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Over the past several years, we’ve interviewed numerous UX experts and asked them what advice they would give to prospective UX designers. Some of the most prevalent answers? “Be curious.” “Stay up to date with design trends.” “Never stop learning.”
There are a number of ways to do this, but one of the best (and easiest) is by keeping tabs on a few good UX design blogs. Whether you’re looking to develop new research methods, better understand the difference between a UX roles, or review UX design case studies, blogs can be a useful resource.
With so many options, it can be hard to know which ones are the best UX design blogs. If you’re reading this, then you’re obviously following one of the best UX design blogs around (you can access all of Springboard’s design posts here). But we also wanted to share a few more of our favorites.
Related Read: What is UX Design?
We rounded up 15 of the best UX design blogs you should follow if you’re an aspiring UX designer.
Our Favorite UX Blogs
1. UXmatters
UXmatters is an important blog that has been around since 2005. There’s a Top Articles section that lists the site’s 25 most popular articles of all time (the blog’s No. 1 article was written nearly seven years ago and is still relevant today despite countless changes in the industry). UXmatters’ mission is to provide “insights and inspiration for the user experience community.” The blog is solely focused on UX design and can be broken down into nine key categories: business, code, community, design, experiences, process, research, reviews, and strategy.
2. UX Booth
UX Booth is another enduring blog. It’s “a publication by and for the user experience community” and has been live since 2008. It covers topics such as design philosophy, information architecture, content strategy, and more. We also like that it provides recaps on design conferences, such as the recent Front Utah 2019 Conference. Articles can be pretty niche, which is why this is a great resource for seasoned UX designers.
3. Designmodo
Designmodo describes itself as “one of the most popular Design and Web Development blogs in the world” and we can’t disagree. It’s an important resource for UX designers because of its breadth of topics. The blog’s high-level categories include website design, UX design, email design, app design, and responsive design. It also offers tutorials on programs such as Photoshop, HTML, Sketch, and CSS3. Want to learn how to code? There’s an entire section devoted to coding, too.
4. UX Magazine
UX Magazine is a community resource covering all areas of UX and is a great way to stay abreast of new trends. Its articles are broken down into the following categories: accessibility, data visualization, emotion, empathy, personas, and storytelling. Given UX’s explosive growth over the past few years, the blog is currently focusing on articles that explain “how UX fits into technological endeavors, customer experience strategies, project planning, and organizations of every stripe.” It also promotes UX events and job postings.
In 2010, HubSpot’s director of UX and Twitter’s principal designer set out to discover what exactly makes the user experience. This blog is the result. The duo blogged for a year, dissecting the problems encountered when designing for real people and posting some best practices. This is a great resource for newbies to UX. While the site isn’t updated regularly, it’s a great place to brush up on (or learn) basic design skills.
This crowd favorite has a robust section on UX design and is also a great resource on web design and development in general, with articles on everything from content strategy to coding to recovering from setbacks. One of our favorite parts of Smashing Magazine is its monthly web development update, which keeps you abreast of new, important updates in the world of design.
7. UX Planet
UX Planet describes itself as “a one-stop resource for everything related to user experience”. Edited by Nick Babich, the blog’s top-level categories include user experience, UX for beginners, and UX research. There are articles in Spanish and Arabic. Plus, there’s a career advice section that gives helpful tips on topics such as interviewing for your first UX job, surviving your first internship, and more.
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Remember Donald Norman, the cognitive scientist for Apple who first coined the term “user experience”? He’s the “Norman” behind Nielsen Norman Group, so it should come as no surprise that his blog made our list. The Nielson Norman Group is a UX research and consulting firm that provides guidance on user experience. The firm’s blog covers topics such as user testing, mobile design, e-commerce, and how to make websites more user-friendly. Looking for more? The group also offers training seminars and hosts UX conferences across the globe.
9. UX Movement
We love UX Movement because it’s highly visual. While some blogs like to tell you why something is good, UX Movement shows you. Its articles provide examples of good design as well as bad to help you understand the difference. For example, if the topic is optimal placements for mobile call-to-action buttons (as pictured above), it will show one example of good placement and one of bad to help you understand the difference.
10. UX Myths
UX Myths is an oldie but a goodie. It’s a compilation of common UX misconceptions that uses research to explains their faults. Examples include “white space is wasted space,” “UX design is about usability,” and “all pages should be accessible in three clicks.” While the blog hasn’t been updated lately, it’s a great resource for people breaking into UX design. It can help address any questions you may have, and also prepare you for questions your clients may send your way.
11. Usability Geek
Usability Geek was created in 2011 by Justin Mifsud as “a personal hobby to evangelize the importance of website usability.” It has since grown into a community of UX enthusiasts and boasts around 120,000 monthly users. In May 2019, it was acquired by the Interaction Design Foundation. The blog focuses on six main topics: usability, user experience, UX guidelines, testing, terminology, and UX tools. It’s updated pretty regularly and does a good job of showcasing case studies of various types of websites and apps.
12. Creative Bloq
Creative Bloq serves to inspire. It focuses on “art and design inspiration” and offers a wide range of topics, including graphic design, web design, typography, illustrations, and more. While it’s less “UX-centric” than others on our list, it’s worth visiting as it provides a fuller picture of design elements.
13. VWO Blog
While Creative Bloq is more right-brained, VWO Blog is more left-brained: it focuses on all things “conversion optimization and beyond.” The blog publishes content on A/B testing and produces original case studies to show what works and what doesn’t. You’ll see these case studies pop up pretty frequently in other blogs as well.
14. UX Studio Blog
UX Studio is a UX consulting agency that partners with companies on product design, UX research, and other UX needs. The company’s blog is a great resource for new and seasoned UX designers and focuses on a variety of topics, including UX design methods, UX research, mobile UX, and more. It’s a great resource for everything from gathering interview tips to keeping up with new design trends.
15. Awwwards
Awwwards seeks to be “a meeting point, where digital design professionals from across the globe find inspiration.” If you’re looking to join a thriving UX community, this is the place. You can talk to other UX designers, share knowledge, and ask for (and give) constructive feedback on projects.
One thing that separates a good UX designer from a great UX designer is a passion for learning (more about what UX designers do here). With technology evolving quickly, it’s imperative for UX designers to not just keep up but be forward-thinking. Blogs are one way to do this.
There are a lot of excellent UX blogs out there. Did we miss a great one? Tweet us! Just like you, we’re always looking to improve and learn something new.
Since you’re here…
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