The Feed & The Thread - January 18, 2026

Today we're covering the emerging concept of Authentic Experience, or AuX for short, which focuses on designing more meaningful AI interactions for 2026. Designers, we sure do love to name things and create new acronyms for us all to keep up with, don't we? And we'll hear what the community is saying about replacing paid subscriptions with free browser utilities in their latest stack setups.

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 your talk today!

Here's what the thought leaders are thinking in today's episode.

In a new piece titled "The dawn of Authentic Experience (AuX)", Darren Yeo at UX Design.cc discusses the emerging concept of AuX, which emphasizes designing intelligence over interfaces. He predicts that in 2026, designers will focus on creating more meaningful and genuine interactions with users through AI-driven solutions, but stresses the importance of ethical considerations to ensure technology enhances user experiences without losing authenticity.

Darren also highlights the need for a balance between automation and human oversight in his article. Key points include ensuring that while automation can enhance efficiency, it shouldn't overshadow the personal touch necessary for authentic interactions.

Vadym Grin at UX Design.cc just published "Feelings are the new features," exploring how emotional design is becoming increasingly important as basic functionality becomes commoditized and easily accessible. The article presents a strategic framework focusing on evoking specific feelings through designs, which are now considered key features in user experience.

Lastly, Fabrizia Ausiello's recent piece over at UX Design.cc titled "Why Instagram’s ad breaks feel worse than ads" explores the psychological aspects behind why users find ad breaks more intrusive. She argues that these interruptions disrupt user flow and satisfaction significantly more than regular ads do by making users feel a lack of agency during these breaks.

Also worth noting - new pieces have been recently published from Nielsen Norman Group, CSS-Tricks, and UX Planet. Check them out!

Okay, what's the community buzzing about this time around?

Over in the Design subreddit, folks are sharing neat little projects they've cooked up, like building a vector graphics viewer for mobile 'cause they were tired of opening Illustrator just to check a file. Love that initiative, right?

Meanwhile, over at the UserExperience subreddit, someone's on a mission to replace their paid subscriptions with free browser utilities and posted their 2025 stack. It’s like a digital detox but with more efficiency.

And in the web_design subreddit, they're deep diving into what should be on a “no-excuses” checklist for modern small business web design in 2026. This one's got forty-five upvotes and some great insights. One comment really stood out and it focused on how most traffic is appearing to be mobile, so definitely focus on mobile-first design. Absolutely solid advice, and always remember that "it depends" is valid for just about everything in design!

There’s also a heated discussion about form field types over at the Design subreddit. As someone commented, "Proper form field types... You’ve no idea how frustrating it is that your email field is set to 'text.'" I mean, that's fair! Basic accessibility should never be overlooked.

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!

So, as we dive into the dawn of Authentic Experience or AuX, it's clear that designing intelligence over interfaces is shaping our future. It makes you wonder how your next tech interaction will feel more real and less robotic. Thanks for tuning in on this January eighteenth, twenty twenty-six - we'll catch you next time.

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