Weekly curated resources for designersthinkers andmakers.Another year, another opportunity to step back and look at the patterns around what the design community is thinking about, publishing, and discussing. Heres a glimpse into some of our favorite (and most shared) pieces from 2024. Thanks for being part of the conversationcatch you in the newyear.On creativity and the human differentiatorCreativity is the only thing An open letter to my fellow creatives in a dark hour.By JoeAlterioIf you want to be creative, you cant be certain Embracing ambiguity as a superpower.By IdaPerssonHow not to lose yourself to the AI storm Exploring how AI lives in the past and dreams of the future.By YunaShinA minimalistic app to track what to read, listen and watch [Sponsored] Save UX articles, design books, podcasts, interviews, and must-watch shows all in one app. Track your progress, see whats next, and organize your work/life library with minimal effort. A clean and minimalist app to help you stay organized. Only today exclusive 50% off lifetime: $29 $12.On big transformations in ourindustryUX design isnt dead, youre just confused Where has all the delight gone within UX?By MeghanLoganThe problem with growth: why everything is failing now Agile is where the trouble started.By JoannaWeberLife after Spotify: what no one tells you about life after layoffs The turmoil caused by losing my job.By SophiaOmarjiOn our tools and processesThe story of Figma Living long enough as a hero to become a villain?By JanTakacsComplicated sticks The rise of tools for everything and nothing in particular.By StephenFarrugiaTechs obsession with speed AI + Hermes (speed) worship.By Chris RBeckerOn findingmeaningIts time for design to think less and feel more How designers can reconnect to us being humans.By DarrenYeoDesigners: you need to read science fiction To anticipate future needs, you need to imagine the future.By DaleyWilhelmBeautiful, boring, and without soul Something more than merely a green space.By SteynViljoenOn the role of designersThe features investors want are not the ones your users need Why UX should care about the business but not too much.By Lindsey M. WestWallaceNever skip research day Its a powerful tool for organizational influence.By TripCarrollWhy designers need to be more like gardeners And how it would benefit both people and the planet.By KellySmithThe UX Collective is an independent design publication that elevates unheard design voices and helps designers think more critically about theirwork.Support the newsletterIf you find our content helpful, heres how you can supportus:Check out this weeks sponsor to support their worktooForward this email to a friend and invite them to subscribeSponsor aneditionOur top UX stories this year 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.I first heard of a travel drawer right here on Lifehacker, where Kristin Wong wrote about the idea in 2016. I mentally rolled my eyes. Setting aside a whole drawer just for things you only use on a trip? But now I have one, I love it, and Ill tell you all about what I keep in it and how its changed my life.What is a travel drawer, and why would you want one?A travel drawer is a permanent drawer (or similar location) in your home where you keep all the items you only use when traveling. As Kristin Wong wrote in that fateful article: Packing typically means rounding up all the junk youre going to take with you on your trip: your passport, travel adapters, chargers, toiletries, and so on. You can save a lot of time keeping all of that junk in one area.My travel drawer is a rolling plastic tote that lives under my bed. My passport lives elsewhere, but otherwise I use it exactly as she described. My beloved hanging toiletry bag? Its in there. Adapters I only use in hotel rooms? Of course. A selection of packing cubes? You know it. And not only does it make packing easier, it makes unpacking easier as well. I come home, dump my dirty clothes in the laundry, and put my travel items right back in their drawer. Five minutes and Im 80% unpacked. Sterilite 66 Quart Stadium Blue Ultra Storage Box $19.98 at Walmart $16.86 Save 0.00 Get Deal Get Deal $19.98 at Walmart $16.86 Save 0.00 In theory, you could use your suitcase as the travel drawer, but I find a suitcase is one of the least convenient places to keep travel things. Because when you travel, you dont usually want all of your travel items. (Some are for flying, some are for road trips, some are seasonalyou get the idea.) Youll bring this item, but not that one, and then what happens to the rest? You just have a big pile. If you go this route, at least have your travel things in a bag or box inside the suitcase.What I keep in my travel drawerBesides the waste of a drawer, the other reason I was skeptical at first was that I didnt imagine I had that many travel-specific items. But not only did I turn