Design

🌱 Sustainable UX Toolkits & Resources (https://lnkd.in/eT6ZR3qz), a large (!) repository of toolkits, Figma templates, books, case studies, articles on sustainable UX — throughout the entire product design process. Kindly put together by the SUX - The Sustainable UX Network, via Thorsten Jonas. Sustainable UX Database (Notion) https://lnkd.in/eyZjigBx As designers, we often are left wondering how to integrate sustainable practices into our design work. Most environmental impact happens on our user’s devices, so we can help our users by reducing waste. Typically, when we speak about sustainability, we mean at least 4 facets of it: 🌱 Reducing waste ← In publishing, heavy visuals, animation, PDFs, 🌻 Deleting content ← Un-publishing outdated, misleading content/flows, 🐝 Maximize reusability ← UI components, flows, processes, templates, 🌳 Sustainable defaults ← Help people make more sustainable choices. In practice, we could use simple but impactful design patterns: 1. Always prefer the lightest mode of communication. 2. Aim to reduce session duration instead of increasing it. 3. Encourage the reuse of existing templates and presets. 4. Auto-delete after 365 days what hasn’t been used once. 5. Discourage users from PDF exports in favor of URLs. 6. Always provide audio-only and transcript for videos. 7. Be intentional with default settings for your users. 8. Highlight key insights to create understanding faster. 9. Skip unnecessary pages: drive users to results faster. 10. Show filters/presets in autocomplete, not just keywords. 11. Nudge users to delete old files for 10% off that month. 12. Establish an archiving, deletion and clean-up policies. 13. Encourage and reward users for trying out dark mode. 14. Question font weights, stock photos, parallax, 4K-videos. 15. Question collected data, if it’s used and when it’s deleted. Individual actions can drive changes at scale. But they need a momentum. And momentum often comes through small changes: better defaults, reused filters and templates, reduced time on task. That’s also just good usability — and can have tangible impact for users and businesses at scale. Useful resources: Sustainable UX Toolkits, by yours truly https://lnkd.in/ePya82v3 Designing For Planet Knowledge Hub (Notion) https://lnkd.in/eiHtpkJH Product Design for Sustainability (+ Google Doc template), by Artiom Dashinsky ↳ https://lnkd.in/dDnujb-t ↳ https://lnkd.in/d95FWb4r *HUGE* thanks to Thorsten Jonas, Isabel Pettinato, Christoph Stark, Alice M., Bavo Lodewyckx, Poppe G., Stine Ramsing and all wonderful contributors to the project. Your effort doesn’t go unnoticed! 👏🏼👏🏽👏🏾 #ux #design

The next era of datacenters is here. The demand for AI is growing rapidly, and with it comes the need to grow the cloud’s physical footprint. Historically, datacenters have been water-intensive and require using large amounts of higher carbon materials like steel. At Microsoft, we're building datacenters with sustainability in mind, and we're constantly innovating to find new ways to reduce our environmental impact. This includes: 🤝 A first-of-its-kind agreement with Stegra, backed by an investment from Microsoft’s Climate Innovation Fund (CIF) in 2024, to procure near zero-emissions steel from Stegra’s new plant in Boden, Sweden, for use in our datacenters. Powered by renewable energy and green hydrogen, Stegra's facility reduces CO2 emissions by up to 95% versus conventional steel production. By committing to purchase this green steel before it rolls off the line, Microsoft is sending a clear market signal, driving demand for cleaner materials and supporting Stegra’s growth. 💧 We also announced a major breakthrough to make our datacenters more sustainable: microfluidic in-chip cooling technology. Unlike traditional cold plates that sit atop chips, microfluidics brings cooling right inside the silicon itself. Engineers carve microscopic channels directly into the chip, letting liquid coolant flow through and absorb heat exactly where it’s generated. This approach is up to three times more effective than current methods. More efficient cooling allows datacenters to support powerful next-gen AI chips without ramping up energy use or investing in costly new gear. 💵 Through our CIF investments, we’ve catalyzed billions in follow-on capital for breakthrough solutions in low-carbon materials, sustainable fuels, carbon removal, and more. We just released a new whitepaper – Building Markets for Sustainable Growth – that distills five key lessons on how catalytic investment and partnership can move markets and accelerate a global transition in energy, waste, water, and ecosystems. Our journey toward sustainable datacenters is only beginning, and we recognize true progress requires collective action and investment. Read more from Building Markets for Sustainable Growth: https://msft.it/6041sq9xD

