https://mttmr.com/writing Essays on design, technology, and building products for the physical world. en-us https://mttmr.com/writing/all-systems-all-the-time https://mttmr.com/writing/all-systems-all-the-time Mon, 04 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT Designers have been building systems for years. Component libraries, color palettes, rules for how the product should look. Those systems got handed to engineers, who filled in the gaps when the sp… https://mttmr.com/writing/systems-over-goals https://mttmr.com/writing/systems-over-goals Mon, 27 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT “Goals are for losers.” – Scott Adams I used to think the key to a great life was setting big goals. Achieve them, and you’re fulfilled, right? But here’s the thing: goals have always felt a bit ho… https://mttmr.com/writing/just-ask https://mttmr.com/writing/just-ask Sat, 23 Nov 2024 00:00:00 GMT Great careers are built on a foundation of bold asks. Asking is simple, yet it’s one of the most transformative tools we have. It’s not about entitlement or demanding—it’s about advocating for your… https://mttmr.com/writing/the-application-of-great-taste https://mttmr.com/writing/the-application-of-great-taste Thu, 17 Oct 2024 00:00:00 GMT Design is the application of great taste. Taste is a great word because it’s subjective, flexible, and deeply human. Great taste means different things to different people at different times. In an… https://mttmr.com/writing/15-service-design-principles https://mttmr.com/writing/15-service-design-principles Mon, 17 Jun 2024 00:00:00 GMT After nearly 15 years of designing services that integrate digital and physical experiences, I wanted to articulate the key principles I’ve learned and applied in my work. My goal here is to presen… https://mttmr.com/writing/site-update-check-out-my-work https://mttmr.com/writing/site-update-check-out-my-work Sat, 27 Apr 2024 00:00:00 GMT I’ve finally got around to updating this site to include a work section and I’m adding case studies right now. It’s been fun to build and be reminded of some of the incredible projects I’ve been lu… https://mttmr.com/writing/draw-your-big-ideas https://mttmr.com/writing/draw-your-big-ideas Mon, 26 Feb 2024 00:00:00 GMT Draw to communicate powerful stories. Use these simple to learn techniques. I’ve always a mediocre drawer. Despite working in creative fields for my whole life, my freehand sketches are crude at be… https://mttmr.com/writing/departing-lime-and-whats-next https://mttmr.com/writing/departing-lime-and-whats-next Sat, 13 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMT Last August I left what I’ll always look back on as a dream job: leading the design team at Lime. It was a role where I was responsible for software design and overarching experience of the global … https://mttmr.com/writing/perplexitys-high-bar-for-ux-in-the-age-of-ai https://mttmr.com/writing/perplexitys-high-bar-for-ux-in-the-age-of-ai Wed, 10 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMT 2023 ushered in a new age of computing. The focus of generative AI has so far been largely on the underlying tech. Meanwhile, most AI products tack closely to the chat interfaces launched by the fo… https://mttmr.com/writing/bringing-back-my-blog https://mttmr.com/writing/bringing-back-my-blog Wed, 10 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMT I’m writing again on my personal blog this year. Bear with me while I move content over from Medium and my previous site. The old site went down when my old Midphase hosting account disappeared. Th… https://mttmr.com/writing/hopping-on-at-lime https://mttmr.com/writing/hopping-on-at-lime Fri, 29 Nov 2019 00:00:00 GMT This post originally appeared on Medium Two years ago, I felt like I’d gained a superpower. I’d just taken my first e-bike ride and my commute was forever changed. Suddenly I was able to dart throu… https://mttmr.com/writing/how-were-designing-the-future-of-hospitality-at-sonder https://mttmr.com/writing/how-were-designing-the-future-of-hospitality-at-sonder Mon, 31 Dec 2018 00:00:00 GMT This post originally appeared on Medium These are some of the design opportunities we’re focused on today and will be for years to come 2018 has been a year of meaningful change on the Sonder desig… https://mttmr.com/writing/why-i-left-uber-to-join-sonder https://mttmr.com/writing/why-i-left-uber-to-join-sonder Fri, 20 Apr 2018 00:00:00 GMT After 4.5 years at Uber, I just finished week one at my new home. This post originally appeared on Medium Last week my run at Uber ended. Deciding to leave a company that I’d learned so much from a… https://mttmr.com/writing/get-me-home-more https://mttmr.com/writing/get-me-home-more Wed, 21 Mar 2018 00:00:00 GMT A story