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  • DesignUp 🍧 Issue #96 > Strategic Design, 2021 Reports, Feast your eyes + more

DesignUp 🍧 Issue #96 > Strategic Design, 2021 Reports, Feast your eyes + more

April 05, 2021

Here's DesignUp Issue #96, coming to your inboxes on a crisp April day. Most parts of India are already on their way to summer with burning hot afternoons 🥵 (like Hyderabad where Soo is), while here in Bangalore, we're enjoying the last few weeks of the cherry blossom-like Basant Rani trees...

This issue, curated by Soo, comes packed with reports on how Covid-19 has influenced design, user research, and hiring. And, you'll get a more comprehensive slice of what it meant for India & SE Asia. We are on our way to publishing the DesignUp Deconstruct Report 2020-21 soon! If you've never heard of Deconstruct - the first comprehensive study on the state of Design-in-tech in India and SE Asia, head over here!

You can also download ↘️ the 2019-2020 report here, for free!

Welcome to April!

First things first, we rewound the time machine slightly to this timeless topic, and this frank and thoughtful talk by Daniel Burka at #DUp18 ⏲ @jdallcaps says "This is a must-watch for designers on their long career trajectory: whether you're an individual contributor, lead, or manager."

In the real world, we often get bogged down in production design. How can we keep our heads above water and still work on the strategic, forward-thinking design? Let's look at strategies for balancing the needs of today with the freedom to scout into the future.

The state of experience and research in 2021

John Maeda's emerging insights revolutionizing the entrepreneurial and corporate ecosystems in tech. And don't miss fanning the flames

The third annual State of User Research report uncovers trends in UXR methods, tools, salaries, and remote work. Includes data from 525 user researchers in 44 countries.

The usual tools we’ve relied upon to help people find work will be insufficient coming out of this crisis. There's a better, faster way to hire. Though focused on the US, worth a read.

Tech milestones

“One of the building blocks of styling and theming Android apps is understanding drawables”. Thus began the first ever post to Styling Android which was published on 28th March 2011. Which is almost 10 years ago…

John Voorhees writes: "It’s hard to believe that it’s been two decades since Mac OS X was released. I wasn’t a Mac user in 2001, but as a tech fan, I followed the release of OS X and the later switch to Intel closely, which was what finally convinced me to buy my first iMac."

From the UXPowerUp Archives, 5 years ago!

At Interaction11 in Boulder Colorado Dick Buchanan told us that an interaction is "how people relate to other people through the mediating influence of products."…

Feast your eyes

The CNN Business team decided the best way to understand the craze would be to buy one ourselves.

"Icons of Our Time" series: Bitcoin hits a new all-time high.

A girl sinks into contemplation during a picnic at the park.

Have a great week and drop us a line if you have any suggestions!

Stay safe and stay inspired,

Header image from Behance