Design for handshakes not handovers
If you've followed me for any length of time, you'll know that I'm really bullish on the notion that practitioners of a craft should be able to understand...
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...
On Digital Playgrounds
Building for fun, by solving problems you face I've always been a bit of a nightmare when it comes to trying to solve problems for myself. I can't help...
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. Over the past few months, I've...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Creating a bookmarking utility with Raycast Extensions and Cosmic
A short one from me today, but just a cross-post of an article I wrote over on the Cosmic blog about how you can work with the Raycast Extensions API and the...
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...
The Design Engineer
The unicorn is dead, long live the unicorn > Note: the tweet that started this off. Also note, I've been a Design Engineer across most organisations I've...
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...
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. 1. To be...
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...
Screw it, I’m also making a typeface
Prologue I recently undertook Elliot Jay Stocks’ typography course via Smashing Magazine and fell properly into the world of type and fonts. At that same...
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...
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,...
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...