https://gabrielharlan.is-a.dev/notes/ Short writing on the thinking behind my projects — design calls, trade-offs, and lessons from shipping. en-us https://gabrielharlan.is-a.dev/notes/working-without-a-net/ https://gabrielharlan.is-a.dev/notes/working-without-a-net/ Wed, 05 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMT Ten weeks took me from group class projects to shipping a service strangers can text and handing leadership a design a team will build from — both on my own. It rewired what I think “finished” means. Internship Reflection https://gabrielharlan.is-a.dev/notes/designing-for-a-job-ive-never-had/ https://gabrielharlan.is-a.dev/notes/designing-for-a-job-ive-never-had/ Wed, 22 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT I’ve never studied sales or worked a sales floor — then I designed a console for the reps who do. UX Product Internship https://gabrielharlan.is-a.dev/notes/the-knob-that-wouldnt-turn/ https://gabrielharlan.is-a.dev/notes/the-knob-that-wouldnt-turn/ Sat, 11 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT A rotary knob on my keyboard should have been an afternoon. Instead it took four years, three builds, and a whole stack of wrong assumptions before it finally turned. Hardware Debugging https://gabrielharlan.is-a.dev/notes/fuzzing-cave-locations/ https://gabrielharlan.is-a.dev/notes/fuzzing-cave-locations/ Tue, 07 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT Designing privacy into a map when the honest answer is “I can’t show you that.” UX Privacy https://gabrielharlan.is-a.dev/notes/plumbing-is-the-product/ https://gabrielharlan.is-a.dev/notes/plumbing-is-the-product/ Tue, 30 Jun 2026 12:00:00 GMT What building an SMS gateway for an AI tire agent taught me about where the real work lives. Engineering AI Internship https://gabrielharlan.is-a.dev/notes/leading-it-support-ux/ https://gabrielharlan.is-a.dev/notes/leading-it-support-ux/ Thu, 25 Jun 2026 12:00:00 GMT Two years of watching people hit walls in real time is the best usability lab I’ve had. UX Leadership