Some are really either genuinely unaware that an issue exists here or acting brand new about there being sexism (amongst other issues) here. I'm not the only woman here who has seen questionable comments in this community.

Would I have gone as far as to called this place "toxic"? Probably not. I think there's a lot of value in this community and a lot of people who are genuine, empathetic and have interesting and unique opinions to share. That doesn't mean issues can't exist though.

Having been a member for 4 years and checking in a couple times a week, I have noticed in stories related to gender, race etc, there's often a clear pattern of hostility/negativity to be found. That there's hostility towards women cannot be so conveniently swept under the rug by claiming it's one dude repeatedly making dubious comments. I feel that the scepticism (at best) and unwillingness (at worse) in the wider design and tech industry in regards to diversity and representation play out here also. For me personally, it makes this platform less appealing.

Yes, the story on Helen Tran's portfolio was one example of this hostility here. The recent story on the retreat for women in leadership was another. Since people were asking for examples, I took a quick scan of my own post history:

1. Here's another example
2. And this was linked there, too.
3. This one on diversity in general
4. Oh and someone made that now classic Men of Designer News tumblr...because no problem exists here, right?

Some of these stories are from a few years back but imo nothing has moved on much. There's still: people vehemently denying there might be issues (because if they can't perceive it, it must not exist); the "political correctness gone mad/omg SJWs/[insert other vaguely alt-right terms]!" brigade; requests directed at those who feel there's an issue to go ahead and prove it etc etc. Many comments in here are, imo, proof of the issues here itself.

If you're someone who adamantly believes no issues exist here at all, aren't willing to hear about how others might experience this place or feel that it's not worth working on/it's all no NBD: don't expect those that witness the issues here to even influence any change. Many have left, more will probably leave and to those who think it's actually better off that way — you're probably right. If this community, including its own staff, can't even acknowledge the the mere possibility something could be a problem here, this is a clear enough sign to those that don't like the existing environment to move on.

It was to be expected.

I'm the head of design at a start-up in Berlin.

• 8.00: wake up
• 8.30: out for a run
• 9.20ish: get ready for work
• 10.15: walk to work
• 10.30: arrive at work
• 10.30 - 11: emails, stand-ups etc
• 11.00 - 2.00: working time
• 2.00 - 3.00: usually take a walk, go for coffee etc.
• 3.00 - 6.30/7: more working time
• 6.30/7 - leave work

Hey! I use it for running - I find it pretty to easy to use on its own. Friends of mine use it for biking though.

Strava.

Glad it could help! Regarding this:

I have a lot of fundamentals but the small things of why one sollution works and another isnt really working is hard.

I think what it really comes down to is just practice. This is why I encourage the designers I work with to try multiple solutions and not to get overly precious about the solutions. I think most designers who want to keep moving forward and getting better are always practising and challenging themselves.

Sure! The kind of tools provided depends on what kind of obstacle the designer may have reached.

So an example might be that a designer has some issues with their typography (or some other key foundation of design) and it becomes evident with a project they're working on. I explain where the weaknesses lie but will back this up with resources where they can do further reading/research (for smaller things, this tends not to be necessary).

The aim is for them to make amends to their current design based on their own thinking but also for them to strengthen their overall knowledge. In their subsequent projects they can apply those learnings and avoid the same mistakes.

1. Give them room to make mistakes. I nudge the junior designers I work with to try multiple solutions out, when possible.

2. Encourage them to ask for feedback early and often. I've found it also helps to have regular set check-ins (e.g - like stand-ups).

3. When it comes to feedback, I prefer to guide them to finding solution to things they may have missed the mark on, rather than outright saying, "That's not right. Change it by doing X, Y, Z". Sometimes I just provide the tools to enable them to figure things out for themselves.

4. Try to give them ownership of (relatively) larger projects when their skills have grown and they feel more confident. Something slightly above what they're used to is good.

5. I generally like to give them insight into I'm working on, too and ask for feedback.

I've learnt these principles mostly by trial and error and I'm still learning the best ways to help junior designers work better. Each junior designer I've worked with and mentored have been totally different. So although I stick by these principles, I also tailor my interactions with each designer depending on who they are, their skills and how they work.

Hi Maggie,

I think my expectation was that as my finger was sliding around the dots that the 'today' tab would follow as I did this. It was sometimes difficult to know which dot my finger was on, since it covered it.

I downloaded it. Aesthetically, the interface is lovely. I appreciate first and foremost more well designed apps in this space. On top of that, it's refreshing to see that they didn't go the route of making this "girly" in the typical ways that services/products targeted towards women often are.

The only downside of this I really saw was a weird functionality thing. As shown in the first app screenshot, there is a month view. You drag your finger over the dots (each represents a day of the month) to get info on the likeliness of pregnancy. I found this a little awkward as there's not much in the way of clear feedback.