Back

Explore every episode of the podcast Complementary

Dive into the complete episode list for Complementary. Each episode is cataloged with detailed descriptions, making it easy to find and explore specific topics. Keep track of all episodes from your favorite podcast and never miss a moment of insightful content.

Rows per page:

1–50 of 79

TitlePub. DateDuration
40: Should Designers Code?25 Aug 202400:42:58

How might designers learning how to code impact interface design? Enjoy this extremely reasonable conversation between Katie and Anthony.


Hosts:

Anthony Hobday, Generalist Product Designer: ⁠⁠https://twitter.com/hobdaydesign⁠⁠

Katie Langerman, Systems Designer: ⁠⁠https://twitter.com/KatieLangerman

39: Possible Futures for AI in Interface Design with Maggie Appleton11 Aug 202400:56:27

Anthony, Katie and special guest Maggie Appleton speculate about how AI could impact interface design in the future.


The five possible futures we discussed:


  1. AI replaces designers and developers completely

  2. AI produces a rough draft, a designer “tidies it up”

  3. AI builds the interface out of supplied components and a description of how the interface works

  4. AI produces content/components on demand, designers change it to suit, then put the interface together

  5. Designers ask AI focused questions to get inspiration


You can find Maggie on Twitter or on the web at https://maggieappleton.com/


Hosts:

Anthony Hobday, Generalist Product Designer: ⁠⁠https://twitter.com/hobdaydesign⁠⁠

Katie Langerman, Systems Designer: ⁠⁠https://twitter.com/KatieLangerman

30: How Important is Feedback?24 Mar 202400:35:04

Anthony and Katie discuss design feedback: how important it is, bad vs. good feedback, and the difference between harsh and direct feedback.


Hosts:

Anthony Hobday, Generalist Product Designer: https://twitter.com/hobdaydesign

Katie Langerman, Systems Designer: https://twitter.com/KatieLangerman

29: Interface Design Roles10 Mar 202400:33:40

Anthony and Katie discuss different roles and responsibilities related to interface design, sharing their preferred combinations.


Hosts:

Anthony Hobday, Generalist Product Designer: https://twitter.com/hobdaydesign

Katie Langerman, Systems Designer: https://twitter.com/KatieLangerman

28: Design Quotes25 Feb 202400:33:12

Anthony and Katie analyze two quotes related to design.


Anthony's quote from Frank Chimero: https://frankchimero.com/blog/2013/what-screens-want/

Katie's quote from PJ Onori: https://pjonori.blog/posts/analysis-of-style/


Hosts:

Anthony Hobday, Generalist Product Designer: https://twitter.com/hobdaydesign

Katie Langerman, Systems Designer: https://twitter.com/KatieLangerman

27: Finish This Sentence: Celebrating One Year of Complementary11 Feb 202400:44:32

Anthony and Katie celebrate one year of producing this podcast with a game: finish this sentence. Each person prepared sentences for the other to finish, all related to design.


Hosts:

Anthony Hobday, Generalist Product Designer: https://twitter.com/hobdaydesign

Katie Langerman, Systems Designer: https://twitter.com/KatieLangerman

26: Things We're Good At28 Jan 202400:42:03

In contrast with episode 25, Anthony and Katie discuss things they are good at when it comes to interface design.


Hosts:

Anthony Hobday, Generalist Product Designer: https://twitter.com/hobdaydesign

Katie Langerman, Systems Designer: https://twitter.com/KatieLangerman

25: Things We're Not Good At14 Jan 202400:38:02

Anthony and Katie share some things they're not good at when it comes to interface design. There are plenty of benefits to being aware of your own weaknesses, and learning to talk about them openly can help lead you towards improvement and/or acceptance.


Hosts:

Anthony Hobday, Generalist Product Designer: https://twitter.com/hobdaydesign

Katie Langerman, Systems Designer: https://twitter.com/KatieLangerman

24: Hot Takes31 Dec 202300:41:03

Katie reacts to Anthony's "hot takes" to wrap up 2023.

23: Landing Page Style vs Application Style17 Dec 202300:41:20

Anthony and Katie discuss landing page visual style compared to application visual style, crossover between brand and utility, and whether or not a single designer can do both styles.


Hosts:

Anthony Hobday, Generalist Product Designer: https://twitter.com/hobdaydesign

Katie Langerman, Systems Designer: https://twitter.com/KatieLangerman

22: What Is Uniquely Human about Design?03 Dec 202300:44:18

Anthony and Katie discuss AI and what is uniquely human about design.


