{ "version": "https:\/\/jsonfeed.org\/version\/1", "title": "Ilya Narinsky", "_rss_description": "Ilya Narinsky", "_rss_language": "en", "_itunes_email": "", "_itunes_categories_xml": "", "_itunes_image": "", "_itunes_explicit": "", "home_page_url": "https:\/\/ilyanarinsky.com\/blog\/", "feed_url": "https:\/\/ilyanarinsky.com\/blog\/json\/", "icon": "https:\/\/ilyanarinsky.com\/blog\/user\/userpic@2x.jpg?1647798876", "author": { "name": "Ilya Narinsky", "url": "https:\/\/ilyanarinsky.com\/blog\/", "avatar": "https:\/\/ilyanarinsky.com\/blog\/user\/userpic@2x.jpg?1647798876" }, "items": [ { "id": "30", "url": "https:\/\/ilyanarinsky.com\/blog\/all\/turn-signals\/", "title": "Turn Signals", "content_html": "

I’ve been driving a BMW on public roads for a while. There are roads with several lanes and turns, so you have to turn and switch lanes. I use the steering wheel (it’s like all cars) and the awfully designed turn signals.<\/p>\n

It’s not ‘press-and-stick’.<\/p>\n

It causes a problem because you don’t know which turn signal is on or if it’s on at all. It’s similar to the Caps Lock key when you don’t know whether it’s on or off.<\/p>\n

As a result, indicating the status of turn signals takes so much energy that you just don’t want to use them.<\/p>\n", "date_published": "2022-12-24T18:07:00+00:00", "date_modified": "2023-04-12T08:35:19+00:00", "_date_published_rfc2822": "Sat, 24 Dec 2022 18:07:00 +0000", "_rss_guid_is_permalink": "false", "_rss_guid": "30", "_e2_data": { "is_favourite": false, "links_required": [], "og_images": [] } }, { "id": "29", "url": "https:\/\/ilyanarinsky.com\/blog\/all\/business-cards\/", "title": "Business Cards", "content_html": "

It’s kind of like CDs. They still exist, but I don’t really know why. Who are the people who buy CDs? And who are the people who burn things on them?<\/p>\n

At the same time, I have a million business cards. I made them wherever I worked. Online design is as if it were unreal, while offline design is real. Last time I ordered business cards, I used a printing house that uses an early 20th-century press. These cards were made of extra-thick linen paper (so that trees do not suffer). I was very satisfied.<\/p>\n

But there is a cooler solution: reusing. Take someone’s business cards and write over your data. Cross out the name and write yours; change the logo and contacts.<\/p>\n", "date_published": "2022-08-16T19:38:00+00:00", "date_modified": "2023-04-12T08:32:49+00:00", "_date_published_rfc2822": "Tue, 16 Aug 2022 19:38:00 +0000", "_rss_guid_is_permalink": "false", "_rss_guid": "29", "_e2_data": { "is_favourite": false, "links_required": [], "og_images": [] } }, { "id": "28", "url": "https:\/\/ilyanarinsky.com\/blog\/all\/three-versions-of-one-design\/", "title": "Three Versions of One Design", "content_html": "

There is an outrageous tradition to bring three versions of a design. As a designer, I’ve never done that. And as a client, I beg to give me only one version. But nothing works; designers agree, nod, but still bring several versions.<\/p>\n

It looks like this. As promised, they show me one version, calling it the ‘main’ and then the second and third, calling them bonuses. But it’s not a bonus; it’s them leaving their work to me.<\/p>\n

Among other things, designers should choose a design option. If he could not make a choice in the process, then he did not get into the issue well enough, did not understand it, and did not spend enough time there. But the designer is not a neural net, and I don’t want him to sell me a randomizer—something that just happens to look like a solution.<\/p>\n

