Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Design Details
| Titre | Date | Durée | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 464: AI Grab Bag | 28 Nov 2023 | 00:34:27 | |
This week, we talk about Open AI's GPTs-as-apps strategy, FigJam's AI tools, and our dreams for a future Jarvis-like experience. The Sidebar:The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. You can subscribe starting at $1 per month for access to bonus content going forward! Sign up at patreon.com/designdetails. Latest VIP Patrons:
This week, we talk about Open AI's GPTs-as-apps strategy, FigJam's AI tools, and our dreams for a future Jarvis-like experience. Cool Things:
Byeee! | |||
| 463: Design Medley, Vol. 1 | 18 Oct 2023 | 00:34:13 | |
This week, we talk about the delicate art of using animation in interface design, how to use button sizes, and managing margins in type styles. The Sidebar:The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. You can subscribe starting at $1 per month for access to bonus content going forward! Sign up at patreon.com/designdetails. Latest VIP Patrons:
This week, we talk about the delicate art of using animation in interface design, how to use button sizes, and managing margins in type styles.
Byeee! | |||
| 462: Refactoring a Design System | 11 Sep 2023 | 00:47:33 | |
This week, Marshall breaks down his process, tips, and tricks to redesign a design system in Figma. The Sidebar:The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. You can subscribe starting at $1 per month for access to bonus content going forward! Sign up at patreon.com/designdetails. Latest VIP Patrons:
This week, Marshall breaks down his process, tips, and tricks to redesign a design system in Figma. Cool Things:
Byeee! | |||
| 461: Config and WWDC 2023 | 25 Jul 2023 | 01:08:06 | |
This week, we supply some cold (but thoughtful!) takes on everything released during last month's WWDC and Config 2023. The Sidebar:The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. You can subscribe starting at $1 per month for access to bonus content going forward! Sign up at patreon.com/designdetails. Latest VIP Patrons:
This week, we supply some cold (but thoughtful!) takes on everything released during last month's WWDC and Config 2023. Cool Things:
Byeee! | |||
| 460: Arc Boosts ft. Gabriel Valdivia | 08 Jun 2023 | 01:01:21 | |
This week, we dissect the recently-launched Arc Boosts to try and understand what they're for and where they're going. The Sidebar:The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. You can subscribe starting at $1 per month for access to bonus content going forward! Sign up at patreon.com/designdetails. Main Topic:This week, we dissect the recently-launched Arc Boosts to try and understand what they're for and where they're going. Cool Things:
Byeee! | |||
| 459: What Is Humane? | 18 May 2023 | 00:47:27 | |
This week, we talk about Humane's latest product demo and what we think it means for the future of AI-powered personal devices. The Sidebar:The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. You can subscribe starting at $1 per month for access to bonus content going forward! Sign up at patreon.com/designdetails. Latest VIP Patrons:
What if I told you that a year from now you could finally get that Chief Creative Officer promotion, lead a larger team and have your CFO finally understand the value of design. It all starts with Future London Academy’s MBA for Design Leaders. During their five two-week modules in London and California, you’ll be in the same room with creative leaders from around the world learning, collaborating and sharing laughter and tears. You’ll go behind-the-scenes of the top design agencies and most inspiring companies while receiving bespoke mentorship from CEO’s, CFO’s and Design Leaders from Dropbox, Pentagram, Wolff Olins, Zaha Hadid Architects, and many others. With Future London Academy, you’re here to erase borders, question everything, inspire others, ignite ideas, make friends, challenge the impossible, start a movement, invent solutions, think differently, change the world, and never, never stop learning. Become one of the 30 changemakers today. Apply now at bit.ly/chiefdesigner. Main Topic:This week, we talk about Humane's latest product demo and what we think it means for the future of AI-powered personal devices.
Byeee! | |||
| 458: How Do You Simplify a UI? | 17 Apr 2023 | 00:40:18 | |
This week, we share non-obvious tips and tricks for simplifying a UI. The Sidebar:The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. You can subscribe starting at $1 per month for access to bonus content going forward! Sign up at patreon.com/designdetails. Latest VIP Patrons:
This week, we share non-obvious tips and tricks for simplifying a UI. Cool Things:
Byeee! | |||
| 457: How to Find Focus | 17 Mar 2023 | 00:25:20 | |
This week, we talk about finding focus when there are infinite things to learn to become a better designer. The Sidebar:The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. You can subscribe starting at $1 per month for access to bonus content going forward! Sign up at patreon.com/designdetails. Latest VIP Patrons:
This week, Blucose asks on GitHub: how do you decide what to focus on? How do you make sure you become a master, rather than a jack of all trades? Cool Things:
Byeee! | |||
| 456: Should Designers Name Their Layers? | 27 Feb 2023 | 00:32:53 | |
This week, we fight about whether designers should name their layers (without saying "it depends"). The Sidebar:The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. You can subscribe starting at $1 per month for access to bonus content going forward! Sign up at patreon.com/designdetails. Golden Ratio Supporter:Why did you become a freelancer? Was it for freedom? Flexibility? It probably wasn't because you wanted to manage your own health insurance, taxes, and retirement. Did you know Catch can do all of that for you? Catch offers benefits and personal payroll for the self-employed. Make sure you're covered for 2023 and go to catch.co to renew your coverage or find a better plan. Latest VIP Patrons:
This week, we fight whether designers should name their layers (without saying "it depends"). Cool Things:
Byeee! | |||
| 455: Shift Happens ft. Marcin Wichary | 13 Feb 2023 | 01:03:06 | |
This week, we talked with Marcin Wichary about Shift Happens, a book about keyboards. We dive into the details of the book, its publication, website, and more. The Sidebar:The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. You can subscribe starting at $1 per month for access to bonus content going forward! Sign up at patreon.com/designdetails. Golden Ratio Supporter:Why did you become a freelancer? Was it for freedom? Flexibility? It probably wasn't because you wanted to manage your own health insurance, taxes, and retirement. Did you know Catch can do all of that for you? Catch offers benefits and personal payroll for the self-employed. Make sure you're covered for 2023 and go to catch.co to renew your coverage or find a better plan. Latest VIP Patrons:
This week, we talked with Marcin Wichary about Shift Happens, a book about keyboards. We dive into the details of the book, its publication, website, and more. Cool Things:
Byeee! | |||
| 454: Is UI Design Actually That Important? | 26 Jan 2023 | 00:29:48 | |
This week, we answer a crucial question: is UI design actually that important? Our answer may shock you 🫢 The Sidebar:The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. You can subscribe starting at $1 per month for access to bonus content going forward! Sign up at patreon.com/designdetails. Golden Ratio Supporter:Why did you become a freelancer? Was it for freedom? Flexibility? It probably wasn't because you wanted to manage your own health insurance, taxes, and retirement. Did you know Catch can do all of that for you? Catch offers benefits and personal payroll for the self-employed. Make sure you're covered for 2023 and go to catch.co to renew your coverage or find a better plan. Latest VIP Patrons:
This week, we answer a crucial question: is UI design actually that important? Our answer may shock you 🫢
Byeee! | |||
| 453: Building a Type Stack | 12 Jan 2023 | 00:29:25 | |
This week, we discuss strategies for building an excellent type stack in your designs. The Sidebar:The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. You can subscribe starting at $1 per month for access to bonus content going forward! Sign up at patreon.com/designdetails. In this week's Sidebar, we discuss the tradeoffs of adding view counts to tweets and the implications of paid community resources coming to Figma. Golden Ratio Supporter:Why did you become a freelancer? Was it for freedom? Flexibility? It probably wasn't because you wanted to manage your own health insurance, taxes, and retirement. Did you know Catch can do all of that for you? Catch offers benefits and personal payroll for the self-employed. Make sure you're covered for 2023 and go to catch.co to renew your coverage or find a better plan. Latest VIP Patrons:
