Writing

The best interfaces are clear. Not literally—though sometimes that helps too. Clarity is the invisible arm of intent. When someone uses your product, it should feel like it’s handing them exactly what they’re asking for.

Don't confuse simple for clear. A busy dashboard can be clear if every piece has a reason to exist. A sparse screen can feel confusing if it withholds meaning. Clarity isn’t about fewer things—it’s about the right things, in the right place, at the right time.

There's a gap between intention and implementation that no amount of documentation can bridge. The designer who codes doesn't just hand off specs—they understand the material they're shaping.

Code is a design tool. Not the only one, but an essential one. Like understanding paper grain for print design or acoustic properties for architecture. You design differently when you know how the thing will be built.

Every semester at Northwestern, I'm reminded that teaching is the best way to stay sharp. Students ask questions you stopped asking. They see problems you've learned to ignore.

Fresh eyes are a superpower. When a student asks "why does it work this way?" and you realize you don't have a good answer, that's where learning lives.

Mantras.guru taught me about internationalization, and running local text-to-speech models. Cadence.cards about spaced repetition algorithms. Cerca.me about location-based services and mobile development. None of these were the goal—they were discoveries along the way.

Build to learn, not to launch. The pressure to ship kills experimentation. Some of my best professional work came from techniques discovered in "failed" side projects.

Terracotta—earthen, warm, grounded. Not the loudest color in the palette, but the one that makes others sing. In design, as in teams, sometimes the best contribution is creating space for others to shine.

Support is a form of leadership. The best products come from teams where everyone feels empowered to do their best work. Be the terracotta—the foundation that. Sometimes it's best to be the vessel.