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💭 UX Empathy Pitfalls, Labels vs Icons & Git Made Simple

February 26, 2025

Hey 👋

This week’s newsletter is a proper mix of the good stuff. From UX debates on empathy versus productivity, to rethinking CSS with some truly mind-bending updates (CSS if(), anyone?), and even a detective story about debugging subresources—you’re covered on all fronts.

Whether you're eyeing new ways to test usability with AI, or just curious why target="_blank" needs that underscore (spoiler: there’s always a reason), you'll find something to dig into. And hey, don’t miss out on those smooth checkbox animation tips—it’s the little polish that makes the difference.

Enjoy 🦄 - Adam at Unicorn Club.

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🧠 UX

When empathy becomes the enemy of productivity

How UX inflexibility stalls progress, frustrates teams, and creates unnecessary roadblocks.

♿️ A11Y

Human-Centered Design Through AI-Assisted Usability Testing: Reality Or Fiction?

The most reliable way to meet user needs is through extensive usability research. However, scaling can be a challenge, especially if a researcher needs to personally e-meet every participant.

📋 CSS

CSS @function + CSS if() = 🤯

Support for Nested Container Queries and the CSS if() function inside CSS Custom Functions make @function very powerful.

Reimagining Fluid Typography

For many years, it has been ‘best practice’ to use relative units (especially em and rem) for sizing text. That’s great! But after playing around with my user preferences, I think we can improve on the common approaches.

The “Fake Door” Design Trick 🚪

Ever clicked a button in an app only for it to say, "This feature is coming soon"? That’s called a "Fake Door" test! Designers use this sneaky UX method to gauge user interest before investing time and resources into building a new feature. If nobody clicks, it might not be worth building.

Learn More →

🎨 Design

In Defense of Text Labels - Why Icons Alone Aren’t Enough

Interfaces are over-stuffed with icons. The more icons we have to scan over, the more brain power we put toward making sense of them rather than using the tools they represent.

The design game has changed and I don’t know where I fit anymore

Reflecting on my journey, I’ve had the privilege of navigating the dynamic world of design for over two decades.

🏎️ Performance

Debugging mutable subresources: a detective story

The bizarre case of Signed Exchanges: how frequent deployments increased the error rate and revealed hidden cache poisoning (part 5 of 8).

🧑‍💻 Dev

Checkbox Interactions - The beauty of Layout Animations

Have you ever wondered how to create those satisfying checkbox animations that make your app feel more polished and engaging?

I Hope You Git It! - The Ultimate Git Guide for Beginners

Ever wished you had a time machine for your code? Well, that's exactly what Git offers!

Why does target="_blank" have an underscore in front?

Ever wondered why you need the underscore in target="_blank" to open a link in a new tab?

When coding becomes conversation

Developers are embracing a new way of building software that’s more conversation than code. But is it more mayhem than magic?

🗓️ Upcoming Events

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🔥 The Largest Vue Conference

March 12-13, 2025 - In-Person in Amsterdam

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⚡ Productivity Conference - Save 10%

March 27 & 28, 2025 - Online

Boost your or your team’s productivity at the Productivity Conference for developers and tech leaders. Learn to revolutionize your workflows with cutting-edge tools and strategies. Registration is open now!

With promo code UNICORN, you can get 10% off on tickets.

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