Published in UX Collective·PinnedMember-onlyThe fetishisation of UX designIs our showboating doing us more harm than good? — In 2012, Google Ventures created the design sprint. It’s a five-day collaboration with a variety of members in your product team. You “sprint” through the whole design process in a week, from defining the problem to creating a prototype. The idea is to bring in ideas from key stakeholders, and…UX5 min readUX5 min read
Published in Bootcamp·PinnedMember-onlySome harsh truths for UX DesignersSix things nobody warned me about working in the UX industry — I love my job. As a UX Designer, I get to help teams build wonderful digital products that have an impact on people’s lives. It’s a fun and rewarding role, so it’s no wonder the number of designers like me is set to grow by a factor of 100 over…Design5 min readDesign5 min read
Published in Gubbins·Feb 13Member-onlyBecoming a Notion Certified ConsultantWhat I did to get here and advice for making the journey yourself — One of my goals for 2022 was to become a Notion Certified Consultant. I’ve enjoyed the tool for years and I’ve gotten good at using it, so it made sense for me to try and get onto their roster of experts. And it’s finally happened! …Notion5 min readNotion5 min read
Jan 12Member-onlyHow I evaluate your designsWhat I’m looking for when I give feedback — Over my career, I’ve given feedback on design ideas, both at work and to juniors I’m mentoring. It’s never as simple as “does it look good” or even “does it make sense”. Giving effective feedback is not easy. …UX6 min readUX6 min read
Nov 10, 2022Member-onlyKnowing your impact as a designerWays of measuring your influence on your team and beyond — Over the last few years, DesignOps has been a hot topic. It’s a way for design teams to improve their efficiency and give themselves guidelines. Design leaders use metrics like OKRs and KPIs to track their impact as a department. They build playbooks, a set of standards that help designers…Design7 min readDesign7 min read
Aug 25, 2022Member-onlyWriting user research reportsMy guide to creating helpful outputs that make sense — As a user researcher, one of your most important roles is sharing what you discover. I’ve written before about how we share research more generally, but in this article I want to focus on reports. A research report is a document that contains all the juicy data and descriptions from…UX5 min readUX5 min read
Published in Gubbins·Aug 5, 2022Member-onlyThe free tools I’m using to start my businessSeven products I couldn’t live without and why — About a month ago I launched my studio, Gubbins. It’s my consulting business, where I’m helping people get the most out of their Notion workspaces. This is my first time creating something this big, and I’m learning a lot of things as I go. Thankfully, my years as a product…Tools7 min readTools7 min read
Jun 30, 2022Member-onlyA case against case studiesCould designers still find work without them? — When you look at a designer’s portfolio, odds are you’ll find at least one case study in there. These are pages that showcase a project they’ve worked on and the key steps in their process. Here’s one of mine if you need an example. For as long as I’ve been…Case Study5 min readCase Study5 min read
Published in Gubbins·Jun 15, 2022Member-onlyGetting your Notion Essentials BadgeThings I wish someone told me before I got mine — Last month, Notion relaunched their certification program. These are badges for power users, to prove their ability to clients and their co-workers. The Notion Essentials Badge tells people that you are familiar with Notion’s most important functions. There are no requirements to apply for this badge, and there are only…Notion4 min readNotion4 min read
Published in Gubbins·Feb 11, 2022Member-onlyMy new favourite task plannerHow to weather the storm in your head — Over the years, I’ve used so many different organisation methods and tools. For a long time I kept a bullet journal, and I also made my own way to track my habits. …Productivity5 min readProductivity5 min read
