Mathew Wilson
@mathewwilson.me
UCD/UX focused designer and educator. Helping people rethink 'design' and their approach to it. Based in Stroud/London – mathewwilson.me – Using Bluesky mostly as a link feed
More interesting and lovely things. Plus a few angrier ones than usual. documenteering.com/2025/03/25/t...
Things I found interesting 27 Feb – 25 Mar 2025
Follow ↗ The Outline newsletter from Design Week. There are too many newsletters I feel (though I understand why), but this one is brilliantly done by Design Week. A daily update of interesting sni…
documenteering.com
March 25, 2025 at 2:27 PM
More interesting and lovely things. Plus a few angrier ones than usual. documenteering.com/2025/03/25/t...
Reposted by Mathew Wilson
🚨 Attn: Bunting/Minutiae enthusiasts!!! Get a ticket to Interesting 2025, while ye may! www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/interestin...
Interesting 2025
Short talks about interesting things
www.eventbrite.co.uk
March 20, 2025 at 7:49 AM
🚨 Attn: Bunting/Minutiae enthusiasts!!! Get a ticket to Interesting 2025, while ye may! www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/interestin...
Lots of good snippets in this thread. All classic points, and worth reiterating to ensure that less experienced (and more sheltered) designers understand the duality of good UI design.
I was staying at a friend’s house in Austin, Texas. She was working on a startup and her user experience designer kept getting into the detail about how the user interface *looked*.
March 12, 2025 at 3:48 PM
Lots of good snippets in this thread. All classic points, and worth reiterating to ensure that less experienced (and more sheltered) designers understand the duality of good UI design.
Nearly scrolled past a "UX is Dead" post on LinkedIn, trying not to take what looked like clickbait, but the second line – "UX is evolving" – caught my eye, as I thoroughly agree. Full thoughts here: documenteering.com/2025/03/12/t...
The UX paradox: Why demand keeps growing
I nearly scrolled past this ‘UX is Dead’ post, trying not to take what looked like clickbait, but the idea that ‘UX is evolving’ is one that I thoroughly agree wit…
documenteering.com
March 12, 2025 at 2:39 PM
Nearly scrolled past a "UX is Dead" post on LinkedIn, trying not to take what looked like clickbait, but the second line – "UX is evolving" – caught my eye, as I thoroughly agree. Full thoughts here: documenteering.com/2025/03/12/t...
Realised it's just two months to Interesting conference. Very much looking forward to it. Wonderfully inspiring yet deeply unassuming. If you're unsure what it is – but you're curious – then it's 100% for you.
russelldavies.typepad.com/planning/202...
russelldavies.typepad.com/planning/202...
Interesting 2025 - what's it all about?
It's time to start thinking seriously about speakers for Interesting 2025. And this time, for a bunch of reasons, that means more than just asking people I know. And you lot. I need to start asking mo...
russelldavies.typepad.com
March 11, 2025 at 10:49 AM
Realised it's just two months to Interesting conference. Very much looking forward to it. Wonderfully inspiring yet deeply unassuming. If you're unsure what it is – but you're curious – then it's 100% for you.
russelldavies.typepad.com/planning/202...
russelldavies.typepad.com/planning/202...
A little rabbit hole, starting with Donella Meadows and systems thinking, ending at BLM and triggering board games.
documenteering.com/2025/03/05/d...
documenteering.com/2025/03/05/d...
Donella Meadows on success to the successful loops
While awaiting the arrival of The Limits to Growth (a 2004, 30th year update version I found on World of Books ), I’ve been looking around the web for articles and snippets on Donella Meadows…
documenteering.com
March 5, 2025 at 3:34 PM
A little rabbit hole, starting with Donella Meadows and systems thinking, ending at BLM and triggering board games.
documenteering.com/2025/03/05/d...
documenteering.com/2025/03/05/d...
A bit on businesses without websites. An increasingly common (and sad) state of affairs for the independent web.
documenteering.com/2025/03/03/t...
documenteering.com/2025/03/03/t...
The state of websites? Too many redirects occurred
There’s an independent builders merchant near me that I try to use instead of the big national chains. I was wondering what they had in stock, so had a quick search for their website. Search term: …
documenteering.com
March 3, 2025 at 4:51 PM
A bit on businesses without websites. An increasingly common (and sad) state of affairs for the independent web.
documenteering.com/2025/03/03/t...
documenteering.com/2025/03/03/t...
@timharford.ft.com you might enjoy the latest from @philedwardsinc.bsky.social youtu.be/E7G_33sXJeI?...
The secret economics of Dungeons & Dragons
YouTube video by Phil Edwards
youtu.be
March 2, 2025 at 9:38 PM
@timharford.ft.com you might enjoy the latest from @philedwardsinc.bsky.social youtu.be/E7G_33sXJeI?...
When the titles start in every episode of Severance it reminds me of this tune. I can’t find anyone else making the connection. Just me? youtu.be/hTVJF5ORuLQ?...
Screamin.J Hawkins - Maybe
YouTube video by Bamboor
youtu.be
February 28, 2025 at 8:29 PM
When the titles start in every episode of Severance it reminds me of this tune. I can’t find anyone else making the connection. Just me? youtu.be/hTVJF5ORuLQ?...
A post that started small but that I struggled to stop. Got there in the end. documenteering.com/2025/02/25/t...
The difficulty of understanding when ‘easy’ things are difficult
This began as a short post, that got longer, and added to, and added to some more, before becoming a seemingly messy collection of disparate opinions. There’s a thread running through it thou…
documenteering.com
February 25, 2025 at 10:38 AM
A post that started small but that I struggled to stop. Got there in the end. documenteering.com/2025/02/25/t...
@iainbroome.com Saw this one and thought of the struggle to explain what content designers do, and why content first thinking can kinda be useful at times. A good example/explainer to share with doubters. Clever old @designthinking.lol
designthinkingcomic.substack.com/p/lorem-ipsu...
designthinkingcomic.substack.com/p/lorem-ipsu...
Lorem Ipsum
DT! for today
designthinkingcomic.substack.com
February 14, 2025 at 9:11 AM
@iainbroome.com Saw this one and thought of the struggle to explain what content designers do, and why content first thinking can kinda be useful at times. A good example/explainer to share with doubters. Clever old @designthinking.lol
designthinkingcomic.substack.com/p/lorem-ipsu...
designthinkingcomic.substack.com/p/lorem-ipsu...
Searching for a particular flowchart meme just now stumbled on this instead. Cool to see these adventure books mapped like this. I always imagined authors would effectively write them this way. Hit me also how navigating big projects always feels like a CYOA
www.atlasobscura.com/articles/cyo...
www.atlasobscura.com/articles/cyo...
These Maps Reveal the Hidden Structures of 'Choose Your Own Adventure' Books
If you decide to see more, click on this story.
www.atlasobscura.com
February 12, 2025 at 11:01 AM
Searching for a particular flowchart meme just now stumbled on this instead. Cool to see these adventure books mapped like this. I always imagined authors would effectively write them this way. Hit me also how navigating big projects always feels like a CYOA
www.atlasobscura.com/articles/cyo...
www.atlasobscura.com/articles/cyo...
“A unique blend of evolutionary psychology and strategic leadership insights.” Found via @ewebber.bsky.social so instantly took the recommendation and downloaded it. Oh my days, vvv good. It’s correlating with so many experiences, thoughts and beliefs! All in a 'good confirmation bias' way, I think
This gift came in the post yesterday and keen to dig in. Lovely to see my paper I wrote a few years back with Robin Dunbar referenced.
February 12, 2025 at 10:18 AM
“A unique blend of evolutionary psychology and strategic leadership insights.” Found via @ewebber.bsky.social so instantly took the recommendation and downloaded it. Oh my days, vvv good. It’s correlating with so many experiences, thoughts and beliefs! All in a 'good confirmation bias' way, I think
I keep coming back to the idea of 'boring magic'. It's known well in some circles, but I think it's worth more than being an in-joke that we nod in humorous agreement to.
visitmy.website/2020/01/08/b...
visitmy.website/2020/01/08/b...
