Taylor Vanden Hoek on Atomic Spin

Consulting During a Software Client’s Reorganization

As a consultant, I’m responsible for looking and planning ahead and keeping us focused on the right work, even during a software client's reorganization.

UX/Design Practices

Pairing with a Developer to Design an App – Part Two

The next step in our design process for creating an app was an audit of features. The benefit of this audit is determining context, value, and priority.

UX & Design

Pairing with a Developer to Design an App – Part One

Product designers and developers commonly have a push and pull relationship, but what happens when they decide on pairing to design an app?

Effective communication

Unblocking Complex Questions on Your Product Team

You can clear up complex project questions by clarifying the problem, envisioning the landscape, and defining the work ahead once a decision is made.

Growing as Makers

6 Questions that Keep Your Team Engaged During Remote Meetings

Keep people engaged, avoid awkward pauses, and make your remote meetings more conversational by asking these six questions.

UX/Design Practices

3 Ways to Remove Gender Bias from Early UX Design Phases

What we say about users often includes things like their name, age, and gender. But these bring stereotypes that keep us from being inclusive.

UX/Design Techniques

Internal PDF Links Zooming In or Out? Set the Zoom Level

Adding links in a PDF is a great way to create interactive docs or simple prototypes but can create weird zoom level issues. Here's how to fix it!

UX/Design Techniques

App User Experience Review: How We Feel

How We Feel has a very strong user experience, prioritizing focus, privacy, accessibility, social good, retention, and context.

UX/Design Tools

Six Great Icebreakers for Remote Meetings & Workshops

A good ice breaker should bring people together. Try these non-traditional icebreakers for remote workshops (or meetings of any size).

UX/Design Practices

Adapting Design Thinking Methods to a Team’s Cultural Dimensions

When you bring design thinking to a hierarchical, competitive, risk-avoidant culture, who needs to change? Sometimes, there's room for everyone to adapt.

UX/Design Techniques

Four Sources of Creative Inspiration for a New Design

Here are a few of the activities, questions, and thought experiments I try when I'm starting a new design and looking for creative inspiration.

UX/Design Practices

Informing Design with Context Scenarios

Context scenarios act as a bridge between deliverables in the planning phase and the wireframe or design. Utilizing them can help with team alignment and will further the design pr

Taylor Vanden Hoek

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