Useful WordPress plugins
These are the plugins I used to create the custom WordPress theme for my website. The great thing about WordPress is there’s a ton of great plugins available to add functionality to your site and get...
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10 step design process
When people ask me “What’s your design process?” to be completely honest I haven’t given that question a lot of thought. I know have a design process, it’s just that I haven’t taken the time write it...
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Where to find free images (that are awesome)
If you’ve spent any time looking through stock image websites you’d be forgiven for thinking there isn’t a lot of difference between them and these totally unusable photos. Here’s a list of sites...
View ArticleWellington craft beer
Here’s a list of craft beer places located in the Wellington. I’ve tried to map out the shortest/best route so you can easily walk between bars without having to rely on buses or taxis. Southern Cross...
View ArticleHow to make the perfect cup of tea
A good friend of mine Phil Mair was kind enough to show me his process for making the perfect cup of tea. With most things if you follow a well designed process you’re more likely to get better...
View ArticleComing to Wellington
Here’s a list of things I like to do when we have people from overseas come to visit. Everything from great places to eat, where to find a craft beer, a decent coffee and various activities and...
View ArticleUI/UX basics
UI + UX 101 Where am I? Always indicate active navigation states, breadcrumbs, etc. What do I need to complete? Dashboard overview, notifications, alerts, comments and a list of tasks to complete and...
View ArticleMy perfect job
I recently read an article by the talented Mike Kivikoski titled Ideal employment. In the article Mike talks about the benefits of clearly outlining what you are looking for in your next role and...
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Designing a logo
Here’s the concept I came up with when designing a logo for a coffee company. I’ve also included some background to better explain my thought process behind the design. Design process: I wrote an...
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Designing with baseline grids
A few years ago I was researching layouts and grid structures on the web when I stumbled across this awesome article written by Pierre Marly from Teehan+Lax – Designing Faster with a Baseline Grid....
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User Experience (INFO 246)
I’m currently doing a User Experience paper at Victoria University. Whenever I meet with people about new roles they always ask me to explain my process. My process changes based on what I’m working on...
View ArticleThe perfect muesli
Ingredients 3 cups oats 2 T oil (any kind you like) 2 T honey ½ cup water 1 ½ cups of any dried fruit and/or seeds Almonds (slivers) Blueberries (dried) Chia seeds Coconut (slivers) Cranberries (dried)...
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Off for the school holidays
The plan for the week Recently I’ve started taking at least one week of a year to spend with my daughter, Molly during the school holidays. Sunday the night before we’re supposed to spend the week...
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UX Certification and training
I’ve recently signed up to do some online UX study via The Interaction Design Foundation over the next few months. The idea is to spend at least 30 minutes each day to work towards getting over 30 UX...
View ArticleThings I’m thankful for in 2019
I wanted to make a list of all the things that made 2019 awesome: TOOL released a new album called “Fear Inoculum” Surfed an artificial wave at Adventure Parc in Snowdonia, Wales We bought a new house...
View ArticleInterview questions
I was recently asked as part of the interview process to reverse roles. I would effectively become the interviewer asking most of the questions. Here’s what motivates me and what I wanted to learn more...
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9 Design documentaries you should watch
Design documentaries Here’s a list of design documentaries I’ve watched and really enjoyed: Abstract – https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6333098/ Objectified – https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1241325/...
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Great purchases for work-life balance
Noise-cancelling headphones I purchased a pair of Sony WH-1000XM2 Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones (there’s also a newer model WH-1000XM3) a few years ago and have never looked back. It’s awesome...
View ArticleSurf workout (flexibility)
1.0 FLOOR Kneel lunge to stretch quads (each side) Paddling stretches (3 x 30) Hip Plank (3 x 15) Jump to standing surf stance (3 x 5) Banana stretch feet and hands off of the ground (3 min) Cobra (3 x...
View ArticleSurf workout (strength)
1.0 WARM-UP Calf extensions (3 x 15) Hip abduction – out (3 x 15) Hip abduction – in (3 x 15) Hip plank (3 x 15) Foam roller back (1 min) 2.0 STRENGTH: PART ONE Row (3 x 15) Chest Press (3 x 15)...
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Book recommendations
Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones By creating small habits over time (sometimes months or even years) you are more likely to achieve your goals. All...
View ArticleBaked chicken (original 11 herbs and spices secret recipe)
Time required Prep: 30 minutes Soak: 20 – 30 minutes Cook: 25 – 30 minutes Serves: 4 people Ingredients 2 cups all-purpose flour ⅔ tablespoon salt ½ tablespoon dried thyme leaves ½ tablespoon dried...
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Popular fonts (serif & sans serif)
Akzidenz Grotesk & Avant Garde Akzidenz Grotesk – https://www.bertholdtypes.com/font/akzidenz-grotesk/proplus/ Avant Garde – https://www.myfonts.com/fonts/itc/avant-garde-gothic/ Avenir & Bell...
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