Our Origin Story


We have been thinking about collaborating on how to provide resources around design fundamentals and how they impact everything in how people communicate, read, learn, engage and interact whether at work, rest or play. As artists, design thinkers, software engineers and educators focused on human-centered design, we have been fussing about the industry for some time; back to the days when software came in a box, and there was no such thing as a subscription model. Yeah, that far back. We like to think we do a pretty good job of staying on top of industry trends, but let’s face it, it’s better to have LOTS of friends with different backgrounds who have the same passion as we do, but different talents and experiences so we can learn from one another. It makes problem-solving much more fun and design solutions that are much more amazing.

Some time ago (a real long time ago)  I was at a ‘Higher Ed Camp’ in Philadelphia looking to glean from the presenters knowledge I lacked so I could increase my ‘bag of tricks’ to upgrade my current digital projects. That is when I met Nick, a terrific presenter who obviously had A LOT of experience in the technology space surrounding all things digital. How did I know he had that kind of experience, you ask? Simple. His interactive samples were already 5-7 years old, but they looked like they were made with the most current technology. Nick knew how to design in an engaging way so people could interact, regardless of their age or technology prowess. Nick’s experience also came from ‘long ago and far away’ (like me), as he demonstrated how to create a drop shadow in Photoshop without using a button or effect. I knew right then we would be great friends 🙂

I introduced myself, and we have been collaborating ever since serving on industry boards, hosting talks and workshops, and even creating a corporate learning event or two.  

So where do we start when we want to show the design and development process to create amazing learning experiences? Well at the beginning of course, at the VERY beginning. Just so you know, we did not make this stuff up, the tenets of good design have been around for a very long time, people just keep forgetting to use them.

We will be sharing what has helped us launch hundreds of amazing user experiences for our customers, learners, employees who are people just like you, to help you to update, enhance or adopt a process that will enable you to continually grow and develop within your discipline. So get ready, grab a notebook (pencil or digital) and see how you might ‘level’ up your next experiences.