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    💌 Read the latest dispatch

    Dunbar's number: focusing on your core supporters for network effect growth

    Focus on building strong connections with a core group of 50 advocates to fuel sustainable, network-driven growth.

    Read past disptaches

    Get out and F*cking Vote

    Undecided voters be like: I don't know if I want pizza or smallpox for dinner...

    First principles for UX design

    Using first principles in UX will make your product more intuitive and more enjoyable for your customers, while making your job easier.

    Don't just listen. Interpret feedback wisely.

    User feedback is your product's compass. Listen intently, act wisely, and stay true to your vision to navigate towards success.

    Nobody Wants a Big Reveal: Why Keeping Secrets Hurts Your Work

    Avoid the temptation of the dramatic reveal. Here's why openness and transparency are your real competitive advantages in product development.

    How Contrast Elevates Perception

    Why a seamless experience can make your work feel superior — even if it's not.

    Stay Sane: Mental Health Strategies for Startups

    Burnout is your team's worst enemy. Here's how to prevent it.

    Inter and the Power of Fonts: Why Typefaces Matter More Than You Think

    Open up the potential of your designs with a deeper understanding of what variable fonts like Inter can do.

    How you do one thing is how you do everything

    How you do one thing is how you do everything. This is a phrase that has been around for a long time, but what does it really mean? In this article, we will explore the meaning of this phrase and how it can be applied to your life.

    How to source and use expert knowledge for your work

    One of the most effective ways to grow as a developer is by tapping into the vast pool of knowledge available in the developer community.

    Debug tips from a lifetime newbie

    Debugging problems with code (especially production code) is something that is rarely taught in university classes or code schools. Here are some tips that I've come across from watching smarter people than me debug problems.

    You're 8 episodes away from being in the top 20%

    A shift in perspective can help you stay motivated on your journey to the top. Set achievable goals and measure your progress to keep moving forward.

    Struggling with TypeScript: why not?

    One of your biggest skills as a person-on-the-internet is your ability to research and learn new things.

    Open Sourcing my Design System

    I'm open sourcing the Figma file I use to design and create images for my personal site.

    Impostor Syndrome: The monster in your head

    Impostor syndrome is a psychological pattern in which an individual doubts their skills, talents, or accomplishments and has a persistent internalized fear of being exposed as a fraud.

    Statistically, nobody has used your app

    People spend most of their time on sites and apps other than yours. This means that users prefer your site to work the same way as all the other sites they already know.

    The Aesthetic-Usability Effect

    When building something new, what's more important: that it works, or that it looks good? The Aesthetic-Usability Effect says that users perceive more aesthetically pleasing designs as easier to use than less aesthetically pleasing designs.

    Three things school taught me (and Three things it didn't)

    Too often I see chatter online about how studying computer science in school is the only way to have a successful career at a startup or a big company. That definitely isn't the case.

    Shrimps is Bugs: Red Lobster ate itself to death

    Red Lobster's bankruptcy and the importance of understanding your product's pricing and business model, especially for founders and indiehackers building Saas products.

    The Endowment Effect: why useful trials make for sticky products

    The endowment effect is a psychological phenomenon where people value things more highly simply because they own them. How can you use this to make your product stickier?

    Beyond the walled garden: what Spotify and Substack get wrong

    It's natural for big companies to make mistakes - but when they do, it's a great opportunity for smaller companies to build something better.

    Simple Habits for a Happier Team

    Small changes and management techniques can transform your team's dynamics and boost morale. Explore practices like expressing gratitude, weekly reflections, and eliminating negative behaviors to foster a positive, growing team.

    Designing for hospitality

    "Unreasonable Hospitality" by Will Guidara outlines how to making customers feel exceptionally special. Let's bring these hospitality principles to tech, by creating memorable experiences, and using hospitality to elevate customer satisfaction in product design, engaging with the people using our products.

    Keep your tools sharp

    The tools we use to get our work done are incredibly important, and taking the time to tune them to work just right can make a huge difference in our productivity and happiness.

    Why new frameworks make better developers

    A look at the cognitive science behind the Hierarchy of Competence, and how dabbling with new frameworks and tools can make you a better developer.

    Take my money! Some of my favorite tools... and why I pay for them

    I'm a huge fan of products that use their a free tier to prove their value, and then convert me to a paying customer. Here are a few tools I pay for, and why I think they're worth it.

    3 Tiny tips for better SEO

    I hear from a lot of devs that they don't know where to start with SEO. Here are 3 tiny tips about to get you started.

    The first year of being a technical startup cofounder

    Reflecting on my first year as CTO of Craftwork, and the many things I've learned along the way.