This week, we discuss strategies for building an excellent type stack in your designs. Cool Things:
Byeee! The Sidebar:In the Sidebar, we discuss the tradeoffs of adding view counts to tweets and the implications of paid community resources coming to Figma. | |||
| 452: Design Trends for 2023 | 21 Dec 2022 | 00:43:51 | |
This week, we discuss current visual design trends and how the web will look in 2023. The Sidebar:The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. You can subscribe starting at $1 per month for access to bonus content going forward! Sign up at patreon.com/designdetails. Golden Ratio Supporter:Why did you become a freelancer? Was it for freedom? Flexibility? It probably wasn't because you wanted to manage your own health insurance, taxes, and retirement. Did you know Catch can do all of that for you? Catch offers benefits and personal payroll for the self-employed. Make sure you're covered for 2023 and go to catch.co to renew your coverage or find a better plan. Latest VIP Patrons:
This week, we discuss current visual design trends and how the web will look in 2023. Cool Things:
Byeee! The Sidebar:In the Sidebar, we catch up on Marshall's AI adventures before digging into design lessons from the gaming and automotive industries. | |||
| 451: The Whole Twitter Thing | 03 Dec 2022 | 00:41:49 | |
This week, we talk about the whole Twitter thing, and how we'd handle the verified badge design debacle. The Sidebar:The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. You can subscribe starting at $1 per month for access to bonus content going forward! Sign up at patreon.com/designdetails. Golden Ratio Supporter:Why did you become a freelancer? Was it for freedom? Flexibility? It probably wasn't because you wanted to manage your own health insurance, taxes, and retirement. Did you know Catch can do all of that for you? Catch offers benefits and personal payroll for the self-employed. Shop for health insurance the same way you shop for a flight. Compare across carriers. Find the best price. Catch makes it easy to renew your current plan, find a better one, or enroll for the first time. Every plan is ACA compliant, and Catch works on your behalf to get you tax credits that can save hundreds of dollars on your monthly premium. Average savings are $350/mo. Make sure you're covered for 2023 and go to catch.co to renew your coverage or find a better plan. Latest VIP Patrons:
This week, we talk about the whole Twitter thing, and how we'd handle the verified badge design debacle. Cool Things:
Byeee! | |||
| 450: Designing Hefty Interfaces | 10 Nov 2022 | 00:28:18 | |
This week, we talk about what gives software the feeling of heft and the effect of that feeling on how customers perceive the value of a tool. The Sidebar:The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. You can subscribe starting at $1 per month for access to bonus content going forward! Sign up at patreon.com/designdetails. Golden Ratio Supporter:Why did you become a freelancer? Was it for freedom? Flexibility? It probably wasn't because you wanted to manage your own health insurance, taxes, and retirement. Did you know Catch can do all of that for you? Catch offers benefits and personal payroll for the self-employed. With Catch, you can shop for health insurance the same way you shop for a flight. Compare across carriers. Find the best price. Catch makes it easy to renew your current plan, find a better one, or enroll for the first time. Even better, all plans are ACA compliant and Catch works on your behalf to get you tax credits that can save hundreds of dollars on your monthly premium. Open enrollment started on November 1, 2022. To get covered for 2023, go to catch.co/health to renew your coverage or find a better plan. Latest VIP Patrons:
This week, we talk about what gives software the feeling of heft and the effect of that feeling on how customers perceive the value of a tool. Cool Things:
Byeee! | |||
| 449: Google Pixel 7 Event | 18 Oct 2022 | 00:36:54 | |
This week, we recap Google's Pixel 7 Event and dig into our favorite design details of the new Pixel phone, tablet, and watch. The Sidebar:The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. You can subscribe starting at $1 per month for access to bonus content going forward! Sign up at patreon.com/designdetails. Golden Ratio Supporter:Catch offers payroll and benefits for the self-employed. With Catch, you can automatically divvy up your income for taxes, retirement, and savings. You can also find and save on health insurance. No slogging through government websites. A clean, mobile-friendly interface makes it quick and straightforward to take care of the bothersome but critical tasks involved with being your own boss. And it’s free! Learn more at catch.co. Latest VIP Patrons:
This week, we recap Google's Pixel 7 Event and dig into our favorite design details on the new phone, tablet, and watch. Cool Things:
Byeee! | |||
| 448: News Desk, Vol. 5 | 03 Oct 2022 | 00:43:03 | |
This week, we break down new Figma features, dissect the Live Activities HIG, and share our cool-takes on the Adobe + Figma acquisition. The Sidebar:The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. You can subscribe starting at $1 per month for access to bonus content going forward! Sign up at patreon.com/designdetails. Latest VIP Patrons:
This week, we break down new Figma features, dissect the Live Activities HIG, and share our cool-takes on the Adobe + Figma acquisition.
We're curating the best product design roles from the world's most design-forward companies. Glow is building the most elegant, powerful, and reliable crypto wallet. To do this, they need great designs — ones that are simple, familiar, and smart. Their small team is growing, and you’ll work closely with the team to craft new user experience patterns for interacting with crypto that will become the new normal for millions of people in the future. Mercury — Mercury is hiring product designers! Mercury powers the banking stack for companies like Linear, Maven & Mighty. Join them to build beautiful software for founders. Learn about the remote-friendly team & roles at https://mercury.design — disclaimer: Mercury is a financial technology company that works with banks. Cool Things:
Byeee! | |||
| 447: Stranded on Dynamic Island | 14 Sep 2022 | 00:39:46 | |
This week, we share our hot takes and first impressions of the new Dynamic Island on the iPhone 14 Pro. The Sidebar:The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. You can subscribe starting at $1 per month for access to bonus content going forward! Sign up at patreon.com/designdetails. Latest VIP Patrons:
This week, we share our hot takes and first impressions of the new Dynamic Island on the iPhone 14 Pro. Job Board:We're curating the best product design roles from the world's most design-forward companies. Figma — Figma is looking for designers to help shape the future of FigJam. They have a few open roles right now focused on everything from core product and meeting experiences to onboarding, user education, and templates. Patreon is building the future of the creative economy, and they’re looking for Product Designers at all levels to solve the needs of creators and members on our platform. Their roles are based in SF and NY. Raycast makes it simple, fast and delightful to control your tools. They’re looking for an experienced individual to join their small team to redesign and improve core app functionality, tools to enable Developers to create new Extensions, and rethink components across the platform. Notion — Imagine in the 1970s thinking through how computing should be like. That's what Notion is trying to build — beautiful software that fits everyone's needs. They have infinite challenges that can only be solved by someone with innate product sense, technical aptitude, great taste, and impeccable craft. Cool Things:
Byeee! | |||
| 446: Grab Bag, Vol. 3 | 29 Aug 2022 | 00:35:44 | |
This week, we share our preferred naming convention for design files and react to the new Gmail redesign. The Sidebar:The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. You can subscribe starting at $1 per month for access to bonus content going forward! Sign up at patreon.com/designdetails. Latest VIP Patrons:
This week, we share our preferred naming convention for design files and react to the new Gmail redesign.
