That's one of the biggest things missing in our discourse today——understanding. When we get into disagreements, opposing views, straw man arguments, and the like; so much of our frustration comes from not feeling like the person sitting across from us is taking the time to truly get
Yesterday I was working with a colleague on an idea. We needed to build out a new workflow for our users, and we'd already gotten a great start from prior work by another designer. As we were wrestling through the interface, moving back and forth, changing things, and
That may sound so obvious that it doesn't need to be said. But I feel impressed to say it, to put it out in the world so that hopefully it will resonate with you at a time when you need it. If you're reading this right
I wish I could have things magically happening whenever I want. So much of my life has been marked by waiting. Waiting for that check in the mail, waiting for that position to open up, waiting for interviews to come through, waiting for feedback, waiting, waiting. At some point, I
Throughout the last decade I've shifted through large bucket-list-style ideas. Maybe they're goals, maybe they're just tasks, dreams, or hopes. But in general I'm searching for something that's large, and a real challenge to accomplish. I have friends
Leadership is one of those things that we all think we understand, but life and experience teach us there's so much more to learn. I've written on the topic before, and my thoughts continue to crystallize the more experience I get as both a leader and
In product, we risk getting bogged down in all the what-ifs, questions about possibilities, uncertainty. When you're designing a product, you only have the limited information in front of you, combined with all that world of unknowns. And there's only so much you can glean
Amidst the chaos of our lives we have glimpses of a stillness, a calmness, a breathing living possibility outside all the goals we're trying to accomplish. Recently I got up early and went on a long, multi-hour, hike with a friend. We watched the sunrise, enjoyed fun
I've been making software for a long time. That's meant seeing trends come and go, things shift, new technology emerge, and now the advent of AI. But, I also feel like I've got so much to learn about building a great user experience, defining
There are two types of conflict. In the first form, you have messy people attempting to work through a problem. They aren't perfect; they bring their own baggage, pride, mistakes, assumptions, faults, problems, hopes, dreams, and yes, sometimes deceit and hurt. But, by and large, through their faults
As a kid, I was often called gullible. I didn't mind too much. I took people at their word, generally believed what they said, and got into awkward conversations when I realized the other person was being sarcastic or sardonic. Sincerity, intentionality, deliberateness—all these are a bit
Steelmanning and strawmanning are two terms that I've been looking at a lot lately. A quick summary. Strawmanning Strawmanning means that you are oversimplifying someone else's argument into a weaker version to make it easier to knock down. So, if I disagree with you, I'