UXperts Weigh In: Designs We Love, January Edition
We think 2017 is going to be a great year filled with great design, so here to get us off to a good start are four of our UXperts. We’ve asked them to share a website or app design they love right now and tell us why it’s worth your time:
Lavinia Manea – UX Designer at BiblioCommons
Pick: Expensify
http://blogs.adobe.com/creativecloud/files/2016/12/Lavinia-Manea-250.jpeg
My focus has been on crafting designs that allow people to accomplish mundane, administrative tasks quickly, and in ways that are playful and fun. A good example is Expensify, an application that allows employees to submit their business expenses for reimbursement (either on the go from their mobile device, or from their workstation). Expensify turns a tedious and boring process into a gratifying experience, because:
- It is instantly learnable – The copy, empty states, messaging, visual hierarchy, and concise form design provide focus and guidance from one step to the next. The process is quick, and the feedback is instant.
- It is personable – The subtle visual design highlights the relevant actions. This creates a clean, inviting canvas while the use of graphics to ‘get people started’ adds a touch of fun.
- It lets technology do the hard work – When using the mobile app, one can simply snap a picture of a receipt and the expense entry is auto-generated (thanks to OCR). By catering to context, device, and leveraging technology true magic can happen, and magic is always fun!
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Larz Hsu, Senior Experience Designer at Adobe XD
Pick: canopy.co
http://blogs.adobe.com/creativecloud/files/2016/12/Larz-Hsu-250.jpeg
Canopy is like the MoMA shop of Amazon. It’s an independent ‘shop’ curated by people with eyes for things that are quite decent: gems that are kind of hidden in the sea of other stuff on Amazon. I love Canopy for its content and it does a great job at presenting important elements (products and prices) by making all the secondary elements quiet. Visual hierarchy is created via thoughtful and sparing use of colors, sizes, and logical reading order. The product images are clean and crisp, even on retina screens. The products are also on cards which make them feel more substantial, standalone, and movable, as if you could put them in collections (yes, you can). It feels really good to get lost in Canopy, but you literally can’t get lost because the site is relatively flat. Whenever you click on a product and then go through a couple hundred related products, all you have to do is dismiss the product details modal window to get back to the list you originated from.
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Brigita Bulsyte – UI/UX Designer at Spreaker
Pick: Splice
http://blogs.adobe.com/creativecloud/files/2016/12/Brigita-Bulsyte-250.png
As a digital designer by day and (sometimes) a video maker by night, I was looking for an app that is both beautifully designed and easy to use for video editing on a smartphone. Splice looked clean, simple, and was easy to use from the very beginning. Usually video editors use multiple desktop screens, so to make it convenient and simple to use on a tiny mobile screen is a bit of a challenge. I think Splice solves this UX problem pretty well.
http://blogs.adobe.com/creativecloud/files/2016/12/Splice-800.png
The app has an intuitive navigation pattern that guides you through in a very natural way. The other great thing is that every screen you’re viewing isn’t overcrowded, which makes it look clean. It also helps to focus on a one thing at a time: whether you are cutting footage, recording, editing audio, or managing your projects. I also love the dark shades and accent sky blue color combination that fits great in this kind of product. The truth is, you can’t expect too much from a video editing app on a mobile device. It just have to cover the basic needs and be pleasant and easy to use, and Splice does that.
William de Almeida – UX Designer at Next4 Digital Agency
Pick: nubank.com.br
http://blogs.adobe.com/creativecloud/files/2016/12/William-de-Almeida-250.jpeg
Nubank is great in several aspects: not only because of its clean and innovative interface, but also in its interaction with its users. Visually, the idea of ‘less is more’ applies perfectly here. From the composition of the site to the visual structure of the app, navigation is fluid and easy to use without any visual interference that would make it difficult for the user to find the Information. You have complete control and easy access to your information. The idea behind it is innovative: a credit card operator with no bricks-and-mortar agency. Absolutely everything is done online and through an app available for Android and iOS. The user receives their credit card and can get all their information in real time on their smartphone in a simple and intuitive way. You can filter expenditures by tags and categories, and you can even lock or unlock your card directly through the app. Major functionality in the design.
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What websites or apps are you loving right now? Let us know in the comments!