The hottest UX Design Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top Design Topics

UX Roundup: Explainer Videos | AI Overload | AI Music | Over-Recuiting | Home Robots | GPT 4.5

Jakob Nielsen on UX • 7 implied HN points • 03 Mar 25
🕹 Technology AI UX Design Robotics SEO Music
  1. AI technology is rapidly advancing, making it hard for anyone to keep up with all the new tools and updates. It's important to focus on the bigger trends rather than getting lost in minor details.
  2. There is a significant improvement in AI-generated music, showing that the quality of compositions and performances has greatly enhanced over a short period. This makes it easier for creators to make engaging music.
  3. When conducting user research, it's wise to recruit more participants than needed to account for no-shows and other issues. This ensures that you still gather valuable insights even if not everyone shows up.

Future is Lean, Mean, and Scary for UX Agencies

Jakob Nielsen on UX • 50 implied HN points • 19 Feb 25
🕹 Technology UX Design AI Impact Productivity Innovation
  1. UX agencies are facing tough times because more companies are building their own in-house UX teams. This means less need for outside consultants.
  2. AI is changing the UX game by making work more efficient. With AI tools, one UX professional can do the work of three, leading to smaller, more effective teams.
  3. The future of UX will split into two paths: high-end firms offering specialized strategic consulting and low-end providers using AI to deliver basic design services. Mid-sized agencies may struggle unless they adapt.

Gmail: Designed to be joyfully simple

Elizabeth Laraki • 199 implied HN points • 03 Sep 24
🕹 Technology UX Design Product Development Software Engineering User Research Interface Design
  1. Gmail was built to be fast and user-friendly. The designers wanted everyone to enjoy using email instead of feeling overwhelmed by it.
  2. Key features like conversation threading changed how we view email. Instead of treating each email as a separate message, Gmail groups related messages together for easier tracking.
  3. Designing for joy means creating a simple and pleasant user experience. The goal was to make Gmail so easy to use that it felt natural and enjoyable for everyone.

AI Hallucinations on the Decline

Jakob Nielsen on UX • 21 implied HN points • 13 Feb 25
🕹 Technology AI Usability UX Design Data Analysis
  1. AI models are getting better at reducing false information, called hallucinations. This means they are less likely to make things up over time.
  2. Bigger AI models generally make fewer mistakes. As AI technology improves, we can expect even fewer errors from future models.
  3. While waiting for better AI, improving user experience can help users spot and double-check misleading information, making it easier to trust AI outputs.

UX Roundup: OpenAI Product Roadmap | Parallel and Iterative AI Use | Virtual Boyfriends | Jakob in SF | Dropdown Menus | Early GUI | AI Urgency | Perplexity Deep Research

Jakob Nielsen on UX • 11 implied HN points • 17 Feb 25
🕹 Technology AI UX Design Product Development User Research Web Development
  1. Grok 3 is about to launch and promises to be a smarter AI. It’s important to compare it with future models like GPT-5 to see how much better they become.
  2. OpenAI has simplified their product naming, making it easier to understand what each version offers. GPT-5 will also come with better features for users who pay for a subscription.
  3. The way we use AI in creative work can really boost quality. Using multiple models and refining ideas helps combine the best outcomes, making it a collaborative tool not just a replacement.
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The Chatbot Trap

Artificial Ignorance • 176 implied HN points • 14 Nov 24
🕹 Technology AI UX Design Product Development Software Engineering Human-computer interaction
  1. Using chatbots for AI interactions can be confusing and hard work. They require a lot of mental effort to figure out what to input and understand the output, making simple tasks feel complicated.
  2. Good design for AI tools should allow for easy, direct manipulation of tasks. Instead of a chat interface, we should use designs that show clear options and let users interact with the AI in a simpler, more visual way.
  3. The future of AI products will focus on tailored interfaces that fit specific needs. These will provide ways to access AI's power more directly and intuitively, similar to how we moved from basic mobile sites to advanced apps.

