168: Auto Goats (feat. Koen Bok and Jorn van Dijk)
Oct 19, 2016
auto_awesome
Koen Bok and Jorn van Dijk, co-founders of Framer, discuss building a startup in Amsterdam, the future of design tools, helping designers level up, and more. They also touch on the challenges of building a team, the surprising market for design tools, and the shifting landscape in the prototype space.
Building a startup in Amsterdam comes with unique challenges in terms of finding experienced talent and raising capital.
Learning to code can greatly enhance a designer's skills and value in the industry without making them full-fledged software engineers.
Framer aims to provide designers with a versatile and powerful design tool that enables the creation of high-fidelity prototypes and complex interactions.
Deep dives
Building a Design Tool Startup in Amsterdam
The podcast episode discusses the experience of the co-founders of Framer, who are based in Amsterdam. They talk about building a design tool startup in Amsterdam versus Silicon Valley. They mention the cultural differences and challenges they face in terms of finding experienced talent and raising capital. They also emphasize the importance of mentorship and training junior designers in order to build a strong and well-rounded design team.
The Role of Code in Design
The episode delves into the role of code in design. The co-founders of Framer believe that designers should learn to code to enhance their skills and become more valuable in the industry. They discuss how Framer incorporates code as a tool to express interactivity and to bridge the gap between designers and engineers. They also highlight the advantages of using code to prototype and iterate designs, while acknowledging that the goal is not to make designers become full-fledged software engineers.
The Evolution of Design Tools
The podcast explores the evolution of design tools and how they have become more versatile and powerful. The hosts mention how Framer, as a code-based prototyping tool, aims to provide designers with a platform to not only create high-fidelity prototypes but also explore complex interactions and animations. They also discuss the balance between simplicity and flexibility in design tools, as well as the importance of continuously improving and refining these tools to meet the evolving needs of designers.
Auto Code and Simplifying the Design Process
The episode highlights Framer's 'Auto Code' feature, which generates code based on visual manipulations in the tool. The hosts explain that this feature aims to simplify the design process by eliminating the need for designers to manually write code. They discuss how this feature helps designers quickly iterate and experiment with their designs, as well as facilitates their understanding of code syntax and concepts. They also clarify that Auto Code is not intended to replace the need for engineers but rather to empower designers to work more efficiently and collaboratively.
Framer's Origins: From Javascript Library to a Dedicated Product
The podcast episode discusses the origins of Framer, a design tool that helps express interaction ideas. It started as a small JavaScript library created by Rasmus to enable accelerated drawing in the browser. The team at Facebook, including Koen and Jorn, used Framer and Quartz Composer to teach the design team and improve their interactive designs. Eventually, Koen and Jorn realized the potential of Framer as its own product and decided to leave Facebook to focus on its development.
The Growing Market for Design Tools and Future of Framer
The discussion also covers the current and future landscape of design tools. Framer is positioned as an interactive-first tool and aims to be a mainstream design tool with limitless potential. The hosts mention the increasing number of designers and stakeholders interested in design and the need for solutions to express interaction ideas and stay at the cutting edge. Framer aims to prepare designers for emerging platforms like VR and AI. While the future is uncertain, Framer wants to remain at the forefront of design and adapt to the evolving industry.
Today we caught up with Koen Bok and Jorn van Dijk, the co-founders of Framer, previously building products at Facebook and Sofa. This was a fun episode where we went deep into topics like building a startup in Amsterdam, the future of design tools, how to help designers level up, and so much more.
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