We're curating the best product design roles from the world's most design-forward companies. Figma — Figma is looking for designers to help shape the future of FigJam. They have a few open roles right now focused on everything from core product and meeting experiences to onboarding, user education, and templates. Patreon is building the future of the creative economy, and they’re looking for Product Designers at all levels to solve the needs of creators and members on our platform. Their roles are based in SF and NY. Raycast makes it simple, fast and delightful to control your tools. They’re looking for an experienced individual to join their small team to redesign and improve core app functionality, tools to enable Developers to create new Extensions, and rethink components across the platform. Notion — Imagine in the 1970s thinking through how computing should be like. That's what Notion is trying to build — beautiful software that fits everyone's needs. They have infinite challenges that can only be solved by someone with innate product sense, technical aptitude, great taste, and impeccable craft. Cool Things:
Byeee! | |||
| 445: Designing the Perfect Desk | 15 Aug 2022 | 00:31:27 | |
This week, we talk about a surprising new "smart desk" being shared online, and we talk about what our dream desk would look like. In the Sidebar, Marshall shares his tips and tricks for keeping his Figma files squeaky clean. The Sidebar:The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. You can subscribe starting at $1 per month for access to bonus content going forward! Sign up at patreon.com/designdetails. Latest VIP Patrons:
This week, we talk about a surprising new "smart desk" being shared online, and we talk about what our dream desk would look like. Job Board:We're curating the best product design roles from the world's most design-forward companies. Current — Current is on a mission to help people create better financial outcomes for their lives, and they’re hiring a talented senior mobile product designer with great visual design and UX skills. You’ll be involved in the full product development cycle: from early research and product strategy, to design and developer hand-off. Glow is building the most elegant, powerful, and reliable crypto wallet. To do this, they need great designs — ones that are simple, familiar, and smart. Their small team is growing, and you’ll work closely with the team to craft new user experience patterns for interacting with crypto that will become the new normal for millions of people in the future. Webflow — Webflow is hiring designers across their various product pillars focused on growth, collaboration, the designer, and site capabilities. This role is remote-first with the option to work in our SF office. Materialize — Materialize is building a reactive database to disrupt batch data warehouses like Snowflake and BigQuery, and they’re looking for their first full-time, in-house designer to come in and own the product design for Materialize Web UI. Technical and developer tools experience is a huge plus! Cool Things:
Byeee! | |||
| 444: Writing Effective Self-Reviews | 21 Jul 2022 | 00:28:03 | |
This week, we share our tips for writing better self-reviews during performance review season. The Sidebar:The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. You can subscribe starting at $1 per month for access to bonus content going forward! Sign up at patreon.com/designdetails. Latest VIP Patrons:
This week, we share our tips for writing better self-reviews during performance review season. It's performance review season again! Would love to hear from you two about strategies, frameworks and tips you typically use while writing self-reviews, especially when you are aiming to level up to the next level as a product designer. Beyond using metrics, how can I effectively present the overall impact of my work as an IC? Job Board:We're curating the best product design roles from the world's most design-forward companies. Figma — Figma is looking for designers to help shape the future of FigJam. They have a few open roles right now focused on everything from core product and meeting experiences to onboarding, user education, and templates. Universe — Universe is hiring a Product Designer who is obsessed with the delightful possibilities of software and sees UI design as an artistic medium, not just a method of problem solving. Join a new kind of design studio and shape a product that represents a radically better internet. Webflow — Webflow is hiring designers across their various product pillars focused on growth, collaboration, the designer, and site capabilities. This role is remote-first with the option to work in our SF office. Materialize — Materialize is building a reactive database to disrupt batch data warehouses like Snowflake and BigQuery, and they’re looking for their first full-time, in-house designer to come in and own the product design for Materialize Web UI. Technical and developer tools experience is a huge plus! Cool Things:
Byeee! | |||
| 443: Design Systems Interviews | 08 Jul 2022 | 00:36:00 | |
This week, we talk about interviewing for roles in design systems, what to prepare, and how many different kinds of skills are relevant in the field. The Sidebar:The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. You can subscribe starting at $1 per month for access to bonus content going forward! Sign up at patreon.com/designdetails. Latest VIP Patrons:
This week, we talk about interviewing for roles in design systems, what to prepare, and how many different kinds of skills are relevant in the field. Eric asks on GitHub: How do you explain what you do? Job Board:We're curating the best product design roles from the world's most design-forward companies. Figma — Figma is looking for designers to help shape the future of FigJam. They have a few open roles right now focused on everything from core product and meeting experiences to onboarding, user education, and templates. Universe — Universe is hiring a Product Designer who is obsessed with the delightful possibilities of software and sees UI design as an artistic medium, not just a method of problem solving. Join a new kind of design studio and shape a product that represents a radically better internet. Mercury — Mercury is hiring product designers! Mercury powers the banking stack for companies like Linear, Maven & Mighty. Join them to build beautiful software for founders. Learn about the remote-friendly team & roles at https://mercury.design — disclaimer: Mercury is a financial technology company that works with banks. Current — Current is on a mission to help people create better financial outcomes for their lives, and they’re hiring a talented senior mobile product designer with great visual design and UX skills. You’ll be involved in the full product development cycle: from early research and product strategy, to design and developer hand-off. Cool Things:
Byeee! | |||
| 442: It Doesn't Have to Be Right | 23 Jun 2022 | 00:31:00 | |
This week, we share stories and lessons from some of our most memorable mentors. The Sidebar:The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. You can subscribe starting at $1 per month for access to bonus content going forward! Sign up at patreon.com/designdetails. Latest VIP Patrons:
We're switching the show to a bi-weekly cadence. As always, our supporters on Patreon will get bonus episodes. Main Topic:This week, we share stories and lessons from some of our most memorable mentors. Job Board:We're curating the best product design roles from the world's most design-forward companies. Universe — Universe is hiring a Product Designer who is obsessed with the delightful possibilities of software and sees UI design as an artistic medium, not just a method of problem solving. Join a new kind of design studio and shape a product that represents a radically better internet. Mercury — Mercury is hiring product designers! Mercury powers the banking stack for companies like Linear, Maven & Mighty. Join them to build beautiful software for founders. Learn about the remote-friendly team & roles at https://mercury.design — disclaimer: Mercury is a financial technology company that works with banks. Raycast makes it simple, fast and delightful to control your tools. They’re looking for an experienced individual to join their small team to redesign and improve core app functionality, tools to enable Developers to create new Extensions, and rethink components across the platform. Webflow — Webflow is hiring designers across their various product pillars focused on growth, collaboration, the designer, and site capabilities. This role is remote-first with the option to work in our SF office. Cool Things:
Byeee! | |||
| 441: WWDC 2022 | 09 Jun 2022 | 00:54:12 | |
This week, we recap all of our favorite...design details...announced at this week's WWDC. The Sidebar:The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. You can subscribe starting at $1 per month for access to bonus content going forward! Sign up at patreon.com/designdetails. Latest VIP Patrons:
Two plugins to change your canvas color for Figma's dark mode: Main Topic:This week, we recap all of our favorite...design details...announced at this week's WWDC. Job Board:We're curating the best product design roles from the world's most design-forward companies. Glow is building the most elegant, powerful, and reliable crypto wallet. To do this, they need great designs — ones that are simple, familiar, and smart. Their small team is growing, and you’ll work closely with the team to craft new user experience patterns for interacting with crypto that will become the new normal for millions of people in the future. Notion — Imagine in the 1970s thinking through how computing should be like. That's what Notion is trying to build — beautiful software that fits everyone's needs. They have infinite challenges that can only be solved by someone with innate product sense, technical aptitude, great taste, and impeccable craft. Materialize — Materialize is building a reactive database to disrupt batch data warehouses like Snowflake and BigQuery, and they’re looking for their first full-time, in-house designer to come in and own the product design for Materialize Web UI. Technical and developer tools experience is a huge plus! Patreon is building the future of the creative economy, and they’re looking for Product Designers at all levels to solve the needs of creators and members on our platform. Their roles are based in SF and NY. Cool Things:
Byeee! | |||
| 440: Don’t Call It a Design Critique | 25 May 2022 | 00:28:47 | |
