Photo by https://flickr.com/photos/beachmobjellies/This was first published on my mailing list The Year of the Looking Glass. Sign up to get essays like these in your inbox 1–2 times a month.I have a confession to make.As a designer, for years my primary goal was striving to improve my product intuition.You see, I believed:The most wonderful products...

After nearly 14 years at Facebook, the time has come for me to embark on a new adventure.It’s hard to say goodbye to a place that has been so much a part of my life. The closest metaphor I have for it is “leaving home.” (In fact, I have spent more years at Facebook than I did living with my own parents before heading off for college!)Facebook is the...

Photo by Mibby23Last week was Thanksgiving in the US, and also the week I finished a book called Chasing Daylight that’s been lingering in my mind like the long golden rays afternoon sun the book was named for.Written by Gene O’Kelly, a prominent finance CEO who found out he had only three months to live due to a terminal brain cancer diagnosis, it’s...

“I’ve seen so many people thrust into management in high-growth companies with so little guidance. From now on, I will hand them this book. Its practical wisdom is immediately useful for the newly minted manager — and us old ones.”  — Ev Williams, CEO of Medium and Co-founder of TwitterMy book is coming out in March 2019!I’ve dreamed about publishing...

Photo by GotCreditSo you might have heard that the more you progress in your career, the more “strategic” you should aim to be. WTF does that mean?Here is what I used to think “being strategic” meant:Setting metric goals.“Thinking outside the box” to come up with new ideas.Working harder and motivating others to work harder.Writing long docs.Creating...

People paintings photo by Robin HuttonThe first rule of building a valuable product is that it should be valuable for someone. Meaning, an actual, real-life person (or many such people) should have some problem or desire addressed because of your work.This is pretty obvious. And yet, if you listen to the everyday language of builders, this isn’t always...