Hosts:

Anthony Hobday, Generalist Product Designer: https://twitter.com/hobdaydesign

Katie Langerman, Systems Designer: https://twitter.com/KatieLangerman

21: Wireframing12 Nov 202300:34:46

Anthony and Katie attempt to define wireframing, and discuss why or why not you might want to use them.


Hosts:

Anthony Hobday, Generalist Product Designer: https://twitter.com/hobdaydesign

Katie Langerman, Systems Designer: https://twitter.com/KatieLangerman

38: Visual Design in Design Systems with Jeremy Elder28 Jul 202400:56:27

Anthony, Katie and special guest Jeremy Elder chat about the visual design aspect of design systems.


Find Jeremy on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeremyelder

GitLab's papercuts site: https://papercuts.gitlab.com/


Hosts:

Anthony Hobday, Generalist Product Designer: ⁠https://twitter.com/hobdaydesign⁠

Katie Langerman, Systems Designer: ⁠https://twitter.com/KatieLangerman

20: Thoughtful Interface Design29 Oct 202300:36:52

Anthony and Katie discuss what makes interface design "thoughtful", including some specific things to keep in mind as a designer.

19: Interface Design Misconceptions15 Oct 202300:38:26

Anthony and Katie discuss commonly misused terminology, hot takes for the algorithm, and focusing on the approach instead of the reason.

18: Predicting the Future of Interface Design01 Oct 202300:32:56

Anthony and Katie chat about futuristic interface design and make some *fun* predictions.


Anthony Hobday, Generalist Product Designer: https://twitter.com/hobdaydesign

Katie Langerman, Systems Designer: https://twitter.com/KatieLangerman

17: Where "Novel" Design Comes From17 Sep 202300:36:17

Anthony and Katie discuss what makes design feel "novel" and some strategies to achieve it.


Hosts:

Anthony Hobday, Generalist Product Designer: ⁠https://twitter.com/hobdaydesign⁠

Katie Langerman, Systems Designer: ⁠https://twitter.com/KatieLangerman

16: Layout03 Sep 202300:52:42

Anthony and Katie discuss layout. Take our poll on main content alignment with a sidebar: https://twitter.com/hobdaydesign/status/1698041067914801515?s=20


Hosts:

Anthony Hobday, Generalist Product Designer: https://twitter.com/hobdaydesign

Katie Langerman, Systems Designer: https://twitter.com/KatieLangerman

15: Color with Lukas Oppermann20 Aug 202300:54:43

Anthony, Katie and special guest Lukas Oppermann discuss color. Check out Lukas on Twitter: https://twitter.com/lukasoppermann⁠.


Hosts:

Anthony Hobday, Generalist Product Designer: https://twitter.com/hobdaydesign

Katie Langerman, Systems Designer: https://twitter.com/KatieLangerman

14: Typography06 Aug 202301:01:29

Anthony and Katie discuss the various properties that make up typography.


Links mentioned:

https://designregression.com/article/line-length-revisited-following-the-research

https://abookapart.com/products/on-web-typography



Anthony Hobday, Generalist Product Designer: https://twitter.com/hobdaydesign

Katie Langerman, Systems Designer: https://twitter.com/KatieLangerman

13: Looks Pretty vs. Works Good24 Jul 202300:43:19

Anthony and Katie discuss a listener topic around "looks pretty vs. works good".


Books mentioned:

Form Design Patterns, Adam Silver

Designing Interactions, Bill Moggridge


Hosts:

Anthony Hobday, Generalist Product Designer: https://twitter.com/hobdaydesign

Katie Langerman, Systems Designer: https://twitter.com/KatieLangerman

12: Coherent Interface Design10 Jul 202300:52:17

Anthony and Katie discuss the term “coherent” as it relates to interface design (after a bit of banter).


Figma Config talks mentioned:


Hosts:

Anthony Hobday, Generalist Product Designer: https://twitter.com/hobdaydesign

Katie Langerman, Systems Designer: https://twitter.com/KatieLangerman

11: The Value of Visual Design to your Career25 Jun 202300:44:30

Anthony and Katie discuss why visual design is valuable for your career as a designer.


Hosts:

Anthony Hobday, Generalist Product Designer: https://twitter.com/hobdaydesign

Katie Langerman, Systems Designer: https://twitter.com/KatieLangerman

37: Good Interface Design Habits14 Jul 202400:42:34

Anthony and Katie share their top habits for good interface design.


Design inspiration site Anthony mentioned: https://mobbin.com/


Hosts:

Anthony Hobday, Generalist Product Designer: ⁠https://twitter.com/hobdaydesign⁠

Katie Langerman, Systems Designer: ⁠https://twitter.com/KatieLangerman

10: Taking Interaction Design from Good to Great18 Jun 202300:50:27

Anthony and Katie discuss what takes interaction design from good to great.


