Kathy Zheng - How to make the jump to staff designer
Jun 26, 2024
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Head of design at Optimism, Kathy Zheng, discusses traits of senior designers at Github, giving ideas a chance to become memes, avoiding conversational spinout, identifying opportunities using systems thinking, and techniques for storytelling. Mentions key figures including Max Schoening and Jack Conte.
Staff and senior designers differ in roles and responsibilities at companies like Github.
Engaging in open and transparent discussions fosters effective communication and problem-solving within design teams.
Transitioning to Web3 requires designers to collaborate beyond internal teams and empower external communities.
Deep dives
Raycast: Simplifying Access to AI
Raycast simplifies access to AI by providing quick keyboard shortcuts, allowing users to add attachments and build powerful presets for streamlined workflows. This tool has become essential for efficient computer usage, serving as a central hub for AI tasks and activities.
Designers' Role in Idea Proposals
Experienced designers play a crucial role in proposing and driving forward new ideas within companies. They excel at taking unstable concepts from mere thoughts to concrete proposals, creating momentum and getting projects prioritized. This proactive approach in idea generation and development is key to the work of staff designers.
Lessons from GitHub's Communication Style
GitHub's communication style, using GitHub to build GitHub, emphasizes open and transparent discussions, enabling historical context retrieval and fostering a collaborative environment. This approach highlights effective communication, respect for diverse ideas, and a focus on problem-solving, which are essential for successful design work.
Evolving Design Leadership and Collaboration in Web3
Transitioning to Web3 presents new challenges for designers, emphasizing collaboration beyond internal teams to empower external communities. Designers are now tasked with open-sourcing knowledge, developing brand assets, and enabling community success, reshaping their roles to cater to a broader ecosystem within Web3 protocols.
Reflecting on Growth and Leadership Development
As Kathy navigates her evolving role in leadership, she prioritizes understanding her leadership style and adapting to the demands of brand-focused design work. She focuses on developing skills in active listening, understanding team dynamics, and becoming adept at influencing and aligning diverse functions to drive impactful design outcomes.
This week’s episode is with Kathy Zheng who is currently the Head of design at a Web3 protocol called Optimism. But before that she was the first designer at Patreon and went on to spend over 6 years at Github.
So the goal of this conversation is to look at how Kathy grew as a designer while at Github and identify the specific milestones on her journey to reaching senior and eventually staff designer.
We get into the weeds about:
How the role of staff and senior designers differ
The traits shared by the best designers at Github
How to give your ideas a chance to become memes
How to avoid conversational spinout on your project
How to identify opportunities using systems thinking
How Kathy is growing as a design leader at Optimism
Specific techniques for storytelling and presenting ideas
