How I Bring UX Design Thinking Into My Real Life (as a Mom, Tech Nerd & Efficiency Junkie)

I live and breathe usability. Whether it’s testing a fintech app or color-coding my Google Calendar, I’m always thinking about how to make systems smoother, flows simpler, and life a little more frictionless. That mindset didn’t stop when I became a mom — in fact, it kicked into high gear.

👶 From Product Testing to Toddler Logistics

As a UX designer, I’m trained to spot inefficiencies. So when I noticed my mornings were feeling like a bug-ridden user journey (“Where’s the lunchbox?! Who moved the socks?!”), I started treating my household like a design system. And yes, I do use sticky notes for real-life user flows.

🛠️ My Daily UX Stack (Real Life Edition)

Notion: My second brain. Everything from family routines to project tracking lives here. I even A/B test chore systems.
ChatGPT: Need a polite response to a daycare email? A dinner plan based on what's in the fridge? A script for that awkward PTO thing? It’s my content strategist.
Reclaim.ai: Automatically blocks off time in my calendar for work focus, kid pickups, and brain breaks. Absolute lifesaver.
Post-it Wall + Trello: Yes, I still love analog. There's something magical about seeing user flows mapped on my kitchen wall with sticky notes labeled “bottle prep,” “snack queue,” and “evening meltdown buffer.”

⚙️ Designing Family Life Like a Product

I treat routines like features. What can be automated? What can be delegated? Where are the bottlenecks? It’s not about being perfect — it’s about iterating. Mornings used to be chaos. Now we have a flow. And when it breaks? I run a postmortem (over coffee, obviously).

📊 UX Principles I Apply at Home

Onboarding: Clear morning visuals for the kids. (Yes, I designed a laminated visual routine chart.)
Consistency: Kids eat the same 3 breakfasts at least few times a week. No decision fatigue. No Mental Overload!
Feedback loops: Bi-weekly retros. “What worked this week? What was frustrating?”
Accessibility: Everything labeled, reachable, and color-coded by kid.

💡 Final Thought

UX isn’t just for apps. It’s for life. It’s how I create sanity in the chaos, flow in the frenzy, and delight in the everyday. Being a mom made me a better designer — and being a designer made me a more intentional mom.

If you’re a fellow UX junkie (or just someone who appreciates systems that work), I see you. And yes, my pantry has a wireframe.

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