Chris Wood

I craft apps and websites that improve people's lives, aim to meet accessibility standards, and help organisations meet their goals.

See my portfolio site for my case studies and values.

(I'm also building an open-source icon manager app on the side #IconBear)

Current role: Senior Product Designer.

My activity here does not represent my employer’s viewpoint.

Location: Edinburgh, Scotland

Languages: English and Spanish
Pronouns: he/him
🏳️‍🌈

Portfolio site: https://www.chris-wood.design/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-wood-ux-ui/

Public Key

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NIP-05 Address

[email protected]

Profile Code

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Publishing to

relay.damus.io

nos.lol

Author Public Key

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Last Notes

2024-08-17 23:22:34

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I also didn’t notice - thanks for sharing! Will be happy to use alternative app stores here

2024-08-16 22:38:40

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thanks for reading! My pleasure 😊

2024-08-16 01:40:35

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I love open-source software and I know there are some wonderful open-source design tools like Penpot. However, I only mentioned apps I genuinely use in my commercial workflow or which UX Designers will need based on typical client demands.

2024-08-15 19:25:09

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the release page looks incredible! 10/10! And written so clearly and playfully as well. Really inspiring

2024-08-15 19:12:42

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Hi Enrico, glad you enjoyed it! I have tried Penpot, however as it is not part of my workflow for various reasons, I did not mention it. I wish the team all the success nonetheless.

2024-08-13 15:41:04

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how did you resize the window from the centre?!?! I’ve been missing this feature from Mac OS for a whole year. I’ve tried Alt + click and drag the corners or the window (and every other possible combination of modified keys) but have never been able to do it.

2024-08-13 02:00:46

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Wow! An Android version of Inkscape in the future would be amazing🤞🤞

2024-08-13 01:56:14

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a huge congratulations!

2024-08-12 18:47:26

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signed up to donate monthly. Thanks for all your work!

2024-08-12 18:13:00

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Thanks for the correction. The article now reads:
" the German-funded Sovereign Tech Fund invested €1 million in improving Linux in 2023-2024."
Thanks for all your work!

2024-08-11 22:12:53

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looks gorgeous, what a bold set of colours and a lovely composition! First time I’ve heard of the colour catalogue and it sounds really interesting. Thanks for sharing it!

2024-08-09 09:37:33

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I’m very glad to hear it! Yes it’s quite amazing that Lunacy exists, I agree!
I’m not sure how to set up an RSS feed but I can look into it and let you know

2024-08-08 18:56:48

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love it!

2024-08-08 17:57:05

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I’m glad you enjoyed it!

2024-08-08 17:56:18

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I’ve had Teams calls in Chrome and they worked well. You can install the web app to your computer so it runs in its own window. I haven't used Jira much but if it's a web app then you should be able to do the same

2024-08-08 17:52:07

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I’ve heard you can run the Windows version of the Figma desktop app on Linux pretty easily but I haven’t tried it. Would you like me to test it for you?

2024-08-08 17:51:47

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that’s understandable, as Figma is a critical part of many people’s work.
It would be amazing if Figma’s desktop app supported Linux natively. There have been one or two cases in the last year where the unofficial app didn’t load properly and someone on GitHub had to fix it. That was very unsettling I admit. But people were quick to report issues and post workarounds on the GitHub page when it stopped working and the web app runs very well.

2024-08-08 17:45:39

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I’d be open to that once I’ve got a bit further with development and have a bit more to talk about. Would be great if my experience could help others

2024-08-08 17:44:02

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I have recently started a permanent role which is my main job although I am still doing a few bits and pieces for clients on the side. My main employer requires me to state that phrase online, so there it is!

2024-08-08 17:41:19

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glad to hear it! One day I might make a little gallery of all the little details and interactions which I love when I’m using the OS. But one project at a time 😅

2024-08-08 17:39:20

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good on you. If anyone gets pushy with schedules I bet it’s because they are excited about the platform and want to see it succeed but can’t communicate that in a respectful way. You always come first ❤️

2024-08-07 21:32:18

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I agree, and it’s also nice to see design play a role in open source software. I find often the best designs are the ones I don’t even notice

2024-08-07 21:29:46

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thanks 😊 couldn’t live without those GNOME keyboard shortcuts! I’m glad. I think it’s helpful for people to see that it’s not so scary after all

2024-08-07 18:32:22

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it’s such a hidden gem of a tip, I thought it was worth calling out. If it works in Web, then it works in Safari 👍

2024-08-07 18:31:05

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I hear there’s a new email client in the works which follows the same UI as I showed in the article’s screenshot. Keep an eye out! I’m personally very happy with Thunderbird. They released a new view which shows threads in a nice card layout. It might interest you

2024-08-07 18:29:46

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so glad you can relate. Using the UI is just the most peaceful sensation, I feel like it really respects my attention. Congrats on switching!

