Andypbrowne

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A personal blog of a User Experience professional who specializes in DesignOperations

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Last post: Jun 6, 2026
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Podcasts 2
Jun 6, 2026 · original
This isn’t a complete catalog—it’s what I actually listen to. Browse the grid on the site, or read the full list below. bedtime kids science family But Why A bunch of kids asking questions of Vermont Public Radio. It’s a great science and bedtime listen to help kids go to sleep. Favorite episodes Who invented tacos? Why can’t animals talk to us? Do people eat bugs? bedtime kids science storytelling Radiolab for Kids Our second-favorite bedtime podcast. Great storytelling that can spark conversation about science and the natural world. Favorite episodes It's Raining Cats and Cats Zoozve history storytelling humor The Rest Is History For history lovers and anyone who enjoys a good story. Just the right amount of nerdy history with a little humor. Favorite episodes WWI: The Christmas Truce Nelson: Slaughter in Naples (Part 1) history storytelling Short History Of… Standalone weekly episodes
Choosing Type
Apr 6, 2026 · original
There are too many ways to choose type for a project, honestly. Some of them are technical, some are historical, and some amount to a designer staring at two perfectly good options until one feels slightly less wrong. Sometimes a free typeface is exactly right. Sometimes the right one is worth paying for. Either way, I think there are better ways to choose than just calling one “clean” and moving on. Note : I will use the word type and font interchangeably in this post. There is no real difference unless you just want to sound fancy by using the words typography and type. Where this usually shows up # Look at these type specimens below. I used them to choose my e-reader font. I did look closely at curves and serifs, but that was not the deciding factor. I chose Valkyrie partly to support Butterick's Practical Typography , which I have referenced for years. A good resource like this reall
Laptop Stickers
Feb 10, 2026 · original
Here are the stickers on my laptop that I started using in 2024. I enjoy the aesthetics of the stickers – but what I enjoy mostly is the background reminders of what they represent. That background listed from left to right and top-to-bottom. As the great designer Aaron Draplin would say “Don’t be precious about your stickers, if you have a sticker, stick it!” This is the current surface of a laptop I bought in 2024 1. Heatonist # One of the best YouTube channels continues to be First We Feast and their show Hot Ones , a show with hot wings and even hotter questions. Some great recent episodes include Jason Bateman , will Forte , and Selena Gomez . 2. Party Corgi # From time to time I still watch Learn With Jason with Jason Lengstorf. On a live stream he pair programs with great folks from around the tech industry. Its a great way to learn web development. I find it comforting to know de
Simona Prives’ Artist Portfolio
Jan 18, 2026 · original
Summary Portfolio website redesign for a Brooklyn-based visual artist seeking prestigious residencies and gallery shows. Responsibilities Content Strategy Information Architecture Web Development CMS Implementation Key Outcomes Effortless content updates Smart content cross-referencing Professional presentation for key audiences Scalable system for future growth Project Link Coming soon! Simona needs her website to do serious work. As an artist seeking prestigious residencies and high-profile gallery shows, she wants a platform that would impress curators, gallerists, and residency juries—audiences who make careful judgments and need to find information easily. Her existing website was 10 years old. While she loved the aesthetic, updating it had become tedious enough that she simply… didn't. Social media promotion felt disconnected. The site wasn't reflecting her current work or supporti
Breakfast Burrito
Dec 4, 2025 · original
