Niche Marketing

Every language app in your pocket inherited a teaching method built for Latin. Understanding why that happened is a more useful design lesson than anything the apps themselves will teach you. In 1788, Prussia introduced the Abitur, a standardized national examination required for entry into universities and the civil service. To pass it, students needed to demonstrate measurable, gradable knowledge. The system needed to teach language to large classrooms, produce consistent outcomes, and do it with one teacher and thirty students. The educators responsible for designing this […]

I want to discuss accessibility because it is the most important thing for making websites. Other A List Apart articles give you innovation and insight. This article will give you homework. These are just my personal views, but they’re pretty good. I want to start off with a couple of statements, and you will agree: So what? The first question is, “Is this life-or-death stuff?” The answer is, “Yes.” In my favorite essay, This Is All There Is, Aral Balkan makes the point that pretty much everything […]

Today’s web is not always an amiable place. Sites greet you with a popover that demands assent to their cookie policy, and leave you with Taboola ads promising “One Weird Trick!” to cure your ailments. Social media sites are tuned for engagement, and few things are more engaging than a fight. Today it seems that people want to quarrel; I have seen flame wars among birders.   These tensions are often at odds with a site’s goals. If we are providing support and advice to customers, we […]

“Language is not merely a set of unrelated sounds, clauses, rules, and meanings; it is a totally coherent system bound to context and behavior.” — Kenneth L. Pike The web has accents. So should our design systems. Design Systems as Living Languages Design systems aren’t component libraries—they’re living languages. Tokens are phonemes, components are words, patterns are phrases, layouts are sentences. The conversations we build with users become the stories our products tell. But here’s what we’ve forgotten: the more fluently a language is spoken, the more […]

Picture this: You’re in a meeting room at your tech company, and two people are having what looks like the same conversation about the same design problem. One is talking about whether the team has the right skills to tackle it. The other is diving deep into whether the solution actually solves the user’s problem. Same room, same problem, completely different lenses. This is the beautiful, sometimes messy reality of having both a Design Manager and a Lead Designer on the same team. And if you’re wondering […]

Compare MyFitnessPal vs WeightWatchers for weight loss. See which app fits your goals, tracking preferences, budget, and preferred structure. The post Weight Watchers vs MyFitnessPal: Which Fitness App Is Better for Weight Loss appeared first on MyFitnessPal Blog. Why Smoothies Can Help on a GLP-1 Diet A GLP-1 diet doesn’t need a special set of “approved” foods. For many people, the basics are enough: protein, fiber-rich foods, fluids, and portions that feel comfortable. That can be tricky when your appetite is low. “GLP-1 medications can slow stomach […]

Try a protein shake or smoothie for GLP-1 users when solid food feels hard, with easy recipes featuring protein, fruit, and simple add-ins. The post 8 Smoothies and Protein Shakes for GLP-1 Users When Solid Food Doesn’t Appeal appeared first on MyFitnessPal Blog. Why Smoothies Can Help on a GLP-1 Diet A GLP-1 diet doesn’t need a special set of “approved” foods. For many people, the basics are enough: protein, fiber-rich foods, fluids, and portions that feel comfortable. That can be tricky when your appetite is low. […]