This week, we catch up with Haraldur Thorleifsson, the founder, CEO, and social media intern at Ueno. In today's conversation, we cover everything from burnout to why designers should be thinking about solving more meaningful problems. We dig into the current and future plans for Ueno, the function of beauty in design, whether Halli wants to be famous, and finding catharsis on Twitter. And as always, we share some cool things like a TV show, a book, and yet-to-be-released physical products. Foll...
Sep 18, 2019•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 315
This week, we answer a couple listener questions—which design automation tools we use and how to efficiently look for a job—and rattle off a few things we'd like to see announced at the September Apple Event. And as always, we share a couple cool things like a 64-button mashup and a state-of-the-art mouse. Follow-up: Rafa and Kevin are back from summer vacation with a new episode of Layout ! Apple Event Preview: Whoops! Marshall goofed; the Micro LED screen was rumored for the 2020 Apple Watch ,...
Sep 11, 2019•53 min•Ep. 314
In today's episode, Diana Mounter, who manages the design infrastructure at GitHub, helps us dive deep into a listener question about the role and expectations of a design systems manager. And we have a big round of cool things this week, including three books, an album, and a plugin. Follow-up: Keaton Taylor lolled pretty hard at our dumb 311 references. It was all worth it. Thanks for leaving questions for us at the Design Details repo ! Interview: Diana Mounter manages the design infrastructu...
Sep 04, 2019•58 min•Ep. 313
This week, we answer a few listener questions, including what constitutes a good visual design experience, when to put case studies on your site, and when to battle bureaucracy at the office. And as always, we share some cool things, like a couple interesting YouTube channels, one that reviews visual effects and one that makes gaming documentaries. Follow-up: Video: "311 - Amber" Frosted tips The show Marshall recommended last episode is actually called "Mindhunter" , singular, not "Mindhunters,...
Aug 28, 2019•32 min•Ep. 312
In today's episode we catch up with Skyler Balbus, the Director of Product Design at Postlight. We dig into what it means to build products within the agency model, the decision to move from working in-house to working with clients, and how to build a culture where designers can experiment freely. Skyler also shares her ideas for how to build a strong design culture within an agency, tips for junior designers in the hiring process, and ways to build effective feedback loops within an organizatio...
Aug 21, 2019•54 min•Ep. 311
This week, we look at how a product designer's career advances. We discuss the common themes and growth areas that companies use to measure progression, suggest questions you can ask yourself to assess your progress, read through some of your replies on the subject, and offer up several resources for diving deeper and learning more. And as always, we share a couple cool things, like a typeface designed for UI and an app to budget your money. Follow-up: 🎉 It's Marshall's one-year podiversary 🎉 ...
Aug 14, 2019•38 min•Ep. 310
This week, we answer a couple listener questions, including how to get started learning design as a developer and how to reconcile icons on different platforms. In News, we discuss the launch of Figma Plugins, and as always, we share a couple cool things, like gourmet junk food and vaporwave jams. Follow-up: Pro Tip: Listen to Design Details at ~1.25x speed. It's more tolerable, we promise :) Divya Tak is Marshall's kindred internet spirit Jeff Cannata got his start on the Totally Rad Show on Re...
Aug 07, 2019•37 min•Ep. 309
This week, we take an early look at the fourth iOS 13 Developer Beta and discuss some of the new features, interactions, and patterns we've noticed. We also answer a few listener questions, including how big a prototype should be, when to expand your skillset, and how to intentionally grow as a designer. And as always, we a share a couple cool things, like a prolific Quora answerer and a novel series discovered through an online class. Followup "It Depends." merch might actually happen, so... Ma...
Jul 31, 2019•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 308
In today's episode we dig into two listener questions about when to use toggles versus checkboxes, and the current state of accessibility in product design. We also share a big milestone for the podcast, get caught up on some news, and as always, share our cool finds of the week. Followup We've crossed 5 million total downloads on Design Details! Thank you all for listening along with us for all these years 💜 News Friend of the pod Kevin Gutowski created a Sketch plugin, Truncat . Truncat helps...
Jul 24, 2019•40 min•Ep. 307
This week, we welcome to the show Michie Cao, formerly of Twitter and currently the sole designer at Sisu. Michie tells us all about her experience of working at both a large corporation and a small startup, and she shares some pros and cons of each situation along with some great advice for solo designers. And as always, we end the show with a few cool things, like a pair of music videos, the new coloring for adults, and a podcast about one breathtaking man. Sponsor: >> Want to become a s...