This week, we talk about how to make design critiques more fun, and how to encourage teams to share their work-in-progress more often. Supported by:Play — Play is the first native iOS design tool built for creating mobile prototypes. They recently launched Play for iPad, giving designers more room to create pixel-perfect and native-first prototypes directly on their device. The app is intuitive, powerful, and damn fun to use. Level up your prototype game today with Play! Get your full access invitation now. Zeplin recently shipped Flows! Flows are a fast/effortless way to create and outline user flows and journeys. Designers can use flows to connect screens in seconds and map complete user journeys, showing not just the happy path but all possible paths and behaviors. The Sidebar:The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. You can subscribe starting at $1 per month for access to bonus content going forward! Sign up at patreon.com/designdetails. Latest VIP Patrons:
This week, we talk about how to make design critiques more fun, and how to encourage teams to share their work-in-progress more often. Amie Chen asks on GitHub: I have a question: I'm part of a design team that has lots of talented designers and everyone is supportive, humble, and doing great work. But no one seems to want to sign up for weekly design critiques (but rather like sharing WIP in slack) and every time my manager encourages she would hear all kinds of excuses. Curious how does your team establish a recurring design critique sessions? Is it mandatory? Or does everyone just love to share? What's the process of signing up one? Job Board:We're curating the best product design roles from the world's most design-forward companies. CALA — CALA is building a next-generation platform and supply chain to allow anyone, anywhere to build and scale their fashion brand. They’re hiring a product designer to help customers — from streetwear legends, to sports teams, to the biggest fashion players — bring their ideas to life. Universe — Universe is hiring a Product Designer who is obsessed with the delightful possibilities of software and sees UI design as an artistic medium, not just a method of problem solving. Join a new kind of design studio and shape a product that represents a radically better internet. Mercury — Mercury is hiring product designers! Mercury powers the banking stack for companies like Linear, Maven & Mighty. Join them to build beautiful software for founders. Learn about the remote-friendly team & roles at https://mercury.design — disclaimer: Mercury is a financial technology company that works with banks. Current — Current is on a mission to help people create better financial outcomes for their lives, and they’re hiring a talented senior mobile product designer with great visual design and UX skills. You’ll be involved in the full product development cycle: from early research and product strategy, to design and developer hand-off. Cool Things:
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| 439: Config 2022 | 12 May 2022 | 00:55:59 | |
This week, we cover all of the exciting new releases from Config 2022, and do a deep dive into the new version of Auto Layout. Supported by:Clay — Clay is the beautiful and private home for all your relationships. Populated from the ground up using your calendar and social history, Clay is the most stunning, powerful way to remember who you’ve met—and what matters to them. Zeplin recently shipped Flows! Flows are a fast/effortless way to create and outline user flows and journeys. Designers can use flows to connect screens in seconds and map complete user journeys, showing not just the happy path but all possible paths and behaviors. The Sidebar:The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. You can subscribe starting at $1 per month for access to bonus content going forward! Sign up at patreon.com/designdetails. Latest VIP Patrons:
This week, we cover all of the exciting new releases from Config 2022, and do a deeper dive into the new Auto Layout. Job Board:We're curating the best product design roles from the world's most design-forward companies. Notion — Imagine in the 1970s thinking through how computing should be like. That's what Notion is trying to build — beautiful software that fits everyone's needs. They have infinite challenges that can only be solved by someone with innate product sense, technical aptitude, great taste, and impeccable craft. Materialize — Materialize is building a reactive database to disrupt batch data warehouses like Snowflake and BigQuery, and they’re looking for their first full-time, in-house designer to come in and own the product design for Materialize Web UI. Technical and developer tools experience is a huge plus! Webflow — Webflow is hiring designers across their various product pillars focused on growth, collaboration, the designer, and site capabilities. This role is remote-first with the option to work in our SF office. GitKraken — GitKraken is building tools to visualize complex systems and improve productivity for millions of developers. They’re looking for designers with Git experience who are excited by the challenge of designing delightful, efficient, and themeable interfaces that make Git easier and safer to use. Cool Things:
Byeee! | |||
| 438: Dissecting Substack’s Podcast Player | 06 May 2022 | 00:39:18 | |
This week, we dissect Substack’s new podcast player design, talking about both the pixels and the strategic advantage of sharing craft-specific content on Twitter. In the Sidebar, we talk about the nature and risks of critiquing software as podcasters and design practitioners. Supported by:Zeplin recently shipped Flows! Flows are a fast/effortless way to create and outline user flows and journeys. Designers can use flows to connect screens in seconds and map complete user journeys, showing not just the happy path but all possible paths and behaviors. All you need to do is add screens you want in a flow, then add a connector which will snap into place to connect screens or design elements. You even add a label to clarify edge cases or error paths. As you publish new versions of designs, your flows and connectors will get updated automatically as screens change. The Sidebar:The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. You can subscribe starting at $1 per month for access to bonus content going forward! Sign up at patreon.com/designdetails. Latest VIP Patrons:
This week, we dissect Substack’s new podcast player design, talking about both the pixels and the strategic advantage of sharing craft-specific content on Twitter. Job Board:We're curating the best product design roles from the world's most design-forward companies. Mercury is hiring product designers! Mercury powers the banking stack for companies like Linear, Maven & Mighty. Join them to build beautiful software for founders. Learn about the remote-friendly team & roles at https://mercury.design — disclaimer: Mercury is a financial technology company that works with banks. Current is on a mission to help people create better financial outcomes for their lives, and they’re hiring a talented senior mobile product designer with great visual design and UX skills. You’ll be involved in the full product development cycle: from early research and product strategy, to design and developer hand-off. Patreon is building the future of the creative economy, and they’re looking for Product Designers at all levels to solve the needs of creators and members on our platform. Their roles are based in SF and NY. Raycast makes it simple, fast and delightful to control your tools. They’re looking for an experienced individual to join their small team to redesign and improve core app functionality, tools to enable Developers to create new Extensions, and rethink components across the platform. Cool Things:
Byeee! | |||
| 437: Scaling Design Critique | 27 Apr 2022 | 00:29:34 | |
This week, we talk about methods to scale design critiques with a growing team. In the Sidebar, we dig into the...details...of Figma's latest UI changes which added file type icons to file tabs. Golden Ratio Supporters:Zeplin recently shipped Flows! Flows are a fast/effortless way to create and outline user flows and journeys. Designers can use flows to connect screens in seconds and map complete user journeys, showing not just the happy path but all possible paths and behaviors. All you need to do is add screens you want in a flow, then add a connector which will snap into place to connect screens or design elements. You even add a label to clarify edge cases or error paths. As you publish new versions of designs, your flows and connectors will get updated automatically as screens change. Job Board:We're curating the best product design roles from the world's most design-forward companies. Universe is looking to hire a mid-level or higher product designer for remote work anywhere in the US. Universe opens up the possibilities of the internet, allowing anyone on earth to build a custom website or online store in seconds — without code, all from a phone. They’re looking for a Product Designer who is obsessed with the delightful possibilities of software and sees UI design as an artistic medium, not just a method of problem solving. Dynaboard is the fastest way for developer teams to go 0 -> 1 on new web apps such as dashboards, admin panels, and approval flows. It combines multiple aspects of design and development tools into a single, collaborative experience. They are looking for their first Product Designer to join their high-velocity, early team to own the process of creating a new category of creative tool. Glow is building the most elegant, powerful, and reliable crypto wallet. To do this, they need great designs — ones that are simple, familiar, and smart. Their small team is growing, and you’ll work closely with the team to craft new user experience patterns for interacting with crypto that will become the new normal for millions of people in the future. Vagaro is hiring designers to build the booking, payments, and marketing solutions for growing businesses in the beauty, wellness and fitness industries around the world. if you want to have an immediate, direct and high impact through design, join Vagaro. The Sidebar:The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. You can subscribe starting at $1 per month for access to bonus content going forward! Sign up at patreon.com/designdetails. Latest VIP Patrons:
This week, we talk about methods to scale design critiques with a growing team. Hey friends! My UX team has grown immensely in past year, to 30+ members. We have weekly 1-hour design crits where anyone can share work & receive feedback. This has been helpful in leveling up presentation and feedback-giving skills, as well as unblocking team members and maintaining alignment. This has become challenging at scale though. Any tips to make crits more useful for larger teams, or are we destined to break apart?
