Scaling up, talking design and an AI visualiser


As school results come out and the summer winds down, we sat down, read some articles and learned new things.

Number 1 - Steps for scaling up

Monzo mania has swept the globe, with the digital-only challenger bank this week gaining a new raise of $150 million from investors. With such a boost, scaling in the right way is an important step for the start-up business. In an interview with Forbes, Monzo CEO, Tom Blomfield, outlines seven steps for scaling. This includes doing everything manually first, and knowing when you need to scale (and when you don’t).

(You can also read some top scaling tips here from Cain Ullah, CEO at Red Badger)

Number 2 - A primer for non-designers

When you go home for the weekend, whether it's to visit family or catch up with friends, there’s one question that can create a pit of dread in your stomach: “So, what is it you actually do?”

As a designer, this can be a hit or miss question- depending on your audience. However, have no fear - Subtraction is here. Subtraction has created a primer on UX/UI design for someone who has no understanding on design at all. So, this Bank Holiday weekend, you can whip out your phone and run down what it is you get up to in your nine-to-five.

Number 3 -  RPG brainstorms

A role play game (RPG) is not the first go-to method for product development. However, UX Collective notes that within RPGs the item descriptions are strikingly similar to a product summary. As such, the article offers some tips on taking an RPG approach to product brainstorming sessions.

Number 4 - Open offices, the debate continues

The open office plan gained popularity after being championed by disruptive start-up businesses. Then there was a backlash. Then came the counter defence - and the debate continued on… and on. In the latest development, a new study from the University of Arizona has found that open-plan office workers are less stressed and more active than their cubicle counterpart. Read more about it in Vogue.  

Number 5 - Visualise with AI

Cris Valenzuela has created a new tool, using Attentional Generative Adversarial Networks, that translates text into imagery. Like a lot of tools, the intentions are pure but its usage can create some truly interesting and somewhat haunting results. Try it out for yourself here.

Sign up to Badger News