A designer who writes.
My first book, Writing for Designers, was released by A Book Apart one year ago today. Personally, much of the past year has been a blur. I experienced a profound loss in December in the death of my mother, a scant 68 days after the book was first released. Reflecting on a year since the … continue
My book is in print now. Available in print, anyway. Print on demand. I have a printed copy. (I don’t want to get “you wrote a text”-ed about my book and its relationship to paper. But I digress.) I did not know this was going to happen when I agreed to write for the Briefs … continue
The recording is up from my How to Get the Writing Done webinar this week for Gather Content. I think it’s a good one. Leading a one-to-many webinar is a strange affair. Me, alone in my office, wearing a headset, talking out loud at what I hope is a normal volume to an audience of … continue
I’ve always been enamored with product ecosystems. It’s rare that I’ll buy anything without researching what kind of accessories I can get with it. Does it have an official case, pouch, or sleeve? Can you change the tip, the handle, the grip? What can I upgrade? What can I combine it with? LEGO was both … continue
Three important questions to ask yourself when moving toward a more user-centered content strategy.
One my favorite talks I give is about making Dale Carnegie’s 9 Golden Principles for Being a Friendlier Person an accessible idea for UX designers. The first principle is often one of the hardest to adhere to, both IRL and on the web: Never criticize, condemn, or complain. When a user does something we perceive … continue
I like when designers solve problems with words in a straightforward and simple way. I nearly opened the wrong end of this carton of heavy cream. But then I saw the all-caps instructions to OPEN OTHER END. So I did. Not hard to imagine a designer using an illustration (which you’d probably decrypt right after … continue
There’s a lot to like here. Clear heading. Shows up immediately, full screen. The pre-selected path (to remove your email address) adds privacy and is user-focused. It explains what the email address is for in simple language, right there on the same screen without having to go anywhere else to read anything. Love it.
This sign delights me. Snapped this pic in Indianapolis last year during Confab Higher Ed and don’t think I ever shared it. I hope it delights you, too.
Been developing a new workshop to help orient practitioners to all of the various tools available for being user-centered in their content strategy work. It’s been interesting and maddening at the same time. There’s a good deal of semantic diffusion across the various tools and methodologies. And many were blatantly misnamed to begin with. In … continue
Or you will, if you subscribe. Personal dispatches from the desk of Scott Kubie, a designer who writes.