Hi, I'm Ryan Singer. This is Felt Presence, where I write about UI design and product management.
I've been getting to the bottom of things at Basecamp for over ten years. We make easy-to-understand software products that businesses use to communicate and manage their work.
I do things like:
- Design user interfaces
- Create product concepts
- Lead product teams
- Invent better ways to manage design and development
I believe:
- Interface design should drive product development because it's what people actually use.
- New insights appear at any stage of a project, so the development process should optimize for change.
- UI is software, so designers should know how to program.
I'm taking a break from writing while I focus on some exciting projects at Basecamp. Here are some recent articles:
- Want to Understand Design Forces?
Untangle design conversations into the forces bearing on the design, the solutions under consideration, and the fitness between the two. Mar 2015. - Managing product development by integrating around concerns
Essential product management technique. How to map a project out and track progress on the pieces. Apr 2012. - UI and Capability
How to think about the purpose of a product. Dec 2012. - What UI really is (and how UX confuses matters)
A simpler definition of UI design. Mar 2013. - Vital Elements of the Product Design Process
Three major areas to debug when you're trying to get a product right. Aug 2013.
... and some older ones:
- A shorthand for designing UI flows
A fast way to sketch user flows for complex projects. Sep 2009. - An introduction to using patterns in web design
People tell me this oldie changed the way they think. Oct 2004.
Follow me on Twitter to find out when I publish something new. I'm @rjs.
I've given talks on design and product development to teams and conference audiences throughout the world. Here are some talks from recent years.
Teaching Product Management at Mind the Product
Mind the Product, San Francisco 2015
See the slides
Managing Product Development with Vertically Integrated Scopes
Online only, Chicago 2013
A Tour of the Design Process at 37signals
Future of Web Design, London 2010
Weaving Design & Development
WindyCityRails, Chicago 2010
Designing with Forces
The School of Visual Arts, MFA in Interaction Design, New York City 2010
