My user manual
My pronouns
He/him
How I like to give and receive feedback
I like to give positive feedback as much as possible, to reinforce when colleagues are doing great work. And I like to give constructive feedback – particularly when it's someone I care about, when I think I can help them improve. I try to lead with curiosity and kindness.
I actively seek feedback, and I welcome it. Please don't hold back.
I even made a tool to help people give feedback (yes, I’m a bit of a feedback nerd). Try Feedback Sense Check, and read about why we built it.
What motivates me?
Like most of us, I'm motivated by autonomy, mastery and purpose. I learnt that in the brilliant Drive by Daniel Pink, and it totally rings true for me.
I'd add a 4th element – I find it motivating to work in a team with a great vibe and good levels of trust and collaboration.
Things that energise me
Hearing from users at interview and having assumptions challenged. Seeing surprising data. Launching successful products. Hosting fun, trust-building team rituals.
Things I struggle with
I'm a very visual person. I can struggle to take in lots of written information.
I value recognition but I don't enjoy the limelight. While I love hosting rituals and workshops, I don't relish talking in front of 100 people.
My personality type
I think I'm on the border between extrovert and introvert, maybe more of the latter. I'm patient, diplomatic and democratic by default.
How to communicate with me
Please communicate with me in any way you feel comfortable. If something’s urgent, please just say so directly.
I turn off sound and pop-up notifications for new messages, so I can focus when I need to. Sometimes I turn on 'airplane mode' for deep focus. I never check work messages out of working hours.
AI
AI is central to my workflow, from research synthesis and ideation to execution and delivery. I'm closer to code than ever – spinning up prototypes and making edits in our codebase.
AI is upending the design industry and some days the pace of change makes my head spin. But it's making me a better designer and bringing new, exciting challenges. Unexpectedly, it has made my job more enjoyable. The tricky bit for designers is to leverage AI while maintaining quality, taste and the need for human problem-solving.
I love to collaborate with and learn from colleagues on all things AI. I'm planning to give a talk about the impacts of AI on discovery to a local UX group.
Outside of work
I volunteer at local allotments (and designed my own plot in Figma to a 30cm baseline grid — yes, I’m that nerdy). I play in a band, love good coffee, and enjoy the gym and running. I have a side hustle helping people around the world deal with death. I live in York (UK) with my wife and daughter.
