Ahmad Shadeed

DESIGNERS ARE LEADING DIGITAL CHANGE IN 2026 It’s no secret that most of the senior designers here are multidisciplinary. You may call yourself a #UX_designer, but along the way you’ve handled #rebrands, #print_production work, #premises_branding, #motion_graphics, your own #social_media content, and even written a few articles for the design community. Sometimes it’s two of these skills, sometimes many more. That combination matters. When paired with even basic #management and #communication skills, it places senior designers in a strong position to lead digital change and digital adoption, especially within marketing and sales teams across organisations. Designers are uniquely positioned to set up new digital marketing channels, streamline content operations, and transform product development processes by introducing design thinking through UX. The opportunity is not just in the work itself, but in how we package it for decision-makers. Organisations don’t buy “design.” They buy clarity, efficiency, growth, and better customer experiences. This belief is what led us to restructure and rebrand Biara Creative Studio, a company we co-founded some years ago. Biara is now a consultancy design studio offering #on_demand design and digital management services for organisations looking to modernise how they operate, collaborate, communicate, and grow. We’ve already onboarded a number of forward-thinking brands, and the work is visible. More importantly, the impact is measurable. As we continue this journey in 2026, we’ll be working with creative consultants who want to lead digital initiatives within organisations, and we also encourage designers who feel ready to take this on independently to do exactly that. Our goal is simple: To put creative talent to work while delivering real, tangible value to the Ugandan market. Let's make 2026 count.

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𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝘁 𝗝𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆, 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗦𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝟭 🚀 Yesterday, I began the Design Audit Camp with Hussein Gaber, and the first session redefined how I see product evaluation. 🔍 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐔𝐗 𝐀𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐭? It’s a structured process to: • Benchmark against competitors. • Assess product team execution. • Inspect designs against usability principles. • Experience the product from the user’s perspective. 💡 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫? • Saves time & reduces development costs 💸. • Minimizes user frustration by aligning with natural behaviors. • Boosts efficiency by optimizing for technical, cognitive, and physical needs. • Builds truly user-centered products in competitive markets. ⚡ 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐝: • Staying objective and avoiding personal bias. • Limited resources like budget, time, and access to users. • Communicating findings effectively to non-technical stakeholders. ✨ 𝐌𝐲 𝐤𝐞𝐲 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲: "A UX Audit is not about pointing out flaws. It’s a strategic tool to uncover opportunities, strengthen user flows, and bridge the gap between business goals and user expectations." Special thanks to Tremoloo for organizing such a valuable learning journey.🤩 Excited to keep learning and applying these insights 🙌. #UXAudit #UXDesign #ProductDesign #LearningJourney

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𝗔 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘀 . . At first glance, this project was a success. - Clean UI. - Modern colors. - Everything “on trend.” The client was happy. The team was proud. Then users started leaving. - Not loudly. - Not angrily. - Just… quietly. No clear complaints. No obvious bugs. When we looked closer, the issue wasn’t the product. It was the experience. The design focused on looking impressive instead of being reassuring. Users didn’t know - What to do first - Where to go next - Whether they were doing things “right” Nothing was wrong but nothing felt clear either. And in products where money, data, or health is involved, confusion kills trust fast. That project changed how I think about design. Now I don’t ask “Does this look good?” I ask “Does this make the user feel confident?” Because users don’t leave ugly products. They leave confusing ones. And trust isn’t built through polish. It’s built through clarity. 💬 Have you ever used an app that looked great but still felt uncomfortable to use? P.S. If your product has good visuals but low retention, the problem is often UX not features.

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New UX Case Study 🚀 UX audit and redesign of the Order Creation flow from Bosta’s website The previous experience was long, fragmented, and cognitively heavy. My goal was to simplify the structure, reduce friction, and optimize the process for speed while keeping all required functionality. The result: a clearer, faster, and more efficient responsive dashboard flow. Feedback is always welcome! Read the full case study here: https://lnkd.in/dS2VGiPR

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📱 Day 3/15 – UX Audit Series App: BookMyShow 🎬 | Screen: Region Selection What works ✅ - Clear intent: user immediately understands that location drives the experience. - Direct task flow: no clutter, just a single focus: pick your city. - List view: familiar, alphabetized layout makes scanning easier. What could improve ⚠️ - Forced step: no “skip” or explore option; first-time users might drop off. - Accessibility: light placeholder + thin icon strokes may miss contrast targets. - Long lists = long scroll: no A–Z index or jump shortcuts under “Other Cities.” UX takeaway (laws to remember) 💡 - Jakob’s Law: users expect standard patterns (search + skip); removing them adds friction. - Peak-End Rule: first impressions matter; forcing choices too soon can create negative recall. 👉 What’s your take? Would you prefer being forced to pick a city, or given the freedom to explore first? #UXAudit #MobileUX #BookMyShow #ProductDesign #UXDesign #JakobsLaw #UXResearch

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Last week, I focused on Layout Logic & Responsiveness while learning from Become a Pro UI Designer by Mastering Figma by Arash Ahadzadeh. I am beginning to understand that UI design is not just about visuals, but how layouts behave. What I learned: • Auto Layout: building flexible components that adjust to content using padding, spacing, and resizing (Hug, Fill, Fixed). It helps create designs that don’t break when content or screen size changes. • Constraints: defining how elements respond when a screen is resized (pinning, scaling, alignment). • Responsive thinking: designing for different screen sizes, not just one fixed frame. • Styling systems: using consistent colors, text styles, and reusable components. Key takeaway: Design is no longer static. It should adapt, scale, and stay consistent across all screens.

