News and updates

Nerding out on UX and IA: meet James Erwin, Product Designer

James Erwin fell into the world of information architecture (IA) by accident earlier in his design career and it’s fuelled his curiosity ever since.  We talk to him about his design journey, his obsession with understanding where IA and UX meet, and his approach to product design at Optimal Workshop. You go by the title... View Article

5 min read
Information architecture lives here : make IA part of your digital space

There is an enormous amount of information on the internet. Every page you load is crammed with it. With so much information around, it’s incredibly important to remember that for human minds to be able to actually process and make sense of it, considered, strategic, ordered information architecture is needed. Information architecture is everywhere digitally,... View Article

5 min read
Making a difference: ideas from UX New Zealand 2022

Making a difference through UX was a shared passion among an impressive line-up of 7 researchers, strategists, and designers from the global UX community at this year’s 100% virtual 3-day UX New Zealand conference. We introduce them, highlight what they had to say, and share their full video presentations. 1. From bombs to bots: the... View Article

5 min read
CRUX #5: Information architecture in action

In the crowded and complex world we live in, great user experiences can make all the difference to the way we navigate day-to-day life. CRUX#5 reveals the many faces of information architecture at work and its positive impact in the fields of business, entertainment, education, and more. Our enthusiastic and knowledgeable contributors generously paint a... View Article

2 min read
5 ways to measure UX return on investment

Return on investment (ROI) is often the term on everyone’s lips when starting a big project or even when reviewing a website. It’s especially popular with those that hold the purse strings.  As UX researchers it is important to consider the ROI of the work we do and understand how to measure this.  We’ve lined... View Article

4 min read
Reframer v2: Your qualitative research journey in one single platform

Over the past year, we’ve been busy getting ready to bring Reframer v2 out of beta. After implementing a ton of feedback from our superb beta users and plenty of usability testing, the day has finally arrived. It’s time to say bye-bye beta! What is Reframer v2 beta? Reframer v2 is a connected, collaborative and... View Article

3 min read
Ways of working: ideas from UX New Zealand 2022

An impressive line-up of researchers, strategists, and designers from the global UX community shared their ideas, experiences, insights, and approaches to effective ways of working at this year’s 100% virtual 3-day UX New Zealand conference. We introduce 7 speakers, highlight what they had to say, and share their full video presentations. 1. How to design... View Article

4 min read
Affinity mapping - an introduction

User research is key to discovering the inner workings of your users’ minds – their emotional, organizational, informative needs and desires. These are all super important to creating a user experience that is intuitive and meeting your users’ needs in a way that means they feel loved, cared for and considered. All the deep understanding... View Article

5 min read
In search of information architecture: everyday IA

Information architecture (IA) is everywhere. Like the best websites and apps in the digital world, information architecture also brings clarity and understanding to the real world. It helps us navigate complexity and clutter, enables us to get things done more easily even with enjoyment, and reduces our cognitive load as we go about our lives.  As... View Article

3 min read