How might we make the notification more human-friendly and informative, while adhering to SMS character limits? — A few days ago, my boyfriend received a message from Singapore’s Ministry of Health (MOH). It notified him that he was issued a COVID-19 Quarantine Order (QO) because he came into close contact with a confirmed case, and that he is required to quarantine for the next 2 weeks. What…

Web typography is at once simple and complex. At its core, it’s about how you arrange text so they’re pleasing and easy to read—yet there’s an endless number of ways to achieve an optimal reading experience. This is a practical guide to navigating the rabbit hole of web typography so…

The anger I felt before has turned into confusion as I attempt to grieve something I never really had — We met three years ago through a theater project. He was a dashing actor; I was a freelance designer. He reached out through Facebook and, unexpectedly, we started chatting daily. We had an instant connection, and I was hooked. …

At Mobile World Congress 2018, something strange and interesting happened. No, I’m not talking about Samsung’s new S9 and S9+ phones (though they are interesting, all right). I’m referring to the weird phenomenon of Android phone makers copying one of the iPhone X’s worst features—its wildly controversial notch. To provide…

Coffee + WiFi + Power outlets — I’m a product designer working remotely in Singapore, which means I spend most days in the comfort of my home. Sometimes, though, when I need a change in environment, I’d go to a cafe to get my work done. The problem is that it’s incredibly difficult to find cafes to…

FastCo Design recently published an article on the iPhone X, explaining (and lamenting) how the iPhone has gone from “the most elegant user experience ever” to a “nightmare”. The iPhone X Is A User Experience Nightmare Need proof? Just take a look at this cheat sheet published alongside the Wall Street Journal's iPhone X review: The…www.fastcodesign.com It’s an interesting read, and there are a number of valid points. For instance, FastCo notes that the number of iOS gestures…

On September 12th, Tim Cook unveiled the iPhone X. The 10-year anniversary iPhone sports a “bezel-less” 5.8 inch screen in a beautiful new design. It features a new facial recognition technology called Face ID, which uses 3D imaging and infrared, meaning it can be used in the dark and is…

In March 2016, Google updated Material Design to add bottom navigation bars to its UI library. This new bar is positioned at the bottom of an app, and contains 3 to 5 icons that allow users to navigate between top-level views in an app. Sound familiar? That’s because bottom navigation…

Small improvements and thoughtful details lead to highly efficient and accessible cities — While traveling in Tokyo and Osaka in December 2016, I came across a few little instances of design that struck me as being particularly well thought out. These well-designed experiences might seem simple and easy to miss or take for granted, but they pack tremendous design intelligence that we can…