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Curated knowledge base for Product, UX & UI Designers.
- Foundations & Mental Models
- Product Thinking & Strategy
- UX Research
- UI & Interaction Design
- Design Systems & DesignOps
- Real Product Case Studies
- Senior-Level Product Design Topics
This repository brings together long-term, reference-grade resources covering product thinking, UX research, interaction design, design systems, and real product case studies.
The goal is simple: to reduce noise and collect materials that designers actually return to, not just read once.
Design resources today are often:
- scattered across blogs and platforms
- mixed with hype and short-term trends
- hard to evaluate in terms of credibility
This repository focuses on:
- foundational design knowledge
- proven frameworks and practices
- real product decisions and trade-offs
- references used by experienced practitioners
It is not a list of inspiration links. It is a working reference library.
- Product Designers working on real products
- UX & UI Designers who want stronger foundations
- Designers dealing with complexity, scale, and ambiguity
- Senior designers looking for reference-grade material
Junior designers are welcome. Senior designers should feel at home.
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Foundations & Mental Models
Core concepts shaping how users think and behave. -
Product Thinking & Strategy
Outcome-driven product discovery, prioritization, and decision-making. -
UX Research
Credible methods, playbooks, and research practices. -
UI & Interaction Design
Patterns, usability principles, and accessibility-aware UI decisions. -
Design Systems & DesignOps
Scaling design through systems, governance, and operational models. -
Real Product Case Studies
How leading product teams structure, scale, and evolve design. -
Senior-Level Product Design Topics
Decision-making, trade-offs, ambiguity, organizational challenges, impact measurement, and learning from failure. -
AI as a Design Accelerator (optional)
Practical references for designers who want to use AI as a support tool, not as a replacement for design thinking.
- Treat it as a reference shelf, not a tutorial.
- Dip into sections based on the problem you’re solving.
- Use it to support decisions, discussions, and design critiques.
- Revisit resources as your product or organization evolves.
Suggestions are welcome.
If you know a resource that:
- stands the test of time
- is written by experienced practitioners
- adds depth rather than noise
feel free to open an issue or submit a pull request.
Mental Models for Design
Link: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/mental-models-design-lyndon-cerejo
Why it matters: Summarizes key mental-model concepts and how they map to design decisions.
Best used for: Aligning design reasoning with user cognition and decision processes.
Designing for Mental Models (NN/g)
Link: https://www.nngroup.com/articles/designing-for-mental-models/
Why it matters: Core ideas on how users form expectations and mental models.
Best used for: Foundational UX principles and heuristic reviews.
First Principles Thinking in UX Design
Link: https://www.lynda.com/learning-paths/Business/first-principles-design-thinking
Why it matters: Encourages breaking problems into fundamental elements.
Best used for: Framing complex or uncertain product problems.
Product Strategy: Ten Essentials (McKinsey)
Link: https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/organization/our-insights/ten-essentials-for-product-management
Why it matters: Connects product decisions with business strategy.
Best used for: High-level product planning and roadmap discussions.
Product Thinking – Teresa Torres
Link: https://www.producttalk.org/product-thinking/
Why it matters: Outcome-focused product discovery and experimentation.
Best used for: Structuring discovery and continuous learning cycles.
Lean Product Playbook (Summary)
Link: https://www.erikjohansson.se/lean-product-playbook/
Why it matters: Practical guidance for MVPs and validation.
Best used for: Early-stage product discovery and iteration.
UX Research Methods (Nielsen Norman Group)
Link: https://www.nngroup.com/articles/ux-research-methods/
Why it matters: Comprehensive overview of UX research methods.
Best used for: Choosing the right research method at the right time.
ROI of UX Research (UXmatters)
Link: https://www.uxmatters.com/MT/archives/2008/07/ux-roi-success-measures.php
Why it matters: Links UX research outcomes to business impact.
Best used for: Justifying research investment to stakeholders.
Card Sorting (Usability.gov)
Link: https://www.usability.gov/how-to-and-tools/methods/card-sorting.html
Why it matters: Proven technique for information architecture.
Best used for: Structuring complex navigation or feature sets.
Don’t Make Me Think: Revisited (NN/g)
Link: https://www.nngroup.com/articles/dont-make-me-think-revisited/
Why it matters: Core usability heuristics for interface design.
Best used for: Heuristic evaluations and simplification.
A Comprehensive Guide to Interaction Design
Link: https://uxdesign.cc/a-comprehensive-guide-to-interaction-design-8e7f6d8f9b2f
Why it matters: Practical interaction patterns and feedback principles.
Best used for: Designing flows and micro-interactions.
Accessible Typography (Smashing Magazine)
Link: https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2018/05/accessible-typography/
Why it matters: Accessibility-focused typography best practices.
Best used for: Readable, inclusive UI text.
Design Systems 101 (InVision)
Link: https://www.invisionapp.com/inside-design/design-systems-101/
Why it matters: Framework for building scalable design systems.
Best used for: Starting or evaluating a design system.
DesignOps Handbook
Link: https://www.designopshandbook.com/
Why it matters: Operational practices for scaling design teams.
Best used for: Improving design workflows and collaboration.
How Atlassian Scales Design Systems
Link: https://www.atlassian.design/guidelines/product/design-systems-atlassian
Why it matters: Real-world design system governance at scale.
Best used for: Benchmarking contribution and governance models.
Spotify Design
Link: https://spotify.design/
Why it matters: Design outcomes from a large-scale product org.
Best used for: Understanding system usage and governance.
Airbnb Design Systems
Link: https://airbnb.design/category/design-systems/
Why it matters: Modular systems and brand consistency at scale.
Best used for: Tokens, components, and cross-team alignment.
Stripe Design System
Link: https://stripe.design/
Why it matters: High-quality fintech UI patterns and tokens.
Best used for: Payments, dashboards, and developer-facing products.
How to Make Smarter Design Trade-offs
Link: https://uxdesign.cc/how-to-make-smart-design-tradeoffs-9210cbd8ae1d
Why it matters: Frameworks for balancing competing UX priorities.
Best used for: Stakeholder alignment and feature prioritization.
Capturing Indeterminism in Design Problems
Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0142694X97000112
Why it matters: Explains ill-defined problems in design.
Best used for: Early-stage discovery with unclear requirements.
Leadership to Elevate Design at Scale
Link: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/00081256231169070
Why it matters: Insights from design leaders in large organizations.
Best used for: Design leadership and influence at scale.
Calculating the ROI of Your Design System
Link: https://zeroheight.com/blog/calculating-the-roi-of-your-design-system/
Why it matters: Connects design system outcomes to business metrics.
Best used for: Measuring impact and justifying investment.
Lessons from Product Failures
Link: https://www.productleadership.com/blog/lessons-from-failure-case-studies-of-products-that-didnt-make-the-cut/
Why it matters: Real-world product failures and lessons learned.
Best used for: Risk assessment and hypothesis validation.
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