Design Details

Latest Episodes:

12: Topsoil Decisions (feat. Ryan Sims) Mar 23, 2015

Show notes

This past week we sat down with Ryan Sims, the former head of design at Rdio. We caught up with him about his latest career change as he heads to Adobe, what it was like growing the design team at Rdio and what it means to have a design mentor.

This was an insightful episode, and we hope you all enjoy! If you have feedback or suggestions please don't hesitate to reach us on Twitter at @designdetailsfm or email us directly!

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Ryan on the Web:

Show Notes:

3:00 - We catch up with Ryan on his latest adventures in funemployment.

9:00 - a mispronunciation kicks off a backstory of Ryan's journey at Rdio.

15:00 - A brief diversion into Ryan's latest music.

18:00 - We chat branding, Vdio and working at a music startup.

21:00 - Ryan explains his path to get into Rdio and how he managed a growing design team.

Ryan Sims on The Great Discontent

42:00 - The two traits that Ryan looks for in a designer.

@mtowber

53:00 - Ryan explains his views on design mentors and why he wished he'd had one.

1:06:00 - How do you navigate a career transition?

11: Artisanal Fitness (feat. Erika Hall) Mar 16, 2015

Show notes

This week we caught up with Erika Hall, co-founder of Mule Design and author of Just Enough Research. We dive deep into a handful of topics, from user research to gender in tech, from the Apple Watch to the evolution of San Francisco culture - we had a lot of fun recording this one!

If you have feedback or suggestions please don't hesitate to reach us on Twitter at @designdetailsfm or email us directly!

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Erika on the Web:

Show Notes:

3:00 - We catch up with Erika to learn about design research.

8:00 - What are some of the myths of design and research?

Steve Jobs building NeXT

16:00 - Has Mule ever considered launching original products?

1:17:00 - Plugs!

Bonus Episode: Apple Watch Watch 2015 Mar 10, 2015

Show notes

Today we're excited to release a special bonus episode of the Design Details Podcast! After today's Apple Watch event we grabbed Sam Soffes to chat about the implications for us as designers and what the watch means for app design going into the future.

This is our first "bonus episode" and we'd love to hear your thoughts! We're excited to explore more weekly episodes in the future but we want to make sure we get the content and format just right. If you have feedback or suggestions on this style, give us a shout on Twitter at @designdetailsfm!

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10: Tiny Nuggets of Delight (feat. Tim Van Damme) Mar 09, 2015

Show notes

This week we caught up with Tim Van Damme, an amazing designer who has been a part of some of our favorite products including Instagram and Dropbox. For this hour we chat about Tim's past experience in design, working on Mailbox, Dribbble and the future of design/technology. We had a lot of fun with this show and we hope you all enjoy the conversation!

If you have feedback or suggestions please don't hesitate to reach us on Twitter at @designdetailsfm or email us directly!

Sponsors:

Iconfinder (use promo code 'ROBOT' for 50% off your first month!)
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Tim on the Web:

Show Notes:

2:00 - We dig a bit into Tim's past interview experiences and first steps into the design world.

14:00 - Tim talks about taking breaks and disconnecting.

20:00 - What it's like working on Mailbox for Mac; Tim tells us about his personal style.

Mailbox

27:00 - We get into the ethos of UI design, talking about the details and emotional design.

37:00 - Let's talk Dribbble.

48:00 - We chat about the current state of user interfaces and what the next big leap will be.

55:00 - What will be the next breakthrough in input mechanisms?

Paralysed woman flies F-35 fighter jet using only her mind

1:03:00 - We chat about email as a communication method and what's next for Mailbox.

Email is the Worst

1:05:00

Little Big Details on Dropbox

9: When Did the Marketing Department Get Here? (feat. Paul Stamatiou and Avi Cieplinski) Mar 02, 2015

Show notes

For Episode 9, we had our first chat with two guests! This time we caught up with Paul Stamatiou and Avi Cieplinski from the Photo and Video Team at Twitter. We covered a lot this week - chatting about prototyping, wearables, design process and what it's like to work at Twitter and Apple!

If you have feedback or suggestions please don't hesitate to reach us on Twitter at @designdetailsfm or email us directly!

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Paul on the Web:

Avi on the Web:

Twitter

Show Notes:

2:00 - We sat down with Paul and Avi to chat about what they've been working on.

6:00 - The importance of sharing the design process in public.

Building Twitter Video

16:00 - We dive a bit deeper into prototyping at big tech companies.

21:00 - We dig a bit into Paul's background as a designer.

Paul's blog

53:00 - The conversation makes a quick transition into past startups and fun Twitter spin-off products.

Super
#IDARB
twiDAQ (incorrectly called Twitstock on air)

1:00:00 - Do you have a design philosophy?

1:07:00 - We dig into some of the hiring processes in place at Twitter.

8: Deathly Allergic to Avocado (feat. Chloe Park) Feb 23, 2015

Show notes

Episode 8 everyone! This week we sat down with the lovely Chloe Park, an experience designer making things happen at OpenTable. We chat about everything from the design process at OpenTable to Chloe's biggest problems with relationships in tech. This was a fun episode for us to record and we hope you enjoy it!

