UX design journal by Emily Backes — articles on user research, product design, AI, accessibility, and career advice for designers.https://emilybackes.designen-ushttps://emilybackes.design/post/job-search-burnouthttps://emilybackes.design/post/job-search-burnoutJob search burnout rewires your brain. After 241 applications and 156 ghostings, here's how I pushed through rejection, learned helplessness, and kept going.Tue, 21 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMTLIFEhttps://emilybackes.design/post/why-do-companies-have-so-many-interview-roundshttps://emilybackes.design/post/why-do-companies-have-so-many-interview-roundsA former recruiter on why companies have so many interview rounds: 2026 data on bloated hiring loops, and how to tell a normal process from a broken one.Tue, 21 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMTLIFEhttps://emilybackes.design/post/career-change-at-40https://emilybackes.design/post/career-change-at-40A midlife career change at 40 through the eyes of a recruiter who's screened hundreds of 40-plus candidates and made her own pivot into design years before that age applied to her.Mon, 20 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMTLIFEhttps://emilybackes.design/post/burnout-eyesight-recoveryhttps://emilybackes.design/post/burnout-eyesight-recoveryI temporarily lost 70% of my eyesight. A burnout physical symptom I never saw coming. While moonlighting as a product designer, my recruiting day job was destroying my health. Getting laid off was the only way out. Here's how to recover from burnout and recognize the signs you need to quit your job.Fri, 17 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMTLIFEhttps://emilybackes.design/post/what-i-actually-look-at-in-a-portfolio-reviewhttps://emilybackes.design/post/what-i-actually-look-at-in-a-portfolio-reviewA senior product designer and former technical recruiter breaks down what actually happens in a portfolio review, and what makes a case study earn a second read.Fri, 17 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMTTIPS & TRICKShttps://emilybackes.design/post/ux-case-studies-brokenhttps://emilybackes.design/post/ux-case-studies-brokenUX case study advice for 2026: why the standard portfolio template fails and how to fix your UX case studies with real examples from a working product designer. Stop showing process. Start showing how you think.Mon, 06 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMTDESIGNhttps://emilybackes.design/post/spiral-career-typehttps://emilybackes.design/post/spiral-career-typeArthur Brooks says careers come in four types. If yours feels like left turns that only make sense to you, you might be a spiral. Here's what that means for job changes, burnout, and happiness.Thu, 02 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMTLIFEhttps://emilybackes.design/post/config-san-francisco-designers-guidehttps://emilybackes.design/post/config-san-francisco-designers-guideConfig attendees: skip the tourist traps. A designer's guide to SF Chinatown food, Golden Gate Park walks, rooftop parks, and how to find Config side events that aren't gatekept.Mon, 29 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMTTIPS & TRICKShttps://emilybackes.design/post/figma-icon-library-audithttps://emilybackes.design/post/figma-icon-library-auditI found 786 icons with no index, no naming system, and 80 duplicates. Eight weeks later they were 240 named components in 23 categories. Here's the audit and the ratio that made it work.Sat, 20 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMTTIPS & TRICKShttps://emilybackes.design/post/onboarding-flow-backwardshttps://emilybackes.design/post/onboarding-flow-backwardsI built an onboarding flow that asked new users to add items right away. Eight interviews later, I had to admit the order was wrong. Every single person did the opposite.Sat, 20 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMTTIPS & TRICKShttps://emilybackes.design/post/why-i-code-prototypes-with-claudehttps://emilybackes.design/post/why-i-code-prototypes-with-claudeI build prototypes as real, running apps. Claude makes that fast enough for a designer to iterate. Here's why coded beats fake for the questions I need to answer.Sat, 20 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMTTIPS & TRICKShttps://emilybackes.design/post/how-to-apply-for-jobs-in-a-tough-markethttps://emilybackes.design/post/how-to-apply-for-jobs-in-a-tough-market241 applications. 