package on its way to you, in our private CD Baby jet on this day, Friday, June 6:th. I hope you had a wonderful time shopping at CD Baby. We sure did. Your picture is on our wall as "Customer of the Year". We're all exhausted but can't wait for you to come back to CDBABY.COM!!"**Derek Sivers** To no one's surprise, the email created a ton of buzz - if you google "private CD Baby jet", you'll get almost 20,000 hits. It's been featured in Business Insider, ArsTechnica, and by Tim Ferriss as successful marketing. It's easy to think that great user experiences require a ton of time, money, research, and decks in order to work. At the end of the day, we're all humans and whenever we can break through technology with humanity, and a bit of fun, it tends to create better user experiences. This is low cost. This is effective. >When you make a business, you're making a little world where you control the laws. It doesn't matter how things are done everywhere else. In your little world, you can make it like it should be.**Derek Sivers** This doesn't just apply to businesses. If you think of it, our apps and products are small businesses themselves. So where can you be able create new laws and improve your user experience?

Exercising your potential: As if

Anton Sten — Mon, 01 Nov 2021 00:00:00 GMT

I recently travelled an hour and a half up north from Malmö to visit with some friends I haven't seen in a long time (cause, you know). We decided to meet halfway to make traveling lighter and make the night even more special since we had tickets to see When We Were Kings. For those of you outside of Sweden who might not be familiar with WWWK, it's a very popular Swedish podcast with an extremely niche focus on football. They drop one new episode every week and they go all-in! Their episode on Leo Messi? 11 hours. On Bayern Munich? Nearly 5 hours. Even topics like Greece's Euro final win in 2004 is a whopping 3.5 hours and that's more than twice as long as the actual game. Their storytelling is always really excellent, so I was almost just as exciting about the show as I was reuniting with my friends. This show was focused on Sweden's youth team in 2015 and their Euro win. I had expected a light evening with some laughs and, while I did get that, I also got something I wasn't expecting. You see, if you think about it, football teams are not much different from many other businesses. Today, they can be billion dollar businesses - Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool are all valued more than $4 billion - roughly the same as a company like Sonos or Zapier. They also focused on the mental exercises that the team utilized in order to reach the final - and win. From the very beginning, the players were taught how to do HRV exercises. HRV stands for Heart Rate Variable and the exercises are essentially ways of reducing heart rate (stress and nervousness) in order to be able to make better decisions in the heat of the moment. What really fascinated me though was an exercise they called 'As if'. The idea was really to put the players (or co-workers in our case) in a different state of mind. So the challenge could be to play the ball 'As if you're leading 3-0 over Italy in the final'. The idea, of course, is to challenge the everyday norm and encourage players to make bolder decisions from a more positive mindset. The other week, Liverpool crushed rivals Manchester United 5-0. It was obvious to see how the players started reacting to situations differently as the score line changed. More creativity, more optimism and more determination. Obviously this can be applied to any industry. My girlfriend, who is always thinking of new dishes to create, could choose to create a dish as if she already has two Michelin stars. As designers, we can design products as if we're they are already considered best-in-class. Whatever your profession might be, I'd love for you to do your work as if...

Profits or culture

Anton Sten — Mon, 01 Nov 2021 00:00:00 GMT

When running an agency, there's a constant battle between focusing on profitability or building culture. On one hand, it's easier to focus on profitability at first because it's necessary for the company to survive. What's the point in focusing on culture if the company won't be around in 6 months? However, focusing only on profitability creates a culture where profitability is the only thing that matters and, while we're all different, I wouldn't enjoy working in that kind of environment. Even if Axe Capital focuses heavily on profitability and has built a culture around it, the billions that have followed the series can easily see that there's also a culture - a comradeship. In contrast, focusing on culture in the beginning is great because there's this blank paper right in front of you. With a strong, clearly defined culture, it's easier to not just attract talent, but attract the *right* talent. These talented individuals will not only get the work done excellently, but can create an ecosystem where 1+1 can actually equal 3. We can see that there are also similarities in how we should look at UX when creating products. It's never really about this one thing, but rather the balance between all of them.

Utilizing feedback

Anton Sten — Wed, 24 Nov 2021 00:00:00 GMT

I am still really enjoying the coaching sessions I run with a couple of different mid to senior designers on a recurring basis. It's fascinates me to see their growth, but I also get to peek in on the work they do and the challenges they face (spoiler: we all pretty much face the same challenges over and over). I keep thinking that I should update the pricing on my coaching page too to better reflect reality... it's actually more flexible than advertised and I will always try and find a price that works for you. Most of the designers I coach today are around $200-$250/hour if they commit to a recurring schedule. If you're a student, BIPOC, or a woman, I'll always do my best to be extra flexible with the rate. Sorry white dudes, but we've had our fair share of fortune already. Anyway, a few weeks back one of the senior designers I'm coaching asked me a question that I struggled to answer. He asked me how I think one should give feedback and, more specifically, how I do it. Now this is a senior designer with many years of experience, so he already knows the basic rules of feedback - make it constructive, right amount of praise, in a timely manner, etc. This struck me as interesting as most of my work revolves around giving appropriate feedback. I had to ask him if it was OK for me to think about the question for a couple of days before I got back to him. ## What GOOD feedback looks like Let's start with the basics that I try to keep in mind for any feedback review or design critique: A good design review: - Very briefly allows the designer to introduce their work. One or two minutes tops, honestly. - Establishes boundaries for the desired type of feedback. Where are they in the process? What kind of feedback is most helpful — high-level or more granular? Is this production-ready, or early conceptual thinking? - Lets the reviewers do most of the talking. The presenter does not get a rebuttal unless it’s in the form of a question. - Allows for more in-depth follow ups where there are more probing questions or issues of work overlap. There's two things here that I think are especially important. First, listen. Too many feedback sessions just dive right in and the people giving feedback have too little context in order to give valuable (actionable and helpful) feedback. Instead, they'll just dive in just being thrilled someone explicitly asked for their opinion. Secondly, understand where they are in their process and what kind of feedback they are looking for. Are the designs early explorations or are they ready for a client review? What type of feedback are they looking for? High-level or granular? Focused on a specific feature or the entire project? Recently a friend of mine, who is the designer of Sweden's leading business paper, asked for feedback on their redesigned LinkedIn header. Comments kept coming in, critiquing the use of color on the body page, the font size of the articles and so on. No one had bothered to read what he was actually asking for feedback on. They were just eager to tell him what *THEY* thought. Personally, one thing I try to do encourage creative exercises during feedback. You see, most people tend to ask for my input only when they are stuck and not confident in what the next step is. So feedback in this format works to unblock that creative process. If they aren't stuck, but they are finished, there's only so most your feedback can do right? My go to exercise works similar to the "As If" exercise I told you about a couple of weeks ago. Ultimately, I want to help the person asking take a step back and look at the work from a slightly different angle - gaining a new perspective. Please note that this doesn't have to be a complete 180' turn, but just a slightly different view. So instead of asking "As if," it's more asking "What if". What if that was blue instead? What if the user is drunk when using the tool? What if this is in dark mode? What if they don't use the navigation but just use search? What if we did this one thing a little bit different? What then?

2021 Year in Review

Anton Sten — Mon, 20 Dec 2021 00:00:00 GMT

In my newsletter a few weeks back, I mentioned Matthias' tweet about looking up stuff on your own blog. Well if there's one post that's always worth looking up for me personally, it's this one. My year in review. Last year's post certainly helps me gain perspective on this year and what has changed... and what hasn't. At the very end of that post I looked ahead and wrote, _"I've met someone that I really like and it's weird, but fantastic, experiencing new love."_ Well, it turns out that it was real love and it's been the biggest change in my life in so many ways this past year, but let's save the best for last and use my traditional order of things from 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020. ## Projects & Work In terms of work, this year turned out very differently than past ones. At the end of 2020, I was working with Ueno on a Polish delivery service. But, as you might remember, Ueno was acquired by Twitter at the end of 2020. Little did I know then how that would change my work. At the time, I figured the project would end and I would return to freelancing. After all, I had already been committed to the project for longer than was usual. At the very beginning of 2021, I found out that the project would continue, but with new leadership. Aaron Shapiro (who founded HUGE) would put together a new team and finish the project. I had my first chat with Aaron and he told me his plan was to bring over as many of the team members as possible. Aaron brought in Allen Orr as an ECD as well as my dear friend Nicole Hampton - who I had already worked with on Herman Miller a year earlier. !Early Product Inc members _Allen Orr, Me, Hanna Edghill and George Kvasnikov back in March. Guess who's in LA and who are in Europe?_ In May 2021, I realised that I really enjoyed working with this team and that I enjoyed some of the things that a more permanent position brings: paid time-off, recurring (steady) income, and - most importantly - the possibility to work more with team management again. So after some back and forth, I decided to join Product Inc as full-time Director of User Experience. Thanks to Product Inc I've had the amazing opportunity to work with an amazing Polish company for the entire year and also work on, and lead multiple projects for Google. These are opportunities wouldn't occured if I was working as an individual freelancer, so I'm grateful of getting to work on projects like these. During 2021, I've turned down most freelance work except for coaching senior designers to do even better work. There are a couple of designers that I've worked with throughout 2021 and these sessions give me a lot of energy (and equally drains a lot of energy!). The only additional work that I've taken on this year is for Hyper Island. I've been honoured to be asked to return to Hyper Island for a 19th consecutive year 🤯. This year I had the responsibility over two different classes, Design Principles and something that is dear to me (which is why I asked to cover it), Ethics in Design. !Hyper Island _Design Principles at Hyper Island_ ## Website & Newsletter I am not sure if they are related but whatever success I've had when it comes to work has surely taken it's toll on my website and the newsletter. I've written less articles than probably ever before and I'm not really keep track of metrics. I am fairly sure that the my newsletter is slowly, but surely growing and people tend to stay on longer and longer per visit, so that's good enough for me at this point. The three most popular posts from this year: - Working as a UX Lead - Creating a UX Strategy - Stakeholder interviews: asking the right questions (Probably because these are linked from the homepage) ## Personal 2020 was a year that was filled with a lot of heart ache: my dog died and my wife and I separated. But as my friend Toph said the other day, if life gives you lemon, throw them out and bake a fucking chocolate cake because everyone loves cake. And boy did I manage to bake a cake. The person I started to get to know at the end of last year turned out to be true love and it's been a thrilling experience getting to know someone new. !Me and Anna, late summer 2021 Perhaps the biggest change this year appeared slightly out of the blue. We had been playing with the idea of moving to the country side in maybe 2-3 years. Then one afternoon Anna sent me a link to a listing of the most beautiful house. I asked her if she wanted to go see it as it's fairly close to where her parents have a summer house knowing we'll likely be in the area anyway. We had zero intentions of buying the house when we first arrived. But both of us instantly fell in love with the house and I remember doing some napkin calculations driving back if we could afford it. About a month later from first seeing it, we bought it. It became a pretty hectic autumn of change.

WE BOUGHT A HOUSE 🎉 pic.twitter.com/v4aE3SzGXs
— Anton Sten (@antonsten) July 19, 2021

We each had an apartment in Malmö that we needed to sell. Things finally settled and a couple of weeks ago, we moved into our dream house. Only a couple of weeks in, I am already feeling much more at home in this house. I don't find myself missing the city and I think I always knew that my apartment would always just be a pit stop. I had high hopes for traveling during 2021, but as you probably can guess, it's not been great. We did manage to get to Amsterdam (loved it), Copenhagen, and Finland to see some family members that I hadn't seen since before the pandemic. I'm really hoping things will improve in 2022. Get vaccinated! ## Looking ahead I'm overly excited about having a garden when the weather improves in Sweden. We were already growing veggies last year, but not having your own garden complicates things. While the house is beautiful, like all old houses it constantly requires work. So far (reminder: only a couple of weeks in), I'm really enjoying getting to work on tangible house stuff in stark contrast to something like advising Google on how to make privacy terms more humane and user friendly (I enjoy both, but previously I've hadn't had the contrasting work). Work wise I'm expecting a lot of 2022. There are a couple of things that are still very early stage and I don't know what will happen, but I am excited. I do hope that I'll be able to travel more again in 2022. I want meet all my new friends in the US and reconnect with old ones. And, most all all, I want travel to be safe again so people can come visit and stay with us here! We're setting up an AirBnB shortly so looking forward to exploring that domain too. My friend Jessi shared something with me that stuck with me: Give yourself a hug. What a way to end the 2021 year in review post.

Junior vs Senior: A Conversation

Anton Sten — Mon, 10 Jan 2022 00:00:00 GMT

My friend Femke posted a twitter thread (and a video if that’s your cup of tea, but I’m not one to generally watch videos) about what sets a senior designer apart from a junior one. I was intrigued by the thread because it resonated with me while I simultaneously disagreed with some of the arguments. Although this might be obvious to most of you, I want to note that there’s no right or wrong here. Me agreeing - or disagreeing - with Femke’s point of view is just a case of differing opinions, and that is a good thing!

**Small scale vs big picture thinking.**
*While junior designers may focus on smaller, simpler pieces of a project, senior designers may focus on higher-level information architecture, or the wider product or platform.* In my experience, this is essentially true; however, there’s an asterisk needed. Part of being a senior designer is having a deep understanding of the project’s constraints. While a junior designer may focus on smaller, simpler pieces of a project, it’s also not uncommon that they want to redesign *everything*. **Reliance on others.**
*Although both rely on others, junior designers may wait for others to step in and provide expertise. Senior designers are more aware of what they lack, and may be more proactive and strategic in pulling in the people and resources they need.* I agree 100%. Senior designers understand that their weaknesses are, in fact, a strength! No one is a master of everything, and knowledge on where you’re able to add the most value is something you’ll evolve over time. Going further, it’s nearly impossible for a junior designer to fully understand their weaknesses and strengths simply due to inexperience. It’ll come with time. **Pushing back.**
*Junior designers may feel uncomfortable pushing back, or saying no. Senior designers demonstrate more independent thinking — they're unafraid to push back and ask questions to better define goals.* Pushing back/saying no and asking questions are two entirely different things. Perhaps this could somehow be correlated to seniority level, but pushing back and saying no relates to limiting scope and process, whereas asking questions is defining and possibly expanding the scope. Perhaps they’re trying to relate it to a frame of mind or the attitude used during the approach. Generally, I’ll agree that senior designers are more confident with saying I don’t know, something I’ve written about in the past. **Design process.**
*While junior designers are still refining their design process, senior designers have experience with different methods and frameworks. They rely less on a rigorous design process and more on their own toolkit to solve problems.* Whenever I teach at Hyper Island, I am amazed at how some designers are rigorously following a design process, usually the latest hottest design process™. I have no recollection of us ever talking about design processes when I went to design school. **Skillset & craft.**
*Junior designers may be still developing their craft, focusing on specific design tasks to help them grow instead of end-to-end projects. Senior designers can create quality designs w/ minimal oversight & clearly articulate rationale for design decisions.* Agreed. It’s easy to assume that seniority = years of experience. But, in my mind, a true senior in any craft is a person that never stops developing their skills. This is one reason why I continue writing. It forces me to articulate and reflect on some of the design choices I make on a daily basis. **Influence & impact.**
*Junior designers tend to solve problems within project boundaries. They may focus on pixels rather than experiences & impact. Senior designers have more ownership and independence, and may create project proposals to influence team roadmaps & priorities.* I agree, but I would like to see more organizations move away from this way of thinking. People tend to spend more energy listening to the senior designers in most organizations. While that can obviously make sense, there’s also a risk of missing out on new ways of thinking and ideas that can truly transform the experience. No one calls a junior designer fat and lazy. Curious to hear your thoughts on the differences you’ve seen in junior and senior designers!

Work is more than a list of tasks

Anton Sten — Wed, 19 Jan 2022 00:00:00 GMT

I was recently exploring my views on what separates a junior designer from a senior one. From the responses I received - as well as my own beliefs - most agreed that it’s not as much about years of experience, but instead about decision making skills. This lead me to consider what I genuinely feel differentiates a junior designer from a senior one (and you’ll be able to see that it has nothing to do with years of experience). For centuries, most jobs were just about completing tasks. Factory work. Finish this thing and then do the next thing (or the same thing!). But as the world - and the economy - is changing so are the jobs needed. These new jobs aren’t “task” jobs; they’re jobs that require initiative. It’s work that you don’t get assigned, but work you choose to take. These kinds of jobs require a different type of teamwork dynamics and an entirely new set of employees. It would be easy to assume that junior designers tend to - and should - focus on tasks while an initiative focus is reserved for seniors. Yet over the last decade, what I’ve seen doesn’t line up with this “standard”. I’ve worked with numerous seniors that just want task work. Let me clarify, they don’t just want it; they *demand* it. Tell me what to do and I’ll do it, but until you do, I’ll sit tight. Similarly, I’ve worked with juniors who go hunting for the next thing as soon as they’ve finished their assignments. >“At Apple we hire people to tell us what to do, not the other way around.” **Steve Jobs** As a manager, I think this is one of the most crucial things to quickly identify in the people you are leading - who are task workers and who are initiative takers? Each set of people requires different coaching; a junior initiative taker might need help defining what to chase - and occasionally to make sure they are also finishing their actual tasks - where a senior task worker may need coaching on thinking about the work through a new lens. Honestly, it’s my firm belief that most people want to be good at what they do and enjoy their work and I believe that’s achieved through having an actual relationship with the work - not just completing a list of tasks someone else gave you. >"Most organizations do an astonishingly bad job at creating, initiating and dancing with the next thing. And so they struggle and eventually become Yahoo."**Seth Godin** A personal update: I’ve decided to leave my full-time role at Product and return to consulting, a setting where I’m able to focus more on (my own) initiatives and flourish. I’m currently open to new projects.

When will the Web grow up?

Anton Sten — Mon, 31 Jan 2022 00:00:00 GMT

Max Back’s “Make Free Stuff” is a post that has been making the rounds on the Internet lately (and well deserved, it’s a great one). Max discusses how the web has changed over the years and how the web he grew up with is different from the one he’s seeing now. I am not sure what age demographic Max belongs to, but I can definitely relate to what he is experiencing. In the early days, the web was, as Max puts it, “I made something, here it is.” >“I made something, here it is”. Sharing things for the sake of showing them to the world. Somebody had created something, then put it online so you could see it. Visit their website (wait for the dial-up to finish), and it’s yours.**Max Böck - Make Free Stuff** While at first, it might sound like the web is still like this today, but, if you think about it, it’s clear it isn’t. Websites are designed to collect data, get your email, money, and ultimately the most valuable asset, your time. But, unfortunately, most experiences want more than they will actually give. If the web back then was this naive, kind child assuming the best of everyone’s intentions, it feels like the web today is the greedy, self-righteous teenager demanding more of everyone else but themselves. I’m longing for the day when the web grows up and turns into the fulfilling, self-respecting adult it has the potential to become. But I think it’s unlikely the web will ever become that person unless we, its society, help it become that person. --- I’ve helped Maze put together an excellent resource for anyone interested in becoming a UX Leader! And it’s free, naturally. --- Join me for a Q&A with UX Cork on February 16! Also free!

Connecting the dots

Anton Sten — Tue, 05 Apr 2022 00:00:00 GMT

Is there a silver lining to COVID? The other day I was discussing exactly that with a colleague and the answer isn’t clear, but it is an important question to ask. Honestly, we should recognize the impact it has had on fast-tracking a unprecedented remote work style that allowed people to choose where to work and - and more importantly - when. But what I hadn't consider before is the effect it had on my career personally. Now I get it, it's absolutely bizarre to think about benefits to your career while balancing that it has caused so much suffering. Six million people lost. But in this darkest of moments, we also need to search for some light, right? ## Before Prior to COVID and lockdowns, being a remote worker was a bit of a rare thing. I was lucky to have the opportunity to work with SuperFriendly at that time. They realized there was a vast untapped potential in hiring people from all over the world rather than where you are located. It expanding options, views, and skills resulting in better outcomes. Besides SuperFriendly and a couple of other forward-thinking agencies, the vast majority only hired local consultants that would be able to come into their offices. Me being based in the South of Sweden made that very limiting in terms of options for agency work. This can stifle the opportunities for growth and make it more difficult to find fulfilling projects. ## A different world Then this pandemic changed everything. Overnight agencies were forced to rethink their hiring criteria. Does it make sense only to hire NYC-based designers if they'll be working from home anyway? No. They suddenly had more choices and deleted the mindset of limiting their search. So in July 2020, I got in touch with a long-time crush of mine, Ueno. We set out together on a super exciting project with one of the best teams I've ever worked with - not to mention a great client! Perhaps one day I'll be able to share more information about the work we did, but - NDA - ya know. Anyway. Fast forward a couple of months and Twitter made the choice to acquire Ueno. Our project still wasn't finished and, while most of the people on my team were consultants, we continued to work on the same project but under a different name. Product was born. At Product, we spent another year with the same client going through a bunch of iterations and pivots. While there, I also got to know my friend Rob. Rob was brought on to... well, I don't really know what Rob was brought on to do and it's not the case here either. The short story is he and I connected. A bit later I decided I wanted to return to consulting and Rob reached out. This has lead me to work with TITAN, where I'm now Acting Head of Product while still doing smaller freelance work on the side. In fact, we just launched a new website! It's pretty great. ## Looking back **Had it not been for the pandemic, I'm not sure any of the above would have ever happened.** One of my favorite speeches is Steve Jobs' Commencement Speech at Stanford in 2005. In the speech, Steve describes how you can only connect the dots by looking at the past. "You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever." We tend to spend so much time thinking about processes and frameworks, but sometimes I think we’d all benefit from just a little bit more trust in our gut. **Trust that it’ll turn out OK. One way or another, things will connect. Your dots will line up for you.**

Did UX designers ruin fun for efficiency?

Anton Sten — Mon, 02 May 2022 00:00:00 GMT

I’ve been in Los Angeles for an offsite for the past week. It’s the first one I’m attending post-covid (is post-covid even true? I suppose it’s the first I’m attending post-vaccinated?). It HAS been very nice to get together and workshop in the same room for once and I must admit that workshops are much better in-person. Being in LA also meant I had the opportunity to finally meet some past colleagues from Product, like Allen, who was the ECD at Product and left about the same time as me. I hit it off with right from the start with him so it was really wonderful to get together and spend some time talking about our experiences in this industry. We started talking about how 10-15 years ago, it seemed like there was a new website that got you really excited and inspired every two weeks. Websites that were visually exciting, had interactions you’d never seen before and utilized technology that was groundbreaking. Now, that rarely - actually never - happens anymore. And unfortunately, I think we, UX designers as a whole, may play a part in that. You see what was fascinating about some, most to be honest, of these websites is that they didn’t have to justify everything. Certain things were just eye candy and that was perfectly fine - in fact, it was exceptional. That’s what made them special, they were the exception from the normal. That made them stand out and grab attention. We UX designers love to quote things like “god is in the details” and use terms like micro-interactions, we’re also very keen on requiring everything to have a *raison d’être.* We want to delete friction. Make it effortless. Remove any “noise”. But thinking about these websites from back then, perhaps it was that noise and friction that made them a treat? Perhaps the beauty in it all is that it wasn’t just served on a plate for you, but that you actually had to do some work in order to be entertained? Like the Beastie Boys perfectly put it, fight for your right to party. I’m not making the case that we shouldn’t remove friction and make better, more efficient services. I just wish that we had more sites out there that just made me smile for the sake of making me smile.

Imposter Syndrome

Anton Sten — Mon, 09 May 2022 00:00:00 GMT

This post from Chris Coyier resonated (I'll save you a click, it reads: *"The effort-to-engagement ratio for content is unguessable."*) with me, so I'll follow his lead; Last week I saw a tweet from Mr. Bingo that I've been thinking about. I can't possibly stress how true this is. Perhaps even worse for us "seniors" is that we tend to believe that we're the only senior creatives that feel this way. Starting a new role earlier this year in a new industry, I've experienced this more often lately. It also reminds me of a creative I met at Herman Miller who had never heard of nor experienced the concept of imposter syndrome, and I thought, what a life you must have had.

Something that young people entering the creative world might want to hear: Me and every 'successful' artist/comedian/writer/maker of stuff I know have regular self doubt, creative dry spells, think we're not good enough, crisis of confidence, worry that we've 'lost it' etc 🙃
— Mr Bingo 𓄚 (@Mr_Bingo) May 6, 2022

Airbnb may be mapping out the future of work

Anton Sten — Mon, 23 May 2022 00:00:00 GMT

One of the companies that fascinates me at the moment is AirBnB. While I’ve obviously known of AirBnB - as we all have - for years as their design system and tool to sketch interfaces surely stood out. Over this past year, I think I’ve truly gotten a better sense for what kind of company AirBnB has become. For the last few months I’ve even listed part of our house on Airbnb and enjoyed interacting with the platform. It’s clear, easy to use, and cohesive. As more and more companies are requiring employees to return to the office, AirBnB realised that the world had not changed momentarily, but permanently. The obvious step for a company like AirBnB is not only allow a work-from-home corporate culture, but encourage a work-from-anywhere one. Employees are allowed to live and work in 170 countries for up to 90 days in each location. If you want, you can still go into the office every day. >“Two decades ago, Silicon Valley start-ups popularized open floor plans and on-site perks. Today’s startups have embraced flexibility and remote work. I think this will become the predominant way companies work 10 years from now.”**BRIAN CHESKY** Brian Chesky (CEO) also suggested that firms will be at a “significant disadvantage” if they “limit their talent pool to a commuting radius around their offices” as the best people live everywhere. He points out that they just had their most productive two-year period in the company’s history — all while most everyone worked remotely. To pull this transition off, they will operate off a multi-year roadmap envisioning two major product releases each year. Which brings us to this post’s actual topic and the three points that stand out to me.

Today, we’re introducing the biggest change to Airbnb in a decade pic.twitter.com/aj0La25HOE
— Brian Chesky (@bchesky) May 11, 2022

## It’s better for users From a UX perspective, it’s better for users as they can clearly understand what has changed and, even more importantly, why. Switching to two releases per year allows a clearer communication strategy focused around what’s “new” in comparison to incremental minor releases and bug fixes. If you consider a service like Netflix, you probably feel like it’s been just like it is now forever even though it’s gone through a ton of iterations and changes. This happened with users not just not knowing, but with users actually not caring. ## It gives a chance to communicate with a wider audience While we all know the big shows the Apple keynotes are, I was fascinated by how smaller companies like AirBnB, and even Figma, made new announcements recently that felt much more honest, transparent, and genuine. These releases gives AirBnB the media attention they wouldn’t receive otherwise and probably need. It reminds users of AirBnB in a non-intrusive way and ensures they will be top of mind when a user is looking for a place to stay while travelling. ## It aligns the company internally Perhaps more importantly than anything else, I think this release schedule aligns people internally. It builds consensus on the current focus - perhaps one of the most critical things within any organization. Clearly defining an alignment and prioritization from strategy to design to development to deployment. Clear goals is crucial for any organization not just from an efficiency point-of-view but from a talent retention point-of-view as well. All of us wants to understand not only what we’re supposed to work on, but why. Let me close with a question or two. AirBnB’s announcement and strategy for their workplace environment is going against the grain of many large technology companies and startups, but does align with their corporate goals and business model. Does this make AirBnB more desirable to work for and do you think this is driving them to be an example of the “new normal” of working in the tech sector?

Website refresh

Anton Sten — Wed, 29 Jun 2022 00:00:00 GMT

Hi, How are you? I'm doing well. I had completely forgotten (repressed?) how much work it is to have a puppy, but it's a lot of fun, and I'm blessed to be able to work less these first weeks to make sure she settles in well. Having the luxury of working from your backyard is something I value. I'm not playing catch all day long, though; I am still very much working with Titan - and - I've made some significant updates to my website. So let's quickly walk through some of the updates: 1. The work section is back! While the information about each project is brief, I wanted to give you a better understanding of the work I've done these last years and the breadth of clients. It includes work with amazing clients such as Titan, Google, Delio, and many more. 2. There are a couple of new testimonials, including one from Nicole Hampton. Nicole and I first met while working on HermanMiller, we reconnected at Ueno, and finally, we were both in management roles at Product. She is by far one of my favorite collaborators and persons. 3. There is a new Coaching page, including a testimonial from Brian, who has been using my coaching service weekly for a year. I have a few open slots starting mid-August. 4. It has, not much, but at least some, color. The Slack community is growing and evolving to just the kind of community I had hoped to build. For example, just the other day, a member shared challenges about a founder who was micro-managing the design process and pixel-pushing design details. Within hours, she had a ton of great replies and solutions for how to best tackle the situation. Anyone subscribed to the newsletter can join! I'm taking some time off to recharge from mid-July until the beginning of August. But come August, I have some availability to take on a smaller project, so if you have anything that might use an extra pair of hands (or eyes), don't be a stranger. Enjoy your summer 😎 Anton

Ask the right questions: Company Culture

Anton Sten — Mon, 04 Jul 2022 00:00:00 GMT

As you have probably noticed, I haven’t been great at writing new pieces for you lately. Sure, I can blame some of it on getting a new dog, having a house with a massive garden that needs a ton of attention, or working on creating user-friendly space experimentation interfaces (I never thought I’d write that sentence). But the truth is that it’s becoming increasingly difficult to know what topics to cover. So yesterday I asked for topics in my Slack channel that the group would like me to talk about with the promise that I would pick at least one. The selected topic turned out to be something we had been discussing just a few days earlier, but also one that I’ve been reflecting on this year. For someone that works quite a bit as a consultant, it’s natural to transition in and out of organizations frequently. Even though I’m not often full-time, I spend months in these environments, so if there is a bad culture it definitely can take a toll on my well-being. ## It’s like… dating? You see, it’s tough to evaluate ahead of actually working there so it’s a little like dating. Your interview is basically like a Tinder profile. Everyone wants to look their best and come across as healthy, humorous, and successful, but as time goes by you’ll notice there are cracks in the facade. After all, we are all humans and, at the end of the day, we have flaws. Next, you need to find a match that is equally interested in you as you are in them and that can take some work. On a coaching call the other day, a senior designer asked me for advice on what to ask a company in the hiring process. As I’ve been on both sides of that table on many occasions, it was a question that really interested me. I remember always thinking how weird it was when an interviewee didn’t have any questions and yet when I was being interviewed I hardly ever knew what to ask either! First of all, I think it’s important to acknowledge that there are two types of approaches - and subsequently - two types of interviews. 1. **Work-focused** - I think this was way more common at the beginning of my career. It was purely focused on past work experience and the entire interview was based on you presenting that work. This type still exists though and you can usually tell by the language used before the interview. (i.e. ”Walk us through some of your background.”) 2. **Vibe-focused -** In my opinion, any interview - regardless of what side of the table you’re at - is primarily a vibe-check. Just like working on ‘space experimentations’, it’s really difficult to explain what this means in reality. It’s a lot like when you’re on a first date you can “sense” it. When you know, you know, right? Me, I like to ask myself if I’m excited by the possibility of working with this company and spending time talking to these people daily. My gut is my best guidance here. ## Useful questions There are times that even your gut fails you though, so to try to filter out red flags, there are a couple of questions I ask. I think these questions are especially useful when interviewing for a startup because they tend to have fewer processes in place. I like to ask the founder where they see the company in a year and in five years. What I’ve learned is that it’s not necessarily the answer itself that offers guidance here, but what kind of answer they give. Ideally, they tell you about what problems they are solving in one year vs five years, however, I’ve experienced founders that instead will focus on how many people they’ll have on staff in five years. This tells me they are more focused on growth than solving problems and that is not typically an effective measure of success. As I mentioned earlier, I think the questions you ask should tell you if this is the right environment for you. Me, I like Slack. I don’t like daily standups or recurring meetings as they tend to be meeting for the sake of meeting. I prefer asynchronous feedback as it allows me to process the feedback when the time is appropriate. Naturally, you can’t get everything as you wish, but asking *how* they work is a question I ask any potential employer/client. ## Red flags There are red flags that you will want to pay attention to as a company that handles an interview poorly probably doesn’t have a great culture. This is like showing up drunk to your first date. Not a great impression. As an example, I’m mindful of my time and how I spend it. If a client joins meetings late and allows them to run over without asking, it demonstrates that they don’t value my time. Similarly, if they schedule three different calls where we discuss the same thing, it’s also a flag that they aren’t being respectful. So answering the question of how to evaluate a company culture is tricky. What it really boils down to is that *you* need to define what great company culture is for *you*. Personally, I like having a relationship with the people I work with that isn’t solely tied to the work. I enjoyed visiting Allen with whom I worked with at Product when I was in Los Angeles earlier this year. Jessi, Nicole, and I talk on a daily basis even though we’re not currently working together. I am a strong believer in the notion that you should be able to bring your whole self to work. I mean, we spend a majority of our time at work, so that is what I look for in company culture. What are you looking for? What’s important to you? Update: If this interests you, then do check out this post by Tanner Christensen and his new venture!