Ingredients # 1 lb Yukon Gold or russet potatoes, scrubbed and diced small 1 yellow onion, diced ½ lb fresh chorizo (or breakfast sausage) 6 large eggs 2 tbsp milk or water (for eggs) 4 large flour tortillas (10–12") 1 ripe avocado, sliced 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar ½ cup salsa (or pico de gallo) neutral oil for frying (vegetable or canola) kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper Easy, portable, and loaded with flavor — homefries + chorizo + creamy avocado make this a California-style breakfast burrito worth making on a weekend morning. Preparation # 🔥 One-skillet preparation + quick scramble ⏳ Prep 15 min • Cook 35 min 🍽️ Makes 4 burritos Boil diced potatoes 5 minutes, drain and let steam-dry. For best texture you can skip pre-boil and cook a bit longer in the skillet. Cook the homefries - Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high. Add diced potatoes i
Coffee
Nov 1, 2025 · original
Brooklyn Roasting Company Ethiopia Nura Korate Ethiopia Flavors: Lemon Herb Honey Stumptown Vivid Bloom East Africa, Latin America Flavors: orange blossom cherry chocolate Superlost Supernatural Colombia Carbonic Maceration Natural, Light Flavors: red berries cocoa lemon Partners Jumpstart Honduras, Brazil Washed and Natural, medium light Flavors: Almond Caramel Poached Pear Devoción Toro Columbia Washed, Flavors: Cocoa Vanilla Cherry Almond Yafa Huehuetenango Guatemala Washed, Medium Flavors: Caramel Cherry Grapefruit La Flower Tradicional Columbia Washed, Medium Flavors: Chocolate Almonds Citrus Flying Bean Negus Ethiopia Washed, Light Flavors: Figs Black Tea Lemon Cardomon Oslo Golden Tree Blend Sumatra, Ethiopia Flavors: Apricot Chocolate Honey Counter Culture Apollo Ethiopia Medium Flavors: Citrus Floral Silk Ace Coffee Outpost Primer Multi-origin Medium Flavors: Pecan Baker's Choco
Crayons
Apr 13, 2025 · original
Summary A design exploration focused on choosing color palettes using Crayola crayons as a creative foundation. Built a custom tool to display, sort, and filter 120 colors with the help of AI. Responsibilities Visual Discovery and Design Strategy Front-End Development AI-assisted Prototyping Key Outcomes Built a personal color tool I still use and improve Custom palettes, sorting, filtering, and layout modes Ongoing work on export formats, color ramps, and in-context preview Project Link https://crayons.andypbrowne.com/ Choosing a color palette for a design project can feel like a chaotic and unsystematic endeavor. Where do we even begin? Personally, I think visual discovery should be a quest – one that uncovers a good story. When a color palette has a narrative, it gives our design choices meaning, and that story becomes something we can share with clients when presenting our work. Let
Chorizo & Black Bean Chili
Apr 5, 2025 · original
Ingredients # 1 yellow onion ½ lb pkg chorizo sausage ¼ oz chorizo chili spice blend 15 oz can black beans 8 oz tomato sauce ¼ oz fresh cilantro 2 (1 oz) sour cream garlic neutral oil kosher salt & ground pepper Take care of tonight’s “what’s for dinner” question. Just toss chorizo, black beans, and tomato sauce into a pot, let it do its thing, and finish it off with a spoonful of sour cream, a sprinkle of cilantro, and some freshly chopped onions. Preparation # 🔥 One pot easy prep 🍛 Perfect over rice ⏳ 50min 🍽️ Serves 2 Prep & brown chorizo - Halve onion and finely chop. Finely chop 2 teaspoons garlic. In a medium pot, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Add chorizo and cook, breaking up into smaller pieces, until browned in spots and no longer pink, 4–5 minutes (chorizo won't be cooked through). Cook aromatics - To pot with chorizo, add chopped garlic and half of the chopped oni
Milk
Apr 1, 2025 · original
I’m the only one in my house who drinks milk. Sure, it makes the occasional guest appearance in mac-and-cheese or pancakes, but for the most part, it’s just me and my weekend coffee. The problem? My milk kept turning on me before I could finish it. Then I discovered a trick: squash the container—literally. Press out as much air as possible before sealing it back up. Less oxygen means fresher milk, and this little hack has extended its life by at least a week. Bonus tip: Higher-quality and organic milk naturally lasts longer. But even then? Yeah, I’m still squashing.
