Author: zach

I’m No Longer Trying to Be the Best
I find it difficult to take on a new hobby or activity in my life that isn’t some kind of means to an end. What I mean by that, is I can’t start drawing because it’s fun or relaxing, I have to have aspirations to be an artist. I can’t just code for fun or to learn, I have to have a goal of becoming a developer.
This goes for the vast majority of things I do outside of work, and it extends beyond leisure. Maybe it’s some kind of competitiveness that I have with myself, or maybe it’s a competitiveness I have by seeing others accomplish so much at such a young age.
Being a generalist with many interests is a double-edged sword. In some aspects, it’s great because I get to expand my horizons beyond one field or subject, and can more easily see patterns and adapt to what may come to me. On the other hand, it can be frustrating to not be a “master” in something, although I am naturally better and more interested in some things than others.
I envy those who can simply do things for fun, or for its own intrinsic value, without a goal of becoming incredible at it. It’s not necessarily a bad thing to want to be good at whatever you are doing, but it becomes a problem when it removes enjoyment from the experience and a hobby is no longer a hobby, but almost another job.
For me, I think it’s ingrained in my head that I want to try to be good at whatever I set my mind to, but there is a balance I believe I can get to where I can enjoy an activity because I enjoy the process, while having some smaller goal I can set my attention to.
What is intrinsic value?
When dealing with finance,
“Intrinsic value is a measure of what an asset is worth. This measure is arrived at by means of an objective calculation or complex financial model, rather than using the currently trading market price of that asset.”
Investopedia
This piece from the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy is interesting, discussing the notion of intrinsic vs extrinsic value, and if it even exists at all.
At a basic level, something has intrinsic value when it is done for its own sake. Like I wrote above, you cook because you enjoy it, not to become a chef. You play music because it’s relaxing and fun, not to become a famous musician.
Anything can have intrinsic value, if you apply it to an activity or object. You may have heard someone answer the question, “Why do you like this thing?” with “I just like it.” Which is actually a perfectly acceptable answer, no matter how passive it may seem.
I also feel that living in a capitalist society, where to be of worth you need to be making money, could influence how people have difficulty assigning intrinsic value. Why would I do something “for fun” when I could be spending my time making more money? Or why start doing anything if my goal isn’t to become “the best’?
In my opinion, American society thrives on competition, where starting a business and making a living isn’t good enough, you have to be bigger and better than your neighbor. You have to have the more expensive car, shop at the more expensive grocery store, and have more social media followers.
Competition is a good thing, because it drives us out of our comfort zones and makes us demand more from our lives and the things we do. But just like anything, when it exceeds moderation, it can become a drug in itself, and a never-ending race between yourself and others, but it’s really between you and yourself.
How do I reach the point where I do things for their own sake?
I believe a way for me to begin applying more intrinsic value to some of the things I do, is remember why I started doing them in the first place. If I have a full-time job where I make enough money to live on, I don’t need to do anything else for monetary value. I can if I want, but it’s not required.
I’m speaking from a place of privilege of course, because there are many people who don’t have the luxury of leisure time, a hobby, or just relaxing. They have to work more than one job, take care of family, and do everything we all have to do as adult humans, which, with one full-time job is a lot.
A good start is acknowledging when something is teetering into the “competitive with myself” range, and writing down why I started doing this thing in the first place.
Setting smaller goals, and working towards those is also a good practice, instead of having a goal of becoming a “the best”, which is subjective anyway. You’ll never be undoubtedly “the best” at anything, really, so we should strive to just be better than we were yesterday.
This is all easier said than done, but without taking action, we become stagnant and complacent.
By acknowledging the problem and setting small goals, we can become better at applying intrinsic value at the things we want to, which is a skill in itself.
July 12, 2020
Day 12
It’s been twelve days since the crash. You hear the sounds of the tide…feel the warmth of the sand… the sun’s already been out for hours. Your skin is dry and peeling from the burns you received the other day. Luckily, there’s an abundance of palm trees for shade.
