Design that only "works" is forgettable. The best design makes you feel something.

Here's how to get there:

1. Start with story, not wireframes

Before you touch your design tool of choice, ask yourself: What emotion do I want people to feel in this moment? Let that feeling guide every decision. Design for the heart first, the head second.

2. Infuse small surprises

A playful microinteraction. A subtle animation. An unexpected illustration. These tiny moments of delight remind people there's a human behind the pixels, and that makes all the difference.

3. Balance consistency with delight

Yes, you need structure. Yes, you need usability. But don't be afraid to break the grid when it serves the experience. The "easter eggs" are what turn users into fans.

4. Make iteration playful

Stop treating design like a checklist. It's a craft. Each iteration isn't just about fixing bugs, it's about refining the emotional resonance of every interaction.

5. Ask "does it move me?" in critiques

In your next design review, add one question to the mix: "Does this make me care?" If the answer is no, you're not done yet.

---

Function gets the job done. 
Emotion makes people come back.
Focus on what the user feels when using your product.

Design for Feeling

It's the little things like this that improve the UX. @diabrowser lets you copy chat responses as an image.

Enhanced UX with Image Copy

The best UX isn’t what you make alone. It’s what you create together. Next time you design, ask: who else should be in the room?

I'm liking this reflection a lot #WWDC25 

Love it or hate it, Apple's latest redesign demands your attention. Every designer should tune into this video. Consider it a front-row seat at what might as well be called the World Wide DESIGN Conference 25.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrGYUq1mklk&list=WL&index=42

Not sold on Apple's new redesign yet. The contrast appears poor in some cases, which can be somewhat distracting. Their vision for the future is doing the heavy lifting here. Maybe it'll grow on me. 🤷‍♂️

Figma will add a divider when you name an empty page "-" for better organization. 

👉 this is what understanding user intent looks like 👈

I land on the pricing page: $10 a month. Not bad, right? 

But wait—it's set to annual. 

I get the tactic, but I’m not ready to commit to a yearly plan for something I haven’t even tried. 

Switching to monthly, the price leaps to $20. 

The $10 anchor lingers in my mind. 

Suddenly, $20 feels like overpaying, even if it's a bargain. 

I see it all the time. 

People making these decisions need to learn price anchoring.

This is dragging down your conversion rates.

Price Anchoring Impact

Designer Sir Jony Ive rarely speaks publicly anymore, so when he appeared as a guest at Stripe Sessions last week, I took note.

These are the 10 most important moments from Jony Ive’s conversation:
👇

1) Design as a Reflection of Values:

What you create is a testament to who you are. Every product expresses your values, priorities, and care for others.

Strive to design things that genuinely attempt to move humanity forward, not just meet a price point or deadline.

2) Purpose and Motivation

Have a clear sense of purpose. The best work comes from a desire to serve and inspire people, not just to be different or to break things for the sake of it.

Innovation should be about creating something better, not just disruption.

3) Joy and Humanity in Design

Simplicity isn’t about removing everything; it’s about expressing the essence and purpose of something.
 
Products should be delightful, not soulless. Your state of mind as a designer is embodied in your work, so optimism and hope matter.

4) Care and Detail

Small details matter. Even something as trivial as how a cable is unwrapped can communicate care and love to the user.

People can sense care—and carelessness—in products, even if they never meet the maker.

5) Team and Culture

The creative team is everything. Trust, love, and authentic relationships within the team are fundamental for extraordinary results.

Make things for each other, not just for users.

6) Listening and Inclusion

Listen deeply, especially to quiet voices. Many great ideas are missed because people are too eager to express opinions rather than listen.

Opinions aren’t ideas—be open, be quiet, and create space for fragile concepts to grow.

7) Quality vs. Speed

There’s always tension between speed and quality, but don’t accept that you must sacrifice one for the other. 

Frame the problem around working efficiently to create breathtaking quality.

8) Responsibility and Consequences

Designers have a responsibility for the impact of their work, including unintended consequences. 

Even if harm wasn’t intended, you must own the results and learn from them.

9) Beauty, Taste, and Humanity

Beauty is both objective and subjective, but utility and function are inseparable from aesthetics. If something doesn’t work, it’s ugly.

The most humane choice is often the best design choice. People can sense care, and that’s more important than superficial beauty.

10) Continuous Growth

As teams and projects scale, your approach must evolve. Stay anchored in your principles and values, and be willing to adapt your methods without compromising what matters most.

That's a wrap 📚

If you’re designing products, these principles are a compass. 

Care about the details, nurture your creative relationships, and always design with a sense of purpose and responsibility. 

The work is about more than just function or aesthetics → it’s about leaving a mark that reflects your values and uplifts others.

Jony Ive's Design Insights

At Tech City Pula, I spoke about the power of @framer.

Witnessing the lightning speed of website creation left the audience in awe.

However, skepticism lingered in the air.

Let's unravel the tale:

As a designer creating Framer websites for clients, I'm well aware of how Framer's pricing can be seen as excessive and almost anti-consumer.

Charging $40 per month for a cookie banner, which is a legal requirement in the EU, seems exorbitant.

On top of their limited CMS, we are blocked by the lack of CMS export capabilities.

Imagine having 100+ items in your CMS and not being able to export for backup or if a client wants to move to another platform.

That is a shitty move.

Also, a client is forced to use Google Workspace for their email hosting.

For example, if I build my website with Framer and use my domain designhopper.co for that website, I must use Google Workspace for email.

But that's a problem only for some.

With all that said, Framer can be a tough sell, but it's still a solid tool with an amazing free plan.

Framer came to market only two years ago, and I truly believe it will continue improving.

 I'm optimistic and would still recommend it 🚀

If only they included a cookie banner with every plan, I could forget the rest.

That's why, during my talk, I showed how everyone can bypass Framer's expensive cookie banner option with a free one.

Learn more → https://btf.lemonsqueezy.com/buy/fe8ca610-859d-407d-9293-0a91f246ba94