The Feed & The Thread - January 16, 2026

Today we're covering the HTTP Archive 2025 Web Almanac, which delves into web design trends like variable fonts and accessibility issues; and we'll hear what the community is saying about graphic design employment and techniques for video dither and ASCII effects. So, are designers embracing these new tools or sticking to traditional methods?

Welcome to The Feed & The Thread, brought to you by Chicago Camps. Our next UX Camp event is coming up in February. We're still accepting presentations for the event - submit today!

The industry's been busy. Here's what caught my attention.

In a new piece titled "HTTP Archive 2025 Web Almanac," Geoff Graham at CSS-Tricks provides comprehensive data on the state of web design, including UX, accessibility, and performance. Notable findings include the widespread use of variable fonts—four in ten sites now use them—and poor color contrast compliance, with only thirty percent meeting WCAG guidelines. There's also a significant increase in page weight since 2015—a two hundred and two point eight percent rise—which is concerning for performance.

Writing for UX Design.cc (RSS), Kike Peña's latest article "Building technology products is easy, but we made it complicated" argues that one major risk factor in tech product development is having unsuitable people for their roles. This issue persists across industries and companies, leading to burnout among tech professionals due to misaligned business understanding and inefficient project directions.

Nick Babich just dropped a piece called "5 Foundational Principles of Vibe Coding" over at UX Planet. The article explores how integrating AI into the design process can enhance user experience while maintaining human oversight and empathy. Key points include the need for designers to understand how AI tools work and when to use them effectively, ensuring designs remain intuitive without losing touch with users' emotional responses.

Also worth noting—new pieces recently from Smashing Magazine and A List Apart.

Okay, what's the community buzzing about? Over in the Graphic Design subreddit, there’s a big conversation around finding employment in this field. People are sharing tips on how to stand out and what companies they’ve had success with. It’s kind of like a support group for designers looking to land their next role.

And here's something interesting from the web_design subreddit. They’re talking about a new tool that creates video dither or ASCII effects, which is pretty cool if you're into that retro pixel look. The community seems hyped and curious about how they can use it in their projects without sacrificing quality.

Now, over at the UXResearch subreddit, folks are diving deep into whether AI should have a seat at the table when it comes to qualitative research. There’s a lot of skepticism around AI truly understanding human behavior and emotions. One comment that really stood out was: "AI can crunch numbers all day long, but it doesn't get the gut feeling you get from watching someone interact with your product." I mean, that's fair - there's no replacing that kind of insight.

Finally, the DesignSystems subreddit is buzzing about a new feature in Engramma where design token sets are now supported. This seems to be making life easier for designers who want more consistency across different platforms and devices. People seem pretty excited about this development – it’s one less headache they have to deal with.

So yeah, that's what the community is chatting about today. Lots of talk around tools, employment, AI in research, and new features helping streamline design processes.

Chicago Camps is hosting UX Camp Winter on Saturday, February 21st. The entire event is online, so you can join from anywhere in the world. It will be a great day of presentations coming from people delivering UX work - out in the field - where it matters most.

Tickets are only thirteen dollars and fifty cents. They also have Pay-What-You-Can tickets, and free passes available to anyone with a need.

Get tickets now at Chicago Camps dot org. And there's still room for additional speakers - submit your idea today!

And as we dove into the HTTP Archive's findings on variable fonts, it really made me ponder how small design choices can have a big impact on user experience. Now, as you go about your day, think about the subtle changes you could make to enhance usability and performance. Thanks for tuning in - we'll catch you next time.

That's The Feed and The Thread for today. Keep designing with intention!