Clarity has many benefits. In the realm of ideas, nearly all people from all walks of life appreciate a certain amount of clarity. But not always, not necessarily. Clarity isn't...| brutalist bookends
I’m sharing my 2023 keynote presentation for World Information Architecture Day Des Moines, The Cause of Clarity, in a series of posts. To get closer to understanding what clarity is, I want to talk about what it's not. Language and meaning is complex, and the idea of an “opposite” isn't always useful. But people will ask, and I wonder as well, so I'm thinking about it. So: What is the opposite of clarity?| brutalist bookends
I’m sharing my 2023 keynote presentation for World Information Architecture Day Des Moines, The Cause of Clarity, in a series of posts. Clarity has a lot of fans in design land. We name conferences and design systems after it. We tell each other that it’s important for our designs to have it, and for the things that we write to embody it. We elevate Clarity to rarified status in the design pantheon, joining other popular deities such as Human, Empathetic, Forward-Thinking, and Inclusive. ...| brutalist bookends
Baseball players who want to become better hitters don’t watch highlight reels of balls sailing over the outfield fence—they watch video of themselves swinging the bat. Creative work—writing, designing, making—is...| brutalist bookends
FedEx says delivery was attempted yesterday. The only evidence they have presented is a single photograph of my front door, blurry and dutch-angled, captured on the move from the bottom of the porch steps. It’s not hard to picture the camera app opening as they exit the van, arm swinging upward as they approach the steps, a formless digital shutter button tapped without looking, instinctively and through long practice. “Delivery attempted. Here’s the proof, asshole.”| brutalist bookends
Hi friend, Hit a bit of a rough patch in ye old mental health garden these past few weeks. Trying to work through it. It can be hard, when I’m...| brutalist bookends
When I started as a user interface writer at Wolfram Research in 2012, I was coming from a small startup/agency shop where the designer used Adobe Illustrator, the developer had...| brutalist bookends
Hi friend, Under neither oath nor threat of death could I recall for you the sleepy, still-in-bed sequence of taps and swipes this rainy Monday morning that led me to...| brutalist bookends
It all gets to be too much, doesn’t it? It hurts and it hurts so you start blocking the nerves. Your big toe hurts too much, for too long, so...| brutalist bookends
No-reply email addresses are a tell. They say: “We are not actually a user-centered company, even if we profess otherwise.” Companies teams often face a choice between doing more work...| brutalist bookends
Your artist statement is only 300 words and it still puts people to sleep before the end. Talking about the things you notice is as interesting as listening to someone...| brutalist bookends
Oh wow, oh no, you have a family to support? You and you alone have had it rough? You, uniquely, have people who depend on you? You have ~*reasons*~? I'm...| brutalist bookends
Ambiguity is not the weather. You have to tolerate the weather because sometimes, yes, it ra-i-ians on your wedding day. In design and business, however, ambiguity should not be tolerated...| brutalist bookends
As a politeness-attuned user of websites and apps and other digital things, I encounter rudeness almost daily. These rude interfaces make rude assumptions, rudely waste my time, and speak to...| brutalist bookends
You won’t ever get that “seat at the table” if people don’t see you sweating at the seat at your desk. Do the work. Do it well. Brag about it....| brutalist bookends
Hey, that thing you just wrote? It’s great, but it’s upside down. Your thinking got clearer as you wrote it, and you found your point at the end, not the...| brutalist bookends
“As I research and learn about content strategy, I’m finding a lot of theoretical articles, but missing case studies that might help me understand more about what successful content strategy...| brutalist bookends
I’ve had the same email address for about 20 years now, and I swear, at least once a month I get an email1 about changes to some fucking “loyalty program”...| brutalist bookends
“What do I need to tell my story?” Answering that question lets you answer dozens of other frequently asked questions about portfolios and personal websites, such as: • How many...| brutalist bookends
In all of the many challenges people bring me in my work — team structures, design methods, productivity, self-expression, portfolios and career strategy, and so on — there is always...| brutalist bookends
I can’t think of any interviews with successful people I actually admire where they’ve discussed tips and hacks to get impressions and gain followers. They mostly talk about their work,...| brutalist bookends
If a skilled chef is struggling to slice tomatoes, their knife might need sharpened. If a skilled musician is having trouble hitting the right notes, their instrument might need re-tuned....| brutalist bookends
If what you want to do is write and share more about your work, the last thing you should do is create an editorial calendar. Editorial calendars are a collaboration...| brutalist bookends
There is a simple idea, readily understood by even by a child, that people pretend not to understand when it is personally and/or politically convenient. The idea has two parts,...| brutalist bookends
The Stack: A series on tools for living and working, and how I use them. What a calendar is forCalendars are about where in the world my butt needs to...| brutalist bookends