• Ode to Jim Henson

    I just watched Jim Henson, Idea Man on Disney+. I feel like he needs no introduction, but if don’t know who he is, you can certainly read about him or watch the documentary. To me, Jim Henson has been my Patron Saint and idol since I was a child. I…

  • The Art of Asking Questions

    Curiosity is the hallmark of a great teammate. When I am recruiting people, I will often look for signs of an inquisitive mind. Do they ask questions? More importantly, How do they ask questions? A person who is truly interested in a topic will ask questions in good faith. One…

  • Trusting vs Training Your Team

    I saw a post on LinkedIn that said, “Micromanaging is a sign of a lack of trust. If you don’t trust your team, you will never achieve great things.” This is exactly the kind of thing that gets tons of likes. Unfortunately, I think it’s highly misleading and taken literally…

  • Tesla FSD Trial

    I received this email from Tesla. This came a total surprise to me. They price this package at about $10,000 per car. They also have a month-to-month subscription for it. Needless to say, I had to try it out. I drove to Berkeley and back using complete FSD. Supervision The…

  • Gratitude

    Two business representatives for a sneaker company went to a third world country and saw everyone wore sandals. One came back and said, “It’s no good, no one has sneakers.” The other said, “What do you mean?? This is great! No one has sneakers!” The difference between glass half full…

  • Luck and Timing

    Most people at the beginning of their careers have no idea how much luck and timing will play a role in their lives. Talk to anyone middle aged or older and they will point to numerous moments that were completely random and provided a turning point for their lives. For…

  • How to make a difference

    I was just listening to Hold On a RadioLab podcast. There is a section where they ran an A/B test of the hold music for the national suicide hotline. Note: Suicide is a serious matter and I am sure there are trained professionals in charge of it making the experience…

  • Customizing WordPress Twenty Twenty Four

    I have a particular look and feel that I want on my blog. Every time there is a new theme, I try to recreate the same look and feel in the new theme. I suppose I believe that the new theme will be faster and better than the previous. However,…

  • Design is everywhere

    Everywhere I look, I see design. Design is just decisions, after all. The height of your ceiling, the shape of your shoes, the sound of your doorbell, the way the road bends around natural obstacles; every single thing around you was decided by human beings in the past. Sometimes, that…

  • “Choose your own adventure” Portfolios

    Imagine a product designer portfolio that didn’t say “Hi! i’m <insert name>!” Imagine a portfolio that didn’t have long scrolling case studies and looked like everyone else’s. What if the Home Screen of the portfolio had two linked that said… What do you want to see? Let’s assume you use…

  • Optimism & Pessimism

    I am watching this anime called One Piece to bond with my kids. They love the manga, but I am watching the anime. (Over a thousand episodes!) I won’t do a full review, but there is this one character who really annoys me. Usopp. Most of the pirate crew are…

  • Post Covid Observations

    Lots of random thoughts. These are in no particular order. Look at my screen Some of the best work I have done was with a partner (designer, pm, or engineer) sitting right next to me. There are moments when you are designing when its appropriate to say “Look at this”…

  • Disruptions in Tech

    “Disruptive technology is an innovation that significantly alters the way that consumers, industries, or businesses operate. A disruptive technology sweeps away the systems or habits it replaces because it has attributes that are recognizably superior.” – Source: Investopedia In my lifetime, I have seen many sea changes in the world.…

  • How to get your first B2B design job

    About 90% of my ADPList mentees have the exact same question. “How do I get my first design job?” I figured it would be easiest for me to just write it all down here. This post is not for marketing design where you will mostly be making websites and brochures.…