Dive Club 🤿

Christophe Tauziet, Head of Design at Plaid, dives into building a craft-oriented culture within design teams. He shares essential strategies for fostering collaboration and effective feedback loops. Learn how structured reviews and polish sessions can elevate design quality. Christophe emphasizes the importance of understanding user challenges and the iterative nature of design. He also discusses his evolving criteria for selecting design candidates, highlighting curiosity and emotional investment as key traits.

This discussion delves into the vital art of communicating design ideas effectively. It highlights how storytelling and engaging presentations can create a compelling narrative around concepts. Listeners will gain insights from stories of early Facebook, Webflow, and Figma, demonstrating how to gather support and ensure production readiness. The evolving role of designers as content creators is also emphasized, showcasing the power of prototyping and video in winning over stakeholders.

Aashman Goghari, a Design Lead at Palantir, shares his expertise in navigating complex design challenges within a data-rich environment. He emphasizes the art of problem decomposition and discusses effective strategies for collaborating with backend engineers. Aashman delves into the significance of systems thinking, using insights from design challenges at Palantir's Foundry platform. He also explores the balance between edge cases and user-friendly pathways while empowering designers through mentorship and collaboration.

Discover innovative strategies for brand identity that treat brands as relatable personalities. Explore the importance of creativity, adaptability, and experimentation in brand development. Learn about productivity tools like Raycast Focus and Genway that help boost research and innovation. Mike and Cara share their invaluable hacks and mental models for unleashing creativity in branding.

Thiago Costa, co-founder and designer at Fey, shares his extensive expertise in refined visual techniques and beautiful user interfaces. He delves into the evolution of the Fey aesthetic, from version 1.0 to 2.0, and discusses how AI enhances user experience. Thiago draws inspiration from diverse sources, including Caravaggio's mastery of light. He emphasizes the importance of continuous learning, meticulous attention to detail, and the balance between aesthetics and functionality, making for an insightful conversation on the art and science of design.

In this chat, Ammaar Reshi, the Head of Design at ElevenLabs, shares insights from his viral AI experiments and creative projects. He discusses the future of voice as an interface and how he's redefining interaction patterns in AI design. Ammaar dives into the challenges of collaborating with research teams at fast-growing startups and what he looks for when hiring designers. Plus, he highlights the transformative power of AI in storytelling, especially in children's books, showcasing how technology can enhance creativity.

Explore how modern design teams are reshaping their collaboration with engineers. Discover the trend of throwing away code to improve efficiency and innovation. The discussion features insights from leaders at Figma, Airbnb, and more, revealing how early coding and iterative design enhance teamwork. Learn about the pivotal role trust plays in this new landscape, especially within AI-driven projects. It's a fascinating look at the evolving dynamics of design and engineering integration!

In this engaging discussion, Chris Abad, a design leader with a rich history at Google, Square, and Dropbox, dives into the art of storytelling in design. He reveals practical strategies for crafting compelling presentations, including how to tailor narratives for executives and manage Q&A sessions efficiently. Chris also shares insights on his preferred storytelling tools, such as IA Presenter, and emphasizes the importance of mastering personal branding through effective communication. His tips can transform how designers present their work to gain stakeholder support.

Explore the vital role of systems thinking in design, revealing how interconnectedness transforms product development. Discover the power of holistic solutions and cross-team collaboration while maintaining simplicity amid complexity. Learn how demonstrating ROI can secure buy-in for innovative design strategies, linking creative approaches to tangible business benefits. With inspiring stories from industry leaders, this discussion provides valuable insights for designers aiming to excel in an increasingly interconnected world.

In this engaging conversation, Anthony Menecola, a longtime staff product designer at Shopify, shares invaluable insights on making an impact as an individual contributor. He emphasizes the importance of collaboration between design and engineering, and how coding skills empower designers. Anthony details his journey in leveraging modern tools and strategic relationships to enhance design processes. He also discusses effective communication techniques, including asynchronous video updates, and explores the diverse archetypes of staff designers, all while striving for innovation at Shopify.