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Mossandfog

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Eco-Friendly Home Upgrades You Might be Overlooking

Home renovations should prioritize both aesthetics and energy efficiency to achieve sustainable and stylish upgrades.
Overlooked eco-friendly upgrades include rainwater collection systems, greywater irrigation, and three-season porches.
Rainwater collection conserves water for household use, while greywater systems repurpose water for irrigation, reducing water bills and enhancing curb appeal.
Three-season porches act as energy-efficient buffers, extending living space with added insulation and reducing HVAC strain.
Smart home automation optimizes energy usage with systems like smart thermostats and lighting, enhancing convenience and efficiency.
Skylights introduce natural light and save on energy costs while creating a visually appealing design statement.
Small, affordable upgrades like ceiling fans, energy-efficient window treatments, and low-flow faucets can also contribute to sustainability and energy savings.
By blending function with design, homeowners can create beautiful, eco-friendly spaces that benefit both their wallets and the environment.

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Nytimes

Image Credit: Nytimes

Much-Needed Storage Space That Hides in Plain Sight

Architects and interior designers focus on maximizing storage space in homes.
Custom built-in storage elements are functional and add architectural interest to a space.
Incorporating storage within furniture, such as drawers or a hinged seat, can provide additional storage space.
Building storage under staircases is a practical and space-saving solution.

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Nytimes

381

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In Sardinia, a Showcase for Craft and Culture Rises From Ruins

Kyre Chenven and Ivano Atzori have bought and revitalized a cluster of ruined houses in southern Sardinia, transforming it into the rural haven Luxi Bia.
The agrarian community, known as furriadroxu, was abandoned by a sprawling family in the 19th century.
The couple relocated from Tuscany to Sardinia in 2014, drawn by the island's deep history and independent culture.
Sardinia's isolation from the mainland has allowed it to develop a unique and change-resistant identity.

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Nytimes

281

Image Credit: Nytimes

Loving a House From Afar, and Then Tearing it Down

Andre Golsorkhi grew up admiring the houses along Rock Creek Road in Bryn Mawr, Pa.
After marrying, Andre Golsorkhi and Autumn Oser renovated multiple homes in Philadelphia.
Each time they finished a home, someone wanted to buy it.
Golsorkhi and Oser always wished to live on Rock Creek Road.

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Designbeep

226

20 Free Business Card Templates: Create a Professional First Impression

The article highlights the importance of business cards in the digital age.
Business card templates simplify the process of creating visually appealing cards.
It showcases 10 free business card templates for creating a professional first impression.
The templates cover various styles, including music player, photography, corporate, and retro themes.

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UX Design

331

Image Credit: UX Design

Navigating embedding vectors

Users lack control over AI-generated outputs, especially in complex tasks like information discovery.
AI tools require back-and-forth text prompts, leading to inefficiency and lack of user predictability.
Customizable UI controls could improve user collaboration and navigation with AI models.
Allowing users to manipulate input embedding vectors directly could enhance user control over AI tools.
The concept of UI controls for AI tools is compared to navigating through inter-galactic space towards a desired destination.
Implementing UI controls could benefit tasks like travel planning, content generation, and deep research in databases.
UI control panels should adjust input embeddings to improve users' ability to fine-tune outputs without lengthy prompts.
Examples of use cases include writing feedback & modulation control, and multi-media content generation with clearer prompts.
Improving user feedback, control, and personal style modulation through UI controls can enhance creativity and efficiency.
Greater control over AI models through concept vectors and UI panels can lead to more efficient and accurate outputs.

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UX Design

172

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AI transparency in UX: Designing clear AI interactions

As AI becomes more integrated into website and app experiences, it is crucial to clearly distinguish where AI has been implemented.
Users are encountering AI features like chat-bots and dashboards without actively initiating interactions with AI, leading to the need for transparency in AI interactions.
Design systems play a key role in visually separating AI content and features from non-AI elements for user awareness and understanding.
Popular design systems like GitLab's Pajamas, IBM's Carbon, and Twilio's Paste provide guidance on incorporating AI components and patterns.
GitLab's Pajamas focuses on ethical AI usage, transparent indicators like 'GitLab Duo,' and creating frameworks for AI UX patterns.
IBM's Carbon offers detailed documentation on AI usage, with distinctive visual treatments for AI components, though there are usability concerns.
Twilio's Paste emphasizes user comparisons, error handling, and provides practical examples for implementing AI features transparently in the interface.
While some design systems like Carbon have well-developed AI documentation, others like Google and Microsoft are yet to release specific AI patterns.
Transparent design of AI features is essential for user trust in products, and more comprehensive AI design patterns beyond basic indicators are expected in the future.
Design systems are evolving to address the growing integration of AI into user experiences, reflecting the need for clear AI interactions in UX design.

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UX Design

104

Image Credit: UX Design

Why most products today are meh

Most products today lack differentiation and often feel mediocre due to a focus on over-optimization.
Designers can combat this trend by crafting solutions that resonate with users and stand out from the generic mass.
Many products exhibit a complete lack of personality, using generic palettes, fonts, and designs.
The trend of creating superficial solutions without considering user needs leaves room for improvement.
There is a growing demand for work that is distinct, thoughtful, and human-centered in a sea of generic products.
Design should focus on understanding users and reflecting the ethos of the market to create meaningful solutions.
Short-term, performance-driven metrics often lead to poor user experiences and neglect of long-term brand reputation.
An obsession with metrics can result in products that prioritize numbers over user satisfaction, leading to subpar experiences.
Designers can address these issues by understanding motivations behind poor UX choices, knowing users, and being bold in their designs.
Creating designs that cater to user needs and stand out from the average is crucial to building successful and user-friendly products.

