Leadership lessons from Phil Jackson the "zen master” of Basketball

In the world of sports and leadership, the balance between individual achievements and collective success is a delicate dance. One coach who mastered this art is the legendary Phil Jackson, renowned for his team-centric approach and the ability to "bench the ego." This article delves into Phil Jackson's coaching philosophy, with a spotlight on how he navigated the interpersonal dynamics between basketball titans Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal.

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Abdi Jama
Airbnb: Blending Product Management with Marketing

Airbnb's recent shift in organizational structure, merging product management with product marketing. This integrated approach ensures that team members are not only skilled in creating the product but also adept at understanding and communicating its market appeal. This article delves into why and how Airbnb is implementing this change and what other design teams can learn from it.

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Abdi Jama
The Magic of Car Design: Emotionally evocative designs

The Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale stands as a powerful piece of design that evokes deep emotions. The contours of the Stradale are like the brushstrokes of a master painter. Designers from all fields should learn from the language of car design. The power of aesthetic harmony and the emotional resonance of thoughtful creation.

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Abdi Jama
Navigating Digital Worlds

Introduction Video games have evolved significantly, offering players an array of interactive experiences. Key to these experiences is the user interface (UI), which bridges the gap between player and virtual world. In this article, I will compare and contrast the UI layouts and the extent of interaction freedom in "Alan Wake 2," "Ghost Recon: Breakpoint," "Elden Ring," and the "Far Cry" series, focusing on how these aspects impact player agency.

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Abdi Jama
AAA HUD Design Best Practices: From Health Bars to Quest Logs

Many games allow you to customise your HUD experience via the settings, to turn off or change your HUD elements. They may even have presets such as hardcore (No HUD) settings or streamer modes. In this post, I will be looking at some console and PC games that have at good notable HUD designs, as well as some innovative ways of incorporating it into your game design itself.

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Abdi Jama
Improving User Experience Through Gamification

Gamification is the use of game design elements in non-game contexts to engage and motivate people to achieve their goals. It involves adding game-like features such as points, badges, and leaderboards to encourage participation and reward desired behaviors. Gamification can be used in a variety of contexts, from education and training to marketing and customer loyalty programs.

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Abdi Jama
The UX Challenges of Multiplayer Games

The gaming industry has come a long way since the days of local co-op play. With the rise of online gaming, esports, and cross-platform play, multiplayer gaming has become mainstream and is enjoyed by millions of players worldwide. However, with the increasing complexity of multiplayer gaming comes an array of user experience (UX) challenges that designers must address. In this article, we will explore the challenges and principles of multiplayer UX design, as well as some successful case studies.

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Abdi Jama
Exploring the UX Challenges of Mobile Games

Mobile gaming has become a significant part of the gaming industry, with millions of people playing games on their smartphones every day. However, it is distinct from its counterparts on consoles or PCs due to its inherent limitations, such as smaller screens, limited processing power, and touch-based controls. These limitations make it essential for designers to tailor their games' UX to accommodate these restrictions.

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Abdi Jama
Transforming Architecture with Gaming Engines: Habitat 67

The world of architecture and gaming technology has merged in exciting ways. One such collaboration that showcases the potential of this union is the project involving Epic Games' Unreal Engine and the iconic architectural masterpiece known as Habitat 67. By leveraging the power of Unreal Engine, architects and designers have been able to create an immersive and interactive experience, allowing users to explore the design and concept of Habitat 67 in a virtual reality setting. Let's delve deeper into this innovative application of gaming engines in the world of architecture.

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Abdi Jama
Lessons for UX Designers from the Fragrance Industry

In this article, we will explore the parallels between the fragrance industry and UX design, delving into the lessons that UX designers can learn from the world of scents. By understanding the power of sensory design, crafting emotional connections, designing for personalization, and creating intuitive and engaging experiences, UX designers can enhance their ability to captivate and delight users.

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Abdi Jama
AI-powered game development tools

Game engines are software frameworks that game developers use to create video games. With AI integration, these engines can help game developers automate certain tasks, such as coding, asset management, and animation. This means that developers can focus more on the creative aspects of game development, rather than the technical details.

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Abdi Jama
Designing for Player Creativity

Allowing for player agency and expression is essential for creating engaging and long-lasting game experiences. When players have the ability to express their creativity and make meaningful decisions within a game, they become more invested in the game world and its characters. This engagement can lead to increased retention as when players are able to share their creations with others, it creates a sense of community and collaboration which a sense of ownership for the players.

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Abdi Jama
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni

This book explores five common dysfunctions that can hinder team effectiveness, including absence of trust, fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoidance of accountability, and inattention to results. In this article, we will examine these dysfunctions in relation to a design team and provide some strategies for overcoming them.

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Abdi Jama
Design Leadership: Overcoming CEO Disease

The phenomenon of "CEO disease" can have a significant impact on design leaders and their teams. As design leaders climb the ranks and become more isolated from the rest of the organization, they can lose touch with the needs and perspectives of their customers, as well as the abilities and limitations of their team.

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Abdi Jama
The Upside-Down Inversion Techniques for UX Design

What if we told you that solving problems isn't always about seeking brilliance but avoiding stupidity? This is where the concept of inversion comes into play, a powerful mental model that can revolutionize your approach to UX design. In this article, we'll explore the art of inversion and how you can leverage it to craft more intuitive, user-friendly, and captivating interfaces, using popular platforms like Spotify and Netflix as our guiding examples.

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Abdi Jama
Leveraging Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation

Motivation is commonly separated into two different types, Intrinsic and extrinsic and these are important for designers to understand. Motivation can also be linked to the self-determination theory. Users can be motivated to use your product through rewards and incentives but also can be motivated by the internal personal satisfaction of using it.

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Abdi Jama
What is a UX Pyramid and how to use it?

The User Experience Pyramid is a model that helps us map out the different stages of a product’s design process and helps bring together key stakeholders and team members under one shared user-centred strategy. It follows a similar structure to Maslow's hierarchy of needs where you start at the bottom and work your way to the top.

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UX designAbdi Jama
What does a video game UX designer actually do?

As a UX designer, I am responsible for creating the user interface and experience for video games. This includes everything from the menus and buttons that players see and interact with, to the in-game HUDs (heads-up displays) that provide information to players.

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Abdi Jama