I want a real solution.<\/p>\n", "date_published": "2022-07-31T20:29:00+00:00", "date_modified": "2023-04-12T08:34:05+00:00", "_date_published_rfc2822": "Sun, 31 Jul 2022 20:29:00 +0000", "_rss_guid_is_permalink": "false", "_rss_guid": "28", "_e2_data": { "is_favourite": false, "links_required": [], "og_images": [] } }, { "id": "27", "url": "https:\/\/ilyanarinsky.com\/blog\/all\/corporate-merch\/", "title": "Corporate Merch", "content_html": "

It’s cool if merchandise doesn’t look like merchandise. Corporate T-shirts are a type of uniform that cashiers and couriers are used to wearing but not employees. It’s neither interesting to them nor clients. For them, the only valuable merchandise is a quality base T-shirt with a logo on the inside. It doesn’t make clients look like advertisers when they put this thing on. Instead, they see the logo and appreciate the gift.<\/p>\n

Back when clothes were quite expensive, employees were happy to get an extra hoodie or T-shirt. Now such a gift is not that valuable, as people want something more. Merch clothes should be independent fashion items. Regardless of the logo, it should be appealing to wear.<\/p>\n

Here is the merchandise that we made inside Yandex Ads. To do this, we even created an internal studio and a special site: merchproject.studio<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n
\n\"\"\n\"\"\n\"\"\n\"\"\n\"\"\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n", "date_published": "2022-06-29T12:00:00+00:00", "date_modified": "2023-04-12T08:29:09+00:00", "image": "https:\/\/ilyanarinsky.com\/blog\/pictures\/merch01.jpeg", "_date_published_rfc2822": "Wed, 29 Jun 2022 12:00:00 +0000", "_rss_guid_is_permalink": "false", "_rss_guid": "27", "_e2_data": { "is_favourite": false, "links_required": [ "system\/library\/jquery\/jquery.js", "system\/library\/fotorama\/fotorama.css", "system\/library\/fotorama\/fotorama.js" ], "og_images": [ "https:\/\/ilyanarinsky.com\/blog\/pictures\/merch01.jpeg", "https:\/\/ilyanarinsky.com\/blog\/pictures\/merch02.jpeg", "https:\/\/ilyanarinsky.com\/blog\/pictures\/merch03.jpeg", "https:\/\/ilyanarinsky.com\/blog\/pictures\/merch04.jpeg", "https:\/\/ilyanarinsky.com\/blog\/pictures\/merch05.jpeg" ] } }, { "id": "2", "url": "https:\/\/ilyanarinsky.com\/blog\/all\/company-satisfaction\/", "title": "Company Satisfaction", "content_html": "

There is a term «customer satisfaction». This is a general name for metrics to understand the convenience and usefulness of the product: how quickly the customer copes with the task and how much he enjoys the process. It is considered as the principal aim.<\/p>\n

But the simple ambition to satisfy a customer is something like a fight for all the good against all the bad. This is not enough; there still must be a profit for business.<\/p>\n

When creating a feature, you can just specify what the user will get and what the company will.<\/p>\n", "date_published": "2021-11-25T19:59:00+00:00", "date_modified": "2022-03-25T08:14:00+00:00", "_date_published_rfc2822": "Thu, 25 Nov 2021 19:59:00 +0000", "_rss_guid_is_permalink": "false", "_rss_guid": "2", "_e2_data": { "is_favourite": false, "links_required": [], "og_images": [] } }, { "id": "3", "url": "https:\/\/ilyanarinsky.com\/blog\/all\/new-yandex-direct\/", "title": "Rebranding of Yandex Direct", "content_html": "

Together with an amazing team, we redesigned the interface, visual style, logo and identity. Yandex.Direct has retained its functionality, but it has become simpler and closer to the user.<\/p>\n

