Microsoft Paint is Getting its Own Photoshop-like Project Files (2 minute read)
Microsoft introduced project files to Paint that function like Photoshop Documents, allowing users to save work with layers intact and resume editing later. The update also adds opacity sliders for pencil and brush tools to control transparency levels. Windows 11's Snipping Tool has gained markup features, while Notepad has received free AI writing assistance for Copilot Plus PC users.
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India Leads the Way on Google's Nano Banana with a Local Creative Twist (5 minute read)
Google's Nano Banana image-generation model has made India its leading market, propelling the Gemini app to the top of the charts with 15.2 million downloads this year. Indian users are creating unique local trends, such as retro Bollywood portraits, AI-generated saree images, and vintage cityscapes, which are spreading globally. Despite leading in usage, India contributes only 1.5% of Gemini's $6.4 million in revenue, although it shows the fastest month-over-month spending growth at 18%.
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Tired of cookie consent pop-ups? You soon may see less of them (2 minute read)
The EU is reviewing its 2009 e-Privacy Directive, which created the widespread cookie consent pop-ups, and may relax the rules to reduce user frustration. Possible changes include adding more exceptions or letting users set consent in their browser. Privacy advocates warn this could weaken protections and expand data use for advertising.
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Research is a Leadership Skill; Don't Cede it to AI (6 minute read)
Research serves as a critical leadership tool for creating stakeholder alignment and shared understanding, not just data collection. AI tools undermine this process by eliminating human participation in knowledge creation, preventing the development of ownership and commitment that drives organizational action. Effective UX research requires building stakeholder mental models through collaborative engagement, a process that AI cannot replicate, despite promises of increased efficiency.
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How to Spot Signs of UX Maturity Regression (8 minute read)
The UX-maturity model outlines how organizations progress in UX across strategy, culture, process, and outcomes. Maturity can regress if practices stagnate, leadership changes, or UX becomes siloed. Teams can prevent drift by watching for early signals, keeping lightweight check-ins, broadening ownership beyond UX, and integrating maturity into ongoing business processes to maintain momentum.
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Stop Saying You're AI-native: Start Showing It (11 minute read)
Being AI-native requires hands-on experimentation with AI tools rather than just designing AI interfaces. True AI-native professionals build personal tools, push AI systems to their limits, and develop strong opinions through constant use of various models and platforms. Hire designers who demonstrate genuine AI fluency through personal projects, documented failures, and in-depth toolchain knowledge, rather than theoretical experience.
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The Psychology of Trust In AI: A Guide to Measuring And Designing for User Confidence (21 minute read)
Trust in AI systems can be measured and designed for, identifying four key components: ability, benevolence, integrity, and predictability. Calibrated trust—not blind trust or distrust—is the ideal user state, requiring transparent design that acknowledges AI limitations and potential errors. UX professionals must advocate for genuinely trustworthy systems while avoiding "trustwashing," which manipulates users into false confidence, particularly by addressing user fears about job displacement through ethical research and design practices.
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Illustrated thinking: Why brands are turning back to drawing (6 minute read)
Illustration has declined in advertising due to risk-averse clients, slower production, and misconceptions of it being “childlike,” but it remains powerful for distinctiveness, flexibility, and impact, especially in murals, toolkits, and digital activations. Experts see a resurgence ahead, with opportunities in motion, hybrid projects, and illustrators acting as creative partners, making illustrated campaigns stand out in a photo-saturated landscape.
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