Resources

Outsmart the Ordinary in UX & Service Design

Unconventional insights, tools and resources to fuel your craft and leadership — built by fellow UX practitioners with hard-earned experience in changemaking and digital transformation.

Why your COTS (commercial off-the-shelf) solution isn’t what you need

This post dives into why your COTS (commercial off-the-shelf) solution might seem right for you upfront, but may actually be the wrong choice in the long run. We’ll teach you about custom solutions, debunk common myths about COTS and custom solutions, break down when to use a COTS vs. a custom solution, and help to ensure your custom solution is a success.

Your Guide to HCD, UX Design, and Related Disciplines.

This post provides easy-to-understand explanations and examples of UX/UI design, HCD, design/UX research, service design, and product design. Plus, see how Outwitly can help your organization through our service offerings!

UX Tips for a Successful Beta Launch and Post-Launch Support

Here are our best tips for a successful beta launch and smooth post-launch of your digital product. This post will cover MVPs and Beta Launches, why it’s important to ACTUALLY plan for the launch, and tips for your next Beta Launch and supporting users post-launch.

Project Management for Design Research and Service Design

We know that a design research project is only as successful as the foundation it’s built upon! We like to have a phase at the beginning of any project called Project Initiation. This phase is crucial for setting your project up for success! To help set your next design research project up for success, we’re covering nine core project management principles, two key activities to conduct in the initiation phase, and our favourite tools and tech for project management.

Q&A With CEO Sara Fortier on Outwitly Academy’s Design Research Mastery

We sat down to talk to our CEO and Founder of Outwitly, Sara Fortier, about the recent launch of Outwitly Academy. Outwitly Academy’s flagship course, Design Research Mastery, is now accepting its first cohort of registrants.

Design Research: Methods, Practices, and Pitfalls

This post is a “roundup” of our past posts on the topic of design research. We dive into the methods, practices, and pitfalls associated with one of our all-time favourite topics. You’ll learn how to plan and prepare for discovery research, how to get the most out of your research, why you should stay away from focus groups, and a few research methods we love, like diary studies and in-depth interviews.

Top UX Research Tips for Better Usability Test Reports

In part three of our series on user testing, we’re talking about our top tips for better usability test reports and UX research! If you’ve conducted a few usability tests with real users and are looking for new ways to analyze data and improve your reporting, you’re in the right place! We’ll cover the three data points you don’t want to forget to collect, our favourite ways to analyze data from a usability test, and five tips to use for your next report.

UX Research: Usability Testing Tools & Process

In the second part of our blog series on user testing, we write about all things usability testing! Usability tests provide us with insight into how users interact with a product or service before it’s launched into the real world. Usability tests allow us to improve and make critical changes to enhance user experience, ultimately making for a more successful launch! Not testing with users means missing out on the chance to better serve your users and customers. This post will cover things to consider when conducting usability testing, moderated vs. unmoderated participant interaction, remote testing and our favourite tools, consent and test protocol, and analyzing data and reporting on usability test findings.

Foundations of User Testing and Prototyping

In part one of our series on user testing, we’re covering the basics. Wouldn’t it be nice to know what your user needs, how they behave, and exactly how they’re going to navigate your product? Luckily, these insights are discoverable through a few of our favourite human-centered design techniques: prototypes and user tests. From low to high-fidelity prototypes, common testing biases, and prototyping tools, this post will lay the foundations of user testing and prototyping!

UX Hiring: Your biggest UX hiring challenges and how to overcome them

In this blog post, we’re letting you in on the five most common hiring challenges in UX and service design, plus tactical strategies to avoid them! We cover the UX job market, online course credibility, and our top strategies for finding the UX candidates you need.

UX Hiring: Build a strong UX team and avoid these major hiring roadblocks

Are you investing in building your in-house UX design and research team? If so, you might be struggling to find the right people for the job, or maybe your current team isn’t getting the job done. If this sounds like you, you might be running into some of the most common pitfalls we see when non-UX experts try to recruit and hire into UX. This blog post will help you get started with your UX hiring process and help you avoid obstacles on the way!

UX Design: When NOT to go mobile-first

Have you ever wondered whether to start with mobile-first or desktop-first design? More applications start with a mobile-first approach to design because everyone has a smartphone! However, there are certainly times where going mobile-first isn’t the right move. This blog will break down the differences between mobile and desktop design and help you understand when to start with which!

Design Research Mastery: How to Lead Research That Builds Buy-In and Great Products

A Guide to High-Value Research

(From Our CEO)

Dive into our very own Sara Fortier’s book — a practical guide to design research, packed with real stories, tools, and strategies to turn data and insights into meaningful business impact.

Available for shipment in the UK & EU — pre-orders are live for US and Canada!
Explore the book's official website to learn more about what's inside.
Upcoming Events

Connect, Learn and Evolve Your UX Practice — With Outwitly Events

Join us for hands-on workshops, thought-provoking talks, and networking events that strengthen our UX community and push human-centered design forward.

OCT
31

Systems-Based Design Directorship: A Blueprint for Leaders in UX

This post dives into why your COTS (commercial off-the-shelf) solution might seem right for you upfront, but may actually be the wrong choice in the long run. We’ll teach you about custom solutions, debunk common myths about COTS and custom solutions, break down when to use a COTS vs. a custom solution, and help to ensure your custom solution is a success.

NOV
22

Systems-Based Design Directorship: A Blueprint for Leaders in UX

This post dives into why your COTS (commercial off-the-shelf) solution might seem right for you upfront, but may actually be the wrong choice in the long run. We’ll teach you about custom solutions, debunk common myths about COTS and custom solutions, break down when to use a COTS vs. a custom solution, and help to ensure your custom solution is a success.

OCT
18

Systems-Based Design Directorship: A Blueprint for Leaders in UX

This post dives into why your COTS (commercial off-the-shelf) solution might seem right for you upfront, but may actually be the wrong choice in the long run. We’ll teach you about custom solutions, debunk common myths about COTS and custom solutions, break down when to use a COTS vs. a custom solution, and help to ensure your custom solution is a success.

The Design Leadership Digest

Get insights from seasoned design leaders and real, usable strategies for building resilient UX teams, sharpening your influence and leading with clarity.

The Weekly Wit

UX and HCD tips, resources, and job leads for practitioners, all in one place — to help you hone your skills, stay current and move forward in your design career.