“Optimize for joy” was the advice my friend gave me when I decided to leave the job that […]
The Joy Protocol
The Most Important Interview Question
My favorite interview of all time happened at an early-stage start-up. The last interviewer of the day sat […]
500 Words of September
When I was researching Advice on Writing from Everybody, it was clear that one of the most valuable […]
Three Dilemmas
Recently three friends have reached out to me. 1) The person I thought my partner was isn’t, according […]
Career Choices
I know a lot of zen stories. I started reading this book in college and I never stopped. […]
How to Stop Procrastinating
Gotta ton of work to “just knock out?” Try these handy tips: Do not listen to the first […]
A Simplified Model for User Experience Design
Yes, I know what you are thinking: why another model for UXD? is Jesse James Garrett’s model of […]
Grading the Damn Thing
Recently I’ve been working with General Assembly to create a new immersive user experience design class: five days […]
Personal OKRS
I am crazy about OKRS (Objectives and Key Results). I have been evangelizing this system of staying on […]
Getting the V right
The Minimum Viable Product is the rule in the start-up community, and like all rules, it’s under attack […]
My Year of Living
As I’ve written before, instead of resolutions I usually pick a subject and spend the year studying it. […]
Farming and Knitting
I don’t get Farmville either. Like you, I tried it out and found it painfully boring. I liked […]
A Syllabus for User Experience
When I agreed to teach a class on User experience Design at General Assembly, I had a very […]
Find Your North Star
I don’t think there is one of us today that doesn’t know of the north star, and that […]
Design as Mangement
What gets measured, gets managed. –Peter Drucker Companies that identify, measure and manage key customer behaviors are […]
A Mission for Design
I was invited to say a few off-the-cuff words at a design offsite for a Well Established Company […]
Don’t Kill Your Channels
A channel is a way you can reach your users. It can be email, notifications, stories in a Facebook stream or even […]
Designers Don’t Ask
This is the original article that became “Design Can’t be an Afterthought” on Women 2.0. I’ve left the original title, […]
Your Number
A designer friend sat across the table from me. I took a sip of my wine, she crunched […]
Words on Wireframes
Design is a Job should be required reading for anyone making a living doing Design. I will write […]
Still one of the best resources for what research to do when
When Gabe and I researched, wrote and designed the Carbon IQ User Centered Design Methods Guide, I felt […]
We Have Met the Enemy, and It’s Not Us
This was inspired by an exchange with a friend who is a consultant, and can’t stand the idea […]
Tiny Process for Writing
First Draft: say everything quickly. race to the end! Second Draft: replace pronouns with nouns, explain vagaries. Third […]
Where you been at, Wodtke?
I’ve been in a five week culinary program. I’m in week three. Everything is starting to break down… […]
Tell Me a Little Bit About Yourself
Everyone should know how to introduce themselves to a prospect. You can be a designer on an interview, […]