This week’s useful stuff has a little of everything for the modern software product designer. Enjoy and share alike please!
Fireship YouTube Channel
Fireship.io, more specifically their YouTube channel, is the highlight this week. If you prefer learning through bite-sized, entertaining videos, Fireship is a must-follow YouTube channel. It covers a wide array of topics, from web development and programming to design principles and software architecture, all explained in a witty, engaging way. The information is relevant to professionals who build software products, whether you are an engineer or a designer, the content is fantastic. I have been following religiously for over a year now and have found something useful in every single video.
Dev Fonts
Product designers have a different diversity of projects then our digital commercial design kin. This sometime requires different resources for things like fonts. Viewing code within product documentation and using code tools like Monaco requires product designers to use monospace fonts from time to time. Dev Fonts provides a convenient way to preview, compare, and download monospaced and bitmap fonts that you can use in your projects. I am sure there are many uses! Go design some.
GitHub: Design Essentials
Link: github.com/collections/design-essentials
GitHub is a untapped resource for so many things related to digital design and software product design. This specific GitHub collection is a treasure trove of design tools, frameworks, and resources. From user interface kits and typography tools to accessibility checkers, this curated list has everything a budding product designer needs to create thoughtful, user-friendly designs.
Alternate OSS
Open-source alternatives are how I built my first product design company. The biggest issue is they get little recognition in major technology circles. I spent endless nights searching the internet looking for resources. Alternate OSS provides a simple but searchable database of tools that can replace expensive or proprietary software, making your development journey more budget-friendly. The use-experience of this site is a fantastic in contrast to it’s ilk which makes me want to use it more thanAlternativeTo