For years every Apple phone has had a “notch” at the top of the screen. It was there by necessity; it housed an array of cameras and sensors that allowed a variety of functionality. It was there because Apple’s goal has always been to make a phone that’s “just a…

The internet is up in arms about a relatively minor addition to the latest pre-release build of iOS 16, namely a small battery percentage indicator. Just days after its release, we are awash in a sea of unsolicited redesigns and think pieces about it. (Hey, here’s one now.) Apple has…

I’m honestly not sure that Apple ever planned to bring an entire car to market. Remember when all the analysts and spies were saying Apple was going to make a TV, then they made a set top box called the AppleTV instead? I think this situation is really similar. Would…

This anecdote is a really great way to encapsulate so much of what Apple has done over the last two decades. They're always so intentional and thoughtful with their responses to market pressure. They may not always be first, and we may not always be happy with what they do, but no one can deny Apple is true to itself. And I also think this is one of the best keynotes in a good while, and these product announcements presage some really cool hardware on the horizon.

A design system can be a cumbersome beast. Fortunately, you have options. — About seven years ago, when design systems were first reaching a real critical mass within the design community, I joined a team for the specific purpose of implementing one. The company had a large and well-established developer team, and a technical culture to match. Product design, on the other hand…

It happens to the best of us. One minute you’re watching Steve Jobs announce the iPhone, wanting to do precisely that kind of imaginative, transformative work — and the next you’re 40, you’ve graduated to middle manager, and all your inspiration is wasted on the creative ways you curse out…

Since a lot of my work in the last two years has been solely focused on design systems, I’ve thought about them a lot. I wanted to share some of what I’ve learned — as a sort of exercise in taking stock and seeing what still makes sense. …

Before you build, you have to know what to build. — As I wrote in my “pilot post” Wednesday, I’m a former consultant. That probably shows most in my work when it comes to choosing tools. I love software, and some of my background has been in working with SaaS companies to get their products up and running, I’m always up…

When I left product and design consulting a year ago, I wanted to move back into work where the odds of shipping one thing—instead of bits and pieces of lots of things—were really good. At CustomInk I’m involved in UI and UX for a small handful of products, a design…