Sources for inspiration

I like to keep a somewhat exhaustive list of great sources for inspiration and knowledge — and I also like to not keep them a secret. I’m updating these as I go, so some links may be outdated. Give me a shout if you spot a bug, or if you have a great addition I should have.

Hope you find them useful!
-OMG

AI Industry & Applied AI.

• Benedict Evans — Newsletter
  Long‑form essays analyzing weekly tech/AI trends.
  Audience: Leadership, PM Weekly (Sun) · Some paid

• Nate's Newsletter
  No‑fluff commentary on AI developments for builders.
  Audience: PM, Leadership, Eng Daily · Some paid

• Import AI (Jack Clark)
  Detailed analysis of cutting‑edge papers & implications.
  Audience: PM, Research, Leadership Weekly · Free

• Exponential View (Azeem Azhar)
  Analysis of AI's economic and societal effects.
  Audience: Leadership, PM Weekly (Sun) · Some paid

• TheSequence
  Concise digest of research papers, tools, and funding.
  Audience: Eng, Research Weekly (Sun) · Some paid

• The Batch (DeepLearning.AI)
  Jargon‑free breakdowns; often includes Andrew Ng's notes.
  Audience: PM, Leadership Weekly · Free

• Latent Space — AI Engineer
  Newsletter + podcast for AI builders.
  Audience: Eng, PM Weekly/Bi‑weekly · Free

• No Priors
  Startup & investor perspectives on AI.
  Audience: Leadership, PM Weekly · Free

• TWIML AI
  Long‑running weekly with top practitioners.
  Audience: Eng, Research, PM Weekly · Free

• Practical AI
  Approachable discussions on AI tools & workflows.
  Audience: Eng, PM Weekly · Free

Design Leadership & Org Ops.

• The Crazy One
  Direct, actionable advice on culture & craft.
  Audience: Leadership, PM Weekly · Free

• Bob Baxley
  Design leadership insights.
  Audience: Leadership, Design, PM Weekly · Free

• Leading Design
  Talks, workshops, community for leadership development.
  Audience: Leadership Semi‑annual · Some paid

• Design Leadership Forum
  Safe peer exchange for exec community.
  Audience: Leadership Quarterly · Some paid

• Reforge Essays
  Product systems framing and operating models.
  Audience: Leadership, PM Monthly · Some paid

• Lenny's Newsletter
  Clear, data‑driven essays with case study ammunition.
  Audience: Leadership, PM Weekly · Some paid

• First Round Review
  Operator‑level stories on hiring and processes.
  Audience: Leadership, PM Weekly · Free

• Intercom Blog
  Clear frameworks for PM/Design alignment.
  Audience: PM, Brand Weekly · Free

• DesignBetter Podcast
  Executive interviews on leadership alignment.
  Audience: Leadership, PM Monthly · Free

• Rosenfeld Media Library
  Books, conferences, communities on DesignOps and leadership.
  Audience: Leadership, PM, Research Monthly · Some paid

Design & UX General.

• UX Design Weekly
  High‑signal curation for fast scanning.
  Audience: PM, Research Weekly · Free

• Dense Discovery
  Tech, design & ethics with ethical lens and broad scope.
  Audience: Leadership, PM, Brand Weekly · Free

• Smashing Magazine
  Strong front‑end ties with deep technical reads.
  Audience: Eng, PM Weekly · Some paid

• Accessibility Weekly
  Practical examples and accessibility updates.
  Audience: Eng, PM Weekly · Free

• The Design System Guide Newsletter
  Very actionable insights on DS adoption and tokens.
  Audience: PM, Eng, Design Weekly · Free

• Design Systems News
  Timely links on tool landscape.
  Audience: PM, Eng Weekly · Free

• 99% Invisible
  Great narratives for evangelizing design's hidden impact.
  Audience: Leadership, PM, Brand Weekly · Free

• Design Matters
  Long‑running interviews on creative careers & branding.
  Audience: Brand, PM Weekly · Free

• High Resolution
  25‑episode masterclass on product design at scale.
  Audience: Leadership, PM Complete series · Free

• Mixed Methods
  Method deep dives for research operations.
  Audience: Research, PM Monthly · Free

• What Is Wrong with UX
  Candid consultant takes with pragmatic advice.
  Audience: PM, Research Monthly · Free

• User Defenders
  Senior UX voices on career & leadership.
  Audience: PM, Brand Monthly · Free

Research Organizations & Reports.

