We used to go here in the summer, to the Outer Banks. I have so many wonderful memories of time spent on the beach and in beach houses and at mini golf and getting ice cream and eating crabs and so many more things. One year, maybe in the early 2000s, I remember hearing on …
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One of the laws of stress
I think about stress a lot. I learned yesterday about an interesting study conducted in 1908 related to the application of stress and the affect on productivity, a study that is still impacting how organizations view worker productivity today. Robert M. Yerkes and John Dodson conducted an experiment with a box. The box had set …
I’m going for an MBA
Well, here we go. Why would a designer get an MBA? Early in my design career, I was the only interaction designer at a burgeoning ecommerce startup. I found myself pushing pixels around my computer screen after hours in the latest of a string of late nights. I was in the process of transforming our …
Building a Design System Without a Team
Update: I changed the title of this post from “Design Systems for Small Teams” to “Building a Design System Without a Team.” This is a more accurate description of the content of this post and addresses the key issues: building a design system when it is impossible to dedicate full-time resources. When a new design …
A lunch for my 8 year old
When it’s lunch time, it’s not uncommon for my 8yo to balk, turning up her nose at the day’s meal. She usually comes around with some cajoling, but I find the process exhausting. Today I told her I wanted to see how high we could stack up her lunch using ritz crackers. I grabbed an …
Reflections on XOXO 2019
XOXO felt like many things. There’s a feeling I get around genuinely creative people. I remember feeling it in college, surrounded by artists, photographers, actors, and designers, many of whom continue to be artists, photographers, actors, and designers. I don’t get to feel that feeling very often. Sure, I may go to a design meetup …
XOXO Day 2
Another great day! Conference presentations Tracy Clayton discussed her battle with depression and how online addiction helps and hurts. She reminded us all: Log off, Fam. Emma Kinema is organizing gaming industry workers, one unfair work environment at a time. Support the cause » Harry Brewis (hbomberguy) played Donkey Kong 64 for 36+ hours to …
XOXO Day 1
There were opening remarks from Andy and Andy to kick things off, but I missed almost all of it because I was dealing with ATT. That made me sad. Then I went to theTim-Tam Slam meet-up and drank coffee through a cookie and then ate the cookie and it was amazing. Then I met a …
XOXO Day 0
Landed in Portland and made my way to the XOXO Festival’s opening party. It’s my first XOXO and of last night is any indication, it’s going to be a good time. The opening party included… Jousting using VR joysticks Good Filipino food Readily-available water A churro truck Tons of friendly people Looking forward to more!
So, what’s your process?
The process depends on the context of the project. Here’s the process I favor for an in-house product design effort: Phase 1, Discovery: Get to know the people who are likely to use the product, the scenario when they encounter the product, and what objective they’re trying to achieve and clarify what problems are standing …