Tools I use and gadgets I like.

Github

Since the introduction of Github Projects, it has become my preferred product management tool. This platform enables the creation of project boards across multiple repositories. GitHub Projects offers the flexibility to add new fields beyond the default issue fields and its ability to manage sprints essentially transforming it into a comprehensive project management tool. I consider it particularly suited for software projects, as it allows for the close collaboration between Product and Developer teams. The ability to link Pull Requests to issues and incorporate automation contributes to maintaining a streamlined workflow.

docs.github.com

Jira

I've used Jira to manage larger, multi-stakeholder products. You can define epics and link issues to develop your Product Roadmap. Jira's most arguably powerful feature is its ability to manage a backlog and organizing sprints.

atlassian.com/software/jira

Dovetail

I've been utilizing Dovetail for several years, and find myself returning to it for extensive user research studies. Dovetail stands out as a must-have tool, excelling in its ability to compile and systematically group user research insights into broader themes. This workflow proves invaluable for formulating user personas, mapping user journeys, and identifying high-level needs that a solution should address. While I highly recommend this tool, it's worth noting that the downside lies in its cost, but it does offer a limited free trial.

dovetail.com

Lucidchart

I use Lucid for drawing diagrams and mapping out data workflows including system architecture designs like entity relationship diagrams (ERD). This tools keeps things simple and easy to use templated components so you can easily get started on your next diagram.

lucidchart.com

Figma

Figma is my preferred design tool, serving as my go-to platform for storyboarding and wireframe design. It allows for the seamless management of a design system, and you can easily extract CSS for styling your application. I find the prototype feature is particularly helpful, enabling the creation of clickable screens to demonstrate how a feature works.

figma.com

Licecap

One of my preferred methods for showcasing recently created clickable mockups is by recording a GIF so I can share it with my team for feedback. Licecap is an open source, no-frills GIF recorder that's reliable and cross-platform compatible. I utilize GIFs not only to report bugs by illustrating steps to reproduce errors but also to showcasing user acceptance criteria.

cockos.com/licecap

Storybook

Storybook helps in documenting frontend UI components, showcasing the style and variations of a design system. This simplifies the use of these components for my team, allowing them to concentrate on the more enjoyable logic aspects of app development.

storybook.js.org

VS Code

Lately, my preferred code editor has been VS Code. Its intuitive interface and layout caters to my needs. When it comes to app development, I often work in the frontend and I appreciate having the terminal seamlessly integrated into the layout for easy package installs and console debugging.

code.visualstudio.com

Frontend

For JavaScript frameworks, I prefer Vue.js for its structure alongside TypeScript when building single page applications (SPAs) but also familiar with React. I like to use global SCSS to control my app styling.

vuejs.org

Backend

When it comes to SPAs, I opt for using Node and Next.js for the backend. Yet, for large web applications, I lean towards Python and its Django web framework and DRF (Django Rest Framework), especially when adopting an API-first approach to product development. Building Python-based backends has the added advantage of leveraging robust packages for constructing data intensive systems.

djangoproject.com

Swagger

When taking an API-first approach to product development, API design and documentation is crucial. I have found that swagger meets these needs and is widely accepted as the gold standard among developers.

swagger.io

Markdown

Markdown plays a crucial role in my daily work. With various flavors available, its widespread popularity has led to its support in tools such as Slack, Jira, and even Google Docs. I extensively use markdown files for documenting GitHub repositories, for internal product documentation and external product knowledge bases. If you're still relying on Word docs for documentation, consider making the switch to the web-friendly markdown – it even supports emojis!

docs.github.com

VuePress

I've employed VuePress on multiple occasions to build static content websites. VuePress offers a polished default style and includes all the necessary components for setting up product knowledge bases or team wikis on the fly. Its use of markdown files ensures straightforward documentation, and the Front Matter support enhances its SEO friendliness.