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Designbeep

322

50 Game-Changing AI Tools That Are Transforming Business in 2025

AI tools have become essential for businesses, revolutionizing operations and enhancing creativity.
Fundraising tools like Finta and Unbounce streamline investor outreach and create high-converting landing pages.
Tools like Podium and Salesforce Contact Center boost sales by automating communication and improving customer interactions.
AI writing assistants like Jasper, ChatSonic, and Copy.AI speed up content creation and provide factual responses.
Podcast and audio tools such as Cleanvoice, Descript, and Murf.AI simplify editing, transcription, and voiceovers.
Visual content tools like Flair.AI and Stockimg.AI generate professional designs and illustrations efficiently.
Video creation platforms like Synthesia and Vidyo.AI convert text into videos quickly, saving time and resources.
Chatbots like ProProfs Chatbot and Freshchat offer customer support, lead generation, and automated sales assistance.
Music and audio creation tools including Beatoven.AI and Soundraw customize royalty-free music and compose personalized songs.
Advanced language models like Bloom, Megatron Turing NLG, and PaLM offer comprehensive language processing capabilities.

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Medium

340

How to improve UX/UI Skills using Dribbble

Reverse-engineer designs to understand the purpose, UI components, layout, typography, and colors.
Focus on consistent spacing, alignment, and component usability to improve UI skills.
Consider navigation flow, missing UX elements, readability, and accessibility when evaluating designs.
Use Dribbble to stay updated with UI trends, learn from micro-interactions, and gather component and pattern ideas.

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Speckyboy

326

Image Credit: Speckyboy

How to Improve Custom WordPress Plugins with Plugin Check

Custom plugins in WordPress offer flexibility but must be secure and adhere to guidelines.
Plugin Check is an automated tool that reviews custom code for security, performance, and best practices.
It helps developers meet WordPress plugin directory standards and is useful for custom plugins.
A case study of using Plugin Check on a custom dashboard widget plugin was demonstrated.
Running the plugin through Plugin Check revealed errors in the plugin's code and readme file.
Issues included missing or invalid plugin header and security vulnerabilities.
Plugin Check provided suggestions for code improvements, such as using escaping functions.
After implementing the suggested changes, the plugin passed security checks and formatting requirements.
Using Plugin Check ensures efficient identification and resolution of code issues in custom WordPress plugins.
Incorporating Plugin Check into the development workflow helps maintain site security and performance.

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Designboom

Image Credit: Designboom

curved green roof shields wiki world’s wooden cabin of palette in wuhan

The Cabin of Palette is a nature-integrated retreat in Wuhan, China.
The cabin is designed to provide both shelter and openness within a forest setting.
Large terraces extend from the cabin, offering outdoor comfort in all seasons.
The structure of the cabin contrasts a green roof with black carbonized wood cladding.

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Designboom

Image Credit: Designboom

northern indian vernacular guides field architects’ earth-clad gulzar’s residence

Field Architects has completed Gulzar’s Residence, a home in Ladakh.
The design integrates vernacular practices and local materials for a modern aesthetic.
The residence embraces its natural surroundings, using sustainable materials and energy-efficient design.
Gulzar’s Residence incorporates double-height spaces, expansive timber-framed glazing, and traditional solarium.

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UX Design

381

Image Credit: UX Design

The secret of good metaphors

Metaphors and analogies are essential tools for understanding complex systems like the human body and brain, helping us relate unfamiliar concepts to familiar experiences.
Good metaphors bridge the gap between the unknown and known, making abstract ideas tangible and relatable in our human scale of perception.
The use of metaphors in technology design, as seen in the evolution of computer interfaces from paper metaphors to physics-inspired interactions in smartphones, makes complex systems more accessible.
Innovative metaphors, like viewing AI as copying machines or crowds, provide different perspectives on complex technologies, influencing our understanding and usage.
Choosing the right metaphors is crucial for understanding and communicating complex technologies, as metaphors shape our intellectual structures and cognitive frameworks.
Cultural differences influence how metaphors are perceived, highlighting the need to question assumptions of universality when creating new metaphors for diverse communities.
Metaphors like the brain as a garden versus a machine not only explain but also transform our perspectives on objects, offering new ways of thinking and expanding our understanding.
Good metaphors don't just explain; they enhance our engagement with ideas and prompt new ways of thinking, creating spaces for novel understanding to emerge.
Metaphors serve as frameworks for perception and analysis, enabling us to explore the world from different angles and fostering innovative thinking.
Crafting metaphors is not just about explaining concepts but about facilitating transformative experiences that reshape how we perceive and interact with ideas.

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UX Design

236

Image Credit: UX Design

Should Figma utilize gamification to help designers level up?

Designers often struggle with overwhelming interfaces when using professional design tools like Figma for the first time.
The idea of incorporating gamification into Figma's onboarding process to gradually introduce features and reward mastery is proposed.
Suggestions include adaptive UI, feature unlocks based on interaction, skill progression tracking, and guided learning challenges.
Gamification has shown to boost engagement, knowledge retention, and learning outcomes, but critics warn of potential compulsive behavior.
Professional platforms like Salesforce Trailhead and Microsoft Learn already use gamification to encourage learning.
A balanced approach is suggested, offering both guided learning paths with achievements and immediate access for different user preferences.
The goal is to empower users of design tools with supportive onboarding systems that enhance learning without feeling restrictive.
The article concludes by inviting readers to share their opinions on whether a gamification system would improve accessibility in Figma.

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