Force Multiplying Design
As a design engineer working on AI products at DuckDuckGo, I found this post by Karri Saarinen particularly resonant. I often reflect on how AI isn’t here to...
Design Tools as a Means to an End
I sat nodding consistently as I read this article about how Figma often leads designers to avoid learning to code and wasting their hours instead on complex...
Interface as a Service
Agentic interfaces are set to revolutionise how we interact with digital systems, treating the interface as a service that interprets user input and delivers...
On the Importance of Taking a Break
We work pretty consistently throughout most of our lives, particularly if we're fortunate to have regular work available to us. In most countries, it's...
On Delight in Interfaces
I was recently working on some blue sky ideas for a few areas across various product surfaces at DuckDuckGo. As a result of this, I was thinking a lot about...
Disarming Conflict with “yes AND”
I’ve been using a cool technique lately to handle disagreements in the workplace. It’s called the “yes AND” approach, and it’s all about building on...
Ten Principles for Product Delight
It's common for companies to hunt for delight when they want to increase the amount of engagement a product has or improve retention through increased...
Managing Day Jobs and Side Projects
I’ve been asked by a lot of colleagues and friends about how I’m able to maintain a full time job whilst completing multiple side projects. Truthfully, I’d...
How to win arguments when data trumps intuition
Making decisions can be a daunting task, especially when data and intuition seem to be at odds. In today's world, data is king, and it's easy to get lost in...
Finding creative space in a constrained place
Design systems are an essential aspect of any designer's toolkit, as they help ensure consistency and coherence across all products and services. But I’ve...
You Aren’t That Important
As a designer or developer in the tech industry, it's easy to get immersed in our work to the point that we start considering it the axis on which the planet...
On Hiring
In a recent tweet, Sahil shared thoughts on applying for a highly competitive remote job at Gumroad. He suggests watching public board meetings on YouTube,...
Screw it, I’m also making a typeface
To create a blog post series similar to "Making a Typeface," you could follow a structure that chronicles your journey, including challenges and progress...
Am I the Pragmatist or the Optimist?
In this one, we’re going to learn the difference between being a pragmatist and an optimist in the context of design engineering. In order to understand why...
Become a Design Engineer
Are you interested in becoming a design engineer? Design engineers are the bridge between design and engineering teams, providing a crucial function in the...
The productivity trap
Here's a common predicament: being lured into the siren's song of the latest and greatest software tools, only to find yourself mastering that new...
Farm to table design: our growing distance from software creation
The consequences of a disconnection from Production Farm to Table Food In today's fast-paced world, we often forget to stop and think about the origins of...
On the commercialisation and commoditisation of design
Design has become an increasingly accessible field in recent years, with more and more designers entering the market every day thanks to approachable design...
Ditching State for searchParams: The Future of Next 13
This article was originally posted on the Cosmic.js Blog. Prerequisites In order to get the most out of this article, you'll need a few things: Using Next.js...
Design is Temporary
Product Design as artefact We need to get comfortable with the idea that product design is a temporary measure to get us from nothing to solution. I recently...
The Design Engineer
The unicorn is dead, long live the unicorn The role of a Design Engineer, formerly known as a Design Unicorn™, is still not fully understood by most...
The only difference between us is our tool of choice
Design, development, and product management are crucial elements in building successful solutions. While they feel like they’re very different and very...
The Spatial Interface
Following up on my 2021 post Spatial Design it’s clear to me that my hunch was right, and Apple were building these principles over the past two years to...
The Struggle between Urgency and Importance: Getting Your Priorities Right
As a designer or developer, you're no stranger to the constant struggle between urgency and importance. Deadlines and client demands often push you towards...
The Struggle between Urgency and Importance: Getting Your Priorities Right
As a designer or developer, you're no stranger to the constant struggle between urgency and importance. Deadlines and client demands often push you towards...
Why I don’t charge for my side projects
The minute money exchanges hands, the relationship becomes one of customer and seller. And that implicit relationship makes a huge difference in what your...
Two weeks and five lessons
When on the outside looking in during an interview process, you can learn a lot about a company. By reading the docs they send you, looking for Glassdoor...
Two weeks and five lessons
When on the outside looking in during an interview process, you can learn a lot about a company. By reading the docs they send you, looking for Glassdoor...
Designing API-first
The power of visualising your API as part of your design process to align the entire team
AI as pair design
The ultimate design companion is just around the corner
Strip your URLs to super simple domains
RegEx has been around since the 50’s, and it’s still just as unreadable
On Digital Playgrounds
Why creating stuff for yourself is the best way to learn a new technology or how something works
Why you should reply to automated emails
Reply to those automated emails, you never know what might happen.
On Digital Playgrounds
Email mistakenly sent without all the contents earlier! Building for fun, by solving problems you face I’ve always been a bit of a nightmare when it comes to...
On Digital Playgrounds
Why creating stuff for yourself is the best way to learn a new technology or how something works
AI as pair design
These days, there’s always a constant influx of new things to learn as a designer. We had the great “should designers code” debate; we also had accessible 3D...
Tempo: Designing a product that demands to not be used
Tempo is a minimalist email client, making email simple again
How to make friends and influence designers
Why every design crit should be well structured, predictable and facilitated
What I've learnt over the past year
Lessons I’ve learnt over the past year.
How music, design and code are all the same
I wouldn’t say I believe creativity is a gift we’re born with. I don’t believe my abilities are.
Designing in the open
What I’ve learnt about sharing constantly and live designing with my team.
Ten Principles for Good Design
I decided to put together a free, multi-device, minimal wallpaper of Ram’s ten principles.
Don’t let your role define you
A practical guide on how to navigate your career when the path you’re heading down isn’t the one you truly want.
Shift gears and switch careers
I’ve talked about my history before, but I haven’t provided explicit advice about how to switch careers
Shift gears and switch careers
Shift gears and switch careers I've talked about my history before, but I haven't provided explicit advice about how to make a career switch effectively....
Design for handshakes not handovers
Why it’s better to shake hands with your developers, than throw your designs over the fence
The power of Cosmic
Not too long ago I decided to set myself a challenge; create and add new content to my website via a CMS.
Getting DRY with Figma plugins
Solving design problems by building Figma plugins.
What a cult taught me about 'limiting beliefs'
You should never feel like you have no limiting beliefs, but you should always fight to overcome them.
From problem to plugin
Learning Typescript, the Figma API and solving a real personal problem.