Gerardo D.

With the rapid adoption curve of AI, users are expecting more ‘magic' from their digital tools and products. Great piece here about the relevancy and reframing of the value of design when building a non-deterministic digital experience: “Sophistication, in prompting, comes from deeply understanding the user — their attitudes and behaviours towards this experience — and integrating that knowledge into the prompt. This is even more important than with traditional software interactions because of the open-ended nature of conversational experiences. As noted by designer, Emily Campbell, “the more autonomy that users have to direct computers to their personal whim, the better they will expect computers to understand them and anticipate their needs.” Logan Kilpatrick, head of developer relations for OpenAI, boils it down to “context.” The model needs context to do its perform a specific task well. This makes prompting an “inherently human” task because it requires that we understand the nuances of what people are trying to achieve.”

8

1 Comment

What are you excited for at Figma's Config? Here's my agenda for the 2 day conference. Highlights I'm excited about are Building for Developers, Advocating and Designing for Human Needs, Bringing the Craft Back to Product, and of course the Figma keynotes! What peaks your interest the most? Imprint Digital wants to know what matters for design in your business, industry, or department. #figma #design #development #websites #softwaredevelopment #config2024 #digitalmarketing #marketing #development #reactjs #nextjs #wordpress #webdesign #webdev #userexperience #ecommerce #accessibility #humandesign

5

For anyone wanting to learn more about how we're working on AI as a design team here at Klaviyo, have a listen to this interview with Alexandra Holness

14

Remember when people couldn't connect *enough* with others in the beginning of the pandemic? We hopped into virtual groups so much that we experienced zoom fatigue. And now, in 2024, connection feels like it's the new ankle sock?? Iykyk. I met Rachel, indirectly, in one of those networking zooms, and we didn't really speak after that because, life, but when I saw her posting about a design book club meetup, something inside me said: "Hm... you love reading, maybe you should go to that." SO, I didn't sign up and forgot about it. But, then, the day of, she posted about it again and I bit the bullet. I am SO glad I did— I got to turn someone from being a stream of linkedin posts into a 3D human being, I got to meet other cool people, have cerebral and intellectual conversation around design and the state of the world, and I discovered that Johnny Pastrami is actually amazing?! (Also, why didn't my team ever tell me about this place when we talk about food all the time?? Performance reviews will now include: met all expectations but failed me in the UX of our bonding.) If you're on the fence about going outside of your comfort zone, I hope this post reminds you of how exciting and rewarding even the smallest steps over that line can be. And great food is probably waiting there.

6

How do design system teams prove their value? Finding hard metrics around the impact of design system teams has historically been a challenge. A year ago, I met the design system team at Eventbrite who could confidently say that they saved 534 days of engineering effort with their design system. Here's their calculation: Time spent to develop a component pre-design system - time spent to install the design system component = Time saved In order to extrapolate this number, though, you need to know how many times a component has been used. And, that used to require a savvy dev on the team to build something custom. That's no longer the case. We built something at zeroheight that will allow you to track component use in a single repo or across all of your repos. This should help teams show how valuable they are, plus do things like: see which components to prioritize based on use see which product teams are adopting As an added bonus, anyone using the new feature set can also monitor design system packages, allowing them to quickly see which teams are using outdated packages. On a personal note, I'm hoping with data like this, more teams can confidently quantify their impact. And along the way, we'll get better as design system practitioners at identifying the right things to work on. This new feature set is in beta and totally free. Even if you aren't using zeroheight to document your design system, you can use it. Takes like 15 minutes and you've got rich data. Here's the sign up:

7

4 Comments

It’s Thursday! Let’s talk about DESIGN DISCOVERY and how to make it PRACTICAL. Discovery is an essential part of the design process. In discovery, designers build a shared understanding of the problem and the design direction, establishing a foundation for all future design decisions. What does that foundation look like? In PRACTICAL DESIGN DISCOVERY, I describe three kinds of things to put into this foundation: → Principles: Enablers that help you make decisions → Concepts: Ideas that establish a big picture or north star → Models: Representations of the user experience When you draw a conclusion from user research, that’s a principle. When you say “our product is like a concierge for kids activities,” that’s a concept. And when you sketch out a flow chart or wireframe an important screen, that’s a model. Each of these contributes to the foundation that informs further design decisions. You’re not just creating these for yourself. The other people on your team – product managers and business stakeholders and developers – need to contribute to this foundation. These things – principles, concepts, and models – are the way you draw others into the discovery process. Sometimes managers tell designers to cut principles and concepts out of their process. I get it: Models are accessible because they are tangible representations of the final product. Even a flow chart is easier to react to than an unmoored design principle or a big idea. In discovery, however, you can’t model every aspect of a product. The point of discovery is to set the direction. Models provide enough of a view into the final product to get buy-in on that direction. But they’re not the whole picture. Principles provide guidelines for making decisions that the models do not cover. They establish constraints on the design process. Concepts align everyone around the product’s purpose or essence. They paint a picture of what the world looks like with the product in it. Both are helpful for decision-making. You don’t need to break the bank creating principles or concepts, or even models. Use a text file to capture statements as they jump out during the design process, like “never show a data visualization without context or explanation [a principle]” or “this is a mash-up between a to-do list and a calendar [a concept]”. Use models to illustrate principles and concepts. When folks provide feedback on the models, ask them about the concepts and the principles. “You said you were worried about the fields on this screen, but it aligns with our principle of ‘only ask for information when needed.’ Are there circumstances when the principle doesn’t apply?” Every part of the foundation – principles, concepts, and models – is a hook for a conversation with the entire team about the direction of your product. Looking for more ways to refine your discovery practice? Grab a copy of PRACTICAL DESIGN DISCOVERY! https://lnkd.in/dtar-e2

38

2 Comments

Make it POP? At some point in their career, every designer has heard the request to make an element "pop more". The premise is simple: to draw attention to a particular element in a layout, make it stand out. However, in practice, the opposite effect often occurs. https://lnkd.in/gjvst-Td

1

The Jobs to Be Done framework is crucial for product designers, especially as the line between product managers and designers continues to blur. This article can revolutionize how we approach problem discovery and opportunity identification, offering deeper insights during the design phase. It's a must-read for anyone looking to elevate their design process and deliver exceptional results.