UX Roundup: Status Updates | AI Tutoring | UX Optimism | Ideogram Text | AI-UX Conference | EU Multilingual LLM

Jakob Nielsen on UX • 7 implied HN points • 10 Feb 25
🕹 Technology UX Design AI Tools Conferences Language processing
  1. If stakeholders have to ask for a status update, it's a sign that communication could be better. It’s important to keep them informed about your progress without them having to ask.
  2. Using AI tutoring can significantly boost learning speed. In a study, students learned as much in 6 weeks as they typically would in 2 years with traditional education.
  3. A new text editing feature in AI tools allows for more control over design choices. This means you can adjust text directly on generated images without extra editing software.

UX Roundup: AI Research Window | AI Skill Substitution | World Economic Forum Predicts More UX Jobs | AI-UX Consultant | Bad Bird Lip-Synch

Jakob Nielsen on UX • 19 implied HN points • 20 Jan 25
🕹 Technology AI UX Design Job Market Research Consulting
  1. There is a limited time to study how people use AI since soon everyone will have experience with it. Right now, researchers can still compare results between people who use AI and those who don't.
  2. The introduction of AI is changing job markets significantly. Some jobs, like translation, are declining, while others, like web development, are booming because AI helps workers be more productive.
  3. The World Economic Forum predicts that UX jobs will grow by 50% in the next five years. While there's some skepticism about job predictions, there is a general agreement that UX roles will keep increasing as AI continues to evolve.

Design Leaders Should Go “Founder Mode”

Jakob Nielsen on UX • 69 implied HN points • 21 Nov 24
🪑 Design UX Design Leadership Product Development Team Dynamics
  1. Design leaders should adopt a hands-on, founder-like approach rather than climbing traditional corporate ladders. This allows for more effective and quick decision-making.
  2. AI can greatly boost productivity in design teams, allowing smaller teams to achieve results that used to require larger departments. This leads to flatter organizational structures.
  3. Being a leader in design today means having a clear vision for the team's success and making sure that vision fits well with the rest of the organization.

UX Roundup: Poor AI Performance Conversing with Patients | AI Character Mashups | 2025 AI Trends | Accelerating Science

Jakob Nielsen on UX • 15 implied HN points • 13 Jan 25
🕹 Technology AI Healthcare UX Design Trends Research
  1. AI does not perform well in conversations with patients. It struggles to ask important follow-up questions, leading to missed information.
  2. Some famous characters are now public domain, allowing for creative mashups and new stories using AI. This could change how content is produced.
  3. In 2025, we can expect powerful AI trends, including smarter AI agents that can think and plan, and a mix of very large and very small AI models for different uses.

The Automation Paradox: How More Tech Can Mean More Human Challenges

UX Psychology • 297 implied HN points • 12 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Automation UX Design Human factors Autonomous Vehicles Language Models
  1. Increased automation can lead to unexpected complications for human tasks, creating a paradox where reliance on technology may actually hinder human performance.
  2. The 'Irony of Automation' highlights unintended consequences like automation not reducing human workload, requiring more complex skills for operators, and leading to decreased vigilance.
  3. Strategies like enhancing monitoring systems, maintaining manual and cognitive skills, and thoughtful interface design are crucial for addressing the challenges posed by automation and keeping human factors in focus.

Using Psychology to Improve User Onboarding

UX Psychology • 377 implied HN points • 14 Jul 23
🕹 Technology UX Design Psychology User Experience Decision-making
  1. Leverage psychology in user onboarding to create informative, enjoyable, and memorable experiences.
  2. Utilize the Zeigarnik effect by using progress meters, reminders, and allowing partial profile completion to keep users engaged.
  3. Decrease complexity with Hicks' law by reducing choices, highlighting easy options, and using progressive onboarding to improve decision-making and enhance user experience.

