Mara Kestrel Booking from February 2027

Writing

Notes from the margin

Essays on designing software for people under pressure. Usually short, occasionally opinionated.

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2026

Designing for 3 a.m.

Most interfaces are designed at 11 in the morning by rested people. Some are used at 3 at night by exhausted ones. Here is what changes.

7 min read Health · Accessibility

The case for fewer alerts

Alert fatigue is a design problem, not a discipline problem. Four questions I ask before any notification ships.

6 min read Health · Process

Write the empty state first

The first screen most people see is an empty one. Designing it first makes the rest of the product clearer.

5 min read Process

Design tokens are a contract, not a palette

A token named after a colour tells you what it looks like. A token named after a role tells you what it promises. Only one of those survives a redesign.

8 min read Design systems · Accessibility

2025

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Mara Kestrel
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Night Ward A ward board for night-shift nurses that turns forty competing priorities into one calm list.
Tideline A public flood-warning service that shows how sure the forecast is, not only what it says.
Northline fares A fare finder that leads with the cheapest valid ticket and explains the rules in plain words.
Quire An accessible design system I maintain, where every colour pair ships with its contrast ratio.
Furrow An offline-first harvest log for small farms, designed for wet gloves and no signal.
Designing for 3 a.m. Most interfaces are designed at 11 in the morning by rested people. Some are used at 3 at night by exhausted ones. Here is what changes.
The case for fewer alerts Alert fatigue is a design problem, not a discipline problem. Four questions I ask before any notification ships.
Write the empty state first The first screen most people see is an empty one. Designing it first makes the rest of the product clearer.
Design tokens are a contract, not a palette A token named after a colour tells you what it looks like. A token named after a role tells you what it promises. Only one of those survives a redesign.
What a flood map taught me about uncertainty People trust forecasts more when you tell them how sure you are. Showing uncertainty is a design skill, and a public duty.
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