Dive Club 🤿

Karl Koch, a design engineer who crafts interaction details and teaches others to bridge design and engineering. He talks about adopting a craft-oriented design-engineering mindset. He warns about common AI-generated code pitfalls and recommends practical tactics like inspecting in-browser, curating reference docs, and careful motion timing. He outlines a learning path and what employers expect in the role.

Guido and Luigi Rosso, twin founders of Rive and longtime design–engineering builders, discuss building a new interactive graphics format and runtime. They cover how Rive powered Spotify Wrapped, rebuilding graphics pipelines from first principles, motion-led interactivity, lightweight runtimes, scripting and data binding, and ambitions beyond V1.

A practical mental model for picking AI coding workflows and when to use which tools. How Figma Make turns UI into interactive scaffolds and quick handoff code. When Lovable and Dessn speed up rapid prototypes versus pitfalls of nonproduction prototyping. Using Conductor, CloudCode and Claude to batch fixes, run agents and push code toward production.

Xavier Jack, a designer and 3D web practitioner behind Amie and tools like Wiggle Bones, Three.tools, and Desktop.fm. He breaks down prototyping the viral Amie site. He explains grayboxing, Blender-to-WebFlow, rigging inflatable balloons, and setting up Three.js projects. He demos exporting GLB, adding interactivity, and animating with wiggle bones and GSAP.

Matt Sellers, a designer and portfolio creator, reveals the secrets behind crafting a captivating design portfolio. He explains why he removed over 80% of his work to focus on quality, emphasizing the importance of minimal text and powerful visuals. Matt shares his obsession with effective microcopy and how he tailored his portfolio for experienced hiring managers. He discusses using Framer for intricate animations and prototyping real app flows, showcasing a mindset that bends design tools for innovative interactions.

In a dynamic conversation, Stephen Haney, founder of the innovative design tool Paper, shares his insights on how leading design teams are integrating AI into their workflows. He discusses the disparity between AI adoption in startups versus bigger companies and highlights the concept of a 'designer playground.' With a focus on local development vs. cloud tools, Stephen reveals how AI is influencing performance evaluations and prototype testing. He emphasizes the importance of experimentation for designers looking to harness the creative potential of AI.

Co-founders Gab and Nim unveil an innovative prototyping tool that lets designers work directly within production code. They demonstrate creating interactive components and animations on the fly without developer assistance. The discussion highlights the importance of real production context for decision-making, and how AI can elevate designers' strategic roles. Emphasis is placed on reusing existing UX patterns and the shift toward design curation over mere execution. Exciting announcements on the public beta make this a must-listen for design enthusiasts!

Henry Modisett, VP of Design at Perplexity, shares insights from his extensive experience in building a vibrant design culture. He discusses the rapid growth of his team and the complexities of balancing parallel product work. Henry explores his unique hiring strategies, emphasizing the need for founders-style designers who thrive in ambiguity. He also highlights the importance of decisiveness and organic feedback, while promoting a culture of experimentation over imitation. His approach to leadership encourages ownership and agility within a fast-paced environment.

In this engaging discussion, Kyle Zantos, a design technologist and expert in UX Tools Labs, shares insights on enhancing design workflows with AI. He emphasizes the importance of using visual tools like Cursor for quick edits and highlights the value of creating 'playgrounds' for prototyping ideas. Kyle advises designers on combining references to refine aesthetic judgment and discusses automating style with the compound engineering plugin. He also stresses learning design philosophies over commands for a dynamic approach in a rapidly evolving tech landscape.

Lewis Healey, a design technologist at Atlassian specializing in AI prototyping, joins Kylor Hall, a design systems engineer, to explore scaling AI in established companies. They discuss the creation of pre-coded templates to enhance prototype consistency and strategies to reduce AI hallucinations. Hear about their innovative approach to simplifying design workflows and adapting roles in design systems. Plus, learn about benchmarking, engaging training tactics for non-technical users, and their vision for AI-native design systems that empower anyone to ship software.