The Toptal Design Blog is a hub for advanced design studies by professional designers in the Toptal network on all facets of digital design, ranging from detailed design tutorials to in-depth coverage of new design trends, techniques, and technologies.
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Seasoned design experts offer insights into the latest UI trends—and provide tips for overcoming design challenges for emerging interfaces like augmented and virtual reality, voice and gesture control, and haptic feedback.
Christopher is a Senior Editor at Toptal with 13 years of experience researching and writing about how technology transforms sectors like banking, business, manufacturing, and healthcare. He was previously the business and technology editor at AméricaEconomíca and has developed content for Sony Pictures, Johnson & Johnson, Mini, and LATAM Airlines.
What is psychological safety, and why do your designers need it? Digital designer Alejandro Velasco explains how to create a workplace environment that increases creativity, productivity, and talent retention.
Alejandro is a digital product designer specializing in user-centered design, UI/UX, and developing visual and interaction languages. He operated as the senior designer on projects with New Relic, Telefónica, and Personio. Alejandro has a master’s degree in industrial and product design from the Scuola Politecnica di Design in Milan.
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This comprehensive UX guide provides helpful tips, insights, and resources for aspiring creatives, seasoned designers, and business leaders who want to understand how user experience design can strengthen their organization.
Stewart is a UX designer who specializes in prototyping and web app design. He has worked with clients such as The Clorox Company, CBRE, and Altium, and developed an award-winning design and prototyping workflow for industries including healthcare, education, and e-commerce.
Isometric illustrations improve user experience and engagement—but they’re time-consuming to create. This tutorial teaches designers an easier, faster way.
Majo is a digital product designer who has worked with clients such as Fantasy Interactive, Zypsy, and Studio Echt. He specializes in UI design for apps, motion graphics, and illustration.
User personas help companies increase UX maturity and establish more effective design practices—improvements that may grow revenue and create positive ripple effects across organizations.
Florence is a senior product designer with experience in building and scaling design systems, crafting design strategies, and developing user personas. She specializes in working with innovative startups, including Polywork, Carbon, Amplified Payments, and Shop-Ware. She is the Toptal Community Leader for Nigeria and a Toptal Design Mentor.
A good product strategy aligns team efforts, cuts costs, and encourages long-lasting conflict resolution. Three Toptal product design experts discuss how product strategies get derailed and what designers can do to help get things back on track.
Christian is a product designer, product owner, user researcher, and Webflow developer. He led the design team at Chaka, a financial solutions platform, and worked as the founding product designer at SquadPal. His product experience spans B2B, B2C, and SaaS enterprise software.
Despite decades of hype, virtual reality gaming has failed to be widely adopted. Better design can reduce player frustration, increase comfort, and make games more immersive.
Edward is a veteran UX designer with a résumé of award-winning projects for Google, Sony, Electronic Arts, and Sega. He’s worked on iconic gaming franchises like Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, and Sonic. In 2014, he launched a company to contribute strategic gamification and UX services to nongaming companies seeking to leverage AR/VR technology.
How is technology changing the way people shop for clothes? Designers explain how to use AR and VR to drive conversions and minimize returns.
Laurence is an analyst and technologist with experience at Google, Verizon Laboratories, and Toptal who now writes about the intersection of technology, business, and design. He has five patents for AI and internet applications and a master’s degree in computer science from Columbia University.
There are many ways for game UX designers to break into this multibillion-dollar industry. Using her 14 years of video game UX expertise, designer Pam Nicholls shares how.
Pam is a UX designer who specializes in video games, augmented reality, SaaS, and web applications. She has a master’s degree in industrial design and has worked on projects for high-profile clients such as Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, DreamWorks Animation, Scrabble, the NBA, and the NHL.
Apply the four steps in this user flow analysis method to make your product development process more efficient—and improve UX for activities like app onboarding and checkout.
Khatia is a product designer and researcher who has created and enhanced user flows for banking, fintech, and e-commerce products. Her clients include the Bank of Georgia, the payment processing software HitPay, and Mymarket, the largest e-commerce platform in the country of Georgia.
UX designer Pam Nicholls has created video games and augmented reality experiences for companies like Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, and DreamWorks Animation. Here she explores designing for the metaverse and reveals innovative ways to make the user experience more intuitive and accessible.
Pam is a UX designer who specializes in video games, augmented reality, SaaS, and web applications. She has worked on projects for high-profile clients such as Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, DreamWorks Animation, Scrabble, the NBA, and the NHL.
Mobile app push notifications are powerful engagement tools, but they can be intrusive if not handled correctly. Don’t hit send on your push notification strategy before asking yourself these questions.
Shoaib is a product designer with seven years of experience in mobile UX design for products in the freight and transportation sector, HR solutions, edtech, and logistics. He has worked with numerous startups in the US, Bangladesh, and Singapore overseeing project life cycles, including user research, wireframes, UIs, and prototypes.
Modern medical products unburden healthcare providers, improve the patient experience, and save lives. What can we learn from the designers leading this surge in healthcare product innovation?
Micah Bowers is a designer and writer whose work has been featured in Fast Company, TNW, and other notable publications. He is a Lead Editor at Toptal.
Storytelling is a compelling way to communicate brand value—but only if you’re telling stories that resonate with your audience. Find out how to craft authentic brand stories that captivate customers and build lasting loyalty.
Dayo is a senior designer who creates engaging digital products for organizations like Guinness World Records and American University Washington College of Law. He specializes in uniting consumer insights, user research, and brand storytelling for fintech, healthcare, e-commerce, and real estate clients.
Empowering non-researchers to collect client feedback can pave the way to better products and customer retention.
Mariia is a senior full-stack product designer specializing in healthtech and business operations. Her past clients include the Singapore Ministry of Health and Verizon. Working with a healthcare venture-building studio, she conducted foundational research and managed end-to-end design for multiple products.
Today’s young adults have enormous buying power, but they’re choosy shoppers with particular tastes. Understanding what drives their purchasing decisions can help you design content that resonates with Gen Z.
Jorge is a senior designer and art director with expertise in graphics and animation. He has worked for several brand design agencies and created social content for numerous companies, including the luxury skin care brand Panachea. He holds an MFA in animation from the University of Edinburgh.
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