On happiness
May 7, 2013
Happiness is not something you postpone for the future; it is something you design for the present – Jim Rohn Image source: www.flickr.com/photos/aftab/3366342089
ux | work | life matters
Category: UX matters
The joy of teaching
May 6, 2013
Just under a year ago I started teaching classes over at General Assembly in London. Since then I’ve taught 15 classes with them, here and in New York. Getting involved with General Assembly is one of the best things I’ve done.
On how great products come about
November 14, 2012
Great product design doesn’t happen because of one person. It’s a team effort with everyone touching the product in some way. From the ZURblog post Designers Can Move Mountains Image source: www.flickr.com/photos/aftab/3364835006/in/photostream
Day 307 | The story of the perfect but useless litter tray
November 6, 2012
When it comes to product design what we like in terms of how a product will be used and how it’s actually used can be very different. Last week I paid the price for going for wishful thinking rather than facts and the actual use case.
Day 284 | Building & crossing bridges
October 15, 2012
Today we walked across the Brooklyn Bridge and back taking us from the world of Manhattan to the world of Brooklyn. Though the views are seldom as beautiful we cross and build bridges every day in what we do.
Day 259 | Flat packs and visual instructions
September 17, 2012
It’s just over a year since we completed project flat and today we went to Ikea, again. As always you end up with quite a few things when you leave the yellow and blue store, but today it was planned.
Day 237 | Seeing the bigger picture
August 26, 2012
Yesterday I watched the Closing Ceremony on iPlayer. Though I was there in person I wanted to see what it had looked like on TV. As I sat in the sofa and watched the zoomed out view of the stadium, it reminded me of the importance of balancing the bigger
It’s what you do that matters
August 25, 2012
Recently I’ve come across a few people who have expressed concerns around what to call themselves and if what they do is right. They’ve looked to thought leaders and the general UX community for guidance but instead they’ve become insecure and scared.
On ‘The Future Isn’t About Mobile. It’s About Mobility’
July 22, 2012
Mobile itself is the nuts, bolts, and infrastructure, while mobility is the context which determines if it all works together or doesn’t. From the Harvard Business Review post The Future Isn’t About Mobile; It’s About Mobility Image source: www.flickr.com/photos/31878512@N06/4945216951/in/photostream
Day 153 | The importance of good relationships
June 3, 2012
In order to do our job as IAs and UX designers properly we need not only to have good and close relationships with the teams we work with but also the clients who’s products we’re designing. Without those, selling our ideas are all the harder, no matter how good they
Slides for my GA London class ‘Designing for multiple devices’
May 28, 2012
Tonight I held a class over at General Assembly here in London with the purpose of providing an overview of the usage patterns and UX principles you need to consider when designing for multiple devices, as well as provide some hands on experience.
On why you shouldn’t create ‘lite’ mobile experiences
April 21, 2012
The notion that you should create a separate, stripped-down version for ‘the mobile use case’ might be appropriate if such a clean mobile use case existed, but it doesn’t. […] Just because I’m on a small screen doesn’t mean I’m interested in less content or want to do less. […]
On using the physical world to mock-up interfaces
April 17, 2012
If touch is the future, the physical world is overflowing with inspiration for UI designers who are willing to simultaneously accept the limitations of “pictures under glass,” and think beyond them. From the Co.DESIGN post Using Origami To Mock-Up Ingenious Gestural Interfaces, a post about Juan Sanchez’s Interface Origami Image
On what to tell your fears
April 5, 2012
I wish my friends would tell their fears to go f*** themselves and just do whatever is truly in their hearts. Whitney Hess, in a tweet Image source: www.flickr.com/photos/jdhancock/4354438814
Designing sales pitches
March 31, 2012
Today I received a call from one of the charities I support. It was obvious why she was calling, but it took her 2.5 minutes of reading from a script to get to the point.
On what design is built on
March 28, 2012
Design is built on relationships—between people mostly, but also between skillsets and knowledge areas. – Eric Schmidt, CEO Google referenced in the UX Mag article Breaking through the glass : Designing digital experiences beyond the screen Image source: www.flickr.com/photos/31878512@N06/4945216951/in/photostream
On the magic of doing one thing at the time
March 19, 2012
The best way for an organization to fuel higher productivity and more innovative thinking is to strongly encourage finite periods of absorbed focus, as well as shorter periods of real renewal. the Harvard Business Review article The Magic of Doing One Thing at a Time on how only doing one
On how great leaders can inspire & transform
January 22, 2012
An idealistic vision can lift people up and engage them, but it also needs to be approached in a way that acknowledges the reality of the challenge. Great leaders are able to work both agendas simultaneously in a compelling way. From the Harvard Business Review post The Power of Idealistic-Realism:
On great user experiences
January 7, 2012
A great user experience is rooted in your attention to detail Apple’s iOS Human Interface Guidelines Image source: www.flickr.com/photos/funch/4679422945
‘Keeping it simple’ article for .net Magazine
January 3, 2012
Late last summer .net Magazine asked me if I’d like to write an opinion piece for them and I happily said yes. Today my piece was published.
Why you should write every day
You probably think you have nothing to write about but once you start it gets hard to stop. Honestly.
Writing is an incredibly important skill at all levels. By writing every day you reflect on things in a different and clearer way and you become better at expressing yourself. If you haven’t tried writing every day, give it a try for 30 days to begin with. I did it every day of 2012. Seth Godin has done it for years and swears by it.