Design Details

This week, we recall our most recent “wow” moments with the products in our lives. What are yours? In The Sidebar, we talk about different loading state strategies and their impact on the user experience. 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...

This week, we talk about design mentorship: what does an effective mentor do, how to find a mentor, how to avoid giving bad career advice, and more. In The Sidebar, we talk about obsessing over the pixels, wasting time on unimportant details, and how to tell the difference between polish and procrastination. Golden Ratio Supporters: Plume empowers a billion smart devices in homes and small busines...

This week, we talk about how we combat perfectionism in our side projects, the value of shipping, and why sharing a project too early can backfire. In the Sidebar, we recap Apple’s September event with our hot takes and spicy opinions. 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. T...

This week, we follow up on last week’s conversation about designing at agencies, hiring contractors, Yelp’s app icons, and Bock’s Constant. In the Sidebar, we talk about designing with your mind’s eye and how learning to brain-prototype will help fast-track your growth as a designer. Latest VIP Patrons: Darion Xinran Wang Ólafur Sverrir Kjartansson Adam Collier Genghis Mendoza Moj Andrei Slobtsov...

This week, we compare agency vs. in-house design work, dissect the tradeoffs, and share interview tips for anyone moving from an agency to a product company. In The Sidebar, we share our favorite Keynote tips and tricks and our top strategy for telling a more clear story in a deck. Sponsor: Baronfig makes tools for thinkers: guided journals, simple notebooks, writing instruments, bags, desk organi...

This week, we talk about Twitter’s new follow buttons. Are they a mistake? Or a fix for something broken that we’d all become used to? Our opinions on buttons emerge! In The Sidebar, we talk about what to do with time off. Sponsor: Baronfig makes tools for thinkers: guided journals, simple notebooks, writing instruments, bags, desk organizers, travel accessories, and more. Their products are beaut...

This week, we talk about Yelp’s new logo and app icons, Apple’s new child safety initiatives, and the miniature masterpieces of the Olympic pictograms. In the Sidebar, we curate practical negotiation tips, strategies, and concepts to help you through a job change. Sponsor: Baronfig makes tools for thinkers: guided journals, simple notebooks, writing instruments, bags, desk organizers, travel acces...

This week, we talk about the new Pixel 6 announcement, how it stacks up against the competition, and what we’re most excited about. In The Sidebar, we share our design regrets: things we shipped that ended up being mistakes in hindsight. Sponsor: Baronfig makes tools for thinkers: guided journals, simple notebooks, writing instruments, bags, desk organizers, travel accessories, and more. Their pro...

This week, we dig into questions like: who should design a team’s visual style guide? And: who should break a tie in subjective aesthetic arguments? In The Sidebar, we share our tips and strategies for succeeding as a new designer in a large organization. Latest VIP Patrons: Max Kaplun Dave Michael Schultz MJ Zach Ouderkerken Chris Doner Michelle Luo Anton Demetruis Nate Ulrich Cindy Rhodes Tobias...

This week, we talk about the new Microsoft emoji, a cool Android 12 feature, the joy of watching Apple iterate in public, and the new “King of Buttons” aka the Steam Deck. In The Sidebar, we talk about the challenge of having work that is NDA-locked, or never shipped at all. Latest VIP Patrons: Alex Dylan Raphael Lee Karina Kedo Justin Stahl The Sidebar: The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment...

This week, we talk with Justin Stahl about visual design and craft, the impact of design systems and tools on the visual landscape, tactical tips for a stronger design interview, and much more. In The Sidebar, we ask Justin about the best advice he’s ever received, becoming a manager, and knowing when it’s time to switch teams. Latest VIP Patrons: Matt Turpin Nushaine Ferdinand Paul Hernandez Chan...

This week, we talk about the confidence gradient, how we’ve built confidence over time, and the funny circumstances that can take us out of our element. In The Sidebar, we share our first impressions of Windows 11 and talk about the growing convergence of operation system designs. Golden Ratio Supporter: Around Around is a better way to video call. It’s designed specifically to make it easier to g...

