A Birthday Zoo Trip That Reminded Me Why User Experience Still Feels Like an Afterthought

Today marks my son’s first birthday, a milestone that sneaks up on you with its quiet weight. One minute he’s a newborn bundle, the next he’s pulling himself up on the coffee table, grinning like he’s cracked a centuries old maths problem. To celebrate, my wife and I decided on the London Zoo, an easy choice, or so we thought. Animals, open spaces, a chance for him to point at a giraffe and babble something cute. But as I sat down to book the tickets online this morning, what should have been a simple step turned into a slog that nearly derailed the whole plan. It’s these moments that pull me back into thinking about how systems work, or don’t, and why so many organizations seem to forget the human at the center.

The Mirror Never Lies: An Ode to Unbroken Rebels

Every morning, I drag myself to the sink, razor in hand, steam curling like a ghost around the fogged glass. The water burns, the blade stings, and for those raw seconds, it’s just me and the truth staring back.

Fork, Don't Merge: Why I Prefer A Variety of Options Over Early Agreement

Today, I want to share my concerns about a trend I’ve noticed in many companies: jumping to agreement too quickly when debating solutions.

It feels like teamwork, but I’ve seen it dull good ideas and lead to weak results. Instead, I’ve found that forking ideas early, letting them grow separately before blending them, works better.

Mastering Software Craftsmanship: Making the Change Easy, Then Making the Easy Change

Kent Beck’s timeless advice, “Make the change easy, and then make the easy change,” is a guiding principle for software craftsmanship.

It’s a simple yet profound idea that should resonate with both developers writing code and leaders shaping technical strategy. At its core, this philosophy advocates for intentional preparation to ensure changes to a codebase are smooth, predictable, and sustainable.