A personal blog of a User Experience professional who specializes in DesignOperations
This isn’t a complete catalog—it’s what I actually listen to. Browse the grid on the site, or read the full list below. bedtime kids science family But Why A bunch of kids asking questions of Vermont Public Radio. It’s a great science and bedtime listen to help kids go to sleep. Favorite episodes Who invented tacos? Why can’t animals talk to us? Do people eat bugs? bedtime kids science…
There are too many ways to choose type for a project, honestly. Some of them are technical, some are historical, and some amount to a designer staring at two perfectly good options until one feels slightly less wrong. Sometimes a free typeface is exactly right. Sometimes the right one is worth paying for. Either way, I think there are better ways to choose than just calling one “clean” and moving…
Here are the stickers on my laptop that I started using in 2024. I enjoy the aesthetics of the stickers – but what I enjoy mostly is the background reminders of what they represent. That background listed from left to right and top-to-bottom. As the great designer Aaron Draplin would say “Don’t be precious about your stickers, if you have a sticker, stick it!” This is the current surface of a…
Summary Portfolio website redesign for a Brooklyn-based visual artist seeking prestigious residencies and gallery shows. Responsibilities Content Strategy Information Architecture Web Development CMS Implementation Key Outcomes Effortless content updates Smart content cross-referencing Professional presentation for key audiences Scalable system for future growth Project Link Coming soon! Simona…
Ingredients # 1 lb Yukon Gold or russet potatoes, scrubbed and diced small 1 yellow onion, diced ½ lb fresh chorizo (or breakfast sausage) 6 large eggs 2 tbsp milk or water (for eggs) 4 large flour tortillas (10–12") 1 ripe avocado, sliced 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar ½ cup salsa (or pico de gallo) neutral oil for frying (vegetable or canola) kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper…
Brooklyn Roasting Company Ethiopia Nura Korate Ethiopia Flavors: Lemon Herb Honey Stumptown Vivid Bloom East Africa, Latin America Flavors: orange blossom cherry chocolate Superlost Supernatural Colombia Carbonic Maceration Natural, Light Flavors: red berries cocoa lemon Partners Jumpstart Honduras, Brazil Washed and Natural, medium light Flavors: Almond Caramel Poached Pear Devoción Toro Columbia…
Summary A design exploration focused on choosing color palettes using Crayola crayons as a creative foundation. Built a custom tool to display, sort, and filter 120 colors with the help of AI. Responsibilities Visual Discovery and Design Strategy Front-End Development AI-assisted Prototyping Key Outcomes Built a personal color tool I still use and improve Custom palettes, sorting, filtering, and…
Ingredients # 1 yellow onion ½ lb pkg chorizo sausage ¼ oz chorizo chili spice blend 15 oz can black beans 8 oz tomato sauce ¼ oz fresh cilantro 2 (1 oz) sour cream garlic neutral oil kosher salt & ground pepper Take care of tonight’s “what’s for dinner” question. Just toss chorizo, black beans, and tomato sauce into a pot, let it do its thing, and finish it off with a spoonful of sour cream, a…
I’m the only one in my house who drinks milk. Sure, it makes the occasional guest appearance in mac-and-cheese or pancakes, but for the most part, it’s just me and my weekend coffee. The problem? My milk kept turning on me before I could finish it. Then I discovered a trick: squash the container—literally. Press out as much air as possible before sealing it back up. Less oxygen means fresher milk,…
Ingredients # 4 skinless chicken drumsticks, on the bone, 14 oz total 4 skinless chicken thighs, on the bone, trimmed, 20 ounces 1/2 teaspoon adobo seasoning salt 1 teaspoon olive oil 4 medium scallions, chopped 3 garlic cloves, minced 1/4 cup chopped cilantro, plus 2 tbsp for garnish 8 oz can tomato sauce 1 packet sazon seasoning, optional 1/4 cup pitted green olives, plus 2 tablespoons brine 1…
This post is inspired by my recent adoption of Raycast . It’s a productivity app. Think Mac Spotlight or Alfred but with more power and a community making every extension you can imagine. I've watched about a dozen videos on their YouTube channel and I’m convinced everyone should be using a computer this way. You don’t need to be a power user. In fact the bese way to start using Raycast and other…
Summary Redesign of a website and improved editing experience for an author of Young Adult books. Responsibilities User Research Interaction Design Web Development Project Management Key Outcomes Enhanced editor workflow Engaged key audiences Support future growth Project Link https://rominagarber.com Author Romina Garber needed a new website to support the launch of her new book series, Wolves of…
