Sign in

Jesse Gardner

@plas.tc
711 followers 464 following 164 posts

🗽 Design systems and a11y for New York State 🍎 Aspiring orchardist and candlemaker

PostsRepliesMedia
Jesse Gardner @plas.tc · 13/09/2026
The problem with any digital media consumption machine is that it preys on our capacity for enthusiasm. Enthusiasm is a discipline, a habit of attention, curiosity, and investment that must be formed. The simulacrum we settle for has put us almost entirely out of practice at finding the real thing.
010
Reposted by Jesse Gardner
Burton Smith @stuffbreaker.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
New York has a design system. designsystem.ny.gov
designsystem.ny.gov
The New York State Design System
The New York State Design System makes it easier to build accessible, mobile-friendly applications and websites for New York State.
291
Reposted by Jesse Gardner
Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani @mayor.nyc.gov · 13/07/2026
Every confusing city website and dead-end government portal makes New Yorkers trust their leaders less and less. It's time for City government to enter the 21st century.
412326273
Jesse Gardner @plas.tc · 06/05/2026
I'm speaking at the 2026 Code for America Summit on May 7-8! I’ll talk about building out the NYS Design System over the last year. I'm especially excited to talk about how a well-built design system is infrastructure for AI. If you'll be in Chicago, say hi! 👋 #CfASummit #designsystems #civictech
This is a picture of Jesse Gardner, a white male with glasses, with the NYC skyline in the background. The subtitle says design systems & accessibility at New York State ITS.
130
Jesse Gardner @plas.tc · 29/05/2025
IRS Direct File accomplished levels of satisfaction higher than Apple or Netflix… without firing tens of thousands of users. #cfasummit
A photo of an auditorium with a slide that says 96% customer satisfaction and 86% increased trust in the IRSA photo of an auditorium, with a slide that has a picture of the DOGE dog
1110
Jesse Gardner @plas.tc · 27/05/2025
Will you be at @codeforamerica.org Summit 2025? Let's meet up! I'll be in D.C. May 28-30 and looking forward to networking with others in #civictech. Excited to talk about the #accessibility and #designsystem work our team is doing at New York State!
010
Jesse Gardner @plas.tc · 15/05/2025
Nearly 1 in 4 New Yorkers live with a disability. Visible or invisible, lifelong or temporary — it’s something that will eventually affect everyone. Excited to be part of building a Central Accessibility Team at New York State. Happy Global Accessibility Awareness Day! #gaad #accessibility #a11y
Celebrating Global Accessibility Awareness Day - New York State Office of Information Technology Services
030
Jesse Gardner @plas.tc · 10/05/2025
God grant me the serenity To grieve what I cannot ignore, The courage to fight off ICE agents When the come for my neighbors, And the wisdom to know that Silence is complicity.
A dramatic sunrise with a church on the hillside shrouded in fog.
041
Reposted by Jesse Gardner
Doug Bartow @dougbartow.com · 17/04/2025
It's getting real! Learn a bit about the NYS Design System project with Director of User Research Jesse Gardner @plas.tc and DS Team Lead Eric Steinborn. www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBfF...
youtube.com
IT'S a Tech Podcast, Episode 3: Human-Centered Design
YouTube video by NYS ITS
031
Jesse Gardner @plas.tc · 06/03/2025
Lucky enough to spend time exploring NYC with this girl. Enjoying every moment! 💕
Sunset on a rooftop in the Bowery Sunset over lower manhattan Katz’s deliPortrait in a rainy Times Square
080
Reposted by Jesse Gardner
Alt18F @alt18f.bsky.social · 01/03/2025
18F was doing exactly the type of work that DOGE claims to want – yet we were eliminated shortly after midnight. Read our letter to the American people: 18f.org
18f.org
We're not done yet | 18F
697187416805
Jesse Gardner @plas.tc · 21/02/2025
When your wife and kids sneak into your ChatGPT account.
Today:
- Candle Making Hourly Rate
Yesterday:
- Figma Plugin Risk Review
- Dancing Chicken Request
- Pickle Factory Creation
- Epic Space Battle Request
030
Reposted by Jesse Gardner
Data Rescue Project #DataRescue @datarescueproject.org · 12/02/2025
Our group has been hard at work to release a new tool: The Data Rescue Tracker. The tool aims to provide a consolidated overview of who is downloading which dataset from which government websites. Please share! www.datarescueproject.org/data-rescue-...
datarescueproject.org
The Data Rescue Tracker
We are excited to introduce the Data Rescue Tracker, a collaborative tool built to catalog existing public data rescue efforts so that we can coordinate better across initiatives. At this stage, you c...
