Alessandro Fard Blog – UX Design Insights, Strategies, and Industry Trends

February 14, 2025

Is AI Really Killing Critical Thinking? Or Are We Just Using It Wrong?

Is AI really making us less capable of critical thinking, or are we just using it wrong? In this post, I break down why AI doesn’t replace problem-solving—it shifts where we apply it. From UX design to financial planning, gaming, and even Bible study, AI can enhance our decision-making if we engage with it actively rather than passively. The key isn’t rejecting AI but using it intentionally. Read on to see how AI can be a tool for thinking smarter, not less.

October 14, 2024

Interview with Safety Detectives

My Interview with Safety Detectives: Talking Ethical UX Design and the Future of User Experience

August 24, 2019

Working through Stakeholder Politics

You can’t win ‘em all peeps!! But–what I always remind myself and my team is that in the end it’s not about you, it’s about the project and the business.

August 14, 2019

Experience Tells the Story

Isn’t it bananas how fast Apple releases a new and improved product every quarter? Ever wonder why they are even able to sell those new products so rapidly after just launching the last one?

August 29, 2019

B2B Marketing Expo

From the Jungle Guide at CreateApe HQ: One of Europe’s leading marketing events is hitting SoCal for the first time this year! The B2B Marketing Expo began and planted its roots in the UK.

September 20, 2018

Designing a Call-To-Action That Converts Every Time

If you’re in the design space, you’ve probably heard the acronym CTA. While it sounds like a disease, CTA stands for “Call To Action.”

May 21, 2018

Mobile Design Workshop

CreateApe is excited to announce that our founder, Alessandro Fard, will be holding a Mobile Design Workshop in Los Angeles.

October 4, 2018

Are There Benefits of Being a Google Partner for a UX/UI Designer?

SEO. It’s another one of those acronyms and buzzwords people in the tech space love to throw out. SEO stands for search engine optimization, and it’s the reason why certain keywords show up first when using search engines.

April 26, 2018

A Quick & Dirty UI Intro

We can’t discuss UX without mentioning user interface (UI) because the two are often connected, and also frequently confused.

September 14, 2018

Pros & Cons of Native iOS

What’s better? Web based application versus a native iOS/android app? So you have an idea for a business and want to get it out in the world.

April 12, 2018

A UI Lesson from Facebook

In 2011, E.B. Boyd wrote an article for Co.Design about the story behind Facebook’s Timeline feature.

March 22, 2018

Keeping You Safe Online

With recent news coming in about the potential Facebook data hacks (overshares, breach of trust, etc.) I thought it was a good time to start talking about the safety of our individual (and business) footprints.

March 14, 2018

Client Satisfaction

What separates one designer from another? Client satisfaction. I know it sounds overly simplistic but it’s 100% the truth. All of us are creative and our design arsenal varied, but the repeat customer is what separates the “successful” designer from the wannabes.

April 6, 2018

Branding – Keeping it Simple

Google, Amazon, and Apple are among the strongest brands of the last decade. They have created billions in brand value and have industry-leading business performance.

March 2, 2018

Mobile UX Design Tips

Mobile app development is quickly taking center-stage in development as more and more development becomes mobile first. Implementing best practices for mobile design is a key to getting your app in stores and used frequently.

March 29, 2018

Web Colors 101

Color is shown to be a significant determinant for both website trust and satisfaction. Color has the potential to communicate meaning to the user and influence their perception through the priming effect...

February 21, 2018

Web Design Tricks to Grow Your Business

Loving this article by Gabriel Shaoolian for Entrepreneur. Great tips and the stats to back them up! Check it out 😊 Growing any business is, well, tough business. You’ve got your hand in every pot while simultaneously wearing every hat.

December 23, 2017

Why I Need to Wish You a Merry Christmas

I tend to keep my religious preferences to myself for the most part. Well, at least within the business world. Sadly I’ve found that some people, in the tech space in particular, can be a tad “put off” when they find out I’m a Christian.

January 15, 2018

How to Think Like a UX Designer

Don’t start designing without insight If you don’t have time to do research, still observe. Still find that nugget of new information that changes the way a customer’s life will be as a result of your product, service, or brand.

December 6, 2017

Ease the Cost of Employee Turnover

Imagine the scenario: You’ve lost your current superstar employee. Or you see the market changing and you want to find a pro to fill a newly created position.

July 7, 2015

10 Do’s and Don’ts of UI and UX Design

Interesting article by Amber Leigh Turner for TheNextWeb.com. Check it out 😊

November 15, 2017

Empathy and UX Design

Strictly speaking, user experience design does not require empathy, but it’s a huge practical advantage. I like getting definitions on the table first to make sure we’re all talking about the same thing. Both UX and Empathy can be broad words.

August 17, 2017

Effective Web Design

Are you starting to suspect that it’s time for a website update? Have you looked into the possibilities and seen words like “parallax” and “mobile responsive” pop up without any real explanation?

November 1, 2017

Collaboration and Innovation in the Design Process

Everyone knows the problem: clients need us to be more innovative. So how do we get together and mobilise creativity? In designing digital experiences, creativity is often relegated to a designer and the onus is on the designer to provide the creative solution.

August 23, 2017

How to Drive Leads to Your Website with Design

There is a lot you can do to drive traffic to your website: on-page search engine optimization (SEO), promoting it on social media channels, search engine marketing (SEM), display ads, direct mailers, and email campaigns, just to name a few.

October 5, 2017

User Experience Testing

User Experience Testing (also referred to as UX testing, or User testing) is the process of learning how your users engage with your digital product or service, both in terms of what they do and why they do it.

August 3, 2017

UC Berkeley Extension Launches UX/UI Boot Camp

UC Berkeley Extension announced this week that it’s launching its own UX/UI Boot Camp. Why is this important? Because this intensive 6-month program signals a shift in the way people think about UX/UI.

June 16, 2015

Top 5 Mistakes to Avoid With Mobile App Development

A few important things to keep in mind when developing mobile applications. Check out this blog post submitted by Amy Rivers.

August 11, 2017

I Don’t Get Paid for My Time…

Obviously your time is valuable. But when somebody hires a UX/UI expert they aren’t hiring you just for your time. They are hiring you because you are uniquely qualified to solve their problems.

July 20, 2017

Say “No” If You Want to Succeed

Everybody has probably heard of the concept of “saying yes to success” but that’s not always the best choice. Say “yes” to every opportunity, and every idea.

May 20, 2015

The UX University of Life

Our everyday encounters with with good and bad experiences can be leveraged as part of an ongoing UX education.

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