Read more on Medium<\/a>.<\/p>\n", "date_published": "2021-11-11T20:34:00+00:00", "date_modified": "2023-04-11T05:39:56+00:00", "image": "https:\/\/ilyanarinsky.com\/blog\/pictures\/new_yandex_direct_01.png", "_date_published_rfc2822": "Thu, 11 Nov 2021 20:34:00 +0000", "_rss_guid_is_permalink": "false", "_rss_guid": "3", "_e2_data": { "is_favourite": false, "links_required": [], "og_images": [ "https:\/\/ilyanarinsky.com\/blog\/pictures\/new_yandex_direct_01.png", "https:\/\/ilyanarinsky.com\/blog\/pictures\/new_yandex_direct_03.png", "https:\/\/ilyanarinsky.com\/blog\/pictures\/new_yandex_direct_04.png", "https:\/\/ilyanarinsky.com\/blog\/pictures\/new_yandex_direct_05.png", "https:\/\/ilyanarinsky.com\/blog\/pictures\/new_yandex_direct_06.png", "https:\/\/ilyanarinsky.com\/blog\/pictures\/new_yandex_direct_08.png" ] } }, { "id": "4", "url": "https:\/\/ilyanarinsky.com\/blog\/all\/concepts\/", "title": "Why concepts are important", "content_html": "

If you have a working product used by a large audience, then you can’t change anything at once. It’s difficult, expensive, and sudden redesigns break down metrics.<\/p>\n

It’s frustrating. Why bother to draw concepts at all if the first changes can only be seen in a year (if at all). But the concept is such a big, beautiful and clear goal. It shows the team what we want to achieve.<\/p>\n

The concept is also like a compass, all small changes in the product design can be correlated with it and evaluated: whether these changes bring you closer to the goal or not. Are they similar to how we see ourselves in the future?<\/p>\n", "date_published": "2021-11-08T08:20:00+00:00", "date_modified": "2022-03-25T08:21:04+00:00", "_date_published_rfc2822": "Mon, 08 Nov 2021 08:20:00 +0000", "_rss_guid_is_permalink": "false", "_rss_guid": "4", "_e2_data": { "is_favourite": false, "links_required": [], "og_images": [] } }, { "id": "5", "url": "https:\/\/ilyanarinsky.com\/blog\/all\/storytelling\/", "title": "Storytelling", "content_html": "

Many people believe that it is easy to design landing pages and banners, while interface design is difficult. Any designer can make a landing, but only specialists can make a good product.<\/p>\n

It is obvious that experienced ones are always better. And the weaker the team is, the more experienced the designer should be. But it is the landing pages that are very sensitive to a rare design talent: the skill to verbalize meaning and make up a story.<\/p>\n

Landing is primarily a story, and only then a set of graphic blocks. It is probably not such a great idea to create a narrative first, coordinate it, and only then give it to the designer. You need to understand how the text will look like on the page, how it will interact with graphics, illustrations and interface elements.<\/p>\n

It is better to compose the text right in the layout.<\/p>\n", "date_published": "2021-11-02T08:25:00+00:00", "date_modified": "2022-03-25T08:26:03+00:00", "_date_published_rfc2822": "Tue, 02 Nov 2021 08:25:00 +0000", "_rss_guid_is_permalink": "false", "_rss_guid": "5", "_e2_data": { "is_favourite": true, "links_required": [], "og_images": [] } }, { "id": "6", "url": "https:\/\/ilyanarinsky.com\/blog\/all\/job-security\/", "title": "Job Security", "content_html": "

In short, it’s when you are afraid of being fired. Not for anything in particular, but in general. Irrational imprecise fear makes your brain choosing options: I leave office too early, I don’t reply quickly enough in work chats, I wasn’t invited to some meeting and all that stuff.<\/p>\n

It effects your work badly. Instead of doing what you want, you start worrying too much and already looking for another job subconsciously .<\/p>\n

Today we discussed with Seryozha<\/a> that a manager can help an employee cope with this irrational fear and say: «Listen, don’t worry about being fired. I can tell you frankly: if you work the way you work now, I won’t fire you. I expect that in the next year at least you will definitely be with us, and I promise that I will not even think to fire you.»<\/p>\n

It does not mean that an employee cannot be fired at all, that a man can just not go to work. We can fire a person for objective issues, and if his quality of work drops significantly (for example, if an employee chills out), then it’s time to say goodbye.<\/p>\n

