Mechanical keyboard with frog and stylized key caps.

https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/868497894

Holding up a 3D print of Patrick from the TV show SpongeBob SquarePants. In the background there are paints, a paint tray and paint brushes.

https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/workplace/american-workers-loneliness-research-35793dc4?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email

GIF of a webpage demo showing content reacting responsively as the screen width decreases.

A flat lay of 3D printed and painted keychains / desk figurines. From left to right - the characters are, tactical bear, Jett, killjoy and a spirit fox.

I am holding up a 3D printed Oni mask on a grey background. It has two horns at the top and a menacing looking expression.

Handmade figurine called “pouty Jer” in the style of pop! Vinyl figures and packaging.

Made with Tally, the simplest way to create forms.

✨ Let's talk about design

Isometric view of a keychain I made - the dog character from the “it’s fine” meme by KC green.

Photo of the various vendors and rides at the Canadian national exhibition carnival. There are food vendors, a gondola and a Ferris wheel pictured, with carnival goers walking in the foreground.

A photo of a 3D printed and painted bust of handsome Squidward from SpongeBob SquarePants.

Hand made crafts - a custom light switch cover and cup. Modelled after the Beefalo character from a game called don’t starve together.

Image from Apple's Vision Pro promo featuring Figma's "Component updates available" pop-up on display.

I have been putting off booking an ADHD assessment for months. I open the booking page, attempt to book a date and end up not doing it. The irony. 🫠

Presenting on complex topics:

Optimizing for simplicity can lead to oversimplification, and downplay the efforts to arrive at a solution

Presenting too much complexity, you risk losing your audience / lacking a clear narrative, and come off as a poor presenter or communicator

I was promoted at the beginning of the month 🥳 so to celebrate… I updated some of my desk setup 🐸.

Taking the intro to computer science course (cs50 via harvard on edX) and made this lil' game as part of the course homework:
https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/868497894

Was fun to think about the scoring logic 😄

Are the work scenarios realistic for Vision Pro? Will entire teams invest in this as a day to day working tool?

I never knew how different things could be when you don't have a running dialogue in your head questioning every little detail and decision🫠

Spent the afternoon painting this dude ⭐️

I've been applying what I've been learning at work. Did my first pull request today! I also made a code prototype and it helped developers in trying to decide what library to use to accomplish the proposed experience. They decided no library was simplest based on the prototype.

Weekend printing and painting project. It’s totally fine!

"The single biggest predictor of high-performing, psychologically safe teams is...wait for it...whether employees have regular check-ins with their managers."

So, waiting for the donut shaped desks to go along with Vision Pro 🍩

T-minus less than a week now ‘til my first day on the job. Suggestions on activities for my final week off? ✨

~1 month since being laid off. 

Lots of ups and downs, but at the end of the day, a reminder that I have been quite fortunate in my career so far!

A good mental reset. I am definitely not a person that can spend my days without much to do.

responsive css flexbox layout practice ✌️

Got the results today. Things make... more sense now

Met up with friends / past colleagues yesterday and had convos on ChatGPT starting to permeate our lives. I'm personally excited to see the prospect of how it helps w.  accelerating nitty gritty manual work.

Some things I made recently! 3D printed and hand painted. 

I haven’t really been able to stop my mind racing from the anxiety I have of being employed, but today was a better day for me.

These days, I have lots of time to model and 3D print stuff.

Lil’ oni mask - too pointy to be a keychain, but a good desk ornament!

I designed and made my partner’s birthday gift this year 🤭 it’s so cute. (It’s an inside joke - she’s often pouty.)

I’m curious about the next frontier once language models can be predictably applied to automate low level tasks. Ideally it would mean less work for all and abundance of resources, but the cynic in me predicts that the reality will likely be skewed towards further disparity 🫣.

Woooop! My changes went live in production today. ✅🥰

Hello Posts people ✨
I'm gathering a group to share and discuss books, papers, and articles on design or any other interesting topic.
If it sounds like something you'd enjoy, answer this form: https://tally.so/r/n0BAO6

I’ll be visiting SF in October - any suggestions on what to see/do? ✈️

This is Fine! Keychain version that I modelled, printed and painted. Complete with lil’ flames! 😌🔥

I’m always conflicted whether to actually use what I created as a keychain, or archive it for safe keeping / sell it on Etsy. 😭

Startups seem keen to ensure folks have a clearly defined process for their work, with metrics and well measured outcomes. 

Larger companies are also keen on process, but seem to be more interested in "how does this person fit within our current team profile?".

I signed an offer yesterday for a new role 🥳.

They say you can’t truly feel secure with if it’s certain or not until you get your first paycheque these days (yikes)! 

But if all goes well, time to get back to work in late August. 🙂

Does anyone feel like they have structured learning opportunities at work? (e.g.: You have interest in learning/upskilling and there is a system in place to help you get the right resources to do so - courses, mentors, projects to build exp, etc.)

In an interview I was asked what my favourite "app" was - I don't really navigate the world thinking so-and-so is my favourite app, more so the activities/hobbies I enjoy in my day to day life... I'm sure my answer was lackluster.

Anyone have experience with a career coach? I’ve been thinking of working with one as a way to address confidence in my skills and experience. I talk about this in therapy but it feels misplaced somehow, instead wondering if this is a good avenue for that.

Y'all, what are your recos on queer spots to see and visit in SF?

back from SF today. I had such a great time :')

I finally got around to modeling / printing / painting handsome squidward 🦑. I think I put it off for a long time because I felt my sculpting skills wouldn’t be able to achieve a good result but I surprise myself!

I’ve been using over ear headphones that aren’t too comfortable. When my ears ache it’s a signal to take a break.

Made me think of how experiences now remove all distraction, keep the user endlessly engaged, numb the mind, provide escapism…

Meanwhile, *life* happens offline.

Decided to dedicate some time to learning development this year as a way to focus on growing my skillset this year and I’m feelin’ really excited about it ☺️ I love the tinkering aspect of learning.

I guess this year I’m just making things for birthdays. I made a custom light switch cover (beefalo from Don’t Starve Together) and a lil’ knick knacks cup.

Hey y’all’s - I am actively looking for a Senior Product Designer role and would appreciate any leads. 

I was most recently at Unity working on developer operations tools.

Happy to share documentation (resume, portfolio) where relevant.

What a difference being in a positive work environment is 🤗 I feel like an entirely different person

7 weeks since I was laid off! 

In that time, had conversations with 7 companies. Didn't find the one, but that's okay. 

Now time to take a break until July.

I admire folks who are quick on their feet and can respond to new ideas / questions on the spot. I take a pause and think. In the past I might've rushed and given a half-baked answer. Nowadays I ask if I can think about it and address a different question for the time being.

One of many SF photos (~730). On the corner of Grant and California near Chinatown, looking down the street towards the Bay Bridge.

Thoughts from learning web development:

It's SO easy to overcomplicate/overthink a solution.

Break down the approach first before building a solution out.

Try one thing at a time while testing to verify it works before moving forward.