Listen to @amyhupe.bsky.social's podcast Systems of Harm (the link can be found here - amyhupe.co.uk). Read Eric Meyer's and Sara Wachter-Boettcher's book Design for Real Life - dfrlbook.com. Or at least watch some of his talks.

Working is exhausting

Oh LinkedIn

Happy new year from us and the demon cats 🐈‍⬛🐈🪩🥂

Today is my last day of being 36. Folks in your 40s and above, what advice would you give to someone entering the last few years of their 30s? Bonus points for pertinence to someone child free and recently divorced. Hit me!

Merry Christmas from Portugal 🎅

My first time spending Christmas abroad. Was surreal (and lovely) to wake up to spring weather, light showers and swallows swooping over the orange grove this morning.

A festive stop over in Salamanca. Tomorrow, Portugal!

Been catching up on @amyhupe.bsky.social's wonderful Systems of Harm podcast and really enjoyed this episode with @tink.uk. Covers a lot from #a11y to #AI and I always find Léonie's perspective valuable. systems-of-harm.fireside.fm/ep2-leonie-w...

Really delighted to hear that Sara Wachter-Boettcher will be @uxscotland.bsky.social this year. If you haven’t already heard it, now is a good time to listen to her podcast with @amyhupe.bsky.social podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/s...

My dad: *despises cats* Momo: “don’t care”

To all the "I'm hoping to go next year" people: This is it. This is the last one. Don't miss out.

This little (enormous, actually) lady gave us quite the scare this week after single pawedly removing the plinth from underneath a kitchen cupboard and rolling around in a load of rat poison. Thankfully she seems to be fine and has had all the preventative drugs to protect her. God I love her.

The cat managed to remove a plinth and get underneath a cupboard with a tray of rat poison this morning, reappeared covered in blue powder. Have rushed her to the vet for a course of vitamin K and charcoal. So that’s another small heart attack for 2025.

As of this morning, I am now legally divorced. I feel like I should mark it somehow. Divorce party doesn’t reflect that it’s a bit of a sad thing. Sitting and crying doesn’t reflect that it was the right thing. What does one do in times like these?

Our indy web agencies are struggling. I know first hand the incredible quality of Set Studio’s work and I’d urge anyone who needs a bit of website love (or indeed a new one) to hit them up. Likewise, if you’ve got a bit of learning budget kicking about, get yourself a piccalilli course.

This blog post by Helen Toner (well-known by some for a stint on the OpenAI board) is *really really* interesting because it is the first thing I've read by someone in Frontier AI that starts to get to grips with sociotechnical concerns open.substack.com/pub/helenton...

It’s (rightfully) not ok for child free people to say to people who have kids “oh you’ll never know freedom / rest / relaxation like it, you don’t know what you’re missing out on!”, but it’s completely normalised for people with kids to dismiss the lives of us without them as devoid of true love?

This will be so good. Everyone should understand more about mindful design and there’s literally no one better to teach it than the man who wrote the book on it - @scott.is congrats on the launch bbz

First release tickets are now 70% sold out. We have team tickets available at this price, and it's a great way to get everyone together with your L&D budget. We guarantee that you'll leave feeling energised and inspired. Grab your tickets now before the price increases!

This week I’m really learning the value of “scaling back”. I’ve always wrestled with perfectionism, and lately I’ve been feeling super burnt out after dealing with, frankly, an absolute torrent of life stress. I put pressure on myself to function “normally” and then knock myself out for days 1/3

Seriously did they literally watch that black mirror episode and think “now THAT’S a business model”

your dead AI mother loves you so much ❤️

I see that it’s a resounding “no” from marketing copywriters across the land.

Let’s go lads

Can't wait for this, one of the best events out there. Get yerself a ticket lads x

AI itself isn’t the problem. The problem is the stuffing of AI into every facet of our lives, the indiscriminate wielding of it against messy human problems, the band-aiding over inherent and sometimes unsolvable complexity - and all of this with a distinct lack of interrogation into consequences.

