Category Archives: work ethic

What The Karate Kid Can Teach Us About Agile and UX

In the Karate Kid (the first one, aka the good one) the seemingly innocuous Mr. Miyagi takes on wayward Daniel-san and teaches him to totally kick-ass in karate. While the movie is a prized trinket of 80’s pop culture, heartwarming … Continue reading

Posted in agile, design, Lean UX, Productivity, startups, ux team, work ethic | 6 Comments

Adding Game Mechanics To Agile Processes Part 2: Limiting In-Flight Cards

In the second part of this two-part series on adding game mechanics to Agile (read Part 1) processes, I want to discuss limiting the amount of cards a team has “in flight” at any given time.   By in-flight, I … Continue reading

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Adding Game Mechanics to Agile Processes Part 1: Card Aging

Seems like everybody wants to gamify everything these days. Far be it for me to not jump on this bandwagon as well . When properly harnessed, adding game mechanics to certain processes can make them more fun, engage the team … Continue reading

Posted in agile, Productivity, ROI, work ethic | 3 Comments

Rock bands and Startups

For a good portion of the 90’s and early 00’s I was a touring musician. There were 5 or 6 of us (depending on the band), we were young, determined and hungry – both figuratively (we wanted to be rock … Continue reading

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Why I spent my weekend talking Agile and User Experience

“What are you going to do this weekend?” “I’m going to hang out in the Financial District with a bunch of folks from various disciplines and locations to discuss the intersection of Agile and User Experience.” “All weekend? Um, that … Continue reading

Posted in agile, Conferences, design, ROI, startups, ux team, work ethic | 9 Comments

Call Their Baby Ugly and 4 Other Tips for Designing with CEO’s

CEO’s can be a tough group to design for – after all, it’s their vision with which you are now entrusted. I’ve been fortunate enough throughout my career to work closely with several CEO’s. From fledgling ideas to high-growth companies … Continue reading

Posted in career path, design, startups, ux team, work ethic | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

The Battle of Phase 2 vs The Shiny Object

“We’ll take care of it in Phase 2.” Famous last words. This is the cry of compromise. It’s a phrase that echoes the silenced screaming of a thousand designers agreeing to less than 100% of the approved design being launched. … Continue reading

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Agile 2010

I just returned from a week in hot, sweaty and rainy Orlando, FL where I spent the bulk of my time at the Agile 2010 conference. It was my first time at such a specialized, non-design conference and I was … Continue reading

Posted in agile, Conferences, Productivity, Uncategorized, ux team, work ethic | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

How to Lose A Customer

I recently bought a car. It’s a 2007 Mustang GT. It’s metallic gray with custom wheels and I loved it the minute that I saw it on the Paramus Chevrolet dealership lot. Not too long after that serendipitous sighting I … Continue reading

Posted in brand, service design, Uncategorized, user feedback, work ethic | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Lean IA: Getting out of the deliverables business

Updated: This topic has been expanded with a broader focus from Lean IA to Lean UX. The full essay version of the topic can be found on Smashing Magazine while the most recent presentation deck version can be found on … Continue reading

Posted in agile, Productivity, startups, Uncategorized, ux team, work ethic | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments