Design.

Great design embraces who we are; it accepts our flaws and amplifies our strengths. I love design that is for everyone.

I find joy in applying design methods to understand our complex world and carve out small spaces of clarity for myself and others. I strive to make complexity approachable instead of merely dumbing down facts until they are no longer relevant; I want people to have tools to think and express, not just apps to consume.

When I reflect on my practice, the following mindsets have been constant companions:

• Step back and observe.
• Amplify what’s there.
• Fill in the gaps.
• Embrace complexity.
• Respect people’s capabilities.

Inspiration.

I love to be inspired by books and history lessons by designers who take the time to share their insights; here are some of my favourites.

• Badass: Making Users Awesome Kathy Sierra
• The Laws of Simplicity John Maeda
• Thoughtless Acts? Jane Fulton Suri
• Sketching User Experiences Bill Buxton
• Living With Complexity Donald Norman
• Designing for the Digital Age Kim Goodwin
• Designing Interactions Bill Moggridge
• Understanding Comics Scott McCloud
• The Visual Display of Quantitative Information Edward Tufte
• Making the Invisible Visible Hillman Curtis
• Doing with Images Makes Symbols Alan Kay
• Up and Down the Ladder of Abstraction Bret Victor

I like to immerse myself in great design to learn to understand what makes it tick. A place I like is the Vitra design museum and I wish for similar immersive museums for digital interfaces; the Museum of Digital Arts in Zürich is a start.