The pages on this website didn’t all begin in the same way.
What I now think of as a principle almost always started as something much smaller.
A question.
A detail that kept coming back to me.
A solution discovered almost by accident.
Or an idea written down before I knew whether it really mattered.
Over time, some of those observations found their way into real projects.
The ones that kept proving useful gradually became part of the way I design.
That’s where the Principles came from.
In a way, this is their natural path.
Field Notes → Stories → Principles → Manifesto
Field Notes are where everything begins.
Stories show what happens when an idea meets the real world.
Principles are what remains after that idea has been tested over and over again.
The Manifesto is the broader view that emerged from all of it.
This isn’t a blog.
It’s a notebook.
And it will probably never be finished.
Notes
Every Piece of Information Needs a Home
The first problem in many projects isn’t the software.It’s where the information lives.
The Best Automation Is Often Education
Before automating a process, you first need to help people collect information in the same place.
Why I Still Like CSV
Sometimes the simplest format is also the one that lasts the longest.
The Cost of Assumptions
“That will never happen.” Every time I hear that sentence, I start to worry.
Good Systems Leave Doors Open
Tomorrow’s exceptions are often today’s certainties.
Word Files Are ZIP Archives
Sometimes all it takes is looking inside the box to understand how something really works.
Looking Inside the Box
Many solutions begin by paying closer attention to what we already have.
A QR Code Is Not the Project
It’s just one of the bridges. Not the destination.
Bridges Are Underrated
The connections are often more important than the tools they connect.
Why I Rarely Start from Scratch
Before building something new, I always try to understand what already exists.
Reuse Beats Replacement
Reuse is rarely the most visible solution. It’s often the smartest one.
Simplicity Is a Form of Respect
For people’s time. For their attention. For the people who will use that system after us.
Data Has a Geography
Every piece of information begins somewhere. Understanding its journey is part of the design.
Context Travels with Data
When context is lost, data slowly begins to lose its meaning.
Maps Taught Me More Than Geography
They taught me to see relationships. Not just places.
Orchestras
Every instrument has a different voice. Music begins when they start listening to one another.
Swimming and Debugging
The best ideas rarely arrive in front of a screen.
Bugs Are Interesting
A bug is almost always a question in disguise.
Quality Is an Ecosystem
Quality doesn’t appear at the end of a project. It grows throughout the entire process.
Every Workflow Tells a Story
Watching how people work is often the fastest way to understand where complexity begins.
Curiosity Scales Surprisingly Well
The same way of observing can work with a map, a catalogue, or an organization.
Before Writing Code
The right questions save more time than the right code.
Elegant Systems Disappear
When a system works really well, people almost forget it exists.
Remove Before Adding
The first question is never: “What’s missing?” It’s: “What can we remove?”
Systems Are for People
A system should adapt to people far more than people should have to adapt to the system.