out to have more than I thought (once I collected them together), I found that having a designated space for travel items allowed me to assemble a thoughtful collection of travel items. No more where will this toiletry case live in the bathroom? or is it worth buying this mug if its going to get lost amongst all my other mugs?So here, below, are the most game-changing travel items I keep in my travel drawer. Ill also shout out my colleague Allie Reinmanns list of travel essentials, which you should peruse as well.Packing cubesI am not kidding when I say packing cubes changed my life. I have a large collection of them in this drawer, because I need enough for my whole family. (I travel probably half a dozen times a year. The rest of the family, usually just once. Thats why the travel drawer is mine, but I share.) I have different sizes and different types, including regular, compression, and my new fave, the clean/dirty packing cube. Theres a divider that lets you put dirty clothes in one side and clean in the other, so you dont need a separate laundry bag for the trip home.A pop-up laundry hamperFor the laundry situation while youre in the hotel, though, its super handy to have a pop-up hamper. Toss your dirty clothes in there at the end of the night, instead of stuffing them into a drawer or leaving them in a pile on the floor. Any basic pop-up hamper will do; pick one up from the dorm supplies section during any back-to-school sale.An organizer for all my chargersYou can organize your cables and adapters any way you like. Im partial to this roll-up organizer. For my phone, I have a magnetic charging puck that can plug into any USB-C cable, which saves me from having to pack a dedicated magnetic charger or a lightning cable.Sleep shortsYou know what Im always forgetting to pack? Pajamas. Even when theyre on my packing list, Ill hem and haw about which ones to bring, because I like a nice cozy pair of sweatpants at home, but sweatpants take up a lot of space in the suitcase. On one trip where I had forgotten any sleeping clothes (again), I bought a pair of thin, soft sleep shorts. Not only do they pack up small, Ive designated them my Travel Pajamas (they can be paired with any of the T-shirts I always pack) and they live in the travel drawer. I never forget my pajamas anymore.A good toiletry bag with all your mini toiletriesI like a hanging toiletry bag, since it doesnt really need to be packed or unpacked. My favorite is this little one from Travelon. Pro tip: Bring a single shower curtain hook so that you can hang it anywhere, even if the hotel doesnt have a spot that fits the little built-in hook.Inside the toiletry bag, most of the contents are predictable, and I wont bore you with them. For example, I have a collapsible toothbrush and a mini toothpaste tube. (I dont usually bring shampoo or soap; a hotel or a local drugstore will provide.) But there are two specific items Id like to call out, since they save so much space, time and trouble. The first is a little razor that comes in its own compact case. Mine is the Venus Mini, which seems to be discontinued, but heres an off-brand with the same form factor. Travel Razors for Women Include 1 Handle and 5 Cartridges, Extra Smooth 5-Blade Mini Razor with Travel Case, Portable Travel Size Toiletries for Women, Orange $14.99 at Amazon Get Deal Get Deal $14.99 at Amazon The other, which also fits in my little toiletry bag, is what some product listings call a pocket pharmacy. Its a pill case, but instead of being organized according to what meds you take each day of the week, its just a little selection of things you may or may not need. I have ibuprofen in there in case I have sore muscles after a weightlifting meet (a lot of my travel is for weightlifting meets). I have Claritin in case I encounter something Im allergic to. I have melatonin tablets in case I need help sleeping. The best pocket pharmacies come with little stickers to label all the compartments. Pill Organizer with 161 Medicine Labels Travel Daily Pill Container Mini Medication Organizer Storage Pill Organizer Pill Case 7 Day Pill Organizer (Grey) $4.99 at Amazon Get Deal Get Deal $4.99 at Amazon This strangely versatile 50-cent tumblerWhen I picked up a 50-cent plastic cup at a Walmart while traveling, I never imagined it would become such a staple for me. Not only is it handy as a water glass, its also microwaveable, so it works as a mug if you want to warm up a hot drink. And its big enough you can eat a decent sized portion of cereal or oatmeal out of it with a spoon (or a mini travel spork). I got four more of them for our family vacation, and the kids got into the habit of saving a little bottle of milk from breakfast and then making themselves hot cocoa in the evening. Get a different color for each family member, and do yourself a favor and rinse out the milk immediately after using it, OK?