The only sounds you’ve heard for almost two weeks have been ones made by nature. No cell phones, no other people, no cars. Just the trees, the ocean, the birds, the once daily crackling of the fire you build at night to cook what you’ve been able to gather.
Despite your current situation, its actually quite serene.
However, twelve days of no other sounds means you’ve heard no music, no laughter, no voices of your loved ones. You start to get a bit hopeless thinking about all of that.
It’s silent for moment.
You hear a sound you haven’t heard before, even before the crash. It’s come from the other side of the small island you now call home.
You go to investigate…
After retrieving the spear that you’ve fashioned out of a large branch, you make your way to other side of the island. Your heart pounds in a faster rhythm with each step you take towards the place on the island where the sound was heard.
As you see the clearing through the trees, you can see a small billow of smoke coming from the sand. Almost as if someone had a campfire going or maybe smoking a cigar. Interestingly enough, there’s no smell of fire or smoke at all, even as you get closer.
Finally, upon reaching the source of the smoke, you see a hole in the ground, about three feet in diameter. The hole is quite dark, and seems bottomless like an abyss.
“Hello?”, you manage to mutter. Your voice echos slightly into the hole below you.
What could have made this hole in the sand? An object? A person? Something else?
All speculation at this point, and nothing could prepare you for the truth.
You don’t get a response to your greeting. In fact, you don’t hear anything anymore. No waves, birds, or wind. You can’t even hear your own heartbeat or breathing. It’s as if a vacuum had sucked the sound out of the world around you, leaving only unfathomable silence.
Hitting your head with your palms does nothing, trying to clear your ears proves useless. Everything at this moment feels futile.
Trying to back away from the hole, suddenly your feet feel anchored to the sand. You’re still standing, you can still move your head, but your feet have become welded. The feeling reminds you of sticking your feet deep into wet sand and creating that suction-like reaction.
Your anxiety is higher than ever, and you feel powerless, as if all the determination in your personality had been stripped away.
“How….and why?” are the only words you think to yourself. Over and over again like a broken record.
The spear you held in your hand drops to the ground, your muscles weak, and your head foggy.
Under your feet, the sand surrounding the hole begins to slowly drip down, pulling everything around the hole with it. Even the rocks and trees provide no resistance to the force.
You too, move closer to the hole, feet still lodged, the unprecedented symptoms still present.
After less than a minute of the pulling force, the hole begins to close. The island looks like a large bite has been taken out of the side, enveloped in the hole. The last thing you see as you look up before the hole closes, the last bit of light from the outside.
Eventually, you don’t know if you shut your eyes or there’s an absence of light, the darkness is the same regardless.
June 26, 2020
Hybrid Working is the Future
Working remotely has been becoming more important as an option for prospective employees when searching for their next venture. If I have kids that sometimes fall ill, will I be able to attend meetings virtually and still take care of my business from home? If my car breaks down on the way to work, can I make progress on my presentation from the repair shop?
These kinds of questions are running through the minds of current and future employees, especially in the tech space. Granted, most jobs in the tech industry can be done remotely. Software engineering, design, QA, and even product management, can all be as successful as a distributed team as a colocated one.
I have a feeling that more and more we will see companies not just allowing X number of work from home days a week or month, and more of all the team is remote on Wednesdays, or something similar.
Right now, I have about a 45 minute commute from my house to my office. As I’ve gotten used to the drive, along with the fact that I listen to audiobooks or podcasts on the way, it has become less and less of a big deal. Of course, I’d like to have a shorter commute, but for right now it could definitely be worse. I’ve spoken to people who have commutes extending over an hour each way, which I find ridiculous.
Of course, there is a case for a bit of a commute, as for many people it’s the only time in the day where we are completely alone with our thoughts, listening to music, a book, the news, or appreciating a bit of silence. I enjoy listening to an audio book while driving, but would I rather have two hours of my day back if I didn’t have to commute? Absolutely.
The reason for remote working is not just about time in our day lost by driving or taking the train. When it comes to hiring, you really can’t beat the fact that you can hire anyone in the world, rather than those just in your area code.
