Name your design files like this to track changes and stay sane

Iteration is the name of the game in UI/UX design. We're constantly making incremental improvements to our work, getting feedback, and iterating again. The process isn't totally linear either, we're often reverting back to a previous iteration after an exploration didn't prove to be beneficial.

In order to allow this process to unfold in the most efficient and fluid way, we have to be smart about how we set up our workflow. 

One technique I use to track changes and allow for forward and backward iteration is pretty simple, and is very similar to how developers track their changes in git.

Each time I iterate on a given file, I do the following:

1. Duplicate the file
2. Rename the file like this:
   • Increment the version number (Example: "v1" becomes "v2)
   • Add a brief description of the changes you're making in this version. (Example: "Change primary button color to blue")
3. Open the new file and get to work!

Now, I have a running list of all the changes I've made, making it easy to go back and pull out previous iterations if needed.

This is a really simple and straightforward way of tracking changes at a basic level, and there are other methods to do this in more sophisticated ways. For example, Craft Library is a great tool to push and pull changes at a component level and keep teams in sync. 

But if you're just looking for an easy, no-frills way to keep your iterations manageable, I'd highly recommend naming your files in this way. 

Tip: If you're working with other designers on the same files, it's helpful to add your initials to the file name, so people can know who made each change.

This is the best app for planning client communication across timezones

As a freelance designer you're likely to have clients and collaborators in multiple time zones. Doing the mental math to figure out what time it will be in San Francisco at a given time in, say, Yangon can be a headache and leaves room for error.

Download 'Miranda' on your iPhone or Android and make life easier for yourself. It's the most clever UI I've seen for figuring out meeting times across multiple time zones. I've already mentioned Miranda in a previous post about essential tools for freelance designers but I'm still loving it and felt the need to call it out separately. Get it from the App Store here.

Big kudos to whoever the designer is over at SoftFacade. It's a really clever and simple UI.

Work In Progress: 75 App Icon iterations in 16 seconds (Video)

I've been making a Mac app as a side project and I needed an app icon. Here are all 75 iterations in one 16 second video. Ultimately I landed on a playful and modern design that uses repeating, overlapped rectangles to give a stacked effect. Excited to share the project once it's finished. Stay tuned!

Any fear-based thought: Identify it and reject it.

Awareness about the nature of your thought patterns is a critical component of general well-being and happiness. Fear is a particularly destructive quality of thought that can get in the way of living a full and fresh life.

One technique I use in conditioning my thought patterns is to monitor for what I call "fear-based thought". For any given thought, ask yourself where this thought came from. If it came from fear (fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of discomfort, fear of any kind), take note that this is where this thought came from, and dismiss it. Fear-based thought instantly loses credibility and influence in your decision-making when you have identified it as such. 

By doing this, it becomes easier to operate with lightness and fearlessness. Self-doubt can be replaced by self-support and adventurousness. You no longer operate from a place of loss-aversion. You're now playing to win, rather than playing not to lose.

Experimenting with Video Part 3: 30 seconds in Nha Trang

A collection of footage I captured on a single walk down the beach in Nha Trang. Each time I play with video as a format I'm more convinced that shorter cuts are better. Of course, it depends on the mood you're going for, but I love how the cadence of cuts can give a certain rhythm to the visual experience. 

An interesting technique is to play with the attention span of the viewer. There's a sweet spot where the viewer has just recognized what the image is, and the longer you dwell on that image, the more the attention starts to fade and your visual becomes stale. 

By cutting to a new shot right at the moment where the viewer has barely just perceived what the shot is, you create a really fresh experience where the viewer is constantly engaged.

Coworking Space in Nha Trang, Vietnam - LIVINcollective

If you're looking for a coworking space in Nha Trang, go to LIVINcollective. It has fast wifi, incredible BBQ, and great people. Best of all, it's free to use the coworking space. Find them on Google Maps here.

Experimenting with Video: A Day in Sapa, Vietnam

In any creative field it's important to expand our horizons and try new things. I've recently been playing around with video more as a natural extension of photography. Photo albums are a favorite format of mine because they allow for a loose story. Video builds on that, but adds motion. 

I feel a common mistake people run into with video is dwelling too long on each shot. I wanted to maintain the snapshot element of photos, but with the added expressiveness and emotion that comes with moving images.

I try to limit each shot to 3 seconds or less in order to always keep the viewer's attention engaged and guessing. 

This video was shot in one day in the beautiful valley of Sapa, Vietnam. It was a sunny day and I had a great time hiking along the rice paddies with my camera, meeting friendly people and taking in the stunning scenery.

Sapa is a really peaceful place and although people work hard in the rice paddies, there is a sense of joy in the air that I wanted to capture with this video.

I look forward to exploring video more as a format. I feel it's an area where my creative strengths can flourish. Photography obviously has a strong connection to videography, but I think the concepts I'm familiar with from design can be applied to video in interesting ways.

In design we have to always consider our work from the user's perspective. Taking this empathetic approach is great for video because we're designing someone's experience. We're trying to take them on a journey, the same way we do in UX design. Simplicity is also important in video, just as in design. By stripping away the unimportant, we can create a powerful focus on the important things.

So when I edit a video, I'm looking for one simple gesture or expression, and then cutting out everything before and after. This approach makes even the simplest gesture, or smile, and interesting moment.