blog

Perception: A holistic view of UX

A colleague of mine posed a question recently (summarized); "What does UX mean to you?". I thought about it, inside and outside of tech,...

"To degree, or not to degree...": How a high school grad got this far.

This is not a treatise on eschewing formal education. Not at all. Rather, how hard work, no matter what, can get you to where you want to...

"I want to be a Fireman when I grow up!": How consulting made me a better overall professi

How can these two occupations possibly be related? In the consulting world, companies frequently bring you in when they have reached...

Software is Software: "Why coming in 'cold' can be an asset to innovation."

In my career I have worked on MANY different software applications. Once i got over the panic of joining an established team as well as...

Heuristic Evaluation: (with a little self promotion you may find useful at the end)

A Heuristic Evaluation is a usability method that helps to identify usability issues and gaps in the UI. It specifically involves...

Personas: "Who are you & what do you REALLY care about?"

Personas are generally an internal tool created from user research (empathy maps, research, and anecdotal information directly from...

Patents 101: Just relax, it doesn't hurt that much :-)

Welcome to the scary, frustrating, nerve-wracking, insidious, and confusing world of patent submission. Ok, so it’s really none of those...

"I feel for you.": Understanding the power of Empathy Maps

Empathy Map: A UX method to gain direct insight into a user's or user segment's day to day experience. An Empathy Map is a direct...

Big Data wrangling: "How to cram a skyscraper into a thimble."

When I first started in big data at IBM years ago, I was terrified. What terrified me was, conceptually, how to handle and surface...

Skeuomorphism: "It was a good run, but I think I need to move on."

Skeuomorphism: noun, an ornament or design on an object copied from a form of the object when made from another material or by other...

"What stop sign?!" Some thoughts on being a legally blind UX Engineer and Visual Designer

One Summer day when I was about 15, my Dad and I were driving back to our rural home in Western NY state. Dad pulled the extended cab,...