AI is changing industries and economies worldwide.Workforce development is central to ensuring the changes benefit all of us, as Louis Stewart, head of strategic initiatives for NVIDIAs global developer ecosystem, explains in the latest AI Podcast.AI is fueling a lot of change in all ecosystems right now, Stewart said. Its disrupting how we think about traditional economic development how states and countries plan, how they stay competitive globally, and how they develop their workforces.Providing AI education, embracing the technology and addressing workforce challenges are all critical for future workplace development.It starts with education, Stewart said.The AI Podcast NVIDIAs Louis Stewart on How AI Is Shaping Workforce DevelopmentAI Education Crucial at All LevelsEducating people on what AI can do, and how the current generation of AI-powered tools work, is the starting point. AI education must come at all levels, according to Stewart however, higher education systems, in particular, need to be thinking about whats coming next, so graduating students can optimize their employability.Graduates need to understand AI, and need to have had touches in AI, he explained. Stewart emphasizes that this is broader than an engineering or a research challenge. This is really a true workforce issue.Stewart points to Gwinnett County in Georgia as an early education example, where the community has developed a full K-16 curriculum.If young kids are already playing with AI on their phones, they should actually be thinking about it a little bit deeper, he said. The idea, he explained, is for kids to move beyond simply using the tech to start seeing themselves as future creators of new technology, and being part of the broader evolution.Nobody Gets Left OutBeyond the classroom, a comprehensive view of AI education would expose people in the broader community to AI learning opportunities, Stewart said. His experience in the public sector informs his decidedly inclusive view on the matter.Before joining NVIDIA four years ago, Stewart spent more than a decade working for the state of California, and then its capital city of Sacramento. He points to his time as Sacramentos chief innovation officer to illustrate how important it is that all citizens be included in progress.Sacramento was trying to move into a place to be an innovation leader in the state and nationally. I knew the city because I grew up here, and I knew that there were areas of the city that would never see innovation unless it was brought to them, he explained. So if I was bringing autonomous cars to Sacramento, it was for the legislators, and it was for the CHP (California Highway Patrol), but it was also for the people.Stewart elaborated that everyone coming in touch with self-driving vehicles needed to understand their impact. There was the technology itself how autonomous vehicles work, how to use them as a passenger and so forth.But there were also broader questions, such as how mechanics would need new training to understand the computer systems powering autonomous cars. And how parents would need to understand self-driving vehicles from the point of view of getting their kids to and from school without having to miss work to do the driving themselves.Just as individuals will have different needs and wants from AI systems, so too will different communities, businesses and states take different approaches when implementing AI, Stewart said.Diverse Approaches to AI ImplementationPublic-private partnerships are critical to implementing AI across the U.S. and beyond. NVIDIA is partnering with states and higher education systems across the country for AI workforce development. And the programs being put in place are just as diverse as the states themselves.Every state has their idea about what they want to do when it comes to AI, Stewart explained.Still, some common goals hold across state lines. When Stewarts team engages a governors office with talk of AI to empower the workforce, create job opportunities, and improve collaboration, inclusivity and growth, he finds that state officials listen.Stewart added that they often open up about what theyve been working on. Weve been pleasantly surprised at how far along some of the states are with their AI strategies, he said.In August, NVIDIA announced it is working with the state of California to train 100,000 people on AI skills over the next three years. Its an undertaking that will involve all 116 of the states community colleges and Californias university system. NVIDIA will also collaborate with the California human resources system to help state employees understand how AI skills may be incorporated into current and future jobs.In Mississippi, a robust AI strategy is already in place.The Mississippi Artificial Intelligence Network (MAIN) is one of the first statewide initiatives focused on addressing the emergence of AI and its effects on various industries workforces. MAIN works with educational partners that include community colleges and universities in Mississippi, all collaborating to facilitate AI education and training.Embrace Technology, Embrace the FutureStewart said its important to encourage individuals, businesses and other organizations to actively engage with AI tools and develop an understanding of how theyre benefiting the workforce landscape.Now is not the time to stay on the sidelines, said Stewart.This is the time to jump in and start understanding.Small businesses, for example, can start using applications like ChatGPT to see firsthand how they can transform operations. From there, Stewart suggests, a business could partner with the local school system to empower student interns to develop AI-powered tools and workflows for data analysis, marketing and other needs.Its a win-win: The business can transform itself with AI while playing a crucial part in developing the workforce by giving students valuable real-world experience.Its crucial that people get up to speed on the changes that AI is driving. And that we all participate in shaping our collective future, Stewart explained.Workforce development is, I think, at the crux of this next part of the conversation because the innovation and the research and everything surrounding AI is driving change so rapidly, he said.Hear more from NVIDIAs Louis Stewart on workforce development opportunities in the latest AI Podcast.

If you cant shop locally this holiday season at a friendly local game store, your friendly virtual independent TTRPG seller is happy to help and might have a few more options. While itch.io and Drivethru RPG are the go-to spots for tabletop designers and players to find their new favorite game, independent distributors are offering discounted physical copies this Black Friday. Polygon has rounded up some of the best indie tabletop deals and bundles that these virtual stores have to offer.Tabletop BookshelfA one-person store that opened in December 2023, Tabletop Bookshelf has quickly earned its spot as a trusted seller of great indie and small press TTRPGs. Among the games currently on sale are gems like Evil Hats Deathmatch Island (a Squid Games meets Survivor style RPG) and SoulMuppets Orbital Blues, a game about sad space cowboys though the original Cowboy Bepop RPG is also on sale. It also carries classic games like the satirical Paranoia and games by up-and-coming designers like Elliot Davis Project Ecco, a solo RPG about a rogue time traveler avoiding a mysterious Agency and an evil Entity, thats played on a yearly planner.Knave of CupsKnave of Cups is another online outfit run by a team of two. They stock games by prominent indie designers like Sam Leigh, Ken Lowery, and Cassi Mothwin. Knave of Cups also stocks everything you need like dice, tarot cards, journals, and puzzles. Through November 27, theyre running a sale on their collection of indie board games from designers like the Japanese game design studio, Oink Games, which creates pocket-sized games perfect for holiday gatherings.Exalted FuneralExalted Funeral is the go-to publisher and distributor for fans of Old School Renaissance games. It carries a massive catalog brimming with original games and settings like the Redwall-esque Mausritter or the psychedelic Ultraviolet Grasslands. Exalted Funeral also sells experimental supplements for over 30 systems including Dungeons and Dragons, Mork Bork, Mothership, and Old School Essentials. From November 29 to December 2, there will be a 30% discount site-wide, with up to 50% off books and zines published through Exalted Funeral.Indie Press RevolutionA staple of the indie tabletop scene, Indie Press Revolution carries maybe the widest array of tabletop games and adjacent materials on this list. Operating since 2004, IPR is a common presence at gaming conventions in the US. It sells staples of the medium like John Harpers Blades in the Dark and Tim Hutchings Thousand Year Old Vampire, alongside newer games and supplements like Quinn Murphys Welcome To Nightvale-inspired Community Radio and watts Cloud Empress. Currently, IPR only has a handful of games on sale, like Signal to Noise and Onyx Paths Chronicles of Darkness.Plus One ExpLast but certainly not least on this list is Plus One Exp, a tabletop publisher and distributor with the slogan, Weird Indie Games, a sentiment we should all get behind. Plus One Exp has been distributing tabletop games with truly fascinating concepts like Alexi Sargeants The Great Soul Train Robbery, a low-prep game about robbing a train to hell, Navaar Jacksons The Corrupted, an intimate zombie apocalypse game in the vein of The Last of Us, and Longsword, a d100-based twist on Arthurian legends and knightly virtues by Viditya Voleti and Sam Tung. Many of the games on the Plus One site are the product of their RPG Zine Club, a monthly subscription where members pay a flat rate for monthly games from designers all over the world. While not technically a Black Friday deal, Zine Club subscribers get these games at a discounted rate.

