Uncategorized
Chapter 17 – Don’t Build Yourself Based on an App, OS, or Design System
Technology and tools are useful and powerful when they are your servant and not your master.~Stephen Covey You are a designer. You have excellent taste and are able to craft compelling digital products that help or delight other people. You are able to put together interfaces and paths that help users get what they want…
Read MoreChapter 16 – You Need a Beautiful and Meaningful Portfolio
Bad design is like wearing a rumpled suit. It doesn’t mean you’re a bad person,but it may give people the wrong impression.~Unknown You cannot have an ugly design portfolio. Period. Absolutely unacceptable. “But I have great case studies!” Doesn’t matter. Make it look better. “But I’m primarily a UX designer.” That doesn’t forgive ugly. Make…
Read MoreChapter 15 – The Best Isn’t Always the Best
Be stubborn on vision but flexible on details.~Jeff Bezos You will sometimes know deep in your heart, guided by all the empathy and experience you have, that a particular design decision is the “right” one. You will be convinced to fight for it with every fiber of your being, to “win” for the sake of…
Read MoreChapter 14 – Don’t Let Details Get in the Way of the Big Picture
Focus on the excitement and it will lead you through the obstacles. ~Piya Sorcar There comes a time in every project where the details become absolutely critical to success. The key, though, is to understand when that time is and when they are a hindrance. Let’s run through a scenario. A leader comes to the…
Read MoreChapter 13 – Learn How to Fight Through Ambiguity
Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what’s going to happen next.~Gilda Radner Demanding perfect clarity on a project before you get started greatly diminishes your value and your potential. If you create a scenario where you can’t possibly begin your design work…
Read MoreChapter 12 – Learn to Love and Appreciate Your Coworkers
Coming together is beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success. ~Henry Ford Grab a coffee with anyone who’s worked anywhere for a couple of years and it’s guaranteed you’ll hear a coworker horror story. It’s near impossible to navigate a career without having terrible run-ins with those you work with day in…
Read MoreChapter 10 – Make Developers’ Lives Easier
The most fundamental problem in software development is complexity. There is only one basic way of dealing with complexity: divide and conquer. ~Bjarne Stroustrup With the rise of “Design Thinking” and “Design is the how the thing works” concepts, designers can be forgiven for thinking that developers are serving them. They are the ones who…
Read MoreThe best free courses for UI / UX Beginners in 2022
As opposed to running out and buying any number of design courses, I’d suggest starting with some free Youtube courses to get some experience and momentum on your side. Learning a UI / UX Tool To best begin learning aspects of UI and UX, it can be useful to have familiarity with the tools that…
Read More