Pollo Guisado
Mar 8, 2025 · original
Ingredients # 4 skinless chicken drumsticks, on the bone, 14 oz total 4 skinless chicken thighs, on the bone, trimmed, 20 ounces 1/2 teaspoon adobo seasoning salt 1 teaspoon olive oil 4 medium scallions, chopped 3 garlic cloves, minced 1/4 cup chopped cilantro, plus 2 tbsp for garnish 8 oz can tomato sauce 1 packet sazon seasoning, optional 1/4 cup pitted green olives, plus 2 tablespoons brine 1 tablespoon Chicken Better Than Bouillon, or 1 cube 1/2 teaspoon cumin 2 bay leaves Pollo Guisado is a flavorful braised chicken stew popular in the Caribbean, Central, and South America. It’s a one-pot dish that simmers slowly, allowing the chicken to become tender while absorbing the rich, seasoned broth. Perfect for a comforting weeknight meal, this dish is best prepared in a cast iron or heavy-bottomed pot to lock in heat and deepen the flavors. This recipe serves about 4–6 people and pairs pe
Shortcuts
Feb 12, 2025 · original
This post is inspired by my recent adoption of Raycast . It’s a productivity app. Think Mac Spotlight or Alfred but with more power and a community making every extension you can imagine. I've watched about a dozen videos on their YouTube channel and I’m convinced everyone should be using a computer this way. You don’t need to be a power user. In fact the bese way to start using Raycast and other keyboard shortcuts is to just start small. I would suggest starting with some native shortucts to work with text. Try moving your cursor around without using the mouse by using combinations of Option , Command , and the arrow keys. Hold down Shift while you are doing it to select text as you move. Practice and you'll never go back. Try not to judge people too hard who still use their mouse to peck around for just the right spot. I have listed below some of my favorite shortuts. I suggest giving
Young Adult Author’s Website
Feb 8, 2025 · original
Summary Redesign of a website and improved editing experience for an author of Young Adult books. Responsibilities User Research Interaction Design Web Development Project Management Key Outcomes Enhanced editor workflow Engaged key audiences Support future growth Project Link https://rominagarber.com Author Romina Garber needed a new website to support the launch of her new book series, Wolves of No World . Her existing WordPress site was outdated and made content updates difficult. Romina had a clear vision: she needed a more intuitive platform and a more professional website to promote her work effectively. The primary goal was to improve the website’s editing workflow. During the initial design discovery we also identified an opportunity to reach additional audiences like publicists, literary agents, bookstagrammers, and video bloggers. By focusing on these groups, we could refine th
Energy Dots
Jan 15, 2025 · original
There is a user experience facilitation method called dot voting. I don’t think it gets enough use and its benefits are glorious and mysterious. There are only a few simple things we will do to make it work. A voted on group of abstract symbols from the book Symbol by Angus Hyland and Steven Bateman. The shapes above are selections from that book and drawn in Figma. You will need : Sharpie or Paper Mate Flair Felt Tip Pens Post-it Super Sticky Notes See-Thru™ Removable Color Dots A digital whiteboard like Figjam or Miro Make it work # Setup # Pair it with another method like rapid sketching, crazy 8s, a mood board, or some existing concepts. Take these things and spread them out in a digital or physical space. Find participants. These can be collaborators, clients, and decision makers. Do the thing # Decide on some voting criteria. The group should agree to vote based on one or more crit
Totem
Jan 2, 2025 · original
This is the Totem character from Monument Valley 2 that includes the magic door This plush toy is my favorite amongst the scores, maybe hundreds, of stuffed animals my daughter owns. Totem, our favorite character in the game Monument Valley , is a movable pillar that helps the main character with puzzles. Totem can slide around to create paths, bridge gaps, and transport the main character through a magic door. Its great to have a reminder of a game my kid and I can play together. Why do we like Monument Valley so much? The music, beautiful graphics, and puzzles that are just the right amount of difficulty. Also there is a tactile element to the gameplay that just feels relaxing and satisfying.