This week, we dig into the best way to think about margin and padding in your component system. In The Sidebar, we break down the basics of design advising and angel investing. Golden Ratio Supporter: Around Around is a better way to video call. It’s designed specifically to make it easier to gather small groups together to collaborate in real time, without all the distracting and frustrating inte...

This week, we talk about a ubiquitous design crutch: the three dot menu. We examine the spread of this pattern and discuss potential solutions to avoid it. In The Sidebar, we recap WWDC 2021 and dive deep into our favorite announcements. Golden Ratio Supporter: Around Around is a better way to video call. It’s designed specifically to make it easier to gather small groups together to collaborate i...

This week, we try to answer a simple question: is software ever finished? In The Sidebar, we talk money: compounding, investing, negotiating, planning, and more. Golden Ratio Supporter: Around Around is a better way to video call. It’s designed specifically to make it easier to gather small groups together to collaborate in real time, without all the distracting and frustrating interfaces that com...

This week, we talk about how the framework Strong Opinions, Weakly Held can be used to effectively critique visual design. In The Sidebar, we recap Google I/O 2021, discussing our favorite announcements, Material You, and the wild future of computers. Latest VIP Patrons: Javier Alaves Ash Oliver “Easily pronounceable” Michael Wilkins Mark Lee Zlatan Hajrudinovic Derek Betty Lau Ke Sun Alex Miller...

This week, we dig into two frameworks for leveling up at work: Proof of Curiosity and The Helpful Hierarchy. Whether you’re looking for more accountability, want to stand out in a job interview, or just want to be more intentional with your professional growth, we think these frameworks will help. Golden Ratio Supporter: Around Around is a better way to video call. It’s designed specifically to ma...

This week, we talk about the tension between building what customers explicitly ask for versus building towards a team’s internal vision. In The Sidebar, we talk about the lack of public software critique: Why isn’t there an MKBHD equivalent for software design? Golden Ratio Supporter: Around Around is a better way to video call. It’s designed specifically to make it easier to gather small groups...

This week, we discuss the things we’ve done in our design careers that have had an outsized impact on our professional growth. In The Sidebar, we talk about the anatomy of icons and how that anatomy affects user interfaces. Golden Ratio Supporter: Around Around is a better way to video call. It’s designed specifically to make it easier to gather small groups together to collaborate in real time, w...

It’s event recap week! In this week’s episode we share our reactions to everything announced at Figma’s Config 2021. In The Sidebar, we dig into our favorite updates and the confusing head-scratchers announced at Apple’s Spring Loaded event. Golden Ratio Supporter: Around Around is a better way to video call. It’s designed specifically to make it easier to gather small groups together to collabora...

This week, we caught up with Joey Banks to talk about contributing to open source design. In the Sidebar, we ask Joey bonus questions about ramping up in a new job, the design advocate role, and being Twitter famous. Latest VIP Patrons: Chris Barrett Amanda Liam Mews The Sidebar: The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. You can subscribe starting at $1 per month for a...

This week, we talk about the hidden complexities of a designer’s favorite element: the button. In the Sidebar, we examine interfaces that defer moderation responsibilities onto the end user. Golden Ratio Supporter: Around Thank you to Around , a better way to video call. The product is designed specifically to make it easier to gather small groups to collaborate in real time, without all the distr...

This week, we talk about how to become a more strategic designer: what should you be doing day to day, or thinking about more often? In The Sidebar, we talk about the downsides of using metaphors to describe the role of designers in building software. Golden Ratio Supporter: Around Thank you to Around , a better way to video call. The product is designed specifically to make it easier to gather sm...

This week, we share tips and best practices for senior designers who are presenting their work in a portfolio review. In The Sidebar, we break down the qualities of great typographic hierarchy in interface design. Golden Ratio Supporter: Mailbrew A huge shoutout to Mailbrew for supporting the show this week! Mailbrew is a personal daily digest for all the stuff you care about on the internet. We l...

This week, we catch up with Kathryn Gonzalez, the Head of Design Infrastructure at DoorDash. We talk about building DoorDash’s first design system, how to scale a design systems team, balancing technical and design skills, how to become a better systems designer by learning outside of work, and much more. Golden Ratio Supporters: Mailbrew A huge shoutout to Mailbrew for supporting the show this we...