The art of crafting a compelling user journey
"Mapping out the user journey through a set of product docs is a form of storytelling. Here's how I approach it."
Sam Sycamore
Writer of software documentation, prose, and other ephemera in the Inland Northwest USA. This is my digital garden blog where I cultivate the best articles I've written and published across various outlets over the years.
Latest posts
Thoughts on vibe coding with LLMs in 2025
"There's a lot of potential here. But is this really how we\'ll write code in the future?"
How to be a great technical writing leader
What I've learned after a decade of collaborating with writers and editors across multiple industries.
The wedding party in San Cristóbal
They came in a long procession of pickup trucks and sedans, the trucks adorned with bouquets of pink and white flowers on their hoods...
<< VoiceChat >>
The doctor's VoiceChat told me some details about the painkillers. The names, the dosages, the side effects. But it's like, in one ear and out the other...
How to land a job as a developer advocate
Here's what you need to know to increase your chances for interviews and job offers in developer relations.
Add light and dark mode images to your GitHub readme
Use this solution to specify the theme an image is shown to in a GitHub repository Readme file.
This is why nobody reads your blog
Your headlines aren't convincing anybody to click—but we can fix that.
Learning to code in an off-grid cabin in the woods
A day in the life of a mountain hermit in the process of changing careers.
How to eat acorns: step-by-step guide from forest to table
Eating acorns is surprisingly simple and enormously satisfying—here's how to do it.
What is a weed? Or, the limits of reductionism
When we try to separate one element from its place in the system, we've already misunderstood its role before we even begin observing.
Spontaneous consumption: Louisville's experimental music scene
Interviews with key movers and shakers in the local scene ahead of the Louisville Experimental Festival.
Different beats, different beasts: Merchandise's beautiful mess
Interview with Dave Vassalotti, guitarist for indie-rock breakouts Merchandise.
Review: Ma Turner – ZOZ (2014)
ZOZ is impenetrable, which befits an uncompromising portrait of a prolific artist seeking a spark of the divine in foreign territory.
The imaginary world of Washed Out
Interview with Ernest Greene, the man behind the laid-back lo-fi act Washed Out.
Basement champion
How Ryan Davis manages a band, a record label, and a DIY musical festival.