What Chess Can Teach You About Making Decisions

A couple of topics I frequently come back to are decision-making and iteration. Decision-making is central to the design of anything. An iterative process provides a roadmap to improving and shaping something over time. You might think I formed these opinions while studying design, but the truth is they came to me while learning to play chess. Sometimes you learn things in unexpected places.

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Subjective And Objective Design Choices

Earlier this year I said that good design is subjective. I’m guessing quite a few people would disagree with that statement. Most of us want to believe we’re objective decision-makers who rationally think about problems and solutions and make choices based on objective principles. The truth is a little different.

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What I’d Tell My Younger Self To Offer Context For Learning Web Design And Development

When it comes to learning, I always stress that both theory and practice are important. One reason theory is important is because it helps you build a context for learning. It helps you direct your study and it helps you better understand the subject you’re learning.

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Opinionated Design — Make More Decisions And Leave Fewer Options

What does it mean for a design to have an opinion? How about a design that doesn’t have one? Is either better than the other? Always or only under some circumstances? If a design has an opinion, where did it come from?

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The Art To Becoming A Better Designer — Learning To Trust Your Judgement

Like many disciplines, there’s a science and art to design. On the science side we rely on foundational principles, use logic to make rational decisions, and study sciences like psychology and neuroscience to better understand an audience.

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