Byeee! | |||
| 436: Reclaiming Your Focus | 20 Apr 2022 | 00:23:25 | |
This week, we share our tips and strategies for reclaiming our focus to do deep design work. In the Sidebar, we revisit last week's conversation about the value of ideas and finding the right time to share an idea with the world. Golden Ratio Supporters:Vagaro is hiring designers to build the booking, payments, and marketing solutions for growing businesses in the beauty, wellness and fitness industries around the world. If you want to have an immediate, direct and high impact through design, learn more about designing at Vagaro. The Sidebar:The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. You can subscribe starting at $1 per month for access to bonus content going forward! Sign up at patreon.com/designdetails. Latest VIP Patrons:
This week, we share our tips and strategies for reclaiming our focus to do deep design work. Cool Things:
Byeee! | |||
| 435: New Feature Launch Checklist | 13 Apr 2022 | 00:28:40 | |
This week, we share the checklist that we use when launching new features to make sure we’re not missing certain states, flows, or edge cases. In the Sidebar, we talk about working in public and the risk of people stealing your ideas. Golden Ratio Supporters:Vagaro is hiring designers to build the booking, payments, and marketing solutions for growing businesses in the beauty, wellness and fitness industries around the world. if you want to have an immediate, direct and high impact through design, learn more about designing at Vagaro. The Sidebar:The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. You can subscribe starting at $1 per month for access to bonus content going forward! Sign up at patreon.com/designdetails. Latest VIP Patrons:
This week, we share the checklist that we use when launching new features to make sure we’re not missing certain states, flows, or edge cases. When there is new feature in app, how do you guys make sure that you considered all the scenarios and designed all the screens which will be affected by this change? A gut-check checklist:
Byeee! | |||
| 434: News Desk, Vol. 4 | 07 Apr 2022 | 00:29:13 | |
This week, we talk about enhancing the performance of design teams, a more efficient developer handoff process, and how to develop strong opinions. In the Sidebar, we talk about the tradeoffs of career progression and overall life happiness. At what point are you willing to pause or downgrade your career ambitions for a better life outside of work? Sponsor:BestPracticer helps you find the right design coach to support you to grow faster. You’ll be matched with an experienced coach from a leading tech company, who is a few levels ahead and familiar with your challenges. All of BestPracticer’s design coaches are design veterans who blend their years of expertise with coaching and leadership methodologies to help you grow faster and achieve your goals. You’ll meet on a regular cadence with your design coach as a thought partner on your work and career goals. If you’re interested in finding a design coach or learning more, you can visit designdetails.fm/bestpracticer. Golden Ratio Supporters:Vagaro is hiring designers to build the booking, payments, and marketing solutions for growing businesses in the beauty, wellness and fitness industries around the world. if you want to have an immediate, direct and high impact through design, learn more about designing at Vagaro. The Sidebar:The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. You can subscribe starting at $1 per month for access to bonus content going forward! Sign up at patreon.com/designdetails. Latest VIP Patrons:
This week, we talk about enhancing the performance of design teams, a more efficient developer handoff process, and how to develop strong opinions.
Hey there, Im new to the design field, three months into my UX role and I have a fear that I dont have strong enough opinions or knowledge to come up with a solution and push it forward all the way through. I think, my problem is that I am overly empathetic and always end up seeing the best in other peoples idea and going along with it but Im concerned I wont be getting far ahead if I cant stick by guts every now and then, or may get advantage of because Im a “yes man”. How do you build your “no” muscle without damaging relationships? Cool Things:
Byeee! | |||
| 433: Making a Case for Icons | 23 Mar 2022 | 00:25:16 | |
This week, we make the case for designing product icons and discuss what to do if your team doesn’t want to invest in great iconography. In the Sidebar, we talk about how to incorporate default typefaces into your design system. The Sidebar:The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. You can subscribe starting at $1 per month for access to bonus content going forward! Sign up at patreon.com/designdetails. Latest VIP Patrons:
This week, we make the case for designing product icons and discuss what to do if your team doesn’t want to invest in great iconography. The Lead Developer at my work requested to remove some of the icons, because they slow down development time when having to wait for one to be created, grappling with SVGs, etc. Unfortunately, he is right as they are time-consuming to make (especially good ones) and since I'm the only UX/UI designer in the company, it slows me down and I become the bottleneck. That said, I feel that icons give character, polish and professionalism to an otherwise extremely utilitarian UI. Icons can also be functional in that they help make certain elements stand out from an otherwise huge sea of text, but they are still seen as "fluff". I've asked for another designer to be hired, or request our graphic designer to create icons when he has time, but these suggestions didn't get any support. How would you make a case for icons when they are seen as mere decoration? Cool Things:
Byeee! | |||
| 432: Traits of a Good Manager | 16 Mar 2022 | 00:27:52 | |
This week, we spent more time exploring the traits of a good designer manager. In the Sidebar, we talk about the design details of Apple’s Studio Display and Mac Studio. The Sidebar:The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. You can subscribe starting at $1 per month for access to bonus content going forward! Sign up at patreon.com/designdetails. Latest VIP Patrons:
This week, we spent more time exploring the traits of a good designer manager.
