Working in a fast-paced agile environment with a focus on quick iterations and MVP milestones, teams inevitably accumulate design debt. Find out what it is, why it exists and how to deal with it. — What is design debt? A lesser-known cousin of the technical debt, this term refers to all the product design imperfection that accumulate over time. It can take many forms and cover both the product and the process:

You need a portfolio in order to get work, and you need work to grow your portfolio. Many early-career designers are caught in this catch-22 with no obvious way forward. Here are six ways to grow your design portfolio from obvious to more imaginative. — Personal projects You don’t need to get commissioned in order to do design work! If you have an idea for a new digital product or came up with a way to improve an existing one, go ahead and turn this into a case study.

The world’s largest language learning platform recently rolled out a major update to its 50M active monthly users. The new “path UI” aims to simplify the learning experience, but it comes with some major usability flaws. — I have been using Duolingo for almost a decade, which is long enough to remember that Duo didn’t always look as cute as today. Over this time, the platform underwent major changes, most of which seemed a little annoying at first, but grew on me quickly. …

Creative challenges are great opportunities to improve your craft, build portfolio and be part of a vibrant community of makers. Here are eight tips for getting the most out of the experience! — Over the past month I took part in the classic Inktober challenge which sees thousands of artists from around the world sharing their ink drawings in response to daily prompts. I’ll be honest, this wasn’t my first rodeo. …

Design systems are quickly becoming a must-have for large and small organisations alike. They promote consistency, speed up the design and development processes, and ensure every part of the digital interface is built on the same principles and values. I researched some of the best-in-class examples and identified six shared principles of great design systems. — 1. They are built on company values

As a product design mentor, I get asked variations of the same questions time and times again. Of course, my exact answers will depend on the individual’s unique circumstances, but some advice will be relevant for most aspiring designers. — Whether you are looking to improve your UX skills, catch the recruiters’ eyes with a shiny CV and portfolio or land your first (or second, or third) design gig, here are my answers to some of the most frequently asked design mentoring questions.

Questions to consider when designing inclusive digital experiences. — Inclusivity is at the heart of user-centric design approach, which considers not just the average user, but all users. The alternative is best summarised in the words of accessibility engineer Billy Gregory, who famously tweeted: That said, inclusivity isn’t an on/off switch you can magically flip in an instance…

User experience design is full of technical jargon that can be hard to decipher. This personal project is a growing library of UX terms and their definitions. Please leave a comment to suggest a term you would like to see explained. — A/B testing A research methodology that consists of randomised experiments with two variants (the “A” and “B”). It can be used during the main testing phase or post launch but requires a large sample size for accurate results.

Having a mentor can be invaluable in helping you grow and progress in your career, and a little reflection and preparation can go a long way. Here are seven simple tips for getting the most out of mentoring. — The best examples of mentor-mentee relationships represent the most beautiful aspects of human nature: curiosity, humility and yearning for improvement from a mentee seeking guidance, and wisdom, patience and dedication from a mentor who volunteers their time to pass on the knowledge. …