Buying a car online? Polestar does it right

Anton Sten — Wed, 31 Aug 2022 00:00:00 GMT

Not too long ago, people were cautious about buying nearly anything online. Books and DVD’s seemed to be the first things that people began buying using e-commerce websites. I believe that’s because most people were confident they knew what they were getting. A book is a book. You are confident of what it looks like, and its quality, and with its low price point, the buying risk was reasonably low. Probably most importantly, you don’t rely on a book for much of anything as it’s not vital to your everyday life. We must remember that with any transaction online (or not), basic criteria need to be met for you to purchase anything. These are usually based on two things - relevance and trust. Today’s purchasing habits are a bit different. Online shopping no longer restricts itself to books and DVDs but purchases groceries, clothes, beauty products, meals, and so much more. We’ve even started making major purchases like cars and houses! I wanted to talk about my recent online purchase, my new car from Polestar. For those unfamiliar with Polestar, it’s a relatively new brand in the Volvo “family” but operates independently. They currently only offer one model, the Polestar 2 - they previously offered a hybrid called Polestar 1 - but Polestar 3-5 are all under production. The Polestar website is very clean and straightforward, just as the UI in their car is - all built on Android Auto, a departure from most car makers who develop their own tech. !Polestar 2 ## The pyramid of user needs As avid readers of my blog are familiar with, I often refer to Maslow’s pyramid of needs applied to our user experiences. The idea is that to craft great user experiences, our products need to be: 1. Functional - basic actions are available, and I can execute them. So, it doesn’t matter how beautiful your onboarding screen is if I cannot log in to your product. 2. Reliable - I can execute the same action over and over with the same results, i.e., I can _always_ login. 3. Usable - I can understand how to perform the critical actions without instructions. Labels are clear, tap areas are large enough, and the experience _works_. 4. Pleasurable - the product is a joy to use. This can be difficult to achieve and something that every product owner needs to weigh. If you spend too much time making it pleasurable, you’ll risk making something that isn’t genuinely usable and, worst case, not even needed by your customers. But if you spend too little time making something pleasurable for the customer, you’ll end up with a dull project, and while you might get users, you’ll never get _loyal users._ !pyramid_of_ux.png Similarly, when thinking about the experience of buying something like a car online, it’s important to think about this other pyramid (funnily enough, also based on Maslow’s pyramid of needs!) - namely, the pyramid of trust. ## The pyramid of trust The pyramid of trust is something that NNGroup first introduced in 2016 and highlights the five distinct levels of user commitment a website will need to meet for a user to trust it. I run into this over and over in projects - product managers want to get as much user information as possible. A great example is email pop-ups on websites. The website is asking for your email address, but because the pop-up appeared immediately and above the website, you haven’t had time to receive any value. No, thank you. If things like this work, it’s only because a website uses these pop-ups to trade your email address for something else you may value, like 10% off your first purchase or a free PDF download (sigh). I’ve made tons of these during my career, so I’m not saying they are all bad; I’m just saying I don’t think they are the correct path to creating a pleasurable, trustworthy relationship with your customer. If you ask a stranger on the street for a favor (or their email address!), what would you need to give them to gain their trust? Skip any of those trust-building steps, and the person walks away - or, on the web, leave the site and try somewhere else. 1. Baseline relevance and trust - Can this site help me accomplish my goal? Is it credible enough for me to trust this information? Does it seem to have my best interest at heart? In my case, the Polestar website comes across as credible, and I had no reason to believe I couldn’t trust the information presented. 2. Interest and preference over other options - I couldn’t choose another website as the car can only be ordered online. However, I could have decided to buy another car online (Tesla, etc) or gone to a dealership (Volkswagen, etc.) and ordered a car the ‘old-fashioned’ way. 3. Trust with personal information - Is this site’s offering valuable enough to justify the time and effort to register and provide my personal information? Do I trust the site will treat my information responsibly? Do I want emails from this company? It turns out, I did—more on this below. 4. Trust with sensitive/financial information - I did not actually have to give any financial information to order a car (WHAT!). However, I still had to provide it with sensitive information, allow them to run a credit check, etc. 5. Willingness to commit to an ongoing relationship - Again, as I was purchasing a car, I knew that it would be an ongoing relationship (service checks etc.) !pyramid_of_trust.png ## Designing a pleasurable experience starts sooner than you think I’ve always been surprised by how many of the high-end hotels, Michelin restaurants, and high-end travel options I’ve experienced have struggled with their _entire_ user journey... Sure, the _actual_ experience - staying at the hotel, dining at the restaurant, flying in business - is excellent, and you can tell that they’ve spent a lot of resources crafting a great experience. BUT that it’s the entire experience. A hotel may have a well-designed website that makes you desire to make a reservation, but the actual booking experience is almost always handed off to third-party services that are often far from _pleasurable_. Functional? Yes. Reliable and usable? Usually. Pleasurable? Never. So far, Polestar has been excellent in this sense and crafted one of the best pre-experiences I’ve ever encountered online. It comes as no surprise that once I completed my order, they sent me a confirmation email (Subject: You’ve made a great choice). But what made me enjoy the experience are the emails they’ve sent me over the following weeks: 1. Confirmation email 2. We’ve started building your car (with pictures from the factory and a timeline) 3. Your car is built and waiting to be shipped (with pictures from a parking lot full of Polestars outside an harbor) 4. Your car is on its way While this might seem like a low bar to meet to get someone excited, very few companies actually meet it. You see, what most companies tend to do is they focus everything on the actual experience of their product (the car, the hotel stay, the dinner etc.), but I’d like to see more communication like the ones from Polestar. One that manages to keep my excitement up throughout the entire waiting period. From order to delivery, it will be nearly six months. While the wait might not be quite that long for a great hotel stay or an amazing restaurant visit, it’s not uncommon that it could be _months_ of planning and preparing. So why let the excitement your customer feels when they hit that Reserve button on your website fade? Crafting an email sequence is a low-cost investment that helps you grow your delighted users into brand ambassadors. There’s a sea of possibilities for keeping - and increasing - excitement between purchase and the actual delivery. So why let that go to waste?

Just write

Anton Sten — Tue, 13 Sep 2022 00:00:00 GMT

I had a coaching call yesterday with someone who wanted to get into writing. He reached out to me, as I'm probably most known for my writing by now, despite being a designer by trade. It's been a recurring topic on many coaching calls this last year, so I figured it might be worth sharing some of the subjects I tend to cover when talking about writing. Years ago, I wrote a post about why I think designers need to write. (I've also written about why I think designers need to speak business, so I guess I demand a lot from designers, apart from designing. But the thing about design as a profession is that you will need to be able to communicate your design. Unfortunately, I've seen too many designers show their designs and expect their beauty to tell the whole story (this is pretty much what Dribbble is, and that's fine, but I think a senior designer needs to do more). While a wireframe might come across as very straightforward, it showcases a page's features, hierarchy, and layout. But creating great user experiences is just as much about creating an experience to make the user *feel* something. And unfortunately, wireframes are terrible at conveying feelings. This is where your communication skills come in handy. The best way to improve your communication skills? By writing. >"A core skill of the interaction designer is imagining users (characters), motivations, actions, reactions, obstacles, successes, and a complete set of 'what if' scenarios. These are the skills of a writer — all kinds of writers, but particularly fiction, screenwriting, and technical writing."**SUSAN STUART** Getting better at writing is just like getting better at almost anything. It just takes practice. Sure, you can take classes and read books, but just like playing the piano or running, it will only get you so far. How to improve your running? Run more often. How to get better at playing the piano? Practice more. How to get better at writing? That's right, write more. >"Design is about getting things out there — not perfecting them — and seeing how they do. Writing is similar. Get it out there and see how it does. Learn from that, then improve."**MICHELLE CLAESSENS** Write more, and you'll be able to find your voice. Sure, I'm inspired by other designers (that also write), but the key has been to find the way I write. For example, when I first started writing, I wanted to mimic the voice of Paul Jarvis. Paul's writing was funny and borderline provocative! So I tried writing just like him. But here's the thing, that's not how I talk to people. I'm not particularly funny, and I think anyone that's ever met me or worked with me can testify that I'm certainly not provocative. So if you want to get started with writing, just start. A part from Paul, here are some of the other writers I tend to enjoy: - Frank Chimero - Brian Lovin - John Gruber - Jonas Downey - Sam Altman - Om Malik - Seth Godin Now start writing (if that's what you want). Who's your favorite writer? Please let me know! (Bonus point if it's less white male than the list above)

Interview: Matthew, Head of Product

Anton Sten — Mon, 07 Nov 2022 00:00:00 GMT

I wrote my first post on this blog on April 9, 2013. To put it in perspective, that's nearly a decade, and I've published an article at least once a month. Perhaps it's not strange then that I occasionally think I've run out of things to write about. But even if that IS true, it doesn't mean there's nothing new to tell. So for the coming weeks - or even months! - I'm going to try something new. Rather than me doing all the thinking and talking, I want to invite people I work with, people I admire, to share their thinking. You see, I've been fortunate to work with some insanely smart people with views on many different topics. So I invited them to tell me - and you - more about their work through their unique and valuable lens. Another reason I want to do this is actuation because of one of my most popular posts. In "Working as a UX Lead", I was able to share what I do and how I approach doing it. I've heard from others who had recently been promoted to UX Lead that it can be pretty 'muddy' as to the expectations of the role, even for the company they're working for! So these next couple of posts will be me talking candidly to people about their role(s) and what that actually means to them and their companies. First out of the gate is Matthew Woo, Head of Product and Co-Founder at Summer Health. I've been fortunate enough to work alongside Matthew for the last few months, and he embodies something that I rarely experience. If you make a venn diagram of really smart people and really empathic people - Matthew is in the center of that diagram. Read on! --- !Matthew Woo Anton: _Hi, and welcome! I want to give you some context before we begin… One of my most popular blog posts that I wrote that had a lot of engagement is about working as a UX Lead. Many people reach out to me saying, "I was just promoted to UX lead in my company, but I don't really know what's expected of me in that role." In this industry, as well, like, we have a ton of positions that are not always crystal clear on what you actually do. Obviously, there are differences from company to company, but the idea of this series is to create opportunities to talk to different people in different roles and hear a little bit more about what it is that they actually do in their current roles. So let's get started, and we'll do a quick intro first._ Matthew: Sure, quick intro, my name is Matthew will have been in product for the past, I just feel old when I say this, I think almost 10 years now. I started my career at a company called meetup as APM. And then from there went to a variety of startups, including a stint at a company called yo, where you'd just sent a notification that said, "Yo", and then most recently, prior to Summer Health, I was at WhatsApp. And now, I'm the co-founder and Head of Product of Summer Health where we're trying to radically simplify access to health care, with a focus on pediatric care first. _Cool. So what would you say brought you into this role? Being a co-founder changes the dynamic a bit, but what made you want to take on the role as Head of Product?_ First, I come from a very entrepreneurial family. So, obviously, part of it was new, starting something on my own, and in this case, joining something at the very early stages as a Co-Founder. I think the second thing was coming to be the Head of Product. I think, for me, it was because I had met Ellen early and got to work on the product at the early stages and build things in an early prototype. What convinced me was that even with a really terrible prototype with no login experience and just people messaging a number to get help, I saw the impact it was having on people's lives. So I was like, wow, this is a real problem that needs this solution. I had one parent share with us that she spent four hours trying to get help and was about to give up and just drive for the extra two hours to urgent care. She was lucky enough to find help through this and was able to triage the situation herself. She then understood that, hey, it's something that she could deal with in the morning, and that was a huge lifesaver for her. A third thing is probably just a bit of a quirk of mine. I'm very opinionated about the way products should be built. I really wanted to be able to build the type of culture and team that I thought could help provide the most impactful way to deliver value to people. That's really at the essence of what product is all about. Solving the right problems for the right person at the right time. _What would you say is the difference between being Head of Product versus a Product Designer?_ One slight point of clarification, I'm more of a Product Manager than a Product Designer, and I am definitely not talented enough to be a Product Designer. But I think the biggest difference between a Product Manager and the Head of Product is that as a Head of Product, you have to constantly think about, what the long-term vision is. Where you need to get to, where you are now, and what immediately needs to get done. Sometimes, from the Product Manager's perspective, this obviously depends on the company, but you can be more focused on what needs to get done next. As a Head of Product, you need to have a multi-year type of vision and a strategy of how to get there. This is the biggest difference, from my perspective. So I know this isn't the most popular company right now, but Meta/Facebook did a really good job of fostering Product Managers to have more founder-like tendencies. It was a bottoms-up culture where you could talk to your director and be like, "I think there's a billion-dollar opportunity here, and here's the three-year plan to get there." There was a sense within Facebook that if you can't get to a billion dollars in GMV, ads, or users in the first two years, why bother trying? So it really forced me to practice that big-level thinking, and that's only carried over here as well. _And so how do you, on a day-to-day basis, balance the things that you think need to be done now versus working towards that long-term goal?_ I think the way products should be dialed in is by working backward from where you want to get. So, when I first joined Summer Health for the first two to three weeks, Ellen and I spent a lot of time together, thinking about what the vision looked like. What does it mean for the caregivers on our platform? What does it mean for the providers? If we succeed in the next three to five years, what does each of those milestones look like? And working backward from that, what would have to be true for us to get there? Only then did we know what to focus on now. It helped us always think about, what is the next biggest question we need to answer was. To know whether we're on the right track or not. The reason why I mentioned this is I think that's an exercise people should probably do on a biannual basis, always revisit, what's in your three to five-year time horizon? What's the new set of information, and where are you now? Are you on track, or do you need to change your strategy or roadmap to get there? This is how I balanced between, thinking about the long term, but also constantly making sure that we're focused on executing in the now. What you want to avoid is a situation where you have a good strategy but bad execution and, therefore, you can't even tell if the strategy was wrong or the execution, and you'll never be able to launch a good product that way. But if you have excellent execution but a mediocre strategy, you can still build something. Okay. So that's kind of the way to think about it in some ways to balance between the two. _Yeah. Makes a lot of sense. I think it's interesting that it's often the seemingly obvious things, but a lot of companies fail at them. Still, what would you say? What are the characteristics of being a great Head of Product or even a great Product Manager?_ I think it boils down to a few things. 1. One is having a perspective and vision of what the world should be and why it's important. The reason why it's so important, not to sound like a broken record, is that it's the only way to align everyone to make the right long-term decision truly. It helps resolve short-term conflicts and the politics come up when it comes to trying to build things. 2. The second thing I would say is if you can have a strong vision, then you constantly have to fight for that alignment. You need to constantly remind people, what we are doing and why we're doing it since you want to empower people to make their own decisions. Being a great product leader doesn't mean that you make all the decisions, rather, it's that you empower everyone to make the right decisions for the company in the long term. So you are constantly driving alignment, what that practically means is having clarity of thought in what you write and how you share those ideas by constantly repeating it. People will probably say it's annoying, but I will constantly be like, 'here are the top priorities for you, here's how we're doing about it, and here's why it's important.' I think that just helps make sure that everyone's moving in the same direction. 3. That leads to the third point, which is communication. Be very concise, clear, and explicit in what the team is focusing on and why, and the trade-offs that you're making. I think that is incredibly important. What you don't want to do is be afraid of communicating because you're worried about how people will judge it. It's better that you put something out there that is half-baked or not ready and get feedback than to have it all in your head and surprise everybody at the end. So communication is really important. 4. That leads to the fourth point, which is collaboration. By having strong communication and communicating often, you can truly foster a team environment with collaboration, where people feel that they can share their thoughts early. Honestly, as a Product Manager, I think it's a false belief that you're the CEO of a product. You're not. You're there to help bring together the best ideas and foster thoughtful discussions on how you build the right product for the right person and solve the right problems. 5. And then finally, whether it's your team or your customers, you constantly need to be, extremely empathetic and constantly listening. That helps you make better decisions. And so I think that's the five things I would say, alignment, empowerment, efficient communication, collaboration, and empathy. _Cool. Yeah, it's fascinating to hear this as well because it does come across as something that you've spent a lot of time thinking about as well. And, you know, being fortunate enough to work together, I can testify that this is how things are run and, despite having worked with a ton of startups as well as a lot of very large corporations, I don't think I've ever been in working with a company where priorities are this clearly communicated. It's really valuable just to get that alignment and direction constantly._ Awesome. Well, thank you for the kind words, I'm sure I could be doing it better, but it's a hard, hard, hard-fought lesson from times when I didn't do that and, things fell apart. So I've learnt it through trial and error. _So what would you say, if any at all, is the difference between designing and making consumer apps, like some of the health and some of the business-to-business things that you've worked on? At WhatsApp, for instance?_ I think that the biggest difference between the two is, for b2b or SaaS like companies, it's a lot more clear what the problem is that you're solving. Then once you solve it, the benefit is almost immediate. Whereas for consumers, I think the difference is that most consumers are not making decisions that drive some incremental revenue or some immediate benefit. So for a lot of existing solutions, you're constantly competing with a default case, and a lot of the products and experience that you build is basically for a change in behavior. Sometimes is more difficult to know, especially at the early stages, if you're on track. One thing that I have noticed is you have to be extremely patient but constantly be talking to your users day to day to understand how their behavior is changing. You can either reinforce positive behavior, which is obviously engagement and also lower the barriers for situations where you're creating friction. _So, what are the top three things you spend your working days with, and they can't be as vague as meetings?_ So Anton probably knows this about me, but I am an extremely early-morning person. I start my days at 4 AM, and I go to sleep at 8 PM. So it's not like I have this crazy, 'I don't sleep' type of situation; I just sleep early because I'm old. I think what I love to do in the morning is all my longer or deep work. I split my deep work between a few things. One is thinking about the immediate product experience or features that are coming up and just going through creating UX flows, thinking through the different edge cases, and providing context of particular problems for the team to solve. The reason is that some of these things can take longer than you expect. Sometimes I'll write a PRD, and they'll take me twenty minutes, and sometimes it will take me an hour and a half to two hours. It's this unbounded thing. The most important thing is that I am being thoughtful about the experience so that when I talk to the team, we can focus the conversation on the key trade-offs. The second area I spend the morning time is thinking a little longer term. This is probably a little bit more related to being Head of Product. Just thinking about, given our current trajectory, will we hit a particular milestone or the objective that we have? For example, in our case, raising a Series A and, if not, what are the other areas that we need to investigate to identify new opportunities? And then, I think, the third thing that I spend a lot of my time with, honestly, is meetings and collaborations where we jam on different ideas with engineers or designers. The last thing I'll say is that most of my time is just talking to customers. I try to schedule like three to four hours every week just talking to caregivers and providers that use a product constantly to understand how we can get better and identify emerging and changing behaviors as a metric. Consumers are very fickle in some ways, so you always have to be on the ball. It's not something where you figure it out once, and you can kind of leave it. So that's how I spend my time. _With you being an early morning person located on the West Coast, there's a nine-hour difference from me in Sweden. Since my partner works in a restaurant - starting work at lunch and working until late evening - it makes it, so your and mine days are pretty much matched despite the time difference!_ _Can you mention if anything particular comes to mind, something surprising, that you've learned from a customer call?_ Yeah, I think that's one of the things that has surprised me the most, and I'll stick to my experience with Summer Health. I think that it's fascinating talking to caregivers about Summer Health. The interesting thing that we found was that it was not that they didn't have access to good quality care, meaning their pediatrician, but the speed at which we provided a response changed their behavior. So, at least in the US, reaching out to your pediatrician with a question may take a couple of hours or maybe as quick as 30 minutes, but if you're at the pharmacy and you have a question about what medications you should buy for your child, you're not going to want to wait for an answer. You might just put off the purchase. But with Summer Health, you can message somewhere and get a healthy response. I think, on average, we respond within three minutes. And now they're like, oh wow, this is something where, when I'm on the go or in a rush and the kids are not feeling well, I can message someone for a quick response. That changes their behavior. I think the second thing is that we're asynchronous because of the way we incentivize providers. We pay them on a per-visit basis, and that changes the way that care is delivered; it's no longer time-bound. When going to visit a provider in person, it's usually scheduled in 15-minute blocks because that's how our doctors are paid. In contrast, our providers can talk to multiple people at the same time and not be stuck in a billing-mandated schedule. They love the fact that, like, they don't feel like they need to finish a conversation in just 10 minutes or 15 minutes. Some of our people talk to our provider over the course of four hours, and it doesn't cost them anymore. You feel that Summer Health is now a companion and not just a service. I think that's another really powerful thing. Sometimes people use us to basically replace Google and get a quick, reliable second opinion. So they'll have their own pediatrician log an opinion. Then they're like, 'I want to be cautious and just use Summer Health for another opinion, and it only takes two or three minutes.' So it's been interesting learning how the modality being text messaging and the speed at which we deliver services has really changed the behavior of caregivers who already have a good relationship with the pediatrician but still find reassurance in that second voice. _Ok, one last question. What would you say is the one tool or thing that is the most useful or critical to you in your profession? I know that you're, at least to me, it feels like you're a Notion power user. But anything else you want to highlight?_ Yeah, so, like a tool? Is that the question? Or could it be a framework as well? What I think it comes back to is the most important thing a product manager needs to have. It comes from listening to other people to create an informed perspective of where the team needs to go and why. Having a very concrete vision. This reminds me of an article that was sent to me. There is a PM at Shopify, his name's Alex Danko, and his belief was that it's not everyone's job to sell. It's everyone's job is to world build. If you're just trying to sell, you're just trying to sell someone something, but if you're trying to build something, you realise that you need to build a very concrete description of what that world is like so people can make all the micro-decisions needed to bring that world to life. And they think that's been super, and it sounds really cheesy. And it's probably very similar to Amazon's newsletter headline that you write when you first come up with a project but really working backward from what that ideal customer experience just simplifies so many different things because if you start from a pure bottoms-up approach, there's just too many different pathways and people are often afraid to commit to one because what if it's the wrong one? If you can start from the back and have the vision - while, yes, it might be wrong - but if you can convince enough people that is the right place or you've learned enough and have the conviction that it's the right direction to go. It's what is needed to get started, honestly and it's helped me remove a lot of the paralysis that I used to feel when I tried to go for the bottoms-up approach. _Thanks a lot, Matthew. This was awesome. I know a lot of my readers will find this super helpful, so thank you. Speak again soon!_ --- If you want to make sure you're receiving the upcoming interview posts, the easiest way is to sign up for my newsletter. I am excited to hear what you think about this interview and this new article concept, so by no means be a stranger. If you would you to see the recording the Zoom recording instead, just let me know!

Curiosity drives us forward

Anton Sten — Mon, 05 Dec 2022 00:00:00 GMT

Over the past two weeks, I’ve had the exact same thought in three different situations, so I think that’s probably a sign from above that I should write it down and share it with all of you. As you may remember, when you signed up for my newsletter, you get an automated reply asking you what made you choose to sign up. This isn’t because I want to segment readers or run a complicated audience analysis. It’s because I’m genuinely interested in the answer of why someone would be willing to give me their email address. I’m always grateful and honored that so many of you reply and say that you found value in my articles and are looking forward to reading more from me (ironically, this also makes me feel bad because I’m so much worse at writing these days). One reply stuck out to me a few weeks ago and ended with, “I am early in my career and feeling like I never know enough.” I’ll soon tell you what I replied. The second time was when I was out walking Taylor and listening to a podcast with my friend (#humblebrag) and Olympic winner Therese Alshammar on the Swedish podcast Värvet. Therese was discussing how it was never really about winning medals or breaking records; it was about learning and improving. Naturally, the medals were a good gauge of her improvement, but that’s not what inspired her to train 12 times per week. And finally, I was reading about Kobe, and this quote stood out to me: >“In the NBA, it was actually easier. What I found in the NBA is a lot of guys played for financial stability. When they came in the NBA, they got that financial stability. Therefore the passion and the work ethic and the obsessiveness was gone. I’m looking at that and I was like, ‘Oh my God, it’s like taking candy from a baby. No wonder Mike wins all these f—ing championships,” Kobe explained. This brings me back to the first situation - the feeling of never knowing enough. I recommend holding on to the desire to approach situations from a place of curiosity and exploration. Even after 20+ years of experience, I still feel that desire because I choose to take on new things. Albert Einstein once said, “The more I learn, the more I realize how much I don't know.” Stay humble and search for answers.

2022 Year in Review

Anton Sten — Fri, 09 Dec 2022 00:00:00 GMT

There's no point in denying this, so I'll say it like it is. During 2022, I've been terrible at writing and keeping this blog alive. I've struggled to find time, topics, and motivation. Writing bi-weekly for years is really hard! But there's tradition to writing my year in review; 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021 are proof of that. I hope that I'll stick to this tradition even if it's _the_ only post I write every year! ## Projects & Work It's been a year of many changes. As you may know, at the end of last year, I was a full-time employee at Product Inc as their Head of User Experience. Product was great in the sense that I got to work with amazing people - to be completely honest - they are some of the very best people I know. But as important as that is, I also felt stuck. I'm really not great at being full-time. Quoting Kevin Costner in Bodyguard; > "I'm not good in permanent positions, my feet go to sleep." In early January 2022, I decided to resign without an actual plan. What I was confident in is the high demand for freelancers and that my 12 years of consulting experience meant something. I kinda knew what I was getting myself into. Luckily, it didn't take long until projects were lined up. The most fascinating opportunity came from my friend Rob. He had just joined a new startup, Titan Space, and working with their mission sounded like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I just knew I needed to explore this. I started working with the Titan crew by helping them define things like their user experience principles and design system. It turns out that designing things that are to be used on Earth - and in space!! - is no easy task. It was incredibly fun to work with a startup again, and it even allowed me to fly to Los Angeles to work with the team on-site. As much as I love being remote, I really appreciate meeting the people I'm working with. This trip also allowed me to meet my former colleague and now dear friend, Allen Orr in Los Angeles when did we get grey hair?! Towards the end of the summer, I started to realize that my time at Titan Space was beginning to feel more like another permanent position. This combined with the fact that they started to apply a more "on-site" approach to work made me realize that it was time to move on. !Anton and Allen Soon I was referred to another startup, Summer Health. After working with something highly complex, like space experimentation, I was thrilled to work on a product I could explain to my parents in ten seconds. It turns out that it makes designing.. easier if you have a really solid understanding of the product. I've been loving my work with Summer Health, and I've just extended my contract with them for another six months. Tackling health care is obviously no small task, but being able to help out parents in need of medical care for their children does feel nice. Apart from these larger projects, I've only had the chance to work on a few smaller projects. I got to work with Sennep in the UK together with Brian, who I've done coaching with for years. It was a lot of fun! I am also finishing up a project with Tractorbeam. I had Emily Edwards on my list of people I wanted to work with and it's been absolutely amazing. To top it all off, I get to work with Amanda whose company I've enjoyed both at Ueno and Product too! ## Website & Newsletter As already mentioned, this is an area where I've fallen behind big time this year. Part of the reason is lack of motivation, but another big reason is, well, our new house and garden. While it's a change of priorities, I believe it's great for one's design process. The top three posts are the same three as of 2021, meaning nothing I wrote this year made it onto the top list: - Stakeholder interviews: asking the right questions - Working as a UX-lead - Creating a UX Strategy The one post I did write that got some attention was "Buying a car online? Polestar does it right" and a month in after actually getting the car, I'm just as happy with my choice! I've moved my newsletter to Substack and I'm still exploring what the best way is to not cross-post everything on both Substack and my website. ## Personal At the end of 2021, somewhat out of the blue, we bought a house and quickly moved in. Although the house wasn't in need of any major renovations, it's fascinating just how much time a house can consume. Both Anna and I find most of these things fun and it's a shared interest of ours, so it never really feels like 'work'. This year, the garden was our biggest (never-ending) project. It's interesting how things like mowing the lawn, can become a relaxing activity after working in front of a computer for hours on end. We've settled nicely into the house and adapted our pace to a more 'country' way of life. !Our garden full of veggies Having a large house is convenient as we can always have friends visit and we get to enjoy their company for longer periods of time. Not to mention family! Last year my entire family came and stayed for Christmas and this year my parents have been here twice for a week at a time! The second big thing this year was without a doubt our decision to take a puppy. After going back and forth about what breed we wanted, we decided to get an Irish Setter. On Anna's and mine second date, our first 'bonding' moment came through our shared admiration of Taylor Swift, so in June, we picked up our own little Taylor. If you follow me on Instagram you have probably not missed this ;) She just turned 8 months and is a hand full for sure, but she's also the sweetest. Having a dog again is so great for my general well-being. !Cuddling ## Looking forward With the current economic climate, layoffs happening everywhere, war, and rising rates, I've been a little concerned about what this will mean for my future work and the colleagues I've appreciated working with over the years. Nevertheless, I'm incredibly grateful that I'm still fully booked going into 2023. I don't and will not ever take this for granted.

Looking ahead into 2023, I'm beyond excited about the fun (and challenging) projects I have lined up. At any time, but especially in this economic climate, I'm grateful to _have_ work and get to work with people way smarter than me.
Here's what's next! (2/6)
— Anton Sten (@antonsten) December 19, 2022

I'm hoping 2023 will also be a year when I dare to opt out and try things a bit more. I have some thoughts on what this could be, so if not sooner, I'll update you a year from now! The days are long but the decades are short.

Creating Meaningful Design Systems: Embracing the Box and Reaping the Benefits

Anton Sten — Thu, 26 Jan 2023 00:00:00 GMT

Soon I will be working on, not one, but two different design systems consultations. It’s a bit of a new venture for me. I’m used to helping *build* design systems, but in these two cases I’m helping the design teams *plan and re-build* a better design system. In getting ready to kick these two projects off, I’ve found myself wondering - and like any sane designer with imposter syndrome; questioning - if I am qualified to say what makes a design system good… or not. I’ve worked on a dozen different design systems pver the years - big and small, good and bad - so maybe what I’ve learned from these past encounters would help guide me? It wasn’t until I found Amy Hupe’s excellent post on Building Conscious Design Systems that I was able to formulate a better point of view. ## The baseline A couple of years ago, design systems were these shiny new thing that would solve all the problems we used to encounter when designing and building products. Commonly, the advantages that were promised with a design system were (thank you Amy!): - Efficiency: it will allow designers to move forward faster because they would not have to spend time on *redesigning* the same components over and over. - Consistency: and because all designers would use the same components, we’d automatically achieve consistency across everything. - Scale: and with consistency, we would be able to scale design decisions more easily. You’ve all heard this before. If you are or have been a designer or product manager, chances are that you’ve argued these exact points to someone skeptical of the value of a design system. >But here’s the thing we rarely ever say: None of this has any inherent value.

Efficiency is only valuable if it helps us move faster towards meaningful outcomes for the people using our products and services.

Consistency is only valuable if we standardise things to a good level of quality.

