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why i make ridiculous tools

“All children are born artists, the problem is to remain an artist as we grow up.”

— Pablo Picasso.

If you have followed my blog for any amount of time, you have probably seen a few of the different UIs I have built. Often, these have memes, GIFs, comic sans, or are otherwise silly.

One of the most recent ones (input identifier)

People are often quick to attack and critique these design choices. Dismissing the work as a waste of time, or flat-out treating me like I am an idiot. What makes me sad about the people who react poorly is, what is their goal? Is it to discourage someone from learning and making things? Because it can definitely come across that way to a new user.

However, all of the goofiness and absurdity in all of this work is on purpose. Having fun with what I am working on is a way for me to remain interested, and lower the barrier of entry to others. (It also places the bar very low, which makes other serious tools seem more awesome 😜)

Simone Gertz said it best in this Ted Talk (which I highly recommend you watch).

“It’s this expression of joy and humility that often gets lost in engineering..”

– Simone Giertz (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0bsKc4tiuY)

This same statement applies to the AEC industry. Let’s face it, it is not the most glamorous thing to be screwing around in Revit for hours on end, so why not have a bit of fun?

By designing crappy UIs people learn to focus on the result itself and it generates a bit of excitement and curiosity. Additionally, if I am not taking myself too seriously, there is a certain amount of humility that comes with that.

a real fortune i received that is still hanging on my wall

When I started working in the AEC industry, I did not know how to code whatsoever. Along my journey, I have learned how to use Dynamo, code in python, and create tools in C#. Along the way, I have always strived to have fun, and I hope to encourage you to do the same.

Yes, I know comic sans can get under people’s skin, but I also think it is counter-productive to lose your mind in a linked-in comment about it.

don’t be this guy

The last two things I will leave you all with are, a post of mine from 2019 regarding how “no work is ever wasted”. https://www.sixtysecondrevit.com/2019-01-18-no-work-is-ever-wasted/

and a video overview of the tool that caused the linked-in comment above.

Thanks for reading, and keep having fun!

2 thoughts on “why i make ridiculous tools”

  1. It’s astonishing how even you could receive online bullying. You’re doing a great service to the profession, and I thank you for all the great work you share. If it isn’t fun, why do it?

    1. Thanks so much for your comment and support, Sean! Yes, the comment caught me by surprise when it came through. 😅 Overall, I am going to keep making sure I have fun!

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