| Want to feel righteous or a sentimental “aawww?” You might find those in this newsletter. |
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| | | | If we’re connected on LinkedIn, you may have seen when I shared this short, smart post from Adam Silver. In it, he writes “Content design is just design with a bias toward the words… And that's a good thing.” I couldn’t agree more. I want to point you to it especially if you’re somebody who finds yourself defending the “purity” of content design—that content designers should limit themselves to the words, taking a seat at the table as early as possible, but refusing to learn even the basics that govern the other necessary components of design. I’m a big proponent of the idea that content design is a real job, deserving of respect. As Adam says, “...once you have a set of accessible components, it's content that matters most.” My point is this: content design is one huge, important part of what UX design is all about: making experiences that work for all parties involved. It might even be the most important part—and I like that part of Adam’s post! But even in these days of increasingly “invisible” (voice, conversational) interfaces, content folks like me don’t get to just focus on the words. More than ever, we need to understand the underlying technology, the business priorities, the user contexts and motivations, and how different parts of the work intersect. If you feel like you’re stuck defending or fighting some ideal of content design, in which “word people” mused about words and syntax for days at a time, and everybody just took their advice gratefully without question, I’m here to ask you to consider broader, real-er possibilities. For a conversation about it, hit me up in office hours. |
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The book is taking longer, folks. Not because we’re writing more, but because the production team is working on the usability of it, in both ebook and paper forms. Book production is complex, and this book is extra weirdly complex. Because it’s not intended for folks to read cover-to-cover, linearly, it’s dependent on the web of connections that weave through it. Impacts link to skills, which link to other impacts, which link to other skills… you get it. We’re using color throughout the book, but not everybody finds color uniformly usable, so adjustments need to be made… It's like making software, but with totally different technical constraints and interaction considerations. When I found out that this book would take even a little longer than expected, I will admit: I was downcast. This has been a long project, and this period of waiting-for-people-to-see-it is the most emotional part, for me. So the planning for a book launch party has to be pushed back—I can’t give you a save-the-date yet, but keep your eye on late April for an in-person event in Seattle. And if you have ideas for a party in your region or online, please let me know! We have a little more time to plan 🙃🎉 |
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| | Dr. Nwanne (Dr. Jade Singleton)’s substack post about why seeing kind acts makes us cry cleared up a longstanding confusion for me. One of the statements in it made me stop in my tracks: “The kindness isn’t bigger than it used to be. The darkness around it is.” When I read this, I recoiled. I closed the app and shut off my phone. I had such a strong emotional response, I had to take a break from the short article and come back to it later. That’s unusual for me, to put it mildly. When it comes to emotions, my weakness is happy moments, especially when people are coming together to do or commit to difficult things. That includes weddings, of course, but it also includes videos of flash mobs, where people plan and practice and then come together once, in public, to dance and sing: that makes me cry every time. Last week, I reviewed talk submissions for the Button Conference; I’m working on programming this year for the first time. Just yesterday, I looked at the tall stack of paper (seriously, it’s the best way) and teared up a little. Because it’s not just a stack of paper and talks—it’s a whole community that wants to come together and share what they know. Just 10 years ago, this community didn’t exist. We didn’t have a discipline, just a few weird people in weird roles, usually not even aware of each other. But now we have a community, and it’s because people have shown up for it. But still I wonder: why do these sweet moments evoke such surprisingly strong emotional responses? Why does it lay me out like this? The last explanation (of several) in Dr. Nwanne’s substack lays it bare: “It is spiritual aliveness. It is proof you have not gone numb.” In today’s world of chaotic global and domestic events, swimming in social media that we’ve helped construct to be a pervasive, persuasive anaesthetic, not going numb feels like a weirdly positive win. I’m going to be a little more understanding of my own teary eyes, from now on. |
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| | | When I can help you or your team, please get in touch. Design consulting: Solve problems with adoption, onboarding, usage for products and services, and design process and skill alignment for teams. Training & facilitation: Keynotes and other presentations, plus hands-on workshops in UX content, visioning, naming, and team building. Mentoring: I work with individuals to focus their own career development, including navigating change, constraints, careers, and more. Open office hours (free!) I hold 2 hours a week open on my calendar to connect with people who don’t have business with me, but just want to talk.
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| | I write these newsletters myself, and I stand by what’s in them. If you have kudos, concerns, or questions, please tell me. —Torrey |
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