But in this case, an employee with an anxious consciousness will be sure that everything is OK, there are no hidden problems or factors, and everything is honest and open. This will help him hand a blank check to himself; focus on work, not on worries and attempts to guess the mood of the manager.<\/p>\n", "date_published": "2021-08-18T13:36:00+00:00", "date_modified": "2022-03-27T13:37:27+00:00", "_date_published_rfc2822": "Wed, 18 Aug 2021 13:36:00 +0000", "_rss_guid_is_permalink": "false", "_rss_guid": "6", "_e2_data": { "is_favourite": false, "links_required": [], "og_images": [] } }, { "id": "7", "url": "https:\/\/ilyanarinsky.com\/blog\/all\/getting-high\/", "title": "Getting High", "content_html": "

I also realized that getting high on work and life depends on how much you want to do what you do. You don’t do what you want. You know how to want what you are already doing, what you have planned and what, by your own choice, you need to do.<\/p>\n

I want to do some things because they are shit-hot, it’s easy. And some are boring or difficult, but they lead to a high goal — I guess it’s worth it. But the problem is that they may not lead to the goal, and you’ve just wasted your time with no pleasure.<\/p>\n

I think we need to do what we do with big obscure and therefore unattractive tasks – just split them. It is easy to make a small task an attractive one.<\/p>\n", "date_published": "2021-07-05T13:55:00+00:00", "date_modified": "2022-03-27T13:55:47+00:00", "_date_published_rfc2822": "Mon, 05 Jul 2021 13:55:00 +0000", "_rss_guid_is_permalink": "false", "_rss_guid": "7", "_e2_data": { "is_favourite": true, "links_required": [], "og_images": [] } }, { "id": "8", "url": "https:\/\/ilyanarinsky.com\/blog\/all\/work-life-balance\/", "title": "Work-life balance", "content_html": "

I have never understood the topic about work-life balance. Why is it about working and non-working cases, why should I divide it like that? You can balance all the work in general, well, or divide them according to another principle. For example, «I need» and «I want».<\/p>\n

Then try to shift everything important to «I want». Look at this work from a different angle; try to find a hidden interest or motivation. And if it doesn’t work out — figure out how to stop doing it at all.<\/p>\n", "date_published": "2021-06-13T14:01:00+00:00", "date_modified": "2022-03-27T14:03:47+00:00", "_date_published_rfc2822": "Sun, 13 Jun 2021 14:01:00 +0000", "_rss_guid_is_permalink": "false", "_rss_guid": "8", "_e2_data": { "is_favourite": false, "links_required": [], "og_images": [] } }, { "id": "9", "url": "https:\/\/ilyanarinsky.com\/blog\/all\/decision-making\/", "title": "Decision Making", "content_html": "

When I tell passers-by about design (usually in the subway at the escalator), I usually start with the fact that design consists of three consecutive processes: research, finding a solution and making a decision.<\/p>\n

Now research is at high level. Everyone is engaged in it, we have a million books, articles and people who know how to conduct research. To be honest, I would even reduce them. It is because there are significantly fewer people who can correctly interpret the results and, based on them, design something well.<\/p>\n

But the biggest problem is the process of making the final decision. This is usually someone else job, but not the designer’s: the customer, the board of developers, a top manager or even a vice president. But making the final decision is the part of the design. The person involved in it understands better than anyone which option is best to choose in the end.<\/p>\n

A designer can be trusted to coordinate his own design if he has an answer to the question: «how to understand that this design solves the problem better than others?»<\/p>\n", "date_published": "2021-04-28T14:04:00+00:00", "date_modified": "2022-03-27T14:04:57+00:00", "_date_published_rfc2822": "Wed, 28 Apr 2021 14:04:00 +0000", "_rss_guid_is_permalink": "false", "_rss_guid": "9", "_e2_data": { "is_favourite": true, "links_required": [], "og_images": [] } }, { "id": "10", "url": "https:\/\/ilyanarinsky.com\/blog\/all\/mono\/", "title": "Mono", "content_html": "

