Field notes

Notes from practice.

Real problems from product, UX/UI and design-system work, and what solved them. Short, honest, no theory for its own sake.

Mindset Pinned
Theory of nothing: an empty set is still a set
3 min read
Mindset Pinned
Stop comparing, start framing: the only angle that matters
3 min read
Design systems
Keeping a design system alive: ownership, debt and small regular fixes
4 min read
Product & discovery
Why I stopped asking clients what they want
3 min read
Design systems
A design system is a product, not a Figma file
4 min read
Mindset
When AI is mandatory: focus, memory and the cost of doing six things at once
5 min read
AI, for now
Claude, Figma, Claude, Figma, coffee: how AI really fits into my design work
4 min read
AI, for now
When everything looks the same: AI, the flat design déjà vu, and why real-world thinking wins
4 min read
Design systems
Sets that don’t know about each other: building on a client’s design system
4 min read
Design systems
Adding a design system to a product that already exists
4 min read
Design systems
Naming design tokens so people can still use them two years later
4 min read
Design systems
One token set, many brands: theming a platform for multiple clients
4 min read
Design systems
Getting developers to actually use the design system
3 min read
Design systems
When to say no to a new component
2 min read
Teams & delivery
Leading a UX and frontend team across many parallel projects
4 min read
Teams & delivery
Strict but fair: how I give design feedback
3 min read
Teams & delivery
Estimating design work so people can plan around it
3 min read
Product & discovery
Before the first screen: the questions I ask every new client
3 min read
UX

Redesigning a media CMS without stopping the media company

4 min read
UX
One product, two screens: designing a mobile app and the web app behind it
4 min read
UX
Designing public services when the rules can’t change
3 min read
Mindset
The designs I loved and killed, and what they taught me
4 min read
Teams & delivery
The universal soldier: domain knowledge plus range beats a narrow specialty
3 min read
Mindset
No time to think, no opinion to give: when pressure kills judgment
3 min read
Mindset
Mental health beats speed: designing at a pace you can keep
3 min read
Design systems
Why I sometimes let a product ship without a design system or tokens
4 min read
Product & discovery
Build, park or drop: letting go of ideas without losing face
4 min read
Teams & delivery
Junior vs senior designers: the myths both sides believe
4 min read
Design systems
Design tokens explained to a project manager in five minutes
2 min read
Teams & delivery
Running delivery and R&D in parallel without starving either
4 min read
Product & discovery
Ideas without egos: deciding together when everyone has a favourite
4 min read
UX
Why B2B finance dashboards fail, and how to fix one
2 min read
AI, for now
Creativity isn’t a prompt: protecting thinking time when AI does the typing
2 min read
Teams & delivery
When a developer thinks they’re the designer, and how to work it out together
2 min read
UX
Designing for people who didn’t choose your product
2 min read
Product & discovery
Features are the last step, not the first
2 min read
Product & discovery
One client asked for it. Does the market want it?
2 min read
Product & discovery
Small test, big bet: checking the risky part before building
2 min read
Product & discovery
Immature teams, mature teams: what each one needs from a leader
2 min read
Product & discovery
A prototype for a pitch: what to show, what to skip
2 min read
Product & discovery
Why it’s hard to build one product inside a company full of products
2 min read
Product & discovery
Revenue is too late: measuring what the team can actually move
2 min read
Product & discovery
Research once, build for months: breaking the habit
2 min read
AI, for now
Shifting to AI: not the future, but a present that came from the past
2 min read
AI, for now
AI is a tool like any other: what it changes in design work, and what it doesn’t
2 min read
Teams & delivery
Too many managers, too few makers: who actually does the work?
2 min read
Teams & delivery
Shipping under pressure when the process gets in the way: skill or style?
2 min read
Mindset
Changing my mind on purpose: why being wrong early is cheaper
2 min read
Mindset
Lazy is not the same as efficient: where shortcuts stop helping
2 min read
Mindset
Too much input, too little filter: choosing sources you can trust
2 min read
Mindset
Stop judging, start supporting
2 min read

Notes from practice.

Theory of nothing: an empty set is still a set

Stop comparing, start framing: the only angle that matters

Keeping a design system alive: ownership, debt and small regular fixes

Why I stopped asking clients what they want

A design system is a product, not a Figma file

When AI is mandatory: focus, memory and the cost of doing six things at once

Claude, Figma, Claude, Figma, coffee: how AI really fits into my design work

When everything looks the same: AI, the flat design déjà vu, and why real-world thinking wins

Sets that don’t know about each other: building on a client’s design system

Adding a design system to a product that already exists

Naming design tokens so people can still use them two years later

One token set, many brands: theming a platform for multiple clients

Getting developers to actually use the design system

When to say no to a new component

Leading a UX and frontend team across many parallel projects

Strict but fair: how I give design feedback

Estimating design work so people can plan around it

Before the first screen: the questions I ask every new client

Redesigning a media CMS without stopping the media company

One product, two screens: designing a mobile app and the web app behind it

Designing public services when the rules can’t change

The designs I loved and killed, and what they taught me

The universal soldier: domain knowledge plus range beats a narrow specialty

No time to think, no opinion to give: when pressure kills judgment

Mental health beats speed: designing at a pace you can keep

Why I sometimes let a product ship without a design system or tokens

Build, park or drop: letting go of ideas without losing face

Junior vs senior designers: the myths both sides believe

Design tokens explained to a project manager in five minutes

Running delivery and R&D in parallel without starving either

Ideas without egos: deciding together when everyone has a favourite

Why B2B finance dashboards fail, and how to fix one

Creativity isn’t a prompt: protecting thinking time when AI does the typing

When a developer thinks they’re the designer, and how to work it out together

Designing for people who didn’t choose your product

Features are the last step, not the first

One client asked for it. Does the market want it?

Small test, big bet: checking the risky part before building

Immature teams, mature teams: what each one needs from a leader

A prototype for a pitch: what to show, what to skip

Why it’s hard to build one product inside a company full of products

Revenue is too late: measuring what the team can actually move

Research once, build for months: breaking the habit

Shifting to AI: not the future, but a present that came from the past

AI is a tool like any other: what it changes in design work, and what it doesn’t

Too many managers, too few makers: who actually does the work?

Shipping under pressure when the process gets in the way: skill or style?

Changing my mind on purpose: why being wrong early is cheaper

Lazy is not the same as efficient: where shortcuts stop helping

Too much input, too little filter: choosing sources you can trust

Stop judging, start supporting