"Another day, Another dollar" by Rachel Wilken, 2026 When I was younger, I was a proud perfectionist. I was that kind of student: straight A's, president of every club I joined, and well rounded across the myriad of activities I engaged in. This pressing desire to achieve the unachievable followed me throughout my youth and into early adulthood. It wasn't until years later that I recognized this aspiration to achieve perfection was damaging not only to my mental health, but a

This April, I had the opportunity to attend and present a poster at the Information Architecture Conference (IAC26) in Philadelphia from April 14-18. The conference was held at the historic Arch Street Meeting House, which gave the entire event a character unlike most professional conferences I've attended. Between sessions, there were plenty of excellent coffee shops and great food nearby, which made exploring Philadelphia part of the experience. What stood out most to me, h

I’m excited to share the first event for Columbus Design Collective, a professional development and networking group I founded in late 2025 to help strengthen and connect the design community in Columbus, Indiana. On Wednesday, February 25, we hosted our first Design Conversations event featuring Jessica Kartes Principal and Founder of Storyboard. Her talk, Design, Civic Engagement, and Why Everyone Should Get an Art Degree , explored the intersection of design, play, and dat

I recently had the pleasure of joining Lorene Kennard as a guest on The Librarian Linkover podcast, where we discussed how my background in library and information science translates into the work I do within UX, information architecture and digital strategy! It was so much fun to chat with Lorene about informatics, AI, and even how my training in classical music informs my design practice.

It will likely come as a shock to no one that I, a person educated in library and information science, am a voracious reader. Since 2023, I’ve read over 250 books, mostly fiction with a few non-fiction titles sprinkled in for good measure. However, this year I’m being more deliberate about what I’m reading for my professional growth. Below is my current professional to-be-read (TBR) list for the year, along with why each book feels relevant to my work right now: 💫 Irresistib

As the end of 2025 draws near, I wanted to share a few of the things that shaped my thinking, challenged my assumptions, and helped me grow professionally this year. These podcasts, newsletters, books, tools, and conferences kept me learning, questioning, and connecting dots across strategy, research, and technology. 🎧 Podcasts Design Better - Thoughtful conversations at the intersection of design, technology, and the creative process The Librarian Linkover - Showcasing ho

In late September, I attended Future Product Days in Copenhagen, Denmark. The conference featured two packed days exploring how AI, research, and design are reshaping the way we build products. From innovative research techniques to lessons from China’s super-apps, every session offered something that changed the way I think about digital products. Even without having an overarching conference theme, I noticed that every talk, panel, and conversation pointed to the same idea