I have spent hundreds of hours analyzing design systems. One of the things that confused me for many years is how to structure color scales and tokens. I have experimented with multiple structures at different sizes of design systems, and at a high-level recommend the following approach: 1. Primitive Colors Your design system foundations should always start with a full color scale that is based on your brand identity. We call these colors Primitives, and your variable/token collection should look like this: - purple-600 - purple-500 - purple-400 - And so on.. To create a Primitives palette you will want to start from your main brand colors and use a tool like UIColors, Supapalette, Colorbox to expand to the full scale. (links in comments) This is a great foundation to have, as it gives you a set of shades that can be used in different ways, and ensures all of them have consistent hues, saturation and brightness. However, Primitive colors are simply not effective when used directly in your designs: - They create ambiguity - Their names have no contextual meaning - They are often misused due to similarity If you have had the “why are there 20 different shades of gray?” conversation with an engineer, you know what I mean. So let’s see how we can improve that. 2. Semantic Colors This is my default recommendation to all product design teams that don’t have a highly complex design system. What you will want to do here is create a new variable collection named Semantic, which is what’s visible in your design files, and comprises of: - Brand / Action - Text - Link - Border - Icon - Surface / Background - Bias - Data / Charts Each color should point to a primitive value, e.g. - text-primary → gray-800 - text-secondary → gray-600 - text-tertiary → gray-400 This takes a bit of setting up, but creates immense long-term value. A great example of a simple, theme-level Semantic structure is Shopify’s Polaris (link in comments) 3. Component-level Semantic Lastly, if you are working on a design system with a lot of complexity and, ideally, a dedicated design systems team, you might want to add another level of hierarchy and specify colors at a component-level. In this structure, you would want to create color tokens based on how they are used in each component. - input-text-filled → text-primary - input-text-placeholder → text-secondary - input-text-disabled → text-tertiary This eliminates all guesswork, but also increases the complexity exponentially. It does serve a purpose though. As design systems scale, you may find that: - A theme-level semantic structure is too restrictive - There is still some guesswork - Decisions need to be documented. An example of this is Uber’s Base and Adobe’s Spectrum design system, linked in the comments. I’m curious to know, what structure are you using for your design system and what has worked well for you? — If you found this useful, consider reposting ♻️ #uidesign #designsystems #productdesign

Crocs has filed a case against multiple Indian footwear brands for copying their iconic clogs and selling them at lower prices. Fair point, if it’s about design protection and IP. But here’s what’s deeply ironic. The same global fashion houses that talk of “originality” and “inspiration” have no guilt in lifting centuries-old Indian artisan designs. Take Prada, for instance. They recently showcased Kolhapuri chappals in their collection—yes, the very same chappals we haggle over in local markets for ₹800, are now being sold for over ₹60,000. No credit to the original craft. No acknowledgment of the artisan community. No collaboration. No royalty. No ecosystem support. Just appropriation wrapped in luxury branding. The double standard is glaring—when the West copies, it’s ‘design inspiration’. When we do, it’s ‘IP infringement’. It’s time we stood up for our artisans, our crafts, and our cultural IP. India has over 200 registered Geographical Indications in textiles and handicrafts. But how many brands or governments are truly protecting or marketing them globally? If Prada can sell Kolhapuris for lakhs, why can’t Indian artisan collectives sell them for even a fair ₹3000 with dignity and profit? This is more than just fashion. It’s about equity, identity, and respect. Time to rewrite the story. Time to support the original creators.

