A round-up of design links shared in September

Each month, we carefully curate a collection of links for our Clearleft, UX London and Leading Design subscribers featuring the latest articles, insights, tools and masterful creations from the wonderful, ever-evolving world of design.

Whether you are a design enthusiast, a professional in the industry, or just someone who appreciates the beauty and impact of great design, we are confident that you will find something new, inspiring and thought-provoking in each edition of our newsletter designed to make your life that little bit easier.

Each month, I’ll be posting nine of our most clicked links from each newsletter (three from each) in a monthly round-up blog for your consumption. There’ll sometimes be a tenth link and it’ll likely be something that we’ve accomplished in the agency that we’re super proud of, or letting you know when a sale is ending for one of our events. We promise to keep this to a minimum. You’ll likely be sick of our puns before anything else.

First up, here are the top three links from Clearleft’s curated links newsletter for September.

Let’s dive in…

Hot potato process as replacement for design handoff...

A comparison chart of two workflows: Waterfall and Hot Potato. Waterfall shows a long, uninterrupted green section for the designer (weeks 1 to 3) followed by a long yellow section for the developer (weeks 4 to 6). Hot Potato shows alternating green (designer) and yellow (developer) blocks throughout weeks 1 to 6, indicating frequent collaboration between designer and developer.

The Hot Potato process replaces traditional design handoffs with continuous collaboration between designers and developers. This method allows for iterative feedback, reducing miscommunication and improving workflow efficiency.

8-minute read

Information architecture first principles...

An abstract pattern featuring lines and chevrons. The lines are arranged in varying diagonal angles, creating a series of chevron shapes in yellow, green, pink, and blue pastel shades. The image has a hand-drawn quality with visible texture.

Jorge Arango's article explores the core principles that underpin effective information architecture. These include how people understand concepts relative to prior knowledge, the importance of context, and the need for consistency and minimal cognitive load in design.

15-minute read

We don’t need a boss, we need a process...

An abstract digital artwork featuring flowing, swirling ribbons of color. The ribbons are in shades of red, orange, blue, and gray, with geometric shapes and fine lines surrounding the colorful swirls. The overall composition gives the appearance of motion and energy.

Miriam Suzanne's "We don’t need a boss, we need a process" emphasises the value of collaborative design without a singular leader, focusing on shared vision and mutual engagement.

8-minute read

Next, here are your top three links from the UX London curated links newsletter in September.

What sort of designer should I be?

A cartoon character that looks like a stack of hats, with an open book face. The character has four arms, wearing hats on its head and holding one in its hand. The hats are in varying shades of green and blue, with a soft background pattern of scattered hats in matching colors.

As a designer, there are generally four career paths you can pursue. In this article, 'It's Nice That' outlines each path, the types of work involved, and the advantages and challenges of each option.

7-minute read

The 5 Stages of UX-Career Progression...

A five-tier pyramid diagram representing different UX levels: Level 5 (Visionary): Contributes to the UX community, influences industry practices and standards. Level 4 (Specialist): Has deep UX expertise, influences UX strategy. Level 3 (Practitioner): Completes projects independently, applies principles to projects. Level 2 (Contributor): Understands principles, contributes under supervision. Level 1 (Novice): New to UX, minimal training or experience. Each level is represented by a different color, with 5 being dark green and 1 being dark blue.

Instead of defining a single career path, this model of UX career progression helps you reflect on your own journey, allowing you to assess where you are now and plan for where you want to grow.

If you are looking for a new role, you should check out the UX London Jobs Board.

4-minute read

Optimising UX: Data-driven insights with quantitative research, usability, and A/B testing...

A stylized illustration of three people collaborating. One person is working on a laptop, another is holding a book and mobile phone, and the third is holding a monitor. The people have simple, flat design features and are surrounded by emoji symbols like smiling faces and hearts, giving a light-hearted and creative tone.

Discover how to enhance user experiences by leveraging quantitative research, usability testing, and A/B testing to make informed, data-driven design decisions that lead to measurable results.

9-minute read

Moving on to your top three links from last month’s Leading Design curated links newsletter for design leaders.

Business will save design. It was never the other way around...

A photo showing a person working at a modern desk setup. The person is using a digital drawing tablet with a stylus while facing a computer screen. Various markers and color swatches are scattered on the desk. The scene is bathed in a soft purple glow, with small digital icons and arrows on the screen.

Four dimensions of business that designers across all specialisations and levels should understand deeply: 1) The business model 2) The business motivation 3) How customers are solving the problem today 4) The experiential leverage.

5-minute read

Making good decisions...

A colorful display of fresh vegetables at a market. The produce includes carrots, peppers, zucchinis, and potatoes in a variety of colors. Handwritten price tags are visible, listing prices like $9.99 for sugar snap peas and $2.99 for potatoes. The arrangement is visually appealing and vibrant.

In the race towards agility, we’re losing the ability to think through our big decisions. Here’s a guide to better decisions including appropriate frames, creative alternatives, clear value, tradeoffs and sound reasoning.

8-minute read

Driving impact and gaining influence as a designer...

A YouTube thumbnail for a video titled "Drive impact as a designer" featuring Ryan Scott. It includes logos of DoorDash, Airbnb, and the tagline “Dive Club.” The background is teal with a scuba diving mask illustration, and Ryan Scott's face is on the right-hand side of the image. Two smartphones with app interfaces are shown below.

In the latest Dive Club podcast episode, Leading Design London 2024 speaker Ryan Scott talks about his roles as Design Lead at Airbnb + DoorDash, how to make strategic impact and how to talk about your work in a way that resonates with non-designers.

63-minute listen

Finally, from us…

Relaunching the huge website of a world-leading university...

The image shows a close-up of a screen with the word "IMPERIAL" at the top, in a bold, capitalized font. Below it, large white text reads, "Scientific imagination for world-changing impact." The background features abstract, organic shapes in shades of dark blue and yellow, giving it a fluid and dynamic feel. The lower part of the image includes a search bar with green accents. The overall design is modern and visually engaging, likely related to a scientific or academic institution.

We've just launched our latest case study, detailing the story of how we worked with Imperial to transform its website, aligning an ambitious new strategy with its bold new brand.

Read the full story

Before you go...

The links in this blog are snippets of longer versions, if you would like to subscribe to any of our newsletters exclusively and be the first to receive the full version of any of our curated links newsletters, you can sign up to links from Clearleft, from UX London, and from Leading Design.