10295230
Jesse Gardner @plas.tc · 11/02/2025
The Constitution is not a self-correcting document. It’s a legal framework with checks and balances that only works if enough people collectively demand it to.
A family standing in front of the US Capitol building
030
Jesse Gardner @plas.tc · 15/01/2025
File analysis tool to detect non-inclusive language in your source code.
docs.getwoke.tech
Woke - Detect non-inclusive language in your source code
Detect non-inclusive language in your source code.
040
Jesse Gardner @plas.tc · 06/01/2025
here lies Jesse Gardner who vowed never to shilly-shally but could not resist a good dilly-dally
030
Reposted by Jesse Gardner
Anil Dash @anildash.com · 04/01/2025
Here's a quick piece I wrote up on how to understand DOGE as a very blatant attempt at procurement capture, a simple way of making government spending corrupt to benefit the tycoons. Please do pass it along & share any feedback! www.anildash.com/2025/01/04/D... (Thx for the nudge to write it!)
anildash.com
Understanding DOGE as Procurement Capture - Anil Dash
A blog about making culture. Since 1999.
341355519
Jesse Gardner @plas.tc · 24/12/2024
First day on the slopes. Merry Christmas Eve! 🎄
Two people wearing helmets, ski masks, and goggles standing in front of a ski slope
070
Jesse Gardner @plas.tc · 18/12/2024
Having just gone through a big token naming effort, I can tell you it can be challenging. I’ve had a small peek into their recommendations, and can tell you it’s chock-full of good practical ideas.
071
Jesse Gardner @plas.tc · 07/12/2024
Spent the day proctoring exams for a Science Olympiad competition.
A classroom of kids taking an exam
050
Reposted by Jesse Gardner
Erem @eremkaragoz.bsky.social · 04/12/2024
Imagine if @figma.com had a wrapped
2172
Jesse Gardner @plas.tc · 04/12/2024
Good morning, friends!
The Empire State plaza against a dramatic dark sky.
040
Jesse Gardner @plas.tc · 03/12/2024
It amazes me how much of a drug mindless entertainment can be. I don’t need to face difficult things, I can just lose myself to the endless stream of sensible chuckles until sleep takes me.
020
Jesse Gardner @plas.tc · 30/11/2024
Trying to remind myself of Epicurus’ words: “The wise person’s misfortune is better than the fool’s prosperity.”
040
Jesse Gardner @plas.tc · 25/11/2024
Our team is building out a design system for NYS, and one of the hardest tasks has been developing a library of design tokens that are semantically rich, understandable, themeable, and useful across platforms. Naming really is one of the two hardest things in computer science.
350
Jesse Gardner @plas.tc · 25/11/2024
I know people who voted for Trump who told me that can’t imagine him shutting down the DoE. “He doesn’t have the power to do that, does he?” This bill was introduced last Thursday: www.rounds.senate.gov/imo/media/do...
rounds.senate.gov
220
Reposted by Jesse Gardner
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez @aoc.bsky.social · 23/11/2024
One thing I find interesting about the echo chamber complaint is that an echo chamber just won a presidential election. Put aside the convo of whether it’s “good” or “bad” for a moment. The far right has devoted enormous resources + time to building echo chambers & loathes spaces they don’t control
15796107610100
Jesse Gardner @plas.tc · 21/11/2024
If I were a talented musician, I’d write a song about the brevity of life, and record a verse in each phase of my my life, and have it played at my funeral.
000
Jesse Gardner @plas.tc · 21/11/2024
“The company is a future adversary” is a fantastic insight for anyone building a platform. How will you protect users from bad incentives that will crop up over time?
020
Reposted by Jesse Gardner
Ashlee 🤟🏻 @ashleemboyer.com · 20/11/2024
Never forget alt text again: 1. Settings 2. Accessibility 3. Require alt text before posting
16342147
Jesse Gardner @plas.tc · 20/11/2024
“What if I’m wrong?” It’s one of the hardest questions to ask yourself, especially since the answer takes the hard work of expanding your perspective. But every meaningful change in my life started with me asking that and being open to the answer. Growth can’t happen without discomfort.