Jul 17, 2019•56 min•Ep. 306
This week, we keep it short and answer a few listener questions, including how to align text to a grid, how to handle an interview at a company that uses dark patterns, and how to account for suboptimal company processes when assembling portfolio work. And as always, we share a couple cool things like a pair of crazy tech gloves and some award-winning coffee paraphernalia. Sponsor: >> Want to become a sponsor of Design Details yourself? Email brian@spec.fm or sarah@spec.fm to get started :...
Jul 10, 2019•31 min•Ep. 305
This week, we welcome to the show Stacy La, formerly of Clover Health and currently the product and design lead on the Prevent Epidemics Team at Resolve to Save Lives. Stacy shares with us some of the challenges and triumphs of building a large design team from scratch, and we get into the details of designing for such serious, high-stakes product areas. And as always, we end the show with a few cool things, like a guide to creativity, a channel that answers interesting questions, and a subscrip...
Jul 03, 2019•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 304
This week, inspired by a tweet from Daniel Burka, we tackle the thorny but important question of who is ultimately accountable for the implementation of a product's dark patterns. Is Design responsible? Engineering? Leadership? All of the above? In Listener Questions, we answer how to design on an iPad and how to apply an even grid to an odd screen. And as always, we share a couple cool things like some SVG icons and a modded Apple TV remote. Follow-up: Our apologies for butchering the name of A...
Jun 26, 2019•56 min•Ep. 303
This week, we answer a few listener questions, including the difference between the philosophies behind the Android and iOS design systems and why we prefer an 8pt grid. In News, Brian gives a quick rundown on Figma's new Plugins Beta. And as always, we share a couple cool things like some isometric dioramas and a modular key and wallet system. Sponsor: >> Want to become a sponsor of Design Details yourself? Email brian@spec.fm or sarah@spec.fm to get started :) This week's episode is brou...
Jun 19, 2019•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 302
This week we reflect on 300 episodes of Design Details. We recount the origin story, answering listener questions as we go about how we've managed to maintain the schedule for so long, the high and low points, and future plans for the podcast. And as always, we share a couple cool things like a new music discovery app and Marshall's favorite book of all time. Sponsor: >> Want to become a sponsor of Design Details yourself? Email brian@spec.fm or sarah@spec.fm to get started :) This week's ...
Jun 12, 2019•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 301
This week, we answer a listener question about the balance of being both a manager and an individual contributor, which leads to some more existential conversation about sharing what we think we know and the fear of being wrong loudly in public. And as always, we share a couple cool things like a Marvel movie pitch and an addictive reality show (and Marshall shares the rough skeleton of his screenplay idea). Sponsor: >> Want to become a sponsor of Design Details yourself? Email brian@spec....
Jun 05, 2019•1 hr•Ep. 300
This week, we answer a listener question about designing a design curriculum and another about where the line is between a visual redesign and an experience redesign. And as always, we share a couple cool things like a playlist of experts and an action film series. Sponsor: >> Want to become a sponsor of Design Details yourself? Email brian@spec.fm or sarah@spec.fm to get started :) This week's episode is brought to you by Dribbble Hang Time NYC With more than 25 talks, workshops, and inti...
May 29, 2019•45 min•Ep. 299
This week, we take a break from talking about high-level design problems and dive into the specific struggles we find ourselves running into lately, including pushing through the last ten percent, maintaining multiple realities, gaining stakeholder buy-in, and designing around moving targets. And as always, we share a couple cool things like a science-fiction page-turner and a thought-provoking video series. Sponsor: >> Want to become a sponsor of Design Details yourself? Email brian@spec....
May 22, 2019•56 min•Ep. 298
This week we dig into the latest and greatest announcements from this year's Google I/O. We talk through our top highlights like new privacy controls, Android Q improvements, and a solid new budget Pixel phone. And as always, we share our cool finds of the week, like a behind-the-scenes feature film on the creation of God of War, and a news application to help you read and understand what's happening in the world. Sponsor: >> Want to become a sponsor of Design Details yourself? Email brian...
May 15, 2019•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 297
This week, we discuss the usefulness of public design critiques, given Brian's eventful week of tweeting stuff. Then we dive deep on the new Facebook redesign, especially the details of the desktop version. And as always, we share a couple cool things like a financial app and a sneaker channel. Sponsor: >> Want to become a sponsor of Design Details yourself? Email brian@spec.fm or sarah@spec.fm to get started :) This week's episode is brought to you by Abstract Abstract is design workflow ...
