Gild Just One Lily

“Gilding the lily” isn’t always bad. In design, a touch of metaphorical gold — a subtle animated transition, a hint of color, or added depth in a drop shadow — can help communicate a level of care and attention that builds trust. But first? You need a lily. Nail the fundamentals. Then, gild it carefully.

Using Manim For Making UI Animations

Animation makes things clearer, especially for designers and front-end developers working on UI, prototypes, or interactive visuals. Manim is a tool that lets you create smooth and dynamic animations, not just for the design field but also in math, coding, and beyond, to explain complex ideas or simply make everything a little bit more interactive.

How To Argue Against AI-First Research

Companies have been turning their attention to “synthetic,” AI-driven user testing. However, as convenient as it might seem, it’s dangerous, expensive, and usually diminishes user value. Let’s take a closer look at why exactly it is problematic and how we can argue against it to make a case for UX research with real users. Part of [Smart Interface Design Patterns](https://smart-interface-design-patterns.com) by yours truly.

Adaptive Video Streaming With Dash.js In React

HTML `` is the de facto element we turn to for embedding video content, but it comes with constraints. For example, it downloads the video file linearly over HTTP, which leads to performance hiccups, especially for large videos consumed on slower connections. But with adaptive bitrate streaming, we can split the video into multiple segments at different bitrates and resolutions.