About Me
User Experience Designer that feels human, makes mistakes and despises robotic, inauthentic language.
Who's Sorin really
I'm Sorin. A UX professional, driven by a never-ending curiosity for the world around us, and a strong belief in the power of design to make a positive change in it. Sounds cliché, but once you'll get to know me, you'll see it's true. 🙂
I thrive in complex environments, and love finding solutions to the most annoying challenges. I look for companies that understand that the value of a great designer lies in their wealth of experience, not just how great a story they can weave. Companies that are looking for a design lead, are prepared to mandate them with the responsibility of growing their existing team as well as nurturing the individuals to be better people and designers. This could very well be your company! 🤷♂️
I believe in knowledge and its pursuit, excellence, and giving back to the design community. Which is why I mentor, help and offer guidance, to younger designers looking for information. Free of charge.
In the little available time left, I am a dad. An illustrator. A designer. Passionate photographer. Avid learner. Sometimes over-excited shower-singer.
I'm silly, sometimes serious, and always try to uplift the teams I work with. Ask the people whom I've worked with in the past and they'll tell you 🙂
Facts
Likes
- Cycling, repairing and customizing bicycles
- Photography - have a sizeable vintage lens collection
- Illustrating and drawing
- Building things with my hands
- Running & Weightlifting
- Gaming
Personality Type
On the 16 Personality types, I consistently score as a Advocate (several redo's)
What drives me
- +Trust and independence
- +Learning new things
- +Recognition of my work
- +Fairness and equality
What demotivates me
- •Micromanagement
- •Senseless rules and conventions
- •Not being able to make my own choices
- •Drama, Politics and Office power plays
- •Routine, especially if it's too much.
Skills
Hard Skills
Design
Research & Strategy
Leadership
Communication
Process
Tools
Primary Tools
Extended Tools
Technical Stack
Platforms
Dev Skills
Methodologies
Agile — Since 2010
Kanban
Hobbies & Interests
Below is are samples of some of my many hobbies, which include photography, digital art, collecting vintage lenses, gaming and building all sorts of tech projects.
Photography
My Bookshelf
Books, articles, and resources that shape my thinking on product design and leadership
Loading...
Strategy
Creative Strategy and the Business of Design
Douglas Davis
Loading...
Cognitive Psychology
The Upside of Irrationality
Dan Ariely
Loading...
Motivation
Payoff
Dan Ariely
Loading...
Success
Barking Up the Wrong Tree
Eric Barker
Loading...
Productivity
Anatomy of a Breakthrough
Adam Alter
Loading...
Psychology
ADHD: A Hunter in a Farmer's World
Thom Hartmann
Loading...
Neuroscience
The Molecule of More
Daniel Z. Lieberman
Loading...
Leadership
Nine Lies About Work
Marcus Buckingham
Loading...
Life Philosophy
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck
Mark Manson
Loading...
Self-Help
The Gifts of Imperfection
Brené Brown
Loading...
Psychology
The Elephant in the Brain
Kevin Simler
Loading...
Work Culture
It Doesn't Have to Be Crazy at Work
Jason Fried
Loading...
Decision Making
Hell Yeah or No: What's Worth Doing
Derek Sivers
Loading...
Product Design
Build
Tony Fadell
Loading...
Psychology
Grit
Angela Duckworth
Loading...
Philosophy
Fooled by Randomness
Nassim Nicholas Taleb
Loading...
Career Development
Range
David Epstein
Loading...
Philosophy
Everything Is F*cked
Mark Manson
Loading...
Leadership
The Hard Thing About Hard Things
Ben Horowitz
Loading...
UX/IA
Information Architecture
Louis Rosenfeld
Loading...
UX Fundamentals
The Design of Everyday Things
Don Norman
Loading...
Psychology
Thinking, Fast and Slow
Daniel Kahneman
Loading...
Problem Solving
Upstream
Dan Heath
Loading...
