State of UX, we don’t need more managers, prototyping with data

Weekly curated resources for designers — thinkers and makers.

The change we’re discussing here is not a revolution, just an evolution. It’s simply a change in how many roles will be needed and what they will entail. Jorge Arango recently wrote that “Digital systems, not people, will do much of the craft of (screen-level) interaction design.”

Every time such shifts happen, the industry rearranges itself to fit the new mold.

The State of UX in 2025: a love letter about change →

Editor picks

• She and He aren’t the only ones buying clothes → Challenging binary norms in ecomm UX. By Youvna Salian
• The world doesn’t need more managers → It needs people who care enough to lead. By Himanshu Bharadwaj
• The digital soul of tomorrow’s cars → Learning from leading Chinese brands. By Ruoyong (Eli) Hong

The UX Collective is an independent design publication that elevates unheard design voices and helps designers think more critically about their work.

CourseHero: a character by Hervé →

Make me think

• Strategy is not war; it’s gardening → “When most people think of strategy, they think of war. And it’s no wonder — our history books, leadership courses, and even popular business books are filled with military metaphors.”
• 15 lessons from 15 years of indie app development → “Obviously, as I got older and left university, my expenses went up and I needed to make more money, but still, the way I see it is this: I make money so that I can do what I love for work, not the other way around.”
• Inside design at Carl Friedrik → “From here we conduct early concept sketches digitally and by hand. We would then have a group meeting to align on the direction before moving into digital renders using Keyshot for hard goods and Clo3D for soft goods.”

Little gems this week

Stop wireframing (but still start low-fidelity) **→**By Jason Barrons

I was laid off from Spotify one year ago: here’s what I’ve learnt **→**By Sophia Omarji

Data is good. Data with a story is better. →By Ryan Revilla

Tools and resources

• Prototyping with data → Advanced string formulas and dynamic customization. By Nicolás Del Real
• GenAI suggestions for analogous data color schemes → Can AI help in data color scheme design? By Theresa-Marie Rhyne
• The importance of hover states → Exploring UI details with technical-academic rigor. By Filipe Nzongo

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