Philosophy

Design starts with intention.

There is so much software and design already out there. Why would you build something from scratch? It doesn't make sense, mostly you would waste your time. There are standards like Apple's Human Interface Guidelines that you can follow to create a consistent and user-friendly experience. When I'm working on something new, I start by understanding the currently existing solutions. You could think it's wasting time, but it's actually the real time saver.

I start by rebuilding someone else’s work. I find the best version of the thing that already exists, take it apart until I understand why it works, and then build my own - again, and again, until a version turns up that’s better than the one I copied.

Taste is reconstructed and invented

I designed the Vortex token selection component. I started by visiting my favorite DeFi platforms and looking at their token selection components. Analysing which one would fit best in the Vortex platform. I chose the Squidrouter's design because it was the most consistent and user-friendly.

I knew that our widget is definitely narrower, so I moved the chain selection to the top. You can’t read that from a screenshot; you have to rebuild it and feel where the decisions were. That’s where taste starts. It isn’t where taste ends - a teardown only ever gets you to parity with the thing you took apart.