Byeee! | |||
| 431: Transitioning from Industrial to Digital Design | 02 Mar 2022 | 00:22:54 | |
This week, we talk about transitioning industries and how to bridge the quality gap in a new field. In the Sidebar, we talk about storytelling and the surprising insights that can be found in engagement data. The Sidebar:The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. You can subscribe starting at $1 per month for access to bonus content going forward! Sign up at patreon.com/designdetails. Latest VIP Patrons:
@smallmedium pointed out that bulk-detach exists in Figma — thanks for the tip! Main Topic:This week, we talk about transitioning industries and how to bridge the quality gap in a new field. Cool Things:
Byeee! | |||
| 430: Design File Sanity and Breaking Navigation Patterns | 24 Feb 2022 | 00:32:54 | |
This week, we talk about design file sources of truth, Snapchat's evolution, and the qualities of great managers. In the Sidebar, we talk about building a YouTube channel from scratch, the opportunity for designers on YouTube, and ways to de-risk a new creative exploration. Golden Ratio Supporters:Zeplin lets designers spend more time on design, and less time prepping design files for the team. Effortlessly build user journeys with native connectors, flow groups, and text labels — no more maintaining extra layers in your design tool. Zeplin is so much more than just specs — get started for free to see why. The Sidebar:The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. You can subscribe starting at $1 per month for access to bonus content going forward! Sign up at patreon.com/designdetails. Latest VIP Patrons:
This week, we talk about design file sources of truth, Snapchat's evolution, and the qualities of great managers.
Byeee! | |||
| 429: Better Remote Onboarding | 17 Feb 2022 | 00:28:15 | |
This week, we talk about the messy nature of remote onboarding and share our tips to make it suck just a little less. In the Sidebar, we talk about the visual design for the heads up display used in televised sports. Golden Ratio Supporters:Zeplin lets designers spend more time on design, and less time prepping design files for the team. Effortlessly build user journeys with native connectors, flow groups, and text labels — no more maintaining extra layers in your design tool. Zeplin is so much more than just specs — get started for free to see why. The Sidebar:The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. You can subscribe starting at $1 per month for access to bonus content going forward! Sign up at patreon.com/designdetails. Latest VIP Patrons:
This week, we talk about the messy nature of remote onboarding and share our tips to make it suck just a little less. Cool Things:
Byeee! | |||
| 428: Teaching vs Micromanaging | 10 Feb 2022 | 00:26:02 | |
This week, we talk about teaching versus micromanaging, or how to give feedback as a manager in a productive and growth-oriented way. In the Sidebar, Marshall shares his tips and tricks for organizing icon systems in Figma. Golden Ratio Supporters:Zeplin lets designers spend more time on design, and less time prepping design files for the team. Effortlessly build user journeys with native connectors, flow groups, and text labels — no more maintaining extra layers in your design tool. Zeplin is so much more than just specs — get started for free to see why. The Sidebar:The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. You can subscribe starting at $1 per month for access to bonus content going forward! Sign up at patreon.com/designdetails. Latest VIP Patrons:
This week, we talk about teaching versus micromanaging, or how to give feedback as a manager in a productive and growth-oriented way. Anonymous asks: I’ve been promoted to a lead, and I’m managing a few entry-level designers working on small features. When discussing UX flows and sketches, they seem fine. But I randomly popped into their Figma files and noticed that their files are not as organized, and their UI work has some issues with padding, margins, decimal values, etc. I feel like this is something easily trainable, since it’s UI related. I could jump on a call with them to educate them and show some examples of how to do things. But I have a tiny doubt about if I’m micromanaging, since this role is new to me. Am I micromanaging if I jump into their files and do padding checks? If yes, how do I do this right? If not, what’s the difference between managing and micro managing? Cool Things:
Byeee! | |||
| 427: Tools for Thought ft. Mark McGranaghan and Adam Wiggins | 03 Feb 2022 | 01:10:21 | |
This week, we sat down with Mark McGranaghan and Adam Wiggins to talk about building creative tools, designing across devices and platforms, creating career capital, starting design podcasts, and more. Golden Ratio Supporters:Zeplin lets designers spend more time on design, and less time prepping design files for the team. Effortlessly build user journeys with native connectors, flow groups, and text labels — no more maintaining extra layers in your design tool. Zeplin is so much more than just specs — get started for free to see why. The Sidebar:The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. You can subscribe starting at $1 per month for access to bonus content going forward! Sign up at patreon.com/designdetails. Latest VIP Patrons:
This week, we sat down with Mark McGranaghan and Adam Wiggins to talk about building creative tools, designing across devices and platforms, creating career capital, starting design podcasts, and more.
Byeee! | |||
| 426: Senior++ Designer Expectations | 27 Jan 2022 | 00:35:24 | |
This week, we share some (hopefully) non-obvious paths to level up at work and exceed the expectations for a senior++ product designer. In the Sidebar, we talk about the importance of giving blunt feedback, and share ways to do it tactfully and with kindness. Golden Ratio Supporters:Play — Play is the first native iOS design tool made for teams creating mobile products. Design, prototype, and collaborate, directly from your phone. With Play you can experience your design as you create it while taking full advantage of native iOS features not found in other design and prototyping tools. Full access invites available for the first 25 people here! The Sidebar:The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. You can subscribe starting at $1 per month for access to bonus content going forward! Sign up at patreon.com/designdetails. Latest VIP Patrons:
This week, we share some (hopefully) non-obvious paths to level up at work and exceed the expectations for a senior++ product designer. Cool Things:
Byeee! | |||
| 425: Overengineering Variants | 20 Jan 2022 | 00:24:41 | |
This week, we share tips for crafting component variants to avoid the dreaded variant-explosion problem. In the Sidebar, we talk about Tesla’s latest UI refresh, where we see auto interfaces going in the future, and share some of our favorite car dashboard design details. Golden Ratio Supporters:Play — Play is the first native iOS design tool made for teams creating mobile products. Design, prototype, and collaborate, directly from your phone. With Play you can experience your design as you create it while taking full advantage of native iOS features not found in other design and prototyping tools. Full access invites available for the first 25 people here! The Sidebar:The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. You can subscribe starting at $1 per month for access to bonus content going forward! Sign up at patreon.com/designdetails. Latest VIP Patrons:
This week, we share tips for crafting component variants to avoid the dreaded variant-explosion problem.
Byeee! | |||
| 424: The Art of Unsolicited Redesigns | 12 Jan 2022 | 00:35:39 | |
This week, we talk about the art of creating unsolicited redesigns at work — how to approach them, how to wrangle complexity and rabbit holes, and what to do when you have something worth sharing. In the Sidebar, we share our strategies to become a better storyteller and presentation builder. Golden Ratio Supporters:Play — Play is the first native iOS design tool made for teams creating mobile products. Design, prototype, and collaborate, directly from your phone. With Play you can experience your design as you create it while taking full advantage of native iOS features not found in other design and prototyping tools. Full access invites available for the first 25 people here! The Sidebar:The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. You can subscribe starting at $1 per month for access to bonus content going forward! Sign up at patreon.com/designdetails. Latest VIP Patrons:
This week, we talk about the art of unsolicited redesigns at work — how to approach them, how to wrangle complexity and rabbit holes, and what to do when you have something worth sharing. Cool Things:
Byeee! | |||
| 423: What We Learned in 2021 | 16 Dec 2021 | 00:48:33 | |
This week, we recap how we grew, and the things we learned, in 2021. In The Sidebar, we look forward to 2022 and talk about some of our personal and professional goals for the new year. Sponsor:Patreon is hiring product designers in San Francisco and New York City. Today, Patreon is at the heart of the creator economy. In the last 8 years, the product has grown to support more than 250k creators, who are collectively supported by more than 8 million patrons. So far, Patreon has paid out more than $2.5 billion to creators, and are now on pace to pay out over $100 million every month. Patreon's design team is small, but growing. The opportunity for impact on the product, and on millions of creators and patrons around the world, can't be overstated. The team is dedicated to leveling up the craft of Patreon's products, shipping beautiful experiences, and building the best tools to help anyone make a living on the internet. If you're a designer looking for your next level up, get in touch with Patreon's design team and tell them we sent you!
