From a father to his one year old boy — I’ve just returned to work after spending the last 6 months caring for and bonding with my son. Not only that but until now I’ve spent every day with him, having worked from home during the pandemic. The combination of fathers day and returning to work has made me very…

A comprehensive walkthrough of the product design interview process — I’ve been in big tech for almost my entire career and have interviewed and been interviewed hundreds of times. This has given me unique visibility and insight into exactly how to ace a product design interview. From understanding what skills are being assessed to preparing for specific questions that might…

The key mistakes startups make with design and how to avoid them — I’ve worked for big companies and startups alike. So I have seen companies with robust design processes and thousands of designers. It also means I’ve seen startups flounder to hire their first designer and figure out how to integrate them into their product development process. I’ve identified some common mistakes…

How to stand out in a crowded field — My wife and I recently had our first child. The nice thing about having a kid is there is a built-in 10 month preparation period. At some point during those 10 months we came across midwifery. It was one of those things I had heard about but didn’t have a…

Crisis Response, AMBER Alerts, and more — If you’re one of the over 2.5 billion people who uses Facebook each month, you likely know it as a place to find news, keep up with friends, or even buy or sell some of your belongings. But did you know that you can also mark yourself as safe during…

5 insights from design recruiters and managers — I just finished reviewing the 100th design portfolio since early April. It all started when the COVID-19 pandemic hit and affected all sectors, including technology. Early on we heard about startups and smaller companies laying off and then suddenly the unicorns unloaded. Lyft laid off 17% while companies like Airbnb…

My journey to Social Impact Design — Exactly a year ago, to the day, I turned 30. In the months leading up to that pivotal birthday I felt…unsettled. I knew that my life’s work — the sum of all my years of study, labor and achievement — didn’t amount to much. I was searching for purpose. I…

Insights for how to build a strong relationship — I recently spoke on a panel about how design and content strategy work together at Facebook. The overwhelming takeaway was that the relationship between product design and content strategy is an important one, and both roles are required to build exceptional products. Throughout my career, and especially at Facebook, I’ve…

Lessons learned from screening hundreds of candidates for top tech companies — I just got home from a speed-dating-style design mentorship event, and I’m equal parts exhausted and energized. I’m exhausted because I’m an introvert, and talking to strangers for two hours is physically and emotionally depleting. I’m energized because talking with students and early-career designers reminds me why I got into…