Notes and ideas
Things I'm thinking about, making, reading, and obsessing over. Notes and ideas from a Wellington Product Designer with too many interests and not enough hours. Design, surfing, coffee, music, and the occasional rabbit hole.
Molly’s love of books and fall from grace
When a library fine landed with my name on it instead of hers, my 15 year old had to find her own way out of an $80 mess, and back into everyone's good books.
Flipping the narrative with reverse prompting
How reverse prompting, Claude asking the questions instead of me writing the brief, finally got my ideas out of my head and onto the screen without losing my voice along the way.
30+ of the best stand-up comedy specials… and counting
A personal list of 30+ of the best stand-up comedy specials worth watching. Crowd-pleasers to career-defining sets. Something here for everyone.
How one wrong booking ended up with five cards on the table
Everyone has values. Few people can name their core values. Here's how I found mine, and why I wished I'd done it sooner.
How I designed and built a four-metre album art gallery wall
A year and a half in the making: 50 album covers, custom framing, and a four-metre gallery wall built from scratch. Here's how the whole thing came together.
I know the pieces fit: Custom Hi-Fi furniture
How a search for a turntable stand turned into a lesson in design thinking, prototyping, and communicating ideas clearly enough for other people to build them.
How I’m wired: ENFJ Protagonist meets CliftonStrengths
A look at how my 16 Personalities ENFJ result, CliftonStrengths top 10, and neurodivergent thinking all point to the same thing: someone wired to solve complex problems and lead with purpose.
10 Step UX/UI design process
A practical breakdown of the 10-step design process I've developed over 19 years of UX/UI work, from the initial brief and sketching through to feedback, iteration and delivery.
50 best album covers: The most interesting and iconic artwork
The backstory, hidden details and the designers behind some of the most interesting and iconic album covers ever made.
How I rebuilt my UX/UI portfolio from the ground up, and what I learned
Six weeks of nights and weekends, hundreds of AI prompts, and one very old PHP-patched website. Here's everything I learned rebuilding my UX/UI portfolio from the ground up on WordPress.
9 design documentaries worth watching
Nine documentaries about design, creativity and craft that are genuinely worth your time, covering graphic design, typography, urban planning, advertising and indie game development.
Surf workout: Strength training
How I built my own surf strength training routine from scratch after a shoulder injury, the workout itself, the gear that actually matters, and what changed once I stopped chasing goals and started building systems.
Surf workout: Flexibility and mobility training
Maximise your time out of the water with flexibility training to improve your surfing.
How to make the perfect cup of tea
A simple, step-by-step process for making the perfect pot of loose leaf tea using a French press, shared with me by a good friend.
UX certifications I’ve completed with the Interaction Design Foundation
A personal rundown of the 32 UX courses I've completed with the Interaction Design Foundation, covering everything from design thinking and user research through to AI, accessibility and mobile UX.
Designers “should”
A pushback on the "designers should" genre of advice. Whether it's coding, degrees or portfolios, here are some thoughts on making up your own mind.
How to improve your UX+UI design skills
Some practical tips and resources for junior and intermediate designers looking to grow their UX and UI skills, without spending a fortune.
Where to buy vinyl records in New Zealand
A guide to the best places to buy vinyl records in New Zealand, from independent stores and online shops through to a few hidden gems worth knowing about.
My Discogs vinyl collection
A look at my vinyl record collection on Discogs, my home listening setup, and the electric drumkit I picked up along the way.
How to make the perfect Espresso Martini
A simple Espresso Martini recipe, Angus's go to for whenever he's hosting. Equal parts vodka, espresso and Kahlúa, shaken hard for the best result.
Popular fonts for web and mobile design
The serif and sans-serif typefaces professional designers actually reach for, with the history behind each one and where to get it.
Baked chicken recipe based on the KFC 11 herbs and spices
A baked version of the original KFC 11 herbs and spices recipe, adapted from the Chicago Tribune. Crispy, flavourful and a lot healthier than the original.
Books that challenged and reshaped how I think
A personal reading list spanning design, business, habits and leadership, books that have genuinely stuck with me and shaped how I think and work.
Things I’ve bought that genuinely improved my work-life balance
A personal list of purchases that have made a real difference to how I work, stay healthy and switch off, from noise-cancelling headphones through to an espresso machine and a drumkit.
Questions I ask when interviewing for a UX design role
The questions I ask when interviewing for a UX/UI design role, built around four things that matter most to me: people, projects, process and problems.
Things I’m thankful for in 2019
A personal reflection on the moments that made 2019 special, from surfing in Wales and travelling through six countries to family milestones, music, and turning 40.
Taking time off work to hang out with my kids during the school holidays
Every school holidays, Molly, Charlie and I sit down together to plan a mix of low-cost adventures and lazy days at home. Here's what we got up to.
My go-to superfoods muesli recipe
A simple homemade muesli recipe using oats, honey, coconut oil and your choice of dried fruit, seeds and superfoods. Baked in the oven until golden.
Designing a police dispatch dashboard: User Experience (INFO 246) university paper
A week-by-week breakdown of the UX process I followed for my User Experience paper at Victoria University, designing a police dispatch dashboard from brief through to prototype.
Designing with a 4px/8px baseline grid
How I use a 4px/8px baseline grid and the traditional typographic scale to create consistent, well-structured layouts for web and mobile design.
What my ideal UX/UI Design role looks like
A straightforward look at what I'm after, the kind of company, team and work that brings out my best.
UX/UI design basics
A quick reference covering the core principles of UX and UI design, from usability and information architecture through to affordances, signifiers and user testing.
Things to do in Wellington, New Zealand
A personal guide to Wellington, New Zealand, covering the best places to eat, where to find craft beer and decent coffee, and things to do when you have visitors in town.
Designing two free geometric typefaces from scratch
Two free geometric fonts built 30 minutes at a time. One inspired by modular Lego-like shapes, one by Herbert Bayer’s 1925 universal typeface. Both free to download and adapt.
A selection of logo design and brand identity projects
Logo design isn't my primary service, but it's something I genuinely enjoy. Over the years I've taken on the occasional branding project alongside my core UX/UI work, and picked up a few personal projects along the way.