2024-08-07 18:28:45

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yes! It’s come a long way in the past year. But as I’m such a power user of Figma and was always trying to work as quickly as possible being self-employed, switching to a less mature tool would have cost me time every day so it didn’t make sense. Am excited to use it again in the future though.

2024-08-07 18:24:23

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thank you. Any time I read something to do with Linux it almost always goes down the rabbit hole of desktop environments, display managers, etc etc etc. Some people love knowing how their computer works (including me!). Most people couldn’t care less.
I wanted to write a piece that focused on the essential things a designer would need to know in order to start using Linux and nothing more, and I’m glad that came across.

2024-08-07 18:20:16

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It was really hard to track down how to unpair a Magic Mouse / keyboard / trackpad without having access to a Mac. So I’m hoping that this makes it easier for other people to find how to do that!

2024-08-07 18:13:00

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Thanks! I’m a big fan of David’s work. I use his Krita brushes in my digital painting projects on the side. It’s so nice to have such a prominent artist clearing a way for other artists to use open source software.

2024-08-07 18:10:39

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I hope the alternatives flourish and that more designers are able to become less reliant on Adobe over time. For a career path that often isn’t well paid, it seems unfair that such software is so expensive.

2024-08-07 18:09:12

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I’d never thought of giving a talk! I started building an icon manager app on the side for Linux several months ago. Once I manage to finish and release it I’d be open to giving a talk 😊

2024-08-07 18:07:57

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I LOVE the design choices Gnome made. 10/10 please may they continue the good work 🙌

2024-08-07 18:05:15

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glad it could give you some ideas!

2024-08-07 18:04:33

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honestly the minimalist view makes it all worth it. That and the window management. Hitting “super” and getting whatever I need opened / found / moved is just beautiful.

2024-08-07 01:19:31

1 year ago I ditched my Macbook, bought a Framework laptop, and moved to Linux for professional UX design work. In this article, I explain as simply as possible:
- Why I switched to Linux
- How you can do the same.
I cover design-specific concerns like:
- How to use Apple devices like the Magic Mouse in Linux
- Which design tools are available and how to install them
- How to find help if you get stuck
https://www.chris-wood.design/resources/linux-for-ux-designers
#Design #UXDesign #UIDesign #Linux #MacOS #FrameworkLaptop

2024-08-03 23:49:52

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this is amazing! I hope we see the results of the vaccination programme in India. Although I wonder how many countries’ governments could encourage its citizens to get nasal vaccines if they’ve been downplaying the effects of the viruses for a couple of years.
Hopefully at least having a lower viral load will still give the recipients some protection too, as well as helping the population overall

2024-08-02 18:37:54

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clam enthusiasts! What a selling point!

2024-08-01 22:38:33

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I hear you. Switching between command / control is a killer!

2024-08-01 22:37:07

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I can only install limited set of apps on my work laptop. Rectangle is one of them, and it’s definitely an improvement. I do miss being able to snap 2 windows side-by-side and then drag the central edge to resize them both at the same time though.
Will check out the others if I find myself on a Mac for personal use again one day, thank you!

2024-08-01 22:34:45

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that’s a very objective take, lovely point 👍
I’ve used MacOS for longer than Linux, and took a liking to Linux / GNOME very quickly. So that’s where my personal preference lies these days.
I wanted to celebrate the work that the team does as I know Linux / GNOME is barely even on most designers’ radar, and us designers love to obsess over the little details that make us happy 🤓

2024-08-01 01:20:30

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Such good news to hear about a government taking this seriously! Was in Victoria during their lock-downs and I thought their response was really impressive and put people's health first. If anyone can put better ventilation on the agenda, I figure they have a good chance.

2024-07-31 18:56:41

Have been using a Mac at my new job for the past few weeks. Tonight I logged back into Fedora to do some work on the side and my goodness I'm getting things done much quicker. Window management is just a breeze compared to Mac, even with the Rectangle app installed. Linux and GNOME are hugely underrated, the contributors are doing fantastic work 🙌
#GNOME #MacOS #Linux