Field Notes

How auditing a startup's design system to make it AI-ready led me to rebuild my portfolio from scratch.

As proof of concept I rebuilt a badge component and documented the workflow: a Figma component with Variables instead of hardwired Styles, a shared token system in Figma and CSS, a coded version in shadcn/ui, and a live documentation page of the proposed changes. Shipping it taught me how design system components reach production, reshaping how I built my own site with Astro and Basis UI.

From years of designing with people with disabilities, what I believe multimodal AI still needs to get right.

I built storyboards observing a pharmacy scenario from the person's point of view. Each frame shows two columns side by side: what the person and their device can see, hear, and sense socially, compared with potential system behaviors, including what the system chooses not to do. I learned to create design concepts through observation, writing one line to name each behavior as an idea.

Designing privacy for a pharmacy counter kiosk. Learning Voiceflow along the way.

I built a Voiceflow prototype that includes both the conversation flow and the screen the person sees, side by side on the same canvas. I learned how to use Voiceflow and discovered scenarios where splitting information across voice and screen made sense for privacy. Cards represent what appears on the phone screen. A single privacy variable controls the entire flow.

A virtual human that coaches pharmacists to protect personal information at the counter prototyped with Tavus.io

I built a virtual human that trains pharmacists on protecting personal identifiable information. I learned to shift from linear conversation flows to designing a system prompt and context that enables natural, non-repetitive coaching. The virtual human gives real-time feedback, can be interrupted, and responds to the trainee's pace.

I built a Base44 Superagent on WhatsApp that pulls my resume, work samples, and talking points based on a specific audience I define before a meeting. I learned how to build a Superagent and how to structure audience profiles as a filter for surfacing the right information in conversation.