087: On Good Design and Engineering Collaboration with Sam Garson

We wrap up season 6 by reflecting on the inescapable AI topic that pervaded this season. We also share what we loved about our great guest episodes this season, as well as our favourite AI products. Thanks so much for listening to and supporting our podcast. We look forward to being back for season 7!Subscribe to our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linkedin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Just the two of us this week for a cozy chat about a question that keeps circling back: what actually makes a product well designed, now that anyone can build almost anything? We get into intentionality, what design interviews are actually assessing right now, and whether you can still tell a human-made design from a machine-made one. Happy listening! ☕️Subscribe to our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linkedin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

This week, Trev Morris, a seasoned product designer, shares his insights on systems thinking, design systems, and the impact of AI on design processes. We discuss practical frameworks, the role of design systems as force multipliers, and how AI tools are shaping the future of design work.Happy listening! ☕️Subscribe to our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linkedin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

In this episode, we sit down with Sam Garson, an engineer by trade, to talk about what good design and engineering collaboration actually looks like in practice. We get into psychological safety, why functional handoffs break teams, the importance of soft skills, and what it takes to build a team where designers and engineers have high trust for each other.Grab a coffee and happy listening! ☕Subscribe to our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linkedin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.New episode every other Wednesday.

We explore the integration of AI into design workflows, and how tools such as Claude and Figma Make can enhance ideation, prototyping, and collaboration. Our chat highlights the importance of balancing AI use with human interaction, the evaluation of AI outputs, and the need for us designers to actively engage with AI to maximise its potential. We also talk about the challenges and limitations of AI tools and encourage our listeners to experiment with AI in your design processes.Happy listening! ☕️Subscribe to our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linkedin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

In this episode, we sit down with Archie Tep, a design leader who spent seven years as Head of Design before stepping back into an IC role. We talk about what it really takes to be a good manager, why going back to IC is brutal if you've lost touch with the craft, and what that transition actually looks like in 2026.Grab a coffee and happy listening! ☕Subscribe to our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linkedin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.New episode every other Wednesday.

In this episode, we tackle the myth of the 'dead' design process, exploring how adaptable and context-dependent it truly is. We dissect misconceptions fueled by advancements and trends in AI and vibe coding. And we champion the importance of a flexible, question-driven approach to design, which ultimately results in the best process. Enjoy our chat! ☕️Subscribe to our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linkedin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

We're finally back for season 6! Today, we kick off our new season with a general chitchat about the state of the design industry in 2026. In the recent months, we have all observed and felt the deep changes that AI brought to our ways of working and tooling stack. Grab a coffee and happy listening! ☕️ Subscribe to our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linkedin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.New episode every other Tuesday.

We reflect a little bit on the challenges and successes of Season Five before taking a nice, long summer break. For season 6, we're planning on updating our format a little bit. Thank you so much to all our listeners, we look forward to continuing in the autumn!

In episode 83, we unpack the often uncomfortable, but essential, topic of visibility at work for designers. From the challenges of self-promotion to navigating cultural dynamics and finding the right moments to share your impact, we share practical tactics for making your work seen. ☕️ Grab some coffee and listen to us talk about visibility as designers. Subscribe to our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linkedin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.New episode every other Tuesday.