Aaron Howes
@aaronhowes.bsky.social
London-based product designer.
aaronhowes.com
aaronhowes.com
tinkering with v0 and Loveable on an app idea and wondering how I can create multiple options and then compare and iterate across them? as a designer your vision is rarely crystal clear, clarity comes from first creating many options, comparing and then refining a few
July 23, 2025 at 9:16 PM
tinkering with v0 and Loveable on an app idea and wondering how I can create multiple options and then compare and iterate across them? as a designer your vision is rarely crystal clear, clarity comes from first creating many options, comparing and then refining a few
Check in person: Have a nice flight.
Me: You too!
Every. Single. Time.
Me: You too!
Every. Single. Time.
April 17, 2025 at 3:38 PM
Check in person: Have a nice flight.
Me: You too!
Every. Single. Time.
Me: You too!
Every. Single. Time.
They’d only been back on my phone for a few weeks, but I deleted all social media apps from my phone again yesterday and the relief was instant.
January 25, 2025 at 12:13 PM
They’d only been back on my phone for a few weeks, but I deleted all social media apps from my phone again yesterday and the relief was instant.
Reposted by Aaron Howes
Are you based in London or the UK? Designer? Advocate? Product person? shout me to get added to this list. 🥰💯🙌🏾
bsky.app/profile/did:...
bsky.app/profile/did:...
January 22, 2025 at 9:05 PM
Are you based in London or the UK? Designer? Advocate? Product person? shout me to get added to this list. 🥰💯🙌🏾
bsky.app/profile/did:...
bsky.app/profile/did:...
Should I put this down to the “For you” feed or do Threads users just have a better sense of humour?
January 22, 2025 at 9:28 PM
Should I put this down to the “For you” feed or do Threads users just have a better sense of humour?
I've always felt that no one should be embarrassed to think in public. Silence can make you feel awkward and stupid but they're also part of a conversation. Thinking on your feet is an important skill but so is thinking through a response or admitting you don’t have an immediate answer.
January 20, 2025 at 12:13 PM
I've always felt that no one should be embarrassed to think in public. Silence can make you feel awkward and stupid but they're also part of a conversation. Thinking on your feet is an important skill but so is thinking through a response or admitting you don’t have an immediate answer.
I always mix up Apple TV (the device) and Apple TV+ (the streaming service).
They really should’ve called the streaming service something entirely different like Apple Watch to help distinguish between the two.
They really should’ve called the streaming service something entirely different like Apple Watch to help distinguish between the two.
January 19, 2025 at 8:30 AM
I always mix up Apple TV (the device) and Apple TV+ (the streaming service).
They really should’ve called the streaming service something entirely different like Apple Watch to help distinguish between the two.
They really should’ve called the streaming service something entirely different like Apple Watch to help distinguish between the two.
Me removing lint from my iPhone’s charging port
a young boy performs a trick on a stage with the words got talent on the bottom
ALT: a young boy performs a trick on a stage with the words got talent on the bottom
media.tenor.com
January 14, 2025 at 9:37 PM
Me removing lint from my iPhone’s charging port
Will definitely have to give this a listen. An element of nostalgia means I find video game music so relaxing. NTS also has some great video game music shows
👀 new video games music series on Classic FM starting tonight, with DanTDM
www.classicfm.com/music-news/d...
www.classicfm.com/music-news/d...
YouTube megastar DanTDM joins Classic FM to present new video game music series
Next Level with DanTDM starts this Saturday 11 January, and will be broadcast every Saturday from 9-10pm on Classic FM and Global Player.
www.classicfm.com
January 12, 2025 at 10:48 AM
Will definitely have to give this a listen. An element of nostalgia means I find video game music so relaxing. NTS also has some great video game music shows
I’ve noticed that great designers almost always have an opinion. They’re willing to share their perspective or say “I think we should do this,” instead of “What should we do?” And that willingness to risk pushback or being wrong tends to help them learn, stand out, and make an impact.
January 10, 2025 at 4:26 PM
I’ve noticed that great designers almost always have an opinion. They’re willing to share their perspective or say “I think we should do this,” instead of “What should we do?” And that willingness to risk pushback or being wrong tends to help them learn, stand out, and make an impact.
I think about this all the time.
January 10, 2025 at 12:13 PM
I think about this all the time.
I used to think design was all “creative spark.” Either you had it, or you didn’t. It wasn't until I actually started designing that I realised a lot of it is about learning and using principles, systems, and best practices. Schools could do a better job of making this clear to kids.
January 8, 2025 at 12:13 PM
I used to think design was all “creative spark.” Either you had it, or you didn’t. It wasn't until I actually started designing that I realised a lot of it is about learning and using principles, systems, and best practices. Schools could do a better job of making this clear to kids.
Love this. Pessimism is so seductive, it makes people sound smart, it gets attention. Optimism is for dreamers. But you can be realistic about the past, present and future while still optimistically hoping for better.
Design is optimism
Where did our positivity go? Here's some for the new year.
whydesignishard.substack.com
January 7, 2025 at 9:14 PM
Love this. Pessimism is so seductive, it makes people sound smart, it gets attention. Optimism is for dreamers. But you can be realistic about the past, present and future while still optimistically hoping for better.