We've invested in 35+ health companies in India and these are some observations on what works (and doesn't). If you're a founder building in health and planning to raise funds, these notes are for you. 1) Trust is the only moat in preventive health. In healthcare, people don’t buy products. They buy trust. Preventive health is not an impulse purchase. Unlike sick-care, preventive health requires behavior change, which Indians resist unless they deeply trust the source. So, before you raise money, ask yourself: -Do people trust you enough to pay upfront, or do you need constant marketing? -Is there real evidence that your intervention works—or is it just another diet plan, gadget, or wellness promise? If you don’t have a strong, organic trust loop, raising VC money won’t help. Money can buy ads, but it can’t buy credibility. 2) Distribution is your Intellectual Property. In preventive health, distribution is the product. Without it, you’re just another marketing agency. India is filled with "next-gen" fitness apps, ayurveda solutions, and longevity programs—most fail because they don’t solve the hardest problem: distribution. You should only raise money when: -You have a low-CAC, high-retention acquisition channel—word of mouth, organic virality, or a B2B partner who does the heavy lifting. -You don’t rely on Google/Facebook ads to acquire users. Most preventive health startups mistake marketing for product. 3) Your real product is the outcome. Preventive health isn’t about engagement, it’s about results. Indians don’t pay for health advice—they pay for outcomes. If your model is content-based or habit-driven but lacks measurable outcomes, you will struggle to justify raising any money. Before you raise money, prove: -Measurable outcomes: What % of users improved their health? - Behavior stickiness: How many users are still with you after 6 months? Is this a short-term motivation spike or a lasting habit? -Revenue beyond one-time purchases: Subscription, long-term engagement, or ecosystem lock-in. The worst mistake you can make is optimising for likes, shares, time spent, instead of real-world health results. 4) You should only raise money when you’ve proven at least one of these: Distribution: You’ve hacked a scalable way to acquire patients/customers without burning money on ads. Clinical Efficacy: Your product has regulatory approval, proven clinical outcomes, or strong signals of delivering outcomes.  Network Effects: Your product becomes more valuable as more people use it. 5) In India, you’re not fighting incumbents. You’re fighting inertia. Unlike in the U.S., where insurers or employers drive adoption, in India: -Hospitals are conservative and slow-moving. Selling to them takes years. -Doctors are overworked. Adoption needs to be frictionless. -Consumers pay out of pocket. If you need to educate them, your CAC will kill you. Hope these notes are useful. Good luck to all building in Health in India.

𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲: 𝗗𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝗖𝗩 🔥 Instead, build a personal website with Lovable. It’s more authentic, way more expressive and it actually shows who you are. Here’s how to do it in under 10 min. Prompt Guide: 𝟭) 𝗧𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 Start by describing yourself. Who are you? What's your background? What have you worked on? Pro tip: Upload a screenshot of your CV. Lovable can extract text from images, so you don’t have to write everything from scratch. 𝟮) 𝗦𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘃𝗶𝗯𝗲 Describe the feel of your site. Use expressive design language to shape the direction. Example: “Make it look like it was crafted by an award-winning designer. Ultra-modern, playful, highly usable. Smooth micro interactions, delightful UX touches.” 𝟯) 𝗡𝗮𝗺𝗲-𝗱𝗿𝗼𝗽 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 Reference brands you like. It gives Lovable a clear design language to pull from. Example: “Use Apple's design system. Lots of white space, soft shadows, frosted-glass elements, and a tight grid.” 𝟰) 𝗔𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗶𝘁 Ask Lovable for animations that bring the site to life. Example: “Add hover states to buttons, smooth scroll transitions, and soft fade-ins on cards.” 𝟱) 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 No work to show (yet)? Use a 3D visual instead. Go to Spline, remix something you like, grab the embed code, and drop it into Lovable. Example: “Add this rotating 3D sphere" 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗛𝗮𝗰𝗸𝘀 🚀 𝟲) 𝗔𝗱𝗱 𝗮 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼 𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼 People hire people. Record a quick video intro to build connection. Prompt tip: “Embed a circular video of me at the top, saying hi and sharing my story. Keep it friendly and natural.” 𝟳) 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗸 / 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀 Let people see what you’re great at. Prompt tip: “Add a clean grid showing the tools I use—Figma, Notion, Webflow, etc. Include logos.” 𝟴) 𝗔𝗱𝗱 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗼𝗿 𝗾𝘂𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀 Social proof builds trust. Screenshot nice messages from Slack, LinkedIn, or email. Prompt tip: “Include 2–3 short quotes from colleagues or managers about working with me.” 𝟵) 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗲-𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 Most people will see your site on mobile first. Make sure it feels great. Prompt tip: “Optimize layout, font sizes, and buttons for mobile. Prioritize speed and readability.” 𝟭𝟬/ 𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲 𝗮 𝗯𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗖𝗧𝗔 Don't just show, invite for action. Prompt tip: “Add a bold CTA at the end: ‘Let’s work together’ with a button linking to my email or LinkedIn.” This is how you stand out. Personal website > CV.

