One thing about me is that I'm glad you're here.

My name is spelled Alisa, but pronounced like Alyssa.

I am especially interested in systems design and the gnarly problems that come with it: I’m deeply moved by things like how problems can morph quickly just by changing your frame of reference (like 4D shapes), or how one small change in one area can cause a landslide of a change in another (like the butterfly effect). My brain always searches for the systems, and I probably say the word “context” at least five times a day.

The role of metaphor in digital experiences also occupies my brainspace often. Design is a practice in building consistent and coherent metaphors, many of which precede any design decision we make today. The pixels we draw are abstractions for code so that anyone can interact with it, regardless of technical knowledge. I just think [that’s] neat! 🥔

Before design, I studied mathematics and philosophy at the University of Washington. My academic background helped me get comfortable with experimenting wildly within rigid constraints to solve problems that seem simple on the surface, but get more complex the more you dig in. My love for this kind of work has only grown with my design practice.

You can email me if you want. We can talk design, but we can also talk storytelling, linguistics, internet culture, context (obviously), photography, cycling, climbing, existence, or writing.

– Alisa
(Context Rules Everything Around Me)

Lately, I…