3 min read

With summer now officially over – and autumn beginning to bite – it’s back to retreating indoors and browsing the web as the rain does its thing outside.

Luckily for you, we’ve brought together our favorite UX articles of the last month to provide some distraction from the build up to Christmas(!)

With so much quality content out there, we’ve compiled 5 articles we feel are interesting, invaluable or otherwise a must read for anyone with an interest in UX.



From this month’s top 5 UX articles, you’ll learn:

How the creator of the world’s most famous mouse, was a UX pioneer

How to optimize your site for speed, to the joys of your visitors

Why UX relates to not only User Interface design

About one of the current hottest design trends – Flat design

Why UX is the industry to be in right now

1. Walt Disney: The World’s First UX Designer



Walt Disney: The World’s First UX Designer by Joseph Dickerson, published on UX Magazine.

“The key to the Disney Park experience is immersion: everything is designed down to the exact detail. Cast members are trained on how to treat customers with very specific instructions on how to do even the minutest actions, like waving and smiling.”

We start off with a history lesson. Joseph notes how the excellent customer service and focus on providing customers with the best possible experience in his parks made Disney a pioneer in UX – drawing similarities scarily reminiscent of Apple.

He goes on to provide the reader with a long list of principles, invaluable to any aspiring UX designer or Marketer.

2. Responsive Design is Not About Screen Sizes Any More



Responsive Design is Not About Screen Sizes Any More by Gorka Molero, published on Speckyboy Design Magazine.

“To achieve truly lightweight sites, performance shouldn’t only be a concern, it should be treated as a design feature.”

In this article, Gorka explains how sites are not always optimized for speed – causing page abandonment and frustration for mobile users.

Gorka goes on, in great detail, to present tools and techniques available to web designers in order to solve these problems.

3. Why UX is not 100% UI



Why UX is not 100% UI by Catalin Zorzini published on Inspired Magazine.

“IT courses would often advise that a misguided path is thinking that UX is equivalent to UI. The thing is, user experience (UX) is almost always affected by user interface (UI) but is not solely based on it. ”

Within this article, Catalin states hows User Experience isn’t restricted to only UI’s and goes on to state factors indicating good UX on websites.

An invaluable read for anyone new to UX on the web.

4. The Ultimate Guide to Flat Design



The Ultimate Guide to Flat Design by Carrie Cousins, published on Web Designer Depot.

“Flat design is a style that lacks the “tricks” designers often use in order to create a realistic or three-dimensional effect. The style is characterized by an overall minimalistic look, bright but muted colors, bold — often retro — typography and simple user interface elements such as buttons or icons.”

Carrie introduces the reader to Design’s current major trend. Not only is the reader introduced, but examples are also given – together with templates and icons.

An essential read for anyone new to, or looking for inspiration in, flat design.

5. Why Now is the Right Time to Become a UX Designer



Why Now is the Right Time to Become a UX Designer by Christian Vasile, published on Web Designer Depot.

“You don’t have to be a genius to work this out: UX designers are in demand. In fact most web design jobs on offer at the moment include the term UX somewhere in the description.”

In this article, Christian explains why the UX industry is suddenly starting to boom – using examples such as Apple. Interesting for anyone in the field or looking to get into it – if only to reassure yourself that this is the industry to be a part of!