10 Principles of Good Design, My favorite design courses & more
Sketching for UX Newsletter Issue #18 (February, 2024) - my favorite design resources I discovered last month
Hey dear subscriber,
I hope you had a productive last month. The best thing I discovered in February is a Dieter Rams-inspired component set created by Lee Black and Karime Möll. In fact, they inspired my newest UX Knowledge Piece Sketch :)
✏️ My work
Before sharing my newest sketch and my favorite resources, here are some news concerning my work:
#1 My favorite UX & UI design courses - my new article
There are many-many design courses out there, let me help you choose the best ones (based on my personal experience). Read my detailed article here.
Some highlights:
- ✨ Master Gorgeous UI Design Course by
- ✨ Figma Academy by (use the code SKETCHINGFORUX to get $100 off)
- ✨ Smart Interface Design Patterns by
- ✨ Into UX Design (UX research & concept validation) by Anfisa Bogomolova (use the code SKETCHINGFORUX to get 10% off)
#2 How to Train Your Designer Eye landing page
This is my first website in Framer, it’s not 100% done, but I always try to apply the MVP mindset :) Check out the site here: eyefor.design and please let me know if you have some feedback! (Btw. the page layout is based on traf’s Framer course, if you want to learn this tool, look no further, his course provides a great foundation!)
Or you can check out my How to train your designer eye course directly, here is a link with a discount code.
#3 My StartHereDesigner.com database: big update is coming
I haven’t updated the database of my favorite design resources since last summer, currently I’m working on a major update, stay tuned!
✏️ 10 Principles of Good Design - my new UX Knowledge Piece Sketch
I strongly believe that digital product designers should get inspired by the work of industrial designers. I really admire Dieter Rams’s work, so I created a sketch that summarizes his design philosophy. Feel free to use it as a poster :) (I’ll upload a higher resolution version to the UX Knowledge Base Sketch website).
Check out my sketch & detailed article here soon.
✏️ Favorite resources
Here are my favorite discoveries of February, 2024:
#1 Dead Simple Sites
If you are a long time subscriber, you know that I love design inspiration websites. Dead Simple Sites’s mission is to collect the most minimal sites on the web.
Some more inspiration websites I discovered last month:
- Logo system - logo design library
- Unsection - website section inspiration
- Handheld.design - mobile design inspiration
- Built in Framer - websites built in Framer
My article about collecting and using design inspiration.
#2 Usability Heuristics Applied to Board Games
This article discusses fun and usability in board-game design through the lens of the 10 usability heuristics.
I’m a huge board game enthusiast, here are two more resources I really like that discuss the intersection of designing board games and digital products:
What Boardgames Can Teach Us About Designing Experiences by
How playing board games made me a better product designer by Jenn L. Colker
#3 Beyond UX Design by Jeremy Miller
Jeremy's book is an epic compass for any design professionals: it is about "being more than designers". There are politics, storytelling, content creation, facilitation and so many other skills you need to master.
#4 The psychology behind design by
This book is your guide to effortlessly combining psychology and product design, offering you clear, practical rules to create user-friendly products without getting tangled in complex theories.
#5 10 Heuristics to Simplify Design Decision-Making by
If you follow my UX Knowledge Base Sketches, you know that I love all the “UX laws” and heuristics, so I really enjoyed reading through Pat Morgan’s fantastic list.
#6 What makes a truly great software designer
Deep Dives by Dive Club is a podcast by
#7 Hide or disable by Sam Solomon
Should we hide or disable a UI element? This question could be a good follow-up for my last sketch, Decluttering in UI design.
I also have a sketch about the disabled state in UI design.
#8 Design-Pattern Guidelines: Study Guide
This article lists Nielsen Norman Group’s content that provides specific guidelines on designing a variety of interface patterns, from toggle switches to navigations tabs.
#9 The UX of Threads’ downfall by
An insightful analysis of how Threads onboarding got in the way of long-term retention. (Btw., Daniel’s other recent article is also great: Key takeaways from Airbnb’s winter redesign)
#10 Designing with Integrity: The Ethical Designer’s Handbook on Dark Patterns
If you are new to the concept of dark patterns, this article is an excellent starting point.
My sketch about dark patterns.
+1 IntoUX.Jobs by Anfisa Bogomolova
A new community & course (topics: job hunting strategy, storytelling for your portfolio and CV, application process) that’ll help you land your next design job.
✨ Favorite AI-related resources
✏️ Favorite posts [LinkedIn & Twitter (X)]
16 things to do (before opening Figma) by Christopher Nguyen
Why I scribble on new notebooks by
Good design embraces imperfections by
Design & Thrive episode 18 - Build your unique personal brand as a designer by
✏️ Coupon codes for my Udemy courses & other deals
Udemy courses
My NEW course: How to train your designer eye - €12.99
Sketching for UX Designers course - €12.99
Be a better designer by understanding development aspects course - €12.99
My (pay-what-you-want) books
Other deals
Being part of the 10x Designers Community has been one of the best experiences in my professional life as a designer. Join me on this learning journey, let’s grow together! (Sale: $99 instead of $129 for 3 months)
As you know, I find collecting and analyzing design inspiration a very important skill, and I became an advocate of Mobbin, join with my link to support me with a couple of dollars, I’d really appreciate it!
The Ultimate UI Design Mastery Bundle is an epic starting point if you want to become a UI designer. I attended their Advanced Figma course, so I experienced their teaching style myself. Again, if you join via my link, you’ll support my work!
Pip Decks: sets of oversized, beautifully designed cards that’ll help you become a better design professional in many areas, like storytelling and workshop facilitation.
Thanks for reading my newsletter, I hope you enjoyed it! 💙
Krisztina