Notes on the craft of product design
Twelve essays on research, systems, accessibility, and the quiet decisions that shape a product.
Designing Calm Interfaces in a Loud Product Era
Calm is not the absence of features. It is the discipline of revealing the right thing at the right moment. A practical framework for restraint.
Progressive Disclosure Without the Trap Doors
Hiding complexity is easy. Hiding it well is hard. How to layer information so users never feel lost, even when the surface is minimal.
From 20 Interviews to One Decision
Synthesis is where research lives or dies. A repeatable method for turning messy interview notes into a single, defensible product decision.
Design Tokens That Survive a Rebrand
Most token systems break the moment the brand changes. Here is how to structure tokens so a rebrand is a config change, not a rewrite.
The Underrated Craft of Empty States
An empty state is a first impression, a teacher, and a nudge. Why most teams get it wrong and a checklist for getting it right.
Designing With AI as a Collaborator, Not a Tool
The best designers I know treat AI like a junior collaborator: fast, useful, and in need of a brief. How to build that working relationship.
Microinteractions That Respect the User
A hover state is a promise. An animation is a sentence. How to design microinteractions that inform without performing.
Accessibility Is a Design Skill, Not a Checklist
If accessibility feels like a tax, it is being treated as a checklist. How to make it a design instinct that shapes the work from day one.
Prototyping at the Speed of Conversation
A prototype is a question, not a deliverable. How to choose fidelity, scope, and tooling so a prototype answers the question and stops.
Metrics That Matter for Design Decisions
Not every design decision needs a metric. But the ones that do need the right one. A guide to pairing decisions with evidence.
Design Ops for Small Teams
You do not need a dedicated Design Ops function to get the benefits. A lightweight system any team of five can run on Monday.
Writing Is a Design Skill
The words on a button are a design decision. The empty state copy is a design decision. How to treat product writing as a first-class craft.