We’re doing something a little different this month. There’s no Good Stuff of the Month or Freshly Added, but we got big news! We’ve been busy working on MakeStuffUp.Info v2.0 — which, drumrolls please, we’re rebranding as CreateBetter.xyz. And we got an exclusive sneak-peek just for our subscribers.
One of the challenges we faced was that MakeStuffUp.Info is not that easy to remember. The words don’t string together as well as we’d hope. On the other hand, the new name is easier to remember; while also reflecting our vision for the site: a little universe of resources to explore ways of creating better digital products.
We’re hoping to release the new website before the holidays, and we can’t wait for you to explore it! Besides the new look and feel, the website will also have better site-wide search, filtering and sorting capabilities, site previews, tagging systems and more.
Without further ado, check out the work-in-progress homepage. 👇
This is only the beginning of CreateBetter.xyz. We have several more features planned. We look forward to hearing from you and what you think about all of these changes.
A deep understanding of who would be benefiting from a product and how is often overlooked in the Product Design process. Without it, the product lacks focus and is less likely to resonate with customers, or worse, when a product further expands the gaps of inequalities.
However, customer behaviours are not static; people and societies change over time. Therefore, how a business responds and evolves products based on continuous research is crucial for success and sustainability.
Good Stuff of the Month:Â
There are many gathering customer insight methods. With the rise of remote working, remote user testing has also gained much momentum. With easy integrations to the design tools you’re already using, you can use Maze for concept testing, usability testing, and more.
You can find Maze under Tools > Discovery > Discovery > User Interviews on MakeStuffUp.Info.
Freshly Added:
More and more people are going online, including disabled people. Built by the Meta-Design Studio for Microsoft Design, A11y - Focus Orderer is a Figma plugin that helps designers create designs for keyboarding and screen reader users.
You can always find A11y - Focus Orderer on MakeStuffUp.Info under Tools > Product Design > Accessibility.
Working in tech long enough, you’d run into a situation where you’d need to convert a design file to another format. XD2Sketch is here for the rescue. With XD2Sketch, you would be able to convert your files with a click of a button. And don’t be fooled by the name, however, they have more converters than just XD to Sketch.
You can always find XD2Sketch on MakeStuffUp.Info under Tools > Others > Productivity.
Getting stuck on a design flow? Check out Page Flows for inspirations from proven products. And don’t forget to analyse why these flows were done this way. 😉
You can always find Page Flows under our Inspirations category.
Other stuff:
Speaking of customer feedback, we can’t wait to hear from you when MakeStuffUp.Info v.2.0 is released. The website is being developed as we speak.
In the spirit of building in public, the first release of this version won’t be everything we’ll be offering. Still, we hope this is enough for you to see our vision of what MakeStuffUp.Info will become.
Creating anything from scratch is a difficult process. But, lucky for all of us, technology is getting better at making the innovation process less challenging.
At madeup.studio, we are a big fan of "Work smarter, not harder." — one of the reasons we created MakeStuffUp.Info. We hope we hope you find the resources you need for the innovative work you're doing.
Check out this month's highlights.
Good Stuff of the Month:Â
Having started as a version control software for designers using Sketch, Abstract's vision for the ideal design workflow has evolved over the years. Their latest product, Notebooks, which aims to improve the Design Reviews process, further crystalises that mission.
In the Margin was created seemingly to re-enforces the whole ethos of Abstract as a company. Learn how to improve your design process with a curated list of articles, videos, podcasts and more.
You can find Flutterflow under Knowledge > Articles > Discovery > Processes on MakeStuffUp.Info.
Freshly Added:
Similar to Notebooks but designed for the copywriting process, Ditto was created to help you manage copywriting from draft to design to production. No more messy copy management with Ditto! (Bonus points for the clever brand name).
You can always find Ditto on MakeStuffUp.Info under Tools > Writing > Productivity.
Have you ever tried to draw a blob on the computer? Yes, a blob. Designers know too well it could take hours to create something that looks incredibly simple (especially on a bad day!). Haikei, a browser-based web application, generates not just blobs but waves, scattered circles and more minimalistic backgrounds for your websites, apps, slide decks and social media posts.
You can always find Haikei on MakeStuffUp.Info under Tools > Visual Design > Illustration.
Struggling with coming up with an ad idea? Ad Creative Bank is here for the recuse. Check out this inspiration site to see what others are doing and develop the most high-performing ads of your career.
You can always find Ad Creative Bank under our Inspirations category.
Other stuff:Â
Another quick update on MakeStuffUp.Info 2.0 progress: The website is being designed as we type. We're excited about the direction we're heading towards, and we can't wait to share more with you. We've overhauled the look and feel of the website and everything in the background to make sure the website can be as robust and fun to use as possible.
We’re excited to share that we’re working to refresh our brand identity and revamp the website to offer a more robust and pleasing browsing experience. Our hope with MakeStuffUp.Info 2.0 is to help you (and many more people) navigate and find the resources that solve your digital problems much faster with more accuracy.
Stick to the end of today’s newsletter to take a sneak peek into what we’ve been working on.
Good Stuff of the Month:Â
Created by Arsen Kolyba, thePenTool comprises a wide range of (amazing) design assets. The website is also incredibly delicious to look at and a joy to navigate around with somewhat unconventional layouts and candy-like colour combinations.
Adalo, another no-code mobile app builder named Ada Lovelace — widely considered the first computer programmer globally; enables you to start making real apps to test and validate your ideas faster without a developer.
You can always find Adalo on MakeStuffUp.Info under Tools > Development > Mobile App Builders.
We all know SEO is not simple, but it doesn’t mean it has to be difficult. This step-by-step practical guide takes you through how to grow and scale a business digitally with SEO tactics that have been tested and proven on multiple occasions.
You can always find this post on MakeStuffUp.Info under Knowledge > Articles > Marketing > SEO.
Need more website inspirations? No worries, check out Top CSS Gallery — another submission from our MSUI community and a unique design global platform for showcasing and awarding the top websites with CSS web design.
You can always find Top CSS Gallery under our Inspirations category.
Other stuff:Â
As promised, here’s the brand new logomark for the next evolution of MakeStuffUp.Info’s brand identity. What do you think? Please reply and let us know your thoughts!
As the pandemic continues to affect how we live and work, the needs for communities is more visible than ever. Communities can support us during the hard times via the simple act of sharing.
We’re excited to share that MakeStuffUp.Info now has a Communities category, where you can find support as designers, creative workers, and entrepreneurs in this forever changing world. Check out these communities to meet like-minded people who share your struggles and celebrate your small wins, so we can all learn and grow together.