May 08, 2019•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 296
This week, we welcome Tea Chang, a UX Designer working on League of Legends at Riot Games, to talk about designing user experiences for gamers. At the end of the show, Tea sticks around for a long, spoiler-filled discussion of Avengers: Endgame . In Follow-up, we read and respond to your feedback regarding the cover art concept from last week. And as always, we share a few cool things, like a video series about movies, some state-specific branding, and a little indie film about superheroes. Spoi...
May 01, 2019•1 hr 48 min•Ep. 295
This week, we bring back the Fight Me segment with a debate on the usefulness of augmented reality in apps. Is it a gimmick or not? In Follow-up, we debut a proposal for our new cover art, and we shout out Linzi Berry's latest blog post. And as always, we share a couple cool things like an addictive game and a bizarre novel. Cover photo by Niantic via The Verge Follow-up: If you missed last week's episode with Linzi Berry , give it a listen Erik Bro shared the episode with his fellow designers a...
Apr 24, 2019•38 min•Ep. 294
This week, we welcome to the show Linzi Berry, a manager on Lyft's design system. Linzi enlightens us on how to implement, maintain, enforce, evangelize, and roll out a design system, and we discuss her super informative design blog, Tap to Dismiss. In Follow-up, we debate some Episode 300 suggestions, revisit the Figma UI refresh, and shout out a quality-of-life improvement in Sketch 54. And as always, we (all three of us!) share some cool things, including a historic photo, a video to help und...
Apr 17, 2019•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 293
This week, we discuss Figma's UI redesign, the public response to it, and how to effectively communicate negative feedback to both companies and colleagues. In Follow-up, Brian has an update on a previous Cool Thing, we read some listener feedback (all positive, phew!), and Marshall shares his choice of AirPower replacement. And as always, we share a couple cool things, like a fellow designer's website and a new music album. Sponsor: >> Want to become a sponsor of Design Details yourself? ...
Apr 10, 2019•47 min•Ep. 292
This week, we answer listener questions, including how to transition from engineering to product design, how to wrap up before moving to a new company, and what we think of apps that allow you to change the launch icon. In Follow-up, we read some listener feedback about last episode, and Marshall fills in a couple details on his file organization tips. In News, we lament the untimely death of AirPower (rip rip). And as always, we share a couple cool things like a sci-fi movie and a sci-fi book t...
Apr 03, 2019•43 min•Ep. 291
This week, Marshall offers a few simple tips for tidying up your source files, and we answer a listener question about when to move on from a company. In News, we shout out a new resource from the maker of Laws of UX. And as always, we share a couple cool things like a browser for neoworkers and an article about the Omnibox. Follow-up: Last week, Marshall recommended the Philips Sonicare DiamondClean 9500 Electric Toothbrush Brian doesn't think it's worth the money, unless you're into Mercedes-B...
Mar 27, 2019•51 min•Ep. 290
This week, we answer a listener question about articulating design rationale during presentations. We also shared some exciting news from the Sketch team and recapped feedback from last week's episode where we pulled back the curtain on Design Details. And as always, we share a couple cool things like a fancy toothbrush and a web app to make your own generative art. Sponsor: This week's episode is brought to you by Abstract Abstract is design workflow management for modern design teams. With Abs...
Mar 20, 2019•48 min•Ep. 289
This week, we pull back the curtain on Design Details itself and share how we think about iterating toward a better podcast. In Follow-up, we hear back about our Spectre critique from last episode, and we discover listeners do listen until the end. And as always, we share a couple cool things like a fancy toilet seat and a design interview FAQ. Sponsor: This week's episode is brought to you by Abstract Abstract is design workflow management for modern design teams. With Abstract, you can bring y...
Mar 13, 2019•34 min•Ep. 288
This week, we kindly critique the design details of Spectre, a new app from the folks behind Halide. In Follow-up, we discuss knowing when to shut up in a negotiation, and in Industry Talk, we debate when it's okay to break the rules of affordances. And as always, we share a couple cool things like a new home and some wild music videos. Sponsor: This week's episode is brought to you by Abstract Abstract is design workflow management for modern design teams. With Abstract, you can bring your desi...
Mar 06, 2019•44 min•Ep. 287
This week, we discuss spoken accents, answer a listener question about salary negotiations, and Marshall dives deep into the design of Apex Legends. And as always, we share a couple cool things, like a hip hop musical and a way to bring joy back to your Twitter timeline. Intro: Jak McCormack wants us to attempt English accents. No thank you, Jak 😜 "That's bait" Follow-up: Anton Osipov shared a helpful visual for using a unit-based vertical baseline. Zain Khoja shared studentswho.design , a podc...
Feb 27, 2019•58 min•Ep. 286
