33: A Stark difference in design
Happy Weekend! Last week’s read had a 49% open rate. The most popular link was 7 Basic Design Principles We Forget About. Hello from the Pacific Northwest this weekend as I whale watch, so this will be a smidge shorter. 💌
Tidbits
1. 7 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About Accessibility
Accessibility will not force you to make a product that is ugly, boring, or cluttered. It will introduce a set of constraints to incorporate as you consider your design. These design constraints will give you new ideas to explore that will lead to better products for all of your users.
What a detailed list of a primer for all things accessibility. Jesse Hausler packs punches in this well written article, delivering the information needed to get your product in a great (well designed) position while making clear the irresponsabile and unethical work being done by some of our most beloved companies.
2. The Science of Color Contrast
The purpose of UX design is to facilitate a seamless interactive experience for users. As such, color selection and juxtaposition should not be solely based on your personal preferences. Of course, it should be grounded in your brand aesthetic, but also in the science of accessibility.
While the article’s title is aimed at being a guide for the Expert Designer, I’d disagree. I and we’d also disagree that it’s not an article for UX Designers as this is every designer’s job to know — regardless of whatever extra letters you slap in the front of your ‘designer’ title. It’s a great article, driven by the science of color (contrast) and is applicable for any and all who are interested. Science is for everyone ;)
3. “It no one’s job to ask: What could go wrong?”
We live in a time where there are no rules and there’s no enforcement, and there are really smart people [using] all this unclaimed data and all this unclaimed opportunity,” McNamee says. “At the beginning, it seemed to throw off nothing but goodness. By the time the bad stuff hit, we were so deep into it that it was really hard to reverse field.
This interview brings us back to the question we asked some time back: do we need an ethics board for design and technology as a whole? Who controls and enforces it? So many questions.
What’s new from Stark
We’re heads down for the next week or so. We’ll resurface with some new and exciting stuff soon.
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–Team Stark