Design is optimismI love talking to students for their refreshing ambition. I spoke recently at the UW HCI program (thanks to my friend and host Douglas…Jan 21Jan 21
Published inUX CollectiveWhy design is hard[This is an excerpt of my latest book]Sep 25, 2024Sep 25, 2024
How To Put Faith in UX DesignAnglerfish are famous for the glowing lure they dangle from their heads that they use to catch small fish. But this is not the most…Feb 10, 20211Feb 10, 20211
Published inUX CollectiveThe world needs designers now more than everWhen Dr. Jan Mikulicz-Radecki designed the first surgical mask, he was questioned by his peers: they didn’t believe that by creating…Mar 24, 2020Mar 24, 2020
Wanted: Ambassadors For Good DesignMost designers agree the world would be a better place if more people understood good design. But since designers are always in the…Feb 27, 20202Feb 27, 20202
Published inThe StartupWhat’s the one book that best explains good design? (with suggestions)It can be hard to explain what design even is. It is used as both a noun and a verb. It to making things look good but also can involve…Dec 11, 20192Dec 11, 20192
Why Designers Hate Politics (And What To Do About It)People who design things for a living depend on optimism. To do their job well, whether it’s designing websites or automobiles, they must…Apr 11, 20182Apr 11, 20182
How To Transform Fear Into Something Useful (without self-help foofyness )I grew up thinking fear was binary and that heroic people simply knew how to turn it off, or, perhaps more disturbing, never felt it at…Aug 16, 20161Aug 16, 20161
Published inPrototyprWhy Software Sucks (And What To Do About It)No one makes bad software on purpose. No benevolent programmer has ever sat down, planning out weeks of work, with the intention of…Jul 18, 2016Jul 18, 2016
Why Do Idiots Get Ahead In Life?Every week I write about the top voted question on Ask Berkun (see the archive). This week’s question is from C. with 101 votes] is Why Do…Mar 21, 20161Mar 21, 20161
The Rules I Live ByRules are magnets for cognitive dissonance. More than any generation in history we’re awash in lists of them: the 7 secrets of this, the 12Dec 17, 2014Dec 17, 2014
Should You Trust Your Gut? No!Among the most annoying platitudes used in daily life to justify just about anything is “Always trust your gut.” We say this as if the…Aug 20, 2014Aug 20, 2014