Uncut with Danilo Leal, Design Engineer at Zed, Prototyping in React and Built in Rust, Designing for an AI Assisted UX

TDLR: 10 episodes in and we are going full uncut conversation with Danilo Leal. One of the magician Design Engineers working on the Zed code editor. 

“I'll be making a jingle”

“We prototype everything in React before Rust”

• Danilo Leal represents a new breed of designer and engineer.
• The role of design is becoming more approachable with technology.
• AI is changing the landscape of coding and design.
• Prototyping in React allows for rapid iteration and testing.
• Debugging in Zed involves traditional methods and new tools.
• Collaboration is key in modern development environments.
• The future of coding may involve multiple agents working in parallel.
• AI can enhance workflows but requires careful context management.
• The editor's role is evolving with the integration of AI tools.
• Design processes are becoming more integrated with coding practices.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Setup
02:38 Meeting Danilo Leal: Background and Career
05:33 The Evolution of Design and Engineering
08:17 Transitioning to Material UI
11:13 The Role of AI in Design
14:10 Prototyping and Development Process
16:58 The Future of Design and Technology
28:28 The Comfort of Familiarity in Development
29:18 Debugging Strategies in Zed
30:09 Building Tools and Prototyping in Zed
33:13 The Evolution of GPUI and Design Process
35:16 Future of GPUI and General Purpose Applications
38:11 AI's Role in Enhancing Workflow
40:44 Parallelization and Task Management in Development
43:47 The Future of Editors and Asynchronous Tasks
48:32 The Role of Code in the Age of AI
54:28 Integrating Context and Knowledge in Codebases