87: Opinionated vs. flexible software

Anthony interviews Katie about how AI has changed the practice of building and maintaining design systems. Hosts:Anthony Hobday, Generalist Product Designer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/hobdaydesign⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Katie Langerman, Design Systems Designer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/KatieLangerman⁠

Anthony and Katie chat about what makes software opinionated or flexible and offer some examples of products.Hosts:Anthony Hobday, Generalist Product Designer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/hobdaydesign⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Katie Langerman, Design Systems Designer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/KatieLangerman⁠

Anthony and Katie chat about articles written about Cursor's new icon designs.Original article: https://www.minoradventures.co/blog/the-making-of-cursors-iconsInterview with Marek: https://www.casestudy.club/marek-minor-interviewHosts:Anthony Hobday, Generalist Product Designer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/hobdaydesign⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Katie Langerman, Design Systems Designer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/KatieLangerman⁠

How does simplicity differ from minimalism or complexity? Tune in to find out.Articles/books mentioned:Simple web designAnthony's notes on SimplicitySimplicity by Per MollerupHosts:Anthony Hobday, Generalist Product Designer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/hobdaydesign⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Katie Langerman, Design Systems Designer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/KatieLangerman⁠

Anthony and Katie each pick a few interface elements that are really pulling their weight, perhaps more than they should be.Hosts:Anthony Hobday, Generalist Product Designer: ⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/hobdaydesign⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Katie Langerman, Design Systems Designer: ⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/KatieLangerman⁠

Anthony and Katie discuss starting new roles and the process of getting up to speed with visual design styles you may not yet be familiar with.Hosts:Anthony Hobday, Generalist Product Designer: ⁠⁠https://twitter.com/hobdaydesign⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Katie Langerman, Design Systems Designer: ⁠⁠https://twitter.com/KatieLangerman⁠

Talks discussed:Out of sync, on purpose: desktop design after mobile wonThe canvas is not dead ft. Catt Small (Dropbox)The invisible mechanisms in your interfaces ft. Johannes Mutter (mutter.co)Dense by design ft. Matthew Ström-Awn (mu.design)Usernames on Instagram: how a craft fix became an identity crisisEveryone's still eating: building Notion's design systemAnthony's blog post: https://anthonyhobday.com/blog/20230428Hosts:Anthony Hobday, Generalist Product Designer: https://twitter.com/hobdaydesign⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Katie Langerman, Design Technologist: https://twitter.com/KatieLangerman

Anthony and Katie chat with returning guest Jamie Mill about this elements of product design diagram and how he's transferred that concept into an AI agent skill. Check out Jamie's first episode with us, episode 53, for more context on the concepts discussed today.Jamie's elements of product design: https://jamiemill.com/blog/2021-07-10-elements-of-product-design/Layer's skill: https://layers.jamiemill.com/Hosts:Anthony Hobday, Generalist Product Designer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/hobdaydesign⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Katie Langerman, Design Technologist: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/KatieLangerman⁠

Anthony and Katie analyze two versions of an AI generated issue tracking interface.Hosts:Anthony Hobday, Generalist Product Designer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/hobdaydesign⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Katie Langerman, Design Technologist: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/KatieLangerman⁠

Katie and Anthony are joined by Michael Aufreiter, an expert in all things text editing. It turns out that text editing is quite a complex interaction, enough so that we could have gone on another hour discussing it. Check out Michael's work:https://svedit.devhttps://editable.website Hosts:Anthony Hobday, Generalist Product Designer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/hobdaydesign⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Katie Langerman, Design Technologist: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/KatieLangerman⁠