The hottest Process Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Art & Illustration Topics

How to Run a UX Design Critique

Jakob Nielsen on UX • 75 implied HN points • 12 Mar 26
🪑 Design Process
  1. Run critiques as a structured, time-boxed process: define roles, set scope and a facilitator, share context at least 24 hours before, and use silent feedback plus a note-taker to keep the meeting focused and psychologically safe.
  2. Make feedback problem-focused and evidence-based. Avoid taste-based comments, solutionizing, and bikeshedding; use formats like “I like / I wish / What if” and synthesize comments with affinity mapping to create clear issues to act on.
  3. Close the loop with prioritization, documentation, and tooling. Score issues with Impact/Effort or RICE, publish action items within 24 hours, and use AI and collaboration tools to help prep, synthesize async feedback, and learn from past crits.

Adding a work trial to your interview process

Lenny's Newsletter • 1336 implied HN points • 30 Jan 24
💼 Business Process
  1. A work trial in the interview process simulates actual work and helps in gauging a candidate's fit and skills.
  2. Work trials provide more insights on candidates' performance and dedication compared to traditional interviews.
  3. Good trial projects involve candidates working on real tasks similar to what they would do in the actual role.

4 questions I ask myself when designing

Design Lobster • 679 implied HN points • 15 Apr 24
🪑 Design Process
  1. Ensure you are asking the right question in the best possible way to avoid wasting time on irrelevant problems.
  2. Simplify your designs by challenging yourself to imagine the simplest version of a solution, emphasizing substance over ornamentation.
  3. Strive to create magical designs that feel extraordinary and deliver experiences that users couldn't have imagined, aiming for delight and emotional impact.

Hitting Reset

CRAFT TALK • 2437 implied HN points • 12 Feb 23
📚 Literature Process
  1. The process of writing can involve hitting reset on a project, revising and starting over.
  2. Feedback from others, like editors, is crucial in shaping and improving a book.
  3. Writing is a journey where initial ideas may evolve through revisions and feedback.
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ANATOMY OF A FISHFLIES COVER

Tales From the Farm • 1277 implied HN points • 08 Jan 24
🎨 Art & Illustration Process
  1. The post explores the step-by-step process of creating a cover image from initial sketch to final painted piece
  2. Different stages of the cover creation process are shown, including sketching, inking, and water-color painting
  3. The post also includes a bonus variant cover by a guest artist for the same issue

you don't know what's gonna happen

Both Are True • 195 implied HN points • 20 Nov 25
📚 Literature Process
  1. You don't know what will happen when you start writing; ideas often change and new things emerge as you go.
  2. If you judge your idea too early you'll stop writing and miss the surprising material that comes out in the process.
  3. The messy, unexpected parts of writing often contain the best stuff—comedy, joy, and even darkness—so it's worth letting the process reveal things and sharing them.

Writing in solitude

The Stoic Journal • 40 implied HN points • 23 Jan 26
📚 Literature Process
  1. Your best thinking happens when you stop performing and just relax into yourself.
  2. Writing for no one often reveals your most honest and important ideas.
  3. Everyday private moments — showers, walks, late nights — create the space where unguarded thoughts arise.

How I Painted This Book

Am I Doing This Right? • 1041 implied HN points • 24 May 23
🎨 Art & Illustration Process
  1. The book was painted traditionally with watercolor, gouache, and colored pencils.
  2. The painting process involved steps like sketches, painting large areas, adding textures with dry brush, and finishing details with colored pencils.
  3. The post details the process, challenges, and fun moments of painting a spread for the book.

Framing things: a personal essay

Design Lobster • 439 implied HN points • 05 Feb 24
🎨 Art & Illustration Process
  1. Approaching work with care and reverence, handling it as if it's a precious artifact, can enhance the creative process.
  2. Taking time to appreciate the beauty and significance of ordinary design elements can lead to unexpected moments of inspiration.
  3. Reflecting on and framing our own work, treating each step with importance, can help in navigating through the ups and downs of the design process.

on tedium

visa's voltaic verses ⚡️ • 24 implied HN points • 23 Jan 26
📚 Literature Process
  1. Use simple scaffolding—like lists or checklists—to stop meandering and make your work predictable and easier to do when you're busy or tired.
  2. Tedium is thoughtless repetition caused by the wrong mental frame, so instead of waiting for inspiration or clinging to identity-based approaches, try changing your process and act differently now.
  3. Keep things playful by working within time‑bounded, flexible containers (rough plans plus open time), and deliberately press feel‑good buttons like reading and exercise by challenging beliefs that they don't work, are too hard, or are undeserved.

