Tinkering
Designer's Notebook.
Occasional writing on design, building products, and the work of leading teams. Posts are pulled from my Substack.
Designing in a changing world
What working with AI has changed about my design practice
Read on Substack → Jan 19, 2026Building a Design System Is an Organizational Problem
This is the story of building Compass, a design system in a large, process-driven organization with many competing priorities and a cautious approach to resourcing.
Read on Substack → Dec 17, 2025The Power of Making the Implicit Explicit
In many startups I’ve worked in, or that friends of mine have worked in, there’s a familiar frustration: teams don’t seem to be moving fast enough toward their goals.
Read on Substack → Dec 6, 2025How Designers Grow Beyond the “Ladder”
I’ve worked on a few career ladders in my life.
Read on Substack → Dec 2, 2025Notes on Design and Change
I’ve been wanting a place to collect my thoughts on design, product, and career growth — the themes that shaped most of my professional life until I quit my job over a year ago — alongside my reflections on figuring out…
Read on Substack →Earlier writing
From SwitchUp Notes, a newsletter I wrote in 2025 about habits and starting over. It's no longer updated.
Progress Isn’t Linear (And It’s Not Supposed To Be)
How setbacks can help us achieve real change.
Read on Substack → Jul 29, 2025Why Starting Small Feels So Damn Hard
And why the smarter move is to take small steps.
Read on Substack → Jul 22, 2025Your Brain Doesn’t Care About Your Goals
Why comfort always wins — and what to do about it.
Read on Substack → Jul 14, 2025I Quit My Job and Tried to Get Fitter. Here’s What Actually Helped.
A year ago, I quit my job.
Read on Substack →