Category: Thoughts
Working out my thoughts, opinions, patterns I’m noticing and realizing at work.
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Rode across the state with my good friend and bikepacking partner Matt. Touching the ocean in La Push to the Idaho border east of Spokane. Stuck primarily to off roads and did a combination of XWA Grand Depart, XWA Lite, and some of our own planned and adhoc routes. It was all inspired by this…
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(mostly) abandoned blogs: www.are.na/lucy-pham/abandoned-blogs I really miss this version of the internet. Personal sites, unique designs, interesting perspectives. It’s still out there, just harder and harder to find.
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I went on an incredible ride around Lake Como in Italy with my friend and co-worker Filipe. It was 120k / 76 miles and took us a solid day, leaving at 9:30am and getting back to the hotel at around 6pm. The loop stayed close to the lake almost the entire time. It was my…
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I took a photo of my desk with my new camera for an upcoming blog post on automattic.design. I love seeing the other side of Zoom from everyone I work with.
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Four years ago, I wrote my thoughts on what makes a good design lead. I thought it would be a good time to revisit it as I recently hired a lead for our largest design teams at Automattic. During the process, I made an important shift inspired by a conversation with Matt. (Happy Birthday!) Instead…
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Didn’t get a chance to attend Figma’s design conference, but caught a recording of the founder of Airbnb after a few of us were discussing it at work. Wrote up some notes that I found particularly relatable and inspiring. Brian Chesky talk – He felt like Airbnb as a product was losing its magic. Looked…
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Feeling especially grateful today to be working on a product that is in it for the long haul. Looking forward to the next 20+ years of making the web a better place. Celebrating 20 Years of WordPress. 🥂
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Getting feedback on a design iteration is an important part of the job. Sometimes it can result in a spiraling, often unproductive discussion. Over time, this leads to more time talking and less time doing. The user will not benefit from these discussions – they will only see and interact with your design. Focus on…
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I’ve had this loose idea forming around what it takes to be a highly effective lead. It has to do with altitude. Specifically, the ability to quickly and consistently travel between the really high level to deep down in the details. Staying too long in either place causes you to be out of touch in…
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Designers are often hesitant to receive feedback on their designs from someone who is not close to the project. “But they don’t have the context!” This has always confused me. When I present a design flow, I find the people who are furthest away from the project gave really valuable feedback. They see things I…