1. Jasmine Friedl suggests how to make your not-so-great visual design better. More importantly, she shares the process that can help a designer get better: asking questions and guiding rather than issuing prescriptive statements.
2. Connie Chan explains why stickers are more than just a frivolous gimmick: they are an emerging visual digital language. In messaging platforms like WeChat and Line, stickers have become trading cards, storytelling tools, and marketplaces — with potential for monetization.
3. There’s no breakout, innovative feature in the newly-released White House Facebook bot for corresponding with the President. However, the government’s swift adoption of new technology reflects its commitment to staying connected to the needs and behaviors of everyday citizens. Try it here.
4. The first experience a user has with your digital product is critical — it takes just a moment to click away or unsubscribe. Copyblogger offers five engaging ways to welcome new subscribers with your first email message.
5. I’ve long advocated that user experience is shaped as much by the form and execution of myriad microinteractions as it is about the big, whiteboarded concept. Nick Babich explains how animated microinteractions shape a mobile app experience.

Weekend fun: YouTube creators are at the big kids’ table with the nomination of Honest Trailers for an Emmy. True to form, they used the occasion to mock all the other nominees. (I saved you some time by skipping to Mr. Robot at 2:31.)

Every Friday, find five, highly subjective pointers to compelling technologies, emerging trends, and interesting ideas that affect how we live and work digitally. Try out the Friday 5 archive, or sign up for a weekly email.