Avatar picture of Robert Hoekstra

Software I use, hardware I love, and other things I recommend.

The stuff I work with every day. I’m always trying new things but these are the ones that have stuck around. Disclaimer: I don't work for Apple, I just really like their stuff.

Workstation

  • 16” MacBook Pro, M1, 32GB RAM (2021)

    I’ve been using MacBooks since the first 16" MacBook Pro and this is the best one yet. The M1 chip is a game changer.

  • Apple Magic Keyboard

    I don't like the clickity clackity of mechanical keyboards and I do love a simplistic design. This keyboard is the best of both worlds.

  • Logitech MX Master 3 for Mac

    I’ve tried a lot of mice and this one is the best. I love the horizontal scroll wheel for switching between tabs. And the extra buttons are a game changer when it comes to working in Visual Studio Code.

  • Audio Technica ATH-M50x

    I’ve had these headphones for years and they’re still going strong. I love the sound quality and they’re super comfortable. Great to stay concentrated while working.

Development tools

  • Visual Studio Code

    This is my go-to editor for all things code. I love the simplicity of it and the fact that it’s so easy to customize. I’ve tried a lot of editors over the years and this one is the best.

  • Azure DevOps

    I have a lot of experience working in Agile teams and Azure DevOps is the best tool I’ve found for managing projects. It’s super flexible and has a lot of great features for managing sprints, backlogs, pipelines and releases.

  • GitHub

    I’ve been using GitHub since the early days and it’s still the best place to share code and collaborate with other developers. Easy to work with and great for open source projects.

  • Affinity & Adobe

    I use Affinity Designer and Photo for all my design work. I’ve also used Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop in the past and they’re great tools as well. Still trying to get the hang of Affinity because I am really used to Adobe.

  • Slack

    The go to communication tool for me and my team. We use it for everything from quick questions to sharing memes.

Design

  • Figma

    Figma is great for designing interfaces and collaborating with other designers. I love the fact that it’s browser based and that it’s so easy to share designs with other people. I worked a lot with designs made in Figma by other UX-designers. It's a great tool.

  • Sketch

    Sometimes a design just isn’t enough. I use Sketch to create high fidelity clickable prototypes that look and feel like the real thing.