Sage with Design

One of the most impressive things you can do in life is to do your "thing" really well. It's astonishing to hear a guitar solo from a guitarist. Or when a mountain climber makes it to the top.  As a designer, there is nothing more important than to create design work that is creative, innovative, industry-changing and so obviously compelling that everyone who sees it wants to have a say in it and play a part.

Acknowledge that there is a difference between design and craft.  Designers create designs that fill a niche and solve a problem, while the aesthetics or the "pretty part" comes with craft. Design leads to breakthroughs whereas craft ensures that design achieves what it intends to.

Cheaper seltzer has more intense carbonation than premium brands. It's hard for me to justify spending 2 or 3 times the amount that generic seltzer costs. When curiosity does get to me, I'm often disappointed (with the exception of Liquid Death's Mango Chainsaw). Finer bubbles aren't satisfying, even though they're the "good" kind. There are worse things to become accustomed to. Biases can develop without us realizing. Which is good to be conscious of while designing and it's why data-driven design decisions are essential.

Design thinking is the big one. It's a non-linear way of going about identifying people's problems and designing risk-adverse solutions. Product thinking is linear and focused on making the product more efficient. Creative thinking means trying to generate new ideas that solve problems by considering different perspectives and decisions. Strategic thinking is aligning your actions with your data-driven goals. Systems thinking depends on your field and project, but it can be about seeing the wider picture of design systems and ecosystems to either improve efficiencies or better understand users. Collaborative thinking involves stakeholders sharing their ideas so the product meets their needs. Critical thinking is evaluating information to identify and solve problems. Visual thinking is how you make your drawing, prototype or render as impactful as possible. Lateral (divergent) thinking is thinking outside the box. Linear thinking is logical and straight-forward. Which ar...

The presentation starts in 15 minutes. You're nervous and looking for more confidence but it's just not there.  Confidence isn't the only tool for the underprepared. What you need is courage. Courage doesn't feel good like confidence. You take action despite fear. If you're in this situation, it means you have to learn something. And once you follow through, even if you fail, you'll be more confident next time.

The most popular way to create a 3D model is by placing sets of faces, edges and vertices (surfaces, lines, curves and points) within your 3D modeling software. Faces, edges and vertices make up a type of model called a B-rep, or Boundary Representation. This is standard for Solidworks, AutoCAD and Blender. You define the limits that represent the boundaries of your model. Ai typically does not generate B-reps, instead they make Implicit models. Implicit models have existed since the 1960s, but you may not know about them because they're a challenging specialized tool. They are comprised of math functions to achieve a 3D model.  There are no faces, edges or vertices; there is only surface. Here's an example of how to make a sphere using a B-rep or Mesh:  In Solidworks, you can create a sphere by using the sphere tool under "Features." The sphere needs to have a radius of 1000mm, so you edit it with the dimensions tool. A sphere's defined limits can also be Mesh....

You design what you think. "In America, you have to control your diet very carefully. If you feed on things that are easy and accessible, that's what you put out yourself. The kind of exciting chemical explosions which take place when you're experimenting are much more likely to occur if you make mad choices." -Tom Waits

Ideas are fleeting. Like a butterfly, an idea can appear and disappear in an instant.  The loss of epiphany can feel as burdensome as death. But really it's a person's contemplative nature that shows the surest sign of being alive.  In order to catch good ideas you have to be willing to put pen to paper. To sketch, to prototype, to experiment. You have to be willing to take risks and try new things. And a designer's greatest countermeasure to missing out on ideas is to carry a sketchbook. Putting pen to paper is a lot like borrowing a butterfly net. You won't catch butterflies by thinking about catching butterflies.

If UX research weren't essential, every successful business wouldn't prioritize it. When designing for a client, however, greater influence should be given to the stakeholders who support your business. You may know the best design practices, but if your clients aren't delighted, your vision will be irrelevant. 

No matter how much you love your job, a bad day of pinball is better than a good day at work.  

You can have passion for what you do without it consuming you. Taking time for yourself and loved ones does not reflect the absence of devotion. Without setting boundaries around a healthy work-life balance, burnout is inevitable. There are moments when stepping away from work can be the most productive thing you can do.

Coming up with a good idea can feel like fishing. Go fishing often, you'll catch a fish.

What we want isn't always good for us. Most people sabotage themselves when they get the opportunity and without full appreciation of it.  Growing up poor makes you crave a stocked refrigerator. Meat is too expensive, so you have ramen, canned beans and peanut butter and jelly day after day. So when your new job earns you some real money, it's easy to secure your better life by constantly keeping a fully stocked fridge, despite throwing out lettuce every week. Money is sacrificed for the secure feeling that comes with abundance.  User needs are prioritized first because it's easy to sell someone a solution to their technical issue. When we appeal to wants, it's based on what users tell us they want and what we already know that they will gravitate towards. Filling in blanks for user wants are risky because we venture into assumption territory.  It's damn difficult to sell someone on your word. The designer who relies on their designer's eye will appeal to their ...

When we introduce more products that are designed to be accessible to, and to serve, only the privileged, we dehumanize ourselves.

It's fun to argue about a good or bad design. The real work, though, is concerned with intent and evidence. Sequential logic and user experience data is always more valid than, "I'm just not sure if I like it."

"________ was here" carved in a tree or a bathroom stall is a lot like the Voyager Golden Records. Voyagers 1 and 2 still soar through space to explore beyond our solar system. The peaceful messages in different languages and media are there in case alien life discovers it. Each message is simple and each is a mark to show that people exist. It's a way of saying, "I am here." A meaningful message can be a funny thing. 

