Changelog

This is an important watershed moment. So let me explain what I've noticed from integrating AI into both my client's products, and now my own:

• AI struggles to understand subtle (often unspoken) context

• It struggles to rationalise or predict odd human behaviour (biases)

• Design isn't "codified"—there are very few "laws"

If you've ever tried one, you'll know that "instant UX audit" tools over-promise and under-deliver—in part that's because of these conceptual limitations.

But, AI is great at organising and synthesising huge amounts of data.

And that's the area in which I'm leaning into.

To do this, we've not only connected the entire published library of content, but created a hidden library of UX experiments and techniques that I've been logging from my 6+ years of consulting.

Built for Mars must be one of the most highly-contextualised databases of UX ideas out there. With multiple content types, all interwoven with product psychology.

And today we've dipped our toes in the water, with AI Insights and AI Implementation Tips, for every UX Bite.

Competitive UX research just got waaaaay easier. 🏝

Wouldn't you like to get notified as soon as one of your competitors ships some UX magic?

I certainly would. And now you can.

Next time you login to BFM+ you'll notice:

• You can follow companies
• A new "following" tab appears in your feed
• You'll even get email alerts next time those companies cook

It basically turns our community of 40,000 UX enthusiasts into your own personal UX researchers.

We've just dropped a huge update, with a ton of improvements for BFM+ members, including:

• A totally new feed experience (browse, filter, sort and search much much easier).
• BFM+ includes a 5-week UX Bootcamp
• Much more tailored onboarding to help you learn the ropes
• New homepage for BFM+ members
• Loads of tiny bug fixes and quality of life features.

Finally, after 14 months of beta testing (yes, it took that long), BFM+ Teams is available for general release.

Okay, so what's different with teams today?

• Admin accounts, with flexible seat-based billing.
• Ability to share paywalled content, inside a team, without a paywall or having to login.

That second one is key, and why it took so long in testing. I wanted to understand how organisations best level-up their entire product team (not just designers).

The answer, after having teams of all sizes test it:

• A small group of people have full accounts, and browse / curate the content.
• A much wider group then read specific things, during a project or build phase.

So that's what we've built. Along with some other quality-of-life updates:

• When viewing a specific UX Bite, the image is nearly 2x the size.
• Improved account page, with the ability to view invoices directly in BFM
• Updated UX Bite feed and cards
• Better navigation between content types (deeper links)

Another huge step towards improving discoverability and curation.

Case studies

• Case study cards are now flippable, showing a summary of what you'll learn.
• These key takeaways are shown on the case studies themselves.
• Case studies now show multiple companies (for publications).
• Article images are "less clickbait" more "clarity / context".

Your library

• You can now bookmark all content types, and view them all in your library.
  

The second batch of changes to improving discoverability are here.

Updated Psychology Pages

I often refer to the UX Psychology as the "glue" to the site. It gives context to everything.

Now, you'll be able to see which companies are prolific at specific pieces of product psychology (like Framing, for example).

Which leads onto...

Added deep links between Companies and Psychology

Say you're looking at a company (like Duolingo), how do you know what Duolingo is good at?

We've started showing badges and summaries for what companies are good at (or known for). This includes impacts, psychology, principles and more.

Badges are shown inside the search

You unlock badges when you "see" (or complete) content.

These statuses are now shown directly in the search.

So if you search for "Apple", you'll see instantly which UX Bites, Case Studies and Cheatsheets are new to you.

My readers want:

• To be able to find relevant content more easily
• To be able to re-find content they've seen before
• A more structured way of learning

Throughout the first half of 2025 you'll see a series of changes centred around these three goals.

Some fairly big, and many will be tiny experiments.

Well, today we released two big ones:

1. Collections

This is the first step for collections, but I've created more of a structure around case studies. It's a bit like a course module, except you don't need to complete any of them.

2. Search

It's so much better—just try it (in the header). You can search for content, impacts, psychology, companies, and even UI components.

Want to see all the UX Bites about churn? Just search for "Churn" and you'll see a new prompt.

After speaking to hundreds of BFM+ members, you know what came up as one of the most annoying parts of the site? Logging in.

Company firewalls would kill our magic links, and it was a total pain.

It was terrible UX (ironically).

So, we've given it some life.

• You can now login via oAuth (Google for now).
• Instead of magic links, we're using one-time-passwords which can be opened on any device.
• Password is the default method now, making it easier for browsers to auto-complete.
• Resetting / changing passwords is much nicer.

You've scrolled through some UX Bites (either in an email, or on the site), found some awesome ideas that you want to replicate, and then what...?

Well, instead of copying the image into Figma, or saving the URL somewhere, BFM+ subscribers can now use create their own library, directly inside Built for Mars.

It turns these weekly newsletters into a super easy and habitual way of building an actual roadmap (with more features to come soon, like sharing).

Initially, Cheatsheets were an email-only benefit, this was mostly so I could test the reaction without building stuff.

Well, it was fantastic, and so we've now taken them, and built them natively into the site (for BFM+ members only).

Plus, you'll notice a load of quality of life improvements and bug fixes.

Note: this promotion has now ended.

Today I’m really proud to announce an exclusive partnership with the greatest UI / UX library on earth: Mobbin.

I’ve been a fan of Mobbin for years, I use Mobbin, and I recommend Mobbin to anyone who will listen.

Well, as of today, all existing and new BFM+ subscribers will get 6 months of Mobbin Pro for absolutely free—no credit card required.

Note: this promotion has now ended.

Why Mobbin?

With Built for Mars, I’m constantly trying to contextualise the ‘why’. Why do some designs work, when almost identical ones don’t. What’s the subtle nuance?

But designers also need the ‘what’, and the reason I use Mobbin personally, is because it’s such an incredible resource for references.

Here’s a rundown of how you can use their massive library for inspiration.

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Find ideal references in second

With Mobbin’s ever-growing library of over 1000+ apps, you no longer have to spend hours on research or screenshots.

Filter by hundreds of design patterns & UI elements and solve specific design problems.

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Discover over 62,000+ user flows

Search for best practices for common user flows like: Onboarding, Subscribing & Upgrading, Cancelling a Subscription.

See the full user journey without having to download the app and study all the different states & transitions.

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Save or download designs

Save your favourite references and get back to them later. Download any designs you like or copy it straight into Figma.

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Note: this promotion has now ended.

I'm always experimenting (and speaking to BFM+ members) about how to make the analysis both more actionable, and interactive.

That's why today we've launched exercises: a way to embed questions, practices and challenges inside of casxe studies, UX Bites, the UX glossary and more.

A few key points:

• You'll be able to track you streaks throughout the entire site, across multiple sessions.
• You can always see your best ever streak in your account.
• Questions can be single-answer, or multiple choice.

Consider this as a beta (for now), because I'm still experimenting and learning which questions and types of quiz are the most interesting.