• Nielsen Norman Group
  High trust with execs; evidence for best practices.
  Audience: Leadership, PM, Research Weekly · Some paid

• NN/g UX Podcast
  Unpacks NN/g research for method adoption.
  Audience: PM, Research Weekly · Free

• McKinsey – Business Value of Design
  Links design maturity to TSR; supports ROI claims.
  Audience: Leadership, PM Annual · Free

• Design Management Institute – Design Value Index
  Market outperformance narrative for exec storytelling.
  Audience: Leadership Annual · Some paid

• John Maeda – Design in Tech
  Business + tech crossover for trend framing.
  Audience: Leadership, PM, Research Annual · Free

• Google PAIR Guidebook
  Practical methods and responsible‑AI checklists.
  Audience: PM, Research, Eng Ad‑hoc · Free

• Forrester Research
  Exec‑grade evidence for vendor selection and ROI.
  Audience: Leadership Weekly · Some paid

• IDEO
  Widely cited patterns for culture & methods.
  Audience: PM, Research Monthly · Free

• MIT Media Lab
  Cutting‑edge research to cite emerging HCI.
  Audience: Research, Eng Monthly · Free

• Design Research Society
  Conferences & journals for literature sourcing.
  Audience: Research Quarterly · Some paid

• Stanford Center for Design Research
  Academic‑industry bridge for methodology grounding.
  Audience: Research, PM Quarterly · Free

• Skift Research
  Travel industry insights useful in strategy decks.
  Audience: Leadership, PM Monthly · Some paid

• Phocuswright
  Industry gold‑standard for market sizing.
  Audience: Leadership, PM Annual/Quarterly · Some paid

• UNWTO
  Government‑grade data on macro travel trends.
  Audience: PM, Research Quarterly/Annual · Some paid

• WTTC
  GDP & jobs impact for policy & economic narratives.
  Audience: Leadership, PM Annual · Some paid

• IATA
  Authoritative aviation stats on capacity & demand.
  Audience: PM, Research Monthly · Some paid

• OAG
  Seat/capacity insights for seasonality planning.
  Audience: PM, Research Weekly · Some paid

• ARC
  Transaction‑level signals on ticketing trends.
  Audience: PM, Research Monthly · Some paid

Design System Releases.

• Material Design
  M3 research‑driven updates on DS tokens and accessibility.
  Audience: Eng, PM, Design Quarterly · Free

• Carbon Design System
  Accessibility and governance strong with enterprise patterns.
  Audience: Eng, Design Quarterly · Free

• Lightning Design System
  Robust docs and patterns for complex workflows.
  Audience: Eng, PM Quarterly · Free

• Human Interface Guidelines
  Canonical iOS‑visionOS for platform fit and accessibility.
  Audience: Eng, Design Ongoing · Free

• Fluent 2
  Strong tooling and tokens for multi‑platform coherence.
  Audience: Eng, PM, Design Quarterly · Free

• Atlassian Design System
  Good adoption stories for DS governance & KPIs.
  Audience: Eng, PM, Design Quarterly · Free

• Shopify Polaris
  Scalable components for merchant workflows.
  Audience: Eng, PM, Design Quarterly · Free

• Ant Design
  i18n support strong for rapid prototyping.
  Audience: Eng, PM Quarterly · Free

• SAP Fiori
  Complex process patterns for role‑based UX.
  Audience: Eng, PM Quarterly · Free

• GOV.UK Design System
  Highly user‑tested service patterns and accessibility.
  Audience: Eng, PM, Research Quarterly · Free

• USWDS
  Content & IA patterns with federal‑grade accessibility.
  Audience: Eng, PM, Research Quarterly · Free

• GitHub Primer
  CSS + React for dev UX.
  Audience: Eng, PM Quarterly · Free

• Adobe Spectrum
  Strong content guidelines for multi‑app coherence.
  Audience: Eng, PM, Brand Quarterly · Free

Notable Company Design Blogs & Resources.

