Five Tips for a Successful Design Portfolio Review; Are You Ready?

As a student, it was during my final portfolio review that I got my big break (by talking to the person that would become my first boss and employer). It was also during the portfolio review process that design professionals reinforced what my professors had been teaching us all along (which, maaaaaaaybe, I was too […]

Don’t Pay Consultants to be ‘Yes-People’

I’ve always had a hard time talking to “blue-sky” thinkers and entrepreneurs with the “next big idea.” It’s not because I don’t enjoy talking to them. It’s the opposite — they hate when I question them. I’ve been guilty of this, too. You’re passionate about your good ideas — you love them. And when people […]

Using Sketch Symbols to Build a Dynamic Breadcrumb

While working on a design system for a client, a colleague and I were building out our components in Sketch. It was important to utilize symbols for nearly everything so we could maintain consistency throughout our designs. It was also important that we could make global changes quickly when needed.

Don’t Forget: Design Is Also Agile

Agile methodology, in its truest form, is not a series of processes, sprint cadences, and ceremonies. It’s the ability to quickly adapt or pivot when faced with unforeseen challenges or new information. It often comes into play while reprioritizing a backlog of work or deciding on a quicker/cheaper way to implement a feature during development. […]

Users Absorb Rules (Until They Can’t Trust Them)

The other day, I was golfing in my league, at a course I had played many times. As I was trying to figure out which club I should use for my second shot, I looked around the course for something specific—an indicator to let me know how far away I was from the pin. This […]

Stop Saying “User” when There Is No “User”

But wait, isn’t everything we do for users? Nope! I’m really beginning to hate the term “user.” It has become mainstream. Much as we say “google it” when we mean “search for something on a search engine,” “user” has become synonymous with anything we do in the design/development/product world.

Three Tips for Taking Over Design on an Existing Project

I think it’s fair to say that, in general, designers prefer a blank canvas—a fresh start. But that’s not always the case. Sometimes we have to take over legacy projects or step into projects that are ongoing. There are a few ways to make sure the engagement is positive for the client and fulfilling for […]

Sometimes It’s Okay to Not Share the Marker – Three Times to Take the Lead in a Working Meeting

Don’t get me wrong–I am all about collaboration. Interesting ideas, different perspectives—it’s all great. But sometimes in a working meeting, you have to take control of the whiteboard marker and not let anyone else touch it.

Using “Last Thursdays” to Discuss Exceptions with Users

Most people call them “exceptions.” We call them “Last Thursdays.” I’ve mentioned this term in a couple of my previous blog posts, and I think it’s important to touch on it one more time, to better explain what it means, and to discuss how changing the name has helped us communicate more effectively with our […]

Writing Context Scenarios? Start at the End

If you’ve watched as many YouTube videos as I have, you’ve inevitably seen some ads for Master Classes. These are online classes taught by some of the most renowned names in their respective industries—Ron Howard on directing, Gordon Ramsey on cooking, Steph Curry on dribbling and shooting, etc. In the ad for Malcom Gladwell’s class […]

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By: Kyle Harris

Author: Kyle Harris