Zelda has several outfits she can wear in The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. Though most of them have no effect on the gameplay, who wouldnt want to look their best in fancy clothing while saving Hyrule?The outfits are all locked behind different means, whether its story progression, amiibos, or side quests. Below we discuss how to unlock all the outfits in Echoes of Wisdom.All outfits and clothing list in Zelda: Echoes of WisdomYou wont be able to start unlocking outfits in Echoes of Wisdom until you finish the Stilled Hyrule Castle portion of the game. After this, Impa will give you a change of clothes, allowing you to swap between the disguise (the blue cloak outfit) and the Royal Travel Attire.The remainder of the outfits in the game are unlocked by using amiibo, completing side quests or other side content, which are as follows at a glance, with each entry linking to a dedicated description of how to unlock them.Disguise (story)Royal Travel Attire (story)Blue Attire (amiibo)Red Tunic (amiibo)Black Cat Clothes (amiibo)Customary Attire (side quest)Silk Pajamas (side quest)Dancing Outfit (mini-game)Cat Clothes (side quest)Green Tunic (combat challenge)Stamp Suit (collectables)Where to find the Blue Attire, Red Tunic, and Black Cat ClothesOnce you have finished the Stilled Hyrule Castle portion of the game, you can get three outfits from using amiibo: the Blue Attire, the Red Tunic, and the Black Cat Clothes. These are just recolors of existing outfits in the game, so if you dont have amiibo, youre not missing out on much.Where to get the Customary Attire in Zelda: Echoes of WisdomThis is the outfit that Zelda was wearing at the start of the game before Impa gave her the disguise.You get the Customary Attire from the quest From the Heart in Hyrule Castle Town. You can start the quest with this little girl:Where to get the Silk Pajamas in Zelda: Echoes of WisdomYou get the Silk Pajamas by from the quest Dohnas Challenge in Gerudo Town. Youll need to stealth past the Gerudo guards to get these PJs from a chest, which Dohna will let you keep as a reward.You can find Dohna here in Gerudo Town:These PJs help you recover hearts faster from sleeping in beds.Where to get the Dancing Outfit in Zelda: Echoes of WisdomYou get the Dancing Outfit as a reward for beating the mango rush challenge on the hardest difficulty with ultimate seeds. The mango rush challenge takes place in the tent in the Gerudo Desert Oasis.This outfit lets you increases Zeldas spin ability area of effect.Where to get the Cat Clothes in Zelda: Echoes of WisdomYou get the Cat Clothes as a part of the Questioning the Local Cats side quest in Kakariko Village. After helping a woman retrieve something from a cat, shell give you the outfit, which allows you to do what the quest title says: question the local cats.The Questioning the Local Cats side quest starts with this old man in Kakariko Village:This costume allows you to speak with cats.Where to get the Green Tunic in Zelda: Echoes of WisdomYou get the Green Tunic as a reward for completing all 15 of the dojo challenges in Kakariko Village. You wont have access to the first 14 challenges until after you beat all three areas after Hyrule Castle: the Hebra Mountains, the Eldin Volcano, and the Faron Wetlands. Youll need to clear out that 14th challenge in order for the 15th challenge to show up.The 14th challenge is a boss rush of the three bosses from the aforementioned areas, and the 15th challenge is a boss rush of all seven dungeons in the game. Youll be able to use smoothies, echoes, and other accessories to take on this fight, so just stock up on smoothies ahead of time and you should be able to take down the bosses without too much trouble (since you already have beaten them before).Where to get the Stamp Suit in Zelda: Echoes of WisdomYou get the Stamp Suit as a reward for finding all 25 stamps around Hyrule.You can see an overview of the games story with our Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom walkthrough, and find what to do next off the beaten path with our interactive Echoes of Wisdom map, as well as pages on heart pieces, fairy bottles, echoes, and side quests.

For millennia, the stars have guided humans and animals alike, shedding new light on the great inky beyond. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) launched the Europa Clipper on Oct. 14, 2024, to better understand Jupiters icy and distant moon, Europa. The new Europa Clipper Exploration Watch from Anicorn encapsulates what we love about space-age design, with a modern twist. A Slick 316L stainless steel casing and a Seiko NH35 automatic movement make this a beautiful piece perfect for a space lover or watch enthusiast. This watch features details inspired by the Europa Clipper mission, an innovative expedition to explore worlds beyond our own.All elements within the watch are meticulously crafted to promote details reminiscent of space design: ultra clean, no frills, and a small elegant porthole in the back for viewing the Seiko mechanism. Red details, to show whats important and the NASA Meatball logo proudly shown on the front, a beacon of space exploration, progress, and unity since its inception. NASA holds a longstanding history of sending messages to the great beyond, such as the Pioneer Plaque and the Voyager Golden Record. Anicorn continues this tradition with delicately inscribed laser etchings of the Drake Equation, which postulates the existence of extraterrestrial life, and Water Hole radio emission lines, representing the quest for signals from distant planets. Limited to 200 pieces, this is a must-have for anyone interested in bringing the great beyond right down to their wrist.There is a stainless steel strap that gives nod to the vault plate on the Europa Clipper, evoking the transmission of messages into space. Anicorn also offers an FKM strap as well emblazoned with the Europa Clipper logo. This allows for versatility in style options, transitioning from a classic option to a more casual look.On the back of the watch face, a Vault Plate-shaped window offers a symbolic look into the ocean hiding underneath Europas crust, and a peek at the watchs mechanism. Showcasing the Europa Clipper logo, the timepiece pays tribute to one of NASAs most daring missions in the history of space exploration.Space travel is very important to us as a species. Through times of war, strife, and natural disaster, the one thing many countries could agree upon was the fantastic privilege to explore the stars. The watch includes a microchip that contains 2.6 million signatures as part of a collective mission in search of habitability beyond Earth. There is also a tribute to planetary scientist Ron Greeley, and a poem by Poet Laureate Ada Limn. The last line reads:We, too, are made of wonders, of great and ordinary loves, of small invisible worlds, of a need to call out through the dark.To snag one of the 200 Europa Clipper Mission The Exploration Watch for $840, visit anicorn-watches.com. To learn more about Anicorn Watches, click here. For more updates from NASA, follow them on Instagram here.

