Field notes.

03 Atmosphere: Getting the vibes right

The emotional baseline of product experience – and how it quietly shapes whether users return.

04 How Atmosphere makes or breaks user trust and retention

Atmosphere in action: Hopper and the Las Vegas effect.

Introducing ARCH: Building Products People Want to Live In

Why good UX decisions can still add up to bad experiences and how to build “livable” products.

Designing an App Like You Would a Home

Every product we design is a space that people will inhabit; to build truly great products, we must learn to think like architects and master the ways humans engage with space.

Why First-Gen Founders Need to Learn to Spend

“Be scrappy” is great advice for most founders, but for first-generation and minority founders, it’s often the wrong advice – and one of the most challenging things I had to unlearn when I built my first company.

A New Home at Work: Refugee Inclusion in the Workplace

Successfully bringing aboard refugee employees requires more than the usual onboarding. A guidebook to inclusive culture tied to broader workforce-integration efforts.

Unlocking the Benefits of Inclusive Workplace Practices

Diverse teams, when properly managed, are 35% more likely to outperform the market. This article highlights steps teams can take to unlock the growth potential that diversity can offer.

Accelerating Team Performance in the Future of Work

How can we accelerate group performance improvement in this increasingly unpredictable, fast-changing world? Leaders will need to focus on the practices that help workgroups better handle exceptions, learn together, and create value.

Trail Mix Method

Inspired by my favorite snack, here's a productivity tool that will help you harness your energy rather than discipline to get things done.

Sabbatical Update #2

One year in. Seven aha moments, the highlights and the lowlights, and what I'd do differently – including being more generous with myself.

Sabbatical Update #1

A raw, honest account of my experience leaving a full-time job, embarking on a creative sabbatical, and redesigning my life around curiosity.

4 Life Lessons From a 10-Year-Old

Let's return to our childhood wisdom. Here’s what I learned about living life like a 10-year-old. I hope this little snippet of our week inspires a bit more childish play in yours.

Stuffed Vegetables

My grandmother Sveta's stuffed peppers and grape leaves, which we call "Packages" at home.

Challah Baking

A traditional Jewish bread. I somehow taught over a hundred students from all over the world as an Airbnb Experiences Host!

Bukharian Plov

My grandmother Sveta's plov, the traditional Uzbek rice dish from Tashkent, where she was born and raised. She walks through her recipe step by step.