About the squiggle
Why there's a squiggle on the site
It's the best picture we know of what sorting out tech actually feels like.
Inspired by Damien Newman's Design Squiggle. About the squiggle
Where it comes from
The Design Squiggle was drawn by designer Damien Newman more than 20 years ago, to explain the design process to his clients. It starts as a messy tangle of research, uncertainty and ideas, then gradually settles into a single clear line: the finished result.
It has since been borrowed far beyond design. Writers, scientists, cooks and programmers all recognise the shape, because most good work starts in a muddle and only becomes clear along the way.
Why we use it
Tech help is the same. We usually start in the tangle: devices, accounts, half-remembered passwords and things that used to work. We dig in together, ask questions and follow the clues. Bit by bit it straightens out, until you're left with something simple that you understand.
If your tech feels like a tangle, that's normal. It isn't a sign you're bad at technology. It's just the start of the squiggle.
Credit
The squiggle on this site is an original animated drawing, inspired by Damien Newman's original. You can see his Design Squiggle, and read about how he uses it, at thedesignsquiggle.com. Jason Kottke has also written about its history in The Process Tee.