Patreon — Patreon is hiring product designers in San Francisco and New York City to build the future of the creator economy. Join their small team and level up today. Sympli — Sympli Pulse is a version tracking application for Figma that lets you and your team clearly understand what's going on — even with hundreds of frames, components and design files — and answer the most painful questions about who changed what and why, adding context to your design decisions. Find Pulse in Figma Community. Learn more at Sympli.io. Play — Play is the first native iOS design tool made for teams creating mobile products. Design, prototype, and collaborate, directly from your phone. With Play you can experience your design as you create it while taking full advantage of native iOS features not found in other design and prototyping tools. Full access invites available for the first 25 people here! The Sidebar:The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. You can subscribe starting at $1 per month for access to bonus content going forward! Sign up at patreon.com/designdetails. Latest VIP Patrons:
This week, we recap where we grew, and the things we learned, in 2021. Cool Things:
Byeee! | |||
| 422: The Complainisode | 09 Dec 2021 | 00:52:04 | |
This week, we were invited to have a rant session about the little things in modern software that drive us nuts. A complainisode! In the Sidebar, we share our strategies for having a successful design challenge interview loop. Sponsor:Patreon is hiring product designers in San Francisco and New York City. Today, Patreon is at the heart of the creator economy. In the last 8 years, the product has grown to support more than 250k creators, who are collectively supported by more than 8 million patrons. So far, Patreon has paid out more than $2.5 billion to creators, and are now on pace to pay out over $100 million every month. Patreon's design team is small, but growing. The opportunity for impact on the product, and on millions of creators and patrons around the world, can't be overstated. The team is dedicated to leveling up the craft of Patreon's products, shipping beautiful experiences, and building the best tools to help anyone make a living on the internet. If you're a designer looking for your next level up, get in touch with Patreon's design team and tell them we sent you!
Patreon — Patreon is hiring product designers in San Francisco and New York City to build the future of the creator economy. Join their small team and level up today. Sympli — Sympli Pulse is a version tracking application for Figma that lets you and your team clearly understand what's going on — even with hundreds of frames, components and design files — and answer the most painful questions about who changed what and why, adding context to your design decisions. Find Pulse in Figma Community. Learn more at Sympli.io. Play — Play is the first native iOS design tool made for teams creating mobile products. Design, prototype, and collaborate, directly from your phone. With Play you can experience your design as you create it while taking full advantage of native iOS features not found in other design and prototyping tools. Full access invites available for the first 25 people here! The Sidebar:The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. You can subscribe starting at $1 per month for access to bonus content going forward! Sign up at patreon.com/designdetails. Latest VIP Patrons:
This week, we were invited to have a rant session about the little things in modern software that drive us nuts. A complainisode! James Bartlett asks on GitHub: Frustrations with existing products got me into design. As you guys have new Macs, perhaps now's a good time to share your frustrations with Mac OS, and ideate on ways to mitigate. For example, I'd like to see an inbox for Airdrop. Currently everything airdropped, gets dropped into the downloads folder, and with no way to sort by sender etc. Cool Things:
Byeee! | |||
| 421: The Future of Remote Design Teams | 02 Dec 2021 | 00:38:34 | |
This week, we talk about the pros and cons of working on a remote design team, and what we think the future of design organizations will look like in a post-pandemic world. In The Sidebar, we talk about how to weigh compensation against your career trajectory. Sponsor:Patreon is hiring product designers in San Francisco and New York City. Today, Patreon is at the heart of the creator economy. In the last 8 years, the product has grown to support more than 250k creators, who are collectively supported by more than 8 million patrons. So far, Patreon has paid out more than $2.5 billion to creators, and are now on pace to pay out over $100 million every month. Patreon's design team is small, but growing. The opportunity for impact on the product, and on millions of creators and patrons around the world, can't be overstated. The team is dedicated to leveling up the craft of Patreon's products, shipping beautiful experiences, and building the best tools to help anyone make a living on the internet. If you're a designer looking for your next level up, get in touch with Patreon's design team and tell them we sent you!
Patreon — Patreon is hiring product designers in San Francisco and New York City to build the future of the creator economy. Join their small team and level up today. Sympli — Designers and developers working together need control over their assets. Sympli tracks every version of every design: no guessing what changed, no lost files or overwritten work, development-ready specs. Learn more at Sympli.io. Play — Play is the first native iOS design tool made for teams creating mobile products. Design, prototype, and collaborate, directly from your phone. With Play you can experience your design as you create it while taking full advantage of native iOS features not found in other design and prototyping tools. Full access invites available for the first 25 people here! The Sidebar:The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. You can subscribe starting at $1 per month for access to bonus content going forward! Sign up at patreon.com/designdetails. Latest VIP Patrons:
This week, we talk about the pros and cons of working on a remote design team, and what we think the future of design organizations will look like in a post-pandemic world. Hiya, this question resurfaced following the Patreon shout-out in the cursor episode. All their design roles (and there were loads) were limited to NY and SF whereas engineering for the same company has multiple remote openings. Have seen this across other companies like Stripe, Pinterest etc. Why is that? Shouldn't these companies be able to offer remote roles especially with the onset of remote payroll startups solving the logistics of it? Have you found working with remote design teams subpar? Cool Things:
Byeee! | |||
| 420: The Pointer Cursor Debate | 17 Nov 2021 | 00:30:49 | |
This week, we discuss the humble cursor and its role in affording interactivity in software design. In The Sidebar, we talk about the long term impact of the features we build, the importance of smart defaults, and the value of time well spent in our products. Sponsor:Patreon is hiring product designers in San Francisco and New York City. Today, Patreon is at the heart of the creator economy. In the last 8 years, the product has grown to support more than 250k creators, who are collectively supported by more than 8 million patrons. So far, Patreon has paid out more than $2.5 billion to creators, and are now on pace to pay out over $100 million every month. Patreon's design team is small, but growing. The opportunity for impact on the product, and on millions of creators and patrons around the world, can't be overstated. The team is dedicated to leveling up the craft of Patreon's products, shipping beautiful experiences, and building the best tools to help anyone make a living on the internet. If you're a designer looking for your next level up, get in touch with Patreon's design team and tell them we sent you!
Patreon — Patreon is hiring product designers in San Francisco and New York City to build the future of the creator economy. Join their small team and level up today. Sympli — Designers and developers working together need control over their assets. Sympli tracks every version of every design: no guessing what changed, no lost files or overwritten work, development-ready specs. Learn more at Sympli.io. Play — Play is the first native iOS design tool made for teams creating mobile products. Design, prototype, and collaborate, directly from your phone. With Play you can experience your design as you create it while taking full advantage of native iOS features not found in other design and prototyping tools. Full access invites available for the first 25 people here! The Sidebar:The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. You can subscribe starting at $1 per month for access to bonus content going forward! Sign up at patreon.com/designdetails. Latest VIP Patrons:
This week, we discuss the humble cursor and its role in affording interactivity in software design. Anonymous asks: Hey Brian and Marshall, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the use of the hand pointer cursor icon for clickable elements. Windows, macOS, and HTML seem pretty clear that it is intended only for links which lack the visual affordance that buttons have while Material design and seemingly most web apps embrace the hand for all clickable elements. I haven't found what the official rationale is for using the hand everywhere and I'm also curious what users most expect at this point.
