How to work with Martin

This guide is here to make working together easier. It is a map of how I tend to do my best work, what I care about, where I have my blindspots, and how to get the most out of me.

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1. TLDR;

I'm a design generalist who loves building. Design is where I'm most at home, but I move between product, engineering, systems, and company-building when the work calls for it.

I do my best work with small, high-agency teams. I like hard problems, clear ownership, thoughtful writing, fast prototypes, and people who care about their craft without turning the work into theater.

I help teams aim higher, ship faster, and have fun along the way. The fun matters. It keeps the bar high without making everything heavy 🙂.

2. What I Am Good At

Turning early ideas into something

I am comfortable in the messy stage before a product has a name, shape, or obvious path. I like finding the way, making it tangible, and getting something in front of people quickly.

Product and systems thinking

I naturally look for the second-order implications: what this decision does to the product, the user, the team, the system, and the customer a few steps later. This is useful when the work is complex. It can also make me ask annoying questions early.

Range

I care about the full stack of design: product strategy, interaction design, visual craft, content, systems, and implementation details. I am happiest when those things are not treated as separate lanes.

Building

I prototype, write, test, and will get into the codebase when that helps. I do not think designers need to code to be valuable. I do think the best teams collapse distance between idea and shipped product.

Raising the bar

I like excellent work, but I do not like ceremony for its own sake. The goal is not to admire the process or output. The goal is to make better decisions and ship the right product.