Leave it to Kith to turn travel into a full-on style statement. The New York-based lifestyle brand just unveiled its multi-year partnership with luxury luggage powerhouse TUMI, and the debut collection is a first-class upgrade for your next journey. With elevated carry-ons and sleek travel accessories, the Kith for TUMI collection is so good, it might make you book a trip just to show it off.When thinking of luxury travel, finding the right partner to create durable, stylish, and timeless products was non-negotiable, shares Kith Founder, CEO, and Creative Director Ronnie Fieg. It only made sense to collaborate with TUMI, an undisputed, iconic name in the luggage world. These are all qualities that TUMI embodies, he continues. Theyre best in class in the luggage space, and their team shares the same love for product that I do.Together, Kith and TUMI have crafted a collection thats functional and fashionable, merging TUMIs 19 Degree design language with Kiths signature color palette and refined monogram print. The headliners are the four hard-sided luggage options, ready for everything from jet-setting to weekend getaways. Crafted from aircraft-grade aluminum, each piece features TUMIs 19 Degree contours and useful details like integrated TSA-approved locks, retractable top, and side carry handles. The exterior is wrapped in Kiths all-over monogram print, available in four muted tones: Asteroid (charcoal grey), Cavan (blue-grey), Plaster (brown-grey), and Quicksand (light brown). Inside, the thoughtful design continues with perfectly sized gradient packing cubes to keep your essentials neatly organized.No detail was spared when it came to the travel extras. A Compact Sling, Watch Travel Case, Cigar Case, Sunglass Case, and iPhone 15 Pro Case all round out the collection, each finished in Kiths signature hues for a coordinated travel kit.And because no modern traveler leaves home without their gadgets, the collection includes a Kith-branded 3-in-1 Foldable Magnetic Wireless Charger and a Universal Power Adapter so you can stay powered up no matter where your passport takes you. Kith customers and TUMI customers both share a love of travel, technology, and fashion, said Victor Sanz, TUMI Creative Director. We wanted to create a collaborative capsule that encompasses the very best of what TUMI is offering with the sophisticated sensibilities that Kith brings to the world.Whether youre a frequent flyer or just someone who appreciates a good travel flex, the Kith x TUMI collection is here to help you jet set in style. But act fastthis limited-edition capsule is bound to take off quicker than your boarding group gets called. Bon voyage!To check out the Kith x TUMI collection, visit kith.com.

We need to deliver UX research assets to the business, not store them in a repositoryWhen I entered the field of user experience research in 2021, research repositories were top of mind. As a former librarian (and ethnographer), I had found my niche! Research teams were having trouble finding past research within their organizations, which led to repeated studies and duplicated efforts. I was happy to see that the solution was a library, or repository.The rise of the UX research repositoryTools like Airtable, Confluence and Sharepoint were often customized for use as repositories. And beginning around 2015, repository tools like EnjoyHQ, Condens, and Dovetail came onto the market. These tools were not just research librariesthey helped UX teams track their research studies, analyze their insights, and organize their outputs. Already, the repository had multiple functions beyond simply storing research.As time went on, UX research repositories became impossible to define. Everyones repository looked different, and had different purposes and functionalitiesindeed the term repository had gone through the process of semantic diffusion (when a term is coined with a specific definition, but its meaning weakens as its usage widens). Teams started calling their repositories insights hubs and research libraries in an effort to be more focused and descriptive.The problem was that these tools didnt effectively address a larger, looming problem: UX research was sorely underutilized for product development decisions. While repository tools did help researchers organize their assets, decision-makers like product managers, designers and executives were unlikely search a UX research repository for answers to their product development questions. Poor adoption became a huge reason why repositories failed. In a survey of 400 UX professionals, Nielsen Norman found that over 50% of research repositories had fair or poor adoption rates. If a repository isnt used by an organization, its business value is prettylow.UX research produces businessassetsSince 2022, UX has been in a state of extreme flux and UX practitioners are at a crossroads. The looming problem about research visibility I mentioned above? Its now front-and-center. Thought leaders like Jake Burghardt are diving into the problem spacehe writes, even as tech organizations tout their use of data in decision making, much of their essential research languishes in low-engagement archives, failing to drive whatsnext.Clearly, we need to re-think our consideration of the research repository, as it exists today. We need strategy and tooling that supports the delivery of UX research assets to decision makers. The repository tools we have today typically dont achieve thisgoal.So how do we achieve the goal of successful delivery of UX research to product decision makers? First, we need to start talking about UX research assets as business assets, not simply deliverables. Lets take a closer look at two tangible assets that UX research produces: customer journey maps and personas.Personas and customer journey maps areassetsPersonas are a powerful tool to focus design and development efforts on the users of a product or service. Rather than using a set of statistics to describe a user segment, user researchers create a fictional person who embodies the behavior and motivations of a usersegment.As Aurora Harley explains in her article for Nielsen Norman, personas can act as guides when working with outside agencies on things like participant recruitment and customer journey mapping (see below). As time goes on, personas can be refined using analytics toolsmaking them living documents that have ongoing value to the business.The value of personas extends far beyond design and development. The business benefits of well-crafted personas include an improved product-market fit, more targeted and effective marketing efforts, increased user satisfaction, and ultimatelysignificant competitive advantage.Image source: https://www.productmarketingalliance.com/your-guide-to-personas/A customer journey map is a visual representation of the process a customer goes through to accomplish a goal. The map is based on a scenario and features a narrative of the actions of the customer, including their mindset and emotions. The map will also include actionable insights, and opportunities for improvement. Good journey maps are based on customer research, not simply putting oneself in a customers shoes. Customer journey maps can be used to align teams on customer experiencerather than each team relying on their own siloed data. When teams are aligned, real decision-making can takeplace.Dave Seaton, founder of Seaton CX, creates customer journey maps that ladder up to the business goals of his clients. When we deliver the journey map, stakeholders are going to be able to make better business decisions. Whether its, do I focus my efforts on this product feature? Or fixing this product or integrating with some other partner in the ecosystem? The customer journey map provides that insight so the client can make better business decisions and achieve those goals (pc, 11.18.2024).An example of a B2B customer journey map from BrightVesselSuccessful journey maps and personas are products of user research with clear business benefits. Without them, businesses who create products and services for customers are essentially flying blindor at the very least, experiencing a lot of customerchurn.From repository to deliveryplatformAs I pointed out above, it is an unfortunately common occurrence that UX research teams spend time and effort setting up a research