on how we design the Uber Freight app to help make truck drivers work lives better. This post originally appeared on Medium When work began on Uber Freight a year and a half ago, I was exci… https://mttmr.com/writing/designing-through-change https://mttmr.com/writing/designing-through-change Wed, 03 Jan 2018 00:00:00 GMT Predictability and a feeling of progress towards a goal is something we all want. When something happens outside of your control and forces a change in course, it can be hard. My team experienced t… https://mttmr.com/writing/travis-our-chief-problem-solver https://mttmr.com/writing/travis-our-chief-problem-solver Wed, 21 Jun 2017 00:00:00 GMT This post originally appeared on Medium There are so many stories to reflect on from working with Travis over the last three and a half years. From my first interactions with him at our Friday Grow… https://mttmr.com/writing/keeping-calm-and-caffeinated-on-the-road https://mttmr.com/writing/keeping-calm-and-caffeinated-on-the-road Sat, 03 Jun 2017 00:00:00 GMT This post originally appeared on Medium Making coffee in the morning. Above all, this is the thing that grounds me (ha!) and gets me ready for the day. The Chemex pour over is my go-to method. This… https://mttmr.com/writing/designing-the-uber-cash-experience https://mttmr.com/writing/designing-the-uber-cash-experience Wed, 16 Sep 2015 00:00:00 GMT Designing magical experiences is a local effort. Uber was imagined as a private driver that appears at the tap of a button. And, since your private driver would never ask you to hand over money at … https://mttmr.com/writing/the-best-career-advice-uber-alles https://mttmr.com/writing/the-best-career-advice-uber-alles Thu, 22 Jan 2015 00:00:00 GMT Catch me now as I fall into what might be a trap: praising and linking to internet content marketing. I have to though, because the blog is so relevant for tech workers and has had a dramatic influ… https://mttmr.com/writing/farewell-new-york-hello-california https://mttmr.com/writing/farewell-new-york-hello-california Fri, 25 Oct 2013 00:00:00 GMT 6 years and 5 months ago I packed my life in two bags and a carry-on to go and live in a city I’d never been to. Following my girlfriend to NYC for her school, I was excited about the chance to see… https://mttmr.com/writing/forget-consistency-across-platforms https://mttmr.com/writing/forget-consistency-across-platforms Thu, 03 Oct 2013 00:00:00 GMT Designing versions of a product for web, mobile web, iOS, and Android isn’t something you should normally do at the same time. But, right now I’m doing just that for Hometalk and it was making me l… https://mttmr.com/writing/be-a-better-designer-code https://mttmr.com/writing/be-a-better-designer-code Sun, 01 Sep 2013 00:00:00 GMT The internet has been pushing for designers to learn how to code ever since print designers moved into user interface. Those arguments have always centered around how designers should know the limi… https://mttmr.com/writing/whats-the-worst-that-can-happen https://mttmr.com/writing/whats-the-worst-that-can-happen Tue, 07 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT If you can name and visualize your fears, they’re usually not as horrifying as you’ve imagined. Here’s a trick to use whenever you’re confronted with a significant decision: Ask yourself what’s the… https://mttmr.com/writing/branded-interactions https://mttmr.com/writing/branded-interactions Mon, 04 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT One or two key functions. Well designed apps master their core interactions. The best are unique and become associated with the brand itself. You could even call them branded interactions. Clear Cl… https://mttmr.com/writing/write-like-a-designer https://mttmr.com/writing/write-like-a-designer Tue, 12 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT How do you do your best work? This is what works for me: By the end, I should have something I’m happy with. Deviate from those steps and the work suffers. Sticking to that process is important for… https://mttmr.com/writing/almost-flat-design https://mttmr.com/writing/almost-flat-design Wed, 23 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT Flat design is both hot and controversial in world of user interface. Microsoft led the charge to introduce it to the masses and many others have followed suit: LayerVault, The Next Web, and more. … https://mttmr.com/writing/tech-in-1995-the-last-time-the-49ers-were-in-the-super-bowl https://mttmr.com/writing/tech-in-1995-the-last-time-the-49ers-were-in-the-super-bowl Mon, 21 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT The San Francisco 49ers are back in the Super Bowl for the first since since January 29, 1995. That’s 18 years since Steve Young and