# I design calm software for complicated services.

> Mira Halden is an independent product designer who turns complicated services into calm, clear apps. Selected work, writing and contact details.

I'm Mira, an independent product designer. For eleven years I've worked with small teams on the apps people use when they're in a hurry: catching a tram, splitting the rent, remembering to water the fern. I like the unglamorous parts best, like error messages, empty states and the moment someone gets it right the first time.

## Selected work

-   [
    
    Tram tickets in two tapsA regional tram operator's ticket app, rebuilt around the moment the tram is already arriving.](https://portfolio.vagejs.com/work/tram-tickets/)
-   [
    
    A budget for shared homesA budgeting tool for flatmates that turns who-owes-whom into one clear number.](https://portfolio.vagejs.com/work/shared-budget/)
-   [
    
    Reminders plants can live withA plant-care reminder app that waters less in winter, because the plants do too.](https://portfolio.vagejs.com/work/plant-care/)

## Writing

-   [Error messages are the real interface](https://portfolio.vagejs.com/blog/error-messages/)The screens people read most carefully are the ones where something went wrong. Write them first.
-   [Design for the stop, not the desk](https://portfolio.vagejs.com/blog/design-for-the-stop/)Most apps are designed at a desk and used somewhere much worse. A few habits that close the gap.