As rent prices in the Bay Area have reached astronomical prices, as well as cities like New York, Seattle, and Chicago, it just makes the most logical sense to have employees than can live anywhere rather than forcing them to be in one of those places.
Companies like Zapier, Gitlab, and InVision have shown that teams can be successful even though they don’t work next to each other.
Another common theme I’ve noticed, especially among designers, is that when they need dedicated time to get some work done, they choose to work from home. With most companies opting for open offices, with all the pros and cons that they come with, it’s no surprise that to be the most productive, employees can have a difficult time concentrating at the office and need to work from home to be uninterrupted. Ambient noise, meetings, getting pulled here and there by coworkers, etc. are all things that have an effect on employee productivity, when dealing with work that requires uninterrupted “flow” state concentration to be the most effective.
It’s easy to walk into any newer office and think, “Wow, all this is such a waste of money.” The physical perks, furniture, office space, and many other things contribute to this opinion.
While I enjoy going into an office, seeing my coworkers and spending face-time with them, there is no doubt that, from a productivity and financial standpoint, remote working trumps working in an office. If I were starting my own company tomorrow, while trying at first to find workers locally, I would keep my search open, and allow remote employees from anywhere in the world.
There are, of course, things that become an issue when working remotely, such as communication, transparency, and collaboration. But all these things can be overcome with good organizational design, effective tools, and a good on-boarding process.
I don’t want to say that it’s as black and white as good and bad, because, especially at this point in my career, I appreciate being in close proximity to my coworkers, learning from them in person, and feeling like I am a part of a physical group.
It’s difficult to argue the fact that a long commute, sometimes unnecessary office perks, and all the extra costs that fall under the physical office space, are not the best use of funds in all situations. I feel that hybrid working is the future, and starting today, most companies can stand to allow remote working when the employees deem needed, without compromising any productivity.
Something to think about: Do you have a long commute to work every day? Are you able to work remotely if possible? If not, see if your company is willing to implement a program to allow for more flexible working.
This was originally published on Prototyper.
May 28, 2019
Being the Only UX Designer on an Agile Team
I started my UX journey as a solo designer, and I found the dynamic of being on a team is totally different than being solo. When you’re solo, you don’t have to worry about collaboration or going to a ton of team meetings. You have enough other things to worry about on your own, though.
Having recently worked on an enterprise software team with Development, QA, and Product team members, I learned a lot about working together, design advocacy, and compromise.
I wanted to share some of the things that I’ve found to be important when working as a UX Designer in general, especially as the only one on a team.
Communication
I’m sure I don’t have to tell any of you that communication is one of the most important factors when it comes to working on a team. Regardless of position in your organization, everyone needs to be a good communicator.
*Being on the same page as your team is possible simply by attending stand-ups and staying active on team chats or emails.*Stay updated on what the team is saying and working on even if you’re not meeting that day.
Be clear about the goals and responsibilities of the team. Everyone should know what everyone else needs to do so if anything comes up, they know who to go to for questions or clarification.
I also learned to voice my opinions and concerns when they arose because it’s always better to talk about things too early rather than too late.
Collaboration
UX design is never done in a vacuum, so working with others is integral to the success of design, even if you’re the only designer on your team.
Personally, I worked very closely with my product manager, because he had much more domain knowledge than me and could help educate me on the more complex parts of our product.
When I had a question on technical capabilities, I would go to one of the developers. Luckily for me, they were always ready to explain something to me or go over an idea and the technical feasibility of that idea.
Although I was the only one doing the design work, I would frequently check in with my team to make sure I was on the right path.
Advocacy
As UX designers, we can hope that our teammates all understand what UX is and what our contribution to the product should be. Not everyone is lucky in this regard, so as designers we have to do our best to advocate for ourselves and our value.
*If the team is talking about a new feature or changing an existing one simply by suggesting solutions, part of our job is to redirect attention to the users, the research, and the business goals.*
By aligning these things in our thought process, we can make better decisions from the get-go instead of backtracking later.