Boring magic
Thoughts on digital government, its inherent politics, and humility in design.
visitmy.website
February 12, 2025 at 10:03 AM
I keep coming back to the idea of 'boring magic'. It's known well in some circles, but I think it's worth more than being an in-joke that we nod in humorous agreement to.
visitmy.website/2020/01/08/b...
visitmy.website/2020/01/08/b...
I've used thriva.com since 2017 and their testing box still delights me every time! Such a fun mechanism. The instructions could easily fit inside a regular box... so it's fairly pointless if you think about it practically... but in this case, sod practicality, we need more delight.
February 7, 2025 at 11:09 AM
I've used thriva.com since 2017 and their testing box still delights me every time! Such a fun mechanism. The instructions could easily fit inside a regular box... so it's fairly pointless if you think about it practically... but in this case, sod practicality, we need more delight.
Reposted by Mathew Wilson
Do Audiobooks Count As Reading? @johngreensbluesky.bsky.social says a wonderfully convincing yes! And I couldn't agree more. My excited thoughts on it: documenteering.com/2025/02/04/d...
Or just watch John's indirectly dyslexic affirming video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=80SC...
Or just watch John's indirectly dyslexic affirming video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=80SC...
Do Audiobooks Count As Reading?
YouTube video by vlogbrothers
www.youtube.com
February 4, 2025 at 5:01 PM
Do Audiobooks Count As Reading? @johngreensbluesky.bsky.social says a wonderfully convincing yes! And I couldn't agree more. My excited thoughts on it: documenteering.com/2025/02/04/d...
Or just watch John's indirectly dyslexic affirming video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=80SC...
Or just watch John's indirectly dyslexic affirming video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=80SC...
"Human beings love to predict the future, but we’re quite terrible at it. So how about punishing all those bad predictions?" – Some design related thoughts from revisiting (the very old) Folly of Predictions episode of Freakonomics.
documenteering.com/2025/02/04/h...
documenteering.com/2025/02/04/h...
February 4, 2025 at 4:58 PM
"Human beings love to predict the future, but we’re quite terrible at it. So how about punishing all those bad predictions?" – Some design related thoughts from revisiting (the very old) Folly of Predictions episode of Freakonomics.
documenteering.com/2025/02/04/h...
documenteering.com/2025/02/04/h...
Things I found interesting / 11 Jan – 4 Feb 2025. Gaps are getting longer between these as I struggle to document all that I find interesting. The curse of curiosity? Or just dopamine addiction 🤷♂️
documenteering.com/2025/02/04/t...
documenteering.com/2025/02/04/t...
Things I found interesting / 11 Jan – 4 Feb 2025
Read Devastated by the sudden loss and passing of our dear friend Vicky. She was a kind, thoughtful and all round amazing person. So much integrity and sincerity. Unbelievably sad news that the awe…
documenteering.com
February 4, 2025 at 4:54 PM
Things I found interesting / 11 Jan – 4 Feb 2025. Gaps are getting longer between these as I struggle to document all that I find interesting. The curse of curiosity? Or just dopamine addiction 🤷♂️
documenteering.com/2025/02/04/t...
documenteering.com/2025/02/04/t...
I wonder if a similar phenomenon occurs when a project team passes through their final deck presentation. “People tend to forget items of recent significance immediately after crossing a boundary, and often forget what they were thinking about or planning on doing.”
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doorway...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doorway...