And scaling things is only valuable if they’re actually worth reproducing.**Amy Hupe: Building Conscious Design Systems** ## Playing the devil’s advocate When talking to companies about their design philosophy, or design principles, a recurring theme is always to make things ‘simple’. As a designer, I’m a fan of making things ‘simple’. I also know that making things ‘simple’ is extremely difficult. I also feel like that it’s important to highlight that we’re making things ‘simple’ for the user. So if your design principle is ‘simple’, what is the process to make it simple for your customer to cancel their account or pick what communication they want to receive from you? Simple is not *just* about a frictionless checkout experience, simple is removing *any type* of friction from *any process* regardless if it’s one that is in your favor or not. So back to design systems. >If we can use our design systems to speed up meaningful work, standardise things to a high quality, and scale the things we actually *want to reproduce* - then the reverse is also true. It means that, if not built correctly (we’ll come back to this in a sec), our design systems can also: - speed up problematic work - make things consistently poor quality - scale patterns that we don’t want to reproduce Ouch. Think of this way; using a calendar is great for organising your schedule and a tool like Notion can provide wonders for both structure and access to information. But none of these tools will make you organised unless the input is organised and, the rules and patterns you obey to are consistent. A design system is just like your calendar, it can provide miracles if used correctly. What’s the right way? One that empowers you. ## It’s a parallel process I’ve worked on projects where we’ve tried to define the design system first and, in doing, argue that we know 90% of the components that we’ll need. If that’s true, we should be able to start by designing that design system and then successfully use it to build the product, right? I don’t think this has ever actually worked. Designing components in isolation is a recipe for disaster. Design is not just the individual pieces, but it’s aso when you combine the pieces together. Not quite as bad, but let me say it loud and clear, the opposite is just as bad - when you design the full product only to afterwards create the design system. It’s good in the sense that you know what components you’re actually going to be using, but it’s terrible in the sense that you’ll end up having to rebuild everything using the new components. Let’s face it, we don’t have time to do that. It also means that you’ve ignored all of the possible benefits of a utilizing a design system (efficiency, consistency and scale) by only working in an old-fashioned, waterfall-y style. So in terms of process, a design system needs to be designed *in parallel* with the product. As soon as you have *something* ready to go, I think it makes sense to start building the design system. Remember, if done right, this living thing is made of components that are allowed to change over time! That is, in fact, one of the benefits of a design system. We can change it and we’ll still have consistency. If I update the radius of a button in the system, it should update everywhere that component is used. ## Embrace the box Almost a decade ago, my friend Pål Katsler and I held a course at Hyper Island. We both argued the notion that true creatives ‘think outside the box’ is not just tiresome, but can be dangerous in some cases. Creatives should embrace the box and make the most out of it. That’s creativity, being able to produce spectacular work with what you’ve got or been given. Similarly when designing a design system, I believe it’s valuable to define the constraints and requirements early on. If we aim for our design system to make us efficient, doesn’t it make sense for us to build the design system efficiently? This starts with planning and requirements setting. If we aim for our design system to bring us consistency, the design system itself and the component setup needs to be consistent. If we want our design system for scale, we should allow our design system to scale. It’s intentional work. What this means practically is consideration of the setup for the components. Do you want to build the components using atoms, molecules, and organisms? Do you want to separate out design tokens (colors, type, etc)? Do you want desktop and mobile components to use the same component or separate? What approach do you want to take for variations like different sizes and different states? What about light and dark mode? Seeing how this can get overwhelming? Defining these requirements will make the build more efficient, the design system more consistent, and better allow for better scalability! ## Chaos is not good for creativity Just like a painter needs their colors organized and a chef needs their mis-en-place - all ingredients gathered, prepared, and ready to use - to create a wonderful dish. Designers should have an organized design system to create really great digital experiences. In fact, if you think about nearly any profession, great work comes from order and structure, whether that is a lawyer, a surgeon, a housekeeper, or a pilot. Why would the work of designers be any different? The philosopher Lewis Mumford said: *“Order and creativity are complementary.”*

New year, new brand, same Anton

Anton Sten — Sat, 25 Mar 2023 00:00:00 GMT

We're a few months into the new year and I can't think of a better time for a fresh start. So this year, I've chosen to be more mindful about my business. You all know it's just me on the payroll - and no plans of changing that! - but I think it's time to better communicate what services I offer. A colleague recently mentioned to me that I use the word 'dynamic' a lot when talking about my designs. Perhaps it's fitting then that my business is just that… dynamic. I can work with your team by myself. I can assemble an all-star team for you. I can work with you on a one-hour, one-time consulting call. I can work with you for many years. This flexibility and adaptiveness is crucial to my business, and it's why I love running my own business. It can also be hard to communicate. When I started my career, I did everything by myself. I designed my logo, created and coded my website, and uploaded it via FTP (remember that?). However, as time passed, I realized I needed to reassess my priorities. Although I believe I run my business professionally, there has been one area that I have overlooked until now: a strong visual identity. Like I said, I used to do everything for myself and my clients - visual identities, design, marketing, UX, and even some coding! Now I realize, and tell all my clients, that they should hire professionals specializing in the task. The results are much better and the price is usually lower in the end! Now I'm following my own advice. It was time to work with a brand designer to create a logo and visual identity for me. I'm lucky to have a strong network of talented designers, but finding the right one still proved to be a challenge. Ultimately, I chose to work with the talented Christina Hanna. I first met Christina when I was interviewing potential freelance designers for Product. Though we didn't have the chance to work together then, I was impressed by her portfolio and professionalism. When collaborating, having the right vibe is crucial for me. It doesn't matter which side of the table I'm on during an interview, my vibe radar is always on and tuned in. > When building Antons brand, I wanted to understand the emotions and impressions people were left with when working with him. After all, that's his brand!

I was amazed by the very clear patterns that emerged throughout all of Anton's testimonials. People are consistently enthusiastic about his collaborative, inspiring, and warm nature, as well as his structured design thinking. The testimonials became a foundation for his identity and a way to embody the key characteristics that make people want to work with Anton again and again.

The clear patterns in Anton's testimonials were a goldmine of inspiration for his identity. They became the foundation for capturing his collaborative, inspiring, and warm nature, and his structured design thinking.

Anton is a rare blend of warm and precise, which makes him exceptional in his profession. We wanted his brand to embody this duality and showcase what makes him stand out.**Christina Hanna** Christina got to work and over the course of a few weeks, she developed a clean yet flexible identity for me. Once the key pieces were in place, we collaborated on the website, which is obviously the main attraction for someone like me. In my opinion, a visual identity should convey the story of the brand. Ultimately, a brand is defined by what people say about it. Fortunately, I have been collecting testimonials for years, and certain characteristics shine through. The brand is adaptive, explorative, collaborative, and structured. These are the values that I want the visual identity to communicate easily and effectively. ## One logo, four takes > In creating Anton's logo, I wanted to capture the essence of his multifaceted work and approach to design. The colon after his name represents the various creative endeavors Anton is involved in. Whether he's writing, collaborating, or designing, the logo communicates his versatility and adaptability. The logo can also be presented in different lengths and abbreviations, from "anton sten studio:" to "a:," showcasing his focus on minimalism and effective communication.

I wanted to embody the duality of his warm, collaborative nature and his precise, structured approach to design - key characteristics that make him stand out as a talented and exceptional professional.

The soft square embodies the qualities of adaptability, collaboration, and warmth that are so integral to Anton's approach to design. The shape has a natural and fluid form, symbolizing the flexibility and creativity that Anton brings to his work.**Christina Hanna** One thing that I love about the logo are the variations it comes in (shown in this cool animation): !anton-logo-transformation-loop.gif As a freelancer/consultant/one-man agency, I love the variety of projects I can take on. Some clients choose to hire me for an hour to coach them or to give a gut-check on a new feature they're about to launch. Most clients hire me to slot into their existing team, whether that's a small startup or an large agency. Even others want me to assemble an all-star team of professionals! To me, this is what the logo variations communicate. - a: one hour - anton: part of your team - anton sten: leading a project - studio anton sten: all-star team > The Visuelt typeface captures the balance between Anton's warm and human approach to design and his precise and structured attention to detail. Additionally, Visuelt has Nordic roots, which adds a subtle nod to Anton's Scandinavian heritage and culture.**Christina Hanna** ## More visual Although I still prefer to articulate my thoughts and processes through writing, I am realizing that much of my work is best communicated visually. This realization has required me to develop a more conscious visual style, and it has also forced me to create a couple of portfolio cases at last. Proud to show the work I've been doing the past years, including the variety of work for Zabka, Toast, Loom, Summer Health, and more. ## Team effort The new website is the result of a team effort by Studio Anton Sten: Christina Hanna worked on the visual identity, Karolin Gu helped with the case videos, and Alexander Hansson assisted with rebuilding the website, as always. Finally, Josh Yuhas (whom I've worked with for almost 8 years now!) edited the site's text. The best results come from working with the best ❤️. !Visuelt

!Logo output

!Logo tote

AI: Do we really 'get it'?

Anton Sten — Thu, 13 Apr 2023 00:00:00 GMT

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past few months, you've likely heard the term AI over and over again. In fact, it seems there's a new AI tool everyday promising to revolutionize our lives — or to take our jobs. People like Elon Musk and Steve Wozniak are now calling for a halt in the development of new AI tools as they fear AI is evolving too fast. Being the contradiction he often is, Elon still believes that Tesla should be able to incorporate AI-powered features into its cars. 🤷‍♂️ Italy has recently banned the usage of ChatGPT due to concerns about potential misuse and Germany may be next to follow. While I'm not sure this is the right way to deal with technological advances like AI, considering things like the Steve Jobs voice demo, it's hard to argue that there aren't dangers ahead. From a designer's perspective, AI is expected to perform many task we used to labor over. Writing copy, creating images based on our prompts, and even creating a fully functioning website are just on the horizon. However, there's also no denying that AI will have a huge impact on our lives and our relationship with the technology we use. That said, I'm not convinced that AI will take our jobs and make us feel worthless. In the book "Four Thousand Weeks", the author discusses how when washing machines, dishwashers, and vacuums became common in households, housewives (sigh) would have more free time since their chores were now more efficient. However, a few years later, that leisure time disappeared. Why? Because our idea of what constituted a clean house or well-ironed shirts had shifted. Houses were supposed to be cleaner, shirts better ironed, and dishes even shinier. Similar to the 1960s housewives, we expect AI to take on the mundane parts of our work and increase our efficiency. However, I believe we are overlooking a crucial aspect of what these tedious tasks entail. > Why write an essay when you can type a few words and have AI generate one for you? Why write an email when AI can auto-respond for you with all the typical pleasantries and talking-points?

While AI doing these things for you is likely to happen, it's not necessarily a good thing. Even when these tools exist, they are not a replacement for writing.

Writing is the process by which you realize that you do not understand what you are talking about. Importantly, writing is also the process by which you figure it out.**Why write** Whether it's writing or designing, cooking or cleaning, there are aspects of our work that can be defined as tedious. Like with a workout, it's doing the hard, repetitive work now in order to achieve better results later. It's probably a cultural "sign of the times" that whatever ease we can have now is worth more than the benefit later. It seems like we haven't improved since the famous marshmallow experiment. Rick Rubin highlights something else, that our work is not just the final product, but the energy contained in the work. Our work is our intentions and our (failed and succeeded) experiments; > Our thoughts, feelings, processes, and unconscious beliefs have an energy that is hidden in the work. This unseen, unmeasurable force gives each piece its magnetism. A completed project is only made up of our intention and our experiments around it. Remove intention and all that's left is the ornamental shell.

Though the artist may have a number of goals and motivations, there is only one intention. This is the grand gesture of the work.**The Creative Act by Rick Rubin** ## What does all of this mean? Undoubtedly, AI will significantly transform our jobs, society, and relationships with technology. As the saying goes, "writing is the process by which you realize that you do not understand what you are talking about," and it's clear to me that I lack a deep understanding of AI. Right now, the internet seems to be full of self-proclaimed AI experts, but I doubt we're at a point where we can accurately predict the changes that may occur. I'm not afraid of the changes AI will bring. I don't know what they are yet. I'm also not yet inspired and amazed by the possibilities of AI because I can't wrap my head around them either. I know people like Salma Aboukar will influence what product photography means. Imagine having the ability to update product photography on the fly or personalize it for each individual visitor with very little friction through AI. Simply put… until I gain more knowledge, I'll continue to follow people like Linus in order to explore what I don't know or understand.

Why I write

Anton Sten — Thu, 27 Apr 2023 00:00:00 GMT

I'm writing to share with you two reasons why I write. ## Writing helps me organize my thoughts. I recently came across a quote that said, _"Writing is the process by which you realize that you do not understand what you are talking about. Importantly, writing is also the process by which you figure it out."_ Honestly, I can't count the number of times I've felt stuck on something until I started writing about it. At first, my writing wasn't great, but it helped me process information and identify gaps in my understanding. As part of my coaching calls, I talk to many designers who want to start writing. Some of them believe that there's a big mystery around writing, but to be honest, writing is just like anything else you try for the first time. You just need to start. Just write and let the words flow. Years ago, there was a big debate in our community about whether or not designers should learn to code (I almost hesitated to bring it up, as it was quite controversial). However, I do believe that designers, especially product designers, should write. Here's why I think designers need to write. ## You The second reason is something that you are probably more familiar with: readers like yourself. I get inspired by reading feedback on my writing, and I really appreciate it when my writing is helpful to anyone in their career. So this week, I wanted to share some of my past writing that has received the most positive feedback over the years. **Stakeholder interviews: asking the right questions** When working with Herman Miller, the project kicked off with me conducting a dozen stakeholder interviews to get an aligned vision of what we're looking to build. To be honest, I was a bit anxious because I hadn't done a ton of stakeholder interviews before, and never at this scale. It turns out that many people experience this same anxiety when asked to do stakeholder interviews, and they have emailed me to let me know how much this post helped them structure and conduct better interviews! Stakeholder interviews: asking the right questions **Why Designers Need to Speak Business** Based on reader feedback, this post is one of the most appreciated. It's clear that it resonated with many designers who are fighting for their place within organizations that may not always value design but instead value flashy aesthetics. Design serves a purpose. I won't spoil anything else, so take a read and let me know if you agree or not! Why Designers Need to Speak Business **Creating a UX Strategy** When I started a major UX project within IKEA, I felt lost. Although the team was huge, with around 70 people, there were only a few of us on the UX team. I've always believed that UX is a joint effort where engineers have as much impact on the UX as designers. However, I felt that there was no shared vision among us. To address this, I spent about a week creating a presentation that outlined what I believed UX is (and what it isn't), and defined some core principles that we should adhere to. Creating a UX Strategy

Working with Anton

Anton Sten — Thu, 25 May 2023 00:00:00 GMT

I recall reading a post by Lily Konings where she described what it's like to work with her. Instead of the usual portfolio-style posts, she provided valuable insight into her work style, which emphasizes transparency and collaboration on individual terms. This was a veritable goldmine! Thank you, Lily, for sharing. One year ago, when I started working with Summer Health, I took the Myers Briggs test and was surprised by how accurately my personality type resonated with me. **Personality** - **INFJ-T in Myers Briggs**. I was surprised by how accurately this personality type resonated with me. Anyone who knows me well understands that the "I" in INFJ is crucial for me to feel well. I need a decent amount of time by myself to recharge. - **Strengths.** One of my strengths lies in my ability to hit the ground running and quickly get up to speed on new projects. Once I'm running, I thrive on exploring how to systemize things, design in particular, and create processes that will help streamline workflows and increase efficiency. - **Weaknesses**. I am trying to improve my communication skills by being clearer and more straightforward, especially in situations that could lead to conflict. As a Swede, this can be challenging. ## **Values & Culture** - **Psychological safety.** I firmly believe that if team members don't feel safe and supported, they won't be able to produce good work. Therefore, my main priority is the well-being of my team members, whether I'm leading the team or not. Sara Soueidan put it nicely when she said, *"Anton strikes a great balance between being a great designer, director, and friend. He cares about the health and success of his teammates just as much as he cares about the health and success of the project."* - **Have fun.** I take my work seriously and always deliver on time, but in the last ~5 years, I've realized that there's no point in taking work *too* seriously. It's important and can have an impact on people's lives, but we also need to remember to not take ourselves too seriously at times. - **Respectful.** I strive to attend every meeting on time, prepared, and alert. With remote meetings, it can be tempting to get distracted by Slack messages, emails, or other things vying for your attention. However, I make a conscious effort to respect everyone's time, recognizing that it's just as valuable as mine. - **This could have been an email (or a loom!).** I dislike meetings that are held just for the sake of holding them. I support Shopify's recent effort to cancel every recurring meeting, as reported by NPR. Meetings tend to happen whether they are necessary or not. I prefer doing ad-hoc syncs and using Loom. ## **Collaboration** - **Gold Stars**. I appreciate individuals who communicate clearly and honestly. While priorities may shift and we may not always agree, effective communication with respect is crucial to me. - **Responsiveness**. Despite being in a different timezone than most of my clients, I try to be as responsive as possible. I will reply to direct messages before I call it a day, usually around 10 pm CET. This way, my west coast collaborators can reach me until at least noon their time. - **Quirks**. I like to think that the work I do matters. Therefore, doing work that seems like it is just for the sake of doing work is a big morale-killer for me. This idea is well-formulated in the description of INFJ-T personalities: *"Other morale killers for these personalities may include strict rules, formal structures, and routine tasks. They may find it especially dispiriting when they're asked to redo their work, particularly if it's for a reason that just doesn't seem valid to them."* - **Trust Gains**. To earn trust, communicate well, take ownership of your work, and deliver on time. These are the traits of people I enjoy working with repeatedly. - **Trust Gaps**: If you disagree with your collaborators, let's talk about it instead of going dark and coming back with a big reveal. Ignoring approved wireframes, for example, is a sure-fire way to make me question our relationship as visual designers and collaborators. Let's respect each other's work and communicate openly. ## **Communication** - **Medium.** I'm a big fan of Slack, and it's the quickest and easiest way to get my attention. I'll reply to emails within a couple of days, but I'll respond on Slack within hours. ## **Feedback & Recognition** - **Giving Recognition.** Emojis are my love language. I will drown you (and everyone in the channel) with emojis 🔥💫✨🌟😍♥️ - **Giving Feedback:** I tend to sit on conflicts too long, rather than addressing them before they become bigger issues. I am working on improving my communication skills, not only pointing out what is broken, but also suggesting ways to improve it. - **Receiving Recognition**. I am not too humble to admit I love it when people enjoy my work (or working with me). If you think I am doing something well, please let me know! As a consultant who moves from project to project, it can be especially difficult to determine if I am meeting the desired outcomes. - **Receiving Feedback.** I prefer to receive feedback through written chat so that I can digest it thoroughly. This should be followed up with a video call to discuss the feedback in more detail, align our understanding, and determine next steps. Hopefully, this will help any present and future collaborators enjoy working with me even more. I look forward to learning more about you!

How to sell design

Anton Sten — Thu, 29 Jun 2023 00:00:00 GMT

As designers, we may shy away from the idea of "selling," but it's necessary. The best way to sell design? Storytelling. Think about Apple keynotes, where fantastic design is presented through captivating stories. But concept designs can be particularly challenging to sell because they're often vague and open-ended. Here's how I've learned to use writing and storytelling to bridge that gap. ## Start by understanding what you don't know When working with concept designs, I find it valuable to differentiate between what I know and what I don't know. My first step is writing out what I actually understand about the problem. This might be a bulleted list, a user story, or something close to a blog post—the format doesn't matter as long as it clearly lays out my knowledge. Once I've detailed the obvious facts, I start listing what I *assume*. These are close to facts, but technically things I don't know for certain. For example, when working with eobuwie (a shoe retailer), I knew they had more than 10,000 pairs of shoes available. That's a lot. From my own shopping habits, I could assume it would be tricky for users to find exactly what they want—I couldn't even be sure they had what I was looking for. Now I'd identified one thing I knew and one thing I didn't. I continue this flow as long as possible without editing, without solutionizing, and without getting stuck. Just keep the words flowing. As Paul Graham puts it: >"A good writer doesn't just think, and then write down what he thought, as a sort of transcript. A good writer will almost always discover new things in the process of writing." Once I'm satisfied with my list, I look for common topics and patterns. This is how you start defining a good story. ## Why storytelling works Storytelling is something we're exposed to daily through books, movies, and shows. But there's a difference between good storytelling and great storytelling. Great stories share four characteristics: **1. Universal appeal.** They're relatable across cultures and backgrounds. As Pixar director Pete Docter says: "What you're trying to do when you tell a story is to get the audience to have that same feeling" you had when experiencing something meaningful. **2. Clear structure and purpose.** Most stories follow a familiar pattern. For design presentations, I adapt this structure: "We're all familiar with [blank]. Every day, we use [blank] to [blank]. But what if we could [blank] to [blank]?" This structure helps define purpose—why must you tell this story? **3. Surprise and delight.** Predictable stories are boring. Give just enough information to intrigue your audience, but inspire them to think about it days or weeks afterward. **4. Simple and focused.** It's easy to add too many variables, thinking the story needs more flavor. Like great design, the key is removing as much as possible while keeping the core intact. ## Concept designs vs. final designs When presenting different types of designs, it's part of the process—using different stages to further define the design: - **Page briefs** help focus on the right sections, actions, and goals - **Wireframes** establish hierarchy and visual relationships between sections - **Visual designs** show how wireframes come to life with appropriate balance and engagement - **Concept designs** are an MVP blend of the above—perhaps visual design of a single page to showcase style direction, or wireframes to demonstrate navigation within a framework While the goal of page briefs, wireframes, or visual designs is often sign-off, concept designs serve a different purpose. They invite collaboration by welcoming stakeholders into your process. The only thing better than a dream is a shared dream. ## Great stories are like great design If you look closely, great stories and great design follow similar principles: - **Universal:** Most UX patterns work worldwide - **Clear structure and purpose:** Good design has obvious hierarchy and intent - **Delightful:** Great design offers pleasant surprises - **Simple and focused:** The best designs do one thing exceptionally well ## Making it work As designers, selling design through storytelling allows us to sell the dream while keeping it grounded in reality. With concept designs especially, storytelling helps communicate what we know versus what we're still exploring. The key is finding that balance—showing enough to inspire confidence but not so much that you paint yourself into a corner. When done well, storytelling transforms design presentations from approval-seeking exercises into collaborative explorations of what's possible. Writing about your design process isn't just documentation—it's discovery. There's something magical that happens when you shift from visual to verbal communication. It inspires new thoughts and takes you down paths you wouldn't have explored otherwise.

Consequences in design

Anton Sten — Fri, 28 Jul 2023 00:00:00 GMT

## Design projects are a series of decisions Erika Hall once said that design projects are a series of decisions. Although I do not consider myself to have a good memory nor take great notes, this quote has stayed with me for years. Everything we design, and everything we choose not to design, is a decision. And just like in life, every decision comes with consequences. ## Documenting decisions and consequences I was recently out walking Taylor while listening to the Complementary podcast with Katie Langerman and Anthony Hobday about how to convince visual designers to prioritize functionality over aesthetics. This topic is very important to me, and I highly recommend the entire episode. What really resonated with me was Katie's discussion of the design process at Github.

She mentioned that they document their design choices and their consequences. I found this intriguing! While it may result in a never-ending spiral (she mentioned that she is now working on a project addressing a consequence that will result in new consequences), it's interesting to think about design as a series of decisions and their natural consequences. This process is beneficial because it helps you make smarter, more informed choices, which should lead to fewer or less severe consequences. ## User research Lately, I have been thinking a lot about user research. Every couple of years, I ask my newsletter readers what they think about the newsletter and how it could be improved. Although it may not seem like a lot (it's literally five questions), it provides me with an idea of how I'm doing and allows me to validate or dismiss some of the assumptions I might have. As it turns out, most people do not care about the frequency of newsletter delivery, whether it's bi-weekly or every three months, as long as the quality is good. As a long-time Typeform fan (aren’t we all?), I found it to be too expensive. This year, I decided to go with Tally instead, and I'm so glad I did. It was a great experience, and although I could have used the free tier, I opted to pay for the premium version just to support the creators. Anyway, I wanted to conduct research for both my newsletter and an upcoming product design course I am planning. As Erika Hall argues, what we need is just enough research, which can sometimes be as simple as five questions to get us started, and other times, definitely more. I've worked with designers who have been skeptical of user research to say the least. This is where designers tend to bring up the alleged Henry Ford quote that if he had asked customers what they wanted, they would have said faster horses. While I think that misses the mark a bit, I wonder if all of us would benefit from looking at user research as a tool for reducing the severity of consequences. If seen as a tool for better decision-making, its true worth becomes apparent. Or are some designers so self-assured that they feel their experience alone suffices for decision-making? ## Compromises While our decisions have consequences, every design project is also a steady stream of consequences. Stephen Ango brilliantly phrases this in his post “Design is compromise”; > Compromise is neither good nor bad, it’s something we do every day. It’s decision making. Prioritizing. Deciding that one feature is more important than another. It’s finding the right balance between two competing desires.

*Which* compromises you make — that’s what matters. Choosing the right compromises is what defines good design.**Design is compromise**

My newsletter list is getting smaller, just as I intended.

Anton Sten — Sat, 12 Aug 2023 00:00:00 GMT

A couple of months ago, I decided to give more attention to my blogging and newsletter. As I've often argued, writing is a crucial skill for designers to master, but I've been doing less and less of it in recent years. Instead, I've been focusing more on visual design, which is something I hadn't done for years. I moved my newsletter back to Convertkit after seeing more and more designers make the switch. I'm not a fan of Substack and their endless requests for growth at all costs. While Convertkit does heavily promote ways to grow your mailing list, ironically, I've actually been watching the opposite happen since moving to Convertkit. With every newsletter I send, I get more unsubscribes than signups, so my newsletter is actually shrinking rather than growing. Here's a graph of subscribers from the last month: !Convertkit statistics ## True fans or followers? I don't mind this at all though, in fact, it's almost the opposite. You see, I was reminded by something I wrote all the way back in 2017. > I strongly believe that if you want to please everyone, you end up pleasing nobody – not even yourself.**Everyone is a UX-designer and why I hate the term** I have always been skeptical of growth for the sake of growth. Years ago, Rand Fishkin posed an interesting question: would you rather have 1,000 fans who read 100% of what you publish, or 100,000 people in your audience who only read about 10% of your content? The results were an extremely close call, with just 50.4% of respondents in favor of having 1,000 readers who read everything.

Content folks: would you rather have 1,000 fans who read 100% of what you publish OR 100,000ppl in your audience who read ~10% of your stuff
— Rand Fishkin (@randfish) May 22, 2017

Approaching it from a personal perspective, what I truly enjoy is a personalized approach and experience, whether it's staying at a hotel, subscribing to a newsletter, or engaging with a brand. I've always felt that larger entities like Hilton or newsletters with 100,000+ subscribers never quite provide that level of personalization. Rather than trying to please everyone, I aim to make my newsletter even more personal. Even if it means a decline in subscribers, I believe the people who stay on will love it even more. This is what Kevin Kelly describes as "true fans" in Tools of Titans. The core of Kevin's idea is that to be successful, you don't need millions of customers, millions of dollars, or even millions of clients. To make a living as a craftsperson – photographer, musician, designer, author, app maker – you only need thousands of true fans. A true fan, according to Kelly, is someone who will buy anything you produce. If you publish a book, they'll purchase the hardback, paperback, and e-book. They will drive 200 miles to see you sing. They'll buy your "best-of" DVD with your YouTube outtakes. 1,000 fans like this is all you needed to make a living. I'll leave you with one of my favourite quotes about growth in our industry, taken from the Growth Handbook by Intercom: >"There's a silly old business expression that says: "We're going to lose a dollar on every deal, but we'll make it up in volume." It is also an extremely common way that venture-funded businesses think about how to grow."**The Growth Handbook** If you're looking for a more personal newsletter about creating user experiences, running a solo-business and, well, life - feel free to sign up below.

The Importance of Kindness and Alignment in Building Exceptional Teams

Anton Sten — Fri, 18 Aug 2023 00:00:00 GMT

I'm doing my best to get back into blogging more frequently, so bear with me if there's a mix in quality in the upcoming posts. I'm trying to approach this more like a diary than a newspaper. The reason I'm writing is to improve my writing skills, but more importantly, to become better at formulating my thoughts and ideas. As you may know, I believe that this is the skill every designer should focus on more. During coaching calls, it’s a recurring question actually. Designers want to write more but are not sure how to get started. My response? Just write. But in all fairness, there is one more thing that I feel is just as important, which is the opposite; reading. Just like we should listen more than we talk, we should read more than we write. Once you get into the habit, you’ll notice that they very much go hand in hand. The more I read, the easier I find writing. The more I write, the more joy I find in reading. The other day, I was reading Lizzie Davey’s newsletter, and something struck a chord with me. Lizzie offered seemingly simple yet straightforward advice on what the "secret" to freelancing success is. >Do good work and be a nice person.

Clients hire me because I'm a nice person and treat them like a human. They stick with me because the work I do is good.**Lizzie Davey** Having run my own business for 14 years now, I agree with her, and it's something I've always tried to stick to. However, I think one part that's missing from this is that, just like reading and writing, they feed into one another. Having worked with nearly a hundred teams over the years, including my agency days, I've noticed a pattern. It's impossible (for me at least) to produce exceptional work with a team whose values I'm unable to align with. During the last few years, I've been lucky to find myself in more and more teams that I think were extraordinary, and I think it's because I'm more aware of what I need. I'm attracted to teams like this. Teams that are kind, respectful, and professional are what I'm always on the lookout for. You'll need a great team to produce great work, and over time, great work will nurture a great team into an exceptional one.

Unreasonable hospitality

Anton Sten — Wed, 13 Sep 2023 00:00:00 GMT

I’ve been trying to get back into reading more, both fiction and non-fiction. Most people might assume that I read a lot of books and articles related to UX and design, when in fact I get most of my inspiration from reading about other experiences and think about how it can be applied to digital products. Lately, I have been fully immersed in "Unreasonable Hospitality". You might even recognize this book from episode 7, season 2 of The Bear (one of the best TV episodes ever?). On the surface, both stories are about the restaurant industry and fine dining at its most elite levels. However, a closer examination reveals common elements for the business we are all in: the business of creating experiences. This is a business that many of us fail to recognize in the first place. Seriously, I have so many highlights from reading this book. I initially got it because my partner and I have a long-term dream of opening our own restaurant. It has sparked ideas that no book about design ever has. >For instance, it's well-known that at the very beginning of the meal and at the very end, time seems to slow down. In those moments, the guest has a heightened sensitivity to any delay- we can all relate to feeling like we've been waiting hours for that first glass of water or for the check. So it's crucial to get something -anything- in front of the guest as soon as you can.**"Unreasonable Hospitality"** While many of us focus on "optimizing checkout experiences" or "creating frictionless onboarding experiences," we often fail to look outside our own arena for inspiration. So, rather than thinking it's all about speed (a poor example, as it really is all about speed), what if you could get something in front of your user?