Duolingo
Dec 17, 2024 · original
I have a Duolingo streak of 1,036 days (at time of writing) and I am not learning Spanish. This feels like a bit of a personal failure because I have been studying for about 30 years! I am even married to a native Spanish speaker. Perhaps writing about this will give me the resolve to finally become fluent. There is a lot of criticism online that Duolingo is not actually that great for language learning. This is about over-gamification, limited control over lesson content, and limited speaking practice. Personally I’m really addicted to that gamified experience. My vocabulary and listening skills are better because of the consistent daily practice. I just have a lot of trouble verbalizing the things I want to say in conversation. In my opinion, becoming fluent (which is my goal) is all about the work you put in and finding a way to be immersed in the language. Really, Duolingo should onl
Creative Mornings
Oct 24, 2024 · original
Ask me my favorite thing to do in the city. I will tell you to come with me to Creative Mornings (CM). This is a monthly breakfast meetup and a community for creative people. It's also for everyone; read their manifesto . As of the time of writing, CM has over 244 global chapters and has been running since 2008. Personally, I’ve attended 15 talks since my first one in 2015. Their top-class website keeps track for you! I regret that I’ve never attended one outside my own city. I just never seem to be visiting places like Miami at exactly the right time of the month. I will say, that CM is something worth getting up early for – even when on vacation! So I still plan on visiting in more cities. My nametage icebreaker answers are a little cringe Memorable Talks # Some of the most memorable talks I have seen are: Jad Abumrad talked about some lessons learned about storytelling and creativity
Command Line Snippets
Jun 30, 2024 · original
A list of helpful code snippets for us making this, my personal blog. This post assumes you are using the command line to work on a personal website. The primary reasons for doing this is to speed up workflow and to look cool while you are doing it. Snippets 1. Duplicate a directory cp -r content/blog/_template content/blog/title-tk 2. Error Fatal: Not possible to fast-forward, aborting git pull --rebase 3. Create new branch git checkout -b NEW_BRANCH_NAME 4. Open VS Code editor (w/ shell command installed) code . 5. review last commit git log [BRANCH NAME] 6. Speed up commit Resources # Git Guide, no deep shit ;) Atlassian Git Commands Glossary To Do # Add a Clipboard.js feature to allow easy copy/paste
Fresh energy and the reality of the design process
Jun 16, 2024 · original
Note: This post is based on my experience in a large corporate environment. Applicability the advice may vary based on your work environment. When we start out in User Experience (UX), a world is opened to us… we emerge idealistic and full of enthusiasm. This is great — it’s the kind of energy that sparks creativity and innovation all around us. Then something happens. You don’t have to be in a super-corporate workplace to encounter people do don’t understand the value of design — the same way you do. If you feel like a resource, miss-understood, demoralized by the instructions to “just make it look pretty” — you are not alone. Practically, you are not getting the support you need to practice the methods you know to be effective. Things like interviewing real users, workshopping ideas, experimenting, and usability testing. You might feel like you spend more time advocating for a real UX
Creator Micro
Jun 8, 2024 · original
I splurged and got the Figma Creator Micro Keyboard . It’s described as a device that will bring joy to your hardware. I believe it also brings a little enjoyment to my software and inspires me to make more things. Technically its a macropad. These are often mechanical keyboards and an enthusiast device that allows for quick actions like a single dedicated button for a keyboard shortcut. You might adjust a rotary dial to control a UI element like a slider or volume setting. Any one of the buttons can also be configured with a macro — where you can set a long series of keystrokes with only one tap. VIA is a web-based app that allows you to configure a keyboard. You can remap keys, create shortcuts, and control lighting So, how to decide what to do with the device? The first thing I did was configure the nob to be a volume control. This is honestly the best feature. I'm loosing this great
Car Thing
May 23, 2024 · original
Rest in peace Spotify© Car Thing . This recently discontinued device was a really fresh experience for audio. Even the packaging for this thing was a great experience. When reflecting on it’s 3-years of use, I found more utility for at my desk than in the car. That big dial you see allowed me physical volume control when I was playing music on Zoom for my coworkers. During those pandemic years I was actually well known as a DJ and provider of vibes among my colleagues. They were attending too many boring meetings and I had figured out how to provide a high-quality stream. That dial was a cool way to control the music volume separately than the rest of my computer audio. Now all of that is gone. I’m not really the reactionary type – but this is a really good excuse to switch to Apple Music out of protest. Apparently in December 2024 the device is going to turn into a brick 🧱. The Car Thi

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