Software I use, gadgets I love, and other things I recommend.

I get asked a lot about the things I use to build software, stay productive, or buy to fool myself into thinking I’m being productive when I’m really just procrastinating. Here’s a big list of all of my favorite stuff.

Workstation

  • 16” MacBook Pro, M1 Max, 64GB RAM (2021)

    I was using an Intel-based 16” MacBook Pro prior to this and the difference is night and day. I've never heard the fans turn on a single time, even under the incredibly heavy loads I put it through with our various launch simulations.

  • Dell 4K Display

    Its no Apple Pro Display XDR but it does the job. I actually use it as my main screen when using Figma, VSCode or video editing and use the Macbook screen for references, slack etc.

  • Apple Magic Trackpad

    Something about all the gestures makes me feel like a wizard with special powers. I really like feeling like a wizard with special powers.

  • Herman Miller Aeron Chair

    If I'm going to slouch in the worst ergonomic position imaginable all day, I might as well do it in an expensive chair.

Development tools

  • Visual Studio Code

    All of the fancy IDE features everyone else relies on, VSCode is still the best text editor ever made. I use Palenight Theme.

  • Nextjs

    I didn't understand react until Next.js appeared then everything started to click.

  • TablePlus

    Great software for working with databases. Has saved me from building about a thousand admin interfaces for my various projects over the years.

Design

  • Figma

    We started using Figma as just a design tool but now it's become our virtual whiteboard for the entire company. Never would have expected the collaboration features to be the real hook.

  • Hustl

    Hustl is great for creating time-lapse videos when designing icons or user interfaces. It's an excellent way for me to provide a behind-the-scenes look at personal projects that I'm working on.

  • Screen Studio

    Excellent for creating product demos or promotional videos for digital products. When it comes to editing and creating a professional high-quality video, this is a huge time saver.

UX Research

  • User Testing

    My daily tool for carrying out user research. Their contributor network is extensive and really helps when building tools for global audiences.

  • Google Analytics

    Quantitative data, provides valuable insights that most methods of qualitative data can't provide. The trick is to use both together, to paint a full picture of what's happening, why it's happening and what to do about it.

Productivity

  • Raycast

    Great extention list to boost your productivity when designing and coding. The search through Figma is particularly helpful.

  • Linear

    Honestly the best tool for organisation and product development hands down. I use this to organise my side projects and the design team at Linear are 🤌🤌.

  • Focus

    Simple tool for blocking distracting websites when I need to just do the work and get some momentum going.