The hottest UX Design Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Design Topics

Gmail: Designed to be joyfully simple

Elizabeth Laraki • 199 implied HN points • 03 Sep 24
🕹 Technology UX 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.

The new UX era

Kyle Poyar’s Growth Unhinged • 370 implied HN points • 19 Nov 25
🕹 Technology UX Design
  1. The prompt bar is becoming the standard part of many new apps. It allows users to quickly interact with the software but can also confuse them if they're unsure what to ask.
  2. Users now often learn how to use a product through their interactions rather than traditional onboarding. This means guiding them effectively in every chat is crucial for their success.
  3. Effective activation in AI products should help users quickly see value, with clear examples and next steps. This encourages them to return and use the product more often.

Natural Paths

Polymathic Being • 58 implied HN points • 25 Jan 26
🪑 Design UX Design
  1. Natural or "desire" paths show how people actually move and can improve design when you watch and follow them.
  2. The same easy, natural paths can create predictable vulnerabilities or ambush points, so sometimes it’s safer to deliberately avoid them.
  3. The best approach is balance: use natural flows when they help, but apply critical thinking, humility, and intentional reframing to diverge from them when risks appear.
Get a weekly roundup of the best Substack posts, by hacker news affinity:

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

UX Psychology • 297 implied HN points • 12 Jan 24
🕹 Technology UX Design
  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.

The new UX for AI is not what you think

Generating Conversation • 233 implied HN points • 24 Jul 25
🕹 Technology UX Design
  1. AI applications should work directly with the tools you use every day, like Slack or ticketing systems. This helps them fit into your existing workflows and makes them more useful.
  2. Building trust in AI is important. Users want to see what the AI is doing and have control over its actions. This means the AI should be clear about its decisions and allow feedback.
  3. The best AI products combine great integrations, transparency, and user control. When an AI feels like a team member that you can rely on, it adds real value.

Using Psychology to Improve User Onboarding

UX Psychology • 377 implied HN points • 14 Jul 23
🕹 Technology UX Design
  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 UX Design
  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.

Why we like coffee more than Duolingo - P2.

Gentle Nudge • 39 implied HN points • 08 Jun 24
🕹 Technology UX Design
  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
  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.

Beyond Functionality: Measuring the Social Dimension of User Experience

UX Psychology • 218 implied HN points • 13 Oct 23
🕹 Technology UX Design
  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.

Use the AI Transition Period to Transition Your Career

Jakob Nielsen on UX • 137 implied HN points • 19 Jun 25
🕹 Technology UX Design
  1. You have a short window to adapt your career before AI changes everything. It's important to start learning new skills now rather than relying on old methods.
  2. Embrace the idea of inventing your own future. Instead of waiting to see how AI will impact jobs, actively work on creating new ways to integrate AI into your work.
  3. Focus on developing key human skills like agency, judgment, and persuasion. These skills will be crucial as AI takes over routine tasks and collaboration becomes more essential.

Designing Usable Toggle Switches: Applying UX Research Insights

UX Psychology • 198 implied HN points • 20 Oct 23
🕹 Technology UX Design
  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
  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.

Nostalgia in UX Design

UX Psychology • 158 implied HN points • 11 Aug 23
🕹 Technology UX Design
  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.

The Chatbot Trap

Artificial Ignorance • 176 implied HN points • 14 Nov 24
🕹 Technology UX Design
  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.

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

UX Psychology • 99 implied HN points • 01 Sep 23
🕹 Technology UX Design
  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.

Choosing the right UX metrics - Part 2

UX Psychology • 158 implied HN points • 03 Oct 22
🕹 Technology UX Design
  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.

AI Storytelling: Aesthetic and Minimalist Design (Usability Heuristic 8)

Jakob Nielsen on UX • 36 implied HN points • 07 Aug 25
🕹 Technology UX Design
  1. Storytelling helps people remember information better than just facts. Our brains were built to process stories, so they're more persuasive and engaging.
  2. Using stories reduces the mental effort required to understand data. Instead of processing raw numbers, stories provide a structured way to think about information.
  3. Narrative formats create a more immersive experience. When people can relate to a story, they're more likely to connect with the information and remember it longer.

UX Career Pivot for the AI Age: Told in Manga by 4 Different AI Models

Jakob Nielsen on UX • 38 implied HN points • 17 Jul 25
🕹 Technology UX Design
  1. Four AI models created comic strips to explain how to change your career for the AI age. Each version had its own unique style and storytelling approach.
  2. The original article was very long, but the comic versions made it much shorter and more engaging. They turned 2,078 words into as few as 116 words.
  3. The manga characters were similar across the models, mostly featuring a young woman and a mentor figure. This shows how AI often sticks to similar themes in creative work.

There's more to LLMs than chat

Generating Conversation • 233 implied HN points • 15 Feb 24
🕹 Technology UX Design
  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.

Choosing the right UX metrics - Part 1

UX Psychology • 119 implied HN points • 20 Sep 22
🕹 Technology UX Design
  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.

