I spent a lot of time creating custom icons. In hindsight, this was not the best use of my efforts - it delayed the completion of a functioning product and introduced inconsistencies into the design. Lucide, and other sources and design systems, already exist with libraries of icons readily available, making it only necessary to create custom icons when what I need doesn't already exist (like the "owl" icon I wanted).

I learned that state management is not only extremely important, but actually quite complicated. Poor state management leads to messy and confusing code and introduces friction to the user experience.

Color choices go far beyond aesthetic beauty! This is sort of obvious, but it is always good to reinforce that fact through experience. ComBoard went through several sets of brand colors before landing on a set that I feel supports the user experience by helping them focus on their selections by looking towards colors rather than individual letters. The Figma Make prototype includes a set of alternate color themes too, allowing the user to create a personalized experience that suits their preferences and address color-blind needs.