What do you know? Less than you think you do. — “The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.” — Socrates You know less than you think you do. We all do. Consider an object you interact with every day: a flushing toilet. You know how to operate this device. Depending on where you live, you activate it by…

Some systems require management. This calls for clarity of purpose. — Some systems are best left alone. For example, a rainforest can function perfectly well without human intervention. That’s a natural system that evolved into its current configuration over a long time, and it’s likely to continue adapting to changing conditions. (Barring some major environmental disruption.) Most human-made systems haven’t had…

Approaching complex problems at a more abstract level. — Information architecture is a systemic design discipline. The bulk of the work consists of establishing distinctions. These distinctions are in service to creating particular contexts that allow individuals to “find their own paths to knowledge.” …

Two different approaches to tackling complex problems. — Different design disciplines are characterized by particular gestures that distinguish them from other design disciplines. For example, the core of graphic design is a visual gesture. This could be something rudimentary such as marks made on a wall with a piece of charcoal, or a more complex expression such as…

Feeling overwhelmed by your digital devices? These practices can help. — We’re coming up on the end of the year, and you may be contemplating resolutions for the New Year. I haven’t had success with lists of resolutions drawn up before January 1. Invariably I’ve faltered on one of them by the second week of the year, and then all falls…

Non-essential details can create depth and help users suspend their disbelief — The first Star Wars movie — now known as EPISODE IV: A NEW HOPE — came out in 1977. It was a blockbuster, with crowds lining up for blocks to see it. Part of its success was due to its mythologically sound story. But its aesthetic was also an essential…

Sometimes all it takes to get unstuck is a little skeleton to flesh out. — Often, one of the biggest obstacles to getting started with something is your canvas’s initial blank state. It may be a white sheet of paper or a blinking cursor in the word processor. You stare at it, not knowing where to begin. When facing these conditions, I often find that…

Do you really need that new iPad, iPhone, or Apple Watch? — It’s that time of year again: Tech companies are announcing new products in preparation for the holiday season. Over the past month, a slate of new phones, tablets, computers, and accessories have been announced. You may be considering buying one or more of these new devices. It’s worth thinking about…

Documents are not just the object of work; sometimes they’re also where the work happens — Sometimes we collaborate to produce documents to share with others. It could be a PDF with a description for an upcoming workshop, a set of wireframes that describe a website, or a presentation deck meant to persuade somebody to buy something from you. With collaborative software such as the Google…