2025 · Apr
Design SystemsGovernance
Why most design systems die
A design system is not a component library. It's a governance model. The ones that die were built as the former, maintained as the latter, and never given a social layer.
/ NotesThings I keep
Things I keep
thinking about.
Not essays. Not threads. Just observations that haven't found a better home yet.
2025 · Mar
Systems ThinkingProduct
The upstream problem
Most product problems are already decided before anyone opens Figma. The interface is where the damage becomes visible — not where it begins. Design's leverage is highest in the rooms where goals get set.
2024 · Nov
Behavior ChangeService Design
Ritual as behavioral infrastructure
You can't nudge people into sustained behavior change. But you can design rituals — small, meaningful acts with tangible rewards — that change how people see themselves. That's a different problem with a different solution.
2024 · Sep
AIInformation Architecture
On structured knowledge as a time bridge
High-quality structured data created today is the substrate for AI systems tomorrow. Most orgs treat documentation as a communication artifact. The orgs that win treat it as a data asset. The difference compounds.
2023 · Dec
Design EthicsSystems
Design is a political act
Every interface encodes beliefs about who matters, what counts as success, and whose experience is worth optimizing. Pretending otherwise is itself a political choice.