Categories
Design Design Systems Digital Product design

Zeroheight

I’m building out our new product styleguide using zeroheight, this follows proof of concept work that I carried out using a Figma shared library.

The UI elements and components form the building block for an established digital product. As our teams grow our new system will really help new team members understand and access our product design.

It’s pretty good so far and it means that we can provide a single source of truth for all our collegues across our design, dev, test and product teams. Our UX team are able to add in guidance and usability guidelines to the components as they’re created in the system.

Once I completed the IA the build out has been going well, there are also features built in like release notes that will help us communicate changes and updates to our new system.

I’m happy with this product, to be clear I’m not paid to endorse it, but zeroheight was recommended to me and it seems to be a good fit.

I’m looking forward to completing this project and I hope that it wil form the basis for a new, multi product, design system.

Categories
Design Design Ops Design Systems Product design UI UX

Design System Governance

I’m working on the governance process for our new design system, this sets out how the system will be used by our product teams. We work in agile so this is a key consideration when planning the system’s work flow.

Our system will be based on our digital products that we offer to B2B and B2C audiences and users groups. Using Figma for our design system gives us lots of flexibility with their shared library feature so we can control our components and design patterns look and feel across multiple products.

There are many considerations when designing a governance model which include how our scrums team members access and use the system. Our internal users will be at very different technical levels with different system needs from stakeholders to developers and we aim to engage with all of our colleagues.

I’ve started with a simple flow chart which I’ve developed to illustrate how components and patterns are created and introduced to the system as usable, tested design elements. The goverance process can be adapted as we go, as the system itself will be live and should change as we progress as a company.

I also want to encourage contribution from everyone in the company so making this process as easy as possible is important. My view is that anyone can have a good idea and not being a design team member can give an objective view on how patterns work in the real world on our live websites and apps.

I’m enjoying putting the design system governance together as it will add so much to our design and production process with consistency, accessibility and usability for our end users.

Categories
Design Design Ops Design Systems Digital UX

Design Systems

I’m currently leading on a design system project to help bring consistancy and streamline our design component production. It is the first step in a large project which is going to involve close collaboration with our UX design, development and test teams.

At the end of last year I produced a proof of concept of a design system in Figma using the built in shared library feature. This project is now going on to contribute to the design system project following my research on the industry standard approach to building an in-house system.

It’s exciting times and there are many things to consider including system governance which I’ve written a brief research report on. This will help us implement and maintain the new system and enable us to accept and build on design and product input from the wider business.

Once live our new design system will reduce our concept to launch time with a uniform look and feel to all of our digital products. The development team can build out code in multiple front-end technologies to match our design components to further reduce build time. The new system will also make our test team’s job easier with clear accessible design patterns with use cases and guidance.

Overall the new design system will improve our design to development process, this will help our scrum team members with a modern approach to design with a single source of truth.

I’m happy to be leading on this project and I feel that it is part of the future of commercial digital product design.

Categories
Adventure Travel

Motorbikes

I’ve recently traded my Honda nc750x for a near new BMW, its my first German built bike for some time and I really like the feel of my new GS.

Motorbikes are freedom machines and for me they just make sense. Just some of the benefits are they’re cheap to run, parking is free (in the UK) for the most part. Some inner city areas do charge but they’re rare at the moment and the parking fees are much less than a car. You also don’t have to queue with other vehicles in heavy traffic, most of all they’re fun!

Yes bikers are exposed to the weather and the elements but there is something about being out in the open air and being at one with the landscape that you’re travelling through. Ted Simon, the author of the biker’s travelogue classic Jupiter’s Travels explains at length the feeling of being at one with your environment when you travel by bike. There is definitely something in this, along with the sense of adventure. Simon traveled around the world over four years on a 500cc Triumph tiger back in the 1970s.

If you don’t ride bikes already you’ll need training and also pass a bike test to get a full bike license. If you already ride then you’ll know what I’m talking about.

Its past mid winter at the moment and winter always turns to spring with sunny days and warmer weather approaching. So I hope that you enjoy your travels this year as I’m certainly going to be exploring on my motorbike a bit more this year!

Happy travels!!

Categories
Travel

Walking

I’ve always walked and seen the value in walking in general, just moving through a landscape at walking pace is something theraputic and a good feeling in itself.

I recently read “A Philosophy of Walking” which goes into the process in depth, interesting to read how great thinkers have used walking to hone their ideas. The health benefits are a real plus especially with the current lockdown isolation world that we find ourselves in.

If you don’t walk I’d encourage you to get your boots or shoes on and get out there, having a dog helps but its not an essential walking aid.

Whatever you do or wherever you go enjoy!

Categories
Travel

Summer

It’s been hot with little rain but we’ve also been in strange times due to lockdown and a global pandemic.

I hope that what ever you do or where ever you are you are managing to be creative and to take time for yourself and those around you.

The time will come when the new normal is hopefully back to something we know and love. Until then stay safe and look after yourself.

Categories
Uncategorised

Corona Virus

These are strange and difficult times that we haven’t experienced before. It can be hard to stay positive as the UK joins most of Europe with a lock down.

I can only say stay safe and do what you can for your friends and family to keep their spirits up in these social isolation days.

I wish you all the best and I look forward to happier times when a world is something like back to normal.

Stay safe and well.

Categories
Art Creative

Spring

Shoreham harbour, Shoreham-by-Sea, Sussex

Spring is coming! Time to get creative as the days grow longer and nature springs back into life!

I will be walking and inspiring myself with a fresh look at the year, I hope that you will have an inspiring and creative year whatever you may be creating!

Categories
Creative Design Poems

Dark Nights of Poetry at Year’s End

As the year draws to a close I’m reading more poetry and taking the chance to review what I’ve read this year.

TS Eliot’s Four Quartets has been my go to poem of the year, I was reading it over summer, I really like the abstraction of this work. If you don’t know it look it up, there’s also a great rendition of Eliot’s work read by Sir Alec Guiness.

I hope and aim to be even more creative in the new year and poetry is going to be a part of that.

Both reading and writing.

Categories
Design Design Ops Digital UX UX Design

UX Brighton

I attended UX Brighton last week, a conference which focuses on UX (User Experience), it was inspiring with a good mix of speaker. This year the theme was design which I particularly enjoyed as I’ve worked in this field for many years.

The conferenece was well organised and has info packed talks form a range of industry professionals, the talks were kept to a shorter length which I found refreshing.

UX Brighton was held at the Dome in Brighton, Sussex, UK which is a great venue and handy for me as I live near and work in the city.

I would recommend attending this conference if you’re interested in UX and are able to go. The talks are soon to be available on the UXBri website if you want to get a flavour of what happened on the day or get a feel for the conference.