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Mike Shelton
An open source test script
Over the years of conducting user tests my team has used and iterated on our own usability test script. We’ve refined the structure and language, optimizing for objective, unbiased user insights. When starting a new test we’re now able to mobilize pretty quickly, building off our past efforts. A big part of the efficiency is…
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Rick Banister
Listen Up
How does Automattic incorporate “listening” into its design process? Two weeks ago Automattic had its annual all-company in-person gathering in Whistler, British Columbia. I got to catch up with dozens of colleagues and meet dozens of new ones. One of my favorite things about distributed work is the melting pot of perspectives it creates. I…
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Adam Becker
Bot encounters of the human kind
There’s been a lot of talk about how bots will take over. Dystopian theories aside, there’s a fair argument to be made that many of the tasks we currently do on a day to day basis will eventually be done much more efficiently by bots. Some day, maybe even more effectively as well. That’s an easy…
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ashleyvonclausburg
Why Automattic’s remote design team is anything but isolating
I didn’t study design in college. In fact, I’ve only ever taken one professionally sanctioned design class in my life. I initially got started in the field because there wasn’t a designer at my first company and someone needed to do those projects. When I quickly realized that design work was the only work I…
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Megs Fulton
The Design Interview Challenge
If you spend any time reading or discussing design hiring the subject of design challenges will inevitably come up. I’ve experienced design challenges both as an interviewee and an interviewer. As an interviewee, many of the interview challenges I participated in left me feeling uneasy. From the conversations I’ve had with design peers who had…
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Laurel Fulford
Styling Radcliffe 2
Yesterday, the theme team launched our first collaborative theme, Radcliffe 2. This theme was a refresh of an existing theme by Anders Norén. Ola Bodera wrote a great summary of our typical theme refresh process. (Though it may change down the road, right now this blog is using that theme!) In Radcliffe 2, we introduced…
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Jeff Golenski
Utilizing Growth Design to create a better experience for our customers
One of the greatest benefits of working at Automattic is that I’m continuously challenged by my colleagues to be a better designer. We have an incredible pool of diverse talent with different perspective from all over the world, which means that we’re all in a position to teach and to be taught. A few weeks…
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Dan Hauk
Finding inspiration in the mundane
A few years ago I hit a creative block. Now, I know this is nothing new. Whether it’s a short block specific to a project or a longer period of burnout, everyone has those times where they’re feeling uninspired. I’ve certainly had my share of times where I felt it since then, but this particular…
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Michael Arestad
Let’s meetup
It’s easy to keep adding features to a product based on the instincts or personal desires of the contributors. This usually results in features or flows that no one asked for or particularly needs. Most open source products tend to operate this way. Fortunately, as open source projects gain popularity, the folks building and using…
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sarah semark
Prototyping for empathy
Earlier this month, I gave a talk at Frontend Conf in Zurich about developing and using empathy in the design process. In writing the talk, I came all sorts of wonderful stories of people designing prototypes to allow them to simulate the experience of another person, from Patricia Moore to St Francis of Assisi. This…
A fully distributed team making the web a better place.
A fully distributed team making the web a better place.
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