Blog

Occasional updates about what I am working on, reading, and thinking about. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own — not of my employer or anyone else I work with.

• Week Notes: Vol. 3 – № 5

  How UX can guide retros for better team conversations

  Published: February 1st, 2026 People in UX are just as equipped to lead retrospectives that will surface hidden problems, strengthen collaboration, and drive teams to success.
• Week Notes: Vol. 3 – № 4

  Advice: Refining your UX portfolio and case studies

  Published: January 25th, 2026 Why most UX portfolios miss the point—and how to fix yours with clearer storytelling, better scannability, and stronger case studies.
• Week Notes: Vol. 3 – № 3

  Advice: Breaking into UX without experience

  Published: January 18th, 2026 What steps should someone take to move into a UX/UI role, especially when they’re early in their learning and lack professional experience?
• Week Notes: Vol. 3 – № 2

  Drawing your way through Agile

  Published: January 11th, 2026 Learning to draw, collecting advice, and realizing why Agile frameworks can’t replace practice or talent.
• Week Notes: Vol. 3 – № 1

  Momentum takes work

  Published: January 4th, 2026 Reframing momentum as discipline, not motivation, and explaining how planning makes progress sustainable.
• Week Notes: Vol. 2 – № 14

  20 books I read in 2025

  Published: December 28th, 2025 2025 was a year of limited certainty, and the right books helped me think more clearly about where real advantage comes from.
• Week Notes: Vol. 2 – № 13

  Talk to her

  Published: December 21st, 2025 Reflecting on a brief conversation I had with a larger-than-life personality several years ago about using conversation and creativity to cope with grief after losing a parent.
• Week Notes: Vol. 2 – № 12

  The hero, the witch, and the zucchini

  Published: December 14th, 2025 An original children’s story about a hero who loses his strength and discovers that kindness, humility, and vegetables are what make him truly strong.
• Week Notes: Vol. 2 – № 11

  Being big and visible

  Published: December 7th, 2025 With most UX work happening online across distributed teams, visibility comes from intentionally making research, design decisions, and workflows unavoidably transparent.
• Week Notes: Vol. 2 – № 10

  Hanging a shingle

  Published: November 30th, 2025 What running a garage sale says about how marketing and visibility is used to turn attention into sales.
• Week Notes: Vol. 2 – № 9

  A thankful look at 2025

  Published: November 23rd, 2025 In 2025, I’m thankful for family, plus the growth and meaningful connections I made that helped this year feel steady.
• Week Notes: Vol. 2 – № 8

  AI helped me write this

  Published: November 16th, 2025 Reflecting on how using AI changes the way we perceive writing, authenticity, and human connection in our work.
• Week Notes: Vol. 2 – № 7

  PX? CX? UX? HCD? IDGAF!

  Published: November 9th, 2025 Calling UX by other names isn't strengthening our field. It weakens shared understanding of the value we bring to every organization.
• Week Notes: Vol. 2 – № 6

  From child to caregiver

  Published: November 2nd, 2025 Exploring the realities of caring for an aging parent and the moment roles reverse in ways no one prepares you for.
• Week Notes: Vol. 2 – № 5

  Designing your career

  Published: October 26th, 2025 Why intentional career planning and self-directed growth matter more than annual reviews.
• Week Notes: Vol. 2 – № 4

  The office dishwasher and visibility of system status

  Published: October 19th, 2025 Sleek design loses its luster when users can’t see what’s happening.
• Week Notes: Vol. 2 – № 3

  Candyland journey mapping

  Published: October 12th, 2025 Taking cues from a child’s board to turn messy and unpredictable user journeys into clear, shareable pictures of real-world complexity.
• Week Notes: Vol. 2 – № 2

  Giving kudos shouldn't be so hard

  Published: October 6th, 2025 Trying to thank a great Starbucks team reveals how broken customer feedback systems can be.
• Week Notes: Vol. 2 – № 1

  Parenting isn’t a KPI. Neither is good design.

  Published: September 29th, 2025 Parenting reminds us that progress often comes from invisible work, and why metrics don’t tell the whole story.
• Week Notes: Vol. 1 – № 9

  11 books I read in 2022

  Published: February 18th, 2023 A summary of all the books I read in 2022.
• Week Notes: Vol. 1 – № 8

  Homeowner headaches and busy schedules

  Published: June 19th, 2022 Thoughts on homeownership, plus a few UX-related links.
• Week Notes: Vol. 1 – № 7

  New opportunities ahead

  Published: June 5th, 2022 Thoughts about starting a new job and why getting to the point is a universal principal.
• Week Notes: Vol. 1 – № 6

  Everyone needs a map

  Published: May 30th, 2022 Thoughts about why you can't dive right into the fun part of a project.
• Week Notes: Vol. 1 – № 5

  Welcome to UX Story Island

  Published: May 15th, 2022 Thoughts on new user research at work and how prototypes tell stories.
• Week Notes: Vol. 1 – № 4

  In service of the who

  Published: May 8th, 2022 Thoughts about character archetypes and relatable, primal problems in storytelling.
• Week Notes: Vol. 1 – № 3

  Screenwriting and UX

  Published: May 1st, 2022 Ended up rewriting this post because I forgot there were so many great nuggets from the new book I am reading!
• Week Notes: Vol. 1 – № 2

  Making up for lost time

  Published: April 24th, 2022 Missed posting last week and late posting this week, but I finished a book and briefly recap.
• Week Notes: Vol. 1 – № 1

  What are Week Notes?

  Published: April 9th, 2022 Week notes will be my chance to collect my thoughts about many different topics that I dabble in for my job as a UX designer.