One of the many benefits of being an autistic designer is that I can see the entire interface structure-flow of an app as a holographic projection in front of me. Not only can I see it crystal clear at a global level, I can see all the details everywhere, all at once. 🥯
This allows me to understand how people move through software at a high level of fidelity and precision. I have utilized this superpower to identify 1000s of small bugs and snags customers run into AND simultaneously to understand large pitfalls in the architecture of software systems which are simply not visible to neurotypical designers.
I guess I just wanted to write this because I got dragged pretty hard by a bunch of rideshare ex-coworkers who simply have a hard time believing that I can do what I claim I actually do because theyre not familiar with the details of my work. Its not even that relevant because even if I attempted to explain the work I do in high-fidelity and in the granular detail required I know their minds wouldn’t be able to comprehend it anyway.
Its just frustrating to know the nature of reality at a higher level of bandwidth and be constantly told youre an ‘egotistical narcissist’ or that youre ‘special’ ( in a condescending way ) or that you should be yourself ‘but oh no not like that. THAT is not what we meant’. To many businesses my brain is a literal superweapon — but to many employees I’m a threat, chaos wrapped in an enigma 🧠
And THAT is exactly why many of your coworkers are not going to tell you that they 🍎 “Think different.” Its because while workplace culture is making some progress it still has a long way to go in accepting people, who within highly specialized fields can be not just a little bit; but orders of magnitude better at what they do!
I dont know what the solution is but it does not seem to me that we’re creating the safe work environments necessary. And I dont think that the current corporate culture of “pretending” to be accommodating while actually not giving a ____ whatsoever works for people with autism. We need to be safe in job interviews, we need to be accepted for what we bring to the table in meetings, and we need to be confident in who we are so that we are not made fun of constantly like were back in kindergarden 🧸
Heres a 2D representation of 1 of 3 clients of the version-controlled 3D structures I work in on my bicycle app Sprocket www.sprocket.bike/app Keep in mind this does not account for multiple branching design changes on nearly every subsystem, nor does it even show every page in this one individually artboard time-stamped file ( not to mention that im running a startup and managing a team of 10 simultaneously )
note: dont mind my @linkedin profile. I’m not looking for work unless I get a great offer — for like the next 2–3 years, so am currently running some A/B tests on my LinkedIn as a side project.