repository, only to find that stakeholders dont engage with it. The result is that repository tools can inadvertently silo UX research.This is worth repeating: unless 1) all stakeholders and decision makers have access to the repository and 2) they fully adopt it, the tool has not achieved the goal of increasing the visibility and usage of UX research.While UX research is certainly presented and shared by the teams who produce it, this singular method of delivery is not enough. Stakeholders may be enthusiastic about research findings at a read-out, but that enthusiasm is quickly buried by the mountain of other responsibilities and information in their day-to-day. So how do we ensure that UX business assets stay top ofmind?Understand your stakeholdersSet up yourstrategyFor tooling, think beyond the usualsuspectsThe first step is to understand the stakeholders. What are their priorities? How do they work? What tools do they use on a daily basis? Erika Hall writes about interviewing stakeholders in Chapter 4 of her book Just Enough Research. Talking to stakeholders not only gives you a window into their day-to-dayyou can better understand where research sits on their list of organizational priorities.With this information in hand, create a strategy in which research insights (and assets) are delivered to stakeholdersthey should never have to go hunting forthem.If you use tooling, it should be second nature to use and present information clearly and concisely, so that users find answers to their questions quickly and easily. A traditional research repository may not fit the bill in this case. Perhaps what we really need right now is a research delivery platforma truly self-service library, tailored to what our stakeholders are searching for.Beyond the research repository was originally published in UX Collective on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

A comic illustration of ripped fitness pals exercising because they love research so effing much. Credit:me.Its a powerful tool for organizational influence.Youre in your 30s. Youve gained a little weight. Youre not fat, but some of your clothes dont fit anymore. Its not that big of a deal, but youre starting to feel kind of old. You have a best friend whos the same age as you, but hes annoyingly fit, possessing the body of a greek god. He tells you that fitness is simple, that really all you need to do is know a handful of things and be consistent. You ignore him. But he keeps bringing it up. He offers to buy you a book if you promise youll read it. You promise, if only to shut his stupidmouth.But the book kind of makes sense. In fact, this whole fitness thing doesnt seem so hard after all. You try it. You loose 30lbs! You feel amazing!!!WHY DIDNT YOU LISTEN TO YOUR BEST FRIEND SOONER?!?You know how youve experience all this? Yea Me neither But my best friend Chasedoes.And his story is my story, but for user research.Always pickedlastI have led a design system team for the past three years. Throughout that time we have really struggled to make changes in our products. There are a multitude of reasons for that, some of which Ive covered here. Until very recently, we havent had an engineering team, so any kind of changes we wanted to make in our system were hamstrung by a lack of resources and shifting priorities.This is the true problem that design system designers often face. Nathan Curtis does an incredible job outlining it here in his article detailing the issues with a federated design system. Design systems dont bring in revenue. Were a shared service. We save money, we dont make it. We make internal tools that allow engineers, designers, and product managers to solve real, valuable problems for our users (instead of reinventing wheels). Our work makes theirs more efficient, effective, and waaaaaaaaaaay sexier.But we dont sell products.So, business leaders often give us the shaft. Product managers preferring to implement a new feature that will generate $5M in revenue than implement a few bug fixes that will save us $10M in accessibility fines.I get it. Money is good. Its a resource that we need to continue to make great work. But rolling rocks up hill is really hard, and I get really, really sad watching them roll backdown.I need another tool to affect more change in my organization.Research, my old friend, why did I ignore you for solong?As UX designers, one of the most valuable tools in our toolkit is the skill to validate our design decisions with user research. Its invaluable to making quality design decisions. And Im sorry to say (at least in my my organization, particularly on my team) we rarely use it. Weve had so many problems to solve rebuilding our Figma libraries, resolving design system requests, and telling engineering executives to stop making houses out of duct tape. User research was something that feature designers and our dedicated research team do, notus.I was a big ole idiot. Dont be likeme.This decision severely hampered our ability to make a serious impact into the products were trying to serve. But, luckily for us, despite our camels capacity to carry a metric ton of straw, its back finallybroke.A screenshot of an incredible custom Figma plugin that we developed to sync our icon library with GitHub. Its absolutely beautiful.A better iconlibraryOne of the primary products that we serve is the Webex App. Its a messaging and video chat tool. And, though on days when Im honest I miss Slack, Webex is actually pretty great! It has noise cancellation that is literally magic, something that I, a father of three tiny embodiments of pandemonium and chaos very much appreciate.We manage the icon library, and over the last year have develop some really amazing improvements. We collaborated with some web engineers to build a custom Figma plugin that allows us to sync our Figma component library with GitHub. There the raw SVGs are processed, optimized, and exported into a variety of formats used by various platform teams (Web, MacOS, iOS, Windows, and Android), all version controlled byNPM.I couldve sword I heard angels singing when we pushed our firsticon.Before this plugin was developed the entire process was manual. We might as well have carved our SVGs out of rocks (it would have gone faster). But after interviewing product and platform teams to understand their specific needs, we consolidated our icon system to a single pipeline where we could maintain consistency.Well Consistency for everything butA screenshot of the method that we used to export multicolored icons for the Windows platform. Multicolored icons are duplicated across dark and light themes. We had to use a completely separate methods for other platforms.Multi-colored iconsNinety-nine percent of our library were single colored icons. Developers and designers could apply our color tokens to those icons in order to change their colors. However, there were a handful of icons in our library that contained twocolors.These icons were very problematic for us. They couldnt use color tokens, and needed to be built in very different ways depending on the platform consuming them. Their usage of color also violated our icon color system, which made them illegible and confusing.But they had been in our product for a longtimeWe informed our product teams that they would either need to move to single colored icons or support their own multicolored icon library. That worked for most teams, but notall.ConflictOne of our product teams where the multicolored icons were used heavily pushed back. They said that their users were familiar with the icons and that moving to single colors would create a disruptive experience. We argued that, not only would it be easier for us to support, but it would make the icons far more legible and accessible.No one budged aninch.A screenshot of how the Webex App currently uses multicolored icons in its messaging interface.A screenshot of our proposal for single coloredicons.Research to therescue!Before Cisco, I used to work at a company called Blackboard (now Anthology). It was my first UX job, and thanks to my team leader, I received an education in user research (thank you so much Kelsey!). I was on a team exploring ideas for a new data and analytics tool that Blackboard wanted to create. We performed a tremendous amount of qualitative research via contextual inquiries