Category: Design
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Design is a (hard) job.
DESIGN WAS so much easier before I had clients. I assigned myself projects with no requirements, no schedule, no budget, no constraints. By most definitions, what I did wasn’t even design—except that it ended up…
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You got this.
I’M LEARNING new tech and it’s hard. Maybe you’re in the same boat. Through the rosy lens of memory, learning HTML and Photoshop back in the day was a breeze. It wasn’t, really. And CSS,…
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On Teaching (plus Monday links)
TEACHING is a great way to find out what you know, and to connect with other human beings around a shared passion. It’s an energy exchange as well as an information one, and the energy…
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Browser diversity starts with us.
Developers, designers, and strategists, here’s something you can do for the health of the web: Test all your sites in Firefox. Yes, we should all design to web standards to the best of our ability.…
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The state of things
At the end of therapy this morning, I felt like the lone Samurai at the end of a Japanese movie. His warlord has betrayed him, his fellow Samurai have fallen into dishonor, and the rice…
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Grateful X 2
Sometimes you are reminded how just how incredibly lucky you are to know and work with passionate, talented people.
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The Cult of the Complex
“IN AN INDUSTRY that extols innovation over customer satisfaction, and prefers algorithm to human judgement (forgetting that every algorithm has human bias in its DNA), perhaps it should not surprise us that toolchains have replaced…
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For your pleasure
For your listening pleasure, I have prepared a 15-minute playlist composed of ten short songs. Before I share the URL, here are the requirements: You must have Spotify. (Sorry.) To enjoy, in Spotify Settings: Advanced,…
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On practice
Over the decades I’ve used computers, my drawing skill has all but vanished—along with my ability to do calligraphy or even write legibly. Which is why I’ve started forcing myself to sketch again every day.…
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We need design that is faster and design that is slower.
Old Gold: Design faster experiences to help visitors get things done, and slower experiences to improve reading comprehension.
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Beyond Engagement: the content performance quotient
Recently, Josh Clark, Gerry McGovern and I have been questioning our industry’s pursuit of “engagement.” Engagement is what all our clients want all the time. It’s the ? 1 goal cited in kickoff meetings, the…
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A beginning consultant brings skills, an experienced consultant brings value.
A beginning consultant brings skills, an experienced consultant brings value. Early in a good career, you establish that you write the best code on your team, have the deftest touch in UI design, produce more…
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Pulled Over (My Glamorous Life)
MOST mornings my daughter Ava and I easily navigate the path across and down Manhattan to her middle school. This morning was not most mornings. There was the bus driver who chose to block 35th…
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Advice for designers
Start by asking questions. Sketch, share your sketches, ask more questions. Don’t be precious with your work. Don’t hurry to finish.
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Why don’t nonprofit sites convert?
Living in New York and working in media, I talk to nonprofit organizations a lot. Big or small, they all say the same. No matter how much work they put into their apps and websites,…