• Airbnb Design
  Deep dives into Airbnb Design Language with metrics.
  Audience: PM, Research, Brand Monthly · Free

• Apple Developer Design
  Canonical for iOS–visionOS platform guidance.
  Audience: Eng, Design, Brand Ongoing · Free

• Atlassian Design Blog
  Practical patterns for scale with DS governance.
  Audience: PM, Eng, Research Monthly · Free

• Google Design
  Research‑backed case studies on responsible AI.
  Audience: Eng, PM, Research Monthly · Free

• IBM Design
  Enterprise transformation proof points for ROI claims.
  Audience: Leadership, PM, Research Quarterly · Free

• Meta Design
  Community‑centered frameworks for networked UX.
  Audience: PM, Research, Brand Monthly · Free

• Microsoft Design
  Enterprise‑grade guidance with inclusive design playbooks.
  Audience: Eng, PM, Research Monthly · Free

• Spotify Design
  Multi‑surface cohesion for cross‑platform DS.
  Audience: PM, Brand, Research Monthly · Free

• Stripe Blog
  Clear product writing exemplars for DevEx patterns.
  Audience: Eng, PM Monthly · Free

• Amazon Design
  Retail, Alexa, and devices cross‑surface patterns.
  Audience: PM, Eng, Research Monthly · Free

• LinkedIn Design
  Patterns for professional networks and trust & safety UX.
  Audience: PM, Research Monthly · Free

• Booking.com Design
  Testing culture at scale for evidence‑based UX.
  Audience: PM, Research Monthly · Free

• Expedia Group Tech/Design
  Scaling learnings on marketplace testing.
  Audience: PM, Eng, Research Monthly · Free

Accessibility & Inclusive Design.

• W3C WAI/WCAG
  Canonical source for accessibility compliance.
  Audience: Eng, PM, Research Quarterly · Free

• WAI‑ARIA Authoring Practices
  Implementation patterns for component accessibility.
  Audience: Eng, PM Quarterly · Free

• WebAIM
  Practical guidance with checklists and audits.
  Audience: Eng, PM, Research Monthly · Free

• The A11Y Project
  Community best practices for team education.
  Audience: Eng, PM Monthly · Free

• Deque Blog
  Vendor‑grade how‑to with implementation tips.
  Audience: Eng, PM Weekly · Free

• TPGi Blog
  Deep technical dives on audit patterns.
  Audience: Eng, PM Weekly · Free

• GOV.UK Accessibility Guidance
  Clear, user‑tested examples with policy‑aligned accessibility.
  Audience: PM, Eng Ongoing · Free

Government Service Design & Standards.

• GOV.UK Service Manual
  Model playbook for service patterns and content.
  Audience: PM, Research, Eng Ongoing · Free

• USWDS Service Design Playbook
  Process + patterns for end‑to‑end service operations.
  Audience: PM, Research, Eng Ongoing · Free

• 18F Methods
  Lightweight, copy‑ready method templates.
  Audience: PM, Research Ongoing · Free

• Canadian Digital Service
  Public‑sector case studies with bilingual content patterns.
  Audience: PM, Research Monthly · Free

Data Visualization & Quant UX.

