I recently attended a local meetup event hosted by Tim Lyle on behalf of Lehigh Valley Tech. The event was called Hands On: Design Thinking by Shannon Varcoe, Founder of ZYX Sticks and Innovation Programs Director at Lehigh University.  Here, I summarize the event’s activities and take aways.

I've been mentoring a colleague of mine, and recently shared this list with her. Thought I'd post for anyone else's benefit although is it not exhaustive.

I spent time at this day long seminar to learn more about the role technology and design plays in planning spaces and communities of the future. It's a different lens on UX than I've so far seen through, but was no leap in concept.

I share some takeaways from the event that I thought would be helpful for those who could not attend.

Over time, I've learned that when I'm stuck it's always because I need more information. I won’t give up until I feel pulled in direction, indicating that I’ve enough information to keep moving in the current phase.

While the benefits of accessibility eclipse its difficulty to implement, using WCAG 2.0 - approved color contrast ratios can be considered limiting. Many designers feel that there are only so many combinations available. 

Even teams who work to balance smart technology practices with user and business needs run the risk of a maintenance nightmare. A change in how you think about it can go a long way in staying ahead. 

Implementing a new technique into our workflow seems daunting because we have proven ways of producing results. Spending more time to complete something we know how to do already doesn’t come naturally. Only a conscious effort of practice will result in new habits.

There will always be a need to communicate specifics about designs or elements, whether you’re manually noting documents or prototyping with code. 

A major but often overlooked part of project planning is measurement. Often, we talk about our goals and use the word success, but we rarely write down what we will actually do to: a) measure our progress, b) revisit, and c) adjust the measurements themselves.

Stop trying to convince clients on theories and design techniques. They don’t care, and they shouldn't have to. 

Perception is at the heart of user experience. At the end of the day, what matters is how a user identifies with a product or service.

The past couple of years I have really taken the time to design custom icons to the exact size that I need. This has made a dramatic effect in quality. I realized it was always worth the time to design a set at scale. 

This week, I’m sharing some tips on making your design system emerge into the lives of people who will benefit from your work.

Last week, I explained what design systems are. This week, I discuss their importance before I dive into detail on how to design them next week.

If you have ever visited my website, you may have read that I design systems to help people interact with the web. I talk a lot about how I work. This week begins a series describing design systems and why this all matters. 

I hear time and time again that mentors are hard to find in the crowd. While I do agree that often it’s difficult to hear back from busy professionals, there are other ways to think about this dilemma.

I recently attended a live webinar interview about Jeffrey Zeldman's decision to join the mentorship of this project. He had some helpful advice for careers and his decision to mentor and give back to the community.

This is a common situation I have not only found myself in, but am asked about often. I suggest a few possible approaches.

She recently decided it was time for her to do something new, and explored options with her existing skills. Here’s what Amy has to say about her journey so far.

Creative work is different than other types of business. It’s not something you do 8-5 and get results from.