Prospective Memory and UX

UX Psychology • 317 implied HN points • 04 May 23
🔬 Science Cognitive Psychology UX Design Human behavior Research
  1. Prospective memory is the ability to remember to do something in the future. It's crucial for daily tasks like attending meetings or taking medication.
  2. There are two main types of prospective memory: event-based (triggered by cues) and time-based (triggered by specific times). Distractions or cognitive load can lead to failures in remembering to do a task at the right time.
  3. Designing interfaces with visual cues, gamification, habit formation, contextual design, and cognitive offloading can improve users' prospective memory performance and create more engaging experiences.

UX Roundup: Jakob Keynote Video | University Courses | 8 Uses of AI for UX Design | Museum Usability

Jakob Nielsen on UX • 32 implied HN points • 18 Nov 24
🕹 Technology UX Design AI Applications User Research
  1. AI is becoming a major force in UX design, helping teams work faster and more efficiently. It's taking over mundane tasks, allowing designers to focus on more important work.
  2. Educational programs are starting to include AI in their UX courses, preparing future designers for the changing landscape of the industry. This is a positive step for those looking to enter the field.
  3. Good usability in places like museums can greatly improve visitor experience. Clear signage and easy navigation are key factors in making sure everyone enjoys their visit.

Why we like coffee more than Duolingo - P2.

Gentle Nudge • 39 implied HN points • 08 Jun 24
🕹 Technology UX Design Behavioral Psychology User engagement AI
  1. Make it easy for users to complete a desired action to increase the likelihood of them repeating it in the future. Reduce barriers for users to engage with your product or service.
  2. Users value products more when they perceive effort or work behind the scenes. Consider implementing small delays or visual cues to show the process at work, enhancing user perception.
  3. Adjust the learning curve in your product to match user progress, keeping them engaged by introducing new challenges or surprises over time. Changing the complexity of actions can help maintain user interest.

The Effect of Culture in UX

UX Psychology • 258 implied HN points • 12 May 23
🕹 Technology UX Design Cultural differences User Research Iconography Language
  1. Understanding cultural differences is crucial in UX design to cater to diverse user needs globally.
  2. Cultural dimensions like individualism-collectivism, high-vs-low context communication, and power distance can significantly impact user behavior and preferences.
  3. Incorporating cultural sensitivity in design through research, inclusive elements, and collaboration with local experts can enhance user experience for a diverse global audience.

UX Roundup: AI-UX One-Day Conference | AI Format Remixing | UXR Prompt Cheatsheet | Research Report Renaissance | Worst UI Ever | Flexible Displays | Scaling Law for Physical AI | Podcast | Le Chat

Jakob Nielsen on UX • 25 implied HN points • 25 Nov 24
🕹 Technology AI UX Design Conferences User Research Interface Design
  1. There is an online conference on December 4 that focuses on using AI in UX design. It's a great chance to learn about best practices and improve your skills.
  2. AI can help repurpose content into different formats, like turning articles into videos or podcasts. This makes sharing ideas easier and more engaging.
  3. Keeping a research repository is important because AI can quickly pull insights from past studies to answer new questions. This saves time and improves the impact of user research.

Beyond Functionality: Measuring the Social Dimension of User Experience

UX Psychology • 218 implied HN points • 13 Oct 23
🕹 Technology UX Design Social Interaction Research User engagement Product Development
  1. Measurements of user experience are expanding beyond just functionality and usability to include social dimensions, reflecting the importance of catering to users' social needs and interactions in digital products.
  2. Key social factors like self-expression, social learning, relatedness, communication, and social approval significantly impact user engagement, highlighting the need to address these aspects in UX design.
  3. Newly developed Social UX Scales, such as Identification, Social Interaction, Social Stimulation, and Social Acceptance, offer tools to effectively measure and improve social aspects of modern technology experiences.

There's more to LLMs than chat

Generating Conversation • 233 implied HN points • 15 Feb 24
🕹 Technology AI UX Design Information Retrieval Human-computer interaction
  1. Chat interfaces have limitations, and using LLMs in more diverse ways beyond chat is essential for product innovation.
  2. Chat-based interactions lack the expression of uncertainty, unlike other search-based approaches, which impacts user trust in the information provided by LLMs.
  3. LLMs can be utilized to proactively surface information relevant to users, showing that chat isn't always the most effective approach for certain interactions.