The power of product principles

Anton Sten — Tue, 24 Oct 2023 00:00:00 GMT

Some time ago, I teased my newsletter subscribers about creating a product design course. The response was amazing, and I was really excited. However, things got busy with work, which is great, especially in today's economy. But I also hit a roadblock with writer's block. Recently, I took a break from the online world, and it made me realize something important. Maybe it's not reasonable to expect myself to sit down and write a whole course when I'm struggling to even write blog posts. It's like signing up for a marathon when I'm not in shape for a 5k. It might be possible, but the process and results won't be great. So, here's a new promise from me: I'm going to get back into consistent writing. For over 6 years, I published blog posts every two weeks. But eventually, I felt like I was running out of topics and just repeating myself. Well, here's to another 6 years of bi-weekly publishing. And what better way to kick it off than by talking about principles? ## A unique approach to designing: starting with words, not images As you may know, I have a bit of a different approach to starting my design process. Instead of diving right into design tools like Figma, I begin by writing. For me, the key at this early stage is to define the problem as clearly as possible. I understand that many designers are eager to start designing to "explore," but without a clear problem definition, there's a risk of exploring too broadly and losing sight of the scope. While thinking outside the box has its place, as creatives, we should also know when to embrace the box. Now, let me make it clear that I'm not here to claim that this process works for everyone. In fact, it definitely doesn't. As we're finally acknowledging that the famous double diamond isn't the ultimate solution to all problems, and not the one-size-fits-all process, it's a good time for designers at all levels to reflect on their own processes and discover new avenues to explore. > “Doing the double diamond lacks purpose, continuity and context because the designer isn’t reacting to the unexpected and emerging questions or situations they find themselves in rather the double diamond offers answers to questions designers often don’t have.” - Death to the double diamond Product principles aren't the very first thing I jot down, but I've noticed they start to take shape in my mind quite early in the process. Naturally, at the beginning, I don't have all the context and knowledge to clearly define them. However, since product principles essentially make up the core DNA of a product, it's crucial to start thinking about them early and revisit them often. Product principles are like the fundamental values that steer every action and decision of the product team. They serve as a compass, keeping the product aligned with the values the team aims to uphold and preserve. > "Something I learned from my time at Glitch, was that before you get too deep into the process of building, you should write out a short list of product design principles. The more unique and definitive your values are, the more useful they’ll be as a decision making tool later on." - Kinopio’s design principles ## Principles Beyond Products: A Broader Application Absolutely, principles aren't limited to just products. They have a broader application. For instance, leaders like Wendy Johansson share their principles, and you can find principles for various domains, such as "calm tech" or design principles on platforms like Principles.design (which is indeed a fantastic resource!). And let's not forget the iconic Dieter Rams and his timeless principles for good design. Principles can guide and shape our thinking and actions in various aspects of life and work. ## Principles: your guiding light through tech complexity Coaching a product designer as he was building a prototype for a tech company, I ran into a common issue. While the features worked, I had trouble grasping the exact message he wanted to convey with them. After some back and forth, I suggested he take a moment to establish some fundamental principles. The beauty of principles is that they're typically not customer-facing, giving you the freedom to decide how abstract or concrete they should be. As Pirijan wisely points out, good principles exist to make you feel the pain before your users do. They act as guides and constraints that encourage creative thinking when dealing with complexity. In the world of tech, one thing is certain: even the simplest features can become complex over time. Having a set of principles allows us to step back and approach complexity with clarity. I've found that the most effective principles are guiding, not overly descriptive – they're like guardrails, not rigid fences. They help steer the process without stifling creativity. ## Delightful convenience When collaborating with Ueno on the Zabka app experience, our aim was to create an experience that embodied "delightful convenience in every way, every day." Instead of rigid rules, we leaned toward principles and best practices, except in instances where our recommendations were non-negotiable, such as product naming conventions and character counts. These principles were crafted to establish a shared vision, ensuring that the product team—both present and future—aligned on the same objectives. In total, we had six guiding principles, but here are three that I believe played a significant role in shaping the product: - **Delightfully simple** - We enable customers to complete their missions quickly and effectively, without distraction or need for help through simple and effective interfaces. - **Smart and natural** - The experience should be fast, smart, and above all, natural. Interactions don’t feel machine-generated, even when they are. - **Easy reliability** - Because there’s no convenience without trust, we remove the stress and uncertainty that comes with digital purchases. We deliver with assurance, trust and security. These principles may seem obvious, but because we had the buy-in and acceptance of all teams, they eliminated any debates about marketing banners, tooltips, and even dark patterns. When your principle is to be delightfully simple, it extends to making it delightfully simple to perform actions like canceling an order, filing a complaint, or deleting your account. Principles aren't limited to just the revenue-generating aspects; they apply to everything, ensuring a consistent and user-centered experience across the board. ## Default helpful When collaborating with Summer Health alongside Matthew, we kicked off the process by defining our principles quite early on. Since I'm deeply engaged in every aspect of the product journey at Summer Health, it's been truly rewarding to witness how these principles have guided us in making crucial decisions. At Summer Health, we've established six principles (though that number wasn't intentional; there's no perfect number, but I tend to keep it between 4 and 7). Here are a couple of them worth highlighting: - **Simple but warm** - We enable our customers to handle their missions quickly and efficiently with intuitive features, user interfaces, and communication. Our language is easy to understand and friendly. We avoid using complicated words and speak in a gentle tone. - **Default helpful** - We strive to be helpful to parents, whether they explicitly ask for assistance or not. By anticipating potential scenarios that may occur in the near future, we proactively remain top-of-mind for when they need our help. - **Deeply personal** - Parents entrust us with the care of their children, who are the most important thing in their lives. We honor this trust by providing a deeply personal experience, actively listening, and exceeding expectations. - **Human connection** - We believe that parents are looking for a genuine human connection with providers, because beyond getting care parents want deep empathy from our providers. Human connection builds trust and enduring relationships, and we seek opportunities to reinforce that throughout our experience. ## The universality of foundational principles It's fascinating to observe how two products, even with entirely different features (a grocery delivery app versus telehealth for children), can still share foundational principles. The power of great principles lies in how they define how to do something, not necessarily what to do. Similarly, it's essential to understand that product principles aren't metrics. A principle is never something you "achieve" or "reach." It remains a constant guiding light throughout the product's journey. So whether you're working on a product, your portfolio, or building your own brand, take a moment to reflect on the principles and the kind of experience you aim to create. Principles are the North Star that keeps your work on the right path. Product principles are invaluable because they provide a consistent and guiding framework that transcends specific features or metrics. They help align teams, inspire creativity, and ensure that the user experience remains coherent and user-centric throughout a product's development journey.

How I write for design

Anton Sten — Mon, 06 Nov 2023 00:00:00 GMT

I know I’m at risk of sounding like a broken record, but I want to - once more - express how important I feel writing is to my creative process*.* Avid readers of my blog know that this is topic I come back to again and again - most notably on why I write, how to get started, and why I think designers should write. Repetition expresses importance, right? I sure hope so. ** Before we get started with how I write though, I wanted to highlight something that I feel is important to understand. I try to be careful of giving much advice around “processes.” Not because I don’t want to share, it’s quite the opposite actually. But in today’s “instant effect” society, it’s so easy to see things recommended to you as the way to achieve progress and, ultimately, success. Instead, I want you to consider that my thoughts on a subject - in this post and among the rest of them - are simply thoughts that provide options or other things to explore. Rick Rubin is on to something similar in his book The Creative Act; >"Nothing in this book is known to be true. It's a reflection on what I've noticed. Not facts so much as thoughts. Some ideas may resonate, others may not. A few may awaken an inner knowing you forgot you had. Use what's helpful. Let go of the rest. Each of these moments is an invitation to further inquiry: looking deeper, zooming out, or in. Opening possibilities for a new way of being." - Rick Rubin - The Creative Act ## Your request You’ve asked for it! I’ve been getting more and more emails and DM’s from readers (fun!) asking questions and sharing feedback about what I’ve shared and the journeys they’ve been on. Reading these is by far my favorite thing and without writing, hearing, and reading from all of you, all of this would be less fulfilling. One common thread shared lately is that designers are eager to try to incorporate writing into their process, but are unsure of how to actually get started. I believe this to be a common stumbling block as, after all, we’ve been conditioned to jump head first into Figma and start exploring different executions. Jaroslaw reached out after reading my latest post about product principles: *“Thank you very much for writing. I've read your texts for a while now, and some books too. But after this post, I've FINALLY seen something new in myself a new way to "design" yes not in Figma but in writing. Not only did I see it, but I started right away and boy did I have fun with it, I mean writing-designing, I could write-design for prolonged periods of time.* *I think it should work like this: Write about the design I'm working on it so that I know it's ready in my "mind" and only then open Figma to make it visible. I have not yet tried to visualize the concepts and things I've written, but the process feels right.”* This brought a smile to my face as I visualized Jaroslaw writing with new-found eagerness and passion about how writing is serving them. The best part? I’m fairly confident their designs will be even better as a result! So better process and a better result - what’s not to love? ## My process Trying to formalize my process ahead of this post has been… difficult. How do I actually approach writing before designing? Is there a pattern? I’m afraid there isn’t. What I begin by writing is dependent on two things: 1. **Consider what kind of project / design task I’m facing** This step isn’t very surprising, but absolutely key to getting started. If it’s a design system or an app, what I write down first is going to go in completely different directions. I think this is a good time to mention as well that not every design task needs to begin with writing especially if you are familiar/embedded in the project as a whole. Example: I’ve worked with Summer Health for more than a year now so when designing a new screen for something, I will often just jump into Figma because I already know what the main principles and characteristics are. The writing is done and the goal is clear. 2. **How I feel** This one is may be more surprising to you, but I’ve noticed that the best initial writing happens when I don’t think too much about what to write, but instead just begin to write and see where the words lead me. Some would call it free writing, but I find starting writing from an open mind doesn’t limit my design decisions later as if I had come at it with a more rigid view of what needed to be produced. You allow yourself to not just look at the umbrella (a proposed solution), but consider the rain (the complex problem). ## How or what When I was studying at Hyper Island in the very early 2000’s, a large part of my education focused on the balance between how and what. Being a 20-year old, studying at the world’s best institution focused on digital media, I really wanted to learn tools like Flash and create overly animated websites that ended up on k10k, not to take precious time studying how to give and receive feedback. The how and what they were focusing was much more important than I could fathom at the time. It allowed you to not just concentrate on the goal (the what), but on the process (the how). It shows that the journey is as important as the result. Now it’s more than 20 years later and I’m forever grateful for the thinking that was gifted to me at the time. You see… the what doesn’t really matter if you’re not happy with the how. This concept evolved into how I approach writing early in the process. Sometimes I choose to focus more on the practical side of things, how I think they should work (the what). Other times, I make sure to focus more on the emotional side of things and how I think they should make you feel (the how). For eobuwie, it was very much about thinking about some of the practical side of things. I knew they had a massive inventory of products - and being an avid online shopper - I know the pains of browsing through a seemingly endless selection of products. This was the very first initial writing I did: **Navigation goals** - Easy to find a specific item, fun to explore all 50.000 - Go from 50.000 products to a curated, personalized list of 20 - Know where you are (and how to get back and forward) - Help user and encourage (and reward) engagement You’ll see that this kind of writing isn’t hard to jot down, yet it’s very guiding in the process that followed. It’s not specifically limiting, but it offers any designer (me or someone else), directional cues to adhere to - both in mechanics (the what) and the emotions of interaction (the how). Working with Summer Health provided an opposite approach to writing. I had a pretty good idea of what the product needed to do. I recently worked on R&D in space and text messaging with a pediatrician feels very straight-forward. Instead, I focused on something similar to what later became some of our product principles. Because Summer Health, at the time, also mainly focused on urgent care (whereas now on everyday care) it wasn’t a far stretch to think about the user-first and consider their anxiety and concern when interacting with our service or a service like ours. So some of the first words I selected to guide me in that process were: - Simple interactions, simple language, simple patterns Swipes, pinches, and parallax scrolls can be fun, but this isn’t the time nor place. - Human interaction Even though AI can already often give surprisingly accurate responses to medical questions, people prefer to interact with another human. The design needs to highlight that there are actual human doctors at the other side of the screen offering real care, support, and compassion. ## It’s about understanding what you know, and what you don’t know Simply put, design’s purpose is to solve a problem. Writing allows me to better understand what currently I know about the problem, but just as much as what I don’t know. Michelle Claessens put’s this more eloquently than I ever could: >"To write, most people will jot everything down, then finesse the points into a coherent narrative. This is a lot like how I design, where I start by outlining the content and components. If you can’t finesse your brain dump into a coherent narrative, people won’t understand what you’re trying to say — and, when it comes to your designs, they won’t be able to use your product." >- Michelle Claessens So what if you follow Jaroslaw’s lead and just try to begin by writing and see where you end up? Who knows, you might be surprised!

One Question Changed Feedback for Me

Anton Sten — Mon, 20 Nov 2023 00:00:00 GMT

I've been thinking a lot about feedback lately. Not just because I'm working on a new project that involves a lot of feedback, but also because I've been receiving a lot of feedback on my work. I've been thinking about how to give better feedback, how to receive feedback better, and how to make feedback more useful. One question has changed how I think about feedback: "What's working well?" This simple question has transformed how I approach feedback sessions, whether I'm giving or receiving feedback. Here's why it's so powerful: I know I'm at risk of sounding like a broken record, but I want to - once more - express how important I feel writing is to my creative process.* Avid readers of my blog know that this is topic I come back to again and again - most notably on why I write, how to get started, and why I think designers should write. Repetition expresses importance, right? I sure hope so. ** Before we get started with how I write though, I wanted to highlight something that I feel is important to understand. I try to be careful of giving much advice around "processes." Not because I don't want to share, it's quite the opposite actually. But in today's "instant effect" society, it's so easy to see things recommended to you as the way to achieve progress and, ultimately, success. Instead, I want you to consider that my thoughts on a subject - in this post and among the rest of them - are simply thoughts that provide options or other things to explore. Rick Rubin is on to something similar in his book The Creative Act; >"Nothing in this book is known to be true. It's a reflection on what I've noticed. Not facts so much as thoughts. Some ideas may resonate, others may not. A few may awaken an inner knowing you forgot you had. Use what's helpful. Let go of the rest. Each of these moments is an invitation to further inquiry: looking deeper, zooming out, or in. Opening possibilities for a new way of being." - Rick Rubin - The Creative Act ## Your request You've asked for it! I've been getting more and more emails and DM's from readers (fun!) asking questions and sharing feedback about what I've shared and the journeys they've been on. Reading these is by far my favorite thing and without writing, hearing, and reading from all of you, all of this would be less fulfilling. One common thread shared lately is that designers are eager to try to incorporate writing into their process, but are unsure of how to actually get started. I believe this to be a common stumbling block as, after all, we've been conditioned to jump head first into Figma and start exploring different executions. Jaroslaw reached out after reading my latest post about product principles: *"Thank you very much for writing. I've read your texts for a while now, and some books too. But after this post, I've FINALLY seen something new in myself a new way to "design" yes not in Figma but in writing. Not only did I see it, but I started right away and boy did I have fun with it, I mean writing-designing, I could write-design for prolonged periods of time.* *I think it should work like this: Write about the design I'm working on it so that I know it's ready in my "mind" and only then open Figma to make it visible. I have not yet tried to visualize the concepts and things I've written, but the process feels right."* This brought a smile to my face as I visualized Jaroslaw writing with new-found eagerness and passion about how writing is serving them. The best part? I'm fairly confident their designs will be even better as a result! So better process and a better result - what's not to love? ## My process Trying to formalize my process ahead of this post has been... difficult. How do I actually approach writing before designing? Is there a pattern? I'm afraid there isn't. What I begin by writing is dependent on two things: 1. **Consider what kind of project / design task I'm facing** This step isn't very surprising, but absolutely key to getting started. If it's a design system or an app, what I write down first is going to go in completely different directions. I think this is a good time to mention as well that not every design task needs to begin with writing especially if you are familiar/embedded in the project as a whole. Example: I've worked with Summer Health for more than a year now so when designing a new screen for something, I will often just jump into Figma because I already know what the main principles and characteristics are. The writing is done and the goal is clear. 2. **How I feel** This one is may be more surprising to you, but I've noticed that the best initial writing happens when I don't think too much about what to write, but instead just begin to write and see where the words lead me. Some would call it free writing, but I find starting writing from an open mind doesn't limit my design decisions later as if I had come at it with a more rigid view of what needed to be produced. You allow yourself to not just look at the umbrella (a proposed solution), but consider the rain (the complex problem). ## How or what When I was studying at Hyper Island in the very early 2000's, a large part of my education focused on the balance between how and what. Being a 20-year old, studying at the world's best institution focused on digital media, I really wanted to learn tools like Flash and create overly animated websites that ended up on k10k, not to take precious time studying how to give and receive feedback. The how and what they were focusing was much more important than I could fathom at the time. It allowed you to not just concentrate on the goal (the what), but on the process (the how). It shows that the journey is as important as the result. Now it's more than 20 years later and I'm forever grateful for the thinking that was gifted to me at the time. You see... the what doesn't really matter if you're not happy with the how. This concept evolved into how I approach writing early in the process. Sometimes I choose to focus more on the practical side of things, how I think they should work (the what). Other times, I make sure to focus more on the emotional side of things and how I think they should make you feel (the how). For eobuwie, it was very much about thinking about some of the practical side of things. I knew they had a massive inventory of products - and being an avid online shopper - I know the pains of browsing through a seemingly endless selection of products. This was the very first initial writing I did: **Navigation goals** - Easy to find a specific item, fun to explore all 50.000 - Go from 50.000 products to a curated, personalized list of 20 - Know where you are (and how to get back and forward) - Help user and encourage (and reward) engagement You'll see that this kind of writing isn't hard to jot down, yet it's very guiding in the process that followed. It's not specifically limiting, but it offers any designer (me or someone else), directional cues to adhere to - both in mechanics (the what) and the emotions of interaction (the how). Working with Summer Health provided an opposite approach to writing. I had a pretty good idea of what the product needed to do. I recently worked on R&D in space and text messaging with a pediatrician feels very straight-forward. Instead, I focused on something similar to what later became some of our product principles. Because Summer Health, at the time, also mainly focused on urgent care (whereas now on everyday care) it wasn't a far stretch to think about the user-first and consider their anxiety and concern when interacting with our service or a service like ours. So some of the first words I selected to guide me in that process were: - Simple interactions, simple language, simple patterns Swipes, pinches, and parallax scrolls can be fun, but this isn't the time nor place. - Human interaction Even though AI can already often give surprisingly accurate responses to medical questions, people prefer to interact with another human. The design needs to highlight that there are actual human doctors at the other side of the screen offering real care, support, and compassion. ## It's about understanding what you know, and what you don't know Simply put, design's purpose is to solve a problem. Writing allows me to better understand what currently I know about the problem, but just as much as what I don't know. Michelle Claessens put's this more eloquently than I ever could: >"To write, most people will jot everything down, then finesse the points into a coherent narrative. This is a lot like how I design, where I start by outlining the content and components. If you can't finesse your brain dump into a coherent narrative, people won't understand what you're trying to say - and, when it comes to your designs, they won't be able to use your product." >- Michelle Claessens So what if you follow Jaroslaw's lead and just try to begin by writing and see where you end up? Who knows, you might be surprised! Metatitle: Metatemplate: Usetitletemplate: true Metadescription: Asking 'What's working well?' transformed how I give and receive feedback. Balance the what with the how in your creative process. Ogtemplate: Useogtemplate: true Ogdescription: Asking 'What's working well?' transformed how I give and receive feedback. Balance the what with the how in your creative process. Ogimage: [] Twittercardtype: Twitterauthor: Metainherit: Uuid: pCaf8X4RJvKAJNdE

Why carousels don't work

Anton Sten — Mon, 04 Dec 2023 00:00:00 GMT

One of the most commonly discussed components in web design has to be the carousel. It goes by many names - image rotators, sliders, featured content modules - but that doesn’t lessen the ongoing critique. In my 25 years of experience as a user experience designer, there's hardly been a big project where carousels were considered, dismissed, considered, and dismissed again. I will admit that I’ve designed them in the past, but I now try to steer discussions away from them. Let me explain why. ## The situation with carousels Carousels are often used as a compromise between multiple stakeholders. Everyone wants their message at the top of the screen. As Brad Frost humorously illustrates in his piece "Carousels", they can be a result of organizational clutter with everyone feeling their content is the most important. *INT. MEETING ROOM “I’m very important! I need to be on the homepage!” “I’m also very important! I need to be on the homepage too!” “I’m very very important, I need to be on the homepage three!” “Let’s make a carousel! Everybody wins!” THE GROUP HIGH FIVES AND CELEBRATES OVER A BLOOMIN’ ONION AT OUTBACK STEAKHOUSE.* This reminded me of a project with the Swedish telecom giant, Telia. Their business, standing on three pillars - mobile, TV, and broadband - faced a dilemma. Each department believed their service deserved the homepage spotlight, resulting in, you guessed it, a carousel. ## Problems with carousels - **User Engagement Issues:** Contrary to popular belief, carousels often fail to engage users effectively. Studies show that most users don’t interact with them and important content can easily be missed. - **Information Overload:** Carousels try to cram too much information into a small, time-limited space. This approach can overwhelm users making it hard for them to fully absorb any message. - **Accessibility and Usability Concerns:** Carousels pose significant challenges for users with disabilities by complicating navigation, particularly on mobile devices. ## Alternatives to carousels Instead of relying on carousels, consider these alternatives: - **Prioritized Messaging:** Identify the most important message or product and feature it prominently. Consider what the message is, what the goal of the feature is, and what action you want the user to take. - **Content Hierarchy:** Use a well-thought-out content hierarchy to guide users through your site providing them with a clear path to follow. This is why I often propose to start with a page brief before going into wireframes. ## If everything is important, then nothing is In the world of user experience, if everything is deemed important, then effectively nothing is. Carousels, while seemingly convenient, often compromise the clarity and effectiveness of your website. Prioritizing purposeful clarity and intentional user engagement over flashy features significantly enhances the overall effectiveness of the digital experience. >“Carousels are effective at being able to tell people Marketing/Senior Management that their latest idea is on the home page. Use them to put content that users will ignore on your home page. Or, if you prefer, don’t use them. Ever.”

2023 Year in Review

Anton Sten — Mon, 18 Dec 2023 00:00:00 GMT

This is the seventh year in a row that I get to share a "Year in review" post with you! If you want to follow along from season 1, episode 1 you can find previous years here: 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022. Now onto 2023. Reflecting on this past year has made me realized that it’s been… uneventful. There’s no real milestone that stands out. When I look back on the previous years, it seems like every year featured at least one major milestone either personally or in my work life. I started working with SuperFriendly and that paved the way to working exclusively remotely. My dog of 14 years passed away. I got divorced and moved on. I met Anna and we bought and moved into a beautiful house in the country side. We got Taylor. This year, nothing like that. Nothing that REALLY stands out. Sure, I’ve traveled. I’ve worked with great clients. But it’s been a slower year. I’m going back and forth whether this is a good thing or not and I’m leaning towards viewing it as a good thing. After all, it’s been quieter on purpose. I’ve started to design a life for myself that is slower and I’m starting to reap what I’ve sown. So let’s review my 2023 in the same order as previous years! ## Projects & Work ## Summer Health My by far biggest project this year has been a continuation from 2022, Summer Health. I’ve spent nearly 900 hours working with the team this year and I’m thrilled to continue working with them in 2024. Doing work with a purpose is something that’s become much more important to me and if I’m able to contribute to new parents feeling even slightly less anxious then I’m happy that I made an impact. One of my favorite quotes from a parent this year is, “I've stopped frantically googling every tiny thing and my brain feels so much better.” At Summer Health, this was a big year for me as I was able to work on the full spectrum of design: product design, visual design, branding, you name it. We launched a fully redesigned website and transitioned from urgent care to everyday care focusing on specialists in sleep, nutrition, lactation, and much more. Highlight of the year? Being able to meet up with everyone in NYC! (image: 4kk8lonzl7afhj7nghsdddbsvk.webp) ## Loom While it feels like a lifetime ago, it was actually in the beginning of 2023 that I got to work with the great product team over at Loom. Loom is a product that I use on almost a daily basis and still feel like I should be using it so much more. The new features launched this year including AI transcription are pure magic ✨. I teamed up with Sean Thompson, someone I’ve admired through Twitter for years, to help them rebuild their design system Lens. This team was a pure JOY to work with and I truly hope we’ll be able to collaborate again. ## Front Gate Tickets Though it technically started in 2022, I finished up my work with Tractorbeam and Front Gate Tickets. I feel incredibly blessed to get to work with such talented (and FUN!) people like everyone I worked with on this project. As if that wasn’t enough, my very favorite Amanda Chessa did the entire research phase. Is she the best? Yes. I’m hoping I’ll be able to share this work during next year. You may remember briefly seeing this work on my website earlier this year - I got the go-ahead to publish and then it was revoked. It sucks when it happens, but I’m sure I’ll be able to share it eventually, and most of all, that you’ll be able to experience it buying your festival tickets! ## Short sprints Apart from more coaching sessions, I also did more short-term projects making up like a week or less. Working with Summer Health long-term, it’s nice to break out these shorter sprints occasionally to be able to switch context. During this year, I was happy to work with Better Odds, Forward Operators, Flying Bisons, and a couple of stealth startups. ## Website and newsletter As I’ve been focusing less and less on my website and newsletter - for most of the year - there’s not that much to report - apart from the big news that I’ve decided to dedicate more time writing again! I’m a couple weeks in now of consecutive writing and it feels good, especially since I’m hearing more and more from readers that my writing is helping them. Readers might remember that I promised a product design course earlier this year. Well, if that happens in 2024 or not remains to see, but I will continue to share my thinking on creating user experiences. I did move the website over to Framer this year (with some great help from Aaron Rolston) and I moved my newsletter back to Convertkit. So far I’m really enjoying both! And I paid for both a year in advance so I wouldn’t be as keen on trying out all the other new shiny things. 🙈 ## Personal The big news this year is something I already mentioned in the first paragraph. It’s simply that I’ve worked less. Harvest, my time tracking software, tells me that I’ve billed nearly 1200 hours this year as compared to 2000 hours the year before. Next year marks the 15 year anniversary of me running my own company and I’m beyond proud that I’ve been able to do it for so long while staying profitable every year. I did get to travel more this year and I loved visiting Palma, New York, and Rhodes earlier this year. I also enjoyed Way out West in Gothenburg this summer and I’m looking forward to returning next summer! I got to meet Louise in Copenhagen and Amanda in New York! Two of my favorite collaborators who have both become dear friends. Besides work, a lot of my time and focus have been on our house as well as hanging out with Anna and Taylor. I had forgotten how much work a puppy can be! She’s starting to calm down (music cue: Taylor Swift - You need to calm down) and loves to cuddle up next to you in the sofa. 🥰 Speaking of Taylor Swift, extremely excited to see her live in Stockholm this coming May! Other personal news include switching to an insulin pump after taking shots for nearly 40(!) years. It’s still new, but the general impression is that I wouldn’t want to go back. My diabetes is something I’ve been ignoring these last years (not good) so I’m trying to shape up (figuratively, I feel like physically I’m in decent shape?). It’s a struggle some days, I won’t lie but I think it’s worth investing my time in. ## Looking forward I typically have a clear vision of what’s to come, but I have to say that 2024 still feels pretty much like an open book that is hiding many surprises. Again, I think this is a good thing that I’m trying to embrace. I’m looking forward to a couple of speaking engagements that I’ve booked, to continue the work with Summer Health (but hey, also accepting new projects so get in touch), and to enjoy every day. I’m so looking forward to this spring and summer when I can have my breakfast on the porch again. That’s my little slice of heaven! (image: ehh4695dyifhzsgegv695owruu8.webp)

Resolving to be a 'better form' of ourselves in 2024

Anton Sten — Wed, 03 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMT

It’s the time of the year when we reflect on the past year (here’s mine in case you missed it) and start to bring our focus to what we want to achieve in the new year. This year I find myself torn on New Years “resolutions”. I think it’s great for people to set themselves ambitious goals to make their lives better! (I’ve never heard of anyone saying they will exercise less, drink more alcohol, or eat more junk food as a resolution). New Years resolutions are not that different from the goals and KPI’s we set for our products and projects. They can often be very ambitious, but we set them with the goal of improvement and moving things forward with more clarity. One thing that most New Years resolutions and product goals/KPI’s have in common is that we frame them both as being measurable and specific. This is great for gauging what we believe is success, but I’d like to propose a way that may be a little bit more ambiguous. Currently, the goals we tend to set are things like “Increase sign ups by 200%”, “Reduce churn by 20%”, or “Reduce CPC by 5%”. Personal goals follow the same pattern; “Exercise 2 times every week”, “Eat vegetarian food 3 times every week”, “Only drink 2 units of alcohol per week”. This is great, and easily measurable, right? However, it’s also limiting in the sense that you could reach your goal and have no path forward. You may never reach your goal and you’re only choice is to feel like a failure. Many of us even “fail” in the first month which leaves 11 months of reflecting harshly on ourselves. I once heard about a consultant who was considered successful due to the revenue they had being a one-man company. A number on a piece of paper. For years it was my goal to reach that number. When I did hit it, I felt… nothing. There was no party. No internal celebration. I was expecting to feel pride or accomplishment, but it was more of a looming question. Now what? That’s when I decided to stop having personal goals that surround a specific number - especially ones set by someone else’s. Instead, for the last 4 or 5 years, I’ve had the same resolution. It’s simple (which is why I like it); it’s to be in better form a year from now than I am today. Now, I said it’s simple as a resolution, but I did NOT say actually achieving it is easy. Better form - for me - means I should be in better shape, feel better, and act better. The beauty in this is there’s no actual way of measuring it, but like most things in life, you absolutely know if you’ve fulfilled it or not. I try to think about my business in the same vein. It should be in better shape in a years time than it is now. That does not only relate to financial figures, but things like reputation, how I present myself (website, etc), and long term goals are all part of it too. For setting and pursuing meaningful goals, consider the HEART framework: Happiness, Engagement, Adoption, Retention, and Task Success. Here's how to apply it: - **Happiness**: Focus on goals that genuinely make you happier and more satisfied. Reflect on what brings you joy and fulfillment and set resolutions that align with these sources of happiness. - **Engagement:** Engage deeply with your goals. Choose objectives that you're passionate about, which will naturally drive you to stay involved and work towards them consistently. - **Adoption:** Adopt habits that support your goals. Instead of vague resolutions, develop specific, daily, or weekly habits that will lead you towards your larger objectives. - **Retention:** Ensure your goals are sustainable over the long term. They should be challenging yet achievable, encouraging you to stick with them and not just be a fleeting interest. - **Task Success:** Set clear criteria for what success looks like for each goal. Define what completing or making progress on your resolutions will entail, so you can measure and recognize your achievements. → Here's how to apply it to products! By aligning your goals with the HEART framework, you'll be more likely to pursue and achieve meaningful and fulfilling objectives. The thing I like about this is that there’s no specific goal to reach. If you improve by 1% over the year, it’s an improvement. And if you improve by 200%, there’s no point in stopping so go for 210%! We get stuck focusing so much on vanity metrics in our personal and professional lives. Page views, followers, or other surface-level stats may look impressive, but don't necessarily translate to anything of value or actionable insights. They make us feel good for one moment, but they aren’t forming our decisions. They aren’t guiding us towards progress. They don't show the full picture. It's important to understand the difference between these and more substantive metrics, which actually reflect your progress towards meaningful goals. Distinguishing between the two helps ensure you're not just chasing numbers, but making real, tangible advancements. >"It all comes down to one thing: does the metric help you make decisions? When you see the metric, do you know what you need to do? If you don’t, you’re probably looking at a vanity metric. Vanity metrics are all those data points that make us feel good if they go up but don’t help us make decisions." - Neil Patel - Metrics, Metrics On The Wall, Who’s The Vainest Of Them All? Going to the gym 3x / week? I think it’s great, but it’s a vanity metric. It’s likely going to help you feel better, but unless you have a healthy diet, there’s not much point. Increasing your sign ups by 200%? Congrats! Now what? Increase them by 200% more? As we stand at the start of a new year, it's natural to look forward with hope and ambition. Yet, as we chart our course for 2024, it's crucial to steer clear of the seductive lure of vanity metrics that promise so much but deliver so little in terms of real growth and satisfaction. Instead, let's pledge to embrace a more meaningful path. Let's set goals that not only reflect our deepest values and aspirations, but also guide us towards genuine improvement in our lives and work. Consider what truly matters to you and how you can measure your progress in a way that reflects that significance. Whether you use the HEART framework or another method that resonates with you, commit to a year of meaningful, measurable, intentional growth. Let's make this year not just about what we accomplish, but how those accomplishments make us feel and the real difference they make in our lives and the lives of others. Here's to a year of setting and achieving goals that matter, to a year of living more intentionally and joyfully. Let’s all choose to be a ‘better form’ a year from today!

