Introduce yourself and your work.#
My name is Zhou Liang, a mischievous child born in 1995. I didn't attend university and my education level is quite low; I enjoy tinkering and am an extreme application enthusiast. Currently, I work as a UI designer at an unknown startup, while also improving my product perspective and transitioning into a product manager role. I like to write things down casually and occasionally vent my frustrations.
What hardware do you use?#
iPhone 6 (128G Space Gray): If design is my interest, then the iPhone is the fundamental reason I love UI design. I chose 128G because my previous iPhone 5 couldn't hold enough apps. As for Space Gray, I find it more acceptable in appearance compared to the other two models.
13'' MacBook Pro: The 2012 model, still with an optical drive. Due to financial reasons, I haven't replaced it, and most of my work has been produced on this machine. It's still sufficient for me, but it can be quite slow when running some large software, and sometimes it becomes unusable. However, I've started working now and hope to save enough for a new Mac.
Apple Magic Mouse: Allows for quick switching between different desktops without needing to lift my hand, and it's very convenient when scrolling through canvases (PS/Sketch).
Kindle Paperwhite: Many nights in school were spent with it by my side.
Ziiiro Celeste: Simply put, it's a watch. The purpose of wearing a watch is twofold: to know the time and to remind myself to manage my time well.
What software do you use?#
Common software on OS X:
Sketch: A commonly used design software; the best decision I made in mid-2014 was to use Sketch 3 for design, and I rarely open Photoshop now. I install various plugins with Sketch Toolbox to use it better.
Pixate + Framer Studio: There are too many software options for motion and prototype design. After trying many solutions, I use Pixate for simpler animations and Framer Studio for relatively complex effects or those that require code for developers' reference.
InVision: Another interactive prototype tool I frequently use. When paired with InVision Sync, I can sync my Sketch designs to InVision, which is very convenient.
IconJar: An icon material management tool that helps quickly find the icons I need. It supports SVG, PNG, and GIF formats.
RightFont: A very useful font management tool that integrates with Photoshop and Sketch.
Ember / Inboard: Image material management tools. I frequently use Ember for iOS to store various app screenshots, synced via Dropbox. The latter is something I've started using in the past six months, mainly for syncing liked works from Dribbble and saving collected design screenshots.
Paste: A clipboard management app that records all copied content (images, text, files, etc.) and allows for quick retrieval with one click. Since using it, my efficiency in organizing materials and creating design drafts has significantly improved.
Moom: Window layout software that I always find useful.
MinNode / XMind: Mind mapping tools; I prefer the former and use it frequently on iOS.
Ulysses: I often use it to write on Mac; the text you see here was all written using it.
xScope: A measurement tool that I frequently use.
Alfred: For quickly opening applications, I also use many custom features.
Alternote: A lightweight Evernote app that supports Markdown.
Dropbox: A stable cloud sync service where all my design drafts are stored.
Droplr: For quickly sharing files and generating short links.
Wunderlist: A GTD app. I used to use OmniFocus for a long time, but it was too heavy and not suitable for me. I ultimately chose this one. The only downside is that it lacks a list archiving feature; once deleted, items cannot be found again.
1Password: All my passwords are stored here.
Pinbox: A lightweight Pinboard client developed by a Chinese developer.
PopClip: A text selection app with a rich library of extension plugins.
TextExpander: A tool for quick input.
Pushbullet: A bidirectional file transfer tool.
Common software on iOS:
Calendars 5: The most commonly used calendar app, providing a monthly view on the iPhone to intuitively see the distribution of events for the month.
Tweetbot: The best third-party Twitter client.
Moke: The best third-party Weibo client, using the "Share to Evernote" feature for later reading and saving Weibo content.
Drafts: Write down text first, then consider where to put it; most of my text output on iOS relies on it.
Castro: For listening to podcasts; I like its interaction.
Reeder / Unread: Two commonly used RSS reading apps; I mainly use Unread now, which has very comfortable formatting. Reeder does relatively well in folder categorization.
Mailbox: An email app that operates purely on gestures. Inbox is also a frequently used email client, but its categorization feature can sometimes be unreliable, and push notifications are almost unusable (I haven't found a suitable email client for Mac, so I've been using the Gmail web version).
Sketch Mirror: To preview Sketch designs on my phone.
NetEase Money: Previously used DailyCost and MoneyWiz 2; the former focuses on cash flow accounting, while the latter manages various funds, but both were too cumbersome. I ultimately chose NetEase Money, which is a combination of both and also has a high aesthetic appeal.
Screeny / Purrge: The former quickly deletes screenshots on iOS; the latter allows for quick multi-selection of images to delete.
Day One: The best diary app; I have a habit of writing my diary on my phone.
Pinswift: Personally, I think it's the best Pinboard iOS client.
iA Writer Pro: A commonly used Markdown editing app on iPhone; I write long-form content with it.
Ge Zhi Diary: Morning diary/question diary. I use it to record things when I wake up and before going to bed; over time, I can feel a noticeable change in myself.
Curiosity Daily: Without discussing the content, just using this app makes me feel comfortable.
Ding Xiang Doctor / Medication Assistant: I often have minor health issues in life, and this cannot be taken lightly.
WALKUP: So far, I've seen the most aesthetically pleasing and fun step-counting app.
Jike: A minimalist information push tool based on interests.
Surge: A web development and proxy tool for iOS. It can be used with Shadowsocks for bypassing restrictions.
Additionally, I commonly use Xiami Music, NetEase Cloud Music, Memoir, Simplenote, Spectrum, etc. I previously wrote an article recommending apps for improving efficiency on iOS, most of which I still use. If you're interested, you can click "here" to read it.
How do you usually gain inspiration for your work?#
Chatting with people: Besides exercising my communication skills, I can also gather a lot of information and organize my knowledge system.
Podcasts: I often listen to Bit New Voice, IT Public Opinion, Kernel Panic, Pop Dispatch, Bear Talks, etc.
NEXT: Discovering new products, my favorite section is "Product Collection". The recently launched "Maker" is also great, and NEXT excels in some experiences and details.
Mindstore.io: I like their "MindTalk" section, where I can see others' insights on a particular product.
Viewing: I often browse and collect various works on Dribbble / Pinterest / Behance. The things I look at are very diverse, and improving aesthetics requires accumulation over time.
Reading: Medium, Jianshu, RSS subscriptions, horror and suspense novels, and various miscellaneous books and periodicals.
Writing: The main purpose is to calm myself down.
Playing with various apps: Looking at what applications my friends have on their phones. Searching for various excellent applications; everyone's definition of excellence is different. In my eyes, "beautiful design" or "meeting practical application scenarios" is excellent. Liqi is also a good way to discover such content. The app I'm currently using, Mist World, was discovered through Liqi, as well as the main screen (a WeChat public account). Here is an article I wrote sharing my ways of discovering excellent iOS applications (written a year ago; if you have better suggestions, feel free to let me know).
Your ideal work environment.#
A space that doesn't create a sense of oppression, with a large wooden table, fresh air, a chair with back support, and fast internet speed. If there's a wall behind my monitor, that would be even better (of course, that's a little joke).
Recommend a useful tool from your life to everyone.#
Morning diary / bedtime diary: Keeping a diary is a process of self-examination. Morning diaries and question diaries are very suitable for reflection and planning. After consistently using them for a period, I can clearly feel my changes.
This article is part of the "Liqi Community Program." Discover more creators and their tools: http://liqi.io/community/