colophon (n.) — the note at the back of a book on how it was made: the type, the paper, the press.
TL;DR: I’ve engineered this site like a true live product. I watch how people use it, change what isn’t working and measure again. This is the record of that process so far.
Problem
People come looking for specific things in a candidate.
Question
How do they find those things as fast as possible?
Solution
Tag every project and let them filter: first a graph, now buttons.
They come looking for three things: what domains I have worked in (and in what professional capacity, if any), what skills I have and where they are demonstrated, and what tools I can use.
The filters find things faster, but I thought the graph was too cool to delete, so I kept it as a bonus one click away in Explore. 4 of the 40 visitors since 2 October have opened it.
MatchboxMadeIPCB, Castelo Branco · 2024An adjustable table lamp
VortexMadeCEPT University · 2023A tensegrity stool with a ply-braided seat
MizanMadeCEPT University · 2022An aluminium flatpack shelfProblem
Without me in the room, decisions look inexplicable and gaps hide the work.
Question
How does the work explain itself when I’m not there?
Solution
Pixel: a guide who knows every project, shows you around and can reach me.
This is a term from frontier AI development which means a system that can improve itself. I haven't done anything nearly that cool here.
Problem
I can’t ask every visitor what worked and what didn’t.
Question
How does the site learn from the people using it?
Solution
Analytics and stickers, so it gets better the more people use it.
62% of visits never opened a project, so I put the work right under the intro. People now stay four times longer on the home page and open a few more projects once they start, but the share who open one at all barely moved. That's the next thing to fix.
| — | — |
| Theme | — |
| Work tab | — |
| Window | — |
| Pointer | — |
| Motion | — |
| Pixel's costume | — |
| Messages to Pixel | — |
The project resulted in people staying four times longer on the home page and a guide, Pixel, who answers for me when I’m not there.
I learned that a guide is only as good as its context and staying longer and opening a project are different problems.