Freelancing: three values that change everything

Anton Sten — Thu, 18 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMT

People have been talking a lot about pursuing a freelance career. After all, it’s a new year and people are pretty open to change this time of a year. Maybe it’s due to the trend of tech company layoffs happening right now - increasingly, and unfortunately, common. As for someone who’s been freelancing for the past 15 years (anniversary this May!) I have a couple of thoughts on what it takes to be successful as a freelancer. *Side note: There’s a separate discussion about what the right terminology is; freelancing, consulting, or even “running a one-man studio”. For consistency, I’ll be using freelancing throughout this post even though it’s not a term I’m fully comfortable with.* Professionals who have been at agencies for a while - ten years seems to be the tipping point - often share how they are well-equipped to transition to freelancing. While I can understand that thought process as they are certainly comfortable with their craft (design, development, strategy, etc) and have experienced a wide range of clients and projects, they may be missing some crucial things they need to make it as a freelancer. I really get it! I worked for agencies for ten years too before venturing out on my own. I was pretty sure I knew what was necessary to slide right into freelancing. Spoiler: I didn’t, but I learned. Here are the three things I found to be truly important through my journey to success as a freelancer. ## 1. No drama You have to keep your ears and eyes open when determining if a project is right for you. This not only goes for you determining if your skills fit the bill, but also if the client is a good fit for their OWN project. Does their project seem to be rushed? Does the client seem to have their goals aligned for the project across their entire team? Do you sense internal drama? I’m actively assessing if the project is going to be a smooth experience for both me and the client. Often it’s things outside of the actual project that can derail it. Throughout my career of working with other freelancers I tend to keep my distance from those who are always surrounded by drama. A guy I worked with always seemed to have a personal reason as to why his work wasn’t being finished on time - his dog was sick, the heating had stopped working, his wife was ill. Another freelancer raised his rates every three months and threatened he would leave the project immediately if we didn’t agree. Now I get it, things happen and I’m the first one to agree that we need to prioritize our private lives and health. However, if there’s always something interfering with the work, then I won’t be able to work with you as I can’t trust you’ll actually deliver the work. I think this goes without saying, but whenever life does interfere, it’s just so much better to be proactive and transparent! ## 2. Batteries included Originally coined by my friend Kevin Twohy (but it’s so good I’ll steal it), no batteries is perhaps the one thing that will make you stand out from other freelancers. Batteries included is a person that doesn’t need someone to tell them what to do or hold their hand through the process. I like to think of batteries included as the exact opposite of assembling furniture from IKEA, complicated and impossible to achieve without cursing. Clients are hiring you to solve a problem so they shouldn’t have to guide you through solving it. In essence, having 'batteries included' is akin to being a walking toolkit that’s always ready and equipped. It's about your ability to anticipate the needs of a project and step in with solutions even before the client realizes the need. This mindset transforms the way work is approached. It's not just about completing a task, but about enriching the process and ensuring a positive outcome with proactive insights and actions. It's the difference between merely following a recipe and being a chef who knows how to tweak the ingredients and cooking process for a superior dish. This approach adds immense value, making you not just a freelancer, but a trusted advisor and strategist. This proactive approach also fosters a deep sense of personal ownership and responsibility. When you adopt the 'batteries included' mindset, you're not just a participant in a project, you're a stakeholder in its success. You start to view challenges through the lens of opportunity, constantly seeking ways to add value and improve. This attitude is contagious often inspiring teams to elevate their standards and work ethic through adoption of what you are demonstrating. It creates - or shifts to - a culture of excellence where quality and innovation are not just goals, but the norm. This 'batteries included' mindset is crucial in today's fast-paced, ever-evolving work environment. In a world where change is the only constant, being a self-starter who can navigate through ambiguity is invaluable. It's about being agile, learning continuously, and adapting swiftly. ## 3. Consider your worth While I think it’s smart for freelancers, especially ones that’s just getting started, to consider every expense, it’s vital for freelancers - business-owners! - to be able to calculate what their own time is worth. A friend of mine spends weeks every year collecting receipts and tax documents as they’re unsure about everything they need for the tax filing process. This absolutely takes 100x longer than hiring someone who’s done it throughout their career. I’ll happily pay my accountant to do my taxes as it frees me to spend my time and energy on other priorities (not to mention less headaches and a happier IRS!). I work with an editor to edit my blog posts to make sure I am communicating clearly, my tone is consistent, and my message is aligned with my thinking. I use developers to help my build my website. These are just some of the things where other people are better and faster at doing the work than what I ever will be, freeing up hours that I can spend on client projects instead. To sum up, the journey of a freelancer is as challenging as it is rewarding. The three key principles we've discussed – maintaining a drama-free professional relationship, embodying the 'batteries included' mindset, and understanding your worth – are vital for anyone looking to thrive in the freelance world. These concepts aren't just strategies, they're reflections of a mindset that values professionalism, proactivity, and personal growth. As we navigate the often turbulent waters of freelancing, these principles serve as guiding stars, helping us to not only deliver exceptional work but also to build lasting, meaningful relationships with our clients. Whether you're just starting out or are a seasoned freelancer, adopting these ideas can lead to a more fulfilling and successful career. Remember, freelancing is more than just a job. It's a journey of continuous learning and adaptation. Each project is an opportunity to hone your skills. Each challenge a chance to demonstrate your resilience. Staying true to these principles and embracing the unique adventures that freelancing offers, you'll achieve professional success as well as personal satisfaction. Here's to your journey as a freelancer! May it be as enriching as it is successful!

Trying out no-code tools

Anton Sten — Mon, 29 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMT

If you’re anything like me, you’re always on the look out for the optimal setup. I want to find THE perfect calendar app. I’m always hunting for a solution that can track my finances without any issues. Discover a new, frictionless task management solution? I’ll download it in a heartbeat. Those of you long-time readers surely now that one of the itches that I keep coming back to is my website and email setup. For years I have run my blog and website on Gatsby which was great in many ways; fast, no monthly fee, and flexible. However, I have grown tired of constantly asking my developer for updates, or worse, making the updates myself only to break something else. After looking around, I began eyeing both Framer and Webflow after hearing how these no-code tools really simplified for creators like myself. About 6 months ago I scratched my itch and moved my website over to Framer with the help of Aaron Rolston. While I’ve generally been satisfied with my move to Framer - keep in mind Lighthouse still gives me great scores - there are a couple of things that I just can’t come to terms with: 1. **No RSS.** They have a blog / CMS feature, but it doesn’t have any RSS functionality. As a strong proponent for the open web, this feels like a betrayal to not offer a RSS feed for my blog. 2. **Poor formatting options.** While the CMS editor is pretty straight-forward and easy to use, it lacks standard functionality like block quotes. My blog is my commentary to things I read and see online, so the ability to easily include quotes is an important feature. I’m currently I’m using their code input feature for quotes - not great. 3. **No export option.** I came across this as I was about to try different platforms. You can import posts from other tools as a .csv file, but there is literally no way to export the posts. Meaning, everything I add to Framer, I’ll have to manually copy-paste post by post if I ever decide to move to another tool or solution. This just feels… almost illegal? Keep in mind this is a tool created within the EU where the protection of our data/content/information is understood. While I want to give Framer time to improve on points 1 and 2, it also means that the longer I stay on, the more posts I’ll have to manually export. The longer I use Framer, the bigger the barrier is to leaving. ## What’s next While my portfolio is an important part of my website, it’s interesting to see that I actually only have one case study included in the top-20 pages over the last year. This means that clearly a majority of my users are visiting to read my blog. This puts me, and my digital identity, in a real pickle because while the blog brings in page views, the case studies are what pays the bills. Both are important, but the technical requirements to build a good case study is so much more basic than what makes a blog with all the expected features. I’ve been eyeing Ghost for years since it feels like a great balance between having a web-based tool/CMS. I also find it interesting that Ghost is that it’s actually both a platform for my blog AND it can also host my newsletter. The two obviously feed into one another so it only makes sense that they would live within the same tool (not to mention it would save me $$$). That said, there are things that’s making me hesitant about Ghost too: 1. **Theming is difficult.** With Framer I can make all required visual changes myself, upload fonts, change colors, etc. There’s no editor to do any of this for Ghost meaning it’d be back to a code editor locally. 2. **Newsletter function doesn’t have it all**. While it does have built-in newsletter functionality, it doesn’t have the option to send drip campaigns. I’d no longer be able to do things like when you sign up, you get a welcome email, then a week later you get another email with some popular links. It makes it harder to connect to the audience that wants to be connected with. Importing of existing content hasn’t worked well so far. ## What's Next? Maybe Ghost, Maybe Something Else This whole adventure with tools is like trying on new shoes – some fit better than others and sometimes you just need a change. You know, it's funny how we chase after the 'perfect tool', expecting it to suddenly make everything easier, when it may introduce new obstacles. I've talked about this before in my piece, New Tools Don’t Equal Productivity, and yep, I'm still on that bandwagon. But let's be real, some tools do give us a boost – just look at how I mentioned Figma back in 2018! Okay, here’s where you come in. I’m on the lookout for suggestions from YOU. Do you have a favorite tool that's perfect for blogging and sending newsletters? I want to hear about it! Seriously, any and all recommendations are welcome. I'll keep you in the loop about my journey with Ghost or whatever tool I end up trying next. We're all in this digital world together, figuring out the best tools for our trade. Your experiences, your trials and errors – they're gold for someone like me, and probably for a lot of others too. Let’s crowdsource finding the next greatest tools that may just be flying under the radar!

Writing’s gift? Better design

Anton Sten — Tue, 06 Feb 2024 00:00:00 GMT

For years, I’ve been trying to highlight that I think more designers should start their project by first writing, rather than jumping head first into Figma. And, for years, people have been wanting to find out more about my process and how it ACTUALLY works… not just in theory, but in practice. So today I wanted to share two updates on the topic. ## Writing helps me organize my thoughts There was something that Nathan Barry - the founder of Convertkit - wrote in a recent email newsletter that resonated with me. He pledged to write every day for the month of January and people have asked him why a busy founder and CEO would want to spend that much time writing when he could easily delegate it to someone else. --- >“So why would I ever spend hours writing when I can spend minutes speaking and get the same result? It comes down to whether the goal is to clarify or amplify: To the degree you want to clarify your thinking, write. To the degree you want to amplify your thinking, speak. Then delegate the dissemination of your ideas.” >**Nathan Barry** --- There’s a quote that says, *"Writing is the process by which you realize that you do not understand what you are talking about. Importantly, writing is also the process by which you figure it out."* I think Nathan’s reasoning is along the lines of what I’ve said (and written!) before, that writing is the process that helps me understand what I know - and more importantly - what I don’t know. In order to succeed with a design - making sure our design is solving the right problem in the best possible way - we need to be absolutely clear in our thinking around the design challenge at hand. If designers jump straight into Figma, they may not have the deeper understanding of the design that the process of writing facilities and, unfortunately, run a greater risk of confirmation bias. ## Creating a design system… in Notion One design task that might seem obvious - one you actually could jump straight into Figma to do - is creating a new design system. There are literally thousands of templates and boiler plates you can download, tweak, and be up and running in matter of hours. But this isn’t always the best solution. I find that I often discussions (and debates) with founders/teams that they need to create a design system that is unique for them and their needs. You see, a design system, like most things, isn’t necessarily better the bigger it is. It’s easy to think this might be the case because, after all, doesn’t it make sense to have all the tools ready for when you need them? No, not really. Just like your wardrobe only really needs to have the clothes you actually wear, your tool kit needs to have the tools you use, not every tool available. It’s easy to add something when you need it, but it is wise to limit our design system to our recurring components. It’s why you’ll find a suit in my wardrobe, but not a smoking jacket. I HAVE a use for the suit. It’s a needed ‘tool’. Side note: I also HAVE a use for my almost embarrassingly large collection of t-shirts. :) So I recently started the process of creating a new design system for a startup. I’m beginning the work by auditing their tools and files to identify which components we’ll need and in which variations and states. This is pretty much the same process I followed a year ago when I updated the design system for Loom! Sure, it would be easy for me to jump into Figma and start creating useful components, but what I really do is compile everything into a Notion doc. I’ll then use that doc to outline what components I need to create and which states they’ll have. Even though it might look a bit repetitive, it’s crucial to outline the states to make sure we’ll create a design system that’s not just useful - but also accessible! This way, we’ll get a design system that helps the organization save time and create a more cohesive product while making sure all users and customers can access our product. I also take the time to list out what variations each component should have. This outline process reduces the risk of creating multiple components when I do jump into Figma, i.e. a variation of a button rather than creating multiple button components. Once the list of components has been created, I’ll continue on to listing out patterns. A simple pattern could be a search bar, consisting of an input field and a button. A more complex pattern might be a card or a table. I use Notion’s tagging feature to index which components are needed for each pattern, all before I’ve started designing. ## Beyond Figma: how writing sharpens design thinking Now that I’ve shared my process and the tangible steps I take, I hope it's clear that writing is not just a preliminary step, but a foundational practice in design. This methodical approach ensures that by the time we open Figma, we're not just ready to design; we're primed to solve the right problems in the most effective way. This journey from the written word to the visual design underscores a crucial lesson: great design begins with clear thinking and clear thinking is often best achieved through writing. Whether you're crafting a new design system or embarking on a complex digital product, the clarity gained from writing can be your guide. I encourage you to try integrating writing into your design process. See how it transforms your approach, sharpens your focus, and leads to more intentional and impactful designs. And, if you're curious to explore more about this process or share your experiences, let's continue the conversation! Sign up for my newsletter to stay updated on this topic and many others. Together, let's discover how we can make our design processes not just more efficient, but deeply meaningful.

Digital tools may create life long relationships

Anton Sten — Mon, 26 Feb 2024 00:00:00 GMT

This post isn't about user experiences or digital products per se, but I think it is highly relevant to the work that we do on a daily basis. You know the feeling… you read or watched something that has lingered in your mind. It can stay there for days or even weeks afterwards. I recently read Manuel Morale's Digital Relations and it keeps coming back to me. > If you're like me, you probably met and interacted with more people in the digital world than in real life. And I'm not saying this because I'm an introvert, I don't think I am. I'm saying this simply because it's the result of the life I live. On digital relations > While I *do* think I'm an introvert, I can relate to the notion of having met and interacted with more people in the digital world than in real life. This is made even more clear to me as I live with someone who doesn't have any digital relations at all! Anna has asked me how I know someone countless times - even people coming to visit us - and I've had to admit that I know them through Twitter. While it feels natural for me, I can fully understand how strange it might seem to her. But the fact remains that some of the people I'm closest to I met in the digital "world" and I would never known them without tools for online communication. It's easy to think of places like Twitter (I refuse to call it X) as a right-wing, hateful, misogynist platform (it absolutely can be), but it's also worth highlighting the other side of it - the digital relationships tools like Twitter have allowed us to form. ## The relationships that formed My family got a PC and we connected to the internet very early on. I think we had our first modem in 1995 or 1996. I took those first few years on the internet to practice new skills and I had my first paid web project in 1997. Also during that time, I was playing in hardcore bands and writing a fanzine. I hung out on IRC and connected with people in channels like #sxe.se - that's straight edge, not a typo! I met back then was Daniel there and while I don't remember much of our interactions from back then, he became a close friend and nowadays we meet up for lunch every other Friday. Sure, he lives close by and we share the same kind of work, but I don't think we would hang out today if it wasn't for those interactions back in the late 90's. More or less every blog post on my website and my two books have been edited for clarity by Josh. I've never met Josh and we've been working together 9+ years by now. We are literally on different sides of the Atlantic Ocean! Just the other day Josh and I had our first zoom call! Can you imagine? After working together for almost a decade, we'd never spoken face-to-face before. Yet, over the years we've shared so much together from both going through divorces, he got diabetes (which I have had since child age), and so much more. **note from Josh: I appreciate the entire decade long journey of collaboration and support. To think… it all started with a short email!* I actually met Jessi in real life before our digital relation formed. We started working together in 2017 through SuperFriendly and met in Boston. A couple of years later we worked together again with Herman Miller and met Nicole. While none of us may be working together today (hoping this will change!) we still interact with each other on a weekly basis. We send each other birthday gifts and share the highs and lows of everyday life. And then there's Louise and Amanda who I got to work with through ueno on Zabka back in 2020. While I have been lucky to meet both of them in real life now, our relationship formed long before. Going through the highs and lows of an intense project (not to mention the acquisition of ueno and us moving on to join Product) can create bonds that are magical in many ways. > Digital relationships are powerful. Some people discard them because they think they're not at the same level as "real relationships" but I disagree. Digital relationships are their own thing. They have their own rules, and their own ways to be unique. And they can be as important as any other relationship. On digital relations > ## They are the same, but different I think people are keen on comparing digital relations to physical relations, but I don't think they are easily comparable. They are the same, but different. In a way, it's like comparing an apple to an orange. Both are fruit, but depending on the mood and context, one is better than the other for that specific moment. Unlike comparing, let's say dogs to cats where dogs always will win. > From the early days of IRC chat rooms, to discussion forums, to random blog-related emails, to working collaborations, I've met some wonderful people born out of digital interactions that would otherwise never have happened if not for the web. Carl Barenbrug > Despite all of the drama that often happens on social networks, I'm so grateful to all of the people I have met through these channels. I could make a muuuuch longer list highlighting all the people I've met online and sincerely value as 'real' friends, but for now let me just say how much I value you all - readers of this blog, subscribers of my newsletter, people that randomly email me, interactions on social networks, and all the amazing clients. I can't wait for the next decade getting to know even more fantastic people!

Print design principles in a digital world

Anton Sten — Mon, 04 Mar 2024 00:00:00 GMT

You might not believe this, but my career didn't actually start in digital design. It actually began in the world of print advertising. Well, that may not be entirely accurate either. My first real job was with an advertising agency that specialized in print, but my role was all about crafting websites. Reflecting on it, that environment was pivotal in shaping my design philosophy. Learning about colors, typography, and design principles from veterans who had honed their craft over decades in a field centered around catching the eye of consumers was invaluable. In the digital realm, it's pretty rare to find someone whose career spans more than three decades like these professionals who helped me in the beginning of my journey. ## Print is 'final' Despite my preference for digital, I occasionally dive back into print design - especially for startups. It seems flyers are making a comeback! Digital design certainly offers the luxury of iteration. After all, a design can always be tweaked and improved. In contrast, print design is final. Any mistakes are permanent and any unexpected color shifts remain exactly as they are, unless there's the rare opportunity for an expensive reprint. At first glance, digital might seem the clear winner due to its flexibility. However, the very nature of this flexibility often leads designers, myself included, to postpone perfection. Margins might be off, typos tend to linger, and the copy might not even be final. Despite the implementation of strict design systems, inconsistencies persist. Often the competitive startup environment rewards speed over accuracy and the mentality of "we can fix it later" prevails. While there is some truth to Meta's (Facebook) famous slogan "Done is better than perfect", we've slowly begun to believe that 'done equals perfect' or at least, perfect enough. Sure, shipping early may be necessary to live up to customer expectations and needs, but it's not sustainable in the long run. When Meta shipped Threads, their Twitter clone, it wasn't perfect but the bar was set pretty high. It may have lacked functionality but it didn't lack great, clear design, or even nice animations - things usually "added or fixed later". ## Templates and systems But here's a thought—while we tirelessly refine our designs for the ultimate user experience, how much better could that experience be if our designs were meticulously templated and systematized from the start? > *There are certain foundational design principles that will never change. They are the source material for anything you create — no matter if you're working on a website, a mobile app, an ATM machine, a virtual reality experience, a poster, a TV application, a digital kiosk.* > > *Start here: visual hierarchy, information architecture, balance, alignment, composition, proximity, continuation, repetition, framing, mimicry, readability, contrast, consistency, affordances, feedback, orientation, similarity, closure, horror vacui, symmetry, inputs, navigation.* > > *These should give you enough to focus on for the first 10 years of your career. Master these. Really master these. Strive for perfection. Improve your skills. Rinse, repeat. You can never un-learn such principles. Technology will always change; these won't.* > > Designers: the only certainty is change One reason we've ended up in this "ship faster" mindset is actually from how software is being sold today. In the past, software used to be much like printed things. You paid for it, you downloaded it (or got a bag of floppy disks in the mail), and then you owned it. Sure you got updates, but they were once a year (at best), not like Arc that, as much as I love the browser, has a new update out every time I launch it. Jason Fried of 37Signals is onto something similar with their new plan, 'Once': > You used to pay for it **once**, install it, and run it. Whether on someone's computer, or a server for everyone, it felt like you owned it. And you did. Today, most software is a service. Not owned, but rented. Buying it enters you into a perpetual landlord–tenant agreement. Every month you pay for essentially the same thing you had last month. And if you stop paying, the software stops working. Boom, you're evicted. > Once > Just imagine if movies or music were sold in the same way we release some of our digital services. "This first month we're releasing the first verse and you'll get the chorus as an update in the coming weeks!" Hard pass. Again, there's a point to releasing iteratively, but rather than releasing the top layer of the cake, we need to get better releasing the cake a slice at a time. "But you can't release a slice of the cake without producing the full cake". I can see that point, but if we're really here to serve our customers, we need to get them the experience they deserve. They deserve a design that's graphically sound, that uses (equal) margins, a grid system, a cohesive typographic scale, and colors that are accessible. If they don't, they might just 'hard pass' too.

The Tools I Use to Run My Business

Anton Sten — Fri, 22 Mar 2024 00:00:00 GMT

As you may know, I don't think new tools are key to success - hard work is. That said, coming from someone who loves to try out *all the new shiny things*, I think it make sense to compile a list of the tools that stuck with me. ## **Website** After running Gatsby with Netlify for years, I moved my website over to Framer. I'm sure Framer has great use cases too, but after just a couple of months, it became clear that running a blog isn't one of them. My website is now running on Kirby, and I've been really happy with it! For privacy-focused, simple analytics, I use Fathom*. It's one of the products that you can immediately tell is built with love. If you want dead-simple analytics that respect your users' privacy, Fathom is for you. Fast Company listed them as one of the options to ditch Google Analytics, which, let's be honest, no one really knows how to use. My newsletter is sent through Buttondown, after trying out basically every email service (Drip, Convertkit, Mailchimp, Substack, EmailOctopus, Mailerlite to name a few). I use Stripe together with Zapier to sell my books. In fact, I use Zapier for a ton of different things. ## **Software** I do all my design work in Figma. I really, really like the simplicity of working in Figma. I’m tracking my time with Harvest and use them for sending invoices too. I keep track of things to do in Things. I don't have a fancy GTD systems all set up, rather something far simpler. For writing, I like Notion. It's simple and lightweight. It exports markdown and it's easy for me and my editor to co-create in. I use Tally to schedule and charge for 1-1 coaching and other forms, like newsletter feedback. I prefer Zoom for online calls. For international payments, I’ve been super happy with Wise*. ### Small gems The software mentioned above probably won't raise any eyebrows. I'm not saying that the following list will either, but perhaps they'll be new acquaintances that you'll learn to love just as much as I have: - Mymind - It's beautifully designed, and I randomly save anything I come across to Mymind. I'm still figuring out how to sort it all - it's supposed to be automatic, but like an AI, it's not perfect (yet). - HandMirror - love, *love,* this piece of software. It sits in your menu bar and allows you to check your hair before getting on a video call. It's saved me on countless occasions. - Paste - Paste stores everything you copy into a list, making it super easy to access something you copied to the clipboard a few hours ago. I also use it to keep 'pins' of things I paste into documents repeatedly. - Arc - My favorite browser. It's like Chrome, but without the excessive RAM usage. ## **Hardware** I'm blessed with having my own office space and the tools I use here are carefully selected. I’m currently using a Macbook Air 15” and an Apple Studio Display. It’s a great monitor. One of the first bigger expenses I allowed my newly founded company to take on was this Herman Miller Aeron chair. Never regretted it. I have a HAY Desk. --- - = this is an affiliate link, meaning we'll both get a small reward if you click the link and sign up.

After 15 years, change is coming

Anton Sten — Tue, 23 Apr 2024 00:00:00 GMT

I've run my own consultancy for 15 years now! It's been a wild ride and I've been fortunate to work with so many talented, humble, generous, fun, ambitious, and smart people. The then 28-year old Anton was pretty confident when he started this, but I don't think he would have ever imagined what was to come. I'm sure many consultants out there share my thrill of constantly getting to work on new things and meet new people. Everyday truly is an adventure. Every project I've pursued, long or short, there's always been the feeling of closure when it comes to an "end". While I've worked on many projects where I've realized I'll miss working with the people, I've always felt that my work here is done. I've done my part and I'm happy to leave the next chapter to someone else. ...Until now. It's officially been two years since I first connected to Ellen Dasilva and Matthew Woo, the two founders of Summer Health. Those who've been following my journey are probably familiar the work I've done with them and how much I value their mission. Little known fact, I was only the fifth person to join the team. Recently we began to throw around the dreaded "what's next?" question that all startups struggle with. We talked and realized that this is the time when it makes sense for them to hire someone for a full-time role. I'm all too familiar with this conversation as I've consulted many early-stage startups, but this time it felt different. I knew my work here wasn't done. In fact, quite the opposite. I believe we're just getting started! So I'm proud to announce that I've embraced the role of Head of Design at Summer Health. While I'm a solopreneur at heart, the chance to make a difference with them was too compelling to resist. Even though I don't have kids of my own, the mere thought of them getting sick without resources to answer even the simplest questions fills me with anxiety and dread. That helplessness is a feeling I wouldn't wish on anyone. Summer Health has the opportunity to provide those answers to parents. After two years of collaborating with this incredible team on everything related their product, I believe we're just scratching the surface of the impact it can truly make. As I'm wrapping up my existing projects, I'm looking forward to fully focusing on the experience customers and providers have with Summer Health and, hopefully, give parents a little more peace of mind. Leaving you with the words of Alfred Lin, partner at Sequoia and board member of Summer Health: > Staying on the outlier's path takes tremendous customer focus, creativity, innovation, risk, exacting standards, and non-stop work. Customers are incredibly hard to satisfy and constantly want something better in every business. The only way to build an enduring company is to improve your product, service, and company continually. The Outliers Path > ## Paused for now I don't see this as an end to my consulting business, it's a pause. It is allowing myself time to focus fully on one project for the next few years. Honestly, what better time to take a break than at the 15 year mark? I appreciate everyone for the support, business, and opportunities over course of my consultancy. The thank you list is way too long as I've probably engaged with hundreds of clients over the years but looking back, but here are some people and moments stand out: - Magnus Wide and Johan Ejermark for being my very first client in 2009. There's nothing harder for a freelancer than to get that first client and I couldn't have asked for a better one. - Everyone I've interacted with at IKEA when working together on and off for the last decade. - Everyone at Hyper Island who generously allowed me to return to the school that started it all back in 2000. Interacting with junior designers and students is still one of the best ways I know to keep myself alert and engaged - which is why I'll continue to coach designers going forward. More on that later. - Dan Mall for bringing me on to work with SuperFriendly when literally no other agency thought about working remotely. You taught me a lot and, most of all, you introduced me to people I know consider dear friends which is priceless. - Carrie Ko, Marco Coppetto, and Halli at ueno for bringing me on to work on Zabka for what turned out to be almost 9 months. You're all amazing people and built a team that was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be a part of. - Kevin Twohy for introducing me to so many talented founders over the years. This literally could not have happened if it wasn't for you as you introduced me to Ellen and Matthew. - Everyone at Summer Health for making me even consider taking on a full-time role which was unthinkable just 2 years ago and making it a decision that feels totally right and natural. Ps. We just announced our Series A Fundraise and we're hiring!

A question never asked is never answered

Anton Sten — Mon, 13 May 2024 00:00:00 GMT

The other day I got an email from recent newsletter subscriber, Francisco (Hi!), asking a question. I've mentioned this many times before, but throughout me almost 10 years of writing and thousands subscribers, I'm still amazed when someone emails me and tells me they've been enjoying my writing. It's not that I have low self esteem or anything, it's just wild that I can write something and have it be read (and, occasionally, enjoyed) by someone on the other side of the world. Anyway. Francisco had a question that's been recurring for a while, so it might make sense to answer it publicly. His question is two-fold, but both are pretty common topics: 1. How should I approach creating a portfolio if you're an entry level/jr. designer without a lot of formal experience? 2. How can I create a portfolio that's focused on UX when most of my cases are brand & web designed focused? ### Getting started is the hardest In becoming a freelancer, transitioning into UX design, learning French, or, even eating healthier - the hardest part is often just getting started. This certainly applies to starting with design as a junior designer too. When I started, I was lucky because my education at Hyper Island included a 6 month internship. I was fortunate to spend 8 months at Lateral in London who was, at the time, a very cool agency where I got to work with clients like Levi's, Boddingtons, the RSCPA, and more. This meant that when I graduated from school and went about creating my portfolio, I was able to feature these projects with confidence. For any level of designer, I believe having personal/mock/fake projects in your portfolio is totally fine, as long as it's clearly stated. With a junior role especially, what I'm looking to understand is, who is this person and, ideally, who will they become?. So, I think the answer is partially in your question. >I'm not necessarily looking for formal experience, I'm looking for experience; for craft. Most importantly, I'll say that regardless of what level of position you're looking for, I'm always choosing to look for a person. Great case studies might impress me, but what I'll remember is the person behind them. I'll always go to their "About" page first to find out more about the who they are and why they do what they do. Craft is important, but it can be taught. To be completely honest, I really won't even know if you have the skills you claim until we actually work together. So what I'm essentially looking for are cues of who you are - i.e. do I think I would enjoy working with you? A lot of designers miss out on this and it's such an easy way to stand out because there's only one you. ### A portfolio that's focused on UX Just like creating a portfolio as a design leader, creating a UX portfolio is hard. What do I feature? How do I present my cases? Regardless of what types of projects you've worked on, what I'm looking for in a UX portfolio is to understand your thinking about UX in general. One of the early blog posts I wrote was "The secret feature that everyone knows about". I wanted to position my thinking on UX early on and, instead of focusing on wireframes, UXR, or anything else that every other UX portfolio at the time focused on, I choose to highlight the importance of speed instead. To this day I believe it's true that speed is absolutely essential in building good user experiences, but also because it highlights what I believe UX is at it's foundation. >UX is the combined efforts of design and development. No matter how something is designed, it's not a user experience until it's built and the user is interacting with it. So, Francisco, even if your cases are brand and web focused, I'd like to learn about how you think the brand design works for the user in your portfolio. Did you specifically work with a palette that's accessible? Did you pick a font with great legibility even at small sizes? These are not the typical topics discussed when reviewing a brand case and that's exactly why it'd be interesting to see. A UX portfolio focused on the user experience of the brand, rather than wireframes or flows, is a GREAT idea. I hope that answers your questions, if not - just email me back and I'll go into more detail! And anyone else reading this has a question, hop on my newsletter and email me. I do answer every email - though not always with a full post.

Write when you have something to say

Anton Sten — Wed, 29 May 2024 00:00:00 GMT

The hardest part of writing consistently while not letting the readers and subscribers down, is knowing what to write and when to release it. When I first started, I pushed myself to write a new post every two weeks and for a while, it was great! Not so much because the content was fantastic, but it transformed my self-perception of “not being a writer.” Then when I allowed myself to go back to a more loosely defined schedule as coming up with topics became more difficult. If I have no deadline, do I really have anything I need to say? Do I have something I *should* say? Jason Fried echoed this thinking in a tweet the other day:

Write when you have something to say, not when you need to fill up space. Calling your writing "content" is at the root of the problem. Content takes up space, it doesn't have anything to do with communication. https://t.co/rW1gieMoQq
— Jason Fried (@jasonfried) May 23, 2024

I’ve found I can remove myself from the question of whether or not I have something to say by simply answering questions. If it’s helpful advice for one person, chances are there are at least one or two more that mind find it helpful as well. The my response meant something, right? So, that leads me to share this week’s questions from Anida, a senior designer in Berlin: *1. Do you think that there are still companies out there who still don't think ux research is beneficial? Why could that be and how would you change their minds?* *2. Did you have to do projects, where you had to do research, ux and ui because there was no other designer? If so, how do you stay unbiased in those situations? For me it's one of the biggest challenges to test your own designs. What do you think?* *3. What is your next big thing? As in, do you want to stay a freelancer forever or do you have any exit plans? Something like "Starting an alpaca farm" :-D* It’ll be difficult to weave these questions into one big post as they are so different from one another, so I’ll answer them one by one. ### UXR shouldn’t be an option - but it is I think by now most companies see the benefits of UX research. Unfortunately, it doesn’t mean it’s equally valued with other facets of the company’s project. UXR is still one of the first things that get’s pulled when the money is tight which, let’s face it, it almost always is. As I’m no longer consulting, I’m glad to no longer have to struggle to convince companies of the benefits of UXR. I’m even more happier to work for a company that fully embraces the knowledge that comes from UXR and encourages everyone (not just designers or researchers) to do their own UXR by talking to users. It might sound harsh, but I think companies that don’t think about user research at all won’t exist in 5-10 years. People are so hyped about AI at the moment and literally throwing money at it, when in the end, it’s not AI that’s paying for your product is it? It’s just not viable anymore to run a company and not truly understand your customers and their needs. This is largely because of two things; 1) starting a company has never been easier, meaning competition will rise more frequently, and 2) customers are aware that there are more options available and are way less loyal to brands. Paul Graham, co-founder of Y-combinator on the importance of talking to your customers (and why most companies don’t do it): > "What you will get wrong is that you will not pay enough attention to your users. > You will make up some idea in your own head that you will call your "vision", and you will spend a lot of time thinking about your vision. In a cafe. By yourself. And build some elaborate thing without going and talking to users, because that's doing sales, which is a pain in the ass, and they might say no. > You will not ship fast enough because you're embarrassed to ship something unfinished, and you don't want to face the likely feedback that you will get from shipping. You will shrink from contact with the real world, contact with your users. That's the mistake you will make." > ### A great designer wears many hats As a consultant, it’s not uncommon to have to wear many hats. In fact, I think one of the greatest skills to have as a consultant is the ability to adapt and change. There’s a lot of talk about what niche you should focus on and developing a tailored approach. While that may be helpful to a small subset of people, it’s rare to make a living out of doing just one specific thing. Not to mention, if you ask me, it’d probably become… dull? So yes, over the years I’ve had to do research, UX, and, UI myself. The way to disconnect yourself from the work while doing research is to focus solely on what you’re researching. For instance, I’d start by making sure I could clearly define the problem, constraints, and requirements. This can be done through stakeholder interviews, but also by talking to customers. The key here is to not focus on “solutionizing”, but understanding the problem and making sure that there’s an aligned view of what the problem is across all stakeholders. The next step might be to come back and discuss the information you collected, what the problem is, and possibly show a couple of very low-fidelity designs of how a solution might work. The emphasis here should be on *how it should work*, not *how it might look.* This way, when you show them designs, you’ll have two things to use as a foundation for your designs. First, you have a defined an aligned view of what the problem is and, second, you have an aligned view of how it should work towards addressing the problem. What you’re sharing with them in this round is an option and assessing if they believe this visual interpretation resonates with the way to solve the problem. (image: stakeholder-interview-visual-electric.jpeg) ### 🦙👨‍🌾 As a matter of fact, I’m proud to announce that I’m about to open Sweden’s first alpaca farm! Haha, not really, but I just recently decided to join Summer Health full-time so my next big thing is to help them raise the healthiest generation of kids (talk about setting the bar high!). I think on a longer term, since my partner is a chef, I get to see what working with customers on a more physical presence can do for you. It’d be great to one day open a small restaurant & wine bar together with a special focus on what the customer experiences and, even more importantly, takes away from their visit. I always love learning from other physical spaces like hotels, restaurants, and shops on how they create a great customer experiences. It would be super exciting to see how I could transform my experience in digital experiences into physical one. Not to mention, I think a lot of restaurants could do a much better job at extending the experience from the actual meal. One day! Again, thanks so much to Anida, for sending me your questions and everyone else as well! I love thinking about them and replying to them and I know it’s helpful for the larger audience. If you have a question, sign up for my newsletter and hit reply!