There is a user experience facilitation method called dot voting. I don’t think it gets enough use and its benefits are glorious and mysterious. There are only a few simple things we will do to make it work. A voted on group of abstract symbols from the book Symbol by Angus Hyland and Steven Bateman. The shapes above are selections from that book and drawn in Figma. You will need : Sharpie or…
This is the Totem character from Monument Valley 2 that includes the magic door This plush toy is my favorite amongst the scores, maybe hundreds, of stuffed animals my daughter owns. Totem, our favorite character in the game Monument Valley , is a movable pillar that helps the main character with puzzles. Totem can slide around to create paths, bridge gaps, and transport the main character through…
I have a Duolingo streak of 1,036 days (at time of writing) and I am not learning Spanish. This feels like a bit of a personal failure because I have been studying for about 30 years! I am even married to a native Spanish speaker. Perhaps writing about this will give me the resolve to finally become fluent. There is a lot of criticism online that Duolingo is not actually that great for language…
Ask me my favorite thing to do in the city. I will tell you to come with me to Creative Mornings (CM). This is a monthly breakfast meetup and a community for creative people. It's also for everyone; read their manifesto . As of the time of writing, CM has over 244 global chapters and has been running since 2008. Personally, I’ve attended 15 talks since my first one in 2015. Their top-class website…
A list of helpful code snippets for us making this, my personal blog. This post assumes you are using the command line to work on a personal website. The primary reasons for doing this is to speed up workflow and to look cool while you are doing it. Snippets 1. Duplicate a directory cp -r content/blog/_template content/blog/title-tk 📋 Copy snippet 2. Error Fatal: Not possible to fast-forward,…
Note: This post is based on my experience in a large corporate environment. Applicability the advice may vary based on your work environment. When we start out in User Experience (UX), a world is opened to us… we emerge idealistic and full of enthusiasm. This is great — it’s the kind of energy that sparks creativity and innovation all around us. Then something happens. You don’t have to be in a…
I splurged and got the Figma Creator Micro Keyboard . It’s described as a device that will bring joy to your hardware. I believe it also brings a little enjoyment to my software and inspires me to make more things. Technically its a macropad. These are often mechanical keyboards and an enthusiast device that allows for quick actions like a single dedicated button for a keyboard shortcut. You might…
Rest in peace Spotify© Car Thing . This recently discontinued device was a really fresh experience for audio. Even the packaging for this thing was a great experience. When reflecting on it’s 3-years of use, I found more utility for at my desk than in the car. That big dial you see allowed me physical volume control when I was playing music on Zoom for my coworkers. During those pandemic years I…
The Orbitkey Organizer is just one of those products that I didn’t know I could’t live without. Keys in your pocket tend to poke (painful) and jingle (annoying). This solves for that. Plus the shape of the thing is a nice way to manipulate they key. One time I dropped this thing while shoveling snow and I thought it was lost forever. Somehow my partner searched and found it. So thankful to her for…
I finally made a digital bookshelf . Its a simple page that keeps track of all the books I have finished. The best part of having one of these is the built-in motivation. If I were to have a goal of reading one book a month for a year — this helps a lot. Getting Into Reading # There are two other things that have helped me start reading more in the last few years. First, in 2014, I got a new…
This is the peal-away back of a rainbow corgi that was the first sticker I put on my new computer. This illustration is 100% my kid who brought this corgo to life. He was my supervisor for the installattion of approximatly 22 apps on my new computer. Today I got a new computer. Even though I had made a list days prior – I still spend a whole day installing apps. Here is a list that I made it most…
I’m not the gamer I was back in my teens. I think in middle age console games in-particular give me a headache. This does not stop me from swooning over the design of the Playstation 5 Controller . I bought it so that my daughter and I could play games on Apple TV 4K. There are some great games on there for us including Angry Birds , Donut County , and Cooking Mama: Let's cook ! There are also a…
This post is a secret. Please don't share with others because the only way I want folks to find it is via RSS Club. Read more about RSS Club . I'm going through my personal blog and trying to get a gold star from the https://indiewebify.me/ . So, whats in it for me? Honestly not a lot in the short-term. This stuff is all a little technical and would never be noticed by an average user of the web.…
