Spotlight on Experience: April Edition

April saw interesting design and UX news breaking on many fronts — from Pinterest's new search to a VC firm hiring a design executive to Facebook trying to figure out its continuing fragmentation strategy. In 2014, the industry is booming, and we're seeing people starting to really understand the role design plays in business — making it an exciting time for us here at EchoUser. It's been quite a month! Here's some of what we had our eye on:

• Tesla’s Groundbreaking UX: An interview with User Interface Manager Brennan Boblett by Steve Tengler, UX Magazine - We’re big fans of what Tesla is doing, so it was exciting to see that our UX philosophies are quite similar. UI Manager Brennan Boblett noted that Tesla believes in a holistic view of UX: "the car and the software working harmoniously together to create a unique experience." Whether we're talking about cars or other complex, multi-part systems, we couldn’t agree more. How do you define UX?

• Why Facebook Can’t Figure Out What to Do With Its Apps by Ryan Tate, Wired - Facebook is sending out mixed messages by adding new features to  stand-alone apps Paper and Messenger while also launching Nearby Friends within the main Facebook app. Is Zuckerberg reconsidering his plan to fragment Facebook? We were a little surprised to see this, as we’re proponents of fragmentation and believe the tactic should also be applied to enterprise technology. It helps streamline focus and makes apps sleek. But is sustaining single-purpose apps just too hard?

• Why The Security Bug Heartbleed Has A Catchy Logo by Mark Wilson, Fast Co.Design - The scary Heartbleed security flaw was one of the biggest tech stories this month — but it had such a lovable logo! Why did this seemingly horrible security breach get such a catchy, simple logo? As Wilson points out via an exchange with the logo's designer, it's because branding the bug helped to communicate its power. By making Heartbleed news easier to understand and recognize, more people become aware of the flaw and are able to take action.

• Pinterest’s Next Big Move: A Clever New Take on Search by Kyle Vanhemert, Wired - Who’s actually crazy enough to go against Google? Pinterest is. Already one of the best discoverability engines on the Internet, the company is working to expand its appeal and fill in what's missing from popular search engines — for example, delivering quality results from broad or subjective searches. It’s an interesting move and one we’re excited to see play out.

• Former Google and Yahoo UX Lead Irene Au Joins Khosla Ventures as Design Operating Partner by Ryan Lawler, TechCrunch - Irene Au becoming Khosla's new design operating partner made waves in the business and design communities, as early-stage venture capital firms don’t normally have a dedicated design executive. To us, it’s a reflection of the growing understanding that start-ups need to think about user experience early, rather than later.

• Google Adds ‘Time Travel’ Feature to Street View by Stephanie Mlot, PC Mag - We will always be intrigued by the intersection of user experience and transportation, and when time travel gets thrown in the mix it gets that much more interesting! Google has incorporated historical imagery into its Street View feature, allowing users to see locations at different moments in time. Let the nostalgia and geographical history lessons begin.

What made your watch list in April? Hit us in the comments section, or @EchoUser on Twitter, to keep the discussion going!

Want to see what’s been making our list all year long? Check out all of our Spotlight on Experience posts.