App User Experience Review: How We Feel

Delivering new software is a complex process. Doing so at the height of a global pandemic only adds complexity. I thought I’d share my thoughts on an example done well, the How We Feel app. How We Feel is a mobile app that fills the gap between virus testing limitations and having no data at all. […]

Six Great Icebreakers for Remote Meetings & Workshops

We’ve all participated in some cringe-worthy icebreakers before. A good meeting/workshop icebreaker should do three things: Bring people together Teach them something new about each other Get their minds in the right headspace for the task ahead Here are a few great non-traditional icebreakers for your next remote meeting or workshop. Superhero Imagine yourself as a […]

Adapting Design Thinking Methods to a Team’s Cultural Dimensions

When you start incorporating design thinking into a business, you usually bring more than practices. Why? The methods of design thinking are rooted in collaboration, out-of-the-box thinking, and taking measured risks. And at some companies, these attitudes are downplayed, or even outright discouraged. Bringing design thinking into a company like this can be very challenging. […]

Four Sources of Creative Inspiration for a New Design

A blank canvas. Infinite possibilities. Now… start creating. This feeling of creating something from nothing is probably familiar to anyone starting a new project. The pressure to create the best work yet (and fast!) can get in the way of just exploring some ideas. When I’m seeking inspiration, I look for threads to pull — […]

Informing Design with Context Scenarios

The planning phase of any project is crucial, and there are many deliverables that can help document it, including a project roadmap, a product backbone, and user research insights. The challenge comes when trying to turn these deliverables into a wireframe or design. For a recent project, I took to writing context scenarios to bridge […]

How to Facilitate a Remote Workshop

If you were to google how to facilitate a remote workshop, you’d find a lot of articles on which tools to use and even some opinions that you shouldn’t host a remote workshop at all. How can you bring your superstar facilitation skills to the table and create a remote workshop experience that’s both enjoyable […]

Six Principles for Planning and Facilitating a Workshop

There are hundreds of methods for planning workshop activities. In fact, one of my favorite resources is Vijay Kumar’s 101 Design Methods. By combining these methods, designers can create engaging workshops that bring people together to solve problems in just a couple of hours or over a few days. Regardless of how long the workshop […]

4 Simple Questions to Get Your Team Started on the Right Foot

Starting a project with a new team and a new client can be challenging. Everyone is dedicated to understanding the problem space and the project needs. At the same time, we’re learning how to work with each other, sometimes for the first time. We’ve found 4 questions that bring the team together in alignment and […]

Engaging Users in Research without Opening Pandora’s Box

Engaging a product’s users early in the process enables the team to gather information about user needs and make user-driven decisions out of the gate. But some software developers might worry, “What if users ask for features that we can’t deliver right away, or worse, can’t deliver at all?”

Creating a Fast, Easy Daily Log with Bear & aText

I am a big note taker, mostly because I tend to be forgetful. No matter how significant or recent a discussion may be, I often forget the details of what was said or decided–unless I take effective notes.

Atomic Spin

Atomic Object’s blog on everything we find fascinating.

By: Taylor Vanden Hoek

Author: Taylor Vanden Hoek