Articles

Alita Kendrick

Alita Kendrick is a mixed-methods Senior UX Researcher specializing in strategic research for AI and applied machine learning.

Articles and Videos

  • UX Mindsets: Fixed Versus Growth

    Embrace adaptability in UX: reframe challenges, balance research with action, and foster a growth mindset to keep up with this evolving industry.

  • Design-Pattern Guidelines: Study Guide

    Unsure how to design and implement user-interface patterns? Use this collection of links to our content about specific patterns.

  • What Makes a Dark UI Pattern?

    Dark design patterns intentionally trick users into doing things they don't want to do. This is different than persuasive UX which nudges users without deception.

  • Writing for Social Media

    Content usability applies to social media copywriting, and legibility requirements are high since users often scroll through their feeds at high speed.

  • Confirmation Bias in UX Work

    Confirmation bias is the tendency to preferentially seek out or believe data that confirms your expectations. For example, thinking that one part of the UI is well designed and another is bad, might you give more weight to observations of usability test participants having trouble with that second feature.

  • Inclusive Design

    Inclusive design describes methodologies to create products that understand and enable people of all backgrounds and abilities. It may address accessibility, age, economic situation, geographic location, language, race, and more.

  • How to Practice Empathy

    Understanding and sharing the needs and motivations of users will lead to better design decisions. Observational research should be nonjudgmental while keeping an open mind and reducing bias.

  • Journey-Mapping Impact: Research Findings

    Our research suggests that customer-journey maps 1) tend to be created collaboratively with a team, 2) produced with digital tools, and 3) are moderately successful at making organizational impact.

  • Overcoming Service-Blueprinting Frustrations

    Our research with UX practitioners found 3 main areas of frustration with service-blueprint projects. Here are recommendations for overcoming or alleviating these problems.

  • Social Proof in UX

    Users take cues from other humans: if many others like something or do something, that makes people feel that this thing must be good.