Lenny's Podcast: Product | Growth | Career

Building beautiful products with Stripe’s Head of Design | Katie Dill (Stripe, Airbnb, Lyft)

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Oct 15, 2023

Katie Dill, Head of Design at Stripe and former design leader at Airbnb and Lyft, shares her insights on creating beautiful and functional products. She discusses the importance of collaboration between design and engineering to enhance user experience. Katie highlights a pivotal leadership lesson learned at Airbnb, emphasizing trust and open feedback. She also shares strategies for building effective design teams and nurturing innovation, while stressing the need for quality in driving business growth.

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ANECDOTE

Intervention at Airbnb

Katie Dill shares a story from her early days at Airbnb where the design team staged an intervention.
She hadn't earned their trust by coming in "swinging" instead of listening, a key leadership lesson.

INSIGHT

Two T-Shirts

Co-locating design, engineering, and product fosters shared goals and rapid feedback.
Designers should also maintain a separate space for community building and creative exploration.

INSIGHT

Quality as Long-Term Investment

Many prioritize features over quality, enticed by measurable ROI.
However, prioritizing quality, like regular exercise, yields long-term gains, even without immediate, quantifiable results.

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How to Win Friends and Influence People

Dale Carnegie

First published in 1936, 'How to Win Friends and Influence People' by Dale Carnegie is a timeless guide to improving interpersonal skills. The book is divided into four main sections: Six Ways to Make People Like You, Twelve Ways to Win People to Your Way of Thinking, and Nine Ways to Change People Without Giving Offense or Arousing Resentment. Carnegie's principles emphasize the importance of genuine interest in others, active listening, and avoiding criticism and argument. The book offers practical advice on how to build strong relationships, communicate effectively, and influence others by aligning their self-interest with yours. It has been a cornerstone of personal development and business success for generations[2][3][5].

Poor Charlie's Almanack

The Essential Wit and Wisdom of Charles T. Munger

Charles T. Munger

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Originally published in 2005, Poor Charlie's Almanack is a collection of eleven talks delivered by Charles T. Munger between 1986 and 2007. Edited by Peter D. Kaufman, this book draws on Munger's extensive knowledge across various fields to provide a framework for rational and rigorous approaches to life, learning, and decision-making. It is renowned for its sharp wit and rhetorical flair, making it an essential read for investors, entrepreneurs, and anyone seeking to enhance their wisdom and critical thinking skills.

The Wright brothers

David McCullough

This book tells the dramatic story of Wilbur and Orville Wright, two bicycle mechanics from Dayton, Ohio, who changed history by inventing the first powered, heavier-than-air aircraft. David McCullough paints a rich picture of the brothers’ intelligence, determination, and strong familial bonds. Despite lacking formal engineering education, they persevered through relentless experimentation and sharp business instincts. The narrative highlights their exceptional courage, intellectual curiosity, and mechanical ingenuity, as well as the broader historical and societal context in which they worked. McCullough also reflects on the darker implications of their invention and its impact on the world.

The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse

Charlie Mackesy

This graphic novel tells the story of a boy who, on a spring day, meets three animal friends—a mole, a fox, and a horse—as he journeys through the countryside. The story is a poignant exploration of universal lessons about life, including the importance of kindness, self-worth, and unconditional love. The characters, each with their own struggles and strengths, learn valuable lessons about courage, forgiveness, and the power of asking for help. The book is celebrated for its simple yet profound messages, beautiful illustrations, and its ability to resonate with readers of all ages.

Beauty

None

Stefan Sagmeister and Jessica Walsh