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The Power of Design Critiques 🧠 “Design isn’t personal. It’s a process.”   One of the most underrated yet crucial parts of great design? #ahmad_uxer   — Constructive critique. Here’s why design critiques are essential in the creative process:   1. Feedback = Clarity ↳ Sometimes we’re too close to our work. A fresh pair of eyes can reveal usability issues or inconsistencies we’ve overlooked.   2. It’s About the Problem, Not the Person ↳ A good critique doesn’t attack — it aligns. It helps shift the focus back to “Does this solve the user’s problem?”   3. Collaboration Breeds Better Solutions ↳ Involving team members (devs, PMs, marketers) in critiques leads to more thoughtful, holistic outcomes.   4. Defend with Purpose, Not Ego ↳ If you explain your design decisions based on user goals, research, and flows — critiques turn into learning moments, not battles.   5. Iterate with Intention ↳ Critiques help you pivot faster. Less wasted time, more meaningful changes.   The best designers don’t fear critiques — they invite them. Because great design is not a solo act.   Would you rather get comfortable with critique now or ship a product your users silently abandon?   #UXDesign #UIDesign #DesignCritique #DesignProcess #CreativeFeedback #DesignLeadership #UXTips

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A Small Tip for UI/UX Designers Working with Arabic Fonts Designing for Arabic is not the same as designing for Latin (English) typography. Arabic script has different visual density, character connections, and readability requirements; so font sizing and selection must be handled differently. Here are some practical guidelines: * The minimum readable font size for Arabic is 14px. * In English interfaces, sizes like 8px or 10px may still be acceptable in certain contexts. * However, using those same small sizes in Arabic may create a visually appealing UI, but users will struggle to read it comfortably. Recommended Font Sizes for Arabic UI: * Titles: 17px–20px * Subtitles: 16px * Body text: 14px minimum Arabic users generally prefer: * Clear * Structured * More “square” geometric fonts * High readability over stylistic elegance Fonts like Arial and Times New Roman are usually not preferred for Arabic interfaces. Simplified Arabic may be acceptable, but better modern choices include: * Mothanna * Mono Kufi * Al Jazeera * Cairo * Nassim When designing for Arabic, readability and comfort should always come before visual minimalism.

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✨ The Evolution of Icons in UI Design ✨ Icons are a powerful part of user experience. They communicate actions instantly without the need for text. Over time, UI icons have evolved — from literal representations to minimal, universally recognizable symbols. 🔹 Example: • Filter ➝ from a funnel shape to sliders • Save ➝ from a floppy disk to a bookmark • Menu ➝ from three lines to three dots This evolution reflects a shift towards clarity, simplicity, and modern usage contexts. Today’s icons are more abstract, yet intuitive, aligning with minimal UI trends. 💡Takeaway for designers: Icons should not only look good but also feel natural to users across platforms. The simpler the icon, the faster the recognition. hashtag#UIDesign hashtag#UXDesign hashtag#ProductDesign hashtag#VisualDesign hashtag#DesignThinking

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🗺️ Designing Useful User Journey Maps (+ Figma / Miro templates) (https://lnkd.in/dX2hdaN6). Helpful guides and starter kits to design better user journey maps ↓ ✅ We create user journey maps to visualize user’s experience. ✅ We start by choosing a lens: current state vs. future state. ✅ Then, we choose a user who experiences the journey. ✅ We capture the situation/goals that we are focusing on. ✅ Next, we list high-level actions users are going through. ✅ We scope the journey: first → last stages, fill in-between. ✅ Add user’s thoughts, feelings, sentiment, emotional curves. ✅ Add user’s key touchpoints with people, services, tools. 🚫 Don’t get too granular: list key actions needed for next stage. ✅ Transfer insights from UX research (e.g. customer support). ✅ Fill in stage after stage until the entire map is complete. ✅ Then, identify pain points and highlight them with red dots. ✅ Add relevant jobs-to-be-done, metrics, channels if needed. ✅ Attach links to quotes, photos, videos, prototypes, Figma files. ✅ Finally, explore ideas and opportunities to address pain points. --- As Stéphanie Walter noted, often user journeys start way before users actually start interacting with our product — so always consider non-digital touchpoints as well. Users might even need to consult other tools and services as they interact with yours, so keep track on them, too. It might be helpful to start mapping out customer journeys from the end to the start (right-to-left thinking) to explore alternative routes and discover bottlenecks. It’s also very helpful to layer or compare user journeys against each other to identify frequent flows and map priorities. Personally, I found it remarkably useful to map user journeys against specific mobile and desktop screens that designers have been working on (Spotify model). Not only does it visualize user’s experience *in* the product — it also maps key actions to key screens that the teams must relentlessly focus on. More in the post → https://lnkd.in/dX2hdaN6 --- 🌻 My friendly UX guides (15% off with 🎟 LINKEDIN): Maven courses: https://lnkd.in/dge6AXND Measure UX & Design Impact → https://measure-ux.com Design Patterns For AI → https://smashed.by/ai-ux Smart Design Patterns → https://smashed.by/smart Thanks for reading, everyone! 🥳 #ux #design