The team dynamic will reflect how they approach problems and view the UX process. Some teams will see the value in things like research and user testing, others will see it as a waste of time. We have to adapt to our own environments and try to get on the same page as our team as best as we can.
Active Listening
Along with the other items on this list, this one is like a superpower if used correctly.
When you’re actively listening, you are fully concentrating on what is being said rather than just passively ‘hearing’ the message of the speaker. This comes in handy when your team is discussing things like the product roadmap, sprint goals, or when a team member is bringing an idea of their own to the table.
If you’ve concentrated on their ideas fully, you can give better feedback and additionally, get more out of constructive criticism that is bound to arise.
When you’re picking up on things like the speaker’s behavior, tone of voice, and reasoning for their statement, you’re already ahead of the game when it comes to listening comprehension.
Wrapping Up
Obviously I’ll never be done learning, nor do I want to be, but these are just a few of the main things I’ve taken away from my time working on a team building software.
- Communication
- Collaboration
- Advocacy
- Active Listening
Something to think about: As the only designer on a team, what kinds of things have you learned so far on top of these topics?
This was originally published on Prototyper.
January 15, 2019
Undertale
Undertale is an RPG created by an indie game developer, Toby Fox. In the game, players control a human child who has fallen into the Underground, a large, secluded region underneath the surface of the Earth, separated by a magic barrier.
The player meets many different beings along the way, some nice, some not so nice. The player also engages in battles and conversations, which the actions dictate the outcome of the game.
Undertale was made by one person, but exhibits humor, emotion, replay-ability, and ease of access. He not only made the whole game and all of the music, but put so much thought into the relationships that it can feel really great or really regrettable depending on your choices.
Character development goes so far as to a pair of skeleton brothers who’s names are the font of their words
The game is simple, with only arrow keys as controls for most of the game. This allows essentially all players the ability to enjoy the game. From a usability standpoint, this is great because many people with disabilities cannot use a mouse at their computer. Most PC games require mice and sometimes even an exceptionally fast gaming computer. Undertale is beautiful because it opens up its walls to all and anyone with an interest can play the game.
The graphics are charming, but pixelated. There is no 60 fps required for enjoyment. All of the factors of this product are accessible, and Mr. Fox thought of these when creating his claim to fame.
The game represents diversity, even when talking about monsters. You feel like you are in another world, but it seems familiar in a way. The game gives you the freedom of choice, along with repercussions for your choices, good and bad.
This is a good example of what a game can become with the right intentions. The game is usable, ethical, and accessible. The reception reflected that and made Toby Fox and Undertale very well known in the indie game world.
Something to think about: What other games can you think of that give a nod to usability and ethics?
This was originally posted on Medium.
February 28, 2018
Information Architecture (IA)
Information architecture (IA) is a professional practice and field of studies focused on solving the basic problems of accessing, and using, the vast amounts of information available today.
In simple terms, it answers the questions:
Where am I? What am I looking at? Where else can I go?
Information architecture if done well, allows the user to navigate around a website or application with ease, and gives them the best way to accomplish their goal.
The term “information architecture” was first coined by Richard Saul Wurman in 1975. Wurman was trained as an architect, but became interested in the way information is gathered, organized and presented to convey meaning. Wurman’s initial definition of information architecture was “organizing the patterns in data, making the complex clear”.
This is commonly how IA is represented.
There are two main approaches to defining an information architecture. These are:
- Top-down information architecture: This involves developing a broad understanding of the business strategies and user needs, before defining the high level structure of site, and finally the detailed relationships between content.
- Bottom-up information architecture: This involves understanding the detailed relationships between content, creating walkthroughs (or storyboards) to show how the system could support specific user requirements and then considering the higher level structure that will be required to support these requirements.
The most common methods of defining and IA are things like site maps, page templates and layouts, to personas and storyboards.
Without a good IA, people will have a difficult time finding what they need to on a page or website, and most likely not come back. Just like with architects of buildings, if they do not design with codes, accessibility, and the user in mind, the final product suffers.
Something to think about: What websites do you frequent that have good IA? Which ones are not so good?
This was originally published on Medium.
February 27, 2018