    I hate Tailwind CSS. Here's why I use it.

    Tailwind CSS is a utility-first CSS framework that I've come to love. Here's why I use it and why I think you should too.

    Gestalt: Design principles every developer should know

    Ever felt that you've seen a design that just makes sense to you, but you couldn't quite put your finger on why? There's rules for that. Let's talk about Gestalt

    Build, measure, listen, rebuild

    Building better products involves skills you won't learn in computer science school, or at a boot camp. Find success through testing, learning from real-world feedback, and adapting.

    Why your favorite apps and creators all pivot in January

    The new year is a time for change. But why do so many apps and creators pivot in January? We explore the psychology behind the new year's pivot.

    Fitts' Law and the Beauty of Big Goals

    Fitts' Law is a fundamental principle of UX design and usability. It states that the time required to move to a target is a function of the distance to the target and the size of the target. The further away and smaller the target, the longer it takes to reach it. The closer and larger the target, the faster it is to reach it.

    The product design spectrum: crowdsourcing, user research, and the myopic approach

    In product design, there's a critical difference between crowdsourcing ideas and feedback, and user research.

    Learning is an infinite game

    As a founder, you're going to need to learn new skills quickly and efficiently. Keeping your skill for learning sharp is a critical skill, and should can be practiced like any other skill.

    3 Ways to use Annual Pricing to your advantage

    Annual pricing is a great way to increase your revenue and decrease your churn. Here are 3 ways to use annual pricing to your advantage.

    The Decoy Effect: More options for an easier choice

    The Decoy Effect is a cognitive bias that causes people to have a strong preference between two options, when presented with a third option that is inferior to one of the original options.

    There's no right way to do it

    Building products comes with a sisyphean paradox: The blessing is that there are so many ways to do it. The curse is that there are so many ways to do it.

    Chase your interests to build something useful

    Explore the power of hyperfixation on the internet, from tech enthusiasts diving deep into topics to engineers creating innovative solutions. Discover how curiosity can lead to expertise and groundbreaking tools.

    Your resume sucks. Here's how to fix it.

    A guide to writing a resume that doesn't suck, from a hiring manager's perspective.

    Do this with Your Product Waitlist: A Guide for Indiehackers and Startup Founders

    Learn strategies to leverage your product waitlist for sustainable growth. Ideal for indiehackers and startup founders, this guide offers actionable tips to convert initial interest into paying customers.

    Breaking the cycle: Data-driven product descisions

    Learn how to escape common product development pitfalls using data-driven decisions. Read how Craftwork used analytics to optimize their user experience.

    Reverse DevRel: The core engineering skill you've been missing

    DevRel is a core engineering skill that is often overlooked. By turning the DevRel model on its head, we can use it to build better products and better teammates.

    Continuous self improvement and the morning ritual

    Reflecting on my morning ritual, journaling for clarity, and podcasts for your morning walk

    My startup got into Y Combinator

    Well, our startup did - Craftwork is a tech-connected home painting company that is making it easier for homeowners to get their homes painted.

    Two truths and a lie: what Meta got right with the Threads launch

    Meta's new app, Threads, is a Twitter clone that launched last week. It's not perfect, but it's a great example of a product launch that went extremely well.

    Maximize user retention: the cognitive science approach...

    Understand how multitasking affects your customers' memory, and improve your product design and engagement with cognitive psychology and the Zeigarnik effect.

    Takeaways from VidCon's creator track

    Last week, I went to VidCon in Anaheim, California. It was my first time as a creator at the event. Here are my three takeaways from the conference.

    Intellectual humility: how to be wrong productively

    How to use being wrong to improve UX and product design. Learn how to embrace mistakes and create better products for your users.

    Cognitive load, UX, and why you should care

    Cognitive load is a concept that is important to understand that is often overlooked, and has a huge impact on both UX and the lived experience of building your product.

    Reddit as a tool for learning

    If you haven't been using reddit as a tool for learning, you are truly missing out. It's time to give it a try.

    Your portfolio is a timeline of your growth

    At some point in your life, you will look back on the work you did when you were just getting started with a new skill, and see everything you did wrong. Let's talk about how to channel that feeling for good

    We hurled a people into space by building a pool: the case for simplification

    Everyone has their moonshot: something that seems impossibly difficult. We can learn a lot from the people who have landed their own moonshots.

    Tiny Improvements for big changes

    Discover how tiny habits like journaling, language learning, & writing helped me stay grounded during the pandemic & achieve personal growth.