UX Roundup: ChatGPT Agent | Opportunities Change Behavior | Breadcrumbs | UX Career Pivot | Make Viral Thumbnails | Startups Driven by AI | Enterprise Use of AI | Design Thinking | UX Jobs

Jakob Nielsen on UX • 29 implied HN points • 21 Jul 25
🕹 Technology UX Design
  1. The new ChatGPT Agent helps users interact more easily without needing to visit websites. It's changing how we think about user interfaces.
  2. With advancements in technology, like smartphones and AI, people change their behaviors to make the most of new opportunities. We can't exactly predict what they'll do, but it’s going to be big.
  3. Breadcrumbs are a useful tool on websites that help people find their way back when they get lost. They're simple to use and make navigating a website much easier.

UX Roundup: UX in the Street | AI Video | Infinite Scroll | Simplicity vs. Features | Logo as Coin | AI Blooper | Midjourney Animation

Jakob Nielsen on UX • 32 implied HN points • 23 Jun 25
🕹 Technology UX Design
  1. Infinite scrolling can create problems for users by making it hard for them to find what they need. It's often better to use pagination or a 'load more' button to give users more control.
  2. Adding too many features to a product can confuse users and make it harder for them to complete tasks. It's important to focus on simplicity and clarity in design.
  3. AI tools for video creation are improving, but they often still need better integration and usability. Users will have a better experience if they can create videos easily without complex prompts.

UX Roundup: UXR Theater | App Overload | Less Is More | Illustrations vs. Photos | Problem vs. Solution | Centralized AI | Recognition vs Recall | Google Growth | Sovereign AI | Agentic Browsers

Jakob Nielsen on UX • 23 implied HN points • 28 Jul 25
🕹 Technology UX Design
  1. User experience can be improved by simplifying designs and removing unnecessary features. This means users can focus better on their tasks without distractions.
  2. Recognizing a user's problem is more important than sticking to a specific solution. The goal should always be to address what the user truly needs.
  3. The trend of having too many apps can make it harder for users to navigate. It's important to create a cohesive experience instead of making users juggle multiple tools.

From no research to continuous research: a how to guide

UX Psychology • 138 implied HN points • 03 May 22
🕹 Technology UX Design
  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.

UX Roundup: Simplicity | Error Prevention | Educational AI | Heuristic Evaluation with AI | AI 4x Better at Medical Diagnosis | Grok 4 and AI Prices | AI Video

Jakob Nielsen on UX • 23 implied HN points • 14 Jul 25
🕹 Technology UX Design
  1. Simplicity in design is tough to achieve but very rewarding. A simple user experience can make things feel easy and smooth.
  2. AI is significantly changing education by offering personalized learning experiences. Rather than replacing teachers, it helps them focus on mentoring students.
  3. AI tools are becoming essential in medical diagnosis. Studies show that they can outperform human doctors in accuracy while also saving costs on tests.

Future is Lean, Mean, and Scary for UX Agencies

Jakob Nielsen on UX • 50 implied HN points • 19 Feb 25
🕹 Technology UX Design
  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.

Intent and Iteration are the new Click and Drag

Sunday Letters • 79 implied HN points • 02 Apr 23
🕹 Technology UX Design
  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.

Design Leaders Should Go “Founder Mode”

Jakob Nielsen on UX • 69 implied HN points • 21 Nov 24
🪑 Design UX Design
  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.

Why do people hate redesigns?

UX Psychology • 178 implied HN points • 28 Oct 21
🕹 Technology UX Design
  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.

Hidden vs disabled states

UX Psychology • 119 implied HN points • 25 Oct 21
🕹 Technology UX Design
  1. When to use disabled states: It's suitable for temporarily unavailable controls like buttons that require user action to enable. Also used to indicate that a feature exists but is inactive.
  2. When to use hidden states: Ideal for controls unauthorized for the user, rarely used functions, or when there's an excess of disabled features. Helps reduce cognitive load and maintain simplicity.
  3. Considerations for disabled vs. hidden states: Key factors include user needs to know and do, feature visibility, and avoiding distractions. Accessibility guidelines and clear visual cues are essential for effective implementation.

Accessibility Has Failed: Try Generative UI = Individualized UX

Jakob Nielsen on UX • 89 implied HN points • 29 Feb 24
🕹 Technology 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.

Can you build delighters?

Seth’s Substack • 19 implied HN points • 08 Mar 23
🕹 Technology UX Design
  1. Delightful software is not just useful, but loved by passionate fans.
  2. Delighters in software can be intentional features that bring convenience or surprise.
  3. Achieving higher-order delight in software is like appreciating a work of art, requiring dedication and craftsmanship.

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
  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.

The Digital Age and Language Evolution

The Digital Anthropologist • 39 implied HN points • 30 Dec 22
🕹 Technology UX Design
  1. Human language is always evolving, incorporating symbols, voice, gestures, and text - a complex creative process that continues to adapt to the digital age.
  2. The use of symbols like emojis reflects an evolution in communication akin to ancient cave drawings, now combined with voice, gestures, and text in modern digital interactions.
  3. Advancements in digital communication technologies, including AI, AR, and VR, are shaping how we evolve language to facilitate global interconnection and problem-solving.