Lessons Learned

Over the past few years, I’ve learned a lot about user experience. But what I love about the field is that you learn something completely random almost every day. For example…

You can buy prepaid phone service for a fraction of the cost of your regular phone service.
Language learning has come a long way since I took my last Spanish class. For one, it’s now mostly online.
If you have a dispute with a business, you can submit a complaint to the consumer division of your local Attorney General’s Office.
WBUR has a blog called Cognoscenti, and it includes an advice column by Steve Almond, a fiction writer whose workshop I attended many years ago.
There are way too many online meeting and collaboration software options out there, but there are also cool tools for working with remote teams.
Cancer patients are some of the most honest people in the world.
Medical assistants are often fluent in at least 2 languages.
Visually impaired users go through websites at several times the speed of “regular” reading.
Medical devices are the only(?) product that requires extensive usability testing mandated by the government.
If you are thinking about getting plastic surgery, there’s an app for that.
Term life insurance is cheaper because chances are it will expire before you do.
Before you can manufacture something, you have to make a list of all the individual pieces and materials that will make up your final product.
Slump is a measure of consistency of concrete. Mixing and pouring concrete is an exact science.
Drones can be used to inspect wind turbines.
If you drive a car for a living, your employer is tracking your every move.
Before a house is bought or sold, an appraiser will drive by the house and take surreptitious photos.
Federal employees have their own health insurance marketplace.
State programs will help you pay for making your home energy efficient.
The military will pay for your medical school in return for a few years of service.
Clarks shoes are very comfortable. I now own several pairs.