Designing Usable Toggle Switches: Applying UX Research Insights

UX Psychology • 198 implied HN points • 20 Oct 23
🕹 Technology UX Design User Experience Research Design principles
  1. Toggle switches in user interfaces should provide immediate visual feedback when clicked to show the state change.
  2. Clear and familiar labels like 'On/Off' are crucial for toggle switches to avoid confusion. Avoid using unfamiliar terms or questions as labels.
  3. Use color effectively with 'On' typically in green or blue and position it on the right side. Negative or ambiguous toggle text should be avoided.

Dark Patterns: using human psychology to manipulate users

UX Psychology • 198 implied HN points • 02 Feb 23
🕹 Technology UX Design User Experience Manipulation Psychology
  1. Dark patterns in UX are manipulative design tactics used to influence user behavior for the benefit of the company, often at the expense of the user's experience and trust.
  2. Dark patterns have different categories like asymmetrical, covert, restrictive, and deceptive, which aim to coerce and deceive users into unintended decisions.
  3. To combat dark patterns, designers should prioritize user transparency, education, testing with real users, and compliance with ethical design guidelines and regulations.

UX Roundup: Designing AI Voices | AI Narrows Skill Gaps | New Music Video | Talk to Santa | Misadventures in Image Prompting | Bezos 95% AI | Multi-Tool AI Workflow | AI-UX Jobs

Jakob Nielsen on UX • 11 implied HN points • 16 Dec 24
🕹 Technology AI UX Design Video creation Employment Trends
  1. AI voice design can now express emotions, allowing users to create custom voices with specific feelings like enthusiasm or assertiveness. This could be especially valuable for brands looking to connect with their audiences more effectively.
  2. Recent studies show that AI helps less skilled users improve more than skilled users, meaning it can level the playing field. AI acts like a mental forklift, making complex tasks easier for everyone.
  3. Combining different AI tools is often necessary to create things like music videos, as each tool has its strengths. There's a big opportunity for new AI products that simplify this process and focus on user intent.

Nostalgia in UX Design

UX Psychology • 158 implied HN points • 11 Aug 23
🕹 Technology UX Design Psychology User Research
  1. Nostalgia has evolved from being seen as a medical ailment to a cultural touchstone, becoming more relevant today in marketing and design.
  2. Nostalgia offers psychological comfort during distressing times, increasing well-being, optimism, and a sense of meaning in life.
  3. When incorporating nostalgia into UX design, it's essential to understand the audience, innovate while evoking the past, ensure coherence, and avoid the potential pitfalls of manipulation and inhibiting innovation.

Top 10 UX Images of 2024

Jakob Nielsen on UX • 7 implied HN points • 26 Dec 24
🕹 Technology UX Design AI Tools Graphic design Digital Art
  1. Images are becoming more important in UX design now that most people have fast internet. It’s okay to include bigger images to help communicate ideas.
  2. AI can really improve UX design by making processes easier and more efficient. It’s being used to help with everything from diagnosis in healthcare to UI design.
  3. There are too many annoying cookie pop-ups on websites that waste users' time. Instead of punishing sites for minor issues, we should focus on real problems that affect privacy.

Lost in Navigation: Overcoming the Paradox of Choice in UX Design

UX Psychology • 99 implied HN points • 01 Sep 23
🕹 Technology UX Design Psychology Navigation User Research Information Architecture
  1. Providing more choices in user interfaces does not always lead to better decisions due to the paradox of choice - too many options can lead to decision overload and poorer choices.
  2. Choice paralysis in UX occurs when users are overwhelmed with options, leading to inaction or abandonment of tasks - simplifying navigation options can help prevent this.
  3. Hick's Law states that decision time increases with the number of choices available, emphasizing the importance of streamlining navigation design to reduce cognitive effort and aid decision-making for users.

