423: What We Learned in 2021

423: What We Learned in 2021

Author: Brian Lovin, Marshall Bock December 16, 2021 Duration: 48:33

This week, we recap how we grew, and the things we learned, in 2021. In The Sidebar, we look forward to 2022 and talk about some of our personal and professional goals for the new year.

Sponsor:

Patreon is hiring product designers in San Francisco and New York City. Today, Patreon is at the heart of the creator economy. In the last 8 years, the product has grown to support more than 250k creators, who are collectively supported by more than 8 million patrons. So far, Patreon has paid out more than $2.5 billion to creators, and are now on pace to pay out over $100 million every month.

Patreon's design team is small, but growing. The opportunity for impact on the product, and on millions of creators and patrons around the world, can't be overstated. The team is dedicated to leveling up the craft of Patreon's products, shipping beautiful experiences, and building the best tools to help anyone make a living on the internet.

If you're a designer looking for your next level up, get in touch with Patreon's design team and tell them we sent you!

Golden Ratio Supporters:

Patreon — Patreon is hiring product designers in San Francisco and New York City to build the future of the creator economy. Join their small team and level up today.

Sympli — Sympli Pulse is a version tracking application for Figma that lets you and your team clearly understand what's going on — even with hundreds of frames, components and design files — and answer the most painful questions about who changed what and why, adding context to your design decisions. Find Pulse in Figma Community. Learn more at Sympli.io.

Play — Play is the first native iOS design tool made for teams creating mobile products. Design, prototype, and collaborate, directly from your phone. With Play you can experience your design as you create it while taking full advantage of native iOS features not found in other design and prototyping tools. Full access invites available for the first 25 people here!

The Sidebar:

The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. You can subscribe starting at $1 per month for access to bonus content going forward! Sign up at patreon.com/designdetails.

Latest VIP Patrons:

  • Sean McGuigan
  • Aislinn Kelly
  • Petteri Tiilikka
  • Eric
  • Katie Chen
  • Gabe de la Mora
  • Jonathan
  • Sander Kalmus
  • Y. Chen
  • Miranda Lemmer

Follow up:

  • Complainisode follow up:
    • Graham Connell tweeted: To pile on to the complainisode, animations that take way too long drives me nuts! Like a hover animation that takes a full second to complete. AHHHH
    • Antonija Pek tweeted: complain episode...Apps not having dark mode (ahem @figmadesign), electron apps that suck all the RAM, services that are US only, everything is now subscription based...To name a few
    • Brian wrote about iMessage spam workflows.

Main Topic:

This week, we recap where we grew, and the things we learned, in 2021.

Cool Things:

Design Details on the Web:

Byeee!


Every week, Brian Lovin and Marshall Bock settle in for a thoughtful, often meandering chat that pulls back the curtain on how things are made. Their Design Details podcast lives in the rich space where technology and the arts intersect, focusing less on polished case studies and more on the real, sometimes messy, work of design. You’ll hear them dissect the nuances of product decisions, debate the evolving culture of creative teams, and share personal stories from their own experiences in the industry. It feels less like a lecture and more like eavesdropping on a conversation between two deeply knowledgeable friends. The discussions regularly venture into the philosophical side of craft, examining why certain choices resonate and how design shapes our daily interactions with the world. For anyone curious about the thinking behind the pixels and interfaces, this show offers a consistent, grounded perspective. Tuning in provides a sense of community and a candid look at the process, making it a staple for designers and creators who appreciate substance over flash.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Design Details
Podcast Episodes
403: The Confidence Gradient [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:47
This week, we talk about the confidence gradient, how we’ve built confidence over time, and the funny circumstances that can take us out of our element. In The Sidebar, we share our first impressions of Windows 11 and ta…
402: Margin Considered Harmful [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:31
This week, we dig into the best way to think about margin and padding in your component system. In The Sidebar, we break down the basics of design advising and angel investing.Golden Ratio Supporter:AroundAround is a bet…
401: Three Dots [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:29
This week, we talk about a ubiquitous design crutch: the three dot menu. We examine the spread of this pattern and discuss potential solutions to avoid it. In The Sidebar, we recap WWDC 2021 and dive deep into our favori…
400: Is Software Ever Finished? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:37
This week, we try to answer a simple question: is software ever finished? In The Sidebar, we talk money: compounding, investing, negotiating, planning, and more.Golden Ratio Supporter:AroundAround is a better way to vide…
399: Strong Opinions, Weakly Held [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:48
This week, we talk about how the framework Strong Opinions, Weakly Held can be used to effectively critique visual design. In The Sidebar, we recap Google I/O 2021, discussing our favorite announcements, Material You, an…
398: Proof of Curiosity [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:55
This week, we dig into two frameworks for leveling up at work: Proof of Curiosity and The Helpful Hierarchy. Whether you’re looking for more accountability, want to stand out in a job interview, or just want to be more i…
397: Customer Feedback vs. Team Intuition [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:29
This week, we talk about the tension between building what customers explicitly ask for versus building towards a team’s internal vision. In The Sidebar, we talk about the lack of public software critique: Why isn’t ther…
396: Career Cheat Codes [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:32
This week, we discuss the things we’ve done in our design careers that have had an outsized impact on our professional growth. In The Sidebar, we talk about the anatomy of icons and how that anatomy affects user interfac…
395: Config 2021 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:48
It’s event recap week! In this week’s episode we share our reactions to everything announced at Figma’s Config 2021. In The Sidebar, we dig into our favorite updates and the confusing head-scratchers announced at Apple’s…
394: Open Source Design ft. Joey Banks [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:37
This week, we caught up with Joey Banks to talk about contributing to open source design. In the Sidebar, we ask Joey bonus questions about ramping up in a new job, the design advocate role, and being Twitter famous.Late…