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tomek_zemla | 2 months ago | on: Ask HN: Is building a calm, non-gamified learning app a mistake?

I am building a calm, serious English vocabulary learning application for mostly adult, motivated individuals. The opposite experience to Duolingo. No dancing mascots or childish sound effects. I am betting on attracting young professionals, academics, white-collar types that like books, language and the experience of a white page with classic, black typography.

Strangely, through iterative prototyping, the app evolved into something that my testers (and teachers) are calling... a game. I see it as a good thing, and I am adapting this language. The free version is about 'play,' and the paid version is about 'study'.

Reach out if you would like to chat!

tomek_zemla | 7 months ago | on: Ask HN: Who wants to be hired? (August 2025)

Data Interfaces Designer

Location: Montreal, Canada

Remote: Yes

Willing to relocate: No

Technologies: JavaScript, TypeScript, HTML, CSS, Three.js, D3, Canvas API, Node.js, MongoDB, OpenAI API, Anthropic API, Claude Code

Keywords: UX, UI, Information Design, Data Visualization, Interface & Product Design

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pixelbox

Email: [email protected]

I am a former software developer who, over the years, transitioned to product design roles. I specialize in data visualizations and design of interfaces to complex data and computation systems.

I worked on a variety of software projects using big data, ML / AI / LLM, computer graphics and sophisticated algorithms. I am a generalist designer who gets along with technical and multidisciplinary teams and fits well in R&D laboratories and startup environments. In recent years, I have worked on a number of cybersecurity products.

I make data and computation visible.

https://www.pixelbox.com/about/PortfolioTZ.pdf

https://www.pixelbox.com/about/ResumeTZ.pdf

https://www.pixelbox.com

tomek_zemla | 9 months ago | on: Show HN: I made a word puzzles app for improving your English vocabulary

English is my second language so I do not create the content for the puzzles. The data comes from different publicly available sources. A quick search on Google for 'Thesaurus implode' gave me this: The thesaurus for "implode" offers several synonyms, including collapse, crumble, buckle, cave in, shatter, and fail. These words describe the act of something falling inwards or breaking apart due to pressure.

tomek_zemla | 9 months ago | on: Show HN: I made a word puzzles app for improving your English vocabulary

I am not 'rejecting' the alternative design. I am choosing one design path over another. I have a specific vision of how I want this application to work. It is designed to 'push' users to discover new vocabulary. It's not exactly a game, although it feels a bit like that. It's a new take on an ESL vocabulary practice workbook.

Most words in English have synonyms. Some have long lists of them. The puzzles are designed to make you discover (or just recall) specific words. Accepting a semantically correct alternative defies the purpose! It also makes it easier, and the learning happens when it is hard.

If the question is about finding synonym to pretty and you provide beautiful, it's great. But the puzzles are designed so you discover splendind and stunning and ravishing and glamorous and lovely and... etc.

tomek_zemla | 9 months ago | on: Show HN: I made a word puzzles app for improving your English vocabulary

The puzzle is about finding a specific (one) word for each game/question. In your case abundant was the answer. The cursor indicates correct/incorrect word before it is submitted preventing you from giving a good answer - bountiful - which is NOT the solution to this specific puzzle. It's designed to push the students to find alternatives, i.e. yet another word that can be a solution until they find the correct one. In other words it does not accept multiple solutions by design.

tomek_zemla | 3 years ago | on: Don't ignore the janitor

There is a famous photograph from the White House of Obama stopping to fist bump a janitor with a mop. It would be a great illustration for this blog post.
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