Accessibility Has Failed: Try Generative UI = Individualized UX

Jakob Nielsen on UX • 89 implied HN points • 29 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Accessibility AI User Interface UX Design
  1. Traditional accessibility methods have not significantly improved computer usability for disabled users, prompting the need for a new approach like Generative UI for tailored user experiences.
  2. Accessibility has faced challenges due to high costs and ultimately creating a subpar user experience, especially for blind users with auditory interfaces.
  3. Supporting older and low-literacy users has been more successful with current methods, highlighting the importance of considering their needs alongside generative UI for wider user inclusivity.

Choosing the right UX metrics - Part 2

UX Psychology • 158 implied HN points • 03 Oct 22
🕹 Technology UX Design Metrics Product Management User Experience Data Analysis
  1. Identifying clear goals is crucial in choosing the right UX metrics, involving team and stakeholders can help define meaningful and actionable metrics.
  2. Mapping goals to signals helps track progress towards goals; gathering user feedback and reviews can be essential signals to measure UX success.
  3. Refining signals into specific metrics is the final step, where data scientists can assist in ensuring metrics are measured accurately; focus on key metrics and avoid adding unnecessary data.

Choosing the right UX metrics - Part 1

UX Psychology • 119 implied HN points • 20 Sep 22
🕹 Technology UX Design Metrics User Experience Product Analytics Feature Prioritization
  1. UX metrics are vital for making evidence-based UX decisions instead of relying on opinions and beliefs.
  2. Using a combination of attitudinal and behavioral metrics can provide a comprehensive understanding of user experience.
  3. The HEART framework - Happiness, Engagement, Adoption, Retention, and Task Success - offers a structured way to select and track UX metrics for data-driven decision-making.

From no research to continuous research: a how to guide

UX Psychology • 138 implied HN points • 03 May 22
🕹 Technology UX Research User Insights UX Design Product Development
  1. Continuous research involves conducting fast-rhythm, open-ended user research sessions without a specific project focus, helping to uncover user pain points and opportunity areas.
  2. Creating a user research panel and semi-automating the process can help enable regular interactions with users, making it easier to schedule and conduct interviews.
  3. Continuous research can bring the 'voice of the user' to the company, but traditional UX research methods are still needed for specific personas or segments. Automating parts of the research process is crucial to establishing a continuous research habit.

Intent and Iteration are the new Click and Drag

Sunday Letters • 79 implied HN points • 02 Apr 23
🕹 Technology AI UX Design Software User Experience Human-computer interaction
  1. Understanding intent is more powerful than following a strict process. It's like asking for milk instead of giving detailed steps on how to walk to the kitchen.
  2. We need to iterate when designing user experiences as language and meaning can change over time. It's like adjusting your conversation when something doesn’t make sense.
  3. Future software will focus on talking to computers in more natural ways, using various methods like voice, images, and gestures instead of just clicking buttons. This makes interactions more flexible and user-friendly.

Why do people hate redesigns?

UX Psychology • 178 implied HN points • 28 Oct 21
🕹 Technology UX Design Psychology User Research Behavioral Economics Cognitive Bias
  1. Users often hate redesigns due to familiarity bias, where they prefer the familiar even if the change is beneficial, and the endowment effect which makes them value what they already have more.
  2. Psychology plays a significant role in user reactions to redesigns, as habits are hard to change, leading to user dissatisfaction with altered interfaces.
  3. To improve user experience with redesigns, allowing opt-ins for changes can give users control, conducting thorough user research helps address pain-points, and making small, incremental changes can ease user adaptation.

Embrace AI’s Uncertainty in UX

Jakob Nielsen on UX • 29 implied HN points • 06 Mar 24
🕹 Technology AI UX Design User Research
  1. In the age of AI, the design landscape is changing as we embrace the uncertainty of probabilistic systems, leading to a redefinition of traditional design roles and processes.
  2. Using AI in user research introduces new challenges, such as increased variability and a shift towards more qualitative studies over quantitative ones.
  3. Designing for AI means relinquishing control over the final user interface and embracing a design approach focused on creating rules and heuristics for AI-generated content.