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3 yrs back when I was relatively new to product design, the High Resolution podcast by Bobby Ghoshal & Jared Erondu had a significant impact on me as a designer. 
I found my old notes from these interviews & I plan to share them here every week.
Here goes thread 1 of 25:
I found my old notes from these interviews & I plan to share them here every week.
Here goes thread 1 of 25:
Ep 01: Katie Dill
1/
Design is more than what you see. It's a toolset to solve any kind of problem, be it an interface problem or be it an organizational structure problem.
1/
Design is more than what you see. It's a toolset to solve any kind of problem, be it an interface problem or be it an organizational structure problem.
2/
People with 'Design' title doesn't necessarily mean that they are the only one who can solve problems.
People with 'Design' title doesn't necessarily mean that they are the only one who can solve problems.
3/
Great designers utilise iterations as a key component while designing. They leave their assumptions at the table, create low fidelity iterations of their idea first and test it out with the end user group to determine if it's working or not.
Great designers utilise iterations as a key component while designing. They leave their assumptions at the table, create low fidelity iterations of their idea first and test it out with the end user group to determine if it's working or not.
4/
Iterations and collaborations are two key components of a Design toolset. Designers should work with other designers in the team and have a sense of 'togetherness'.
Iterations and collaborations are two key components of a Design toolset. Designers should work with other designers in the team and have a sense of 'togetherness'.
5/
A Design team needs a 'facilitator', one who can grab the whiteboard marker in a room and activate the entire room.
A Design team needs a 'facilitator', one who can grab the whiteboard marker in a room and activate the entire room.
6/
Hire various kinds of people & balance out skill sets in a team like you are making the perfect cocktail; not too strong, nor too light. An âş-team or A-team never really works out.
Hire various kinds of people & balance out skill sets in a team like you are making the perfect cocktail; not too strong, nor too light. An âş-team or A-team never really works out.
7/
Look for people who not only have pixels in their portfolio, but for people who can talk about how those pixels contribute to the real-world experiences.
Look for people who not only have pixels in their portfolio, but for people who can talk about how those pixels contribute to the real-world experiences.
8/
It can be hard for a designer to put their heart and soul out through their work and feel that risk of "what if people hate it?". But if you don't try, you will never get to a better solution. The risk can be minimized by including others, prototyping and experimenting.
It can be hard for a designer to put their heart and soul out through their work and feel that risk of "what if people hate it?". But if you don't try, you will never get to a better solution. The risk can be minimized by including others, prototyping and experimenting.
9/
It's better to have designers working in at least a pair in a project, where each of them have various skills, and can benefit one another in their respective weak areas.
It's better to have designers working in at least a pair in a project, where each of them have various skills, and can benefit one another in their respective weak areas.
10/
Create a story to describe your idea, so that the listeners get a visceral image of your idea and can relate to it every time.
Create a story to describe your idea, so that the listeners get a visceral image of your idea and can relate to it every time.
11/
Storyboarding is one of those low fidelity ways of getting an idea of the end solution so you can gain buy-ins, demonstrate direction, get people excited and also prototype it. Infact, it can be done at any stage of the product development process.
Storyboarding is one of those low fidelity ways of getting an idea of the end solution so you can gain buy-ins, demonstrate direction, get people excited and also prototype it. Infact, it can be done at any stage of the product development process.
12/
Always remember to look out for the user's problem before telling a story. Note that, too many stories at a time gets mixed up and people may forget some of them.
Always remember to look out for the user's problem before telling a story. Note that, too many stories at a time gets mixed up and people may forget some of them.
13/
When there is good design, you don't even notice it. Hence, showing people the opposite of 'good-design' can help you convince why design is important for the product/business.
When there is good design, you don't even notice it. Hence, showing people the opposite of 'good-design' can help you convince why design is important for the product/business.
14/
Team structure at Airbnb Design:
⢠Experience Design,
⢠Design Operations,
â˘Â Research, and
⢠Content Strategy.
Team structure at Airbnb Design:
⢠Experience Design,
⢠Design Operations,
â˘Â Research, and
⢠Content Strategy.
15/
As more digital products come along, automation will make tools more robust. This will help designers to think outside the pixels and focus on more important things, like getting involved in the process and thinking about solving human needs.
As more digital products come along, automation will make tools more robust. This will help designers to think outside the pixels and focus on more important things, like getting involved in the process and thinking about solving human needs.
