Published in Riot Games UX Design·PinnedBehind UX Design Roles at Riot GamesEvery company’s design track shakes out a little differently — here’s what a design career looks like in our world. — While the titles for user experience roles at different companies may LOOK similar, we’ve all seen firsthand that they can differ wildly. …Careers14 min read
PinnedPursuing your design internshipWhat lessons still remain from my internships in a seemingly bygone era — and how can they help you? — “Can you help me get a UX design internship?” It’s one of the most common questions I receive, and one of the questions I’m least equipped to help with. It’s been YEARS since my teams have been able to hire a design intern. And the later folks get in their…Design9 min read
PinnedPretty Please, AlexaUsers of today’s voice assistants keep asking for a ‘politeness mode.’ But what do they really want? — During my time at Amazon on the Alexa voice design team, we monitored the internal Alexa enthusiasts alias. About once a month, a newcomer to the list would resurrect an evergreen request: “My kids are rude to Alexa. She should only respond if you say please!” That request, of course…UX8 min read
Dec 18, 2021A Cautionary Tale: How Not to Respond to Harassment ReportsThe response to my open letter to the Seattle improv community deepened and widened the harm caused by the initial incident — and we need to learn from those incidents. — Earlier this month, I posted an Open Letter to Unexpected Productions Improv regarding an incident on November 5, 2021 where I was sexually harassed onstage. After a month of silence from the staff despite specific requests, I no longer considered it a safe working environment. …Theater14 min read
Dec 5, 2021An Open Letter to Unexpected Productions ImprovI was sexually harassed onstage publicly during a performance and the company prefers to keep their response quiet — but organizations that prioritize comfort over change and ameliorating harm will never achieve a safe, inclusive culture. — On November 5, 2021 I was sexually harassed onstage in front of a live and virtual audience of over 100 people at Unexpected Productions when another cast member sang a sexually explicit song about me personally — outside the scope of a scene — during my goodbye performance without my…Theater13 min read
Nov 1, 2021Design in the workplace: Workday, pronouns, and emergent behaviorWhen the tools we use in the workplace don’t support our diversity, equity, and inclusion goals, we may turn to hacking the system. Simple changes can make a big difference. — As more working professionals become comfortable talking more directly about gender identity — particularly with regard to non-binary and gender-fluid identities —one finds that workplace systems aren’t optimized to support these interactions. When people take it upon themselves to work around outdated systems, unexpected things start to break. …Design4 min read
Oct 30, 2021Affluenza and DesignAs our success increases, our ability to make contextually informed choices decreases. What are we overlooking? — This week’s announcements from Meta (née Facebook) and their vision of a VR-supercharged workplace have once again forced VR-as-productivity into the collective consciousness. In the fallout, the witty Joe Sondow made this observation on Twitter: “I love how every few years of my lifetime some rich guy starts jumping up…Design11 min read
Oct 27, 2021A Tale of Three VaccinationsHow can a relationship with a brand go from great to terrible in just 3 short interactions… and what can YOU do differently? — Those of us fortunate enough to have access to COVID vaccinations often have a choice of venues for those vaccinations. I first became eligible in the comorbidities high-risk wave in early April here in Washington state, but availability was still low. After a few days of looking for options, I…Design9 min read
Sep 30, 20215 Bits of Design Portfolio AdviceThe most challenging part of starting a design career dominates most design advice inquiries: “How should I approach my portfolio?” — In addition to traditional interviews, user experience designers have an extra hurdle to jump through when seeking a new role: the design portfolio. This all-important self-promotional tool plays two roles: As a passive promotional tool, your design portfolio is what hiring managers use to determine whether they want to invite…Design11 min read
Sep 29, 2021Doubling down on your home workspaceIn a world of endless teleconferencing and extended desk sessions, are you set up for success? — Have you crossed the threshold from “temporary remote worker” to “indefinite” or even “permanently remote”? It may be time to do a check-in on your home setup .Putting your best face forward digitally (in a very literal sense) can help significantly when trying to land your message, network, or generally…Remote Work10 min read