Where to find design inspiration
1:15 min
The best design inspiration comes from the interfaces you use daily, as they simplify tasks and provide valuable insights into usability, rather than just focusing on trends.
Transcript
Where do you find design inspiration? It's tempting to browse design galleries for inspiration, and there you'll find beautiful designs and the latest trends. But the best inspiration is the interfaces you use every day.
Galleries tend to showcase landing page designs. And that might be useful if you are working on a marketing campaign, but it's not very helpful if you have unique content or a unique usability challenge.
The interfaces you use every day are inspiring because they simplify your day-to-day tasks. You spend way more time getting things done than you do marveling at some beautiful typography or a subtle button animation. With any successful interface design, it's worth asking what makes this experience work for me?
So, for example, I found this design I like, and on a surface level, the unusual colors appeal to me. They stand out against the usual interfaces, but I can also easily read the text and labels. The chosen font feels a bit playful, but it's still easy for me to read. Identifying and analyzing these aspects provides a wealth of techniques and ideas.
These are what will really inspire you as well as helping you develop attention to detail.
The question to ask
What makes this experience work for me?