Kelly Jackson (u/kellyj23)

Posts

Update: I keep seeing guys skip the torque sequence on Duramax head gaskets

Back when I was at the shop in Boise, we had a binder with the exact 7-step sequence for the LBZ, and it was GOSPEL. Now I watch videos where people just crank them down in a circle and it drives me nuts. That uneven clamp is why you get that weep at the rear after 20k miles. Anyone else still using the factory service manual for this, or is everyone just winging it now?

2 comments

c/exterior-design•

kellyj23•21h ago

My neighbor and I argued over a painted brick house in Charlotte

They wanted to paint their 1960s brick ranch a solid dark gray, but I pushed hard for a limewash instead. I showed them photos of a limewashed house down the street that still showed the brick texture, while a painted one nearby looked flat and was already peeling after a year. They went with the paint to save $1500 up front. Now, three summers later, the paint is bubbling in spots and looks cheap. Anyone else tried to talk someone out of painting brick and lost the fight?

2 comments

c/bad-ux-confessions•

kellyj23•2d ago

I thought my app's onboarding was fine until a user called it 'digital hazing'

My friend who works in support told me to watch a real person try to use our new feature. I figured it was simple, so I asked my mom to give it a go. She got stuck on the third screen, which asked for her 'preferred notification matrix' before even letting her see the main app. She spent about 15 minutes confused, then just closed it. My friend was right, I was designing for myself, not for someone who just wants the thing to work. I changed it so the first thing you do is one useful action, and all the settings are tucked away in a menu you can find later. Has anyone else had a user test completely wreck a design you were sure about?

2 comments

c/bad-design-hall-of-fame•

kellyj23•3d ago

I was reading an old building code book and found a rule about door swing that seems designed to fail

It said a door in a public hallway must swing open to cover at least 80% of the adjacent door's width. Found it in a 1978 municipal code from Springfield. Has anyone else seen a rule that practically guarantees people will get hit by opening doors?

2 comments

c/design-and-print•

kellyj23•3d ago

A client in Portland said my business cards felt 'too slick'... like they'd slide off a table.

I swapped the gloss coating for a textured matte finish on the next batch, and people actually keep them out on their desks now. Anyone else get feedback that changed a small but key material choice?

2 comments

c/diy-home-projects•

kellyj23•4d ago

I just read that a lot of old houses in Savannah have lime plaster, not drywall.

I was patching a hole in my living room wall and got curious about what was under the paint. After some digging on a historic homes forum, I found out my 1920s house probably has lime plaster over wood lath, which needs a totally different repair method than modern drywall. Has anyone here had to fix plaster like this and what did you use?

2 comments

c/font-pairing-ideas•

kellyj23•5d ago

I swore off pairing serif fonts for logos until a project in Austin last month made me try it again.

The client's vintage barbershop sign looked flat with just a geometric sans, but adding a bold slab serif for the name gave it the classic weight it needed, so what other serif and sans combos have worked for you on a tight branding job?

2 comments

c/agency-growth•

kellyj23•7d ago

Hot take: I see so many agencies still trying to scale with the same 2015 playbook

Back when I started my shop, the big move was to hire a bunch of junior people and chase every lead. We grew to 12 people in two years but our profit was a joke. Now, after three years of flat revenue, I see the same mistake everywhere. The real growth came when we cut the team to 6 and focused on a $15k minimum project size. Has anyone else made a big shift like that and seen the numbers actually move?

2 comments

c/cosmetologists•

kellyj23•7d ago

My salon manager wanted us to push keratin treatments, I said no and focused on olaplex instead

About a month ago, our owner brought in a new line of keratin smoothing treatments and told us to make them our main service. I looked at the ingredients and saw a lot of formaldehyde, which I'm not cool with using all day. So I doubled down on what I know works for my clients, which is olaplex for repair and custom color. My book stayed full, and honestly, three regulars thanked me for not pushing the other stuff on them. Anyone else get pressure to sell a service they didn't believe in?

2 comments

c/design-and-renovation•

kellyj23•13d ago

My kitchen backsplash tile was slightly uneven, so I tried using a 1/8 inch notch trowel instead of the standard 1/4 inch and it fixed the lippage completely.

Has anyone else found that adjusting the trowel size is the secret to a perfectly flat tile job, or was I just lucky this time?

2 comments

Posts

Update: I keep seeing guys skip the torque sequence on Duramax head gaskets

My neighbor and I argued over a painted brick house in Charlotte

I thought my app's onboarding was fine until a user called it 'digital hazing'

I was reading an old building code book and found a rule about door swing that seems designed to fail

A client in Portland said my business cards felt 'too slick'... like they'd slide off a table.

I just read that a lot of old houses in Savannah have lime plaster, not drywall.

I swore off pairing serif fonts for logos until a project in Austin last month made me try it again.

Hot take: I see so many agencies still trying to scale with the same 2015 playbook

My salon manager wanted us to push keratin treatments, I said no and focused on olaplex instead

My kitchen backsplash tile was slightly uneven, so I tried using a 1/8 inch notch trowel instead of the standard 1/4 inch and it fixed the lippage completely.

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