Alec Olschner

Senior Designer with a background in STEM and classroom teaching

[Alec Olschner @AlecOlschnerUX]

“When things take him seriously, he takes them seriously” might be the best description of the value of learner/human-centered design and what needs to change about our educational system as a whole.

[Alec Olschner @AlecOlschnerUX]

@PavelASamsonov I was scrolling back through your "Media" tab to find a diagram I remeber liking but somehow hadn't bookmarked and couldn't help myself. Lots of memories reading Tin Tin books growing up.

Classic Captain Haddock 😂

[Alec Olschner @AlecOlschnerUX]

@howie_hua @pwharris 15 is “one and a half” times 10.
36+18=54, then 10 times bigger makes 540

[Alec Olschner @AlecOlschnerUX]

@andrew_wiebe You must be joking. Cascading all the way to STL? That over have the width of the entire country.

I get SoCal and SJ to Texas is pretty far too, but not as bad, right?

[Alec Olschner @AlecOlschnerUX]

@simonmaechling Hi! Former chemistry educator here 🙋🏻‍♂️

[Alec Olschner @AlecOlschnerUX]

@howie_hua Add 3 to both, 76-40 =36

[Alec Olschner @AlecOlschnerUX]

@ItsJasonMelnyk @MLSMoves @PaulTenorio Don’t forget college basketball in the spring as well 👍🏻

[Alec Olschner @AlecOlschnerUX]

@howie_hua @mminas8 I’d split 27 into 9x3 so it’s 8x9x3.
Then, do 8x9 (72) and finally x3 (216).

[Alec Olschner @AlecOlschnerUX]

@howie_hua I still remember my pre-calc/trig teacher in 11th grade asking us this on the first day of class. We were wildly off in our predictions, but it set a tone for the year of thinking deeply about how to solve problems and model mathematical relationships.

[Alec Olschner @AlecOlschnerUX]

@Liv4pool @MenInBlazers Underrated tweet

[Alec Olschner @AlecOlschnerUX]

@John_Barach @MrDanielBuck Yep, so then instead of having a classroom full of open, curious, inquisitive minds in Step 1, you have a classroom full of fixed-mindset minds that are either:
- memorizing whatever fact or algorithm you are demonstrating (not learning, just regurgitating)
OR
- fully closed off

[Alec Olschner @AlecOlschnerUX]

@SoundersFC @Mariners RBW watching it go over the fence 😂

[Brad Neely @bradneely]

A book of my Creased Comics is coming this spring from NYRC.

[Alec Olschner @AlecOlschnerUX]

@howie_hua Same as 40% of 45, or four tenths. 4.5 is 1/10 of 45, 4.5 doubled is 9, doubled again is 18.

So, 18 is 40% of 45 (and also 45% of 40)

[Alec Olschner @AlecOlschnerUX]

@tikicraig @Stefan24Frei @MenInBlazers @SoundersFC @MLS @RaveFound Love it!

Go ‘ders! 💙💚

[Alec Olschner @AlecOlschnerUX]

@ItsPatrickU @jasonfried It’s a great book IMO (I’m a Product Designer) but I’ve never worked at an org that has implemented it. Regardless of how a place plans/prioritizes features there are a lot of great nuggets in there about how to create just enough definition for a team to align and build stuff

[Alec Olschner @AlecOlschnerUX]

@ItsPatrickU @jasonfried If you read his book Shape Up, they make 6-week bets (so, half of three months) and then product teams can build within the time confines of that bet and something has to ship. If iterating or extending makes sense, that’s the bet for the next 6 weeks for that team. Makes sense.

[Alec Olschner @AlecOlschnerUX]

@BritVoxUS My older cousin said to pronounce it by quickly saying “what’s-this-here” sauce; pretty close!

[Alec Olschner @AlecOlschnerUX]

@howie_hua @LongFormMath 18*5 (five integers in a sequence centered on 18)

18*5 is 9*2*5 or 9*10 = 90

[Alec Olschner @AlecOlschnerUX]

reposting my thread related to feedback loops and the various behaviors it can drive.
The original post is about what motivates kids/brains with ADHD, but there's resonance in UX design when it comes to considering how instant vs. delayed feedback engages our brains differently.

[Alec Olschner @AlecOlschnerUX]

@ArieWindmill @DudespostingWs Some of my undergrad Physics classes (ca. 2005) had an online tool for homework where you would get ~5 attempts to input the right answer. Often I'd have the wrong answer, but then I'd immediately review my work, find the error, and resubmit. Learned so much more this way.

[Alec Olschner @AlecOlschnerUX]

@ArieWindmill @DudespostingWs I generally think best when I'm writing things down and showing my work, but an additional benefit to this system was it really incentivized careful note-taking while working the problems so it was easier to go back and find mistakes if I got it wrong.

[Alec Olschner @AlecOlschnerUX]

@ArieWindmill @DudespostingWs It was very basic tech, just a simple input box with validation, but the instant feedback meant I had an opportunity to revisit my work and find my mistakes.
Unlike turning in a piece of paper, getting it back days later, at which point all I cared about as the grade at the top.