In order for 3D printing to become more mainstream, materials, price, and modeling software all need to improve. At Mixee Me, our primary focus is on the software piece.

There are options like Google Sketchup and TinkerCAD. But though they have more usable interfaces than traditional modeling software, they still rely on the same concepts like layers, coordinates, polygon booleaning. They are more usable through simplification.

We don't think that is going to drastically help mainstream adoption of 3D printing. Think about it. Even if there was a simplified version of HTML, a smart, non technical person (like my mom) is not going to code a blog. She will probably just use Tumblr instead.

We need to create software that does not primarily rely on traditional modeling concepts dressed in friendlier interfaces, but software that is as easy to use as picking a template on Tumblr. It is tempting to make software more user friendly through simplification, but we need to do more if we want to revolutionize this space. 

When I first got a job writing software for a hedge fund, I was surprised at some of things we paid for. For example, I always thought a list of holidays was free information that you couldn't build a business around. I was wrong. Because trading occurs in so many different markets around the world with individual schedules, it was worth paying good money to get all that information aggregated together in order to know when trading stop. Given the amounts of money being traded, high levels of accuracy and timeliness was a valuable paid product that could compete with all the free info on Google. The lesson has stayed with me ever since that finding the right customers with the right needs can turn a seemingly worthless product into a valuable opportunity.

One of the things people often say about women in tech is that they apologize and hesitate too much. Some even cite this as a reason for why women in general do not advance ​as far as men in tech. Phrases like "I don't know" and "I'm not sure" and even "I think" are often regarded as indicators that one lacks confidence. 

​However, sometimes that is simply the truth. Sometimes, I simply do not know the answer. Most often, I do think that something is right. And you know what? There is no shame in any of that. 

Rather than telling people that they need to sound more confident by proclaiming rather than appear unsure, we need to encourage people to be proud of being unsure. If you do not know something, be proud about it. There is a difference between apologizing for not knowing and being proud about not knowing. ​The latter is real confidence. 

UserVoice did something amazing in their sign up process, and it is so simple to implement. They asked why I'm signing up.​

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​One thing that annoys me is when you sign up to test something out. Days later you get bombarded with emails asking you how your project or campaign or what have you is doing. I just wanted to see what the features are like!

​Having something at sign up at asks a user's motivation not only takes care of that pet peeve (hopefully this means the follow up emails will be more helpful to my goal), but it also shows that they care about why I'm interested, and not just trying to get another user (we hope).

Last, it helps create a customized experience for users. Coming from the 3D printing industry, I am all about customizations. Recently, I've seen more and more customized UX experience on the web side as well. Different content show up for whether you are beginner or advanced, logged out vs new user.. and my favorite, I got a weather specific email based on my location (it's rainy today, why don't you order your dinner from...). Creepy? Maybe for some. For me, it put a smile on my face and made me feel just a little bit more special. When your users are using "feel special" you know you are on to something.

​One of the things that always annoyed me is tipping. I've accepted that it is the cultural norm to tip, but often question how much is acceptable. Today, I'm using Let's Order Now to order food for a picnic I'm attending. When we got to the tip screen, I got this fun guide to tipping.

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​I like that it tells you exactly how much is the "norm" and how much is going above or below. 

​I also like that it attributes little cartoon personalities to each choice. This forms a fun connection between you and your tip. 

This is a great way of solving a seemingly small problem in a fun and meaningful way. ​

MixeeLabs is a technology products company. We brainstorm, research, and create products that are creative, products that are useful, and products that just make us smile. 

​We are a Fortune 5 Billion company operating out of the East Village. Our team consists of Nancy Liang (product & business), Aaron Barnet (technologist), and Ajax (furry). 

​We will use this space to talk about our new projects, as well as musings we have about life and the tech industry. Because everybody has musings. And sharing is the new black.