100 design lessons for 2021
2020 was a strange year. What are some lessons designers can take as we embark on the year to come?
Things are not ok. We are in the middle of a global pandemic that has taken the lives of more than a million people. Those of us who have been able to keep our jobs in the economic crisis have been working remotely, leaving us feeling isolated and struggling to remain productive while the world burns outside.
As if that wasn’t enough, state violence against marginalized populations has escalated, while the gap between the rich and the poor has widened. Across the world, we are seeing the rise of authoritarian regimes fueled by the manipulation of truth and the dissemination of alternative facts on social media.
Things are not ok.
As the year ends, we can’t help but ask ourselves: what’s next for Design? What should designers expect for the year to come?
In the next coming weeks you are probably going to start seeing a lot of articles shared online about “The Coolest Design Trends for 2021”, or “New Technologies Every Designer Should Know in 2021”. In the six years we have been publishing our end-of-year State of UX report, we have always challenged ourselves to discuss our industry beyond tactical visual trends or insular new technologies.
In this edition, we decided to expand even further.
Not trends, but lessons.
The things that are happening all around us shouldn’t have come as a surprise. The way this year has played out was nothing more than a culmination of different factors that have been in play for years and decades.
If we have listened more, we could have acted sooner.
So this year we decided to listen. To reflect on the lessons we can take from what we have been experiencing, seeing, and talking about this year.
Lessons on how to make an impact beyond our products, how to collaborate beyond Zoom calls, how to organize ourselves beyond our bubbles, and how to improve our craft beyond artboards.
Lessons from voices we still don’t hear from as often in the design mainstream — but we should.
Lessons that can help us all dive into 2021 (hopefully) a bit more prepared.