In order to do something well, it is not necessary to spend a lot of time, but it is necessary to pay a lot of attention.<\/p>\n

It seems that the ability to concentrate is some kind of innate talent. But I’ve understood that it’s possible if you stop multitasking.<\/p>\n

One thing at a time.<\/p>\n", "date_published": "2021-03-12T14:05:00+00:00", "date_modified": "2022-03-27T14:05:48+00:00", "_date_published_rfc2822": "Fri, 12 Mar 2021 14:05:00 +0000", "_rss_guid_is_permalink": "false", "_rss_guid": "10", "_e2_data": { "is_favourite": false, "links_required": [], "og_images": [] } }, { "id": "11", "url": "https:\/\/ilyanarinsky.com\/blog\/all\/maturity\/", "title": "Maturity", "content_html": "

The designer makes a level-up to the presenter when he ceases to associate himself with his designs. You can criticize his layout, and he thinks it refers to the layout only, and he doesn’t take it personally. If you can separate it — you’re mature.<\/p>\n

And if you want to become a design director, you must go through some disappointments first.<\/p>\n", "date_published": "2021-02-04T14:07:00+00:00", "date_modified": "2022-03-27T14:07:26+00:00", "_date_published_rfc2822": "Thu, 04 Feb 2021 14:07:00 +0000", "_rss_guid_is_permalink": "false", "_rss_guid": "11", "_e2_data": { "is_favourite": true, "links_required": [], "og_images": [] } }, { "id": "24", "url": "https:\/\/ilyanarinsky.com\/blog\/all\/33-words-about-design\/", "title": "33 Words about Design", "content_html": "

Russian designers discuss Russian design in the film “33 Words about Design”. And I left home to watch it, because I could watch it only in the cinema.<\/p>\n

The film consists of thirty-three episodes, in each of which a separate designer tells about Russian design. Someone is sitting at a table, someone is lying in the woods, someone is going to throw out garbage, someone is walking around the store, someone is reading the manifesto very pretentiously. As I understand, everyone shot the videos independently — it is this detail that makes the film interesting. I recommend it.<\/p>\n

---<\/p>\n

And the best part of the film is Anton Schneider’s part, in which he talks extremely charismatic about the differences between good and bad designs: https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=iLafkzWDIr8<\/a><\/p>\n

A good design is aesthetic and functional one, without any stylization. It’s not trying to entertain you or pretending to be anything else. Rush.<\/p>\n", "date_published": "2020-11-29T16:09:00+00:00", "date_modified": "2022-03-27T16:10:13+00:00", "_date_published_rfc2822": "Sun, 29 Nov 2020 16:09:00 +0000", "_rss_guid_is_permalink": "false", "_rss_guid": "24", "_e2_data": { "is_favourite": false, "links_required": [], "og_images": [] } }, { "id": "12", "url": "https:\/\/ilyanarinsky.com\/blog\/all\/what-happens\/", "title": "What happens if you do nothing?", "content_html": "

Before creating any feature, many product managers ask themselves two questions:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. What should happen after we launch it?<\/li>\n
  2. What happens if we don’t launch it?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    It makes sense to ask yourself these questions when planning everything in life in general.<\/p>\n", "date_published": "2020-11-25T14:10:00+00:00", "date_modified": "2022-03-27T14:11:08+00:00", "_date_published_rfc2822": "Wed, 25 Nov 2020 14:10:00 +0000", "_rss_guid_is_permalink": "false", "_rss_guid": "12", "_e2_data": { "is_favourite": false, "links_required": [], "og_images": [] } }, { "id": "13", "url": "https:\/\/ilyanarinsky.com\/blog\/all\/sberbanks-new-logo\/", "title": "Sberbank’s New Logo", "content_html": "

    Good and bad logos exactly exist in my world as well as brilliant and disgusting ones. There are successful and unsuccessful rebrandings. There are also techniques that I’m just not familiar with, for example, open grotesques and various kinds of Art Nouveau. But this is the designer’s world, in which logos generally owe a lot.<\/p>\n