Actions to Reduce Scope 3 Emissions 🌎 Scope 3 emissions typically account for the largest share of a company's carbon footprint, covering indirect emissions across the entire value chain. Addressing them effectively requires a multifaceted approach that engages suppliers, customers, and other stakeholders. This framework outlines clear actions across key Scope 3 categories, ranging from procurement to investments. Each action is categorized into three progressive levels, encouraging companies to start with quick wins and advance toward deeper integration and systemic change. In purchasing and capital goods, strategies include substituting high-GHG materials and equipment, applying GHG criteria in investment decisions, and engaging suppliers to standardize emissions reporting. These measures aim to embed sustainability criteria across the sourcing process. For energy-related activities and transportation, reducing energy consumption, switching to lower-emission fuels, and electrifying fleets play a critical role. While some listed actions—such as on-site renewable generation—typically fall under Scope 1 or 2, they remain integral to broader decarbonization strategies. Operational waste and product lifecycle emissions require both upstream and downstream interventions. Companies can minimize waste at source, enhance recycling processes, and design for recyclability, ensuring materials remain in circulation and emissions are mitigated across product life cycles. Business travel, employee commuting, and leased assets offer opportunities to reduce emissions through virtual collaboration tools, promotion of public transport, retrofitting for energy efficiency, and improving facility operations—highlighting the value of internal policies and infrastructure upgrades. Downstream logistics and product use demand focused improvements in logistics efficiency and product energy performance. Encouraging efficient product use and adopting low-GHG energy sources can reduce the footprint associated with sold goods and services. Franchise and investment-related emissions emphasize the importance of supporting energy-efficient operations and prioritizing low-carbon investment portfolios. Channeling funding into clean tech and applying rigorous climate criteria to investment decisions are essential for long-term impact. The success of Scope 3 reduction strategies depends not only on technical interventions but also on clear governance and collaboration frameworks. Accurate data collection, traceability, and continuous engagement across the value chain ensure sustained progress. Comprehensive Scope 3 management is vital for achieving credible net-zero targets. This framework provides a roadmap to operationalize reductions, integrating climate action into the heart of corporate strategy and ensuring alignment with global decarbonization goals. #sustainability #sustainable #business #esg #emissions

Jaguar is teaching us an important lesson, and it's not what you think it is. When a legacy brand like Jaguar unveils a radical rebrand, it’s easy to jump to conclusions, and everyone seems to have an opinion. As a brand strategist, my role isn’t to deliver verdicts, it’s to ask the right questions. So when someone ask for my opinion about a visual rebrand I'll start asking questions about the strategy behind it. Questions that uncover deeper truths and empower clients to articulate their vision. So instead of critiquing Jaguar’s rebrand, let’s turn it into an opportunity for reflection. These are questions I would like to ask them before I share any opinion. The Strategy: - How do you honor your heritage while adapting to the future? - What’s the core of the DNA of your brand that should never change? - Who are your future customers you are evolving for? - What singular idea holds your products, identity, and customer experience together? The Logo and Visual Identity: - How do you want your visual identity to make people feel? - Does it evoke the energy and emotion your brand promises? - If someone removed your name, would they still know it’s you? - What makes your design unmistakably yours? - Are you following a trend, or setting one? - Does your visual identity help you stand out in your category, or does it blend in? The Campaign and Marketing: - What story are you telling with your campaign? - How does it connect emotionally to your audience and their aspirations? - How are you making the customer the hero of your story? - Are you borrowing from culture, or contributing to it? - How are you creating a cultural moment that’s undeniably yours? The EV Pivot: - What do you own in this new electric future? - What’s the unique value your brand brings to the EV market that no one else can? - Beyond the technology, what does the experience of owning your product feel like? - How does it elevate your customers’ lives? - How does your pivot to sustainability and innovation align with your larger brand narrative? The Big Picture: - Is your rebrand evolutionary or revolutionary? - How far are you willing to go to signal change while remaining authentic? - How does your rebrand show aspiration? - How does it make people want to be part of your world? Finally: Are you playing to fit in—or to lead? What’s your ultimate ambition, and how does Jaguar as a brand express that? As a brand strategist, I believe the most powerful insights come not from imposing opinions but from asking the right questions. Questions that make us pause, think, and uncover the truth of who we are and who we want to become. So, what questions would you ask to help them shape their next chapter? #brandstrategy

