Published inIBM Design·PinnedConfessions of a content designerWhat I’ve learned over the last few years Words matter I’ve always known this, having been an incurable bookworm, pun aficionado, lover of lyrics, and wannabe writer for as long as I can remember. …Content Strategy10 min readContent Strategy10 min read
Published inIBM Design·Nov 1, 20216 content design principles that apply to puppy trainingOkay, to state the obvious: dogs are not people. People are — generally speaking — more intelligent, less furry, better at conversation, and can engage in much more complex behaviors (including using sophisticated enterprise software, which is what I help design for IBM). Also, few people I know have a…Content Design10 min readContent Design10 min read
Published inUX Collective·May 25, 2021Building a community of practiceThe story of how we established a vibrant content design guild — My super talented colleague Maranda Bodas and I were recently given the opportunity to present on this topic, so we thought we’d also share some of the main points we covered in a short article. …Community8 min readCommunity8 min read
Published inCurious·Jan 27, 202120 Valuable Life LessonsSome of the things I’ve learned so far… — I recently turned 40, which seems like quite a milestone. I’ve been reflecting a little on my life thus far and so thought I’d share some of the key lessons that I’ve learned / am learning along the way. Goals and productivityLessons Learned13 min readLessons Learned13 min read
Published inCurious·Oct 5, 2020The danger of being too safeExamining our attitude towards risk Do you consider yourself to be a risk taker? Or are you very risk adverse? Does the image above of the man jumping across rocks fill you with excitement or with fear? Or perhaps a mixture of the two? I’d probably place myself somewhere between…Risk7 min readRisk7 min read
Published inIBM Design·Mar 20, 2020Towards more radical collaborationHow might we foster environments where meaningful collaboration happens more often? Note: This article loosely builds upon one I published previously about communication. If you want to read that one first, here’s a link: Taking responsibility for our communication Moving beyond the “but I told them!” mentality.medium.com Experiencing the wonders of radical collaboration Growing up, my friends and I used to hang out at various live music venues in…Collaboration10 min readCollaboration10 min read
Published inIBM Design·Feb 11, 2019On Content Design (a poem)I’ve spent a lot of time recently discussing content with different people: the skill, the role, the need, the value, the how, and the why. I’ve researched, listened, debated, and presented. But today I thought I’d try something different: a poem. On Content Design When I’m out and about the question gets asked: …Content3 min readContent3 min read
Oct 20, 2018How to punctuate like a proA whistle-stop tour of the most common punctuation marks, with example quotes from some of my favorite writers. Disclaimer: this article is not intended to be an exhaustive treatise covering every aspect of punctuation. That wouldn’t make for a fun Medium post. …Writing9 min readWriting9 min read
Published inIBM Design·Jul 20, 2018Taking responsibility for our communicationMoving beyond the “but I told them!” mentality. “I don’t believe it!” “What?” “Those halfwits down in the IT department went and pushed out the product update last night! Now I’ve come in to a mass of angry emails from senior management.” “But I thought you told them to publish…Communication7 min readCommunication7 min read
May 2, 2018Why I readIn defense of taking regular time out to immerse oneself in a given topic or narrative. TL;DR¹ In short, I read books because I find that absorbing myself in one topic or narrative for a prolonged chunk of time helps me become a better thinker, writer, designer, and — maybe, just…Books8 min readBooks8 min read