vuepress.vuejs.org

Google sheets

I prefer Google Sheets over Microsoft Excel, period. Its web-based design, coupled with the capability to stay in sync with numerous simultaneous collaborators, all while retaining the powerful functions of Excel, makes it the superior choice. When creating your next spreadsheet, opt for a live spreadsheet in Google Sheets and you won't look back.

google.com/sheets

Airtable

Airtable is a tool that has gained popularity in recent years, bridging the gap for spreadsheet users. I've utilized it in several projects and appreciate its ability to build relationships between tables (similar to vlookups), along with its user-friendly features for creating data validation and conditional formatting. If you're feeling weary of traditional spreadsheet creation, it's worth giving Airtable a try on your next project.

airtable.com

Jupyter Notebooks

As the successor to iPython Notebooks, Jupyter Notebooks has emerged as a popular interface for writing Python scripts to extract and handle data queries. You can use Python and its robust packages like pandas and scikit-learn, making it ideal for data wrangling tasks. I've also found it useful to create data-driven reports filled with interactive tables and charts alongside a written narrative.

jupyter.org

R

For more statistically intensive analyses, I prefer using R. As an open-source language, R offers a wealth of powerful packages that support data storytelling projects through RMarkdown and building complex visualizations using packages like ggplot2, lattice, maptools, and HH.

r-project.org

Airflow

Apache Airflow, an open-source tool serves as my go-to tool for managing data integrations between systems. As a data orchestration tool, it uses Directed Acyclic Graphs (DAGs) that makes it extensible while simplifies the deployment and scheduling of integration scripts. If you have multiple custom integrations and require a straightforward tool to execute them, I recommend exploring Airflow.

airflow.apache.org

Superset

Superset is an open source business intelligence (BI) tool supported by the Apache Foundation. This sleek BI tool empowers users with the ability to control and customize every aspect of visualizations within a dashboard. If you're in search of an enterprise-ready BI solution, I recommend exploring Superset before delving into the expensive realm of proprietary solutions like PowerBI.

superset.apache.org

Google Looker Studio

This is one of my favorite BI and dashboarding tools. It's user-friendly, connecting seamlessly to data sources with just a few clicks. The intuitive handling of data transformations makes it stand out. I highly recommend this tool, especially if you need to throw together an interactive dashboard on the go.

lookerstudio.google.com

PowerBI

PowerBI stands out as the well-established BI tool on the market, having been around for awhile and benefiting from being part of the Microsoft ecosystem. However, in practice, I've observed its been used to create overtly complex dashboards in contrast to easy to understand dashboards. While this might be due to user error, I do find that it is a powerful and reliable tool. My primary concerns revolve around its high cost and potential vendor lock-in if you decide to go this route.

powerbi.microsoft.com

GIS tools

I have been crafting interactive maps for several years to effectively show an organization or project's impact in the field. My tool of choice is Mapbox, being one of the pioneers in the market and having open-sourced numerous tools that allow you to integrate maps into your own applications. On a related note, I am currently building an app called Dots, a visualization and reporting tool for nonprofits. This tool empowers users to control their data sources and construct advanced interactive maps that convey story narrative. In certain scenarios, where the need arises to create complex map layers, options like QGIS (for open-source) or ArcGIS (for those inclined towards proprietary tools) come into play.

mapbox.com

Open Data Kit (ODK) / Ona (formerly FormHub)

The ODK suite, complemented by its strong XLSForm authoring capability, has played a crucial role in supporting nonprofits during their transition to mobile data collection. ODK's impact is clear, with its open-source projects like Collect and Central giving rise to several proprietary solutions such as CommCare and SurveyCTO. Initiatives by Ona (created by the FormHub founders), have paved the way for improving the way of managing data collection submissions, ultimately leading to the development of Kobo Toolbox, arguably the most widely used tool in this domain.

getodk.org

PC Build

Fractal Meshify 2 Compact case, AMD Ryzen 9 5900x, 32 GB RAM, EVGA GTX 3070, 1 TB SSD, Razor keyboard and mouse

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Apple Macbook Pro 13-inch

Apple Trackpad and Keyboard

Huawei MateView 34-inch ultra-wide QHD display