156 companies never responded. 12 recruiter screens. Here's what I learned to get 2 job offers, so you can too.Wed, 06 May 2026 00:00:00 GMTLIFEhttps://emilybackes.design/post/omg-is-ai-going-to-take-our-jobs-yes-no-maybehttps://emilybackes.design/post/omg-is-ai-going-to-take-our-jobs-yes-no-maybeWill AI take your job? A recruiter-turned-designer's honest take, backed by 2026 data on AI augmentation, automation, and why problem-solvers stay employed.Wed, 06 May 2026 00:00:00 GMTUX-UIhttps://emilybackes.design/post/breaking-the-config-seal---my-first-time-at-the-figma-conferencehttps://emilybackes.design/post/breaking-the-config-seal---my-first-time-at-the-figma-conferenceA first-timer's honest recap of Figma's Config design conference in San Francisco. Why you need buffer days, how to crash side events without an invite, and the argument for just going.Thu, 19 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMTLIFEhttps://emilybackes.design/post/beginner-friendly-advice-for-an-impactful-ux-portfoliohttps://emilybackes.design/post/beginner-friendly-advice-for-an-impactful-ux-portfolioBuilding your first UX portfolio? A designer and former recruiter shares how to pick a theme that stands out, write a personal statement no one skims past, and edit case studies down to the four things hiring managers actually care about.Tue, 10 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMTTIPS & TRICKShttps://emilybackes.design/post/how-to-create-jr-ux-ui-portfolio-presentationshttps://emilybackes.design/post/how-to-create-jr-ux-ui-portfolio-presentationsA step-by-step guide to building a UX portfolio presentation that gets you hired. Learn the POSTER framework, case study slide structure, and how to tailor slides for each panel.Tue, 10 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMTTIPS & TRICKShttps://emilybackes.design/post/how-relevant-are-user-personas-a-personal-storyhttps://emilybackes.design/post/how-relevant-are-user-personas-a-personal-storyAre user personas still relevant in UX design? A personal story about buying a road bike and why demographic personas quietly exclude real users, plus what inclusive design uses instead.Sun, 23 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMTUX-UIhttps://emilybackes.design/post/how-to-collect-free-ux-survey-responses-in-24-hourshttps://emilybackes.design/post/how-to-collect-free-ux-survey-responses-in-24-hoursHow to collect 300+ free UX survey responses in under 24 hours using Instagram Stories. A step-by-step UX research recruitment strategy with real results and a Google Forms template.Wed, 16 Jul 2025 00:00:00 GMTUX-UIhttps://emilybackes.design/post/ai-chatbots-customer-service-guidehttps://emilybackes.design/post/ai-chatbots-customer-service-guide71% of companies deploy chatbots. Only 16% of users engage. Here are the five UX mistakes that explain why, and what good looks like for retail, healthcare, and e-commerce.Sat, 12 Jul 2025 00:00:00 GMTTIPS & TRICKShttps://emilybackes.design/post/the-productivity-hack-that-recruiting-gurus-on-linkedin-wont-give-youhttps://emilybackes.design/post/the-productivity-hack-that-recruiting-gurus-on-linkedin-wont-give-youThe productivity hack LinkedIn recruiting gurus won't sell you: do the thing you dread most, frequently. Practical job search, networking, and time management advice from a former recruiter.Thu, 09 May 2024 00:00:00 GMTTIPS & TRICKShttps://emilybackes.design/post/how-to-conduct-effective-ux-interviewshttps://emilybackes.design/post/how-to-conduct-effective-ux-interviewsA former technical recruiter's guide to user interview questions: NN/g's leading-question framework, the count-to-seven silence technique, and a four-part interview structure.Mon, 22 Apr 2024 00:00:00 GMTUX-UIhttps://emilybackes.design/post/how-to-think-about-accessibility-as-a-ux-designerhttps://emilybackes.design/post/how-to-think-about-accessibility-as-a-ux-designerA UX designer's personal perspective on accessibility, sparked by a snowboarding accident that caused temporary paralysis and vision loss. Why most industries still overlook disabled users.Fri, 19 Apr 2024 00:00:00 GMTLIFEhttps://emilybackes.design/post/my-ux-ui-journeyhttps://emilybackes.design/post/my-ux-ui-journeyHow a sociology grad and 13-year technical recruiter changed careers into UX/UI product design. A personal story about starting over, learning design, and why it's never too late.Mon, 01 Apr 2024 00:00:00 GMTLIFE