  • Things look like they act and act like they look
  • Useful animation
  • Physical/spatial consistency
  • Speed and responsiveness
  • Fiddle factor
  • Context awareness


Links:


Hosts:

09: Pace Layering04 Jun 202300:45:05

Anthony and Katie discuss pace layering, design systems and AI.


Articles mentioned:

Nathan Curtis: Design System UI is More Expensive than a Product Team's UI

Mark Boulton: The Fast and Slow of Design



Anthony Hobday, Generalist Product Designer: https://twitter.com/hobdaydesign

Katie Langerman, Systems Designer: https://twitter.com/KatieLangerman

08: Conveying Good Taste in a Design Portfolio14 May 202300:42:34

Anthony and Katie discuss design portfolios, case studies, and networking.


Links mentioned:


Hosts:

07: The Three Pillars of Visual Design: Typography, Layout, and Color07 May 202300:40:02

Anthony and Katie discuss what makes typography, layout and color the three pillars of visual design. 


Links mentioned:


Hosts:

06: Design Systems09 Apr 202300:46:30

Anthony and Katie discuss design systems.


Topics covered:

  • How to define the term “design system”

  • Design tokens

  • Naming things and ordinal scales

  • Breaking out of a design system


Links mentioned:

05: Improving Your Visual Design Skills02 Apr 202300:34:54

In this episode, Anthony and Katie discuss how to improve your visual design skills.

Topics covered:

  • Tacit vs. explicit knowledge
  • Systematic approaches  to learning patterns
  • Caring about design details
  • How quality in impacts quality out

Visual design inspiration links:

Other links mentioned:

04: Accessibility19 Mar 202300:43:28

In this episode, Anthony and Katie discuss accessibility for interface design.


Heads up that there's a slight audio quality change about halfway through.


Topics covered:

  • Incorporating accessibility into your design process

  • Evaluating a design for accessibility issues 

  • How design systems impact the designer’s role in crafting accessible interfaces

  • Designing with constraints

Hosts:

03: Skeuomorphism04 Mar 202300:34:34

In this episode, Anthony and Katie discuss skeuomorphism.

Topics covered:

  • How we define skeuomorphism
  • The rise and fall of design trends
  • Applying realism and visual richness to flat design
  • How design systems might handle embellishments vs. flat design

Hosts:

02: Beauty18 Feb 202300:37:22

In this episode, Anthony and Katie discuss beauty.

Topics covered:

  • Universal beauty
  • Classical vs. expressive aesthetics
  • Practical applications of beauty
  • The societal impact of beautiful interfaces
  • Relying on classical beauty techniques when expressive design is out of reach
Pilot: Taste12 Feb 202300:38:46

In this pilot episode, Anthony and Katie discuss taste as it relates to visual design.

Topics covered:

  • Defining taste
  • Are you born with good taste, and can it be learned?
  • Why taste is important for designers

References:

Hosts:

36: Interfaces are Affected by What People Care About16 Jun 202400:46:53

Anthony and Katie chat about the people behind interfaces, and how competing priorities impact the end result of interface design.


Hosts:

Anthony Hobday, Generalist Product Designer: https://twitter.com/hobdaydesign

Katie Langerman, Systems Designer: https://twitter.com/KatieLangerman

35: Form Design with Adam Silver02 Jun 202400:56:56

Anthony, Katie and special guest Adam Silver discuss all things form design. We try to define form design (for Anthony's sake), and discuss things like toggle switches, good/bad form experiences, and border color contrast.


Find Adam on Twitter: https://twitter.com/adamsilverhq

Adam's book on form design: https://formdesignpatterns.com/


Hosts:

Anthony Hobday, Generalist Product Designer: https://twitter.com/hobdaydesign

Katie Langerman, Systems Designer: https://twitter.com/KatieLangerman

34: How Design Systems Impact Interface Design with Donnie D'Amato19 May 202400:52:05

This week we're joined by Donnie D'Amato to discuss how design systems have impacted interface design.


Hosts:

Anthony Hobday, Generalist Product Designer: https://twitter.com/hobdaydesign

Katie Langerman, Systems Designer: https://twitter.com/KatieLangerman

33: How Interfaces Evolve Over Time05 May 202400:41:34

Anthony and Katie discuss how interface design evolves over time.