Infinity Nikki is my favorite new release of 2024. It's a cotton candy confection of an open-world game that offers a lot more depth and variety than I expected to find. I enjoy the fabulous wardrobe, the low-key puzzles and the charming side quests. But the most surprising thing about Infinity Nikki was something that I've been ignoring in games for years: the photo mode.I didn't expect this to become a highlight of the Infinity Nikki experience. In fact, when it came up in the long sequence of tutorials during my first session, my initial reaction was, "Oh good, something I can forget about."Anna Washenko / Infold GamesPhoto mode has become a standard feature in single-player AAA games over the past decade. For those unfamiliar, this feature pauses the gameplay to let you pose your protagonist like an action figure, making them mug with a silly expression or hold up a peace sign. You can slap on a filter or make minute adjustments to the focus, aperture and other details to capture a striking image.Over the years, I've seen people capture Nathan Drake, Ellie and Joel, Aloy and many others striking heroic or hilarious poses. I appreciate those images when they cross my social feeds. And as game graphics become ever more photo-realistic, it makes sense that studios want to give players tools to capture beautiful moments when they happen. But every time I've played a game with a photo mode, I've found that after I take the one picture required by the tutorial, I never open the camera again.Anna Washenko / Infold GamesMy issue isn't that these games aren't gorgeous enough to warrant documenting. It's that when I'm in the middle of playing something like The Last of Us, it doesn't occur to me to stop for a snap because I'm so focused on the other gameplay mechanics and goals. Sure, there might be some calmer moments to breathe, but running for your life in a post-apocalyptic wasteland just isn't a time for casually browsing filters. And in other games, taking pics simply doesn't feel like an activity the character would do. Come on, there's no way Kratos would ever take a selfie.Like all its predecessors, Infinity Nikki is a beautiful game. Miraland comprises picturesque towns and charming landscapes, equally lovely in their sweeping vistas and hidden nooks. Everywhere you look are tons of carefully constructed little interactions that serve no purpose other than encouraging you to stage a cute image. You press a button to take a hot air balloon ride or to blow bubbles at a cafe table. It's a step up from most implementations, where the most you might be able to do is sit on a chair or bench.Anna Washenko / Infold GamesWhat fully hooked me on becoming a shutterbug, though, is a system where players are prompted to take pictures of notable locations around Miraland. The first time I found one, it was a lush green grotto where I directed Nikki to sit on a log by an underground lake. It was a pretty spot, sure, but what most delighted me was that my outfit matched the setting perfectly. So I didn't just grab a photo and move on to a more important task. Taking the time to look great is the most important task.There's no single style point of view in Infinity Nikki. A few special ensembles offer contextual in-game abilities, but most pieces are there just so you can look exactly how you want. Nikki can be an absurd anime character from fantasy land in tulle and sparkles. Or she can look exactly like someone you might see streaming the game on Twitch or TikTok in an oversized hoodie. Or she can pair a top hat with jean shorts and thigh-high knit boots if you want. (And yes, I did want.)Anna Washenko / Infold GamesThis game knows you're there at least partly to play dress-up. It also knows that the obvious thing to do when you play dress-up is to immortalize your best fits with a photo shoot. That's why Infinity Nikki's photo mode feels not just enjoyable, but essential. It's a core part of the game loop. When I assemble a new outfit, I want to find a good setting to snap a pic. When I stumble on a striking location, I think about which poses will best showcase it.Most of the time, cameras and photo modes do little to enhance my love of a game. They're the metaphorical cherry on top of the sundae. With Infinity Nikki, though, the photo mode is the ice cream. And it is delicious.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/in-infinity-nikki-photo-mode-achieves-its-ultimate-form-133033817.html?src=rss

Elon Musk's X has hiked prices for its ad-free Premium+ subscription service to $22 a month, up from $16 before ($168 to $229 annually), TechCrunch reported. That represents a 37.5 percent increase, the largest since Elon Musk purchased the platform previously known as Twitter back in 2022.One stated reason for the hike is that Premium+ is now "completely ads-free," with X claiming that it's a "significant enhancement" to the previous ad-free experience. It also promised a few other features. "Premium+ subscribers will enjoy higher priority support from @Premium, access to new features such as [X's advanced search tool] Radar, and higher limits on our most cutting-edge Grok AI models," the company wrote in a help page article. X also promised that more subscription revenue would be shared with creators.Premium+ prices are also rising by a similar amount in Europe, the UK, Canada and Australia. Existing users on monthly subscriptions will keep their current rates until January 20th, and price for other tiers (Basic and Premium) remain unchanged.X first introduced the Premium+ subscription tier in October 2023, promising an ad-free experience your "for you" and following timelines, along with existing Premium perks like a blue checkmark. However, users quickly noticed that ads appeared elsewhere on X (profiles, replies, Explore and elsewhere). A further update in August 2024 promised to eliminate those too, but X said that users would still see "occasional branded content in less common areas." Now, it seems, those will be vanquished too.X has reportedly lost 2.7 million active users in the last two months, with rival Bluesky gaining nearly the same number over that period. That has likely led to some loss in advertising revenue, which the platform may be hoping to recoup by raising subscription prices.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/x-hikes-ad-free-premium-subscription-price-from-16-to-22-133016526.html?src=rss

Around the world, government organizations are calling out Google for monopolistic practices. The Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) will reportedly announce Google is in violation of the country's antitrust laws in regards to its search engine, Chrome, and issue a cease and desist letter, Nikkei Asia reported. The watchdog started an investigation into Google's practices last October.The JFTC reportedly accuses Google of requiring smartphone manufacturers to sign a contract stating Chrome will be not only pre-downloaded on all devices, but that it will be placed in a certain spot on the screen. The manufacturers are allegedly forced to do this in order to have the Google Play available on their devices.In the US, federal judge Amit Mehta ruled in November that Google "is a monopolist" in the search engine industry. The Department of Justice (DoJ) then called for Google to sell Chrome as it "will permanently stop Googles control of this critical search access point and allow rival search engines the ability to access the browser that for many users is a gateway to the internet." The DoJ also called for Google to cease favoring Chrome on Android. Google recently released a proposal to appease the DoJ, but stated it will appeal the judge's ruling before a hearing scheduled for April.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/google-could-be-accused-of-antitrust-practices-in-japan-130039793.html?src=rss

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