Hey there,

Thank you for being with me and listening to my rant. I hope some of the things I am sharing with you becoming useful for you in your on-going life.

At work, I had an epiphany when we were deciding where we should place the "Switch Component (shown in the image)" state label (Off/On).
Then we once again, as usual, just like any designer - start noodling on the idea, that should we let users can configure the location of those labels with negative-connotation?

I suggested (and rightly so) that the label which states the negative-choice should always be on the left, and the positive choices should always be on the right.

Reason? Very simple - the design system I am working on is designed for English speakers. The English language flows from left to right. When we are "deleting" a character, we usually move from right-to-left (negative connotation). It suggests a proper reason to place a negative connotation on the left and positive state on the right. Cool observation, right?

If you are interested in reading more about the switch component and the difference between the Toggle component, check out the NNGroup awesome write-up https://www.nngroup.com/articles/toggle-switch-guidelines/

What's cooking?

You might know that since last year, I have been working with a startup that is building a social platform and marketplace only for academic researchers, called 'Akẹkọ' (pronounced Akekoo). The goal is to connect researchers with other researchers and communities of similar interests.

The platform also allows you to offer academic services and earn some bucks. The services may include peer-reviewing a research paper (proofreading and technical aspects), evaluating a research proposal, building a prototype, etc. You can also hire academic services if you need help in your research.

We are planning to launch the beta soon. However, that will be invite-only. The first invites will be sent to those who have shown their interest by signing up at akeko.co.

If you like what you have read so far, then please sign up at akeko.co. Please share the link with your colleagues and friends in other universities. But before doing so, sign-up yourself and follow us on Twitter @ https://mobile.twitter.com/heyakeko.

Do chime in! If you have anything to say, please do not hesitate to reply me back!

Mudassir
www.mazeemi.com