“Tension is just what occurs in the space between opposing forces. Tension can create balance, or it can create stuckness. It can cultivate creativity and innovation, or it can lead us into dead ends. It can energise and invigorate, or it can cause exhaustion.” amyhupe.co.uk/articles/ten...

Sorry can we stop with this?

Do I know anyone who’s looking to hire a policy researcher / research manager? A friend of mine is looking - she’s super smart, she’s worked on some significant projects for the British Red Cross, Ada Lovelace and Which?. Open to perm and contract roles. Please share for reach ☺️

“You deserve to take care of yourself _before_ it is an emergency” — Oof, that hits me really hard.

I’m really looking forward to a chance to listen to this episode. “Design for real life” is a favourite book - I’ve bought dozens to give away, and now I don’t have to because Eric Meyer and Sara Wachter-Boettcher made it free to read: abookdeparts-dfrl.netlify.app

To round off series 2 I have got the MOTHER of all guests for you: Speaker, coach, author of Technically Wrong and Design for real life, Sara Wachter-Boettcher. In this episode, Sara and I talk a lot about burnout… Apple: apple.co/47rrJTk RSS: bit.ly/43gtLkB

ADHD and design systems? My interests! 🤩

Such a thoughtful and informative conversation on #design, #designSystems and #ADHD, #OCD and #burnout in the latest episode of @amyhupe.bsky.social’s outstanding ‘Systems of Harm’ podcast — in conversation with @bradfrost.com.

AS IF I snuck this episode of Systems of Harm out yesterday without posting about it - but 90% of the design systems community was at Converge. This week’s guest is none other than @bradfrost.com (‼️) talking about design systems and ADHD. Apple: apple.co/4qQfR50 RSS: bit.ly/43gtLkB

Excited to say I’m starting a new role today with GDS. Strange and wonderful to be back. Not sure what I’m free to share about the work just yet so hopefully more on that later. But if you’re still kicking around in Gov, please come say hi 👋

Two of the best people being vulnerable and talking about human things? Yes please. Also, they fix every single thing that’s wrong with design.

"How can a design system be harmful to gender?" I was thinking. What an interesting episode with some great takeaways.

Another new #SystemsOfHarm Episode just dropped and this week’s very special guest is… 🥁… ME! In a self-indulgent twist, I recruited the lovely @lurkmoophy.bsky.social to play host this week and we talk about design systems and big life events. Apple: apple.co/4nlt2rI RSS: bit.ly/43gtLkB

The latest Systems of Harm episode was a goldmine of insightful discussion on quality, inclusion, and politics in design systems. Hearing @loudowne.bsky.social talking about “idealistic pragmatism”—a term I’ve used for a few years to describe my approach to systems work—put a smile on my face.

A brand new episode of Systems of Harm is coming out this Thursday, and it’s a VERY special guest 👀 Get your guesses in now…

Worth a weekend listen! 🎧

Trans rights are human rights. Amy’s podcast continues to be the best design systems podcast about humans.

Bluesky’s limited character count + my Covid brain resulted in this being quite a lacklustre bit of promo. But IMHO this is one the most important episodes of this series. The rights and safety of trans people are being politicised, threatened and eroded right now and we have a duty to fight that

Happy #SystemsOfHarm podcast day to all who celebrate 🥳 Today’s episode features author of best-selling Good Services, @loudowne.bsky.social Lou and I chat about design systems and gender, and how to provide inclusive experiences for trans people. Apple: apple.co/434XE9F RSS: bit.ly/43gtLkB

Got Covid. Spent an hour making dinner. Came over all faint. Felt too sick to eat it. Bon appetite.

I’m sorry but I will be moving to Switzerland.

How can design systems support accessibility? What role will AI play in shaping the future of inclusion? Director @tink.uk, joins @amyhupe.bsky.social on her Systems of Harm Podcast to share insights on inclusive design and the future of technology. Listen at: podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/d...

In today’s brand new episode of #SystemsOfHarm I chat to accessibility specialist @tink.uk about how design systems can help us create more accessible UX, how to advocate for our disabled product users, and whether AI will help or hinder us in the process Apple: apple.co/4nAMX6K RSS: bit.ly/43gtLkB