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An accessibility audit is one of the most humbling experiences a designer can have—and one of the most brilliant empathy exercises. While conducting an experience walkthrough of the Erewhon website (2024) and attempting to complete a purchase using only keyboard navigation, I was struck by how many hurdles someone with vision impairment might face: from being unable to access product details to struggling through checkout—tasks I once thought of as “routine." As a designer, I’m learning that normal can mean very different things to different people—but inclusive works for everyone. Full study here: https://lnkd.in/gQ2TMFZt #Accessibility #InclusiveDesign #UXDesign #DigitalInclusion

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Over the past year, I’ve worked on more than a dozen Arabic UI/UX projects. Each one taught me something new—about users, culture, and just how different “good design” can look. Here’s what sets our team apart: → We don’t guess. We test with real Arabic users. → We obsess over microinteractions, not just big screens. → Our prototypes are bilingual from day one. → We partner with native speakers, not just translators. The result? Apps that feel familiar, intuitive, and genuinely useful. Whether it’s a fintech dashboard or an elearning platform, great Arabic UX drives engagement and trust. Are you launching a product for Arabic audiences? Or thinking about a redesign? Let’s connect. I’m sharing a behindthescenes look at our process with anyone who drops a comment. Ready to make your UI/UX truly global?

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Designing the software that designs the software in code. Now designers (or anyone) can design on the actual apps. On weekends, Reza Ilmi and I have been building Handmade. https://usehandmade.com/ We built it for ourselves — the designers who care about em-dashes, who whine when details never reach the top of the backlog, and who have been praying (different religions, tho) for AI to nail the exact padding we intended. Handmade lets you: - Direct manipulation: Design on your real app instead of going back and forth with a separate canvas tool. - Intent-aware agents: AI that applies your design edits and understands whether you're working at the component or page level. - Designer-friendly Git: We think it will be easier if everyone use the same collaboration tool: Git. But it needs to make Git intuitive for designers with auto commits, PRs, and workspaces. If you know me, you know my superpower (or curse): I am easily confused if a product is unnecessarily complex. So, our benchmark was simple — build something Wondo can understand. If I can confidently make changes in code, likely any designer can. And we’re getting close; I already use it daily for my actual work. Hearing Jenny Wen (Anthropic, ex-Figma) say from one of the latest Lenny Rachitsky's podcast episode, "The classic design process is dead," validated exactly what we're feeling. If drawing static screens on a separate canvas doesn't make sense anymore, why should our designs live outside the actual product? It's still just a weekend experiment. But the signals are very interesting.

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🔥 𝗧𝘆𝗽𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵𝘆 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 — 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵𝘆 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝗹𝗼𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗿... 𝗶𝘁 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝘀 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗿. Typography That Talks: The Hidden Power of Text in UX Most designers treat typography as a visual choice, but in reality, it shapes how users feel, read, think, and act. Typography guides attention before color, shapes emotion before visuals, and builds trust before a single interaction happens. In this carousel, I break down how typography influences UX at every level: ✔ Hierarchy that tells users what matters first  ✔ Tone & personality that becomes the product’s voice  ✔ Accessibility rules that make text usable for everyone  ✔ Micro-details that turn “okay” UX into exceptional UX  ✔ Emotion-driven typography that makes experiences memorable Typography isn’t decoration, It’s a design system, a storyteller, and a usability tool in itself. If we can get typography right, the experience becomes clearer, smoother, and more human. 💬 𝗪𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀? #UXDesign #UIDesign #Typography #DesignPrinciples #UserExperience #ProductDesign #Accessibility #MaidaHaqDesign

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How to surface designs in your team’s Figma files with Visual Search: • Highlight a design on your canvas • OR upload a screenshot 👉 Figma shows you visually similar designs from your team’s files and libraries. DM Me for a video example of this. #UX #DesignTools #Figma

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𝓓𝓸𝓷 𝓝𝓸𝓻𝓶𝓪𝓷 – 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝔽𝕒𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣 𝕠𝕗 𝕌𝕏 𝔻𝕖𝕤𝕚𝕘𝕟 “𝘋𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘴.” Great UX is about understanding people first — their needs, behaviors, and emotions. Good design makes things usable. Great design makes them meaningful.

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