Can you be creative just by creating?

Anton Sten — Wed, 12 Jun 2024 00:00:00 GMT

The question of creativity has always fascinated me. What makes someone creative? Is it an innate talent, or can it be developed? Can you become creative simply by creating things? I believe that creativity is like a muscle - the more you use it, the stronger it gets. But it's not just about creating for the sake of creating. It's about thoughtful creation, about understanding the process, and about learning from each attempt. Let me share some thoughts on this topic and how it relates to design and user experience. I've really been enjoying getting more and more questions from readers, almost to the extent that I'm thinking that may be this is what the blog is now, an asynchronous Q&A. When I give talks, the Q&A part is always what I enjoy the most. There's much more of an exchange of information than simply me expressing my views on a topic. If we're honest with ourselves, there are very few "facts" in our industry and what we consider facts today might be obsolete tomorrow. I recently got a question from Nadia that instantly resonated with me. I was meaning to reply to her straight away, but I kept thinking about my response more and more, only to realize her seemingly simple question can only result in a many-layered answer. --- *"Thank you for your thoughtful and educational newsletters!* *A realization I've recently had is that I am not a particularly innovative designer. My strength (and comfort zone) lies in gathering research, talking to users, and then making informed design decisions based on that research as well as based on strategic/organizational needs. This usually leads to well-functioning and well-received designs, but there is rarely a sense of innovation. I tend to stick to existing design systems and common interactions. This design style aligns strongly with my personality, as I'm not a big risk-taker in any aspects of life.* *The question I've been grappling with is basically, whether that's okay? Or better phrased for this context: What role do you think innovation should play in a designer's career, and how much can you control this, considering one's personality partially dictates this?"* --- ### Should designers innovate? Should designers code? If there's one thing we like to do as designers, it's dictate what makes a designer, a designer. There was a long standing debate around whether designers should code and yours truly argued that designers should speak business (and write!). It's funny how we never argued around whether or not developers should design 🙃. I can very much relate to Nadia's question because it's one that I've struggled with a lot during my career. To no one's surprise, I don't consider myself very 'creative' and certainly not 'innovative', but here's the thing, 'creativity' is so multi-faceted that we might be thinking of it too narrowly. Instead, I think we need to think of creativity in it's most fundamental form, 'to create'. Here's what ChatGPT is telling me creativity is: > "Creativity is the ability to come up with new and original ideas. It's about thinking outside the box, seeing things from different perspectives, and combining existing concepts in innovative ways. Whether it's art, problem-solving, or everyday tasks, creativity involves using your imagination to create something unique and valuable." > _ChatGPT response to "What is creativity?" prompt_ As for someone that's spent a large portion of my career working on B2B tools for large corporations like e.On and IKEA, I've come to reconsider what I think creativity and being innovative entails. In fact, I'd argue that it's some of the things we hardly notice because they just work. They the true innovations of design. The thing when designing - especially B2B tools in particular - is that there are so many guardrails and constraints to consider. This is where true creativity shines! Rather than thinking of designing within constraints as a boundary, I think we should embrace it. Nadia mentions that she feels that her designs are both well-functioning and well-received, but that she doesn't sense innovation in them. I'd argue that well-functioning and well-received is exactly what the job requirement of a designer is. As for no sense of innovation, I want to urge anyone feeling the same way as Nadia to reflect on what they consider 'innovative design'. I believe innovation is, in the eye of the beholder. It's taste. It's preference. Well-functioning and well-received designs are facts. They are justified. They are measurable. **Comparing the two isn't fair, because they operate on different scales.** Innovation to me is all about reducing friction and making things operate more effortless. Even looking at a specific feature, let's say FaceID, innovation can mean so much to different people. For some it might be the feature itself, to be able to unlock your phone simply by looking at it. For others it might be the fact that the camera is hidden inside the notch. For some, it might be the authentication process itself. And for others, it could be how the animation transforms from a face to a checkbox, an innovation that most people will never even consider. There are SO many facets to this innovation. So Nadia, my advice to you is to reflect on what kind of design you consider to be innovative and why. Once you've nailed that down, you can then either seek out to implement more of that thinking and innovation in your work or you can simply be inspired by it. There is no harm either way. What you WILL be doing is continuing to create well-functioning and well-received designs - a big plus. In the end, you are creating and that results in creative work!

Understanding your core values through reflection

Anton Sten — Mon, 29 Jul 2024 00:00:00 GMT

The last 5 years have been quite the journey. I lost my beloved dog of nearly 15 years, went through a divorce, and moved to a new city. I then discovered new love, bought a house with her, and moved in together with our new dog! Recently, I made the switch from consulting for a living to a working full-time job and that was a step I wasn't sure I was going to make again. Jess Hatzis' piece, "How to define your core values", really got me thinking about my current life and the one I want to build and how that evolves over time. We often talk about values when it comes to branding of companies and products. What do we stand by, and more importantly, why do we stand by it? > To me they are the "why" of my life. > They define how I make decisions. They define what I do with my work life and my spare time. It's how I make impact on those around me. It's what gives my life its unique meaning. > How to define your core values When I started consulting 15 years ago, I was strongly driven by the desire for autonomy. In my perhaps naive thinking, running my own consultancy meant I could do whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. I longed to travel as much as possible and that unfortunately requires a good bit of money — my second motivation for consulting. By the end of my consulting career, I was fortunate enough to have made a name for myself, so the hustle to get projects wasn't as difficult. The first 10 years weren't easy by any means. They were was a lot of work. And here's the thing, if you're a consultant eager to make money, you WILL end up giving away all your freedom. I rarely took time off and canceled countless planned vacations because new work came up as that was the priority. I chuckle a little when I hear freelancers argue that you can make more money on your own versus being an employee. Sure, that may be true as I've taken a substantial pay cut transitioning to full-time, but I feel like I actually have more autonomy now. I get paid time off, paid sick leave, and even paid parental leave! ### Reflection Reflecting on my core values today, I realize they're quite different from what they were 15 years ago. Maybe that's just how it should be? Values are always evolving, but I wanted to share where my head is at right now: 1. **Safety** – it's become obvious that I'm not the risk-taker I was 20 years ago. What I value most is financial safety. It's important to me to shop for groceries without thinking about prices. I still love traveling and discovering new places, but I can only enjoy it knowing I have a solid foundation at home. A place where I can be myself and find peace and stability. This is a sense of psychological safety has become essential for my well-being and comfort. 2. **Flexibility** – Flexibility has always been crucial to me. The funny part of this is if you ask anyone who knows me, they'll tell you I'm all about routines and structure. While I tend to stick to my routines (ideally, I'd have the same breakfast every day for the rest of my life), flexibility is more about knowing I have the option and ability to change when I choose. If I decide to work out in the morning, I don't want a 9-5 job to hold me back. I steer clear of a packed calendar of meetings, not because I dislike them, but because they cut into my flexibility. I think it's helpful to reflect on what's important in your life to truly enjoy it. This reflection allows you to align your actions and goals with your core values and passions. Just like when building products, the key isn't to focus on what to build, but rather why it needs to be built. Understanding the underlying purpose behind your actions provides clarity and inspires your next steps. Your journey more fulfilling because you crafted it. In business, successful outcomes often stem from a deep understanding of the problem you're trying to solve and the value it brings to users. Similarly, in life, recognizing your "why" can lead to more meaningful experiences and a greater sense of accomplishment. It shifts the focus from merely achieving goals to finding joy and purpose in the journey itself. Regularly exercising meaningful reflection on your priorities and motivations makes you true to yourself and confident in the actions you need to take. For me, I've found this practice has enhanced my overall sense of well-being and better able to navigate challenges of life with purpose and resilience. Give it a try!

The power of adaptability

Anton Sten — Thu, 03 Oct 2024 00:00:00 GMT

One of my pet peeves is people who are unwilling to change their mind or opinion, no matter what. I've been thinking about this a lot lately, and it reminded me of a quote by Yuval Noah Harari. He said the most important skill going forward is the ability to change. According to him, the most crucial skill of the 21st century won't be something specific like learning to code but the ability to master new skills and switch professions throughout our lives. > "The most important skills for surviving and flourishing in the 21st century are not specific skills. Instead, the really important skill is how to master new skills again and again throughout your life." > \- Yuval Noah Harari This will require mental flexibility and resilience. For years, I've been saying that "New Tools Don't Always Equal Productivity". But recently, I found myself re-evaluating this statement. While I still believe that new tools don't automatically increase productivity or other outcomes, I now think that having the right tools is essential. Lately, I've been doing a lot of garden work. With autumn upon us, there are trees to prune, bushes to trim, and general preparations for colder temperatures and a season of hibernation. While you could perform these tasks without any tools, having the right ones makes the work much more efficient and effortless. Well, not quite effortless—it's still a good workout, and my body is still aching. But having a saw that can reach up to 3 meters is safer than standing on a ladder. An electric hedge trimmer is more efficient and quicker than doing it manually. Because my partner works as a chef, I have a first-hand view of how to make great food. While it's not necessarily about the tools, it is about the ingredients. Having fresh, organic produce (ideally from our garden!) makes for a much richer and tastier salad compared to store-bought vegetables that often have traveled across the globe. Buying organic, free-range eggs or meat results in a much tastier dish. It might not be the tools, but it is what we use to achieve our goals that affects the outcome. When I first started designing websites, I used a pirated copy of Photoshop. Over the years, I became very good at Photoshop, and moving to another tool sounded ridiculous at the time. But then Sketch came along, which was so much snappier and intuitive than Photoshop. Years went by, and most of us transitioned from Sketch to Figma (probably because of collaborative editing). If I were to move back to Photoshop today, I'd be held back. Why? Because I've adapted to change the way I work. We should embrace a mindset of exploration and trying out new things.

Designing for anyone: the power of accessible products

Anton Sten — Fri, 25 Oct 2024 00:00:00 GMT

For years, I viewed accessible design as a set of boring and restrictive rules. Text contrast ratios, focus states for buttons - these were things I thought made design worse, not better. I wasn't alone in this mindset. I've heard colleagues dismiss accessibility concerns, saying things like, "We're not going to have any blind users, so it's not going to be a problem." Or designers insisting that light grey text is perfectly readable because they can see it with their poor eyesight. But lately, I've been trying to shift my mindset on accessibility. I've realized that accessible design isn't just about adhering to technical guidelines - it's about creating products that work for anyone, in any situation. ## What accessible design is really about Here's a powerful idea that's changed my perspective: Accessible design isn't designing for everyone, it's designing for anyone (thank you Cat Noone). This subtle shift in thinking opens up a world of possibilities and challenged me to think more inclusively about our users. Though I'm not a parent myself, I've spoken to many parents and identified a common theme particularly related to accessible design. Having a newborn can be incredibly stressful, especially when the baby isn't feeling well. When your child is endlessly crying with a fever and you're sleep-deprived, confetti on the screen for logging in five days in a row isn't going to improve your mood. What will help is being able to easily navigate an app that uses clear, easy-to-understand language. Connecting with a pediatrician and getting that eRx sent to your closest (night-open!) pharmacy for immediate pickup is what matters. Just as there are times for bells and whistles in our apps, there are also times for… efficiency. - Ensuring your users can use your products in less-than-ideal circumstances: * Picture a parent trying to use an app while holding a baby. Can they navigate your interface one-handed? * Think about someone using your product on a bright sunny day or in a dimly lit room. Is your content still readable? - Making your product understandable without requiring a PhD or deep tech knowledge: * Can a first-time user intuitively navigate your interface? * Is your content written in clear, jargon-free language? - Considering the full spectrum of user abilities and situations: * **Permanent conditions:** Like being blind or deaf * **Temporary states:** Such as having an ear infection or an injured arm * **Situational challenges:** Using an app while drunk, distracted, or in a noisy environment ## The ripple effect of accessible design Once you start thinking about the situational scenarios that anyone might experience, you'll find it easier to discover what the temporary states might be. And once you've explored temporary states, you can consider that they might not be temporary for everyone. This approach of designing for anyone doesn't just benefit users with disabilities - it improves the experience for everyone. A design that works well for someone with one arm will also work well for a parent holding a child. Captions don't just help deaf users; they help anyone watching video in a noisy environment or without headphones. Microsoft (surprisingly!) has an excellent resource for Inclusive Design. I'm particularly fond of the Inclusive 101 Guidebook—page 22 is pictured below: ![Accessibility in design](/images/2024/10/image.webp) ## Changing our perspective The key to truly caring about accessibility is to stop thinking about it as a set of restrictive guidelines and start seeing it as a way to make our products more usable and inclusive for anyone. It's not about limiting our design choices; it's about expanding our understanding of how people use our products in the real world. By shifting our focus from designing for everyone to designing for anyone, we open ourselves up to a more empathetic and inclusive approach. We're not trying to create a one-size-fits-all solution, but rather a flexible, adaptable design that can accommodate a wide range of users and scenarios. So the next time you're tempted to use that light grey text because "it looks better," or skip adding alt text to an image because "it's not important," remember: accessible design isn't just about following rules. It's about creating products that work for anyone, anywhere, anytime. And isn't that what great design is all about?

The moral dilemma of platform choice

Anton Sten — Sat, 23 Nov 2024 00:00:00 GMT

As creators in the digital age, we often face moral dilemmas that weren't part of the conversation just a few years ago. One of these pressing questions is: Do we have a responsibility to choose platforms that align with our values? This question has become increasingly relevant as major platforms like Twitter and Substack face scrutiny over their content moderation policies and ethical stances. The exodus of users from Twitter following Elon Musk's acquisition, with reports suggesting up to 20% of users leaving the platform since the US election, highlights how these concerns are reshaping the digital landscape. Respected journalist Walt Mossberg's powerful statement, "I don't hang out in Nazi bars," encapsulates the moral clarity some have found in making these decisions. It's a stark reminder that our choice of platforms isn't just about functionality or reach – it's about the company we keep and the values we endorse. But here's where it gets complicated: Substack, despite similar controversies around content moderation, continues to see growth. Many writers choose it for its promise of audience growth and monetization potential. This creates a tension between practical business interests and ethical considerations. ### The small creator's dilemma As someone who isn't a major influencer or content creator, it's easy to think our platform choices don't matter. "I'm too small to make a difference," we might tell ourselves. But perhaps that's exactly why these choices matter more than ever. When enough small voices make ethical choices, it creates a collective impact. ### Making conscious platform choices * Consider platforms' governance structures (Are they profit-driven companies or non-profit foundations?) * Evaluate their content moderation policies and track record * Think about the long-term implications of supporting certain platforms In my case, this reflection led me to choose Ghost, a distributed non-profit foundation, for my website and newsletter. For social media presence, I've moved to Bluesky, a platform that better align with my values. These weren't just technical decisions – they were ethical ones. ### The Bigger Picture Every platform choice we make as creators is a small vote for the kind of internet we want to see. While it might seem inconvenient or potentially limiting to avoid certain platforms, we must ask ourselves: At what point does convenience become complicity? This isn't about perfect purity – it's about making conscious choices with the information we have. As creators, we have the power to shape not just what we create, but how and where we share it. Perhaps it's time we embraced that responsibility more fully.

2024 Year in Review

Anton Sten — Wed, 18 Dec 2024 00:00:00 GMT

It's now the eighth year in a row that I sit down to reflect on the past year. Can you believe I started this back in [2017](2017)? If that's your cup of tea, you'll find [2017](2017), [2018](2018), [2019](2019), [2020](2020), [2021](2021), [2022](2022), and [2023](2023) here respectively. 2024 has passed in the blink of an eye. It's fascinating to look back and see how life changes. While 2023 was all about slowing down—I did less work than ever before—2024 brought significant changes. This December, I'm feeling more tired as it's been quite a full year. The biggest shift came in April when I decided to [join Summer Health](change-is-coming), my client of two years, as a full-time employee. ## Projects & work ### Little Plains Before joining Summer Health, Little Plains was my only client this year. I was thrilled to work with Emmett Shine in my final freelance project after 15 years of independent work. Working with Emmett and the team he assembled was a joy. We still keep in regular contact, and his energy remains an inspiring force of positivity! ### Summer Health Around this time last year, I was working with Summer Health's leadership team on their Series-A fundraise deck. When the fundraise completed a month later, Summer Health was ready to grow. Having worked with them for a year and a half, I knew they would soon start looking for a permanent designer—the workload was steadily increasing. I had a productive discussion with Matthew where I offered to help recruit a designer but also expressed interest in joining full-time myself. Within a month, we reached an agreement, and I joined the team—ending my 15-year journey as a freelancer. Although I loved running my own business, two key factors influenced my decision. 1. I had thoroughly enjoyed working with this team and felt that parting ways would have been too soon. While most projects reach a natural endpoint where handoff feels appropriate, with Summer Health and this team, I believe we still have a lot to achieve together. 2. After working on countless projects over the years, it wasn't until I started working with Summer Health and talking to parents that I felt I could make a real difference in people's lives. Recently, I came across a thought-provoking question: "How many of you want to live in the world you're designing?" While I've spent years designing to increase sales, reduce costs, and boost engagement, I'm now designing to help parents (and providers). In the coming weeks, I'll share more about my [day-to-day work](the-solo-designer), inspired by [Paul's The Startup Designer](https://paulstamatiou.com/the-startup-designer?ref=antonsten.com). This year has certainly been my most diverse in many years. ### Coaching Ever since I went full-time, I've declined every opportunity that came my way, except for coaching designers. Mentoring is something I genuinely enjoy. I've realized that startup designers often feel quite lonely in their roles. That's why this year, I've spent more time coaching them rather than freelancers. [I have _some_ spots open for next year](/coaching/), so if you're interested, let me know! ## Website and newsletter At the start of this year, my website was still in Framer. As I mentioned early on in January, I was eyeing alternatives. No-code tools are great for certain things, but running a blog isn't one of them. I eventually switched to Ghost, after a brief detour via Kirby. I'm really enjoying Ghost, particularly because I can run both my website and newsletter on the same platform. Is it perfect? Far from it—but it does what it needs to do at this point. I published 17 blog posts in 2023—not a huge number, especially since 3 were updates to existing posts. Still, I'm pleased with writing 14 new pieces, averaging more than one post per month. Since I'm now editing these posts myself, please forgive any occasional grammar or spelling mistakes! ## Personal I've been fortunate to travel more again during 2024. We visited my family in Finland early in January (it was freezing, which proved challenging for driving an EV). I've spent time in New York with the full Summer Health team and had an intense design sprint week in San Francisco with Matthew later in the year. Anna and I also went to Paris to indulge in some great food! The musical highlight of this year was definitely getting to see Taylor Swift and the Eras tour. While I admit to being a Swiftie, I couldn't have imagined it being _this_ good. She is amazing—there's really no denying it. I also got to see some great shows during Way Out West, including James Blake, Augustine, and many more. The National was a huge disappointment though! Next year, Anna and I are getting married, and we'll be celebrating with our closest family and friends in our garden 😊 I'm optimistic about 2025, and I hope that a year from now, I'll be able to share some exciting new projects with you!

The solo designer: lessons from a startup journey

Anton Sten — Mon, 27 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Although I've only been a full-time designer at Summer Health for less than a year, I've been their sole designer for nearly three years. The company has evolved during this time. Since some of my most popular posts have focused on my day-to-day work, like "Working as a UX designer" and "Working as a UX lead", I thought it would be interesting to share my reflections on being a startup designer. I'll describe my typical days and the valuable skills I rely on, complementing Paul Stamatiou's post "The Startup Designer", which excellently outlines the general skills needed for this role. In fact, I'll start by sharing a quote from his post, because I think it beautifully captures what life is like: > "There's nothing glamorous about being a designer at a startup. It's a role that frequently values speed and pragmatism over going deep in the craft. It's not all big launches, viral tweets, building for happy paths, and clear-cut product requirements. > > However, it can be incredibly rewarding. The fun comes from being able to excel at learning new skills and wearing many different hats while being solely responsible for large efforts." Though my title is "Head of Design," I'm essentially a design team of one for now, aside from a few freelancers we regularly collaborate with. This means handling everything from high-level macro design to nitty-gritty micro design. ### Supporting different streams Our team is still small (we're less than 20 people), and to some extent, I'm the one to support all aspects of the company with design. While my title is "Head of Design," it's spread widely as I'm also the one to execute on all of it. We do bring in talented freelancers to help out with design, so it's not as lonely as I'm making it sound. My work is mainly divided between three streams: * **Product** - Most of my time is obviously (and thankfully) spent working on concepts, thinking, framing, researching, and designing features for our products. While it might seem like we only have one product, the touchpoint for parents, we actually have one more which is our EHR, CareOS, where our providers write medical notes, view patient history, and chat with our members. Since joining full-time, I've been fortunate to not only design more, but more thoroughly understand what to design, meaning I spend a good part of my days talking to parents, something I've really come to enjoy. * **Marketing** - As we're scaling the team and getting more and more members, it's only natural to do more marketing efforts. I oversee design for everything from flyers, banners, one-pager pdf's, company swag, as well as social media marketing design. * **Sales** - From designing the deck that raised our Series A to sales collateral, I'm working with the business team to make sure we communicate as visually simple and elegant as possible. ### "Once you get to Figma, most of the hard work is already done" One of the highlights since joining full-time is getting to talk with our members—parents with kids—much more frequently. As an introvert, I find these sessions exhausting, but they provide invaluable knowledge. Looking back, it's astonishing how many websites and products I designed without ever talking to actual users! These conversations not only help me think about our product and design more holistically but also remind me why we do what we do as a company. Being the only remote employee (everyone else is in SF or NY), these reminders give me a powerful sense of purpose. ### The sliding scale of giving a fuck One of my recurring mantras for approaching work and advocating for features is "if everything is important, then nothing is." This phrase, attributed to **Patrick Lencioni**, author and leadership consultant, comes from his book _The Five Dysfunctions of a Team_. The concept highlights a crucial truth about prioritization: when everything is treated as equally critical, effective focus becomes impossible. Paul touches this in his blog post too; > "The startup designer knows where to compromise on quality, when to push for it hard, and how to advocate for it beyond intuition, armed with customer feedback, insights, and company goals." My favorite approach to this, which is less conventional and more startup-friendly, is Cap Watkins's "Sliding scale of giving a fuck"—a blog post I frequently reference. The core idea aligns: as designers, engineers, and makers, we naturally want to craft excellent products according to our vision. But true excellence emerges from teamwork, and as mentioned, when everything is important, nothing is. During feature discussions with team members, I often find myself rating priorities as a 5 or 7 on this scale—important but not critical. This approach means that when I do rate something as a 9, my conviction carries more weight. I hope this look into my daily work helps you understand what it's like to be the first designer at a startup. Being the only designer isn't easy - you have to handle many tasks at once and make big design choices by yourself. But it's also really rewarding and gives you lots of chances to grow and make a real difference. You need to be flexible, resourceful, and okay with uncertainty, but it feels great to directly shape how a product grows. Even though there are long days and you have to switch between different types of work often, it's amazing to help build something from scratch. It's like being on a roller coaster that challenges your abilities and helps you become better at your job.

The product design process

Anton Sten — Sat, 08 Mar 2025 00:00:00 GMT

I was recently invited back to Ivey Business School to talk about the Product Design Process. I guess it's a good sign if you're invited back to do the same lecture once again, still, I can never shake the feeling of being way out of my depth when talking to a room full of really smart and bright people. But I guess it's true what they say — when you're way out of your comfort zone, that's when you're on the right path. I wanted to share a version of my talk online, even though transforming a talk to a blog post is never the same thing, especially this one as it lacks the thoughtful and engaged discussion I had with the students. ## Introduction to Product Design Product design isn't just about making things pretty. It's about making them work well for real people. It's about identifying problems, ideating solutions, and packaging it in something that's not just helpful, but joyful. Today, I'll walk you through the core of product design, where AI fits in, and how we make design decisions that actually improve lives. What does product design mean to you? If someone tells you they work with product design, what do you think they do? When we talk about product design, many think about physical objects. But in an increasingly digital world, you'll see that physical and digital products share the same creation process. Over the coming hour, we'll look more closely at the work we do as product designers and how much it shares with other principles of design. >"When you see an object, you may so many assumptions about an object. What it does, how well it's going to do it, how much you think it should cost." > "Ultimately my job as a designer is to look into the future, my job is to see what is going to happen, not what has happened." This is true for both physical and digital products, but in a digital world that moves so quickly, it's even more important to understand this in a digital context. ## What is Product Design? Product design isn't just about looks - it's about solving real problems. It blends functionality, usability, aesthetics, and continuous feedback. Often people get caught up with the word design and focus on looks. Design is how something looks, but also how it works, how it functions, what it does, how it does it, why it does it, and what many product managers tend to forget, ultimately design is just as much about what it doesn't do. ## Product Design Process Let's dive into the product design process, which is crucial for creating effective products. 1. First, user research is essential. We talk to users to understand their needs and behaviors, their pain points. 2. Next, we focus on functionality and usability. Our goal is to make products intuitive and easy to use, regardless of their type. Functionality includes scoping but more so prioritizing. 3. Aesthetics play a vital role. Good design means a product is easy to use but also aligns with the brand in terms of positioning and market. 4. Finally, prototyping, feedback and iteration are key. What can we build as easily as possible to test our assumptions, making the risk / reward ratio as beneficial as possible. Let's dive into each one of these and I'll also share how I'm using AI to move faster and get better work done in each of the steps. ## User Research Great products start with understanding real users, not guessing their needs. Research helps businesses avoid costly assumptions, validate ideas, and build products people actually want. Understanding pain points is not just about understanding what the pain point is, but why and what impact it has on their daily life. How would their lives change if this wasn't the case any more? * Interviews reveal deep user insights through direct conversations. * Surveys gather broad feedback to spot trends. * Usability testing uncovers pain points by observing real user interactions. > "Great products start with understanding real users, not guessing what they need." ### How I use AI for User Research I agree with the sentiment that AI isn't going to take your job, but a person using AI is. With design, and perhaps user research especially, there's a danger though on relying too much on AI. It's so much faster and efficient, but much about user research is catching these brief moments of... humanity. * Granola - I use Granola to transcribe and structure notes from UXR sessions. * Zoom - I use Zoom to run calls, record them, and pick out important clips. * Notion AI - Finally, all our research goes into Notion where we use Notion AI to search the full database of sessions. > "What you will get wrong is that you will not pay enough attention to your users. > > You will make up some idea in your own head that you will call your "vision", and you will spend a lot of time thinking about your vision. In a cafe. By yourself. And build some elaborate thing without going and talking to users, because that's doing sales, which is a pain in the ass, and they might say no. > > You will not ship fast enough because you're embarrassed to ship something unfinished, and you don't want to face the likely feedback that you will get from shipping. You will shrink from contact with the real world, contact with your users. That's the mistake you will make." > _Paul Graham_ ### Key takeaways 1. The biggest mistake? Ignoring users. Many teams get caught up in their own ideas instead of talking to real people. 2. The illusion of "vision." It's easy to fall in love with an idea in isolation, but without user input, it's just a guess. 3. Fear of feedback leads to slow progress. Teams delay shipping because they don't want to hear negative feedback—but that feedback is essential. 4. Reality check: Users shape success. The only way to build something people want is to engage with them early and often. ## Functionality and Usability A great product isn't just about what it can do—it's about how easily users can interact with it. Whether digital or physical, products should be intuitive, accessible, and effortless to use. This means designing logical interfaces, clear navigation, and ensuring usability for people of all abilities. The goal is not just functionality, but creating an experience that feels seamless and enjoyable. A product must first **work**—but great design makes it **usable** and even **pleasurable**. Usability isn't just for people with disabilities; it's about designing for real-life situations—tired users, distracted users, even drunk users. For Summer Health, a typical user might only have one hand available as they are carrying a child too. ### Maslow's Hierarchy of UX Needs 1. Functional – The product must work. _(Ex: A banking app allows login, bill payments, and account access.)_ 2. Reliable – Users need to feel safe and secure, especially in industries like banking. 3. Usable – Navigation must be intuitive, and everything should work as expected. _(This is where most products stop.)_ 4. Pleasurable – The experience should be enjoyable, setting a new standard. _(Robinhood disrupted finance by making investing feel effortless.)_ ### Here's how I use AI for Functionality and Usability * ChatGPT - I use ChatGPT as a quick research tool as well as a sparring partner for bouncing ideas off. * Summer Health Copywriter - I've setup a chat agent to write copy for my designs based on our brand voice. > "Bullsh*t. Look around you. You make choices based on design every day. > > Even if you can't design those things yourself, that doesn't take away from your ability to decide that was the chair you wanted to sit on, or the shoes you wanted to wear, or the car you wanted to buy. > > You know bad design when you encounter it. From every chair you've sat in that hurt your ass, to every coffee cup that burned your hand, to every time your finger triggered the wrong link on your phone, to every airline booking site that pissed you off. You know bad design. You hate it." > [_You're my favourite client by Mike Monteiro_](https://abookapart.com/products/youre-my-favorite-client.html) ### Key takeaways 1. Design influences decisions – Whether we realize it or not, design impacts every choice we make. You don't need to be a designer to recognize bad design – Everyone has experienced frustrating design, whether it's a bad chair, a confusing interface, or a terrible airline website. 2. Usability matters because bad design creates frustration – A product can be functional, but if it's difficult or unpleasant to use, people will avoid it. Great UX isn't just nice to have—it's expected – Users don't tolerate bad design, and businesses that ignore usability will lose to those who prioritize it. Any specific products that come to mind? Google Slides is my pet peeve! ## Visual Design Good design isn't just about making things look nice—it's about making them work better. A well-designed interface guides users, reduces confusion, and makes interactions feel effortless. **Good design isn't decoration—it's clarity.** ### Key Principles of Visual Design 1. Hierarchy – Directing Attention - Good design helps users focus on what matters. Think of a landing page—what's the first thing you notice? A headline? A call-to-action button? That's because designers use size, color, and spacing to create _visual hierarchy_. Without it, everything competes for attention, and the user doesn't know where to go next. 2. Consistency – Making Things Feel Familiar - Our brains love patterns. When buttons, menus, and layouts follow consistent rules, users don't have to _think_—they just know what to do. Imagine if every app had a different way to close a window. You'd go crazy! Consistency builds trust and makes interfaces feel intuitive. 3. Typography & Color – More Than Just Style - Typography and color aren't just about aesthetics; they directly impact usability. Ever tried reading light gray text on a white background? It's painful. High contrast improves readability, and font choices can change how a product feels. A financial app might use a bold, trustworthy font, while a meditation app might go for something soft and friendly. 4. Simplicity – Less is More - One of the biggest mistakes in design is trying to _add_ more instead of simplifying. Every element on the screen should serve a purpose. Apple is a great example—think of their product pages. No distractions, no clutter, just clear messaging and intuitive navigation. Simple doesn't mean boring; it means _clear_. Good design isn't about decoration—it's about clarity. When a product is visually well-designed, users don't have to struggle to use it, they just _get it_. ### Here's how I use AI for Visual Design * Visual Electric - I use Visual Electric to prompt for images that are impossible to find among stock libraries, like crying babies or a child with a rash (not to mention families that aren't white middle class…) * Stark - I use Stark to check design for color contrast and accessibility. ### Key takeaways As we've seen, visual design is not just about aesthetics—it's about function, clarity, and guiding the user experience. But that doesn't mean beauty doesn't matter. In fact, great design balances **usability and aesthetics**. Not balance because it's suggesting there's trade-off, but a great play between the two. That's why I love this quote: > "Don't make something unless it is both necessary and useful; but if it is both necessary and useful, don't hesitate to make it beautiful." > _Joshua Porter_ Great design is not just about what a product does, but how it makes people _feel_. If we can create something functional, reliable, and easy to use—why not make it beautiful too? ## Prototyping and iteration One of the biggest differences between physical and digital products is how they evolve over time. Physical products are locked in once they're manufactured—if there's a flaw, fixing it means going back through the supply chain, redesigning parts, and waiting months before customers see an improvement. This agility allows for continuous refinement—testing, learning, and improving over time. Instead of aiming for perfection before launch, great digital products embrace iteration, ensuring they stay relevant and meet user expectations. Digital products? Completely different story. 1. Digital Products Are Built to Evolve - In the digital world, we can iterate fast. If a feature isn't working, we tweak it. If users are struggling, we refine the design. This ability to make quick updates means that digital products aren't just _launched_—they're constantly _evolving_. 2. Speed Matters – Learn & Adapt Quickly - Companies that embrace fast iteration have a huge advantage. They don't wait for the 'perfect' product; they test, release, gather feedback, and improve. Think about apps like Instagram or Spotify—do you remember their first versions? Probably not, because they've evolved so much through continuous updates and user feedback. 3. Iteration vs. Perfection - Too many teams get stuck trying to make something perfect before launch. But perfection is a moving target—what works today might not work tomorrow. Instead, the best digital products focus on learning, adapting, and improving over time. The real power of digital products isn't just that they _can_ change—it's that they _must_ change to stay relevant. The best products are never truly finished. ### Here's how I use AI for Prototyping and Iteration * Lovable, Replit and V0 - I use tools like lovable, Replit and V0 to build actual prototypes quickly which are much more useful than static screens or Figma prototypes when getting feedback. * Cursor - I use Cursor as my primary IDE for writing code and content. > "I also make a point to regularly speak with customers. This is something a lot of people shy away from, because it's uncomfortable. > > This is something I remember learning from Ryan Delk years ago. He'd meet people who said they used his product, and he'd say, "That's amazing," but then immediately follow with: "What could we do better?" > > It's such a simple question, but a scary one. Most people would rather ask what someone loves about their product because it feels good, and it's less painful." > _Nathan Barry_ ### Key takeaways As we've discussed, digital products have the unique advantage of being able to evolve. But to improve, we need one critical thing—**real feedback.** Yet, many teams shy away from it. They'd rather hear what people _love_ about their product than face the hard truth of what's _not working_. But the best products don't come from avoiding discomfort—they come from embracing it. The best teams don't just listen to feedback—they _seek it out_. They don't wait for problems to show up—they go looking for them. Because every great product is built, not in isolation, but in constant conversation with its users. ## Tying It All Together So, what makes a great digital product? It's not just about having a good idea, or even strong execution. It's about constantly learning, improving, and evolving. Let's go over the key takeaways one last time. 1. Understand Your Users – Research, Don't Assume - We started with user research because it's the foundation of everything. The biggest mistake teams make is assuming they already know what users need. But the best products don't come from guessing—they come from listening. 2. Design for Usability – Functionality First, But Make It Intuitive - A product isn't great if people struggle to use it. Functionality is the starting point, but usability is what makes it successful. No one wants to fight with an interface just to complete a simple task. 3. Make It Visually Clear – Design Guides Users, Not Just Decorates - Visual design isn't just about aesthetics—it's about communication. A well-designed product removes confusion, builds trust, and makes interactions feel effortless. It's not about making things 'pretty'—it's about making them clear. 4. Iterate & Improve – The Best Products Evolve With Feedback - The best digital products aren't built in one go. They launch, they gather feedback, and they improve over time. The biggest difference between a mediocre product and a great one is the willingness to keep refining. At the end of the day, great products aren't built in isolation. They don't come from just one person's vision—they're shaped by real users, continuous learning, and thoughtful design. And the teams that embrace this mindset? They're the ones that build products people love.

