Articles

How to Remote Internship HEADER v1

5 min

How to Make the Most of a Remote Design Internship

When I accepted a remote internship at Blink this past spring, we were all well into national stay-at-home orders. I began to wonder what working from home every day would be like and how long this style of work might last far beyond my new internship. Now, wrapping up my time at Blink, I realize this experience was the best crash course in preparing for what the modern workplace is to become.

Experience Prototypes Hero image

3 min

A Quick Guide to User Experience Prototypes

Learn the benefits of high- and low-fidelity ux prototypes and how they can help you get the most out of your user research.

01 when and why to start a hardware user research program rev01

3 min

When and Why To Start a Hardware User Research Program (White Paper)

Read "When and Why To Start a Hardware User Research Program" to learn how hardware user research can help you create an inclusive, commercially successful product that people use, love, and remember.

Headset Header Image

8 min

9 Reasons To Conduct Hardware UX Research Right Now

Chief Research Officer John Dirks explains why you should conduct hardware UX research early and often.

01 what to know before starting and finishing hardware user research

8 min

What to Know Before Starting Hardware User Research

Blink is unique for applying our user research processes and approaches to both hardware and digital experiences. Some of the most complex and engaging digital experiences go hand in hand with specific hardware, and some of the most exciting hardware is useless without a visionary digital experience.

Blink Gallery

1 min

Art Inspired by Science Submissions

Blink is hosting a gallery show featuring artwork by high school students that is inspired by science. NASA Chief Scientist, Dr. Green will hand out awards to the top 5 submissions.

Some of our employees working from home in Seattle

4 min

Blink’s Coronavirus Update (COVID-19)

We have set up a Blink task force, including a dozen members of Blink’s leadership team, which meets daily to review the most recent health information and determine communication strategies so that everyone inside and outside of our company receives accurate and timely information.

Remote User Research Lab Blink

9 min

When Remote Research is the Best Choice (and How to Do it Right)

What do we mean by remote research? When is remote research the right choice? What are some tips for dealing with the challenges that come along with this approach?

Jim Green Photocredit Max Alexander UK Space Agency

1 min

NASA Science Talk

Listen and engage with NASA's Chief Scientist Dr. Jim Green speaking on a broad range of science and space topics at live at Blink or online. Date TBD.

Mobile Application Usability Testing

2 min

Mobile Application Usability Testing

We are increasingly using smartphones, tablets, and music players in our work and lives, and there are hundreds of thousands of applications currently available for download. At Blink, we regularly conduct mobile application usability testing for different clients who are optimizing their websites for mobile use or designing new apps.

How to Make Hard Conversations Easier Header

4 min

Workplace Culture: How to Make Hard Conversations Easier

Even people with considerable power — owners, CEOs, board chairs — are often reluctant to have the tough talks that are required for them to achieve the outcomes they desire.

Redshift meet and greet header

4 min

How Your Brain's Hardwiring Can Help Inform & Influence a Career Path

Nature and nurture are both critical to your career path, and so at Blink, we focus on both of these in our employee development.

Workshop Header Image

5 min

How to Improve Creativity and Performance by Optimizing Your Brain

The human brain is not wired to have an "on" and "off" switch for work and play—and operating as if it were will deplete one’s energy and creativity.

Startupgrind Banner

0 min

Startup Grind & Fresh Brewed Tech: Karen Clark Cole Interview

On August 6, 2019, Karen Clark Cole was interviewed live on stage by Rachel Gauvin for a Startup Grind San Diego. The interview aired on the Fresh Brewed Tech podcast "Tacos & Tech"

B San Frontlobby

4 min

Photo Tour of Our UX Design Studio and User Research Labs in San Diego

We recently finished construction of two usability labs in San Diego. Take a photo tour of our studio which is located in the heart of East Village just a few blocks from PETCO Park.

Convey Ux Geoff And Bill

5 min

Five Tips for Designing Better Conversational Interfaces

From chatbots to intelligent assistants, conversation interfaces are changing the way that people interact with their computers, and designers have a unique opportunity to shape this medium at the ground level. Like all emerging tech, best practices are still being developed, but here at Blink we’ve had the opportunity to design a few of our own and learned a lot along the way.

Object Modeling for Designers An Introduction

17 min

Object Modeling for Designers: An Introduction

As a user experience designer, it can feel as though I am waging an on-going, never-ending battle against complexity, especially when working on enterprise systems. A popular route to simplify an experience is to implement a design system. Design systems are essential, but what I hope to show in this article is that a design system alone — particularly if it’s primarily a component level design system — does not guarantee a simple, consistent experience.

Redshift Digital Joins Blink

2 min

Redshift Digital Joins Blink for a Golden Gate Future

It is with great anticipation and excitement that I announce that the well-known, high-end, wildly creative, and super fun San Francisco UX studio, Redshift is joining forces with Blink!

9 Tips for Better Moodboards

5 min

Getting in the Mood: 9 Tips for Better Moodboards

Working as a visual designer, I've learned to use moodboards to successfully pitch concepts to our internal team and clients. Moodboards are more than selecting images that specify type, color, texture, etc. At a higher level, a moodboard should express specific feelings and attributes.

User Research And Data Analytics

3 min

Better Together: User Research and Analytics

Incorporating analytics into UX processes and research methods can add value in many ways. Project teams should use a combination of different data types to consistently measure data (in the wild) about usability and user behavior.

02 Transcript

2 min

Quick Testing of Accessibility for iOS Apps

There's an easy way to test how users will experience your designs on iPhone and iPad with accessibility features enabled.

UX Design Is a Philosophy

6 min

UX Design Is a Philosophy

At Blink, we think and talk a lot about UX. And while each day more people are joining our conversation, there is still a lot of confusion around what UX actually means. I talk about it as a way of thinking and a business approach: User experience is no longer a job title or a service offering, it’s a way of thinking about your entire business.

Welcome Tectonic group photo

2 min

Welcome Tectonic!

I am thrilled to announce the brilliant minds at Tectonic are now in-house at Blink as part of our design studio!

Blink Gets New Digs in January 2018

1 min

Blink Gets New Digs in January 2018!

Blink is getting ready to move into our new 28,000-square-foot studio office space which we have been designing and building out for the last 8 months.