 Don't bring an umbrella to a brainstorm.

Many popular designers become popular by posting sketches and renderings on Instagram or TikTok.  But the truth is that drawing is a technical skill. Like learning how to be a bartender, you practice and learn new techniques until you have a style.  The difficult part is empathizing with the right stakeholders and designing something they can get behind. But that's not as exciting as drawings of hot rods and tug boats.

Which is not to say that you should settle for less. It's about utilizing resources and being realistic about expectations. It ties in with the mantra, "Fail early and fail often." But not everything is a lesson, sometimes you just don't win. 

 That's what it means to be a good designer. "If people don't either love or hate your work, you just haven't done all that much." -Tinker Hatfield

Sign language utilizes the entire body.  Aside from hand gestures, a person communicates through body language, lip reading, facial expression, different dialects and eye contact. To translate sign language with a device means to know real-time details about how an entire person's body is moving. 

4K Tv Antenna - A higher bitrate means the image is clearer. The image is less compressed than streaming so local news looks as sharp as a movie, if not sharper. If you only stream content, adding an antenna is more than worth it for local news. MagSafe Phone Case - Magnetic phone holders need to replace all other phone holders. This built-in magnetic ring allows for wireless charging while mounted. It works well with my car phone charger. The downside is the strength of the magnet. I also use two different cars, one with this magnet, and the other using a circle magnet which isn't compatible. My work around was adding an adhesive magnet to my phone case at the bottom. $1 Chef Knife - As a former cook that used a Wustof daily, the dollar store chefs knife is my favorite one. It's the only chefs knife I use in the dishwasher because who cares if it gets damaged? It gets hit with a honing stick every time I use it, but the convenience of not caring about it getting damaged mak...

There is a constant tug of war between what is innovative and what is desirable.

A perfectionist can't distinguish between the perfect product and one good enough.

Why bother buying a jump rope when you can just jump? The easy answer is that jumping rope is the superior exercise. In addition to working out your calves, quads, hamstrings, glutes, and core, jumping rope adds forearms, biceps, triceps, shoulders and back muscles. More muscles are worked therefore it's a better workout. But it's not really about that. A jump rope comes with rules and feedback. The rope needs to be long enough to travel around you at a pace. There are different tricks and types of ropes to get into. When the rope smacks the ground, it makes a noise and you feel it in the handle. Sounds and vibrations condition you to jump at the perfect time and to be aware of how the rope is moving around you. It helps you keep an external rhythm, which even experienced musicians practice with metronomes. People like to have something to get good at. Jumping rope is a better workout than jumping, but mostly it's more interesting.

Bat a balloon to brainstorm. You trade some brain power for the balloon, but in return your thoughts are clearer.  The point of brainstorming isn't to generate quality thoughts, anyway. The game is quantity. It's about coming up with as many ideas as possible during this 1 hour meeting. So, simple, repetitive activity helps to: Increase cerebral blood flow Decrease Cortisol levels Release Endorphins Improve mood Break a rut If gamification isn't your thing, don't bat a balloon. But it's a good idea to take your mind for a walk before a session. 

The Segway was supposed to be revolutionary, but today's self-balancing scooters outsell the original Segway by miles. Google Glass was less desirable than the Apple Vision Pro is today. The idea of having cameras on your face was taboo, 10 years later it's acceptable. Mobile phones were around since the 70s but they weren't in everyone's pocket for another 30 years. A design can be good in theory but not well executed. Or it's just that the time was wrong. That's why creating the first of something is so difficult. The public's interest is harder to gauge. A first-of-its-kind product might be successful, but it's safer to come in second.

That's the saying that discourages people from chasing material possessions. Although, money can buy necessities and quality. A senior who requires a wheelchair after an accident will need to invest in products to assist her new lifestyle. They may consider good quality: wheelchairs walkers joint braces raised toilet seats grab bars and handles pain patches shower benches seat cushions slip-on shoes non-slip socks exercise equipment transfer/gait belts Per each person's situation the list could be longer and will surely lean towards quality for greater benefits. Comfort, relief, and mobility can be essential for independence. Money can't buy happiness, but it's a means to find it.

The charging port is located on the bottom so you can't use it while charging. Some argue it's for aesthetics. Using it while charging would lead to folks leaving the mouse plugged in all the time, which looks dated. The real reason could be that the battery location was traded for the charging port. A total redesign wasn't conducted because the mouse charges so rapidly.  It distracts from the larger issue. The low profile aesthetic looks good but it's uncomfortable to use for long periods of time. It fits no one's hand perfectly. It's normal for designers and critics to complain about every product. What's a bad sign, though, is when designers feel the need to design accessories for the accessories in an attempt to make them usable.   MouseBase Solumics.Case Charge while using Grips

No graph tells the whole story. Presenters highlight, generalize and omit information in presentations in order to better wrap all our heads around the same idea. Some nuance in information is sacrificed for a sharable understanding of it. We don't need the whole story, we just need to move forward. All charts are a little wrong, but they are useful.

It's new territory.  The fear isn't just that you bring the wrong cards to the table, it's that everyone else's cards are probably so good. Your work is more important than before and you might not succeed. Everyone else seems to carry themselves so well. I'm positive they know something that you don't. They may even know more than you. You want to be around people you can learn from, despite it feeling intimidating. There isn't anything they know that you don't have the capacity to understand.