    And there is a real world in which logos need to do only two things:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Please founders<\/li>\n
    2. Not confuse the customers<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n", "date_published": "2020-09-28T14:13:00+00:00", "date_modified": "2022-03-27T14:14:23+00:00", "_date_published_rfc2822": "Mon, 28 Sep 2020 14:13:00 +0000", "_rss_guid_is_permalink": "false", "_rss_guid": "13", "_e2_data": { "is_favourite": false, "links_required": [], "og_images": [] } }, { "id": "14", "url": "https:\/\/ilyanarinsky.com\/blog\/all\/postpone-cancel\/", "title": "Postpone\/Cancel", "content_html": "

      Every time I want to postpone a planned task, I remember Egor Rudy’s advice — don’t make a decision now. Trust yourself from the past and do what is written in the calendar.<\/p>\n

      The temptation to postpone the work arises when something more important appears. For example, on Sunday I planned to go to a climbing wall, and I wanted to finish things that I didn’t have time for a week — they seemed more important. Previously, I would have reflected on whether to skip the workout or not, but now I don’t, if there is a task on the calendar, then it is necessary to do it or stop adding anything to the calendar at all.<\/p>\n

      Well, what about super-important, sudden things? When these things happen, you just don’t remember about the calendar.<\/p>\n", "date_published": "2020-09-01T18:15:00+00:00", "date_modified": "2022-03-27T14:16:10+00:00", "_date_published_rfc2822": "Tue, 01 Sep 2020 18:15:00 +0000", "_rss_guid_is_permalink": "false", "_rss_guid": "14", "_e2_data": { "is_favourite": true, "links_required": [], "og_images": [] } }, { "id": "15", "url": "https:\/\/ilyanarinsky.com\/blog\/all\/hedonism\/", "title": "Hedonism", "content_html": "

      In the Hogan test, there is a parameter responsible for pleasure-seeking. People with high obsession seem relaxed even working hard, and those with low obsession look like workaholics. But this parameter, of course, does not affect the actual efficiency. It is possible to achieve cosmic results in a relaxed way, and you can also fuckup, working 12 hours a day.<\/p>\n

      I know about a study which shows that if you’re satisfied with your job, you can be dissatisfied with life in general. Especially if the job is easy. And it seems to look logical from the point of evolution – complex tasks lead to development, they create new things and complicate the world.<\/p>\n

      But unfortunately, evolution is not going to make me happy. So-so.<\/p>\n", "date_published": "2020-08-23T14:32:00+00:00", "date_modified": "2022-03-27T14:32:42+00:00", "_date_published_rfc2822": "Sun, 23 Aug 2020 14:32:00 +0000", "_rss_guid_is_permalink": "false", "_rss_guid": "15", "_e2_data": { "is_favourite": false, "links_required": [], "og_images": [] } }, { "id": "16", "url": "https:\/\/ilyanarinsky.com\/blog\/all\/how-to-hire\/", "title": "How to Hire", "content_html": "

      Six months ago, Kostya Gorsky wrote<\/a> that Intercom refused to trial product designers. So did I.<\/p>\n

      The fact is that the test assignment is not actually a test. Unlike a trial period, it does not show the designer in action, at most it confirms UI skills. And product work is, first of all, immersion in the context and team work. Test assignment can’t check these skills at all.<\/p>\n

      Instead of the test, you can invite a candidate to tell in detail about one of the latest projects. What the task was, why the final solution was exactly the way it was, what the difficulties were, and what turned out easy. And one of the most important questions: what has happened after the launch?<\/p>\n", "date_published": "2020-08-10T14:33:00+00:00", "date_modified": "2022-03-27T14:33:56+00:00", "_date_published_rfc2822": "Mon, 10 Aug 2020 14:33:00 +0000", "_rss_guid_is_permalink": "false", "_rss_guid": "16", "_e2_data": { "is_favourite": false, "links_required": [], "og_images": [] } } ], "_e2_version": 3860, "_e2_ua_string": "E2 (v3860; Aegea)" }