Doorway effect - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doorway_effect#:~:text=The%20doorway%20effect%20or%20location%20updating%20effect%20is%20a%20replicable%20psychological%20phenomenon%20characterized%20by%20short-term%20memory%20loss%20when%20passing%20through%20a%20doorway%20or%20moving%20from%20one%20location%20to%20another.[1]%20People%20tend%20to%20forget%20items%20of%20recent%20significance%20immediately%20after%20crossing%20a%20boundary[2]%20and%20often%20forget%20what%20they%20were%20thinking%20about%20or%20planning%20on%20doing
February 4, 2025 at 2:15 PM
I wonder if a similar phenomenon occurs when a project team passes through their final deck presentation. “People tend to forget items of recent significance immediately after crossing a boundary, and often forget what they were thinking about or planning on doing.”
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doorway...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doorway...
100% echoing @iainbroome.com’s hearty recommendation of this. Predominantly a content design lens on trauma and dyscalculia, but the conversation creates a brilliantly layered argument for more active empathy in all areas of design. Not just Content/Service/UCD
accessiblenumbers.com/trauma-infor...
accessiblenumbers.com/trauma-infor...
Trauma informed design
This episode includes themes some of you might find uncomfortable such as death and bereavement, cancer treatment and trauma. We also discuss a government...
accessiblenumbers.com
February 1, 2025 at 9:11 PM
100% echoing @iainbroome.com’s hearty recommendation of this. Predominantly a content design lens on trauma and dyscalculia, but the conversation creates a brilliantly layered argument for more active empathy in all areas of design. Not just Content/Service/UCD
accessiblenumbers.com/trauma-infor...
accessiblenumbers.com/trauma-infor...
“Every person deserves an environment where their unique needs and strengths are accommodated...” A great explainer for leaders/HR teams. Empathetically, I wonder if there’s a form of neurodiversity in people that struggle to see the benefit of advice like this?
ndconnection.co.uk/blog/recruit...
ndconnection.co.uk/blog/recruit...
9 lessons learned from working in a non-Neurodivergent-affirming environment — Neurodiverse Connection
Reflecting on their recent experience, NdC Development Lead Kay Louise Aldred shares some key lessons she learned from navigating a non-Neurodivergent-affirming workplace environment.
ndconnection.co.uk
February 1, 2025 at 8:37 AM
“Every person deserves an environment where their unique needs and strengths are accommodated...” A great explainer for leaders/HR teams. Empathetically, I wonder if there’s a form of neurodiversity in people that struggle to see the benefit of advice like this?
ndconnection.co.uk/blog/recruit...
ndconnection.co.uk/blog/recruit...
One of the most thoughtful, and so in turn, one of the best blogging platforms I've ever seen. Last day and a half to catch this offer. Still more than worth it if you miss it though.
Do it. Start that blog / website you keep putting off. It doesn't get easier or safer or nicer than this.
Do it. Start that blog / website you keep putting off. It doesn't get easier or safer or nicer than this.
Is your only outlet on the internet right now social media? Pretty toxic at the moment, eh? It's time to give blogging a try. We're ready for you at https://pika.page. For the month of January get 15% of your first year of Pika Pro with the offer code ZUCKINHELL. Join us!
Pika - Start Your Happy Blog
Pika is a pretty good blogging platform built by the good people at Good Enough.
pika.page
January 30, 2025 at 2:45 PM
One of the most thoughtful, and so in turn, one of the best blogging platforms I've ever seen. Last day and a half to catch this offer. Still more than worth it if you miss it though.
Do it. Start that blog / website you keep putting off. It doesn't get easier or safer or nicer than this.
Do it. Start that blog / website you keep putting off. It doesn't get easier or safer or nicer than this.
Maybe the Paperclip Maximizer Theory is happening, but with Nvidia GPUs. An AI, programmed with the objective of producing as many as possible, has manipulated billionaires and destabilised the world in order to create a craze for more processing power. I bet it's annoyed with DeepSeek if so.
January 30, 2025 at 10:49 AM
Maybe the Paperclip Maximizer Theory is happening, but with Nvidia GPUs. An AI, programmed with the objective of producing as many as possible, has manipulated billionaires and destabilised the world in order to create a craze for more processing power. I bet it's annoyed with DeepSeek if so.