080
Jesse Gardner @plas.tc · 19/11/2024
What gif pops up when you type in your name?
media.tenor.com
a man wearing a beanie says " yeah science "
Alt: Jesse Pinkman wearing a beanie says " yeah science "
020
Jesse Gardner @plas.tc · 18/11/2024
My good word for the week comes from Jennifer Hecht: “We do not have much time to observe the universe before we die.”
010
Jesse Gardner @plas.tc · 17/11/2024
TIL that low-frequency tinnitus is a thing. And here I thought it was a far away trains passing by.
000
Jesse Gardner @plas.tc · 17/11/2024
Age yourself with your first computer.
250
Reposted by Jesse Gardner
zeldman @zeldman.bsky.social · 15/11/2024
They had me at #rebeccapurple.
88814
Jesse Gardner @plas.tc · 14/11/2024
A coin flip at the start of your life: Heads: You are a supremely honest and fair person your entire life, yet everyone around you considers you a scoundrel. Tails: You cheat and lie when it suits your needs, yet everyone around you thinks you’re a paragon of virtue. Which would you choose?
210
Reposted by Jesse Gardner
Hank Green @hankgreen.bsky.social · 13/11/2024
The thing that really differentiates Bluesky is that it doesn’t feel like it was designed by a bunch of people who will lose their jobs if I spend a little less time on Bluesky.
200297811666
Jesse Gardner @plas.tc · 13/11/2024
🎵 "It's not a heavy load to open up your code and write the WCAG." 👇🏻 This a11y song is a banger: www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IWB...
youtube.com
Web Accessibility WCAG Theme Song
YouTube video by David MacDonald
000
Jesse Gardner @plas.tc · 13/11/2024
We’re building out the component library for NYS’s new design system using Lit and web components. AMA
10242
Jesse Gardner @plas.tc · 11/11/2024
Hi BlueSky! I’m building a design system and accessibility team for New York State. Give me a follow if you want to talk more about creating usable interfaces at scale in the government space. 👋🏻
3325
Jesse Gardner @plas.tc · 10/11/2024
Carbon therapy.
a pile of split lumber with a splitting mall leaning against a large piece of wood
000
Jesse Gardner @plas.tc · 10/11/2024
“Based on what you know about me, draw a picture of what my current life looks like.” Not bad… though I’d never be able to grow a beard like that.
An ai-generated picture of a middle aged white mana man sitting in an office with lots of white space, natural wood, guitars, books on psychology, design, and ai, with nature scenes out of large windows.
100
Reposted by Jesse Gardner
Dr. Lucky Tran @luckytran.com · 09/11/2024
Today would have been Carl Sagan's 90th birthday. He wrote this in 1995. Carl was absolutely right. #CarlSaganDay
I have a foreboding of an America in my children's or grandchildren's time - when the United States is a service and information economy; when nearly all the key manufacturing industries have slipped away to other countries; when awesome technological powers are in the hands of a very few, and no one representing the public interest can even grasp the issues; when the people have lost the ability to set their own agendas or knowledgeably question those in authority; when, clutching our crystals and nervously consulting our horoscopes, our critical faculties in decline, unable to distinguish between what feels good and what's true, we slide, almost without noticing, back into superstition and darkness. The dumbing down of America is most evident in the slow decay of substantive content in the enormously influential media, the 30-second sound bites (now down to 10 seconds or less), lowest common denominator programming, credulous presentations on pseudoscience and superstition, but especially a kind of celebration of ignorance.
247123533140
Reposted by Jesse Gardner
Kat Tenbarge @kattenbarge.bsky.social · 10/11/2024
“It’s not the right wing media it’s the economy” “It’s not the economy it’s the right wing media” Hey guess what it’s both of those things and also a massive constellation of other things including individual circumstances for each person
834844
Jesse Gardner @plas.tc · 08/11/2024
onward
020
Jesse Gardner @plas.tc · 12/05/2023
the ticking time bomb of whoops i took nyquil but forgot I have an important email I need to write tonight
010
Jesse Gardner @plas.tc · 11/05/2023
I'm starting a new job with New York State! 🎉
plasticmind.com
030
Reposted by Jesse Gardner
A.R. Moxon @juliusgoat.bsky.social · 10/05/2023
Bigots see debate as an instrument. They aren't debating, as such. They are *utilizing* debate. This is why their points can be contradictory, even nonsensical. They don't need to "win" a debate—an unwinnable thing anyway. They're playing a different game, one they won the second it started.
27819