David Robinson

O-M-G. Learn how to craft some seriously refined 3D letters using Affinity in the next Creative Session. Especially for those Designers that have recently downloaded Affinity and still running it through it's paces. You'll pick up essential Affinity illustration skills and tricks in seconds. https://lnkd.in/gYvsrdme #affinity #illustrators #canva

39

Have you heard the news yet? Adobe Express released their new and reimagined mobile app today! Now, anyone can create content on the go and STAY ON BRAND. I was lucky to test the app for months before it was released and let me tell you, the team listened to all our suggestions to make this new release even more powerful. Some of my favorite features are: ✅ Access to brand kits ✅ Generative fill to insert or remove objects ✅ Collaboration on the go AND MY FAVORITE ✳ No longer needing to use other apps to make animations You can download the app for free. To learn more about this release, check out the article below. #ad #adobeexpressambassadors #sponsored #AdobeExpress

23

7 Comments

Tomorrow with Kimberly Elam, "All Systems Go!", focusing on how systemic and geometric patterns informs design decisions, and what that can mean for your Design System. https://lnkd.in/e8DDM3r7

4

My takeaway: same story as with other "copilot" applications. A designer using Figma's AI features > a designer not using Figma's AI features. Automate mundane design tasks and enable designers to focus on higher-order activities. ⚡

9

What do we stand for as a professional practice, particularly our leadership community? I appreciate Peter Merholz for raising the topic of advocacy and design. We need more spaces to grapple with this question actively and openly. Vague assertions of our fundamental humanism will no longer cut it given the active role we play in shaping so many tech products and platforms.   Designers did not have the same prominence in the industry during the rise of social media and were left with many many regrets. We won’t have that excuse this time around. The tech platforms are building their GenAI moats and rolling up their drawbridges. How might we use our collective voice to advocate more effectively?   From recent conversations it seems like there are two different (but interrelated) needs related to advocacy that continue to surface. I am hopeful that some signals will emerge out of the current design diaspora (which I have been writing about for Fast Company) and the new forums and networks that I profiled in my recent piece.   1. Professional Association: There seems to be growing interest in formalizing elements of our profession in a set of standards, norms and ethics. Mike Monteiro, have been beating this drum for a long time. But there now seem to be increased concerns around the “democratization” of various design disciplines within business (particularly product-first companies) that is creating additional unease with the elimination of so many specialized design and research-specific roles. This concern dominated the recent Advancing Research Conference. I fear that we could chase our tails for quite a while given the qualitative nature of our work and the heightened emotions on all sides of this debate.   2. Advocacy Agenda: I am more concerned with the broader question of advocacy as it relates to the techno-humanist ethos taking hold across the industry, super-charged by the rise of GenAI capabilities that have the potential to cut “users” completely out of the equation in terms of any meaningful participation in the design process. There are a number organizations that we could partner with that are grappling actively with these issues. Some, like Omidyar Network have the interest and capacity to fund fundamental research into the human experience, risks and hazards related to AI. But research reports will only get you so far. And legal / compliance risks are generally seen as afterthoughts, with the exception of the strong commitment to inclusive design from Microsoft and product equity from Adobe.   I believe there is a role for designer leaders like Timothy “TB” Bardlavens Albert Shum to step into this gap and be an active part of a design advocacy movement. In past eras giants like Victor Papeneck, Buckminster Fuller and John Thackara gave voice to our values and vision for more sustainable, equitable and imaginative futures. In this era, it may not be singular voice but rather a network or community that will serve as our beacon.

37

4 Comments

Great insights on design leadership with solid examples of results.

7

1 Comment

The simple shift from weakness-based product strategy to strengths-based can be a game changer for the trajectory of your product.

10

Hi all, I encourage you to sign up for this great panel discussion on Experience Design in Value-Based Care from the Boston Chapter of the Service Design Network Service Design Network. #servicedesign #experiencedesign

8

I see the potential in AI tools, but let's hold up for a second. This recent mess with Figma's AI tool seemingly cloning Apple's Weather app is a wake-up call. It's a glaring example of what happens when we don't put proper guardrails in place. AI can be a game-changer, but not if it tramples on intellectual property and copyright. We need these tools to be smart enough to avoid ripping off existing work. It's not just about innovation; it's about respecting creativity and ownership. https://lnkd.in/gUHxJd_c

3

Ever wondered about the power design has to align teams? I just published a note I've shared with cross-functional teams in the past that highlights the importance of getting to a concrete discussion quickly, and the role design can play. Concrete Elephants: How to turn the lights on for your team

48

5 Comments

With all the AI announcements this week, it's refreshing to see a company focus on simplicity and beauty in their presentation. The Google keynote PPT stood out with its use of typography, showcasing the power of clear and effective design. While many companies are highlighting the same benefits and promises of AI innovation, it's important to remember that sometimes the little details can make the biggest impact. #AI #Design #Google #Innovation

15

2 Comments

Hello fellow designers and creatives. I’ve decided to jump back into writing. Find me on Substack where my musings will focus on industrial design, design, strategy, sustainability, and systems thinking. Thanks for the sub. :) https://lnkd.in/e4Wpfbrp #industrialdesign #designstrategy #systemsthinking #sustainability