Ever wake up just before your alarm? It might not be a coincidence… It turns out, our brains have a natural way of keeping track of time, an inborn “clock” mechanism, which is synchronised to light in our environment. It’s got the coolest name for such a tiny brain region: the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) - literally, the group of cells (nucleus) above (supra) the optic chiasm (crossing). The SCN is essentially your brain’s “master clock” because it is responsible for coordinating our circadian rhythms. Light-sensitive cells in your eyes send signals to the SCN, which regulates melatonin - a hormone that makes us sleepy - via the pineal gland. Our species evolved to be diurnal, being active in the day and sleeping at night. As a result, daylight inhibits melatonin release, making us more alert. At night, the lack of light promotes melatonin release, making us sleepy. This is why for better sleep hygiene, experts often recommend limiting exposure to electronic devices for at least an hour before bedtime. The light from electronic devices can shift your body clock and this gets aggravated by heightened anxiety associated with doom scrolling -- neither of which helps your sleep. Want to support your brain’s internal clock? A few simple habits can make a big difference: 👉 Get natural sunlight in the morning. This helps reset your body clock. 👉 Stick to a consistent sleep schedule, even on weekends. 👉 Limit screens at least an hour before bed. 👉 Keep your bedroom dark and cool to promote better sleep. BTW, in teenagers melatonin starts to be produced later at night, which is why many teenagers don’t feel sleepy until much later in the evening. It’s also the reason they struggle to get up in the morning. For teens, going to school early is a bit like forcing them into a different time zone during the week and only letting them reset on weekends. When your teenager sleeps in on the weekends, bear in mind they are dealing with a genuine biological change in their circadian rhythm during the teenage years. So when you wake right before your alarm, blame (or credit!) your suprachiasmatic nucleus for being such a good time keeper! Understanding our biology helps us work with our natural rhythms rather than against them. How do you optimize your daily schedule around your circadian patterns?

Clean code is nice. But scalable architecture? That’s what makes you irreplaceable. Early in my journey, I thought “writing clean code” was enough… Until systems scaled. Teams grew. Bugs multiplied. That’s when I discovered Design Patterns, and things started making sense. Here’s a simple breakdown that can save you hundreds of hours of confusion. 🔷 Creational Patterns: Master Object Creation These patterns handle how objects are created. Perfect when you want flexibility, reusability, and less tight coupling. 💡 Use these when: You want only one instance (Singleton) You need blueprints to build complex objects step-by-step (Builder) You want to switch object types at runtime (Factory, Abstract Factory) You want to duplicate existing objects efficiently (Prototype) 🔷 Structural Patterns: Organise the Chaos Think of this as the architecture layer. These patterns help you compose and structure code efficiently. 💡 Use these when: You’re bridging mismatched interfaces (Adapter) You want to wrap and enhance existing objects (Decorator) You need to simplify a complex system into one entry point (Facade) You’re building object trees (Composite) You want memory optimization (Flyweight) You want to control access and protection (Proxy, Bridge) 🔷 Behavioural Patterns: Handle Interactions & Responsibilities These deal with how objects interact and share responsibilities. It’s about communication, delegation, and dynamic behavior. 💡 Use these when: You want to notify multiple observers of changes (Observer) You’re navigating through collections (Iterator) You want to encapsulate operations or algorithms (Command, Strategy) You need undo/redo functionality (Memento) You need to manage state transitions (State) You’re passing tasks down a chain (Chain of Responsibility) 📌 Whether you're preparing for interviews or trying to scale your application, understanding these 3 categories is a must: 🔹 Creational → Creating Objects 🔹 Structural → Assembling Objects 🔹 Behavioral → Object Interaction & Responsibilities Mastering these gives you a mental map to write scalable, reusable, and testable code. It’s not about memorising them, it's about knowing when and why to use them. #softwareengineering #systemdesign #linkedintech #sde #connections #networking LinkedIn LinkedIn News