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Notes on making things

Products, photography, and the decisions behind things I build.

Car Thing displaying music controls in front of a laptop running Spotify

Why I Build My Own Tools

Why personal frustrations become products, and how building tools you use changes the way you think about product design.

Instant-film print of a person wearing a hat and sitting on a sofa

Shooting Film in a Digital World

A photographer’s reflections on film, deliberate constraints, and bringing the experience of shooting a roll into a digital tool.

Zian Meng seated at a table with a camera

From PM to Designer to Builder

How computer science, product management, design, and native app development shape the way I approach building products.

Car Thing running Carthios beside a keyboard and a Mac display

The Case for Native Apps

Why I choose native Apple development for personal tools, from interaction details to platform integration and its tradeoffs.