Writing
Essays & field notes
On design, ICT4D, teaching, and the practice of building technology with people rather than for them.
TeachingSeptember 2, 2026What Do You Want in This Box?A few weeks into teaching UI/UX in Phnom Penh, the hardest part has been convincing students that their own observation is the answer. It's also where a culture of human centered design starts, and it matters more now that the other box on their screen is a chat prompt.Field & PracticeJune 10, 2026Is This What You Mean?My son and I built a playable game prototype in thirty minutes with AI. The speed was fun. The feedback loop is what I can't stop thinking about.DesignMay 19, 2026Designing for the device they actually haveNotes from a UX research project in provincial Cambodia. What fourteen Cambodian teachers' phones taught me about designing for the device people actually have.PersonalDecember 31, 20252025 in ReviewAn honest reflection on survival, loss, and why peace feels like the only thing worth aiming for in 2026.Field & PracticeAugust 18, 2025Where Do We Go From Here?After 15 years in tech for good and ICT4D—questioning what we're building, and who we're building it for.Field & PracticeJuly 25, 2025A Decade of Building: Reflecting on Glean's JourneyTen years of pivots, funding shocks, a pandemic, and an acquisition—still betting on Cambodian talent.Field & PracticeFebruary 11, 2025Can eLearning Help Increase Teacher Salaries?A community fund pilot in three Cambodian schools—and what a 48% salary bump meant when USAID funding disappeared.Field & PracticeFebruary 4, 2025Why Stories Matter: Telling the Stories of Aid That People Don't SeeSince the stop-work order I keep coming back to one afternoon on the Tonle Sap, a school full of kids paddling home across the water. I've spent years doing this work and almost no time telling anyone what it actually looks like.Field & PracticeJanuary 27, 2025Balancing Impact and Survival: How the USAID Halt Is Reshaping My Small BusinessA global stop work order, small businesses in limbo, and why aid deserves better than disruption without a plan.