There is nothing worse than struggling with poorly designed software. Well, OK, lot’s of things are worse, but still it sucks. It makes you feel helpless, angry, frustrated, stupid and unproductive. I feel this way when I use JIRA. It’s so complicated. Configuration is byzantine. Links don’t look like links.…
There is an important skill in a good designer that I call Design Defense. In any design, there are choices that one must work through. There are always alternative designs, but the one you choose should have skilled and comprehensive thinking behind it. Design Defense is about explaining those choices…
It’s incredible how freeing the exercise is. Kill your sacred cows. Think about the project you work on with a colleague and say “What would the world be like if we didn’t have __________?” Some of the greatest companies killed sacred cows and then had wild success. Salesforce.com said, “What…
Every time we release a big upgrade to our SaaS software, I always get this sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. I feel rotten about all of the features that didn’t make the cut and all of the potential bugs that may still be lingering like little roadside…
My wife needed dish-washing detergent and I found myself in a Walgreen pharmacy. I spotted the following product on the shelf. I thought for a second and smiled. Then I said the word you just said in your head when you saw the picture. I said it in exactly the same way…
I can’t decide what I like. Beard and receding hair or shaved head and face. What do you think? (Animated GIF below) It’s less work to have the beard at first, but trimming it can be a pain. Plus, I hate how I can see my hair going away. With a shaved…
Interviewing is like golf. Anyone can do it, but it’s hard to be good at it. The goal is to quickly ascertain if a candidate is a worthy member of your team and if they are then to inspire them to want to work with your company. Here are tips…
I’ve been asked recently about my abilities related to public speaking. I feel very comfortable in front of a crowd and can tell stories and relate information in an engaging way. I don’t want to sound too conceited, but I am pretty good at it. The questions, however, relate to…
From kindergarten through 2nd grade I lived in a lower-middle class neighborhood in New York called Spring Valley. I had friends. In fact, in second grade, I was popular; mainly because I was tall, athletic and smart. A girl even kissed me under a big stone turtle statue. Teachers loved me because…
Two things I am good at are Pool and Tennis. Each requires a specific piece of equipment that makes a big difference in how you play. If someone asked me to help them buy a pool cue or a tennis racket, I would be able to explain to them the…
First impressions are important. I was asked by someone at Generic Frame to look at their prototyping tool, so I wrote down the impressions I got after using it for about a half hour. Warning 1: I didn’t like it much. Warning 2: I don’t like prototyping tools in general.…
Say the name of the product depicted below. Every word makes me salivate. Oh my god, I want to shove 20 of these in my mouth and make my blood sugar spike. It’s not the name of a product, it’s a list of yummy ingredients. Each cookie probably shortens my life…
I have no idea what I was thinking. Why did I install Windows 8 on my Samsung Series 9 laptop? It was running great. I was happy. Now, I have this ridiculous operating system with its horrible Metro UI. Can you tell I don’t like it? The start menu disappeared. All these…
A few years ago, my wife gave me a Ukulele as a birthday present. Although I had never played an instrument before, I found the ukulele delightful and easy to play. It’s soothing and fun and easy to carry around. People love hearing it. Lately, I have been giving it…