The Midweek Updates — 29 July 2026
News around UX and more, recommended books
Bringing you the latest and greatest in UX industry related to wellbeing, mental health and psychological safety — this week plus my lens about them.
Notable industry news
State of UX 2026: Design Deeper to Differentiate
UX is a profession that’s recovering emotionally. This comes from years of layoffs, hiring freezes, unrealistic demands and the general feeling of instability. The industry has been “betraying” its own long-term players. They feel misunderstood. New-joiners feel hard to break in.
State of the Designer 2026: Leaning Into the Messy Middle
It’s still in the messy feels. Some designers feel optimistic and energised, though. Those who are optimistic have good leadership who focus on craft. Designers are happiest with creative freedom, clear direction and leaders who understand. In other words: how safe designers feel is largely an environment problem, not an individual resilience problem.
👉🏼 Other read by Christopher Nguyen
👉🏼 UserTesting blog nods to this