There are 2 things # I always look for an opportunity to build trust with the client/collaborator/team member that goes beyond pleasant introductions. I like to use an icebreaker exercise[^1] to find out some unexpected info about the other people on the end of a Zoom call. Without fail we end up treating each other better throughout a project. With a good icebreaker, you can find out about:…
Our family has a lot of memories out on Tablerock Lake. My uncle Steve had a Nissan 300ZX and a red Crown Line ski boat . His CD player would slip out of the car and into the 19-foot red boat. On one cool evening Aaron Neville was on repeat and singing a private concert on the water for us all. Glass best describes the cool dark lake water. I am donning a brand-new yellow life jacket with stripes…
I think often about the summer I never spent abroad. This would have been that privileged semester that I’d have spent in Madrid, Spain – but never happened IRL. I didn’t get to take advantage of something like that, because I was busy playing Army in the ROTC Department. There were some required courses, and it was something that people did not do. During the summer of my sophomore year, I went…
9: Totem A favorite among scores if not hundreds of plush toys favorite thing 8: Duolingo Help, I’m not learning Spanish! favorite thing 7: Creator Micro Bringing joy to your hardware and software favorite thing 6: Car Thing Rest in peace favorite thing 5: Orbit Key No more pokes or jingles favorite thing 4: Playstation 5 controller I’m not a gamer but… favorite thing 3: Google Nest Screwdriver…
The screwdriver that comes with the Google Nest Thermostat is a treasure. Immediately we notice the aesthetics and great ergonomic handle. I always reach for it in the utility drawer. There is actually more to the story. The screwdriver is included in the Nest packaging. Its there because it reduces installation time of the thermostat. The persistance of the screwdriver also keeps the Nest brand…
A stylish tool for amateur work and do-it-yourself (DIY) projects around the house – the Hoto Brushless Drill is a power tool that has me looking for excuses to do repair work and projects around the house. Some of the best features are: a digital display; adjustible torque, and USB-C recharging. In a world of really expensive professional tools and a hoard of cheap household tools this strikes a…
During the pandemic, like many, I upgraded my at-home coffee set-up. A new grinder, kettle, higher quality beans might seem like the most important upgrade — however, a scale that is accurate to within 1/10 th of a gram is the most important to me. The scale removes a variable from the brewing process and results in a more consistent cup. The Timemore Black Mirror Scale itself is simple,…
There is this happy side-effect when you read a book about health and breathing. For 300+ pages you become very conscious of your breathing patterns and end up getting very focused practice along the way. When we might find it difficult to form good habits – we can just consume more material and get on with it. This is a growing list of resources I’m gathering to help me form some healthy habits.…
The screenreader on Mac OS is called VoiceOver. With a few simple keyboard shortcuts we can learn to use it and gain an appreciation for how websites can be used with assistive technology. Turn on/off voice over with Command plus Touch ID 3 times. Alternatly use Command plus F5. Press Control plus Option plus A to read the page Press Control to pause and resume the reading of the page Press Tab to…
A screenshot of the TIGR Patrol Debrief Program Many people in User Experience (UX) have interesting stories about how they got into the field, especially since it remains an uncommon career choice. Many people aren’t familiar with UX… so, how would young people find out about it? That’s a question I’m still thinking about. For now, all I can do is tell you my own story. UX is a second career for…
Summary A community-driven project designed to help researchers and research operations specialists find, evaluate, and compare research tools across industries and team sizes. By offering tool audits and data-driven analyses, the project streamlines the selection process, saving researchers valuable time. Responsibilities Interaction Design Data Analysis Web development Key Outcomes Created an…
A year ago, I wrote a LinkedIn post that ended up being pretty popular. I know focusing on social media performance isn't super helpful but seeing this topic do numbers does support my belief in the topic. Mostly working on this post really helped solidify my thoughts on the subjects of culture and community. Plus, I got some great additional book recommendations in the comments. So, I wanted to…
