There is a famous wooden roller coaster, The Giant Dipper, built-in 1924 at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk that still entertains visitors today. The classic up-and-down action is enough to thrill you every time. Like this roller coaster, there are many ups and downs in building a design system at a…

My first podcast! Nov 23, 2022 — I’m excited to share some fun news… I’m the guest on the latest episode of the Research Lab Podcast by SundayPyjamas with Nishi Panchal. 🎉🎉🎉 Watch it now 📺 Or listen to the podcast on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app. We covered a lot of ground, from the basics of Design Systems to my hot take on the Figma acquisition and lots in between. Thanks to Nishi for making the process so easy and comfortable for my first try at podcasting. I hope everyone enjoys the conversation and hopefully, you hear something useful in there. It was a fun and inspiring opportunity.

Clarity Conference 2022 This year I attended Clarity Conference, the premier design system conference, virtually along with my PayPal teammate Silvia Recinos. I’ve captured my favorite lessons from two days full of great design systems knowledge. #clarity2022 Day 1 — Morning It’s that time of year when Design System folks gather together at Clarity Conference. This morning…

I had a great time talking about “Why Mentoring Builds Good Leadership Skills” with the panel at ADPList.org’s BeMore Festival 2022. Watch the recording: Shout outs 🎉 Big thanks to the folks at APDList for organizing this fantastic event. Check their YouTube channel to see all the other sessions covering a wide…

By James Carleton and Kiersten Lammerding Products that work for everyone Accessibility is a hot topic in the mobile app world right now. If you’re not familiar, accessibility is a product design and development principle that aims to provide inclusive digital products which work well for everyone, no matter their abilities. A simple example of…

Tech Gone Wrong Attention tech workers, innovators, computer nerds! We’ve all enjoyed the spoils of this booming industry we love so much, but I have bad news…tech has gone wrong. Everyone should have noticed the headlines by now. The list of tech companies behaving poorly is growing. You’ve seen the results: It’s now…

12 Jan 2016 As a designer, I love patterns. From nature to technology, they make the world go ‘round. UX Design teams collect patterns in different forms, from style guides to design wikis to sticker sheets, they all aim to unify the work of a group of people. To be…

I love exploring new avenues for creativity. After years of working on stationary pixels it was great to play with some moving pixels for a change. I just completed a video project. Here is the story… I’ve been working with the owner of a local prototyping shop…

08 Jan 2015 Creative people often have a story to tell about the adventurous path they took from where they started to where they ended up. I love hearing them describe their unique adventure, with its ups, downs, and surprises. Finding your creative calling and matching it to a sustainable…