Designers don't need to code. They need to learn to prompt.

Anton Sten — Wed, 09 Apr 2025 00:00:00 GMT

For years, I pushed back against the idea that designers should learn to code. It never made sense to me. Our time was better spent [sharpening how we think,](designers-write) not learning syntax. But something changed recently—and it changed fast. The ability to build what you design is obviously powerful. But coding isn't something you pick up overnight. The risk, as I saw it, was ending up stuck somewhere in the middle: half a designer, half a developer, not great at either. Whether that's valuable depends on the work you do. But for most designers, I still believe writing well is more powerful than coding. Being able to explain your thinking—to articulate the reasoning behind your design decisions—matters more than whether you can build the thing yourself. It always has. But over the last few months, I've had to reconsider. Because now, designers don't have to *code* to *build*. Tools like [Replit](https://replit.com), [V0](https://v0.dev), [Lovable](https://lovable.dev), [Cursor](https://cursor.sh), and a dozen more are changing the rules. You can launch real apps and websites without touching code. If you want proof, you're looking at it. I built this site myself, using Cursor and ChatGPT. The last time I built a site entirely on my own, it was a Geocities page on SunsetStrip. (If you know, you know.) ## Rebuilding my website Anyone who's visited my site before knows I have a habit of rebuilding it every 6–12 months. It usually starts small—an itch to tweak some part of the design—and then, before I know it, I'm redesigning the whole thing. In the past, that always meant reaching out to a developer. "Help me build it" was really just a polite way of saying "I'll pay you to build it." I'd been hearing the buzz around AI tools that promised to change all that. And I tried most of them. But nothing clicked. Maybe because I wasn't building real projects—just throwing random Figma files at them. Most tools stumbled over basic things like margins and corner radius. I can't even remember exactly why I decided to try Cursor instead of emailing a developer. But the moment I started, something felt different. I found myself losing track of time. I hadn't felt that way in ages. I was waking up eager to keep working. At times it felt like a superpower: a friend who could work alongside me, ready whenever I wanted to adjust a font size or tweak the line-height for the thousandth time. Now, don't get me wrong. Cursor—and every other AI dev tool out there—is still far from perfect. There were plenty of moments when I (quietly) yelled at it to *stop*. Once it decided my site needed a second footer, complete with a different name—Anton Johansson—and links to his Twitter and GitHub. When I added my work history, it randomly claimed I had worked at Twitter. These moments are funny, but they're also reminders of how early we still are. And yet, even with the bugs and hallucinations, the shift is clear. The tools are getting better—fast. They're learning to understand context. They're interpreting design needs more accurately. Every update shaves off a little bit more friction. Not all of these tools will survive. But the future they point to feels inevitable. What's important is seeing them for what they are: assistants, not replacements. They're great at the repetitive parts, at quick mockups, at handling the boring bits. But they still need you steering the ship. That balance—between AI doing the work and you shaping the work—is where design is heading. ## Designers need to learn how to prompt Which brings me to this. I still don't think designers need to learn to code. But I *do* think we need to learn how to prompt. No matter how smart the tools get, the person writing the prompt is still responsible for the outcome. Better prompts lead to better results. Every time. And this goes way beyond Cursor. It's true for Visual Electric. It's true for Midjourney. It's true for anything you're using to create. >"AI won't take your job. Someone using AI will." Here's how I learned that. When I first started building this site, I asked Cursor to help me choose a framework. I thought I'd use NextJS. But once I shared my real needs—static site, blog, fast—Cursor suggested Astro instead. And it was right. Over the next few weeks, we refined the layout. Pulled blog posts in from Ghost. Connected the newsletter form through Kit. Set up an RSS feed. Even experimented with animations. (Most of those experiments nearly ended with me tossing my laptop out the window, but that's another story.) What I discovered is simple: the more thoughtful and specific I was, the better the work got. It wasn't about the tool improving. It was about *me* getting better at asking. That's why I'm excited about what's coming. This isn't the end of design. It's the beginning. Designers are finally getting the tools to build what we imagine—exactly how we imagine it. So no, designers don't need to code. But we do need to experiment. We do need to play. And we absolutely need to learn how to speak clearly and fluently with these new tools. It starts with prompting.

Why prompting feels so hard (and why that's a good sign)

Anton Sten — Mon, 21 Apr 2025 00:00:00 GMT

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote that designers need to get better at prompting. The post got a lot of attention — apparently, it hit a nerve. In my Slack, Tejas asked a follow-up that made me realize I'd missed something important: ![Slack prompt example](/images/articles/prompt-slack.webp) >"I'd love to hear more about your experiences or resources where we as designers can explore and get better at using prompt-driven language effectively. Any recommendations?" At the time, I didn't have a satisfying answer. I still don't have a magic list of tools or tutorials to point to (unless Threads counts?). But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that might be the wrong place to look anyway. Prompting well isn't about copying templates. It's about clarity. And clarity is hard-earned. ### 1. Know what you're asking for The most obvious thing about AI is also the most important: the better the prompt, the better the output. That sounds simple until you try it. If you don't know what you want, or you're vague about what you're building, the AI can't help you. It can't fill in your thinking for you. One reason the default prompt is always something like "make a todo app" is because we all sort of know what that is. But try prompting something more specific — something only you understand — and you'll start to see where your own understanding breaks down. I asked Replit to help me build a gift registry for my wedding. I didn't just say "make a registry." I told it exactly what I wanted: images, titles, availability status, and a simple backend to edit gifts. Visitors needed to be able to reserve gifts and mark them as taken. That was enough to get a working prototype. That clarity came from thinking about how I wanted the app to behave — not just what it should look like. ### 2. Use AI to write better prompts Here's something counterintuitive: AI is actually great at helping you prompt better, if you let it. I often start with a messy description and then ask ChatGPT to help me rewrite it more clearly — include what to build, what not to build, and even how to build it. This helps a lot with tools like Visual Electric too, where the language of prompting feels unfamiliar. I've started using ChatGPT as a sort of prompt coach — explaining what I want to create, and then letting it guide the way I phrase the input. So maybe the best resource isn't a tool or a tutorial — maybe it's just practice. Treat prompts like prototypes. Rewrite them. Test them. See what breaks. The clearer your intention, the more useful AI becomes. This approach mirrors the value of writing in design. As I wrote in "Writing's gift? Better design", writing helps clarify our thinking. It forces us to articulate ideas that feel obvious in our heads but fall apart on paper. Prompting does the same thing. In both writing and prompting, the act of expressing our thoughts is what shapes them. It's not about knowing the answer upfront — it's about practicing the kind of clarity that design demands.

Designing less to learn more

Anton Sten — Sat, 03 May 2025 00:00:00 GMT

One of the funny things about process is how confidently it's packaged. The design sprint, for instance, comes with instructions precise enough to seem like a recipe. But anyone who's cooked knows recipes don't always account for the quirks of your kitchen — or your guests. Last week, I hosted Matthew, co-founder at Summer Health, at my home in the Swedish countryside. We'd both done the classic design sprint before — the kind with sticky notes, a strict five-day schedule, and a timer ticking like it's a game show. Ours happened last fall in San Francisco. And while it followed the rules, the outcome felt fuzzy. We came out of it with more questions than prototypes. That might be fine if your goal is to learn, but we weren't even sure what we'd learned. So this time we threw out the recipe. Instead of trying to compress understanding, ideation, and feedback into a single frantic week, we did something slower. Two weeks before Matthew arrived, we started interviewing users — not in the abstract, but real people navigating Medicaid, which is who Summer Health serves. We didn't ask what features they wanted. We asked about their lives. What they struggled with. How they actually solved problems. By the time we got to building, the question wasn't what to build. It was how simply could we build it. We used Replit to make basic, interactive prototypes. Not "high-fidelity." Not pixel-perfect. Just enough to show the shape of an idea. And then we gave them to users to play with — asked questions - and tweaked our prototypes. The prototypes grew alongside the feedback. ### Some surprising things happened First, even when you tell people to ignore the design, they don't. A semi-polished interface makes them think it's final. Ironically, our ugliest prototypes worked best — the roughness made people feel like their feedback could still change something. Second, people are more honest than we expect. If a feature felt useless, they said so. If something clicked, you could hear it in their voice. The feedback was clearer because the whole setup was more human. In a week, we built and tested three different prototypes. But more importantly, we came out with a plan that feels alive — one that'll keep changing with real use. I don't think we reinvented the design sprint. We just made it fit our context. We slowed it down, gave users more room to speak, and treated the week not as a finish line but as a starting point. It turns out you can move fast and take your time — if you're willing to rewrite the rules. We still had time for great meals — which, come to think of it, might've been part of the process.

Why great design managers are usually great designers first

Anton Sten — Sun, 11 May 2025 00:00:00 GMT

The design industry has a backwards promotion problem. We rush people into management before they've mastered the craft they're supposed to lead. The result? A layer of managers who sound smart in meetings but couldn't debug a component system if their budget depended on it. I was listening to [Mig Reyes on the Dive Club Podcast](https://www.dive.club/deep-dives/mig-reyes) recently, and he cut straight to it: you shouldn't go into design management until you've really excelled as an individual contributor. That might sound obvious, but look around. How many design managers do you know who got promoted because they were "ready for the next step" rather than because they'd gone impossibly deep on the work itself? I've worked under creative directors who hadn't touched a design file in years. Smart people, sure. They could talk strategy and stakeholder management all day. But ask them to show a junior designer how to set up a proper grid system or optimize a component for accessibility? Suddenly they're very busy with "strategic initiatives." They'd delegate it or, worse, wave it off as "execution details." Here's the thing: sometimes the best way to unblock someone isn't a pep talk. It's sitting down and showing them exactly how to solve the problem in Figma. But you can't do that if you've been living in PowerPoint for the past three years. Think about the best football coaches—Guardiola, Zidane, Xabi Alonso. They weren't just players; they were obsessive students of the game. When they became coaches, they didn't abandon that obsession. They brought it with them. They could see what their players couldn't see because they'd been there, in the weeds, figuring it out. The same logic applies to design management. Your team can smell it when you're faking fluency. They don't need you to be the best designer in the room, but they need to know you understand their world. That you've wrestled with the same constraints, felt the same frustrations, celebrated the same small victories. Step into management too early and you're missing half the vocabulary. You can't give advice on problems you've never solved. You can't predict the second-order effects of decisions you've never had to live with. Your team will figure this out faster than you think. I'm drawn to the people side of management—the conversations, the pattern recognition, helping someone level up their thinking. But I never want to be the kind of leader who can't open the file. Staying close to the work keeps me honest. It reminds me that design isn't something I used to do. It's something I still care about getting right. If you're thinking about moving into design management, don't ask "Am I ready to lead?" Ask: "Can I still solve the problems I'm asking others to solve?" If the answer is no, maybe spend another year or two in the trenches. Your future team will thank you for it.

Tiny frictions, better ideas

Anton Sten — Wed, 11 Jun 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Today I worked outside. Which, from a productivity standpoint, makes almost no sense. No external monitor, no mouse, a screen you have to squint at like you're reading by candlelight. Everything slows down. And yet, that's exactly what made it interesting. There's a kind of work mode I fall into sometimes—maybe you've felt it too—where everything is frictionless. I sit at my desk, the setup is perfect, and I just execute. Ideas turn into interfaces with very little resistance. It's satisfying. But it's also easy to go on autopilot, to run with the first solution that comes to mind. Working outdoors interrupts that flow. It introduces just enough friction to make me question things: Is this really the best way? What else could this be? I end up thinking more, not because I'm trying to, but because I'm forced to. And sometimes that's where the better ideas live—just on the other side of a minor inconvenience. I don't think one mode is better than the other. They're just different tools for different kinds of thinking. And let's be honest: in Sweden, we only get about 20 golden summer days a year. I'm not wasting a single one indoors if I don't have to.

From 'Maybe 6 months' to 3 years

Anton Sten — Tue, 08 Jul 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Tuesday, July 8 marks my three-year anniversary at [Summer Health](https://www.summerhealth.com). That might not sound like a long time—especially for someone who's been working in design for nearly three decades—but it's the longest I've ever stayed with one company in a single stretch.* So, why this place? And why now? Let me back up a bit. I started my design career in 1997, in a small Finnish town where the internet still felt more like a curiosity than a tool. I joined a local ad agency as what we called a 'web designer'—back when that meant doing everything yourself. You'd sketch a layout in a pirated version of Photoshop, slice the images by hand, code it in bare-bones HTML (because that's all there was), and upload via FTP. It was wild, chaotic, and kind of magical. These days, I can ask an AI to design and publish a site while I make a coffee. Back then, it took real time and duct tape. [One of the first websites I built looked like this.](https://web.archive.org/web/19980613231219/http://www.vsoy.fi/se/index.html) From there, I spent a short stint at a web agency before moving to Sweden to attend Hyper Island, which at the time was the coolest digital media school around. After two years—and an internship in London—I landed in Stockholm, aiming for agency life. I found work as a designer, quickly realizing that I was now the junior one in a sea of seniors. The stakes were higher, and the learning curve was steep. Like a lot of people in the industry, I figured out pretty early that if you want a raise or a better title, you switch jobs. So I did. Every two years or so, I moved: from Projector to Starring, then ANR BBDO, and eventually Bates Y&R in Copenhagen. In just under a decade, I climbed from designer to Senior Art Director to Creative Director, and my salary jumped more than 300%. Then the financial crisis hit in 2009, and the startup I'd joined at the time shut down almost overnight. Coming from an entrepreneurial family, I'd always imagined running my own company. I thought I'd build an agency, but what emerged instead was a one-man consultancy that lasted 15 years. And I loved it. I loved jumping into new projects, meeting new teams, and being hired for exactly the thing I did best. In those years, I worked with some of the most talented people I've ever met, many of whom I still call close friends. Freelancing gave me a sense of independence and variety that I thrived on. Then I got an email from someone named [Matthew Woo](/articles/head-of-product/). It was a short, straightforward message, but two things caught my attention: First, I'd been itching to do something more meaningful—something in the health space. After years of helping brands sell stuff, the idea of helping people felt like a shift I needed. Second, I wondered: Who is Kevin Twohy? ![Screenshot of email from Matthew](/images/articles/matthew-woo.webp) I had no idea then how much that email would change things. It turns out that doing work you genuinely care about can change your whole relationship with your career. I joined Summer Health as a freelancer, thinking it might be another 6–9 month project. That was my sweet spot: long enough to make a difference, short enough to avoid the drag of managing something instead of creating it. But this one stuck. I found myself more invested than I'd expected. And when Matthew showed me the notes from our first call—where he wrote 'Interested in committing but not committing too long'—I had to laugh. That was me. Except, not anymore. Three years later, I still feel like we're just getting started. The team has grown—we're about 20 now—but it still feels small in the best way. I work closely with most of them every day. And while the challenges are different, the shift in pace and focus has been just as demanding—just in a new way. In consulting, you need to bring your A-game every day. There’s no time to ease in; you’re expected to deliver clarity and direction from day one. But in a full-time role, the pressure shifts. You’re not just shipping work—you’re shaping direction, setting foundations, and thinking about what this looks like three years from now. There’s space to pause and reflect, but that’s part of the job. You’re not here to impress for a sprint. You’re here to help build something that lasts. ## So why have I stayed? It's not just the mission, though helping families get care when they need it most hits different than pushing pixels for a cereal brand. And it's not just the people, though I honestly enjoy working with this team more than I ever expected to in a remote setup. It's the combination: building something that matters, with people I admire, in a way that feels right. I've learned that staying doesn't mean standing still. These last three years have challenged me in ways that are just different from client work. The decisions run deeper. The timelines stretch longer. And the outcomes feel more personal—because they are. Consulting taught me how to bring clarity fast, adapt quickly, and deliver with precision. But building something over years—not months—pulls on a different set of muscles. It’s slower in pace, but not in intensity. ## And Kevin? Turns out he's a [brilliant designer](https://www.twohydesign.works/) and someone I now consider a friend—and a mentor. To this day, I can't believe he recommended me to the team without us ever having met. But that says everything about who he is: someone who brings good people together, someone who helps without expecting anything in return. I hope we get to build something together someday. *Not counting my own consultancy, of course. And if you stitched all the IKEA projects I've worked on over the years into one continuous timeline, that might come close too.

Leading as an introvert

Anton Sten — Wed, 23 Jul 2025 00:00:00 GMT

There's a persistent myth that great leaders are charismatic extroverts who energize rooms and rally teams through force of personality. If you're an introvert considering design leadership—or already in a leadership role and wondering if you're doing it wrong—let me tell you something: that myth is wrong. I've led teams of 20+ people and now manage consultants remotely. I've given talks to hundreds and prefer the Q&A to the presentation. I've learned that introversion isn't a leadership liability—it's just a different approach. ## The energy thing Being around people drains my energy rather than adding it. This doesn't mean I don't like people or can't work with them. It just means I need to be strategic about how and when I engage. The magic happens in 1:1 situations. When I'm with one person, I'm not performing for a crowd or trying to manage multiple personalities. I can actually be myself. This is why I've always enjoyed what I prefer to call "guiding" people rather than "managing" them. ## How I actually handle the energy drain **Meeting limits are non-negotiable.** I fight to keep meeting-heavy days to 4-6 meetings maximum. If I have a particularly meeting-heavy day, the next day needs to be almost meeting-free. This isn't just for recovery—it's so I can actually do work. I'm still a manager who designs. **Recovery looks mundane.** My best recovery days? Building out design system components in Figma. Repetitive, focused work. There's something restorative about that after a day of complex human interactions. **Slack over Zoom, always.** I can process and respond thoughtfully instead of performing in real-time. ## "I don't know" changed everything Early on, I thought leadership meant having all the answers. The more experience I got, the more I realized how much I didn't know. And you know what? That honesty builds trust in ways that fake confidence never can. When someone asks me how I'd solve a complex flow problem, I've learned to say "I need to think about that" instead of rambling an immediate response. But I don't just say "I don't know" and delegate it away. I go research it myself. Maybe that's inefficient, but I need to understand things deeply. That's how I build the knowledge to actually guide people next time. ## Working with your strengths instead of against them Nobody likes being told what to do. I give people responsibility and autonomy—the same thing I'd want. But I stay tuned in to when they need support. If someone asks for a 5-minute call to talk something through, I drop everything. That immediate availability prevents small issues from becoming big problems. I've always been pretty connected to emotions—mine and other people's. Turns out that's useful in leadership, even if it doesn't look like the stereotypical "commanding" style. One question that changes everything: In 1:1s with people on my team, I ask "If you had my role, what would you do differently?" This question is magic because it completely shifts the dynamic. Instead of them feeling like they're complaining about me or the organization, they're giving advice to someone in my position. It makes it safe for them to be honest about things that aren't working. The responses always surprise me. Sometimes it's something obvious I've been blind to. Sometimes it's a constraint they don't understand—and I can explain why we do things a certain way. But often, it's something I can actually change. The question turns potential frustration into collaboration. ## Remote work gets a bad rap I work remotely now, managing consultants. Sure, I miss some office things—coffee conversations, random discoveries about people's terrible music taste. But honestly? My personality is much better suited for this. When I led larger teams in-office, I had to get creative: - Project meetings instead of department meetings. Rather than cramming all 12 designers into one room, I'd run focused sessions with 3-4 people working on the same project. Less draining, more useful. - Coffee shop 1:1s were my secret weapon. Informal setting, one-on-one format. No group dynamics to navigate. The digital watercooler thing is real—it's harder to check in authentically with people remotely. But it's also easier to recharge between interactions. ## There's no playbook Here's what I wish someone had told me: there's no right way to lead. You can't follow someone else's approach and expect it to work. Leadership has to be authentic to who you are. You don't need to be the leader who gives inspiring speeches or "eats last." You can be the one who listens more than they talk, who creates space for others to shine, who builds trust through honesty. The design industry could use more leadership styles. If you're an introvert, don't try to become an extrovert to lead effectively. Work with your actual strengths, not against them. [I've written more about what makes great design managers](/articles/great-design-managers/) in this piece about the transition from individual contributor to leadership - including why you shouldn't make the jump too early. Your team doesn't need you to be someone else. They need you to be the best version of yourself. If you're an introverted designer thinking about leadership, I'd love to hear about your experience. Send me an email at [anton@antonsten.com](mailto:anton@antonsten.com). I read and reply to every message.

How to stand out when anyone can build anything

Anton Sten — Tue, 19 Aug 2025 00:00:00 GMT

>"AI may be the future, but Sam Altman just said that the present looks suspiciously like 1999. At a dinner with reporters, the OpenAI CEO said out loud what Wall Street has been whispering: Yes, this is an AI bubble. Investors are tossing money at anything with 'AI' attached to the name, the way they once did with dot-com startups and a domain registry." Sound familiar? It should. We're living through a perfect storm where building products has never been easier, money flows to anything labeled "AI," and the market gets flooded with half-baked solutions nobody asked for. The tools promised to democratize product creation. Mission accomplished—maybe too well. ## The barrier shifted (and most people missed it) Five years ago, the biggest hurdle to launching a product was actually building it. You needed developers, designers, infrastructure knowledge. The technical complexity kept most bad ideas from seeing daylight. AI tools like Lovable, Bolt, and v0 removed that barrier completely. Now anyone can spin up a working app in an afternoon. No-code platforms let non-technical founders build complex workflows. AI can generate interfaces, write copy, even handle basic user interactions. But here's what happened while everyone celebrated the democratization: **the real challenge should have shifted from "how do we build this?" to "what should we build that people actually want?"** Instead, most people just changed the question to "what do we build next?"—without ever asking whether people want it in the first place. The result? An explosion of products that work perfectly fine but solve problems that don't exist. Apps that look polished but feel hollow. Features that demonstrate technical capability but ignore human needs. The barrier to building dropped to zero. The bar for what users expect shot through the roof. ## The skills that actually matter now When anyone can build anything, standing out isn't about better tools or flashier features. It's about fundamentally different skills that most people skip entirely: ### 1. Understanding real user needs (not assumptions) Most products start with someone's assumption about what users want. "Wouldn't it be cool if..." or "I bet people would love..." Real user research feels slow and messy compared to just building something. But here's the thing: you can prototype an app in a weekend, but if you're solving the wrong problem, you just built garbage really efficiently. The best products start with deep user research. Not surveys about what features people want, but understanding their actual daily struggles. What makes them frustrated? What workarounds do they currently use? How would their life change if this problem disappeared entirely? This isn't about asking users what they want—it's about understanding what they need, often before they can articulate it themselves. ### 2. Business literacy (understanding the economics) Many founders—whether they come from design, development, or other backgrounds—build impressive demos that make terrible businesses. They optimize for complexity instead of value. They add features instead of solving core problems better. There's a running joke in the show Silicon Valley where founders are told never to mention revenue—if you have any, it's too little, so just say you're "pre-revenue." Funny on TV, but this mentality has infected real startups. Building becomes the goal, not building something people will pay for. Understanding business fundamentals helps you ask better questions: Who will pay for this? Why? How much? What's their budget for solving this problem? What are they using now, and why would they switch? You don't need an MBA, but you need to think beyond the product to the entire user experience—including the part where money changes hands. ### 3. Communication skills (translating needs into solutions) Here's something most technical people miss: the biggest part of product work isn't building—it's communicating. You need to translate user needs into technical requirements. Explain complex features in simple terms. Write copy that actually helps users accomplish their goals. Pitch ideas to stakeholders who don't think like you. Writing, specifically, has become a secret superpower. When anyone can build a functional app, the apps that succeed are the ones that communicate clearly at every touchpoint. ### 4. Craft and polish (building something truly outstanding) AI tools are great at getting you 80% of the way there quickly. The problem is, 80% looks obviously AI-generated. It feels generic. It lacks the small details that make products feel intentional and trustworthy. Real craft means understanding why certain design decisions work. It means obsessing over the details AI tools skip. It means building fewer features but making each one feel inevitable. None of the AI-generated products I've seen have this quality yet. They work, but they don't feel *right*. They solve problems but don't create delight. ## The opportunity (it's bigger than you think) Most people see the flood of AI-generated products as increased competition. I see it as a massive opportunity for anyone willing to do the harder work. When the market gets flooded with mediocre-but-functional products, users become more discerning, not less. They start caring more about how products make them feel, not just what features they have. The companies that understand this—that focus on real user needs, clear communication, business fundamentals, and genuine craft—won't just stand out. They'll dominate. ## What this means for you Whether you're a founder, designer, developer, or product manager, the skills that matter most have shifted: **Stop optimizing for** speed of development, feature count, or technical complexity. **Start optimizing for** user understanding, clear communication, business value, and thoughtful execution. The tools got easier. The job got harder. But for people willing to focus on what actually matters—understanding humans and building things they genuinely want—this is the best time ever to build something meaningful. Most of your competition is still trying to solve technical problems that no longer exist. While they're celebrating how quickly they can ship, you can focus on shipping the right things. --- This post draws heavily from ideas in my new book [Products People Actually Want](https://www.antonsten.com/books/products-people-actually-want/), which covers these skills in depth—from user research techniques to business fundamentals to communication strategies that actually work.

The book is out now. If you’re tired of building products nobody wants, it might be worth a read.

AI will happily design the wrong thing for you

Anton Sten — Mon, 29 Sep 2025 00:00:00 GMT

I need to clear something up about my book, "[Products People Actually Want](https://www.antonsten.com/books/products-people-actually-want/)." When I write about how "[anyone can build anything](/articles/how-to-stand-out-when-anyone-can-build-anything/)" now, some people assume I'm anti-AI. That I think these tools are ruining design or product development. That's not it at all. AI tools are incredible leverage. They make me think faster, broader, and help me produce better work. But like any creative partner or colleague, this doesn't happen out of the gate. I've spent hours—days—training my AI on how we write at Summer Health so the tone is right. I've taught it our business model. I tweak its suggestions to better match the experience we want to build. The problem isn't that AI exists. The problem is how most people use it. ## The real issue with "anyone can build anything" My book focuses on a specific problem: people building things without knowing if anyone actually needs them. When the barrier to building drops to zero, we get flooded with products that work fine but solve problems that don't exist. But there's a second issue too. While AI can help you get started quickly, it won't build something ready for mass market. Users' expectations for polish and detail are much higher than what AI produces by default. You can spot AI-generated work from a mile away because it lacks the intentional decisions that make products feel right. The combination is brutal: people building the wrong things, and building them poorly. Just last week, we saw a perfect example. Food influencer Molly Baz discovered that Shopify was selling a website template featuring what she called ["a sicko AI version of me."](https://www.businessinsider.com/shopify-pulls-design-influencer-molly-baz-calls-ai-copy-2025-9) The image—a woman in a red sweatshirt eating an onion ring in a butter-yellow kitchen—looked almost identical to her cookbook cover. This isn't really an AI problem, it's a laziness problem that AI makes more tempting. What used to be someone using an image without permission now gets dressed up as "AI-generated content." The ironic part? Creating something unique with AI tools is actually easier than trying to replicate someone else's work. The tools are there. The capability is there. The only thing missing is the intention to actually create something new. ## How I actually use AI I use AI tools extensively, but strategically: - **Granola** for transcribing user research sessions - **Visual Electric** for images that are impossible to find in stock libraries (like families that aren't white middle class) - **ChatGPT** as a sparring partner and for writing better copy - **Cursor** for building websites and prototypes - A custom copywriter agent trained on our brand voice But here's what I don't do: I don't use AI to replace thinking. I saw a tool recently that listens to user interviews and suggests follow-up questions. Tools like this make designers lazier, not better. You need genuine curiosity. You need to understand what you're looking for before you can synthesize anything meaningful. What AI is great at is helping you process large sets of information and pull out themes. But if you don't understand your users and what they're struggling with first, it's impossible to prompt any AI tool for a real solution. Here's the thing about AI tools: if you don't know what your customers want, if you as a designer don't have a view on how to package it, AI will happily make all of that up for you. That just doesn't mean it's the right thing. AI fills in the blanks confidently, but those blanks are exactly where the real design work should happen. ## The skills that actually matter The divide for engineers is easier to see: tools can help them code much faster, but it's worthless if they can't understand the generated code. For designers, the key skill going forward will be taste and curation. Understanding what you want to prompt before diving in. Knowing good work from generic work. Being able to refine and iterate until something feels intentional rather than automated. I think designers who resist AI entirely will find themselves without jobs in the next five years. When you can use AI to speed up tedious tasks, what's the reason for doing them manually? But designers who treat AI like a magic button will struggle too. The ones who thrive will use AI as leverage—to think better, work faster, and explore more possibilities than they could alone. ## AI amplifies everything Here's how I see it: AI is leverage. It amplifies whatever you bring to it. If you understand your users deeply, AI helps you explore more solutions. If you have good taste, AI helps you iterate faster. If you can communicate clearly, AI helps you refine that communication. But if you don't understand the problem you're solving, AI just helps you build the wrong thing more efficiently. If you have poor judgment, AI amplifies that too. The future belongs to people who combine human insight with AI capability. Not people who think they can skip the human part. My [book](https://www.antonsten.com/books/products-people-actually-want/) isn't the antidote to AI. It's about developing the judgment to use any tool—AI included—in service of building things people actually want. The better you understand users and business fundamentals, the better your AI-assisted work becomes. AI didn't create the problem of people building useless products. It just made it easier to build more of them, faster. The solution isn't to avoid the tools. It's to get better at the human parts of the job that the tools can't do for you. Yet. --- My book [Products People Actually Want](https://www.antonsten.com/books/products-people-actually-want/) is out now.