Jerry Rice smoked the Chargers 49-26 in Miami. The world was a d… https://mttmr.com/writing/this-is-coffee https://mttmr.com/writing/this-is-coffee Fri, 18 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT https://mttmr.com/writing/cooking-rice-and-creating-happiness https://mttmr.com/writing/cooking-rice-and-creating-happiness Mon, 07 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT I was married last summer and as a gift, a Zojirushi rice cooker came into my life. We requested it, basically because I knew it was the Cadillac of rice cookers, but I didn’t know how much I would… https://mttmr.com/writing/draw-more-attention-to-your-email-with-an-avatar https://mttmr.com/writing/draw-more-attention-to-your-email-with-an-avatar Wed, 12 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT Sunrise is an app that emails you a daily digest of your upcoming day. The team is a couple of ex-Foursquarers and were inspired by Timehop, both of which I love for their attention to small design… https://mttmr.com/writing/chrome-web-store-vector-logo https://mttmr.com/writing/chrome-web-store-vector-logo Mon, 10 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT I needed this today, so I put it together and am posting here for you to use. Download the Chrome Web Store logo in vector format. https://mttmr.com/writing/the-interface-that-ipoed https://mttmr.com/writing/the-interface-that-ipoed Mon, 23 Jul 2012 00:00:00 GMT Kayak went public on Friday and wound up raising $91m in the process. I remember looking at Kayak in 2007/2008 for inspiration since they had the best example of “AJAX filtering”. They had a slider… https://mttmr.com/writing/design-should-disappear https://mttmr.com/writing/design-should-disappear Mon, 18 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT A well designed product is a bridge between technology and the user. It makes a connection that otherwise wouldn’t be there. Products serve a utility and overly designed ones, that try to draw atte… https://mttmr.com/writing/design-for-the-device-and-the-intent https://mttmr.com/writing/design-for-the-device-and-the-intent Mon, 04 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT Design has always been an exercise that happens in context: classic artists have paint and canvas limitations to consider, architects need to know the capabilities of their materials, and today’s i… https://mttmr.com/writing/make-mobile-design-easier-with-dropbox https://mttmr.com/writing/make-mobile-design-easier-with-dropbox Mon, 21 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT I’m not shy with my love for Dropbox. It makes life easier in many different ways and it’s always great to find a new, unexpected benefit. The Problem With Designing for Mobile The context of where… https://mttmr.com/writing/your-product-needs-an-engine-of-growth https://mttmr.com/writing/your-product-needs-an-engine-of-growth Mon, 20 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT So you’ve built a first release of your product and you’re ready to get it into the hands of users. The feature set seems solid for this first iteration, but is it? If you haven’t put together a so… https://mttmr.com/writing/walled-gardens-and-ill-informed-opinions https://mttmr.com/writing/walled-gardens-and-ill-informed-opinions Mon, 13 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT Diamond in the Rough is a jewelry company that recently launched a redesigned site and refreshed brand. My team and I did the design and development of the site and it features what has proved to b… https://mttmr.com/writing/getting-educated-in-the-new-year https://mttmr.com/writing/getting-educated-in-the-new-year Wed, 04 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT Recently I’ve been working hard to learn how to do some basic back-end programming. There are a ton of tools out there to use and the time seems right to try to build these skills. Here are two I’m… https://mttmr.com/writing/the-best-tools-for-your-company-name-search https://mttmr.com/writing/the-best-tools-for-your-company-name-search Thu, 22 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT Yesterday I wrote about picking a company name and some questions to ask yourself when you’re in that process. Whenever we have new a new product or concept we’re putting together, the two tools we… https://mttmr.com/writing/3-questions-to-ask-yourself-when-choosing-a-startup-name https://mttmr.com/writing/3-questions-to-ask-yourself-when-choosing-a-startup-name Wed, 21 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT Choosing a name for your startup is a big decision. Once you’ve chosen a name, it’s hard to change both legally and in the minds of your users, so be sure to think it through at the start. Here are…