In no particular order here are some descriptions of the stickers on my laptop. I enjoy the aesthetics of the stickers – but what I enjoy mostly is the reminder of what they represent. Here is some of that background listed from left to right and top-to-bottom. Show us your stickers too and as the great designer Aaron Draplin would say “Don’t be precious about your stickers, if you have a sticker,…
In early 2006 the Army stationed me in the Mojave Desert. I worked at Fort Irwin and lived in Barstow(1), California. For those folks who never lived out west, you have to know that everything is bigger out there. I’m writing about the couple of years I spent there because I want to share what it felt like to drive through those big spaces, go rock climbing in the desert, and to share how those…
Bauhaus Postcard Reproduction # See the bauhaus postcard experiment on codepen The new CSS has radical new features that make layout on the web much more capable and efficient to write. There is a bit of a learning curve that comes with CSS grid in particular. One of the best ways to learn is to run little experiments. If you are interested in trying one of these yourself the best thing to do is…
How do you find new podcasts? For me, discovery never happens by just browsing a podcast app. I am always looking for personal recommendations or hot tips on my twitter feed. In the spirit of relevant recommendations, I am offering my go-to podcasts and favorite episodes broken down into mostly nonsensical categories of Road Trip , Morning Commuting , Sleep Aids , and Design Learning (Because I am…
Summary A writeup about workshops to help corporate teams build vision statements and generate product ideas. Participants shared insights through creative storytelling with LEGO® bricks. Responsibilities Workshop facilitation Design thinking Key Outcomes Practical use of LEGO® models to explore and solve business challenges Creation of team vision, mission statements, and new product ideas…
Summary A collaboration to develop an installation for an event with audience interaction. Responsibilities Web development Environmental design Key Outcomes Fun with friends, old and new Used for two additional events to help raise funds for the Civic Art Lab Scene from an event called 2nd Life Remix A collaborative project with Charles Wray originally designed as a fun experiment for a birthday…
Instagram a a social media platform has emerged a the most authentic way to represent yourself online. It's simplicity and format provide a built-in bullshit filter. As a bonus, the interface makes the process of discovery, curation and promotion intuitive and user-friendly. If we could only choose one social media platform it should be Instagram. Realizing this, an artist or creative professional…
A man laboriously moves his piano down three levels onto the subway platform. Classic vocals and strided chords — he played so well I swore he was blind. Oblivious to the heat on that August stage, he was most in touch with his audience — whom he elevated with his music. #subway #music A man positions his mouse on the edge of his browser window. He clicks, holds and drags the viewport first left…
On Friday, 20 May 2016, Hyperact hyperakt.com/lunch-talks/ hosted a lunch talk with speaker Kristen Lewis. Kristen is the Co-director of Measure of America — an organization that provides easy-to-use yet methodologically sound tools for understanding the distribution of well-being and opportunity in America and stimulating fact-based dialogue about issues we all care about: health, education, and…
Lounge at the SSMAC I have a strong connection between my transition out of the military and the The Soldiers’, Sailors’, Marines’, Coast Guard and Airmen’s Club (SSMAC) in New York City. Located on Lexington Avenue between 36th and 37th Streets, the SMAC wonderfully represents the strong connection NYC has to the uniformed services. I first visited the SSMAC in 2005 during a 15-day rest and…
Summary User Experience design for an academic project covering discovery, user research, and interaction design for a fictitious client Lonely Planet. Responsibilities Interaction Design User research Key Outcomes Conducted 15+ user interviews to inform design decisions and create three user personas. Developed a comprehensive UX strategy, including competitive analysis, site maps, and annotated…
WWI Soldiers in a dead Forest From 2014 to 2018 we commemorate the centennial of The Great War, so-called because those who experienced it could imagine no conflict more terrible, and could not believe that the same disastrous mistakes could ever be repeated. Removed by as much as three generations from life today, the events of 1914 18 hold lessons and truths about our humanity that could be lost…
Service Members marching in the NYC Veterans Day Parade I was moved the other day by a radio story about a gold-star family (NPR) who lost their son, however, the story would have been more appropriate on Memorial Day. Overall, we need to change the narrative and start to really understand what these holidays (in this case Veterans Day) are about. A service member or Veteran may not be offended by…