Breaking Silos (and Metaphors): A 'Roving Engineer' on Design & Engineering Collaboration

Breaking Silos (and Metaphors): A 'Roving Engineer' on Design & Engineering Collaboration

Author: Liam Spradlin December 9, 2024 Duration: 53:43

This season's special series celebrating ten years since the launch of Material Design continues with Adrian Secord, who describes himself as a "roving engineer." Adrian has over a decade of experience building systems and tools that transform design into robust product engineering at scale. Plus, a PhD in Computer Graphics.

Here, he reflects on the evolution of Material Design and the (potentially) exciting possibilities for AI-driven UI. He shares insights on the complexities of large-scale design systems and highlights the need for designers and engineers to find common ground.


Liam Spradlin hosts Design Notes, a podcast that digs into the realities of creative work from a distinct perspective. As a Senior UX Designer at Google who thinks deeply about interface philosophy, Liam brings a particular curiosity to each conversation. He doesn't just interview designers in the traditional sense; instead, he seeks out voices from a wide array of unique creative fields, from illustrators and architects to ceramicists and type designers. The core of each episode lies in uncovering the shared threads-the inspirations, challenges, and fundamental principles-that connect these diverse practices. Listening feels like sitting in on a thoughtful dialogue between practitioners, where the lessons learned in one discipline often shed surprising light on another. You'll hear how problem-solving in UX resonates with the constraints of a physical craft, or how narrative thinking in writing informs a visual project. This isn't about technical tutorials or portfolio reviews. It's about the human experience behind the work and the broader understanding we gain from it. Through these genuine exchanges, the Design Notes podcast builds a compelling case for how creative thinking bridges disciplines and cultures, offering listeners a richer sense of their own creative journey, whatever form it may take.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 65

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Welcome Back to Design Notes: Season 2 Trailer [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:33
It's been a while, but Design Notes is coming back for Season 2 uncovering even more of what inspires and unites us in our work. Make sure to subscribe so you don't miss new interviews with practitioners working on publi…