and user interviews, as well as quantitative research with concept testing and surveys. It was an awesome opportunity, performing the research necessary to build a new product from the groundup.And it gave me all the tools I should have needed to do research well. Yet, despite the depth of my knowledge, for years I had neglected to seriously implement it into my work here atCisco.A screenshot comparing the multicolored Mute Icon with the single colored MuteIcon.A hugemistake.When we started getting pushback from that product team, a switch finally flipped. We reached out to our research team to see if we could create a small usability test to validate (or invalidate) our design decisions. They didnt have capacity to run it themselves, but helped us get set up with our tools and provided someadvice.After building a small proposal, we shared it with the product team, and looped in the lead designer on the research project. We wanted their feedback to make sure that the test we built wasnt biased towards our goals. We created a simple A/B test asking question about icon clarity, scanability, and user preference between the twodesigns.A screenshot comparing the multicolored Video Icon with the single colored Video Icon. Which one do you think is on? Can youtell?Despite testing users who were very familiar with Webex, the results were conclusive.A screenshot of four pie charts detailing the results of our research: Mute Button 4 participants prefer multicolored 6 prefer single-colored icons, Video Button 2 participants prefer multicolored 8 prefer single-colored icons, Record Button 1 participants prefer multicolored 9 prefer single-colored icons, Overall 3 participants prefer multicolored 7 prefer single-colored icons.We synthesized the results and shared them with designs and the PM from the product team. Surprisingly, no pushback. The PM was sold, a Jira ticket was put on the backlog, and very suddenly, a problem that had plagued us for months was nomore.ConclusionOne of our key skills as UX designers is the implementation of user research to validate design decision making. Dont be like me. Dont ignore the health of your UX practice. Do more research. Its a powerful tool that can influence your organization in the right direction.Honestly, after this project I felt like we were playing GoldenEye, and I just picked up the golden gun. What was this powerful weapon that my team was now wielding? Why werent we using it from the very beginning?!?Currently, my entire team and I are undergoing a user research training course. I swear to you that we will only use our power for good (and world domination)!An illustration of the author waving. Credit:Me.Hey yall! Im Trip Carroll, a design leader at Cisco and aspiring cartoonist.I write and publish a new article on design, leadership, and software development every other Monday. You can see more of my work on my website, check out my drawings on Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter on Substack.Lets make workgreat!Never skip research day was originally published in UX Collective on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.Its not even Thanksgiving week, and still, Black Friday deals are already popping up all over the internet. If youve been patiently holding off, theres no longer any need to wait until youre stuffed with turkey to start shopping. Across Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, Target, and more, some of my favorite tech gadgets are already seeing price cuts. Granted, some of these are designed to fool you with fake markups, which is why its important to track an items price history before going in on something that looks too good to be true. Luckily, Ive already done all of the work for you. From now into December, keep checking in here for the best deals on laptops, TVs, Apple devices, tablets, video games, and more.The Best Black Friday laptop deals Apple 2022 M2 MacBook Air $749.00 at Amazon $999.00 Save $250.00 Get Deal Get Deal $749.00 at Amazon $999.00 Save $250.00 If youre like my in-laws, theres a good chance youre reading this list on a laptop that needs replacing. Its a good thing that laptops are no stranger to Black Friday deals, across PC and Mac alike.Apple MacBook Air 13-inch with M3 Chip: $844 at Amazon (was $1,099). This is Apples most recent MacBook Air, complete with the M3 chip, a base 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. Thats more than enough for most people.Apple MacBook Air 13-inch with M2 Chip: $749 at Amazon (was $999). If youre OK going with a slightly older model, the M2 MacBook Air with 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage is just a little cheaper than the M3 model right now.Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch with M4 Chip: $1,399 at Amazon (was $1,499). Apples most recent, M4 chip is also on sale for Black Friday, and this MacBook Pro supplements it with a 14-inch display, up to 24GB of memory, and up to 1TB of storage. Note that a base M4 chip might actually be weaker than an M3 Pro chip, depending on what youre using it for.Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch with M4 Pro Chip: $2,199 at Amazon (was $2,499). This is a great middle-ground for the MacBook Pro, with the M4 Pro chip, up to 48GB of memory, 512GB of storage, and a 16-inch screen.Dell Inspiron 16-inch with Intel Core Ultra 7: $999 at Best Buy (was $1,499). This 2-in-1 Windows laptop comes equipped with a modern Intel Core Ultra 7 chip and a lot of bonuses for the price point, including a convertible Mini-LED touch screen, 32GB of RAM, and 1TB of storage.Lenovo Yoga 7 14-inch 2-in-1 with Ryzen 7 chip: $799 at Lenovo (was $1,024). This convertible Windows laptop can flip around to turn into a tablet, and it comes with a respectable AMD Ryzen 7 8840HS chip, a whopping 1TB of storage, 16GB of memory, a 14-inch touchscreen, and even a stylus.Dell Alienware m16 R2 Gaming Laptop with Intel Core Ultra 9 chip: $1,299 at Dell (was $1,699). Here's one for the gamers. This 16-inch gaming laptop from Dell packs a lot for the price, with up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 GPU, up to 64GB of memory, up to 2TB of storage, and a 16-inch QHD+ display.Acer Aspire Go 14 Laptop: $279 at Acer (was $349). This ultra-budget laptop is a good cheap pick, and should be good for people whose work depends mostly on the cloud. It comes with an AMD Ryzen 3 7320U CPU, 128GB of storage, 8GB of memory, a 14-inch screen, and Windows 11 in S Mode. Note that S Mode laptops can only use apps from the Microsoft Store by default, although this can be changed later.Asus Zenbook 14 OLED: $499 at Best Buy (was $799). The Zenbook 14 OLED is one of my favorite competitors for the MacBook Air, and comes with an OLED touchscreen. This deal will snag you an Intel Core Ultra 5 chip with 8GB of memory and 512GB of storage, although a configuration with an Intel Core Ultra 7, 16GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD is also on sale.The Best Black Friday tablet deals Apple iPad Air, 11" With M2 Chip $569.05 at Amazon $599.00 Save $29.95 Get Deal Get Deal $569.05 at Amazon $599.00 Save $29.95 Not everyone needs a whole laptop. Tablets are just as valuable to plenty of techies out there, if not more so. Here are my favorite Black Friday tablet deals that are currently live.Apple 11-Inch iPad Pro with M4 Chip: $899 at Best Buy (was $999). This $100 deal will snag you Apples top of the line iPad, which, thanks to the brand new M4 chip, is arguably more powerful the MacBook Air. Storage starts at 256GB and memory is 8GB. If you increase the storage to the 1TB mark, the savings jump up to $150.Apple 13-Inch iPad Pro with M4 Chip: $1,099 at Best Buy (was $1,299). This $200 off deal on the 13-inch M4 iPad Pro is great for those who need a slightly bigger screen. Storage starts at 256GB and memory is 8GB.Apple 11-Inch iPad Air with M2 Chip: $499 at Amazon (was $599). If you're OK going for an older model of Apple Silicon, you can still get an M-series iPad on sale thanks to this great deal from Amazon, which cuts $100 off an M2 iPad Air. The deal applies to the 128GB, 512GB, and 1TB models. RAM is 8GB.Apple 10.2-Inch 9th Generation iPad: $199 at Best Buy (was $329). If youre just looking for a cheap, basic tablet, you cant do much better than the 9th Generation iPad, which is