    You are far more influential than you think

    You're already marketing yourself every moment. You just need to be aware of it and do it intentionally.

    The first 90 days as a technical cofounder - building a startup in 2023

    I'm building a new company for the first time since 2016. A lot has changed since then. Here's what feels different this time around.

    Wabi-Sabi - embracing imperfection for tech teams

    The products we build are naturally imperfect. We can learn from the flaws and imperfections in our code to create better, more resilient products while nurturing team and personal growth.

    An idiot's guide to using ChatGPT to make yourself smarter

    ChatGPT is amazing, and quickly finding its way into mainstream use - regardless of how tech-savvy the end user is. This is how I use ChatGPT to learn.

    Why Liquid Death's branding is murderously effective

    Discover the science behind naming and branding, and how the Bouba/Kiki effect can help you create a brand identity that resonates with your audience.

    The productivity tool I use every day to multiply my output

    I've been using networked note taking to organize my thoughts and ideas for years. Here's how it's helped me become more productive and efficient.

    The math behind why cafes should have round tables

    Though we don't often think of it this way, the objects and buildings around us are the result of a series of design decisions.

    The finicky nature of color in product design

    Choosing colors for your product can be a difficult task. There are cultural, historical, contextual, and even physiological factors that can influence how we perceive color.

    Perception and unexpected tricks of the mind

    Explore the fascinating world of perception and cognition in the Tiny Improvements newsletter. Uncover the unexpected tricks of our minds and learn how to make tiny improvements in our cognitive abilities.

    Learn from me: a Dunning-Kruger expert

    Drawing on the Dunning-Kruger Effect to propel tech progress is like using a slingshot to travel into space: Leaving our comfort zone to learn from experts gives us the momentum to break through boundaries and break records.

    These are the books that shaped my career

    A sampling of books that have had a fundamental impact on my career as a designer, developer and startup founder.

    Tools for building a new company

    I spent the last week spinning up a new company for the first time since 2017. Here are the tools I used.

    The case for continued learning, and getting side projects out the door

    The end of 2022 brought about a ton of change for me, and a major shift in my career. I'm excited to talk a little about what's next, and to show off a side project I'm readying for release soon.

    Building your brand in the developer community

    Learn how to build a personal brand as a developer or product builder to differentiate yourself in the tech industry and gain recognition for your work. Authenticity and consistency are key to attracting the right people and opportunities. Follow these steps to get started.

    Customer experience, quality, and the hype cycle

    The Gartner Hype Cycle, and its relationship with customer experience for new products and companies.

    Put a fork in it - how to know when your work is ready to publish

    Deciding when your work is "done" can be a crippling decision for creators. Let's talk about that.

    Get started: The trick to publishing online

    The biggest benefit about telling people online about what you're learning is the network effect.

    What it's like to get laid off and go viral on the same day

    Last week may have been the most complicated week of my life. I got laid off from Stripe, and went viral on Twitter. Here's what happened.

    What I learned from using AI in my work

    Machine learning and AI tools have been making waves in the news lately. Let's take a look at some that you might want to consider using

    Tips for managing burnout and stress

    We all experience stress and burnout at some point in our lives. Here are the tools I've found to stay ahead of burnout in my job and my relationships.

    5 Design rules everyone should know

    For most of my life, I would not have described myself as a creative person. As it works out, nobody is inherently creative. It's all about following rules.

    Remember these apps?

    This Dispatch of Tiny Improvements dives into some of †he apps we've forgotten, no code tools, and time off.

    The way we talk about our things

    This we we talk about intentional use of language and how it can affect subconscious behavior.

    What I've learned from working in public

    I'm a big fan of working in public. It's a great way to get feedback and improve your work... you just have to be ready to deal with The Internet™️

    Balance for remote workers

    Show up better on video calls, make your writing better by writing more, friction logging, and conferences are back!

    Has it been four years already?

    MLK, presidential inauguration, time illusions, new features in Gatsby, and designing for musicians.

    Sip your coffee quietly, act kindly

    Watching history happen before our eyes, the economic study of bitcoin, accessibility, and drinking coffee in a quiet room.

    The Enthusiast's Hidden Superpower

    Optimism and the new year, why being an enthusiast can help you build a better product, espresso drinking and daily writing.

    On seasonal change, open source, and carbon offsets

    Cognitive science and the framing effect, Open Source software and Working in Public, language learning, creating online courses, and reforestation.

    I swear I wrote that down somewhere 🤦‍♂️

    Training your brain with networked note-taking, privacy-first analytics for websites, expensive asparagus, speed reading and retention.

    Mike Bifulco headshot

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