5

Meta, known for the most well-run interview process in big tech, has a bewildering unwritten rule. If you solve the problem, you don't pass. If you heed the instructions, you will fail. To pass a staff-level engineering interview at Meta, you either know the unwritten rule or you get lucky (unlikely). The unwritten rule is to build a platform, even if they ask you not to. Kashish Singhal + Kevin Landucci's full interview is one of the most popular on our channel because Kash isn't afraid to go against the grain... This clip is only the beginning! Subscribe 🛎 on YouTube to get more content like this

19

5 Comments

I see the potential in AI tools, but let's hold up for a second. This recent mess with Figma's AI tool seemingly cloning Apple's Weather app is a wake-up call. It's a glaring example of what happens when we don't put proper guardrails in place. AI can be a game-changer, but not if it tramples on intellectual property and copyright. We need these tools to be smart enough to avoid ripping off existing work. It's not just about innovation; it's about respecting creativity and ownership. https://lnkd.in/gUHxJd_c

2

Check out the 4 step exercise at the end of the article. Excellent advice.

2

Check out this blog post from my teammate Brandon Lin about how we migrated our mobile rendering codebase to use Typescript without disrupting developers!

9

AI is the buzzword of the day, but it's simply the next step in our technology evolution. Evolving generative AI interactions are repeating human-computer interaction history. Remember those green screens and books filled with computer prompts, or learning how to use a search engine? Perhaps you do, maybe you don't, but either way AI has modified the way we do this by using natural language! #AI #technologyevolution #naturalanguageprocessing

6

Now that Config is over here's a good recap for design execs:

2

Over my 20 years in the industry, one key insight has stood out: product design is not just an aesthetics —it's a critical method for validating ideas quickly and effectively. At every company, I champion the notion that #ValidationStartsWithDesign. This philosophy is built on the understanding that rapid iteration and feedback are essential for successful product development. Here’s how I approach it: 🖌️ 1 Hour Mockups: Quickly translating concepts into visual formats allows teams to see and feel the idea early on. 🔧 2 Hour Prototypes: Developing interactive prototypes helps to explore functionality and user experience, providing a tangible basis for feedback. 📞 15 Min Stakeholder Call: Engaging with stakeholders and customers early and often ensures that the product is on the right track, based on real user needs and reactions. By integrating design deeply into the validation process, we empower teams to iterate swiftly and align closely with their users’ needs. This method not only accelerates the development cycle but also reduces the risks associated with building untested products. I’ve seen firsthand how this approach can transform ideas into successful products, saving time and resources while maximizing impact. Remember, the faster we validate, the faster we succeed. #DesignThinking #ProductDevelopment #Innovation #UXDesign #Prototyping #CustomerFeedback

9

Our design team recently attended Figma's Config 2024 conference, and they returned energized and full of insights. The event was a fantastic opportunity to network with designers from around the world and deepen our knowledge of Figma, our most critical design tool. Figma AI:  The new AI capabilities in Figma are particularly intriguing. Features like generating UI mocks, images, prototypes, and contextual layer renaming promise to streamline our design process. We're excited to explore how these tools can be applied practically in our projects. Figma Slides:  Figma's bold move into the presentation space with Figma Slides is noteworthy. Challenging established tools like PowerPoint and Google Slides, Figma Slides offers advanced editing tools, AI writing assistance, and interactive features. We're keen to see how this evolves and how we can leverage it for our design presentations. Attending Config 2024 has been incredibly valuable for our team. Jay Fienberg, Mariyam Elshrief, Claire Barth, and Ola Hirszler, feel free to call out some of your favorite learnings from the event! Let's embrace these innovations and see where they take us! #Design #Figma #Config2024 #Innovation #AI #Networking #TeamGrowth

19

2 Comments

I’m going through an iterative design process with a XFN team right now. We know we’re solving the right problem because we get repeadted validation that the value prop aligns to user needs, but the experience doesn’t provide that outcome in an easy/intuitive way. So we iterate and iterate some more, each time finding ways to better achieve the outcomes we’re targeting. This process is messy. You learn that your initial assumption were off so you lean on failure to improve incrementally. It means as a designer you need to be vulnerable…that it’s not about you providing all “the answers” to your team in a beautifully packaged deck/speck. You need to show what’s “behind the curtain” and bring them along during your process. Show your thinking and learn to interpret feedback. Approach everything as a hypothesis, remain curious, explore and share.

8

5 Comments

Great insights on design leadership with solid examples of results.

7

1 Comment

Had to share this thoughtful article about the conflicting feelings we have as designers with new AI tools.... made me consider the threat of too much standardization over innovation, or letting your own creative instincts atrophy. Check it out and lmk your thoughts

4