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SEP Named a Winning Company in the 2022 Powderkeg Unvalley Awards

Westfield, IN - January 2022, SEP, a software product design and development firm has been announced as a winning company in the 2022 Powderkeg Unvalley Awards. This recognizes SEP as one of the best tech companies to work for in…

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Employees at SEP working from the office.

Is going back to the office really worth it?

Travel back in time with me to November 2021… SEP executives felt that we do our best work together, in person. We had a date set – December 6, 2021. The opening of our new headquarters in Westfield, IN. This was happening. After almost two years of working from home, we are returning to the […]

SEP mascot Hexter the owl wearing a birthday hat

Happy 1st Birthday, Hexter!

One Year It’s officially been one year since the SEP owl mascot was introduced. At the time, our little feathery friend didn’t even have a name! Since the introduction on day 1 of moving into SEP’s Forever Home, Hexter was named and has been used in over 40 DIFFERENT WAYS. That’s pretty incredible. For a […]

phone app displaying in dark mode on desk

Welcome to the Dark Side: 6 Tips for Designing a Dark Mode Version of Your App

Are you thinking of coming to the dark side? 🦇🖤 Designing in dark mode continues to grow in popularity, especially following the implementation of optional dark mode for Apple iOS, Facebook, Google Chrome, Youtube and other highly trafficked sites and operating systems (source). But what is dark mode? If you aren’t familiar with it, dark mode […]

Friday’s 13 Tips to Overcome Design Workshop Facilitation Nerves

Facilitating design workshops can oftentimes feel as scary as Friday the 13th. The nerves that build up moments before meeting with a client can feel the same as the nerves I would get as a kid while watching the classic 80’s slasher film as Jason skulked around Camp Crystal Lake. In both scenarios, I was/am […]

consultation working meeting close up of laptops and hands drawing on paper

Software Design Accessibility Audits 101: What You Need to Know

Accessibility in software design is an important topic that often gets overlooked or deprioritized. The good news is, addressing accessibility does not need to be a giant undertaking. In this post, I’ll give an overview of accessibility laws and how you can conduct your own software accessibility audit. This won’t make you an expert on […]

Circumventing The Dark Side of Design

A Tale Old As Time Humans have had the tendency to be deceptive to one another for longer than any existing historical document can recall. One of the most infamous examples of this act being used as a literary device is the myth of the Trojan Horse in Homer’s Odyssey. This victory trophy, given to […]

A sign reading "Accessible Entry" near a colorful mural in Chicago. Photo by Daniel Ali on Unsplash

Why Software Accessibility Matters

I’m a designer with Color Vision Deficiency (CVD). A lot of people, myself included, refer to CVD as “color blindness.” The term “color blind” can be a bit misleading and gives rise to all kinds of funny questions like, “What color is my shirt?” or, “How do you dress yourself?” The reality is, I do […]

designing a medical app for smart watches

Designing Health, Wellness, and Medical Apps for Smart Watches: 10 Things to Consider

For many of us, smart watches have become everyday health and wellness devices: tracking our steps, monitoring our heart rate, charting our workout intensity. They can alert us when our blood sugar has gone too high or too low. They can even call and communicate with 911 dispatchers if we take a hard fall and […]

Designing a Mascot

Picture it. It’s my first day back at SEP after being away for over 5 years. After a crash course onboarding with IT, the Ops Team asked to see me in the War Room. “We have a secret project for you.” What was the project? The new SEP owl mascot, of course! I was ecstatic […]

Breadboarding: A Simple Way to Prototype

There is an awkwardness defining the solution for a software project. Some projects define the solution by generating a backlog of features to implement. They specify what should be built, but create few insights about the user’s experience. On the other hand, a project could start by emphasizing the visual experience with clickable mockups. While […]

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