• Nightingale
  Community with case studies on storytelling and process.
  Audience: PM, Brand, Research Weekly · Free

• FT Visual Vocabulary
  Executive‑friendly reference for chart choosing.
  Audience: PM, Brand Ad‑hoc · Free

• Datawrapper Blog
  Best‑practice exemplars for data storytelling.
  Audience: PM, Brand, Research Weekly · Free

• FlowingData
  Variety of chart forms for inspiration and pedagogy.
  Audience: Brand, Research Weekly · Some paid

• Chartability
  Checklist for graphics accessibility reviews.
  Audience: PM, Eng Ad‑hoc · Free

Localization & Global UX.

• W3C Internationalization
  Encoding, bidi, date/time for globalization readiness.
  Audience: Eng, PM Quarterly · Free

• Unicode CLDR
  Numbers, currency, calendars for formatting correctness.
  Audience: Eng Semi‑annual · Free

• MDN i18n Docs
  Browser compatibility with implementation notes.
  Audience: Eng Ongoing · Free

• Android Localization Guide
  Resource qualifiers, RTL for app readiness.
  Audience: Eng, PM Ongoing · Free

• iOS Localization Guide
  Xcode, strings, pluralization for app readiness.
  Audience: Eng, PM Ongoing · Free

Academic HCI.

• ACM TOCHI
  Flagship HCI journal for literature reviews.
  Audience: Research Quarterly · Some paid

• Behaviour & Information Technology
  Applied HCI emphasis for method sourcing.
  Audience: Research Monthly · Some paid

• Human Factors
  Human performance for safety‑critical UX.
  Audience: Research Bi‑monthly · Some paid

• IJHCS
  Cognitive & social HCI for theory building.
  Audience: Research Monthly · Some paid

• UIST
  Hardware + software for emerging interfaces.
  Audience: Research Annual · Some paid

• CSCW
  Work & community contexts for social UX.
  Audience: Research Annual · Some paid

• DIS
  Prototyping & methods for design‑led research.
  Audience: Research Annual · Some paid

• UbiComp
  Ubiquitous computing for IoT UX.
  Audience: Research Annual · Some paid

• IUI
  Mixed‑initiative interfaces for AI + UX.
  Audience: Research Annual · Some paid

Agencies & Studios with Case Studies.

• frog
  Outcome‑focused write‑ups with credible case studies.
  Audience: Leadership, PM, Brand Monthly · Free

• IDEO
  Broad sector coverage with service design patterns.
  Audience: Leadership, PM Monthly · Free

• Designit
  Strong organizational‑change angles with cross‑sector methods.
  Audience: PM, Brand Monthly · Free

• ustwo
  Product/brand integration with mobile first approach.
  Audience: PM, Brand Monthly · Free

• Work & Co
  Enterprise transformations with platform modernization.
  Audience: Leadership, PM Monthly · Free

• Clearleft Early
  DesignOps pioneers with strategy patterns.
  Audience: PM, Brand Monthly · Free

• Instrument
  High craft execution with brand‑product cohesion.
  Audience: Brand, PM Monthly · Free

• Huge
  Business outcomes focus with enterprise‑grade creative.
  Audience: Leadership, PM, Brand Monthly · Free

Experimentation & Product Analytics.

• Microsoft Experimentation Platform
  Seminal large‑scale experimentation papers with guardrails.
  Audience: PM, Eng, Research Ad‑hoc · Free

• Netflix Tech Blog
  Practical learnings at scale with metrics and sequential testing.
  Audience: PM, Eng Monthly · Free

• Airbnb Engineering/Data
  Measurement deep dives with CUPED and experiment infrastructure.
  Audience: PM, Eng Monthly · Free

• Booking.com – Testing Culture
  Famous test‑and‑learn culture with sample ratio insights.
  Audience: PM, Eng Monthly · Free

• Amplitude Institute
  Vendor articles on North Star metrics and lift.
  Audience: PM, Eng Weekly · Free

• Mixpanel Blog
  Practical instrumentation for funnels and retention.
  Audience: PM, Eng Weekly · Free

• LinkedIn Engineering
  Large‑scale experiment design with metrics and network effects.
  Audience: PM, Eng Monthly · Free