Author: ryan_k65yhv

  • From Idea to AI Agent in 5 Hours

    I recently challenged myself to build an AI agent that could answer questions about me as both a designer and a person. The result? A functional prototype completed in just 5 hours. How I Built It Using ChatGPT, OpenAI’s API, Netlify for hosting, and GitHub for version control, I created an agent that pulls from…

  • Why Every Designer Needs a Builder Stack

    Recently, I watched a designer present a gorgeous Figma prototype to leadership. Complete with scroll animations, perfect spacing, it looked amazing. Then came the inevitable question: “This looks great, but how do we know users will actually engage with this flow? Has anyone used the prototype yet?” The room went quiet. The prototype was using…

  • Management and Leadership

    Recently, I had lunch with a longtime friend—let’s call him JJ—who’s built an excellent career in web development. He’s climbed from junior to senior roles over several years, finding deep satisfaction in solving complex problems and collaborating with teammates. JJ naturally mentors less-seasoned developers and has become the go-to person in his organization when people…

  • Remote Design Teams in the Age of Digital Nomads

    Surviving all that is ‘the year 2020’ has been a rollercoaster! Taking time around the holiday season to look back (and project forward), there’s been a lot of shifts in how we all live and work. People are still finding ways to travel, but now it’s in RVs or trips to remote rental properties. We…

  • Managing Designers With (and Without) Ambition

    As a design leader, what do you do when you’re managing a designer that’s doesn’t have any big aspirations? Ever ask someone what their goals are and where they’d like to be and just get crickets?

  • Design Is How It Works

    I’m constantly reading, and I think you should be too. Reading design articles that come through my Twitter feed, are in email newsletters, or shared to me from friends are part of my weekly routine as a designer. I recently came across a great quote from Steve Jobs, via an interview, via a book quoting…

  • Design Thinking and Thought Workers

    Speaking with a new acquaintance (father of a kid from my son’s daycare) that’s a Mechanial Engineer (at his daughter’s birthday party), we went back and forth on the topic of design thinking. He and I both agreed that between 75-90% of our day is spent thinking about the best solution. The last 10-25% is…