Mariana Castilho, a talented designer turned builder with a dynamic background at Universe and Vercel, shares her inspiring career journey. She dives into the future of design engineering and the unique challenges of creating developer tools. Mariana discusses the importance of coding for designers and reflects on mastering these skills through persistent learning. The conversation also highlights the value of structured design systems versus flexibility and emphasizes the significance of community engagement for growth in the design field.
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Quick takeaways
Mariana Castilho emphasizes the crucial transition from designer to builder by integrating engineering skills, enhancing design implementation and user experiences.
The podcast highlights the importance of collaboration between designers and engineers, fostering mutual understanding for better product outcomes and innovation.
Deep dives
The Shift from Design to Building
The speaker emphasizes a transition from being primarily a designer to adopting a builder mindset, focusing on the development aspect of software. This change highlights the importance of not just creating static designs but also understanding the practical implications of those designs in production. The competitive edge for designers now lies in their ability to grasp both design and implementation, ensuring that they consider user experiences at every level. Real-world experience in settings where they build products, even from scratch, has become invaluable in shaping their approach.
Navigating Challenges in a Startup Environment
In moving from a large, structured company like Vercel to a startup like Pierre, the speaker describes the challenges of creativity and flexibility in a less defined environment. The need to build from the ground up and navigate through an experimental process creates opportunities to redefine UI and brand aspects. This shift requires a reevaluation of design principles and how to meet user needs without the safety net of established systems and procedures. The speaker acknowledges that these challenges can lead to more innovative solutions, even as they require more effort and clarity.
Transforming Complexity into Usable Design
The speaker articulates the necessity of simplifying complex engineering processes into intuitive user experiences as a designer. Engaging deeply with the development tools and understanding engineering workflows allows designers to create optimized interfaces that are both functional and appealing. This design philosophy values the user experience and the importance of making complicated tasks feel accessible and engaging. The speaker sees the beauty in taking intricate operations and translating them into seamless interactions that enhance productivity for engineering teams.
The Importance of Collaboration Between Designers and Engineers
The successful outcomes in design are closely linked to effective collaboration between designers and engineers throughout the development process. The speaker stresses that mutual understanding of coding and design principles not only fosters better implementation but also enriches the feedback loop between team members. Emphasizing a partnership where designers consider how their designs will be built from the start has led to a higher quality of execution and innovation. This collaboration is essential in translating ideas into tangible products that meet user expectations.
Mariana Castilho has one of the most impressive career trajectories of any designer I’ve ever met.
I first saw her while mentoring through Shift Nudge and within a few years she’s landed roles at Universe, Vercel, and most recently as the first designer at Pierre.
One of the keys to her growth has been investing in her skills as an engineer. So a big part of this interview is learning what it takes to transition from designer to builder.
Some highlights:
The future of design engineering
What makes designing dev tools unique
How Mariana has grown as a visual designer
What it’s like working with design celebrities
What it means to care deeply about implementation
How she finally succeeded her 3rd time learning to code
How teams like Vercel consistently hit a high bar for craft