Best practices for presenting numbers that change with time — Change over Time Technical people monitor metrics — numbers that report change over time — to keep systems running smoothly. This is not news. What is news is that as streams of data continue flow into and alter every aspect of modern life, UX designers are increasingly being asked to create experiences anyone…

Instinct and the Corona Virus — Yesterday evening I went for an urban hike in San Francisco. I do that a lot, and have for years. Yesterday’s hike was different. Really different. The trails, stairs, and open spaces I usually have nearly to myself were crowded like I have never seen them before. Hikers, couples, families…

4 things you have to know — So, you want to design developer experiences? Awesome! Your timing is great. The employment picture is bright for folks who know how to create products for programmatic or declarative developers. Your first step is to develop empathy for these people by learning what it is like to spend your working life inside a computer. Inside a computer…

How to speak about data with technical people — Learning to speak data In 2001 the fallout from the dot com bust was making it hard to find software development work anywhere in the Bay Area. …

When design, business and technology define product strategy together as partners, success is a certain outcome. — First of all, my definition of product development working: 1. Build great products 2. Everyone involved has fun doing it. How do you do this? A partnership of business, design and engineering. The partnership has 2 rules: A partner can require either an outcome or a schedule from another partner. One or the other, never both at the same time.

Here is how I got mine. — In April 1992 I returned from living in Barcelona and got my first real job after design school with MenloCare, a medical products start up. My time there enabled me to grow from a green design grad to a competent journeyman product designer. …

Use these models to get your entire team on the same page about what you are building — The Problem is Translation Years ago while traveling in India I bought an inexpensive English translation of Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment. I was excited to read this famous piece of Russian literature but after slogging my way through it, I was not impressed and couldn’t understand why it was so revered. The answer, it…

A story about making. This space in my house could be nicer: Along came an idea.

A: Enough to reduce risk to your comfort level. — Here is an example. I was negotiating a temporary contract with a unicorn and was asked to provide my hourly rate. My gut feeling was I could ask $150 but I wasn’t sure. My negotiating strategy is to open at the top of a reasonable range, but I also know…