In Elixir Wizards Office Hours Episode 4, SmartLogic Product Designer Ava Slivkoff joins hosts Sundi Myint and Owen Bickford to discuss the product designer's role in software development. Ava shares her experience navigating client expectations, software design principles, and technical constraints.

They explore the integration of design and development workflows and how designers and engineers can collaborate to meet a project's specific needs. The conversation emphasizes the value of cross-functional teams and the synergy that can arise when all team members work in harmony to bring a product to life.

Key concepts discussed in the episode:

• The broad scope of the designer role in web app development
• The value of an MVP in the iterative software design process
• Challenges of aligning client expectations with design best practices
• Pros and cons of leveraging pre-built Tailwind CSS styled components
• Trends and evolution in web design aesthetics and patterns
• Leveraging open-source design systems like Tailwind UI
• Balancing technical constraints with design aspirations
• Communication and trust-building between designers and engineers
• Workflows for design handoffs and feedback loops
• Importance of user flows and mapping the product experience
• Challenges around the implementation of complex UI elements
• Benefits of regular design review meetings and syncs
• Fostering empathy and collaboration across disciplines

Links mentioned

Figma Dev Mode https://www.figma.com/dev-mode/
Tailwind CSS utility-first CSS framework https://tailwindcss.com/
Tailwind UI https://tailwindui.com/
https://devinai.ai/

Special Guest: Ava Slivkoff.