Dive Club 🤿

In this conversation, Maheen Sohail, a senior staff designer at Meta, dives into the world of generative design and AI. She shares insights on creating new interface patterns amidst ambiguity, emphasizing that even experts are learning as they go. Curiosity is highlighted as the core trait for designers, while Maheen's passion projects, like using AI to colorize images of Pakistan, showcase the power of hands-on exploration. Discussions on ethical dilemmas and the evolving role of designers in AI further illuminate the transformative landscape of technology.

George Kedenburg, a design lead at Humane with a rich background at Meta, shares insights into the evolving role of product designers in the AI landscape. He discusses the shift from traditional UI design to intuitive, natural language interactions. George emphasizes creative problem-solving and how AI is reshaping software design. He also highlights the importance of prompt design and the experimental nature of working with AI, comparing it to navigating a well-stocked kitchen filled with unexpected orders. This conversation delves deeply into innovation and creativity in tech.

Colin Dunn, founder of the innovative image generation tool Visual Electric, shares his journey to democratize design through AI. He discusses the importance of user research in product design and the challenges of funding a tech startup. Colin compares AI to electricity, highlighting the upcoming revolution of AI 'appliances.' He also reveals the thoughtful evolution of his brand, from 'Prism' to 'Visual Electric,' and emphasizes the balance between user control and simplicity in design, shaping the future of creative tools.

Nate Parrott, the founding designer of the innovative Arc browser, shares his journey from engineer at Snap to his current role. He discusses the unique design philosophy at Arc, which prioritizes individuality and emotional engagement over uniformity. Nate delves into the power of rapid prototyping and how user feedback shapes their development process. He highlights the balance between creativity and user expectations, touching on features like Arc Search’s hook. The conversation also includes insights into his gamified personal website and the integration of AI in design.

Dan LaCivita, co-founder of Play, discusses interaction design skills, Apple's sandbox benefits, launching Play as a mobile app, importance of hands-on design, AI impact on interaction design. Talks about co-founder JoonYong Park and the mind-blowing App Clip.

Designer Gavin Nelson discusses prototyping, interaction design, and learning SwiftUI. Topics include designing app icons, creating physics-based interactions, designing for power users at Linear, using code for prototyping, and the interplay between custom and stock components in mobile design.

Design engineer Vincent van der Meulen shares Figma's visual search pivot story, highlighting the importance of visual search in AI tools. He discusses the challenges faced, the transition to a software engineer role, prototyping, communication, and the future role of design engineers in the AI age. The episode gives insights into identifying opportunities, collaborating with machine learning experts, and the transformative power of feedback.

Jordan Singer discusses his journey at Figma, including AI integration, designing dynamic interfaces, and the impact on designers. They delve into challenges faced, AI-powered features, making design systems AI-compatible, and the future of AI in Figma, emphasizing creativity and workflow enhancements.

Head of design at Optimism, Kathy Zheng, discusses traits of senior designers at Github, giving ideas a chance to become memes, avoiding conversational spinout, identifying opportunities using systems thinking, and techniques for storytelling. Mentions key figures including Max Schoening and Jack Conte.

Join the podcast with Alex Cornell, where he delves into communication, storytelling in design, and his journey from video production to design. Discover his startup Cocoon, the precision in his work, generative AI at Meta, and more. Explore his wild videos at Facebook, lessons from designing mobile apps, and the mental models he uses for narratives. Dive into his favorite fonts, type foundries, and the challenges of transitioning to new mediums in design.