“They say that one of the best business plans you can have is to identify a product or a service that you passionately want, but that does not yet exist. The chances are that millions of people around the world will want it too, and your passion for whatever it is that you’re creating will ensure that you make something of high quality.

So it’s my firm belief that as game developers, we should trust our instincts, and cultivate our tastes. Whatever it is that you care about passionately, devote yourself to seeking out the best of it in the world, figure out what makes it good, and bring your discoveries to the games that you make.”

Capy Games, makers of Sword and Sworcery EP and their recent new arrival Super Time Force

“Pay people enough so that they’re not thinking about money and they’re thinking about the work. Once you do that, it turns out there are three factors that the science shows lead to better performance not to mention personal satisfaction: autonomy, mastery, and purpose.”

Daniel Pink

There’s a first for everything. Today was the first day I used the new Moto 360 on a normal workday. For those who don’t know what that is, it’s Motorola’s take on a wearable smart watch. Powered by Android Wear, this wearable stood out for me because of its classic circular front face. It’s a familiar face to a new technology.

Usually I ride the Microsoft connector, a shuttle bus, to work. This morning I ran into my coworker. We sat on the bus together and after a few minutes of chatting, he noticed my smart watch. I started telling him my weekend experience with it. He mentioned its just another device to make people more rude in public. As he was talking I get an email notification, I quickly glance down at my wrist, check the notification and seamlessly hop back into the conversation. My coworker even commented on how it wasn’t as obstructive as he imagined it would be compared to...

“Stories “are important cognitive events, for they encapsulate, into one compact package, information, knowledge, context and emotion.”

A Whole New Mind
Daniel Pink

Last night, I participated in a Moth StorySLAM. The Moth is an acclaimed not-for-profit organization dedicated to the art and craft of storytelling*. StorySLAMs occur all over the country. People gather to hear people share their true stories tying in with a theme. The Moth provides clear rules and guidelines to keep the stories focused and concise. No story should be over 5 min. They recommend practice reciting your story. There are no benefits of anything written. It’s completely your internal going external.Great stories are engaging, memorable, and authentic. A good story is clear and relates regardless of origin.

I enjoyed the restrictions that The Moth puts in place for the storytellers. It’s a quick way to keep...

Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything—all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure—these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

Steve Jobs

Nike is dumping the fuelband , because it will be integrated into Apple’s future iWatch .

During my loop interview at Microsoft Studios, almost every creative employee drilled me on low fidelity (lo-fi) versus high fidelity (hi-fi). This relates to the quality of creating prototypes to quickly solve design problems.

I came from the world of post-production for agencies, where we would produce final polished designs. Lo-fi versus hi-fi was a pressing question that day. Looking back, I completely realized the importance of lo-fi work. But, I assured them that I was fully capable of solving problems creatively. Prior to getting hired on full-time at Microsoft, I worked for 4+ years as a sole proprietorship providing creative solutions for interactive design and motion graphics. During this time, I learned extremely valuable skills from working with several teams of producers, designers & developers, managing timelines and production pipelines, business management, and how to...

Aesthetic integrity doesn’t measure the beauty of an app’s artwork or characterize its style; rather, it represents how well an app’s appearance and behavior integrates with its function to send a coherent message.

The main foyer area at Makerhaus began to fill up to the brim with attendees. It was filled with designers and engineers from different disciplines and companies. You could hear the buzz as the panelists mic’d up and took their seats in front of the audience.

The night’s topic was as the medium evolves, Design Remains Constant. So, the question that many had on their minds is what is considered “design”? Tactile, a high-touch product and interaction design studio in Seattle, gathered together a high caliber panel of local talent in related industries.

Carl Ledbetter
Senior Creative Director at Xbox

Microsoft had a great presence on stage lead by Xbox Senior Creative Director, Carl Ledbetter. He spoke how the engineers and designers worked together to bring the Xbox One to reality. Cross discipline collaboration was a must. ID and UX should exist in a symbiotic relationship. This...