Research Methods
Qualitative Literacy
Mario Luis Small
Loading...
Research Methods
The Science and Art of Interviewing
Kathleen Gerson
Loading...
Product Management
Continuous Discovery Habits
Teresa Torres
Loading...
Decision Science
The Elements of Choice
Eric J. Johnson
Loading...
Negotiation
Never Split the Difference
Chris Voss
Books that are next
Books that are on my reading list as soon as possible.
Loading...
Design
Discussing Design
Adam Connor
Loading...
UI/UX
UI is Communication
Everett N. McKay
Loading...
Psychology
100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People
Susan Weinschenk
Loading...
Design Business
Design is a Job
Mike Monteiro
Loading...
Cognition
Learnability and Cognition
Steven Pinker
Loading...
Language & Thought
The Stuff of Thought
Steven Pinker
Loading...
Rationality
Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters
Steven Pinker
Loading...
Product Management
Inspired: How to Create Tech Products Customers Love
Marty Cagan
Loading...
Product Leadership
Empowered: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Products
Marty Cagan
Loading...
Sociology
Outliers
Malcolm Gladwell
Loading...
Design Leadership
Design Leadership Ignited: Elevating Design at Scale
Eric Quint, Gerda Gemser, Giulia Calabretta
Loading...
Innovation
Transform with Design: Creating New Innovation Capabilities with Design Thinking
Loading...
Longevity Design
Designing for Longevity: Expert Strategies for Creating Long-lasting Products
Louise Moller Haase & Linda Nhu Laursen
Loading...
Social Design
Design for the Real World
Thames & Hudson
Loading...
Design Philosophy
Design is a Bliss of Solitude
David Lo
Loading...
Innovation
Design and Innovation: 50 Ways to Create the Future
Eisuke Tachikawa
Loading...
Participatory Design
Collectively Designing Social Worlds
Carlo Sedini
Loading...
Service Design
The Materials of Service Design
Edward Elgar
Loading...
Longevity
Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity
Bill Gifford
Loading...
Product Innovation
Mastering Product Innovation: The Ultimate Guide for Successful Design
Walter B. Herbst
Loading...
Life Design
Right Place, Right Time: The Ultimate Guide to Choosing a Home for the Second Half of Life
Ryan Frederick
Loading...
Design Research
Explorers: Thoughts on Mapping in Design Research
Megan Anderson & Geke van Dijk
Loading...
Longevity
The 100-Year Life: Living and Working in an Age of Longevity
Lynda Gratton
Loading...
Design & Society
Design as Democratic Inquiry
Carl DiSalvo
Loading...
Strategic Design
Dark Matter and Trojan Horses: A Strategic Design Vocabulary
Dan Hill
Loading...
Design Ethics
Ruined by Design: How Designers Destroyed the World, and What We Can Do to Fix It
Mike Monteiro
Loading...
Design Education
Designerly Ways of Knowing: A Working Inventory of Things a Designer Should Know
Danah Abdulla
Loading...
Art Theory
Artful Objects: Graham Harman on Art and the Business of Speculative Realism
Isak Nilson & Erik Wikberg
Loading...
Creativity & Education
Lifelong Kindergarten: Cultivating Creativity through Projects, Passion, Peers, and Play
Mitchel Resnick
Loading...
Design Anthropology
The Language of Things: Understanding the World of Desirable Objects
Deyan Sudjic
Loading...
Research Methods
Writing Ethnographic Fieldnotes
Robert M. Emerson, Rachel I. Fretz, Linda L. Shaw
Loading...
Human-Centred Design
The Life-Centred Design Guide
Damien Lutz
Loading...
Aging & Policy
The Upside of Aging: How Long Life Is Changing the World of Health, Work, Innovation, Policy, and Purpose
Paul H. Irving
Loading...
Design Critique
How Capitalism Took Hold of Graphic Design, and How to Escape from It
Ruben Pater