A few weeks ago, I wrote about how I used Claude Code to convert a deprecated Nest thermostat into a photo gallery. That post finished with a happily-ever-after ending and a video demo of the working device installed on a wall. It would have been nice to call it done and just enjoy seeing family memories on the circular screen every time I walked in the door, but I wanted to enable others to create their own mini photo frame.
Converting a Deprecated Nest Thermostat into a Photo Gallery
Before we dive in, I should let you know that I’m a designer. I have no business hacking firmware to make devices perform jobs they were never intended for, but I do love tinkering with physical hardware. A few years ago, I wrote about building an Arduino LED strip game and followed that post up with another about a Simon clone built with arcade buttons and a 3D printed case. I’ve also taken on some Raspberry Pi projects, a few simpler Arduino builds, and some home automation. All of those were based on existing code and project plans—no compiled binaries or firmware modifications. So, yes, I was way outside my skill set and comfort zone on this project, but that’s how we learn new things, right?
TeamDesign.Team Social Posts
I knew as soon as I registered the teamdesign.team domain and started building the site that I wanted to automatically share new posts across several…
The Rise of the UX Developer
The engineers call us designers. The UI designers call us developers. The research team calls us when they uncover changes to make in the application. When I started at MailChimp 4½ years ago, my job title was User Experience Designer.
Creativity in Front-End Development
This is a repost of my article in Issue 21 of the MailChimp UX Newsletter. Our team publishes a new issue every couple weeks so if…