From powerful to personal: Where design is heading

Anton Sten — Thu, 02 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT

One of my favorite things about writing my newsletter is that it's not one-way. Most newsletters are—let's face it. But I get questions from readers that make me stop and think harder about things I thought I already had figured out. Alina sent me one of those questions recently: > "From what you've seen, how has design as a way to serve people changed during your career? I feel that in the past, design often showed how powerful a tool could be—it was more about showing what technology can do. Now it seems design is more personal: helping people get the tool they need right away. To me, that reflects a bigger social trend of asking, 'Who are you? What matters to you personally?'—almost a wave of psychological customization for each person." She nailed something I hadn't put into words yet. And I hope she's right—that design really is becoming more personal, more about helping people get what they need instead of showing off what's possible. ## The shift to personalization Personalization has quietly become one of the defining themes of the last few years. And it makes sense. Once you've experienced a solution that feels like it was built for you, why would you ever go back to something generic? The bar keeps rising. A personalized experience becomes the baseline. Then someone builds a *hyper*-personalized experience, and suddenly the old version feels stale. The only way to pull someone away from a tool they love is to offer them something even more tailored to their specific needs. And the next phase? Tools that are proactive instead of reactive. Not just responding to what you ask for, but surfacing things you didn't even know you were looking for yet. Showing you the answer before you've fully formed the question. AI is accelerating this in ways we're only starting to understand. It's not just about showing you content you might like or recommending products based on your browsing history. It's about adapting interfaces, interactions, and entire workflows to match how *you* think and work. We're moving past "one size fits all" and even past "a few sizes to choose from." We're heading toward "this was made for you, specifically." ## New surfaces, new possibilities But personalization isn't just about smarter algorithms. It's also about where and how we interact with technology. The Meta Ray-Ban glasses probably aren't *the* next big thing. But they're pointing in a direction that feels inevitable. Voice, gestures, wearables—these aren't novelties anymore. They're becoming legitimate interfaces. Designers are going to need to think beyond screens. What does personalization look like when the interface is a conversation? Or a glance? Or a gesture you make without thinking? This isn't science fiction. It's already starting to happen. And it's going to require us to rethink what "design" even means. ## Circling back So, Alina—I think you're onto something. Design really has shifted from "look what this can do" to "here's what this can do *for you*." And that shift isn't slowing down. If anything, it's accelerating. The question now isn't whether design will become more personal. It's how personal it can get before we start to feel like the tools know us a little *too* well. But that's a question for another post.

Henry Ford's horse problem wasn't about imagination

Anton Sten — Fri, 10 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT

>"If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses."
- Henry Ford (allegedly) This quote gets thrown around constantly—usually by someone who wants to justify ignoring user research entirely. The logic goes: users don't know what they want, so why bother asking them? The problem isn't the sentiment. It's that people are using it to defend bad research, not to avoid research altogether. Here's the thing: Henry Ford's mistake wasn't talking to users. It was asking the wrong question. ## The real problem with "faster horses" Let's assume Ford actually said this (there's no evidence he did, but let's run with it). The issue isn't that people asked for faster horses. It's that "What do you want?" is a terrible research question. Of course they said faster horses. That's the only frame of reference they had. But if Ford had dug deeper—if he'd asked about their actual problems instead of solutions—he would've heard something very different. Imagine if he'd asked: - What's frustrating about traveling with your horse? - Tell me about the last time you needed to go somewhere far away. - What stops you from traveling more often? - How does weather affect your trips? Suddenly you're not hearing "faster horses." You're hearing: - "I can't take my whole family without a carriage" - "Long rides leave me sore for days" - "I get soaked when it rains" - "My horse gets tired and needs rest" - "Feeding and caring for a horse is expensive" None of these answers mention cars. But every single one of them points directly to what a car solves. ## Good research doesn't ask for solutions The mistake most people make—and the one this quote reinforces—is thinking user research means asking users what to build. It doesn't. Good research uncovers problems. It reveals pain points. It helps you understand what people are actually struggling with in their daily lives. What they're working around. What they've given up on entirely. Users aren't supposed to design your product. That's your job. But they're the only ones who can tell you what's actually broken in their world. When you focus on understanding problems instead of collecting feature requests, you stop getting "faster horses" and start hearing real needs. ## Why this matters more now than ever Here's the irony: the same people who quote Henry Ford to avoid user research are now using AI to build products faster than ever. Which means they're building the wrong things faster than ever. The market is flooded with functional products that [solve problems nobody has](https://www.antonsten.com/books/products-people-actually-want/). Henry Ford couldn't build a car in a weekend. You can build a working app in hours with AI. The barrier to building dropped to zero. The barrier to understanding what people actually need? That stayed exactly the same. Which makes user research the only competitive advantage that matters. ## How to actually understand your users I've written before about [stakeholder interviews](https://www.antonsten.com/articles/stakeholder/) and the same principles apply to user research: **Ask about the past, not the future.** "Tell me about the last time you struggled with X" beats "What features would you want?" every time. **Focus on behavior, not opinions.** What people actually do matters more than what they say they'd do. Watch for workarounds—they reveal unmet needs. **Dig into the why.** When someone mentions a problem, ask why it matters. Then ask why again. The first answer is usually surface-level. The third or fourth answer is where the real insight lives. **Listen for emotion.** When someone's voice changes—frustration, relief, resignation—you've hit something that actually matters to them. None of this requires a PhD. It just requires showing up with curiosity instead of assumptions. ## The bottom line The Henry Ford quote isn't wrong because users can't imagine solutions. It's wrong because it defends lazy research. Great products don't come from avoiding users—they come from understanding them deeply. Not asking what they want, but understanding what they struggle with. What they're working around. What they've accepted as "just the way it is." That's how you build something people actually need instead of just another faster horse.

When execution gets easy, taste gets harder

Anton Sten — Wed, 22 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT

A student, [Thomas](https://www.thomasbudiman.com/), asked me recently how I see AI changing design over the next few years. I gave him an answer I didn't expect to give: the lines are blurring, and that's actually good news. For as long as I've been designing (nearly three decades now), there's been a clear handover point. Designer makes mockups. Developer builds them. Maybe some back-and-forth happens. But the roles stayed pretty distinct. That's changing fast. ## The handover is getting fuzzy I used Cursor to build my website. I understand CSS conceptually, but I couldn't write it from scratch. I just kept prompting and tweaking until it worked. Meanwhile, the engineers I work with now make design-related tweaks directly. They're not asking for permission to adjust padding or swap a color. They're just doing it. This isn't a takeover. It's a shift. And honestly? It mirrors what happened when designers started using tools like Figma that made it easier to think in components and systems. The tools changed, so the work changed. But here's what I'm watching for: I don't think we're done yet. Right now, the tools still have a clear starting point. You either start visual (Figma, Lovable) or you start with code (Cursor, v0). What I'm curious about is when something blends both—real structured code with a visual canvas you can just edit. Framer might be heading there. I haven't tried designing directly in it yet, but it's on my list. Because I think that's where this goes. Not designers coding. Not developers designing. Just people making things, using whatever tool fits the moment. ## So what do designers bring to the table? If execution gets easier, if anyone can spin up a decent interface, what's left for designers? **Taste.** And before you roll your eyes, I don't mean "good taste" in the subjective, art-school sense. I mean taste as judgment. The ability to know what will resonate. What works visually, but also strategically. What fits the business, the users, the moment. Think about Rick Rubin. Famous music producer. Can't play an instrument. Can't work a mixer board. Has no technical music ability. But his taste, and his confidence in that taste, has produced more hit records than almost anyone. Across completely different genres. Metallica. Jay-Z. Johnny Cash. That's not about execution. It's about knowing what works and why. And that's where design is heading. Away from "make it look good" and toward "make it work and know why it works." ## The bubble is expanding Here's how I explained it to the student: imagine the role of a designer used to be a small bubble. If you were a decent designer, you could fill that bubble pretty well. Now that bubble is expanding. It includes more strategy. More understanding of context. More judgment about what to build and why, not just how to build it. The designers who thrive will be the ones who expand to fill that space. The ones who get stuck will be the ones who keep working within the old, smaller boundaries. And here's the interesting part: as that space grows, the gaps become more obvious. Previously, if you could execute decently, you were fine. Now, as the role expands, it's much clearer when a designer isn't filling the available space. ## What taste actually means Taste isn't about knowing what looks good. It's about knowing what will work and why. It's judgment. Pattern recognition. Understanding what resonates with people, even when you can't articulate exactly why. In design, taste means: - Knowing which problems are worth solving - Seeing which solutions will actually work in the real world - Understanding what will resonate with users and the business - Having conviction about direction when everything feels uncertain This isn't new. But when execution was hard, designers could hide behind the craft. "I'm good at Figma" was enough. Now it's not. ## The two camps (and why both are wrong) I've noticed designers split into two camps lately: 1. People who refuse to use AI at all 2. People who want to use AI for everything Neither is the path forward. AI is a great tool. But it's not always the best tool. Sometimes you need to sketch. Sometimes you need to talk to users. Sometimes you need to just sit and think. The goal isn't to use AI more. It's to use it when it actually helps. ## What this means for you If you're a designer wondering what to focus on as tools get easier: **Stop optimizing for execution speed.** Anyone can move fast now. The question is whether you're moving in the right direction. **Develop conviction.** Not arrogance. Conviction. The confidence to say "this will work" or "this won't" based on something deeper than personal preference. **Learn to fill the expanding space.** Strategy isn't someone else's job anymore. Neither is understanding users deeply. Neither is thinking about business context. These are designer problems now. **Stay skeptical of both camps.** The people who refuse to touch AI and the people who want AI to do everything are both wrong. Use the tool when it helps. Ignore it when it doesn't. **Practice making judgment calls.** Not just visual ones. Which feature matters most? Which user problem is actually worth solving? What will move the business? These are taste questions. The hard part about execution getting easier is that it exposes everything else. You can't hide behind craft anymore. But if you're willing to expand into the space that opens up, to develop taste, judgment, and conviction, this is actually the most interesting time to be a designer. The role isn't shrinking. It's just becoming more obvious who's actually filling it.

The hidden cost of shipping too fast

Anton Sten — Fri, 21 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Speed is the default expectation in most startups. If you are not shipping fast, it can feel like you are falling behind. After 25 years of working with a wide range of teams, I have noticed a pattern: speed often gets treated as progress even when no one has agreed on what progress actually means. Speed works beautifully when there is clarity. When clarity is missing, moving quickly usually creates work that takes months to untangle. The common scenario is easy to recognize. Someone says, "We already know what to build," and the team moves straight into execution. Design gets a ticket. Engineering starts estimating. Leadership pushes for timelines. Everyone wants motion because motion feels productive. But without a shared understanding of the problem, everything becomes a matter of opinion. Instead of "Here is what our customers need," the conversation becomes "Here is what I think we should build" and "Here is what you think we should build." Once that happens, things slip quickly. The first thing to break isn't the product. It is decision making. When the problem is not clearly defined, decisions naturally end up with the most senior person in the room. It is rarely intentional. It is simply how companies behave under time pressure. What follows is a quiet shift in the team's energy. Designers stop exploring alternatives and choose the first workable idea. Engineers steer toward the easiest approach, not the best one. Meetings get quieter. The team moves from momentum to maintenance. This is not about people being unmotivated. It is what happens when the path forward is unclear. Humans conserve energy. And at the same time, leaders often find themselves lowering their own standards without noticing it at first. You adapt to the room. Not because you want to, but because that is what groups do. The worst moment is not when a bug ships. It is when you look at the work and realize it is no longer something you are proud of. Speed has not just weakened the product. It has weakened the craft. I have seen teams move so fast that they spend the next six months repairing what should have been built thoughtfully the first time. In those cases, the fast approach becomes far slower. This is why I appreciate the distinction between speed and velocity. At Summer Health, one of our values is to optimize for velocity, not speed. Speed is simply movement. Velocity is movement with direction. When a team shares the problem and the purpose, moving quickly becomes energizing rather than chaotic. The reset is simple and almost always effective. Before building anything, pause long enough to ask, "What problem am I solving, and for whom?" It sounds basic, but this question forces alignment. It replaces assumptions with clarity and shifts attention back to the user instead of internal preferences. When teams do this consistently, the entire atmosphere changes. Decisions become easier. Roadmaps make more sense. People contribute more of themselves. You can feel momentum return. The biggest pattern I have seen across startups is that skipping clarity never saves time. It costs time. The fastest teams are not the ones shipping the most. They are the ones who understand why they are shipping. That is the difference between moving for the sake of movement and moving with purpose. It is the difference between speed and true velocity.

Vibe coding for designers: my actual process

Anton Sten — Thu, 11 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Martijn asked a great question in my community Slack the other day: >"Have you documented your vibe coding process somewhere? I'm curious about your overall approach to creating a website like yours and what tools you use. Do you use platforms like Lovable or Cursor? How skilled are you with code? What about the backend? Have you run into issues you couldn't solve yourself?" I haven't documented it—until now. So here's the honest breakdown of how I built and maintain antonsten.com using AI, what actually works, and where I've thrown my hands up and walked away. ## Why vibe code at all? Let me start with the obvious question: why not just use Ghost or Framer or whatever and focus on the actual work? Fair point. And honestly, for a lot of people that's the right call. I originally moved to Ghost because I liked that it was indie and I wanted one place for my newsletter and blog. But it turned out that setup only makes sense if your newsletter and blog content are 1:1—which isn't the case for me. I was also paying for something that felt like an ongoing expense I didn't need. So I had a practical problem: I wanted something cheaper and more flexible. And it turned out I could now build it myself. That's the real story. I didn't set out to learn vibe coding for its own sake. I had a problem, and AI tools had gotten good enough that building my own site became a realistic option. Now I run a static Astro site deployed through Netlify. No monthly fees, full control. But here's the honest take: if you just want to write and not think about your website, use Ghost. Use whatever gets out of your way. Vibe coding makes sense if you want control and enjoy tinkering. It's a trap if it becomes procrastination dressed up as productivity. ## Start in Figma, not in a prompt This might be the most important part: I don't start by talking to AI. I start in Figma. I know Figma. I can move fast there. So I sketch out the scaffolding first—general theme, grids, typography, color. Maybe one or two pages. Nothing polished, just enough to know what I'm building. Why does this matter? Because [AI will happily design the wrong thing for you](/articles/ai-will-happily-design-the-wrong-thing-for-you/). If you open Claude Code with a vague prompt and no direction, you'll get something—but it probably won't be what you needed. AI is a builder, not an architect. You still have to be the architect. I've never been able to vibe code anything just out of the blue. I need to know the desired outcome before I start prompting. Maybe that's a personal limitation, but I suspect it's actually how this works best. ## The actual tools Once I have the design direction, I move to VS Code with Claude Code (I used Cursor before, both work well). My first step is defining what we're building. I describe the page structure—what sections it should include—and then work piece by piece on components: newsletter signup box, callout section, button styles, that kind of thing. High-level first, then smaller chunks. For hosting, I use Astro as a static site generator, connected to Github and deployed through Netlify. No database, no CMS. When I want to publish a new blog post, I literally ask Claude to do it and push to Github. Yes, that's unconventional. But it works for a site like mine where I'm the only editor. ## My coding skills (or lack thereof) I did some coding in the late 90s. That's roughly where my skills are today. I understand HTML and CSS well enough to read what's happening, but I couldn't build anything from scratch myself. What this means in practice: I can make tweaks. Adjusting margins, changing typography, small fixes—I can do that by hand. But the heavy lifting? That's Claude. Understanding code, even at a basic level, helps. You don't need to be a developer, but knowing what you're looking at makes the back-and-forth much smoother. ## Even the writing Here's something that might surprise you: I use a similar process for writing these posts. I collect my initial thoughts—rough ideas, half-formed points—and then work with Claude by having it ask me clarifying questions. This helps me think through aspects I might have missed, while making sure the final piece reflects my thinking. Because just like AI will happily design the wrong thing for you, it'll happily write the wrong thing too. Once the post is ready, I paste it into VS Code and ask Claude to publish it. Same workflow, different output. ## The iteration never stops The first version is never good enough. Never. I still make tweaks to my site on a weekly basis. Partly because things break or look off in certain contexts, but mostly because I treat the site as a playground. It's where I experiment, try new things, and occasionally break something at 11pm and have to fix it before bed. This is actually one of the joys of this approach—the site becomes a living thing you can tinker with instead of a finished artifact you're afraid to touch. ## Where I've hit walls Let's be honest: I run into problems I can't solve all the time. Sometimes I just can't get the prompt right. I'll describe what I want, Claude will build something close but not quite, I'll try to clarify, and we'll go in circles until I give up. Animations and transitions have been particularly brutal. One example: I spent hours trying to get an image to unmask on scroll. Simple enough concept, right? Instead I got the entire page unmasking. Then the image being static while everything else moved. Then something that technically worked but looked terrible. Eventually I just... didn't do it. Moved on. The site survived. When I get stuck, I'll sometimes ask Claude (or ChatGPT) to explain what's happening rather than just fix it. That helps me learn. Other times I accept that this particular feature isn't happening today. ## What this means for designers Any designer can do this. The tools are accessible, the learning curve is manageable, and you don't need to become a developer. But—and this is important—you still need design thinking and systems thinking. AI handles the syntax, but you need to know what you're building, why you're building it, and how the pieces fit together. The hard part was never the code. The hard part is the decisions. So yes, designers should embrace AI. But let's keep designing. Be explicit about what you're building before you ask AI to build it. If you're curious but haven't tried it, start small. A landing page. A personal project. Something where the stakes are low and you can experiment.

2025 Year in Review

Anton Sten — Thu, 18 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT

I've been writing these yearly reviews for a while now. If [2024](2024) was about momentum, 2025 was about finishing. ## Work 2025 felt less like a year of expansion and more like a year of completion. The biggest shift in my work came at the very end of the year, when I wrapped up my work [Summer Health](/case/summerhealth) and returned to independent consulting. I spent nearly [three and a half years](from-maybe-6-months-to-3-years) with the company — far longer than I initially expected. When I joined in 2022, we were a team of five. By the time I left, the company had grown to nearly twenty. During that time, I was responsible for all design across the company — product, marketing, and brand. That included leading the product design work for both the [Care App](/case/summerhealth) and [CareOS](/case/summerhealth-careos), as well as all marketing design and decks, including the Series A pitch. Together with the team, we shipped foundational products that defined how parents and clinicians interacted with the platform. I'm deeply proud of that work, not just because of what we built, but because of the care and intent behind it. This year also brought moments that made the journey feel tangible. I got to see parts of the U.S. I'd never visited before through team offsites in Las Vegas and Austin, spent time in San Francisco, and — perhaps most memorably — hosted Matthew in Sweden for a week-long product sprint. That week stands out as a reminder of what I enjoy most: focused collaboration, clear problems, and building something real, together, from the ground up. Leaving [Summer Health](/case/summerhealth) wasn't an easy decision, but it was a clear one. The next phase would have meant moving from inventing to managing, from creating to maintaining. That's valuable work — but it's not where I do my best thinking. What I've missed about consulting is the ability to set my own arc. No matter how good the company, there are natural boundaries to how much you can shape your role, your growth, and the space you leave for personal work. I do my best work when things are still undefined — when the hard questions haven't been answered yet and design helps shape the direction, not just execute on it. So I'm returning to consulting with intention. I'm most useful in small, design-centric teams — often under twenty people — where clarity still needs to be created and the product is finding its form. I've always been a 0 → 1 designer, and after three and a half years of building, it feels right to start from zero again. ## Website & Newsletter The website has always been my playground, and this year I rebuilt it twice. The second rebuild wasn't about aesthetics — it was about control. I wanted the site to better reflect my work, including more detailed case studies, and to be able to change and extend it myself. For the first time, I could design and ship directly without having to hand things off or hire developers to make even small adjustments. That shift has changed how quickly I experiment — and, more importantly, how I think. The line between design and engineering has blurred in a way that feels both practical and creatively freeing. Alongside the site, the newsletter continued to grow steadily. I've been writing much more this year, which feels right. Writing remains the clearest way I know to think through design problems — slower than sketching, but more honest. It forces decisions. The biggest milestone here was releasing my book, [Products People Actually Want](/books/products-people-actually-want). I originally set out to rewrite my first book, User Experiences That Matter, but during the editing process it became clear that too much had changed in ten years. The industry, the tools, and my own perspective had all moved on. Instead of revising, I started from scratch. The book became a way to consolidate years of work, writing, and thinking into something more durable. ## Personal August was the highlight of the year: Anna and I got married. We hosted close friends and family in our garden, here at home. It was simple, warm, and exactly right. A day that felt less like an event and more like a confirmation of the life we're building together. After the wedding, we spent a couple of quiet, beautiful days in Nice — a soft landing after an intense and emotional summer. Earlier in the year, I got to spend my 44th birthday in Marrakech. It's a beautiful, vibrant city — overwhelming in the best possible way — and a place I'd happily return to. Almost 35 years ago, I had one of those rare, formative moments when I first heard Creep by Radiohead on MTV. I still remember where I was standing and how it made me feel. This year, I finally got to see Radiohead live in Copenhagen. It felt quietly surreal — one of those long arcs that only make sense in hindsight. There was football too. I got to see Liverpool play again — beaten on the day, but still champions. The result mattered less than the weekend itself: time in London with my brother-in-law and nephew, wandering the city, talking about everything and nothing. Outside of that, life has been steady in good ways. Living in the countryside with Anna and Taylor continues to be grounding. Countless walks along the beach and through the forest, across seasons and weather. More movement, more quiet, fewer distractions. It's a rhythm that feels increasingly non-negotiable. ## Closing 2025 wasn't a year of expansion. It was a year of finishing things properly. I closed a long chapter of work, shipped something I'd been circling for years, and made a few deliberate choices about how I want to spend my time. That feels sufficient. I'm heading into the next year with less momentum and more control. That's usually a better starting point.

Build something silly

Anton Sten — Sat, 14 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Matt Shumer's [Something Big is Happening](https://shumer.dev/something-big-is-happening) has been making the rounds this week. If you haven't read it, it's a 5,000-word letter to non-tech friends and family about what AI is doing to the world right now. Some of it is hyperbolic. Some of it feels like the "learn to code" advice of 2020 — confident about a future that hasn't happened yet. But the core message is right: if you're not experimenting with these tools, you're falling behind. Where I think Shumer's post is most useful is in its advice to non-technical people. Not the doomsday stuff. The practical stuff. Stop treating AI like a search engine. Push it into your actual work. See what happens. I'd take it one step further. Don't just use AI. Build something with it. ## I can't code Let me be clear about something. I'm not a developer. I did some coding early in my career, but that was at the end of the 20th century. We're talking Geocities-era HTML. For the past 25 years, every time I needed something built, I hired someone. That changed last year. I [rebuilt my entire website](https://www.antonsten.com/articles/designers-prompt/) using Cursor and Claude. No developer. Just me, prompting my way through it. It's not rocket science, but it's not nothing either — it's a real site with a blog, newsletter integration, RSS feed, the whole thing. That experience opened a door I didn't expect. ## From $11/month to free I'd been a [Harvest](https://www.getharvest.com/) customer for about ten years. It handled time tracking and invoicing. It was fine. But when I returned to consulting recently, I asked myself a question I'd never considered before: do I actually need this? I tried [Midday.ai](https://midday.ai), which has some clever features. But paying $29/month for someone who sends one or two invoices a month didn't make financial sense. So I did what I think anyone in this position should at least consider doing — I started building my own tool. It wasn't that complicated, mainly because I knew exactly what I needed. Import my clients and invoices from Harvest. Create new invoices connected to a client. Generate PDFs I could send. That's it. No features I'd never use. No settings I had to ignore. Just exactly what I needed. And it was done in less than two days. ## Then something clicked For the first couple of weeks, my tool worked like any other invoicing app. Click to create a client. Click to create a project. Fill out details. Click Save. It followed the same patterns I'd been trained on by a decade of SaaS products. Then it hit me — I was building software that lived by old rules. Rules designed for generic tools that serve thousands of users. But this tool serves exactly one user. Me. So I changed it. Now, instead of manually entering client details, I upload a signed contract and let AI parse it — mapping it to an existing client or creating a new one, extracting the scope, payment terms, duration, everything. It creates my own vault of documents. I added an AI chat where I can ask things like "draft an invoice for unbilled time on Project X" or "what's the total amount invoiced to Client Y this year?" or "what does my availability look like in April?" None of this is rocket science. But it's mine. It does exactly what I need and nothing else. ## This isn't just about me Wall Street has noticed this shift too. A few weeks ago, SaaS stocks lost $285 billion in value after Anthropic released new AI tools. Traders are calling it the "SaaSpocalypse." The fear is simple: if people can build their own tools, why would they keep paying for generic ones? That's probably overblown for enterprise software. Nobody's replacing Salesforce with a weekend project. But for individuals and small businesses? The math is changing fast. My friend Elan Miller recently launched a [competitive brand audit tool](https://audit.off-menu.com/) — a way for anyone to analyze how their brand voice compares to competitors. He's a brand strategist, not a developer. A year ago, building something like that would have meant hiring an agency. Now it's something one person can ship. This is where Shumer is right and where it gets exciting. Not the "your job is going to disappear" part. The part where regular people — designers, consultants, strategists, teachers, whoever — can build tools that are perfectly shaped for their specific needs. ## The mindset shift matters more than the tool Here's what I think is actually important about all of this. It's not the invoicing tool. It's not my website. It's the shift in thinking. For decades, the default response to any problem was "what software should I subscribe to?" We browsed Product Hunt. We compared pricing pages. We squeezed our workflows into someone else's idea of how things should work. What if the default question became "could I build something myself?" Not always. Not for everything. But as a first instinct instead of a last resort. That mental shift — from consumer to builder — is what I think people should be practicing right now. And the only way to develop it is to start small. Build something silly. Build a tool that tracks your dog's meals. Build a dashboard for your book club. Build an invoicing tool because you're tired of paying $11/month for features you don't use. The point isn't the tool. The point is the muscle. Once you've built one thing, you start seeing opportunities everywhere. You stop asking "is there an app for that?" and start asking "what if I just made it?" That's the real takeaway from this moment. Not that AI is going to eat the world. But that for the first time, building software isn't reserved for people who know how to code. And the people who figure that out early — not by reading about it, but by doing it — will have a significant advantage. Yuval Noah Harari was asked a few years ago what the most important skill for the coming decades would be. His answer wasn't coding. It wasn't AI literacy. It was adaptability. > "The most important skills for surviving and flourishing in the 21st century are not specific skills. Instead, the really important skill is how to master new skills again and again throughout your life." Building something silly is how you practice that. Not because the tool matters, but because the act of building rewires how you think. You stop being a passive consumer of software and start being someone who shapes their own tools. That's adaptability in action. So build something. It doesn't have to be good. It doesn't have to be useful to anyone but you. Just build it.

Onboarding is a transaction

Anton Sten — Tue, 17 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

A design post that's not about AI. I know. Rare. I've been working with two different teams lately, both early-stage, both building something genuinely useful. And both had made the same decision before I arrived: keep onboarding as short as possible. Fewer screens. Fewer questions. Get users to the product fast. I understand the instinct. Churn during onboarding is the thing that keeps founders up at night. Every extra screen feels like a risk. So you cut, and cut, and cut until what's left is a signup flow so frictionless it almost feels rude — like meeting someone and immediately handing them a set of keys. But here's the thing they were both missing: onboarding is one of the few moments where you have a user's complete attention *and* their clear intent. They just decided they want what you're building. They're motivated. They're present. That is not a moment to rush through. ## Efficient doesn't mean fewer questions When people talk about efficient onboarding, they usually mean fewer steps. But that's not what efficient actually means. Efficient means getting as much value as possible — for both sides — while keeping the user willing and engaged. A user who flies through a four-screen signup and lands in a generic empty state is not a success story. You got them in the door, sure. But you know nothing about them, and they're already wondering what to do next. Compare that to a user who spends two more minutes during onboarding, answers a few specific questions, and arrives in an experience that already feels like it was made for them. That's efficient. Not because it was fast, but because it worked. ## The deal people are actually willing to make At Summer Health, we asked parents for their home address during onboarding. On paper, that sounds like exactly the kind of friction you'd want to cut. A home address? For a telehealth service treating your kids? That's not just friction — that's a trust test. But we didn't just ask for it — we explained why. If you give us your address, we can route prescriptions to your closest pharmacy. You give us something, we give something back.

We also asked parents, early in the flow, whether they had an urgent question right now. If they said yes, we stopped onboarding entirely and connected them straight to a pediatrician. If they said no, we'd say great — and carry on. That's not a question designed to collect data. It's a signal to the user that we understand why they're here, and that we'll drop everything if they need us to. The onboarding can wait. Then we asked about medical history and allergies. Heavy questions. The kind that make people hesitate. But we were upfront about why: we're asking now so we already know when something urgent is happening. Nobody wants to answer questions about their child's penicillin allergy while they're panicking at midnight. We ask during onboarding so we never have to ask then. People don't mind sharing. The problem isn't the questions — it's when it feels like a company collecting data points rather than actually caring about the answer. The moment it feels like a form versus a conversation, people shut down. Onboarding is a transaction. You're asking for information, time, and trust. In return, you owe them a better experience. When that exchange is clear and honest, users lean in. When it's not, they abandon. ## What the questions you skip are telling you There's a useful test here that I keep coming back to: if you're not sure whether to include a question in onboarding, ask yourself whether you can justify *why* you're asking it — not to yourself, but out loud, to the user. "We're asking for your role so we can show you the features most relevant to how you work." "We're asking about your team size so we don't waste your time on things that don't apply." If you can say it plainly and it sounds reasonable, ask it. If you find yourself reaching for vague justifications, or worse, deciding you don't actually need the answer for anything specific — that's telling you something. Either the question shouldn't be there, or you haven't yet figured out what you'd do with the answer. Both are worth knowing. ## The moment won't come back The startup instinct to minimize onboarding comes from a real fear, and I'm not saying ignore it. Drop-off during signup is real, and a bloated onboarding flow with irrelevant questions is genuinely a problem. But so is the missed opportunity. You will never again have this user's attention the way you have it right now. They signed up. They're curious. They want to be here. Ask them something. Make it worth answering. Tell them why. That's not friction. That's just a conversation.