still going strong with the respectable A13 Bionic chip three years later. It wont support Apple Intelligence, but if youre still not sold on AI, you'll still get 3GB of RAM and up to 256GB of storage.Google Pixel Tablet: $279 at Amazon (was $399). This is Google's big attempt to revive the Android tablet, with a new user interface better equipped for a big screen, 8GB of memory, up to 256GB of storage, and an 11-inch QHD+ display. This deal applies to the Black and White colors, but doesn't include the speaker dock.Samsung Galaxy Tab S9+: $699 at Best Buy (was $999). A premium Android tablet from Samsung, this rectangle boasts a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip, 12GB of memory, 256GB of storage, a 12-inch 2,800 x 1,752 AMOLED screen, and comes with a stylus.Microsoft Surface Pro 13-Inch: $899 at Best Buy (was $1,199). This pick blurs the line between a tablet and a laptop, coming equipped with Windows 11, which gives it a full desktop ecosystem of apps to explore. Plus, this particular model also has a few Copilot+ goodies thrown in. Storage is 512GB and RAM is 16GB.The Best Black Friday deals on phones Apple - iPhone 15 128GB (Unlocked) - Black $679.99 at Best Buy $729.99 Save $50.00 Get Deal Get Deal $679.99 at Best Buy $729.99 Save $50.00 If you're still using an old phone, Black Friday could be a great time to upgrade. Bigger deals are often limited to contracts with various mobile carriers, but there are still options to get a new phone outright.iPhone 15 128GB (Unlocked): $679 at Best Buy (was $729). Apple's previous iPhone generation is still plenty capable, and while non-Pro models don't have Apple Intelligence, this 6.1-inch standard iPhone 15 is still a strong option with a 48 megapixel camera, up to 256GB of storage, and USB-C charging. Best Buy has sales across all available colors, including black (linked above), pink, and purple.iPhone 15 Plus 128GB (Unlocked): $779 at Best Buy (was $829). (The link may send you to the regular iPhone 15 listing, but there's an option to toggle over to the Plus model.) The larger screen version of the iPhone 15 is also on sale. It has a 6.7-inch screen, 128GB of storage, 48 megapixel camera, and USB-C port. All available colors are on sale, including black (linked above), yellow, and green.Google Pixel 8 128 GB (Unlocked): $449 at Best Buy (was $699). Google's last generation smartphone is on sale, coming with a 6.2-inch screen, a 50 megapixel camera, and up to 256GB of storage. Best Buy only seems to have the black model on sale at time of writing.Google Pixel 8 Pro 128GB (Unlocked): $599 at Best Buy (was $999). Google's last generation Pixel 8 Pro currently has a $400 discount at Best Buy. This phone deal comes with up to 256GB of storage, a 50 megapixel camera, two 48 megapixel cameras, and a 6.7-inch screen. Like with the base model, the sale only seems to be for the black version for now.Google Pixel 8 Pro 128GB (Unlocked): $592 at Amazon (was $999). Amazon's Pixel 8 Pro deal is actually a little bit cheaper than Best Buy's, and it applies to more colors, including Porcelain (white) and Bay (blue). However, the 256GB and 512GB versions of the phone are not on sale, and the discount on the Bay version is a little lower, putting it at $649.Samsung Galaxy S24 128GB (Unlocked): $699 at Amazon (was $799). Samsung's current generation Galaxy S24 phone is currently for sale across all available colors on Amazon, including black (linked above), purple, and yellow. It comes with a 6.2-inch screen, up to 256GB of storage, a 50 megapixel camera, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, and Galaxy AI.Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra 256GB (Unlocked): $949 at Amazon (was $1,299). This sale on Samsung's pro-level upgrade to the Galaxy S24 comes with a 6.8-inch screen, up to 512GB of storage, a 200 megapixel camera, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, S Pen support, and Galaxy AI. The sale is active across all available colors, including black (linked above), purple, and yellow.The Best Black Friday TV deals Samsun 55-Inch QLED 4K LS03D The Frame Series $897.99 at Amazon $1,497.99 Save $600.00 Get Deal Get Deal $897.99 at Amazon $1,497.99 Save $600.00 I almost never buy a TV outside of a sales event, and you shouldn't either. Keep an eye on these TV deals.Samsung 55-inch The Frame TV: $897 at Amazon (was $1,497). This 4K, 120Hz QLED TV is half display, half art piece, with a glare-resistant matte screen and a built-in art mode. It's perfect if you dont want to build your living room around a big, black rectangle. It is HDMI 2.1 compatible.LG 77-inch B3 OLED TV: $1,496 at Amazon (was $1,299). OLED is still my favorite display tech out there, and if I can get on my soapbox for a moment, it's the only one that really compares to CRTs. LG makes some of the best OLED TVs around, and this big-screen model has a 4K resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. There are four HDMI 2.1 inputs.Hisense 100-inch U7 QLED Google TV: $1,798 at Walmart (was $2,998). This massive, 100-inch TV from Hisense won't have quite the contrast levels as an OLED, but wow, that's a lot of screen space. It can display in up to 4K and has HDMI 2.1 inputs supporting a 144Hz refresh rate, making it decent for gaming, too.Amazon 65-inch Fire TV Omni Series: $369 at Amazon (was $449). Amazon's Fire TVs are a great way to get a lot of screen on a budget. This 4K QLED smart display has a 60Hz refresh rate, supports hands-free Alexa control, comes in up to 75-inches, and has various HDR options (starting at HDR10 and HLG).Roku 55-inch Plus Series QLED 4K Smart TV: $439 at Best Buy (was $499). Roku is one of Amazon's biggest rivals in the budget TV category. Available in up to 75 inches, this TV is 4K, supports Dolby Vision at a lower price point than Amazon's option, has a 60Hz refresh rate, and comes with Roku's snappy operating system built in.TCL 55-inch Class Q6-Series 4K Smart Google TV: $299 at Best Buy (was $449). If you're not big on Amazon's or Roku's operating systems, then a TCL TV is a good bet. This model comes in up to 98 inches, has a 4K QLED panel, support Dolby Vision, and a 60Hz native refresh rate.The Best Black Friday Video Game Deals Persona 5 Royal - Nintendo Switch $14.99 at Best Buy $59.99 Save $45.00 Get Deal Get Deal $14.99 at Best Buy $59.99 Save $45.00 Black Friday is a classic season for buying the latest video games (and video game accessories). Here are some of the best deals I've found so far.PlayStation VR2: $349 at Amazon (was $549). This massive deal is so large that Amazon's website can't actually display it properly. Right now, you can get Sony's second VR headset for $250 off its launch price, which will grant PS5 owners access to Sony's PSVR 2 library (though oddly enough, not PSVR 1 titles) and PC owners a new way to play their SteamVR games.Nintendo Switch OLED with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe: $274 at Target (was $349). If you don't yet have a Nintendo Switch, this is the deal to get, giving you the console's upgraded version, plus one of its most popular games, for less than $300.Xbox Core Wireless Gaming Controller: $39 at Amazon (was $59). Almost no video game accessory is as versatile as the basic Xbox controller, which can work across a slew of devices and has a standard layout that most games recognize immediately.PlayStation DualSense Wireless Controller: $54 at Amazon (was $74). PS5 controllers can be a bit more finicky to connect to other devices than Xbox controllers, but have improved greatly in this regard over the years, and come with plenty of extra haptics that might justify their higher price tag to some gamers.Nintendo Switch Pro Controller: $49 at Best Buy (was $69). Nintendo's official Pro controller is rarely on sale, and offers an official way to get a more traditional gamepad layout on the Nintendo Switch, complete with motion controls.Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons (Pair): $59 at Target (was $79). Everyone always needs additional Joy-Cons. Your Switch comes with two by default, but having more makes it easier to swap in new Joy-Con so you can keep playing if the battery dies. Alternatively, you can offer your extras to buddies for multiplayer play.8BitDo Ultimate Bluetooth Controller: $46 at Amazon (was $69). This is a reliable third-party alternative to the official Nintendo Switch Pro Controller, with both Bluetooth and 2.4 GHz connectivity, plus motion controls, back paddles, macro compatibility, and durable Hall Effect sticks.Sonic x Shadow Generations for Nintendo Switch: $37.49 at Best Buy (was $59). Sonics latest release, this remaster of Sonic Generations also comes with a highly regarded, brand-new campaign featuring his edgy counterpart, Shadow the Hedgehog.Persona 5 Royal for Nintendo Switch: $14.99 at Best Buy (was $59). In the beloved Persona series, the player takes the helm as a phantom thief who literally steals hearts.The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom for Nintendo Switch: $49 at Best Buy (was $69). This sequel to the modern classic The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild once again sees players embarking on a more open world journey across Hyrule, this time wielding a magic arm that can build all sorts of wacky contraptions.Dragon's Dogma 2 for Xbox/PlayStation: $39.99 at Amazon (was $69). One of my personal favorite games of this year, this sequel to the cult classic from the Xbox 360-era sees players navigating a brutal fantasy world that doesn't pull any punches.Elden Ring for Xbox/PlayStation: $19 at Amazon (was $59). Another dark fantasy epic, this spiritual successor to the Dark Souls series features a narrative penned by George R.R. Martin.Metaphor ReFantazio for Xbox/PlayStation: $49 at Amazon (was $69). This brand-new series from the Persona team keeps many of the same element fans of those games have become accustomed to, while also introducing light real-time combat and a fantasy world dealing with political turmoil.Final Fantasy VII Rebirth for PlayStation: $39 at Best Buy (was $69). This sequel to Final Fantasy VII Remake follows Cloud and friends as they venture beyond Midgard into the wider world, introducing a new slew of open-world mechanics to go alongside their much expanded journey.Alan Wake 2 Deluxe Edition for Xbox/PlayStation: $49 at Amazon (was $79) This critically acclaimed sequel to the cult classic Alan Wake continues the beleaguered horror writer's bizarre adventure, while also expanding on elements introduced in 2019's Control. The Best Black Friday Deals Right Now Apple AirPods Pro 2 ANC Earbuds With USB-C Charging Case $153.99 (List Price $249.00) Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ 64GB Wi-Fi 11" Tablet $149.99 (List Price $219.99) Fire TV Stick 4K Streaming Device With Remote (2023 Model) $21.99 (List Price $49.99) Blink Outdoor 4 1080p Security Camera (3-Pack) $99.99 (List Price $259.99) Dell Inspiron 15 3535 Ryzen 7 1TB SSD 16GB RAM Laptop $449.99 (List Price $699.99) Seagate Portable 4TB External USB 3.0 Hard Drive $99.90 (List Price $124.99) Bose QuietComfort Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones $199.00 (List Price $349.00) Deals are selected by our commerce team

On Friday, I wrote about how Threads is making some big changes to its platformnamely, the "For you" feed will start prioritizing accounts you follow, rather than accounts you don't. To me, that sounds like how a social media platform should operate in the first place, but, hey, it's "new."It seemed obvious impetus for the change is the recent meteoric success of Bluesky: While Threads still has roughly ten times the user base, it's Bluesky that is experiencing a moment in the online culture, and Meta has clearly taken note. While the competition seems to have pushed Threads in the right direction by showing people more of what they presumably want to see (posts from people they've actually chosen to follow), there remained room for improvement.It's great that the For you feed will feel a bit more relevant, but if you want to exclusively stay on the "Following" feed to only see content from accounts you follow, well, too bad: For you is the default, which means each time you start a new Threads session, the app switches back to that feed. If you want to see Following only, you have to manually tap over to it, each and every time. At least for now.It seems Threads isn't done making big changes this week. On Monday, Mark Zuckerberg posted on the social media platform to announce that Threads is testing the option to make any feed the default. That means you could swap from For you to Following to serve as the default every time you open the app, or choose a different custom feed altogether. This is what passes for radical innovation in social media in 2024: giving you the option to shape your Threads experience so you see what you choose to see, rather than letting yourself be consumed by never-ending algorithmic content. View on ThreadsOf course, that it is in "testing" means the feature isn't widely available yet, and Zuckerberg offered no timeline on when it might roll out to more users. However, The Verge has some instructions on how to choose a default feed, should you find yourself a part of the test group. How to set a default feed on ThreadsTo start, open Threads, scroll down to reveal your feeds, then long-press on any feed. Choose Edit feeds on the pop-up: If the feature is live on your end, you'll be able to reorder your feeds via the three lines button. Place the one you want as the default at the top, then hit Done to lock it in. (If you don't have the feature, you'll simply see a list of your feeds, with no option to move them. Sigh.)

Apple devices have a few things in common: theyre well-designed, solidly built and easily connect with one another. But chances are, if it bears the Apple logo, its not cheap. Thats why promos like Black Friday are always worth checking out if youre in the market for a new Apple device.Weve reviewed nearly every major release from the company over the last 20 years, including the newest products for 2024, like the AirPods 4, the M4 iPad Pro, the M3 MacBook Air and more. Some of those devices are seeing their first discounts, while models from 2023 and prior are dipping back to the low prices they saw earlier in the year. Of course Black Friday doesn't officially hit until the day after Thanksgiving and we'll update this post with new deals if and when they go live. In the meantime, here are the best Apple Black Friday deals we could find from retailers across the web.The best Black Friday Apple AirPods dealsApple has four models of AirPods right now: The AirPods Pro 2, the over-ear AirPods Max and two AirPods 4, one with active noise cancellation and one without. Apple has been doing a lot of interesting things with their headphones lately, making this a good time to dive in. Though the discounts for Black Friday look to be minor, it's better than paying full price.Apple AirPods Pro 2 (USB-C) for $154 ($95 off): This is a new low price for what we call the best earbuds iPhone users can get. Recently, Apples tiny white gizmos got even better with the addition of hearing aid features. They have a remarkably natural-sounding transparency mode, solid active noise cancellation and make a great go-between for Siris assistance. Also at Walmart.Apple AirPods Max (USB-C) for $499 ($100 off): Apples only over-ear headphones havent had a full revamp in a few years. When the iPhone 16 came out, Apple swapped out the lightning port for a USB-C connector and introduced new colors. While the overall design and build is a bit old at this point, they still deliver balanced sound in a premium package.Apple AirPods 4 (standard) for $119 ($10 off): Here's a minor discount on Apples newest personal audio device. They were announced alongside the iPhone 16 back in September. There are two versions of the AirPods 4, this is the standard version without active noise cancellation. Both have a redesigned shape for a better fit and offer an open ear design (as opposed to the closed-ear shape of the Pro model). We gave them an 88 in our review. Also at Target.Apple AirPods 4 (ANC) for $169 ($10 off): The new buds with ANC got a respectable 86 in that same review. We noted they had pro-level features like letting you nod or shake your head to respond to Siris questions and Personalized Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking. Also at Target.The best Black Friday Apple iPad dealsPhoto by Nathan Ingraham / Engadget The line between Apples tablets and laptops is a little blurry at this point, especially with the release of