Returning to Now

After a pair of potential projects fell through at the very last moment this week—some paper work was already signed! I found myself unexpectedly and immediately available for contract and consulting work. I realized much of my network may not have known I’d even gone out on my own. Mark that down under strategic blunders. I took to Twitter today, with a few tweets to chart a new course. That looked like this…

I realize many of you started following me because I worked with Jared Spool and the other fine folks at UIE. Lately I haven’t been using Twitter professionally, yet a great deal of my contacts come from here! Starting with this thread, I’d like to get back to some UX design. 1/5

Did you know I left UIE at the end of 2017 to become an independent UX design consultant and contractor? I’ve been loving helping Boston-area and remote teams tackle their challenges. 2/5

As a UX generalist I help define problems, craft personas and scenarios, develop IA, create sketches and wireframes. I handcode HTML/CSS, and am comfortable with digital prototyping. I really enjoy the center of the double diamond 3/5

Annotated Double Diamond diagram

Annotated Double Diamond describing a UX process by Dan Nessler. Except for the red bits which are entirely my fault.

You may not know also I have a Master’s in Instructional Design, whose methods overlap UX a great deal. 1 recent project crossed the two, designing learning materials for software and their digital delivery. (I’m not seeking x-over projects exclusively, though.) 4/5

Now comes “the ask”—you knew there’d be one, right?
(FWIW, I don’t really like “ask” as a noun, yet here we are.)
Some unexpected, immediate availability opened up for me. Would you mind retweeting the next tweet, to help me spread the word? 🙏🏻
5/5+…

Could you or anyone you know use some #UX design or #instructionaldesign contract or consulting help, remote or near Boston? I’d love to know learn about their challenges. You can see what I’ve been up to at briandigital.com/portfolio

(end thread)

When I built this site, I had the idea to implement a Now page in the style of Derek Sivers. But I pulled back, because well, this whole site is about what I’m doing now, right? I’m here to hang my shingle out, so people know I’m here to help them with their design challenges?

When turned to my Twitter network, where I built many of my connections I maintain today, I realized I hadn’t been talking about what I’ve been up to recently, and I needed to get the word out… now. So this is my “Now” blog post.