Keys to craft: Supercutâs playbook for design excellence
Over the last few months one product has risen to the top of my inspiration list⊠ăSupercut (https://supercut.ai/)The point of this episode is to figure out what it takes to consistently reach that level of excellence.How do you maintain that level of attention to detail while preserving the speed that you need to hit when going 0 -> 1 on a new product?This week's episode is with David (https://x.com/okuiux?lang=en) and [Neil](https://x.com/neiltak) the cofounders of Supercut which has quickly become one of my favorite pieces of software in my stack.So we're going deep into how they work, how they think about product, and all of the little decisions they make that together create a truly excellent user experience. đ- When design works in Figma vs. in code- How AI + small teams changes the design process- Supercutâs playbook for achieving design excellence- Strategies for weaving AI into the fabric of a product- Specific examples of how they sweat the details with animations- Float (https://float.build/)- Supercut (https://supercut.ai/)- Soleio (https://x.com/soleio)- Typeform (https://www.typeform.com/try/typeformbrand?&tf_campaign=US_CA-Brand-Core-English-Combined+Exact-Negs-US_23072929907&tf_source=google&tf_medium=paid&tf_content=187015558460_712286961333&tf_term=typeform&tf_dv=c&tf_matchtype=e&tf_location=9191275&gad_campaignid=23072929907&gbraid=0AAAAADLdz00gdIHfhkPP72sgfJ9L3UUg_)
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Rooz Mahdavian - Designing frontier interfaces at Neuralink and Apple
Weâre talking about craft in B2B SaaS... but what is it like designing for frontier interfaces like the Apple watch or even neural interfaces?We find out in this weekâs episode with Rooz Mahdavian. (https://x.com/roozm)Heâs the design engineer at Neuralink so we're about to get pretty nerdy and talk about what itâs like designing an experience that allows someone to use a computer with just their mind.The level of detail and first-principles design thinking is truly impressive.Some highlights:- What it looks like to design for delight in neural interfaces- What Neuralink is looking for in their 2nd design engineer role- What it takes to design frontier interfaces at Apple and Neuralink- The evolution from Apple Watch Siri face to brain-computer interfaces- Roozâs vision for âdaydreaming with computersâ and direct visual imagery transfer- Reimagining a cursor for a neural interface - from color-based feedback to circular reticles- + a lot more- Apple Watch Faces team (https://www.youtube.com/embed/oaqHdULqet0?start=585&end=705&autoplay=1&controls=0)- Siri Watch Face (intern project that shipped) (https://www.youtube.com/embed/oaqHdULqet0?start=585&end=705&autoplay=1&controls=0)- Neuralink (https://neuralink.com/) - brain computer interface company- Blindside - Neuralinkâs vision restoration project (https://neuralink.com/trials/visual-prosthesis/)
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Escha Vera - Designing Perplexityâs Comet and Using AI Like an Artist
Imagine itâs your first day as a designer at Perplexity... and the VP of Design hands you the keys for their all-new AI browser, [Comet](https://www.perplexity.ai/comet).Thatâs the story for [Escha Vera](https://x.com/eschadiol).So this weekâs episode is a deep dive into her design process and what it looks like to use AI like an artist.- How she designed Comet onboarding experience- Creating generative invite codes using multiple AI tools- How she created the Perplexity design system from scratch- How she productized AI without leading with chat interfaces or prompts- What are her principles for designing AI experiences that prioritize usability- + a lot more- [Soleio](https://www.dive.club/deep-dives/soleio-2) sent the intro to [Henry Modisett](https://www.dive.club/deep-dives/henry-modisett)- She worked at [Descript](https://x.com/descriptapp) before joining [Perplexity](https://x.com/perplexity_ai)- Previously worked on [Daylight Computer](https://x.com/daylightco) and Motif- Collaborating with [Phi Hong](https://www.dive.club/deep-dives/phi-hoang) on branding at Perplexity- Uses [Suno](https://suno.com/home?wpsrc=Google%20AdWords&wpcid=22042553892&wpscid=173890219393&wpcrid=726251362516&wpkwid=kwd-2827037661&wpkwn=suno&wpkmatch=e&wpsnetn=g&gad_campaignid=22042553892&gbraid=0AAAAA9pWpduFan7icL90FczgyQploCsYi) for music generation and remixing
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Carl Rivera - Shopifyâs big bet on design and craft as the differentiator
What does the perfect e-commerce platform look like in an AI era?Thatâs the question Shopifyâs Chief Design Officer Carl Rivera has set out to answer so this weekâs episode is all about Shopifyâs big bet on design and craft as the ultimate differentiator.We go deep into:- What happens when AI makes everyone a 7/10 designer- What most design teams get wrong when casting vision- How design can lead the creation of truly native AI experiences- Why every designer at Shopify is learning to ship to production- Carlâs thesis for why designers are severely undervalued in the market- Why Shopify acquired Molly Studio and what it means for how the org works- + a lot morehttps://www.molly.studio/ - design studio acquired by Shopify
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Catt Small - How staff designers build influence and lead as ICs
Only a select few have multiple episodes on Dive Club and today Catt Small joins the ranks.She has a gift for turning messy ideas into practical next steps so itâs no wonder her Staff Designer course is one of the top-rated on Maven.In this episode we go deep into all of the ways you can make an impact by building influence on your team and effectively casting vision for your product.Some highlights:The 2 ways to measure your influenceStrategies for getting distribution for your ideasHow to select the ideal format for casting a visionStorytelling tactics used by the best staff designersHow to strategically invest in workplace relationshipsWhat Catt learned while interviewing staff designers for her new bookâ Get $100 off Cattâs course: Staff Designer: Influence & Lead as an Individual Contributorâ Get 15% off pre-orders for her new book: The Staff Designer
Where designers never stop learning đȘDive Club is an interview series hosted by Ridd that is designed to unlock knowledge from today's most prolific designers. We go deep into craft, storytelling, tools, design engineering, startups, and much more.You can find all of the episodes, key takeaways, and bonus resources here đ Dive.club