Psychology - The DESK Magazine

Welcome to The Startup

This is it. After two weeks spent poring over your welcome packet, studying the internal Wikipedia, jotting down countless ideas and agonizing over your first-day outfit, you’re here.

by Tobias van Schneider

There’s more than meets the eye

You see the edited Instagram post. Not the countless photos and strained angles it took to get that shot. You see the launched product. Not the dozens of failed ones that never saw the light of day. You see a shark attack in the headlines. Not the thousands of people

by Tobias van Schneider

In search of something slightly better

Our life is an endless feed of opportunities. In search of them, we swipe by them.

by Tobias van Schneider

Can a utility brand be an emotional brand?

An emotional tech product is a lifestyle product. It doesn’t necessarily solve a problem. It’s there for entertainment. It’s not a product that people need, it’s a product they choose. Think Netflix, TikTok or Instagram.

by Tobias van Schneider

Keep this to yourself

You know that one time you stumbled upon that ice cream shop, tucked away on a path you'd just happened to take on a whim? It was the smell that lured you in. That intoxicating scent of sugar and butter that transported you to childhood with a single whiff: waffle cones, made from scratch. You wande

by Tobias van Schneider

The universe of shared brand equity

Look at any tech or direct-to-consumer company today and you will quickly notice a visual trend: Simple, sans-serif logo. Short, punchy tagline. Clean, approachable branding.

by Tobias van Schneider

Behind the Carbonmade onboarding UX (a case study)

Designing an effective onboarding experience is a balancing act between solving as many potential questions or roadblocks as possible, while at the same time not overwhelming the user with too much information.

by Tobias van Schneider

The Kawaiization of product design

Over the last year or two, I’ve noticed a certain style emerge in brand and product design.

by Tobias van Schneider

We’re on the expressway to the future

In the past several weeks, we have been truly *online* for the first time. We haven't experienced anything like this until now. While many of us had access to the internet before, this is the first time we are learning the significance of a new digital world.