On design, startups, and building great products

I write about practical design methods, fitting products to users, talking to customers, and reducing complexity

Hi—I'm an independent consultant and startup founder. I've been the first employee at a high-growth startup, director of product design, product manager, engineer, and instructor at the University of Michigan. Full bio...

Are you a startup founder looking for a UX partner?

Learn about my UX consulting work

My articles

I built a startup and filmed every minute on Youtube. Here’s what I learned.

It was hard, but working in public helped me keep momentum and ship.

Startups

Know your bias before you build

Your job title makes you susceptible to bad product decisions

Startups

What to do when you're stuck on a design

A big list of things to try when you’re out of ideas

Education

“You’re a natural, kid”: How to spot raw design talent

The four LEAST-teachable traits of great designers

Leadership

Education

The books I recommend to designers

What to read when you’re learning (or struggling with) design

Education

Using design to make hard life choices

Step one: literally put your priorities in order

Education