Smashing Magazine
Some forms stay UI, while others quietly become rule engines. Here’s why these two different approaches exist and how to choose between them.
Topics: Web Interfaces
Entities: Web Interfaces
Smashing Magazine
Many product teams still lean on usability improvements and isolated behavioral tweaks to address weak activation, drop-offs, and low retention – only to see results plateau or slip into shallow gamification. Anders Toxboe updates persuasive design for...
Topics: UX Research
Entities: UX Research
Smashing Magazine
UX design is entering a new phase, with designers shifting from makers of outputs to directors of intent. AI can now generate wireframes, prototypes, and even design systems in minutes, but UX has never been only about creating interfaces. It’s about...
Topics: UX ResearchDesign Systems
Entities: UX ResearchDesign Systems
Smashing Magazine
Our newest Smashing Book, “Accessible UX Research” by Michele Williams, is finally shipping worldwide — and we couldn’t be happier! This book is about research, but you’ll also learn about assistive technology, different types of disability, and how to...
Topics: UX ResearchAccessibility
Entities: UX ResearchAccessibility
Smashing Magazine
What happens if you rebuild a single tooltip using the browser’s native model without the aid of a library? The Popover API turns tooltips from something you simulate into something the browser actually understands. Opening and closing, keyboard...
Topics: Accessibility
Entities: Accessibility
Smashing Magazine
Do you need a little inspiration boost? Well, then our new batch of desktop wallpapers is for you. Designed by the community for the community, the wallpapers in this collection are the perfect opportunity to get your desktop ready for spring — and, who...
Smashing Magazine
Meet our brand new conference for designers and UI engineers who love the web. That’s [SmashingConf Amsterdam](https://smashingconf.com/amsterdam-2026), taking place in the legendary Pathé Tuschinski, on April 13–16, 2026.
Topics: Web Interfaces
Entities: Web Interfaces
Smashing Magazine
Every high-resolution hero image, autoplay video, and complex JavaScript animation carries a cost. Sustainable UX challenges the era of “unlimited pixels” and reframes performance as responsibility. In 2026, truly sophisticated design is defined not by how...
Topics: UX Research
Entities: UX Research
Smashing Magazine
What makes streaks so powerful and addictive? To design them well, you need to understand how they align with human psychology. Victor Ayomipo breaks down the UX and design principles behind effective streak systems.
Topics: UX Research
Entities: UX Research
Smashing Magazine
Designing for mental health means designing for vulnerability. Empathy-Centred UX becomes not a “nice to have” but a fundamental design requirement. Here’s a practical framework for building trust-first mental health products.
Topics: UX Research
Entities: UX Research
Smashing Magazine
Autonomy is an output of a technical system. Trustworthiness is an output of a design process. Here are concrete design patterns, operational frameworks, and organizational practices for building agentic systems that are not only powerful but also...
Topics: UX Research
Entities: UX Research
Smashing Magazine
Prescriptive class name conventions are no longer enough to keep CSS maintainable in a world of increasingly complex interfaces. Can the new `@scope` rule finally give developers the confidence to write CSS that can keep up with modern front ends?
Topics: Web Interfaces
Entities: Web Interfaces