Latest / The Feed & The Thread / The Feed & The Thread - Sunday, January 25, 2026

Transcript

The Feed & The Thread - Sunday, January 25, 2026 · The Feed & The Thread

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  Today we're diving into Joe Smiley's predictions for
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  experience design trends in 2026, where designing for user
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  intent and integrating Machine Experience will take center
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  stage. And we'll hear what the community is saying about their
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  frustrating job hunts and how they're using subreddit branding
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  to express these experiences.
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  Welcome to The Feed and The Thread, brought to you by
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  Chicago Camps. Our next UX Camp event is coming up on February
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  twenty first. We're still accepting presentations for the
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  event - submit your talk today!
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  We've caught a few things worth your attention today. Let's dive
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  in! In a new piece titled "The most popular experience design
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  trends of 2026," Joe Smiley at UX Design.cc predicts that by
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  2026, designing for user intent and integrating Machine
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  Experience, or MX, will dominate the field. He highlights how
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  better prompt design can enhance AI interactions and notes that
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  AI-generated designs are becoming more prevalent in
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  creating personalized experiences. Robert Tanislav's
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  latest "The Rise of the Model Designer" over at Web Designer
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  News explores how designers now need to collaborate with AI
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  models rather than traditional software, adapting new skill
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  sets and approaches to stay relevant as tools evolve daily.
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  Also worth noting – Robert Tanislav has another piece
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  titled "Designing with AI- readable design systems in
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  Cursor," which argues that integrating AI into design
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  systems can enhance precision and consistency by following
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  established logic. This approach not only speeds up the process
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  but ensures adherence to design principles, offering practical
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  implications for design workflows. Also publishing
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  recently: Nielsen Norman Group, UXPin Studio, and CSS-Tricks. Be
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  sure to check them out in your feeds!
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  Let's check in for the hot topics with the practitioners
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  today. Over in the UX Design subreddit, someone’s been on the
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  job hunt trail for an entire year. It’s tough when you’re
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  putting your all into something and not seeing results.
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  u/CheckImpressive5923 put it best: "Man it's just so
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  demotivating for me!". Can't blame them for feeling that way.
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  And speaking of frustrating experiences, the Design
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  Critiques subreddit is dealing with its own set of issues.
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  They’re trying to brand a subreddit and seem to be hitting
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  roadblocks – it’s all about expressing those user
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  frustrations, but it's easier said than done. Meanwhile, in
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  the UX Research subreddit, folks are struggling to find real
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  users through paid interview platforms. I mean, that's fair -
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  when you're trying to conduct meaningful research, finding
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  genuine participants can be a challenge. But wait till you
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  hear this – there’s some light- hearted stuff too! Over at the
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  Design subreddit, someone shared a bird table concept that got
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  202 upvotes. People love their quirky designs. And another post
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  about a tote bag concept has 98 upvotes. It seems like folks are
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  enjoying these fun and creative ideas. That's what folks are
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  buzzing about today! Lots to chew on, from job hunts and
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  design frustrations to some lighter moments with fun
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  projects.
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  Chicago Camps is hosting UX Camp Winter on Saturday, February
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  21st. There will be plenty of great presentations, all online,
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  so you can join from anywhere in the world! Tickets are only
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  thirteen dollars and fifty cents and there are plenty of
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  complimentary passes available thanks to the generosity of the
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  community. Get tickets now at Chicago Camps dot org. And
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  there's still room for additional speakers! Submit your
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  idea today!
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  Today, we explored Joe Smiley's prediction that by 2026,
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  experience design will focus on user intent and Machine
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  Experience integration. And a senior product designer shared
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  their one-year journey of job hunting, highlighting the
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  challenges in finding remote roles. It’s clear that
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  navigating these trends requires both adaptability and
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  persistence. Thanks for tuning in — we'll catch you next time.
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  That's The Feed and The Thread for today. Keep designing with
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  intention!