3

Friday fun... The last post in motion 1 of 2. From last post... "Sharing some detail 3D work highlighted in the FY24 Studio reel I recently shared. Utilizing the new color palette from the Microsoft Brand these metaphors created for the Microsoft Cloud visual identity celebrate fluidity, harmony, diversity, transformation, and imagination. Waveforms showcase the human element, expressing these ideas organically with texture, imperfection, and inherent optimism." ACD's Juliet Park Tierney Cunningham 3D Artists Steve Lee joseph andrade Handel Eugene #Microsoft #BrandStudio #CreativeTeam #BrandIdentity #VisualDesign #Teamwork #Grateful #Brand #C4D #MicrosoftCloud #creativedirector #creativedirection #visualidentity #promotion #motion #motiongraphics #motiondesign

149

5 Comments

I just joined Intro as an expert and have already had amazing calls. I help product leaders, startup founders, and VCs with their product strategy, AI strategies, roadmaps, and seeing around corners. Comment “interested” and I’ll select 1 person for a free 15 minute call. Let’s talk! intro.co/AndrewPeters Schedule a call for advice on: ✔️ Product Strategy ✔️ Product Roadmaps ✔️ AI Strategies ✔️ Product Design ✔️ Going from -1 to 0 to 1 ✔️ Product Org Design and Growth

37

12 Comments

When was the last time you slayed a dragon? A "hairy dragon" project that no one wants. That was me at IDEO, fresh out of grad school, working on a new modular furniture system for Steelcase. A rookie tasked with load-testing shelves under extreme conditions. Not exactly glamorous, right? But I remembered my dad's advice, which I later found out was an adaptation of a quote by Martin Luther King: "Whatever you want to do with your life, just do it with excellence." So, I instrumented our prototype shelves with strain gauges, built a killer Excel worksheet to model the system and track the system deflection as a function of load, and made the design better, more rigid, easier to assemble, and cheaper. Because of my testing and willingness to dig in with all I had, we made some very important modifications to the design. I focused on the many things—both BIG and SMALL—that would make or break the product. And you know what? People noticed. They noticed I was willing to conquer any challenge, from high profile to low—from fun to tedious. And from that flowed the right to take on the hard, but enjoyable projects… and the next ones after that. So, what's the point here? Take on the gnarly-but-need-to-get-done projects. Don't avoid the unglamorous grunt work. Conquer it "with excellence." That's how you move up to meatier challenges. Slay the big ugly dragon, and you’ll earn the right to fight an even bigger one.

85

7 Comments

With the rapid adoption curve of AI, users are expecting more ‘magic' from their digital tools and products. Great piece here about the relevancy and reframing of the value of design when building a non-deterministic digital experience: “Sophistication, in prompting, comes from deeply understanding the user — their attitudes and behaviours towards this experience — and integrating that knowledge into the prompt. This is even more important than with traditional software interactions because of the open-ended nature of conversational experiences. As noted by designer, Emily Campbell, “the more autonomy that users have to direct computers to their personal whim, the better they will expect computers to understand them and anticipate their needs.” Logan Kilpatrick, head of developer relations for OpenAI, boils it down to “context.” The model needs context to do its perform a specific task well. This makes prompting an “inherently human” task because it requires that we understand the nuances of what people are trying to achieve.”

8

1 Comment

Do you really need a PDF? PDFs have their place—legal requirements, large reports, brochures and whitepapers. And while they can be made accessible PDFs, they are a bit of a pain since any update requires you to re-do all the accessible edits from scratch. But if you have access to the HTML code of the site, then you have a better option. An accessible HTML page can be read by Screenreaders, navigated by keyboard, AND it will scale and be readable on a mobile device. Best of all is if the user truly needs a hard copy, a proper print stylesheet will allow them to print out or export the page as a nicely formatted PDF. #yesterlearnings #PDF #accessibility #a11y #html #webdevelopment #tips

6

Every client I've worked with over the past few years has been special in their own way. One of the trends I've seen while working with different e-commerce companies is what fueled me to start Imagine Helix. I watched some of our most beloved American retailers evolve from e-tailers to tech companies, suddenly implementing some of the most cutting-edge technology to solve old commerce problems and meet quickly growing customer expectations. #Ecommerce needed and needs critical thinkers. My specialty and our focus at Imagine Helix is using collaborative and unconventional thinking to solve real customer problems with our #Product, #Business, and #Marketing partners using data, open-minded but focused conversations, and Discovery workshops. This case study is one of those examples.

4

This feels like sensationalist click bait... or did I miss something Ron Fritz 1. Isn't this basically a HOOPs demo app? Is this a change in status quo?Techsoft already effectively provides many examples/apps, and it seems like they will just provide even more and license them out so people can hit the ground running faster. I would think that software engineering firms provide value by gluing together more than a couple of well known libraries. The article also mentions other up and coming libraries that further show this accessibility bar is changing. Shouldn't we make CAD import and visualization more ubiquitous? If this helps make CAD BREP data a standard low bar for software vendors, I think that actually helps the industry. 2. How is this like Carta? Carta monetized and sold inside information without consent of the people who gave that information. Techsoft made a press release. They seem to be transparent about their motivations and goals. Of course any company that licenses something/provides a platform has special information that would aid in M&A. That's the basis for vertical integration moves and in this case what feels like consolidation. It seems more like people can't easily sell a "flashlight app" anymore. 3. Who actually cares about this? Techsoft is in a natural symbiosis with the companies it works with. It won't compete against any major CAD players because it would causes issues with the licensing of the CAD formats. It doesn't make sense to compete against anyone providing real value beyond connecting a few libraries together because they would lose their user base. The parasolid model has nominally worked well. Maybe I missed something, or I'm missing a perspective. I'm happy to not make any real strategic decisions about writing my own CAD importer. There are more interesting problems to concentrate on.

9

6 Comments