If you have feedback or suggestions please don't hesitate to reach us on Twitter at @designdetailsfm or email us directly!

Sponsors:

Iconfinder (use promo code 'ROBOT' for 50% off your first month!)
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Chloe Park on the Web:

Show Notes:

2:00 - We catch up with Chloe on everything she's working on at OpenTable.

OpenTable

7:00 - What's the design process at OpenTable?

23:00 - Chloe shares a "project" she's working on...

Keezy

7: VP of Unnecessary Redesign (feat. Cap Watkins) Feb 16, 2015

Show notes

This week we caught up with Cap Watkins, the recently-appointed VP of design at BuzzFeed. We picked Cap's brain about hiring designers, A/B testing, beard-growing, East Coast design and more. Oh, and robo-horses!

If you have feedback or suggestions please don't hesitate to reach us on Twitter at @designdetailsfm or email us directly!

Sponsors:

Weebly and their Dribbble team
Hover (use promo code 'bragdriven' to save on your first order!)

Cap Watkins on the Web:

Show Notes:

02:00 - Cap tells us what he's been up to lately.

03:00 - We explore life as a designer on the East Coast.

Bagel.io - unregistered!
Kim Bost

11:30 - Cap Watkins: VP of Unnecessary Redesign.

Two Weeks at BuzzFeed

15:00 - We explore a bit about the hiring decisions being made at BuzzFeed.

18:00 - What prototyping tools are you using?

28:30 - What does it mean to be a VP of design?

32:00 - We learn some management advice for designers.

37:00 - We get down with some chef biographies.

52:00 - We get back to the biggest challenges of hiring designers and some of the most common mistakes people make when applying for a design job.

Dribbblification of Design

59:00 - Cap shares his process as a designer.

1:09:00 - Winding things down, here's where you can find Cap.

6: Down the Stuffed Rabbit Hole (feat. Marissa Louie) Feb 09, 2015

Show notes

This week we hung out with Marissa Louie - a rather prolific designer, activist, and creator who has worked on many of our favorite products at places like Apple, Yahoo, Ness Computing, and Wanelo, among others. We discussed everything from teddy bears to social justice - and the profound impact of emotional design.

If you have feedback or suggestions please don't hesitate to reach us on Twitter at @designdetailsfm or email us directly!

Sponsors:

Weebly and their Dribbble team
InVision

Marissa Louie on the Web:

Show Notes:

01:05 - Marissa's "Origin Story"

15:45 - How did you transition into building stuffed animals?

Bear Ball

30:00 - What's a product with a really great experience?

Wanelo

32:00 - Bringing emotion to data-driven products

35:00 - Designers Guild

44:00 - How can designers best help people?

Flyers
Designers care about people / affect emotions
Neili (Jones) LeCarol

52:00 - BearBear + charity

World Wildlife Fund

5: Squeeze in Some Meat with Your Candy (feat. Gabriel Valdivia) Feb 02, 2015

Show notes

This week we had a chat with Gabriel Valdivia, a Product Designer at Facebook. He's a close friend and a remarkable designer best known for his work at Automatic. We had a great time chatting about a lot of Gabe's favorite things - from prototyping to Serial to meat/candy hybrids.

If you have feedback or suggestions please don't hesitate to reach us on Twitter at @designdetailsfm or email us directly!

Sponsors:

Weebly and their Dribbble team
InVision

Gabe Valdivia on the Web:

Show Notes:

01:45 - Gabe tells us about his upcoming Facebook adventure in London

Facebook London

05:45 - Does the design culture at Facebook encourage bold new ideas?

Slingshot

07:05 - Gabe shares about his transition from startup life to big corporation

Automatic

17:30 - We learn a bit more about Facebook's latest experimental apps

25:00 - What are the prototyping tools being used at Facebook?

37:00 - How do you design an emotional experience?

Designing Happiness

45:00 - Jay did it

Serial Podcast

60:00 - Gabe shares about a meaningful mentor in his life

Margaret Stewart Twitter

4: Meatspace User Onboarding (feat. Kristy Tillman) Jan 26, 2015

Show notes

This week we caught up with Kristy Tillman, a former designer at IDEO who now leads the design charge at Society of Grownups. We had a great time chatting across a huge range of topics, from diversity in tech to meatspace user onboarding!

If you have feedback or suggestions please don't hesitate to reach us on Twitter at @designdetailsfm or email us directly!

Sponsors:

Weebly (and their Dribbble team)
Hover (use coupon code "thatshouldbeaplugin" to save 10% on your first purchase)

Kristy Tillman on the Web:

Show Notes:

00:00 - We catch up with Kristy about what she's working on

07:00 - We explore some of Kristy's work in helping marginalized communities, including why there's less diversity in tech

15:30 - Kristy adds context to explaining why there are fewer prominent female designers

19:00 - We circled back around to talk about Kristy's current work at Society of Grownups

36:30 - Kristy explains some of the challenges in hiring for designers and developers on the East Coast

Christopher Michon

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