Preparations for Bulk Editing

One of our overarching goals for the end of the year here at Automattic is to “close the gaps” between our modern Calypso interface and the classic /wp-admin/ interface. Its been nearly 2 years since we first announced Calypso, but there are still some things missing. One of these “gaps” is bulk editing of your …

Embracing web-safe fonts

Before webfonts were widely available, designers relied on a relatively small number of web-safe fonts, i.e. fonts that come pre-installed with various operating systems, and thus most likely to be present on user’s devices. As a result the web was saturated with Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, Georgia and Times New Roman. While these fonts are not …

What’s Coming in WordPress 4.9

As y'all might remember, I'm currently co-leading the release of WordPress 4.9. Since we're winding down toward release, I wanted to take the opportunity to walk through some of the key features of the release. Drafting and scheduling changes in the Customizer In WordPress 4.9, you'll be able to draft your customizations before publishing them, or …

Finding inspiration in the mundane

A few years ago I hit a creative block. Now, I know this is nothing new. Whether it's a short block specific to a project or a longer period of burnout, everyone has those times where they're feeling uninspired. I've certainly had my share of times where I felt it since then, but this particular …

Keeping product assumptions in check

Assumptions can be difficult to overcome. Many times we don't even realize we're making them. As an experienced product designer, I find it easier to make these assumptions. They more easily creep into my work subconsciously because I have more knowledge and experience of "best practices" and "what worked before". So how can we keep …

Recruiting participants for remote user tests

I recently attended my first remote design sprint at Automattic. It ran over a two week period and  was attended by fellow designers, developers, data scientists, happiness engineers, and marketers. Together we created two prototypes and tested them out with real customers. I found the experience to be both rewarding and inspiring. We came up …

Remote Workshopping: Facilitating a KJ Technique, Fully Remote

As a designer working in a fully remote team, I often get the question on how certain common design activities happen in remote environment. In some cases, the answer is to just reframe the problem taking a different approach, or to just meet in person when it's needed, but other times we can transition traditional …