Uses This

A collection of nerdy interviews asking people from all walks of life what they use to get the job done.

A picture of Robyn Kanner

Robyn Kanner

UX designer (Amazon), co-founder (MyTransHealth)

Posted in designer, mac

Who are you, and what do you do?

Hi, I'm Robyn Grace Kanner!

I'm currently a UX designer at Amazon within Community where I primarily focus on system design with a strong focus in mobile. I also co-founded and designed MyTransHealth which is a resource dedicated to helping trans people find access to quality healthcare - you can read about it in The Verge, Business Insider, and Upworthy or watch me give a keynote on it. In addition, I was invited to The White House to be a part of the 2016 #WHLGBTQTECH.

What hardware do you use?

At work it's pretty standard setup. I use a standing desk and to my right is a 15" MacBook Pro that sits on a Rain Design mStand. Directly in front of me is a 27" Cinema Display and a Leuchtturm1917 notebook for me to sketch in. To my left is a whiteboard with a few black markers. Oh, and I just use a regular 'ol Apple mouse and keyboard.

At home I have a 21.5" iMac that sits on this Blu Dot Cant Desk. I typically don't like to use a mouse pad (gets in the way) but sometimes I use this Ugmonk one. Again, regular Apple mouse and keyboard. I back everything up through Google Drive & this WD Passport. I also keep a Fender Telecaster with a Blues Jr. amp near me so that I can do something with my hands when I need to think.

Finally, I have a 12" MacBook that I mostly use to write on or edit simple front end code in the café.

And what software?

I learned how to be a designer through print so I still use Adobe Illustrator, InDesign, and Photoshop on occasion.

As far designing for the web, I typically use Sketch for screens and then export to Flinto for lo-fi prototypes. I also like Adobe XD and am looking forward to that program having a little bit more features. On the rare occasion that I need to animate something I'll use After Effects.

To cap things off, I do all of my writing using Byword. The mobile app syncs files with desktop which is super convenient.

What would be your dream setup?

Honestly, it's basically what I have now. I've been a designer for about 10 years and am fortunate to have been able to build a setup that works for me.

I will say this: I didn't start to use a whiteboard up until about a year and a half ago and that might have been my biggest mistake. They've been critical for me to think through a design --- so, I highly suggest picking up one!