UX Gaps

As the deadline looms for a critical roundtable meeting, the designer flips through the SWOT analysis she's about to present to her team and senior leadership. Almost immediately, her stomach sinks. The analysis feels thin. The strengths and opportunities are nearly identical, while the weaknesses and threats blur together. Instead of highlighting real insights, the list reads like surface-level repetition. Buried in the competitor section, she spots another problem: parts of it have drifted into nothing more than a checklist of features—mobile app here, newsletter there, one has it, one doesn’t. And worse, she realizes she's completely overlooked indirect competitors, leaving a blind spot in how the market is shifting. She doesn't have time to start over; instead, she sketches a plan: pull overlapping items apart so each quadrant speaks to a different kind of insight; add one or two concrete market opportunities that reflect real trends, not internal strengths; reframe the...

You’ve sent out applications for every role you feel qualified for. You’ve tapped your network — friends, mentors, anyone rooting for you. But the responses are the same: silence or “no.” The job market feels tighter than ever, and every application seems to vanish into a black hole. Time feels frozen, and with each passing day, your projects start to feel outdated. The pressure builds. Self-doubt creeps in. Imposter syndrome piles on. Then one day, you ask a trusted friend, not a recruiter, but someone who knows what a strong case study should communicate, to review your portfolio. Their questions sting. They don’t understand your choices, your reasoning, or how you moved from point A to point B. That’s when it clicks. Your case study isn’t telling a story. It’s just a list of steps. Surface-level. You go back and revise. You add context, reasoning, validation, and the connections between your actions and outcomes. It’s not an overnight miracle — you don’t land a job the next day — b...

Today’s the day. You’ve been designing for a year or two, with a couple of projects under your belt, but it’s been a while since you’ve done an interview. Your questions are solid, shared with colleagues, refined follow-ups, yes/no paths mapped out, but you know, real people rarely follow a script. Excited and a little nervous, you take a deep breath and get ready for four conversations on the same topic. The first participant is quiet and hesitant. They avoid eye contact, offer one-word answers, and pause before speaking. You slow down, soften your tone, and let the silence settle just long enough to give them space. “Can you tell me a little bit more about that?” you ask. Gradually, their posture eases, their words lengthen. That small act of checking in, paying attention to their comfort, turns the conversation around. The next participant couldn’t be more different, enthusiastic, animated, and easily sidetracked. They bounce from one story to another, and you ride the wave, listen...

You've spent weeks working on your family scheduling app prototype, and now it's time to test it. You've already interviewed a few parents you know, but reusing them won't provide fresh insights, and let's be honest, you don't want to keep asking the same people repeatedly. You've reached out to friends of friends, parenting groups, and professional connections, but after days of waiting, only a handful respond. Many don't fit your target profile or vanish before the session starts. Your deadline is looming, and you simply can't afford to waste any more time.  You're stuck. Should you pay for participants? If so, how do you find the right people quickly, and what will it cost? So, When Should You Start Paying for Participants? As a new UX designer, paying for participants might feel like a big step. But sometimes, paying is the fastest way to get quality feedback and meet your deadlines. Consider paying participants when: You've exhausted all...

You've done the research and created your persona. Now you're preparing to present it to your stakeholders or team. But as you review your work, something feels off. The bio doesn't clearly explain the problem the persona is facing, and the rest of the content, including goals, motivations, pain points, and frustrations, feels scattered or repetitive. It’s not as cohesive or actionable as it needs to be. Instead of telling a clear story, the sections feel disconnected, like puzzle pieces that don’t quite fit. You also start to question whether you need a second persona to represent other user lifestyles, especially given the significant differences among some of your interviewees. The doubt creeps in: " If this persona isn’t solid, will the rest of the design hold up?" You’re not just presenting a character, you’re presenting the foundation of your project. If your persona doesn’t capture the right problem, it puts your entire design direction at risk. If this ...

When it comes to grid-based design, margins and gutters are often the unsung heroes. While columns define where your content sits, margins and gutters define how your content breathes and interacts within that space. They create the invisible structure that guides the eye and helps users understand the hierarchy and flow of information. Understanding how to size and justify these values is a key part of designing flexible, readable layouts, especially when you’re building across multiple screen sizes. “Eyeballing it” won’t cut it when a stakeholder asks why your spacing feels off. You should be able to explain why you chose the numbers you did, and that’s what this post is all about. What Are Margins and Gutters? Gutters are the spaces between columns. They keep content from feeling cramped and ensure text and images don’t run into each other. Margins are the space on the outer edges of the grid. They keep content from hugging the edges of the screen and give your layout room to brea...

 In the last post, we picked your frame size, the outer container that sets the stage for your layout. Now it’s time to build the structure inside that frame. There are four main grid alignments to choose from: Centered Stretch Left-Aligned Right-Aligned Let’s break them down: Centered Grid What it is: The entire grid is centered in the frame, with equal margins on both sides. Why it works: It feels clean, balanced, and is easy to scan, making it a reliable choice for most websites. Where it shines: Marketing sites, blogs, and landing pages. Example: A blog layout where content stays centered on wide screens, leaving soft, readable margins on either side. Left-Aligned Grid What it is: The grid hugs the left edge of the frame, leaving empty space on the right. Why it works: It creates a strong reading direction and structured feel, perfect for editorial content. Where it shines: Portfolios, news sites, and documentation pages. Example: A design portfo...