Day seven took us to a course simply called The Island—and it was probably the most unique course we played during the entire trip. The landscape was dramatically different from what we had encountered up to that point. Many of the holes wound through enormous dunes rising 50 to 80 feet into the air, creating constant changes in elevat...

Day six in Ireland took us to none other than the Royal Dublin Golf Club—a course with an incredible amount of history, much like Portmarnock Old. Royal Dublin sits on Bull Island, a man-made island in Dublin Bay. Years ago, golfers would travel to the island by boat when the tide was in. When the tide was out, they could simply walk a...

Day five at Seapoint was a little different from the rounds that came before it. In the previous two rounds, Beth and I had played as a pair against another pair. Up to that point, we had been matched with other couples, but that was not always the format for the trip. Later, we would play alongside two men a few times as well. Seapoin...

Day four in Ireland brought us to Portmarnock Old Course—perhaps our favorite pairing of the trip so far, and certainly one of the most memorable days. We had an 8:50 a.m. tee time, which meant boarding the bus at 7:00 for the short 15- to 20-minute drive. We were paired with Mark and Jody Cicci, whom we’d already gotten to know over c...

Day Three brought our first official round of golf—and our first experience with true Irish links golf—at Jameson Golf Links. We were paired with Drake and Paulette, a couple from Alabama whom we had met at dinner the previous evening. They had been together for five years and were celebrating their anniversary on August 5, the day aft...

Our second day in Ireland began with Beth waking up well before I did. She hopped in the shower and politely awakened me when she finished, telling me it was time to get dressed and head downstairs for brunch before catching our train back to Dublin. We had originally planned to go whitewater rafting that day, but the company canceled ...

On July 31, we set off for Dublin and the beginning of our 10-day adventure in Ireland. Our direct flight left Denver around 8:45 p.m. and took approximately eight hours and 15 minutes. Overall, it was a very good flight—although neither of us slept particularly well, thanks to the usual cramped airplane conditions. We landed safely in...

Something strange is happening at work right now. We have better tools than ever. Faster workflows. Instant answers. Entire chunks of work that used to take hours can now be done in minutes. And yet—talk to almost anyone—and you’ll hear the same thing: “I’ve never been this busy… and I’m not sure it’s actually helping.” That tension is...

In product development, speed is often treated as a virtue in itself. Ship fast. Cut scope. Get something “done.” And on paper, that sounds right. But I’ve been thinking about a framing I call Product Development A to Z. Many teams ship products that technically go from A to Z. There’s a beginning, an end, and a box you can confidently...

Animation is often celebrated as a hallmark of polished, modern digital products. Done well, it can guide users, create delight, and enhance understanding. But in practice, animation isn’t always the panacea it’s made out to be — and, in some cases, it can actively hurt the user experience. 1. Animation Can Introduce Unnecessary Cognit...

In user experience (UX) design, it can often feel like we’re walking a tightrope. We pour time and energy into crafting solutions, only to see some ideas fall flat in the real world. When a product or feature doesn’t hit the mark, it’s easy to feel like we’ve failed. But here’s the truth: in UX, there’s no such thing as failure—only op...

In an engineering, product, and design (EPD) organization, collaboration can become strained when facts alone are used to drive decision-making, as people naturally tend toward defending their perspectives. James Clear’s insights on why facts don’t change minds are crucial here: simply presenting data doesn’t always lead to agreement, ...

If you know me at all, you know as a designer I'm a bit unorthodox when it comes to frameworks and processes; I'm all about context over consistency. When it comes to context one of the most effective frameworks for understanding and influencing user behavior is BJ Fogg’s Behavior Model (FBM). While there are many models and frameworks...

When designing a SaaS product, two contrasting approaches often come into play: trusting your gut instinct and relying on user research. Both have their merits, but the key to success lies in balancing them effectively. Trusting Your Gut: The Power of Intuition As a product designer or founder, you often have deep industry knowledge, a...

Consistency is often hailed as a key principle in design, ensuring that users feel familiar and comfortable with interfaces. However, focusing too rigidly on consistency can sometimes lead to frustrating experiences. Instead, prioritizing context — designing experiences that adapt to a user's current needs and environment — leads to mo...

In product and design, the quest for the “right solution” often takes center stage. It’s natural to want to craft a product that perfectly addresses a challenge, using the latest technology or an innovative approach. But what if the focus on finding the perfect solution is misguided? I recall a time I was telling a friend about a produ...

The American healthcare system is absolutely borked. This isn’t just some theoretical rant about bureaucracy or insurance companies—this is coming from personal experience that has left me stuck in a maze of red tape, delay, and frustration, all because of a rash near my eye. A few weeks ago, I went to see my doctor about this rash. Si...

Being a designer I'm constantly looking at the world and trying to find opportunities for things to be improved. As far as I know, that's fairly natural for most creators and builders. So is "perfectionism". Or at least pushing yourself and your products to be as close to that ideal as they can be. Almost all of the people I know in my...

It's easy to tell the difference between good and great products. It's even easier to tell the difference between great and exceptional. It's usually the attention to detail that the builders put into it in the final days before shipping their product to the masses. You can see it in everything from consumer goods, to software, to food...