A peek inside how the design systems team operates at Plaid What to Expect In this article we will walk through how the product design system team operates. Some topics that will be summarized are: how we plan each quarter how we communicate with cross-functional partners the processes in which we work how…

7 thoughts on designing systems to make the brain work as little as needed. — Good design goes unnoticed. Take a very comfortable chair for example, or reliable public transportation, a quick and efficient drive-thru at a fast food restaurant. …

Building tools for and collaborating with product designers on the Gusto design team. — Gusto is an all-in-one people platform making it easy to onboard, pay, insure, and support your hardworking team. With a primary focus on small businesses, we have grown to support many different size companies, and have grown as a company ourselves. …

Exploring accessibility to sound through color, light, and texture. — TL;DR — just visit Sound Color Project. I’ve been a musician for as long as I can remember, and a designer for almost as long. I grew up listening to Kris Kross and Crystal Method. I also grew up making spinner paint art and drawing Dragon Ball Z characters. Music…

A personal budgeting story. — TL;DR — just visit the newest version of Halfdollar. Becoming an Adult In my early-to-mid twenties, I began managing many expenses like rent, utility bills, software subscriptions, etc. and multiple sources of income like a full-time job and freelance contracts. As a very organizational person, I needed a way to understand at any…

Some things I’ve learned over time — Just because I’m a perfectionist, doesn’t mean I should expect anyone else to be. My work ethic is my work ethic, not anyone else’s. I shouldn’t set expectations on people, let them set those for themselves. My phone on silent means IRL conversations and relationships are not interrupted by a…

Don’t let anyone tell you what’s best for you, but read this for another non-opinion. — Q. Should designers code? A. If they want to. And if they would rather learn to cook, they should do that. Q. Should designers create non-solicited redesigns? A. If they want to. If they feel thats the way they can best grow and learn new things. Q. Should designers use…

c. 2018 — Context In 2018, I joined Alarm.com to help them build a library of components for the product design team. Alarm.com provides hardware and software products that help people manage their home or business security systems and connected devices. Introduction When I joined, the design team was using Sketch to build mobile interfaces…

c. 2018–2020 — Context In 2018, I joined the Oracle Data Cloud design team as a fully remote employee. With working remotely comes the importance of being intentional about communication, and being on the same wavelength as your teammates. When I noticed that the design and engineering languages didn’t communicate well with each other…