Next time you're presenting designs try the phrase, “This is our current thinking on…” It reassures people you’ve put real thought into it, but that you're also ready to shift gears if needed. It’s a small phrase with a big impact on how others view your work.
January 7, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Next time you're presenting designs try the phrase, “This is our current thinking on…” It reassures people you’ve put real thought into it, but that you're also ready to shift gears if needed. It’s a small phrase with a big impact on how others view your work.
I used to read tons of “just in case” stuff, thinking it would help me someday. But if I eventually needed the information, I had to re-read everything anyway. These days, I focus on what I need, when I need it, and I’m way less buried by endless details I might never use.
January 7, 2025 at 12:13 PM
I used to read tons of “just in case” stuff, thinking it would help me someday. But if I eventually needed the information, I had to re-read everything anyway. These days, I focus on what I need, when I need it, and I’m way less buried by endless details I might never use.
Books I loved in 2024:
79 Short Essays on Design
Surprisingly relatable considering most of these essays were written in the early 2000s
Life in Code by Ellen Ullman
A personal history of the tech industry that shows how little has changed and how we got to where we are today
(1/3)
79 Short Essays on Design
Surprisingly relatable considering most of these essays were written in the early 2000s
Life in Code by Ellen Ullman
A personal history of the tech industry that shows how little has changed and how we got to where we are today
(1/3)
January 6, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Books I loved in 2024:
79 Short Essays on Design
Surprisingly relatable considering most of these essays were written in the early 2000s
Life in Code by Ellen Ullman
A personal history of the tech industry that shows how little has changed and how we got to where we are today
(1/3)
79 Short Essays on Design
Surprisingly relatable considering most of these essays were written in the early 2000s
Life in Code by Ellen Ullman
A personal history of the tech industry that shows how little has changed and how we got to where we are today
(1/3)
Been using Things for my to-dos for a few years, but this week I’m trying out TeuxDeux. So far, the day-to-day view is easing my overwhelm while still helping me keep track of the whole week.
January 6, 2025 at 12:13 PM
Been using Things for my to-dos for a few years, but this week I’m trying out TeuxDeux. So far, the day-to-day view is easing my overwhelm while still helping me keep track of the whole week.
Most books won't change your life. But each read will refine your character, values and worldview ever so slightly. You might not notice from one read to the next, but over time, those small shifts add up.
January 3, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Most books won't change your life. But each read will refine your character, values and worldview ever so slightly. You might not notice from one read to the next, but over time, those small shifts add up.
Apple Notes would instantly be 100x better with one tiny change: better spacing around headings and paragraphs.
January 3, 2025 at 12:13 PM
Apple Notes would instantly be 100x better with one tiny change: better spacing around headings and paragraphs.
“Normal people” are basically treated like NPCs
Increasingly it feels like the only way to think about algorithmic media is that it’s a game normal people don’t even know they’re playing
January 2, 2025 at 9:21 PM
“Normal people” are basically treated like NPCs
I remember the first time someone played me Yonkers like it was yesterday. I had to go for a run around the block after.
December 5, 2024 at 4:26 PM
I remember the first time someone played me Yonkers like it was yesterday. I had to go for a run around the block after.
There’s no way that buying a property in the UK needs to take 6 months. Get everyone in a room for a few hours to start with and it could be done in a couple weeks.
December 5, 2024 at 12:13 PM
There’s no way that buying a property in the UK needs to take 6 months. Get everyone in a room for a few hours to start with and it could be done in a couple weeks.
"AI seems less like a terrifying apocalyptic machine-god, ready to drag us into a new era of tech, and more like the perfect internet marketer’s tool, precision-built to serve the disposable, lowest-common-denominator demands of the infinite scroll."
Drowning in Slop
A thriving underground economy is clogging the internet with AI garbage — and it’s only going to get worse.
buff.ly
December 2, 2024 at 12:13 PM
"AI seems less like a terrifying apocalyptic machine-god, ready to drag us into a new era of tech, and more like the perfect internet marketer’s tool, precision-built to serve the disposable, lowest-common-denominator demands of the infinite scroll."
Still relatively new to this world but in the last four years, 99% of the time when I’ve heard someone talk about the role of designers changing they seem to just describe something we already do.
November 20, 2024 at 4:26 PM
Still relatively new to this world but in the last four years, 99% of the time when I’ve heard someone talk about the role of designers changing they seem to just describe something we already do.
On one hand I keep hearing that in a world of LLMs, taste and curation are the future of design. On the other, craft — often used to describe skills for creating a desired output — is the buzziest buzzword in design right now.
These ideas aren’t at odds but it’s interesting.
These ideas aren’t at odds but it’s interesting.
November 20, 2024 at 12:13 PM
On one hand I keep hearing that in a world of LLMs, taste and curation are the future of design. On the other, craft — often used to describe skills for creating a desired output — is the buzziest buzzword in design right now.
These ideas aren’t at odds but it’s interesting.
These ideas aren’t at odds but it’s interesting.