I try to buy nice shirts from designers like Zachary Prell, sometimes Canali. I used to be a Men’s Wearhouse sort of guy, but once I tried on a shirt that fit me well, I couldn’t turn back. These shirts generally can not be washed in the washer/drier at home. They usually need to be…
I know that many designers love their Sketch. It’s a good tool and is making Adobe scramble. However, when it comes to UX for enterprise applications, I still believe storyboards are the way to go. Invision is a great tool, but I still think storyboards are better than clickable prototypes. The best tool for Storyboards?…
I was watching some clips of the debate and Bernie Sander’s voice kept poking me in the brain. It sounded exactly like someone else. As if Bernie was doing an impression. Then it hit me. He was doing an impression of Larry David. Check out these two clips. The first is Larry David on 60…
Once I had a job as a project manager. I was terrible at it and eventually was fired. The job was designed for someone with alot of process in mind. This is clearly not me. Remember my personality results? For a project manager, you want high EXAMINE. Obviously, mine is not suited for that job.…
Someone just told me they were Vitamin D deficient. I immediately Googled “How to get vitamin D”. (This is what I do, don’t ask.) What is shocking to me was the first link. It’s the Vitamin D Council. There is a whole non-profit, a council dedicated to Vitamin D. You get Vitamin D from sunlight…
About Face 4 by Alan Cooper has just been released. I first read the initial version and it was a revelation to me. Although Cooper’s ego saturates much of the text, the technique and craft of interaction was undeniably accurate. My own design style is heavily influenced by this book, as well as his other…
It’s a great word, rolls off the tongue. ser·en·dip·i·ty ˌserənˈdipədē noun: serendipity; plural noun: serendipities the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way. If it happens to you, you might call it Karma, Good Luck or even Life Favors the Prepared. When it happens to someone else you might…
There is a joke I tell sometimes. An engineer that I know turned it into a t-shirt. It reads alot better in English, but he added standard scientific notation anyway. Now it requires a bunch of work to understand it. I won’t give it away. Try to get the joke. Your momma is so μ…
I get alot of spam, but this one really caught my attention. It has great copy writing and is funny. I don’t want the product, but I figured I should share it anyway just for good technique. The tip here is avoid being too “professional”. Be creative and unique. Here is the email copy: Glen,…
Should your designs be trendy? It’s kind of a loaded question. If you follow the trends then you are being a design leader. However, if you don’t follow the trends, you are at risk of being left behind as irrelevant. Not everyone can make the new, cool thing. So the question remains, how much should…
This morning, a designer and I had an idea. It wasn’t a big idea. In fact it was fairly unimportant and related to graphic design. However, the size of the idea has nothing to do with the feeling you have for it. People love their ideas regardless of whether they have merit or are complete…
I’m often asked how I measure success or develop career growth for designers. I’ve made this map to help guide. Use this to know if you are in the right title and what a promotion entails. Also use this in recruiting to put someone at the right level when they join. I hope its helpful.…
I watched the show. Although it was funny in parts and well executed, it just wasn’t the right show for me. It was derivative, basically mocking The Office or 30 Rock. I don’t think my kids thought much of it. It was just a regular show. To fix it, I would change one core element.…
How can you make a decision when you don’t have the facts? In truth, it happens every day. The answer is that you just make a guess. Often, the HiPPO (Highest Paid Person’s Opinion) is the one people adopt. Here is a noteworthy quote: If we have data, let’s look at data. If all we…