the iPad Pro this year, which (at the time) housed the companys most powerful chip. The iPad Air is our current pick for the best iPad you can buy and we were delighted by the iPad mini that came out just last month. The only problem is iPads are among the more expensive tablets you can buy. Hopefully these Black Friday iPad deals help out.Apple iPad (2022, 10th gen) for $250 ($100 off with coupon): This is a new all-time low price on the base model iPad. Some models are on sale for $279 on Amazon, and a few colors have additional coupons that bring the price down to $250. It didnt get an upgrade during Apples Let Loose event back in May, though it did get a quiet price reduction by $100 to $349. Now Black Friday sales are bringing down the price even more. This is our current favorite budget iPad because its a capable tablet thats great for casual browsing, streaming and gaming. It can even handle everyday productivity tasks well.Apple iPad mini (2024, 7th gen) for $450 ($49 off with coupon): Click the coupon to save nearly $50 on Apples newest iPad overall. The iPad mini was just released this October right before the announcement of a few new Macs (the new Pro and Air tablet came out back in May). In his review, Engadgets Nathan Ingraham called the mini a necessary update to the best small tablet on the market.Apple iPad (2021, 9th gen) for $200 ($129 off): Apple discontinued this model with the release of the new iPad Pro and Air models earlier this year. In what's likely an effort to get rid of current stock, the price is down to a new record low. The 9th generation iPad is the former budget pick in our guide to the best Apple tablets and will serve well as a casual browsing, streaming and game playing machine.Apple iPad Pro (2024, 7th gen, 11-inch) for $899 ($100 off): The latest iPad Pro came out back in May and, notably, was the first Apple device to sport the M4 system-on-a-chip. We gave it an 84 in our review calling it an engineering marvel and the best screen our reviewer had ever seen. Its also our pick for the best iPad for power users. The only problem is its very expensive, but this sale helps a little. Also at Amazon.Apple iPad Air (2024, 6th gen, 11-inch) for $499 ($100 off): The iPad Air is the Apple tablet we recommend for most people in our buying guide and it earned a high score of 91 in our review. It strikes the best balance between performance, price and features of all slabs in the lineup. It has an M2 chip which is really overkill for casual browsing and gaming, but will ensure that your tablet is compatible with the latest Apple Intelligence tricks and demanding games. Also at Target.The best Black Friday Apple Watch dealsPhoto by Cherlynn Low / EngadgetIf you take steps or do a workout and youre not wearing a smartwatch, does it really count? Of course, the Apple Watch is more than a fitness tracker, its also a shortcut to your iPhone notifications, a handy Siri portal and an always-on weather forecast. Plus it tells time. While theyre not cheap, these Black Friday Apple Watch discounts should help.Apple Watch Series 10 for $329 ($70 off): This is the lowest price we've seen yet on an Apple Watch Series 10. It is our top pick for the best smartwatch you can buy and has a slightly thinner and lighter design, a wide-angle OLED panel for better viewing angles, plus all of the watchOS 11 features that Apple recently released. Also at Walmart.Apple Watch SE for $169 ($80 off): Apples budget smartwatch hasnt had an update since 2022. There were rumblings that wed see an update with the launch of the Apple Watch Series 10 but that didnt happen. But if you just need a reliable wrist companion for your iPhone and an accurate fitness and workout tracker, this will serve. It went as low as $170 for October Prime Day, so this a return to an all-time low. Also available at Walmart.Apple Watch Ultra 2 for $719 ($80 off): The Ultra model is big and has a big price tag to match, so this discount might help. Its our Apple Watch recommendation for adventurers and athletes thanks to its specialized features like a depth meter, SOS siren, and dual frequency GPS for more accurate route tracking.The best Black Friday Mac and MacBook dealsPhoto by Devindra Hardawar / EngadgetApple held a quiet Mac Week at the tail end of October in which it announced the new desktop M4 Mac mini, the all-in-one M4 iMac and the M4 MacBook Pro laptop. The MacBook Air from back in March is still the model we recommend for most peopleApple MacBook Air (2024, M3, 13-inch) for $844 ($254 off): Here's a new all-time low on the latest MacBook Air. It's our top pick for the best laptop for most people, and this model has 16GB of RAM built in double the previous base amount so it can tackle the demands of the burgeoning Apple Intelligence. Also at B&H Photo for $200 off.Apple MacBook Air (2022, M2, 13-inch) for $749 ($250 off): The previous MacBook Air has a (still very fast) M2 processor and its our previous pick for the best overall laptop for most people. This is the 13-inch model with 16GB of RAM. This is a return to an all-time low.Apple iMac (2024, M4, 24-inch) for $1,150 ($148 off with coupon): Apple just released the refreshed iMac last month, but now the silver model is already on sale. It has the latest Apple silicon, the M4 system on a chip that gives it a speed boost and enables the new Apple Intelligence features in macOS Sequoia. Also at B&H Photo for $100 off.Apple MacBook Pro (2024, M4 Pro, 14-inch) for $1,400 ($199 off with coupon): The main update Apple gave to its most powerful laptops is the faster than ever M4 chip. Not much else changed, but thats not a bad thing as the Pros are excellent machines that we recommend to pro users. They have enough power to handle even the most demanding video, audio and any other productivity tasks you can throw at it.The best Black Friday deals on Apple gearAppleApple AirTags (four-pack) for $73 ($27 off): These are the Bluetooth trackers we recommend if you have an iPhone. They allow you to keep track of your keys, wallet and other belongings using the Find My app and nearly every other nearby iPhone. Note that youll need an AirTag holder or case to use them with your keys and a new generation is rumored for next year. The record low for the four pack was $70 which we saw earlier this month, this deal is a few dollars more. Also at Walmart.Apple Pencil Pro for $99 ($30 off): Its true that you may need a roadmap to help you figure out which stylus is compatible with which iPad. The Pro is the newest Apple Pencil and itll work with the newest iPad Air and Pro models and adds haptic feedback, squeeze and barrel roll movements to the mix of features. The all-time low was $90, but this is still a decent deal. Also at Target.Apple Pencil (2nd gen, USB-C) for $69 ($10 off): The USB-C Apple Pencil was released late last year and effectively serves as Apple's "budget" stylus. It works with the widest range of Apple tablets, though not all of them so check before you buy. This is about $4 more than the all-time low. Also at Walmart.Apple Pencil tips (4-pack) for $12 ($7 off): Search for Apple Pencil replacement tips and you'll find plenty of third party manufacturers with options available. But this is one of the areas where I think it's best to go with the original manufacturer. I bought these tips and they've served well I just wish I'd paid $12 instead of $19.Apple Magic Mouse (Black) for $80 ($19 off): The black model of Apple's popular mouse has an updated USB-C charging port but, confoundingly, it's still on the bottom where you can't use it while recharging. Still a charge will last for about month and it should reliably connect to any iPad or Mac you own.Expired Apple Black Friday dealsApple Mac mini (2024, M4) for $500 ($99 off with coupon): Use the coupon to get the full deal as this is a first-time low on Apples $599 example of good things, small packages. The five-inch by five-inch box can tackle some serious workloads and remains the most affordable entry point to accessing Apples latest silicon. We gave it a solid score of 90 in our review, praising the incredibly fast M4 chip and useful ports. Also at B&H Photo for $560.Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/black-friday-apple-deals-the-best-sales-we-could-find-on-airpods-ipads-macbooks-and-airtags-165143851.html?src=rss