Alex Rainert

I used to LOVE blogging. I blogged regularly from 2000 to 2010 across a few different sites - for awhile about internet and pop culture, then about design and tech called and eventually moved over to Medium (those posts have been imported here) I never did it to build a giant audience or to make any money. It was just super fun to write about random stuff with my friends and share it with what was likely an audience of each other, maybe our moms and a few other bloggers. It didn't matter. I lov

I'm working on making this little site my new home on the internet. It's been awhile since I felt compelled to put in the effort to build - and maintain - a presence on the web again. Over the past 15+ years I've poured a lot (too much) of my energy, time and attention into Twitter as my de facto home on the web and over the course of 2022 became increasingly disenchanted with that path so here we are. Back in the early aughts I used to regularly blog (go Waaayyyy Back: monoki.

(originally posted on Medium) The past year working at Nucleus has been an amazing experience for me. I joined the team in March of last year with the goal of having our product on store shelves the first week in August. After having worked at a hardware startup that sadly never made it to market, I was intimately aware of all the challenges that hardware companies face and I was determined to make sure we not only shipped but that the product experience was as simple and delightful as it could

(originally posted on Medium) If Oprah can have a list of her favorite things, why can’t we all? Over the holidays, as I was drinking wine and lamenting the dumpster fire of a year 2016 was, I thought it would be good to try and think about the products and experiences that stood out to me for being uniquely delightful in hopes that they may bring some happiness or inspiration to others as we head into 2017. Hopefully something in here brings you joy, inspires you to create something new and

(originally posted on Medium) I hadn’t logged onto Facebook since December 2014. Back then, I decided the effort — and data, oh that sweet sweet data — I was putting into the service wasn’t coming close to being matched by the value I was getting out of it. This was in stark contrast to the two products I used the most — Twitter and Instagram — where that balance was much more rewarding. Facebook also became a place where being yourself, and sharing/standing by what you believe in, would oft

(originally posted on Medium) After 9 great months working with many startups, I’m joining one. Over the past nine months I’ve been working as an independent product consultant, collaborating with companies in a variety of capacities — product design, product & company strategy, process & org design and a little bit of coaching along the way. Since June I’ve gotten to work closely with 10 companies and I’ve met with over 60. As I suspected, the variety that consulting offers has provided a gr

(originally posted on Medium) As 2015 came to an end, I realized I’ve been working as a consultant since June and I thought it would be useful for me (and hopefully others) to reflect on how it’s gone, what I’ve learned, what I’ve changed, now that I have a decent amount of time and data to look back on. Time is money. Plan accordingly. Time is everyone’s most valuable resource and while most people could benefit greatly from a more rigorous approach to time management, for the independent co

(originally posted on Medium) Back in May, after a little over a year, the company I’d been working with, Sum, closed its doors. The vision — to take wearables beyond data for data’s sake and empower people with the insight necessary to make meaningful improvements to their long term health — was a big swing in a space I cared deeply about. The opportunity to approach it as a designer was something I couldn’t pass up. As with all big swings, I knew there was a high chance of failure but pulli