Hosts:

Anthony Hobday, Generalist Product Designer: https://twitter.com/hobdaydesign

Katie Langerman, Systems Designer: https://twitter.com/KatieLangerman

32: Thoughts on "Just Enough Design" by Taku Satoh21 Apr 202400:36:22

Anthony and Katie discuss "Just Enough Design" by Taku Satoh. Spoiler: we like it.


Anthony's recommended short design books: https://www.anthonyhobday.com/blog/20230101.html


Hosts:

Anthony Hobday, Generalist Product Designer: https://twitter.com/hobdaydesign

Katie Langerman, Systems Designer: https://twitter.com/KatieLangerman

31: Interface Personality vs Usability07 Apr 202400:38:04

Anthony and Katie discuss how to safely add personality to an interface without sacrificing usability.


Hosts:

Anthony Hobday, Generalist Product Designer: https://twitter.com/hobdaydesign

Katie Langerman, Systems Designer: https://twitter.com/KatieLangerman

41: Elegance vs. Extravagance08 Sep 202400:43:47

Anthony shares a quote to define elegance vs. extravagance as "do a lot with a little vs. a lot with a lot". Katie and Anthony discuss how this relates to interface design and the impact it has on interaction design and product longevity.


Hosts:

Anthony Hobday, Generalist Product Designer: ⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/hobdaydesign⁠⁠⁠

Katie Langerman, Systems Designer: ⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/KatieLangerman

42: Performative Good Design22 Sep 202400:45:08

It's a ranty one folks. What is performative design, and why does it exist?


Hosts:

Anthony Hobday, Generalist Product Designer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/hobdaydesign⁠⁠⁠⁠

Katie Langerman, Systems Designer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/KatieLangerman

43: Design for Customization13 Oct 202400:40:51

What's the difference between customization and personalization in interface design? Anthony and Katie discuss this along with the benefits/downsides of designing for customization.


Hosts:

Anthony Hobday, Generalist Product Designer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/hobdaydesign⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Katie Langerman, Systems Designer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/KatieLangerman

44: How to be a more strategic designer with Jared Spool27 Oct 202400:58:27

Jared Spool joins Anthony and Katie to discuss what it means to be a strategic designer. We cover what strategy means, different leadership styles, and the difference between outcomes vs outputs.


Find Jared Spool on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jmspool/


Hosts:

Anthony Hobday, Generalist Product Designer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/hobdaydesign⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Katie Langerman, Systems Designer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/KatieLangerman

45: Constraints10 Nov 202400:43:36

What are the different kinds of constraints and how do they impact design? Anthony and Katie break it down into several types of constraints including: arbitrary, technical, principled, and convenient.


Hosts:

Anthony Hobday, Generalist Product Designer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/hobdaydesign⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Katie Langerman, Systems Designer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/KatieLangerman

46: Design for Developers with Nate Butler24 Nov 202400:59:56

What does it really mean to design for developers? Should you cater to power users or beginners? Anthony, Katie and Nate discuss this (and more) with lots of spicy takes and speculation.


Nate Butler: https://nate.cv/


Hosts:

Anthony Hobday, Generalist Product Designer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/hobdaydesign⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Katie Langerman, Systems Designer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/KatieLangerman

49: Design Folklore with Guy Segal05 Jan 202500:52:13

Katie, Anthony and special guest Guy discuss design folklore: what it is, where it might come from, and how to best use it in your design practices.


Guy Segal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/guysegal


Hosts:

Anthony Hobday, Generalist Product Designer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/hobdaydesign⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Katie Langerman, Systems Designer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/KatieLangerman

48: Ghosts of Software Past, Present and Future22 Dec 202400:35:43

Anthony and Katie bring on the holiday vibes by discussing the past, present and future of software design. Bah humbug!


New design systems podcast Katie mentioned: On Theme


Hosts:

Anthony Hobday, Generalist Product Designer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/hobdaydesign⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Katie Langerman, Systems Designer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/KatieLangerman

47: People We Admire08 Dec 202400:45:14

Designers and developers that have influenced us.


The folks we mentioned:


Stephanie Eckles

Andy Bell

Brad Frost

Elizabeth Goodspeed

Frank Chimero

David Pye


Hosts:

Anthony Hobday, Generalist Product Designer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/hobdaydesign⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Katie Langerman, Systems Designer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/KatieLangerman

50: Starting from Scratch vs. Improving Existing Design19 Jan 202500:54:14

Anthony and Katie discuss what it takes to start designing something from scratch compared to working on an existing product, and the upsides/downsides of both.


Hosts:

Anthony Hobday, Generalist Product Designer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/hobdaydesign⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Katie Langerman, Systems Designer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/KatieLangerman

© My Podcast Data