Image A photo of my desk setup, including a MacBook, monitor, HHKB keyboard, Logitech mouse, lamp, and my sit-stand desk.
Image A screenshot of my text editor of choice, vim, inside a kitty terminal window.
Uses
This is a fairly living list of my design, development and personal setups. Including software, hardware and as much detail in between. This page follows many of those who have contributed to uses.tech.
-
UpdatedApr 30, 2021
-
Reading time3 min
Design
As a product designer I spend as much time writing and planning as I do creating visuals.
Software
- Figma: For wireframing, prototyping & general UI / UX design.
- Pixelmator Pro: For photo editing.
- iA Writer: for long-form writing.
- Drafts: for taking notes.
- Whimsical: for graphing & diagrams.
- ScreenFlow: Screen recording, mostly for user testing/interviews & feature walkthroughs.
Hardware
- Leuchtturm1917 Notebook: for taking notes and task management (A5, softcover, dotted, black).
- Wacom Intuos M: as a drawing tablet for illustration.
Development
It's worth taking a look at my Dotfiles for much more info about my setup.
- Neovim: Is my editor of choice, once you start thinking in vim it's hard to use anything else. The major plugins I use are coc (with extensions), sneak, surround, commentary.
- Kitty: is a fast, lightweight terminal emulator, that can be configured easily in a single file.
- Fish: A modern terminal shell that has great auto-complete, syntax hightlighting, and history searching.
- FZF: is the ultimate way to trawl through files and history on the command line.
- asdf: a solution to manage the versions of all the programming languages I need.
General
Software
- Safari: is my primary web browser.
- Mail: is how I read email, although I prefer not to.
- Fantastical: for managing my calendars.
- Reminders: for my minimal digital reminder needs.
- Rectangle: to manage windows.
- Backblaze: for external backups.
- Spotify: for listening to music.
- Alfred: for finding files and running automations.
- Notion: as a personal wiki.
- NetNewsWire: for reading RSS feeds.
- Castro: for podcasts.
- 1Password: for managing my passwords.
Hardware
- 2018 MacBook Pro 15": is my primary work device.
- iPhone 12 Pro Max: is my primary personal device.
- IKEA Bekant Desk: this sit-stand desk is a perfect mix of aesthetic and functionality. It's done wonders for my posture and energy.
- Herman Miller Aeron Chair: Is the best ergonomic chair ever. They are very expensive, but this second-hand 15+ year old example is still solid as a rock.
- LIFX Mini smartbulb: fitted to a vintage (1960s I think) Anglepoise lamp.
- Urbo Dalen Monitor Arms: fitted with a VESA laptop plate to allow adjustable monitor and laptop height and position.
- Dell U2718Q Monitor: this is a 4k, 27inch monitor with pretty decent color and pixel density, for the price.
- Logitech Streamcam: Is a decent 1080p@60Hz webcam, with a USB-C connector. Perfect for Zoom calls etc.
- Happy Hacking Keyboard Professional 2: is my keyboard, I have modified it with a alternative bluetooth controller, and snappier rubber domes.
- Logitech MX Master 2S: as a mouse.
- Sony WH-1000XM3 Headphones: for listening to music & video calls. The noise cancelling is great.
Clothing
My approach to clothing is pretty simple, I always prefer clothing that is made to last, and if possible I buy as much good second-hand clothing as I can. If you ever meet me in person I'll probably be wearing:
- A flannel shirt from Jack Wills, that I've bought second hand from eBay. I like their quality and fabrics.
- A pair of Nudie Jeans. I like their policies of offering free repairs and trade-ins.
- I'll probably be wearing a beat-up pair of Converse All-Stars or Solovair Astronaut boots.
- A t-shirt, my goto basic is a Gildan Hammer.
- If I'm walking I'll likely be wearing my beloved GoRuck GR1 backpack, which I will probably be able to pass down to my grand-children.