What I Read this Week (WIRTW): Around the Web + Self Care

After the rush of diving back into my tomes, it has been rewarding to check out a few quick reads. Even though online web articles sometimes get a bit of a bad wrap, I found that short articles became a great way to kick off discussions both inside and outside of the classroom.

Here are a few articles to get you going this week:
Manipulation and Dark Design Patterns:

• How Your Apps are Designed to Manipulate You

• https://www.darkpatterns.org/ is a great website which highlights some of the patterns negatively affecting user experiences across the web. I also recommend the book White Hat UX as another resource for combating some bad patterns.

• Stop calling these Dark Design Patterns or Dark UX — these are simply a**hole designs

The Power of a General Skill Set:

• Defining Design Generalists

Content Strategy and Composition:

• Content First Approach in Design: Collaborating with Content Strategists and UX Writers
  

If you are in need of some positive vibes:

• You’re Good Enough: How to be Okay with Being You

• Laziness Does Not Exist: But Unseen Barriers Do
  

What I Read this Week (WIRTW): Playful UX Design + Dystopian Fiction

Seems like this is a mandatory dystopian uniform

It is HOT here. Really hot. The 70% and above humidity does not help, and I have found myself seeking shelter in the cool breeze of my AC from the hours of 10am to 4pm.

Not only have I had the chance to catch up on my reading, I am also working my way through several classic videogames.

I love stories (some say that my degree is in storytelling) and the levels of interaction that video games and the software that power them provide to players has always fascinated me.





To this end, the books I read this week that blend game design, UX and learning experiences in creative ways. Enjoy!

UX and Game Interaction Design:

• Playful Design: Creating Game Experiences in Everyday Interfaces by John Ferrara

Dystopian Fiction (my favorite):

• Kindred by Octavia Butler

• On Such a Full Sea by Chang-Rae Lee

Video game theory:

• The Medium of the Video Game by Mark J. P. Wolf