Talks on design craft, product principles, and building software that people love.
Nu Videocast 2025
An interview about joining Nubank as Chief Design Officer and the role of design in financial transformation.
I share why I joined Nubank—the mission of simplifying financial lives across Latin America. I discuss observing how Nubank uses Slack, my threefold motivation for the role, and how design can empower people through simplified experiences.
Config 2024
A deep dive into what craft means in software design and how to cultivate it across organizations.
Exploring the three pillars of great software—utility, usability, and craft—I argue that craft is often undervalued because it's harder to quantify. I break down the dimensions of craft (visual design, interaction, motion, sound, writing) and share strategies for empowering engineers to own craft alongside designers.
Future State 2024
A keynote on productivity lessons learned from Slack's journey from startup to $28B acquisition.
Walking through Slack's lifecycle—startup to IPO to Salesforce acquisition—I share insights on organizational and personal productivity. I distinguish between value (working on important things) and efficiency (doing them well), exploring how companies maintain alignment across growth.
Podcast 2024
An interview about empowering engineering teams to own craft and navigating design in the age of AI.
I discuss how Slack empowers engineers to independently identify and implement craft improvements, the evolution of AI in enterprise software, and how product teams should position themselves strategically amid rapid technological change.
Config 2023
How Slack uses product principles to build software that customers love.
As organizations scale, misalignment creeps in and decision-making slows. I share Slack's product principles framework—including 'Don't make me think,' 'Be a great host,' and 'Prototype the path'—showing how clear principles help teams make independent decisions that preserve customer love.
Figma 2021
The story behind Slack's major redesign and lessons from Adobe's transition to subscription.
Drawing parallels to my experience moving Adobe from Creative Suite to Creative Cloud, I explain how subscription models unlock better UX by removing the pressure for flagship features. I then detail how Slack approached its biggest redesign, balancing evolution with familiarity.
Accel 2019
What it means to design products that people truly love rather than just use.
I contrast 'designing for scale' (the Google/Uber approach: useful, usable, delightful utilities) with 'designing for love' (the Airbnb approach: personalized, emotional experiences). Creating products people love requires focusing on one person first, then scaling—doing things that don't scale.