Different Bests in Different Contexts

Software Design: Tidy First? • 861 implied HN points • 20 Dec 24
🕹 Technology Process
  1. Different tasks require different strategies. What works for one situation might not work for another, so it's good to be flexible.
  2. In a project, you might focus on playing around with ideas, then expanding and finally getting results. Each stage has its own challenges and goals.
  3. Understanding the different phases of a project can help guide how you work. It helps avoid mistakes and ensures the right approach for each part.

45. Pieces

The Line Between • 412 implied HN points • 15 Feb 23
🎨 Art & Illustration Process
  1. Creativity can be affected by personal suffering, so a sense of ease is important for the flow of new ideas.
  2. In times of feeling stuck, try making pieces that you can rearrange and combine to inspire creativity.
  3. Finding a balance between sharing valuable content with members and catering to free subscribers is important for subscription-based services.

Notes on Writing

Splitting Infinity • 138 implied HN points • 16 Dec 23
📚 Literature Process
  1. Writing every day is crucial to improve and establish a habit.
  2. Write about topics that genuinely interest you, not what you think others want to read.
  3. Simplify your writing by omitting unnecessary words and continuously refine your work.

Engineering Crits at Figma: Interview with Laura Peng

High Growth Engineer • 307 implied HN points • 17 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Process
  1. Consider the level of detail in crits based on the feedback needed for effective decision-making.
  2. Structure crit meetings with clear expectations, silent reviewing periods, and follow-up synchronous discussions.
  3. Approach feedback in crits by giving and receiving early, focusing on empowering team confidence, and maintaining a positive, collaborative culture.

#108 It's a process

Design Lobster • 299 implied HN points • 02 May 22
🪑 Design Process
  1. The design process can sometimes feel like magic when a solution comes together, often due to abductive reasoning that brings out novel ideas.
  2. Creativity thrives in spaces outside of formal work processes, like in unscheduled moments or unconventional events like 'unconferences'.
  3. Design work is a continuous journey of developing new understandings and appreciations as you navigate through the stages, emphasizing the importance of flexibility in thinking.

Как подать заявление на гражданство Чехии в 2024 году

First principles trivia • 118 implied HN points • 28 Mar 22
🏝 Travel Process
  1. To apply for Czech citizenship, you need to have lived in the Czech Republic with a permanent residency permit for a specific duration, which varies based on different criteria like EU citizenship or total residency time.
  2. Having Czech citizenship offers integration into Czech society, guarantees the right to stay in the country, and provides the benefit of visa-free travel to a significant number of countries.
  3. The application process for Czech citizenship involves submitting a comprehensive set of documents, attending interviews if required, and awaiting a decision that typically takes around a year.

Inside the process - The Philanthropist

On Looking • 99 implied HN points • 27 May 22
🎨 Art & Illustration Process
  1. Collaborating early with illustrators can lead to discussions about the best use of illustrations for a project, sparking creative ideas.
  2. During the creation process, challenges and hesitations can arise, but sometimes, exploring different visual approaches can bring clarity and align with the content.
  3. Drawing and illustrating can often convey ideas and concepts that are challenging to put into words, relying on patience and trust to communicate effectively.

The Grand Tour - Holiday Break

On Looking • 59 implied HN points • 03 Jun 22
🎨 Art & Illustration Process
  1. The Grand Tour was a historical educational journey undertaken by young men from wealthy families to acquire cultural knowledge through firsthand experiences of classical artworks in Europe.
  2. The author's modern version of the Grand Tour involves networking with fellow artists in New York to create shared experiences and a sense of union beyond online interactions.
  3. The author is considering switching this newsletter to a bi-monthly schedule to dedicate more time to research and writing better essays, focusing on topics like colors, illustration AI, and exposure.