Byeee! The Sidebar:In this week’s Sidebar, we talk about the long term impact of the features we build, the importance of smart defaults, and the value of time well spent in our products. | |||
| 419: Teaching Design at Work | 10 Nov 2021 | 00:30:48 | |
This week, we share our strategies and motivations for teaching design at work. In The Sidebar, we talk about the shape of software, how we visualize the tools we build, and what it means for software to feel like something physical. Golden Ratio Supporters:Sympli brings its modern design handoff and design version control tools to your secure environment. Upgrade your collaboration workflow with Sympli's self-Hosted option. Learn more at Sympli.io. Play is the first native iOS design tool made for teams creating mobile products. Design, prototype, and collaborate, directly from your phone. With Play you can experience your design as you create it while taking full advantage of native iOS features not found in other design and prototyping tools. Full access invites available for the first 25 people here. Plume empowers a billion smart devices in homes and small businesses through a suite of adaptive WiFi, AI security, and parental control. They're hiring product designers to build the future of smart home services. They're hiring product designers with 2-5 years of experience shipping products — learn more at designdetails.fm/plume. Oh, and they just raised a $270m series E, so now's the time! The Sidebar:The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. You can subscribe starting at $1 per month for access to bonus content going forward! Sign up at patreon.com/designdetails. Latest VIP Patrons:
This week, we share our strategies and motivations for teaching design at work. Cool Things:
Byeee! | |||
| 418: Fictional User Interfaces | 03 Nov 2021 | 00:30:59 | |
This week, we talk about the weird and beautiful world of fictional user interfaces: why do futuristic UIs look so cool? And why aren't they usable? Is the future really going to look like this? In The Sidebar, we share our must-have macOS apps that are always installed first on a new machine. Golden Ratio Supporters:Play is the first native iOS design tool made for teams creating mobile products. Design, prototype, and collaborate, directly from your phone. With Play you can experience your design as you create it while taking full advantage of native iOS features not found in other design and prototyping tools. Full access invites available for the first 25 people here. Plume empowers a billion smart devices in homes and small businesses through a suite of adaptive WiFi, AI security, and parental control. They're hiring product designers to build the future of smart home services. They're hiring product designers with 2-5 years of experience shipping products — learn more at designdetails.fm/plume. Oh, and they just raised a $270m series E, so now's the time! Sympli brings its modern design handoff and design version control tools to your secure environment. Upgrade your collaboration workflow with Sympli's self-Hosted option. Learn more at Sympli.io. The Sidebar:The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. You can subscribe starting at $1 per month for access to bonus content going forward! Sign up at patreon.com/designdetails. Latest VIP Patrons:
This week, we talk about the weird and beautiful world of fictional user interfaces: why do futuristic UIs look so cool? And why aren't they usable? Is the future really going to look like this?
Byeee! | |||
| 417: The Side Project Prophecy | 27 Oct 2021 | 00:37:09 | |
This week, we reflect on why it is that talking about building a side project can often reduce your motivation to actually finish the project. We dig into our latest side project progress and share tips for maintaining momentum. In The Sidebar, we recap Google’s Pixel 6 event and share our hot takes on the latest phones and software announcements. Golden Ratio Supporters:Play is the first native iOS design tool made for teams creating mobile products. Design, prototype, and collaborate, directly from your phone. With Play you can experience your design as you create it while taking full advantage of native iOS features not found in other design and prototyping tools. Full access invites available for the first 25 people here. Plume empowers a billion smart devices in homes and small businesses through a suite of adaptive WiFi, AI security, and parental control. They're hiring product designers to build the future of smart home services. They're hiring product designers with 2-5 years of experience shipping products — learn more at designdetails.fm/plume. Oh, and they just raised a $270m series E, so now's the time! Sympli builds design version control and developer handoff tools to help teams collaborate on screen designs. Check out their design-to-development plugins for all major design tools, including a version control app for Sketch, Sympli.io. Latest VIP Patrons:
The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. You can subscribe starting at $1 per month for access to bonus content going forward! Sign up at patreon.com/designdetails. Follow up:We’ve declared issue bankruptcy on our GitHub repository. If you have a question or topic you’d like to hear us talk about on the show, please open an issue! Main Topic:This week, we reflect on why it is that talking about building a side project can often reduce your motivation to actually finish the project. We dig into our latest side project progress and share tips for maintaining momentum. Cool Things:
Byeee! | |||
| 416: UI Reviews and QA | 20 Oct 2021 | 00:22:33 | |
This week, we talk about our processes for reviewing UI and making sure that things are shipping as close to spec as possible. In The Sidebar, we recap Apple’s Unleashed event, sharing our favorite moments and spicy takes. Golden Ratio Supporters:Sympli builds design version control and developer handoff tools to help teams collaborate on screen designs. Check out their design-to-development plugins for all major design tools, including a version control app for Sketch, Sympli.io. Play is the first native iOS design tool made for teams creating mobile products. Design, prototype, and collaborate, directly from your phone. With Play you can experience your design as you create it while taking full advantage of native iOS features not found in other design and prototyping tools. Play is currently looking for talented iOS Engineers to join their team — apply here! Plume empowers a billion smart devices in homes and small businesses through a suite of adaptive WiFi, AI security, and parental control. They're hiring product designers to build the future of smart home services. They're hiring product designers with 2-5 years of experience shipping products — learn more at designdetails.fm/plume. Oh, and they just raised a $270m series E, so now's the time! Latest VIP Patrons:
The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. You can subscribe starting at $1 per month for access to bonus content going forward! Sign up at patreon.com/designdetails. Main Topic:This week, we talk about our processes for reviewing UI and making sure that things are shipping as close to spec as possible. For the last year, my work has gotten the QA people to do UI reviews, which has been difficult, because they don't have the visual and technical training. They also don't know CSS to be able to make specifications, nor are they able to update the design system. They very often miss things that I have to create a ticket to be fixed later, and spend so much time in communication when asking me to check their work, that I might as well have reviewed it myself, and the time they spent trying to figure out an issue, could've been better used at doing what they're good at. Unfortunately, I'm the only designer (out of a team of 20+ devs and several QA people), so they want me to focus on designing at a higher level (wireframes, mocks, etc.), not checking for minor details. I also haven't worked at a bigger company that has more than 1 designer, so am wondering how does it work at other companies? Any shared processes / experiences would be greatly appreciated. Cool Things:
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| 415: News Desk, Vol. 3 | 13 Oct 2021 | 00:36:18 | |
This week, we talk about the new Stripe Press website, pasting behavior in Figma, the latest tvOS UI, and the importance of using fake data in placeholder copy. In The Sidebar, we share our tools and strategies for remembering the important things that come up in our day-to-day work. Golden Ratio Supporters:Plume empowers a billion smart devices in homes and small businesses through a suite of adaptive WiFi, AI security, and parental control. They're hiring product designers to build the future of smart home services. They're hiring product designers with 2-5 years of experience shipping products — learn more at designdetails.fm/plume. Oh, and they just raised a $270m series E, so now's the time! Play is the first native iOS design tool made for teams creating mobile products. Design, prototype, and collaborate, directly from your phone. With Play you can experience your design as you create it while taking full advantage of native iOS features not found in other design and prototyping tools. Check out Play at createwithplay.com. Latest VIP Patrons:
The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. You can subscribe starting at $1 per month for access to bonus content going forward! Sign up at patreon.com/designdetails. Follow Up:More memorable software moments:
This week, we talk about the new Stripe Press website, pasting behavior in Figma, the latest tvOS UI, and the importance of using fake data in placeholder copy.
Byeee! | |||