Figma Shares Slide as First Post-IPO Results Miss Profit Expectations (1 minute read)
Figma's shares dropped over 13% after-hours following the design software company's first quarterly earnings since its July IPO, where it broke even despite analyst expectations of 18 cents per share profit. The company reported $249.6 million in Q2 revenue (up 41% year-over-year) and launched four new products, including AI-powered prototyping tools and website publishing capabilities. Figma forecasts Q3 revenue of $263-265 million and full-year revenue of $1.021-1.025 billion, with strong customer metrics, including a 129% net dollar retention rate.
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More Pixel phones are getting Google's new look for Android (2 minute read)
Google's September Pixel drop expands the Material 3 Expressive design to Pixel 6 and newer devices, plus the Pixel Tablet, bringing a more colorful look and new personalization features. The update also adds Pixel Buds Pro 2 upgrades like Adaptive Audio, Pixel Watch auto-Maps display, AI-powered Gboard suggestions, Bluetooth audio sharing, a refreshed Quick Share, and the new Androidify app.
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New AI Model Turns Photos Into Explorable 3D worlds, with Caveats (5 minute read)
Tencent's HunyuanWorld-Voyager is an open-weight AI model that transforms single images into explorable 3D-consistent video sequences by generating RGB video and depth information simultaneously. The system allows users to define camera movements through virtual scenes, producing 49-frame clips that maintain spatial consistency and can be chained together for more extended sequences. However, the model requires substantial computational power and faces geographic licensing restrictions, preventing use in the EU, UK, and South Korea.
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How to Make People Listen to You (5 minute read)
When designers feel ignored, they should investigate root causes rather than blame dysfunctional organizations, identifying mismatches between their expectations and leadership goals. Common reasons include low organizational design maturity, business models that prioritize speed over quality, working on ideas leaders don't understand, and a lack of established trust with team members. The recommended approach involves conducting "listening tours" with colleagues, treating them like customers to build charm and find allies, then demonstrating value through small wins that create stories of problem-solving success.
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Approaching Design in the Age of AI (5 minute read)
AI product design should prioritize user needs over technology, avoiding the common trap of defaulting to chat interfaces when AI's real value lies in inference and reasoning capabilities. Misinformation and hallucinations require design solutions, including user control over data sources, robust feedback systems, and consideration of smaller language models for specific contexts. The current moment presents both unprecedented opportunity and responsibility for implementing responsible AI principles like transparency and safety during this technological watershed.
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Adapt or die? When total brand overhauls work, and when they don't (4 minute read)
Heritage brand rebrands often spark backlash, as seen with Tate & Lyle's Golden Syrup and Cracker Barrel, where consumers resisted changes to long-familiar packaging. Experts suggest this sensitivity stems from people seeking stability amid broader societal flux, with nostalgia acting as an anchor. By contrast, brands like Mailchimp thrive on reinvention, balancing playful experimentation with consistency to connect with creative audiences. Jaguar's bold 2024 overhaul shows that rebrands can succeed not by pleasing everyone but by provoking strong reactions and signaling deeper philosophical shifts, cutting through a saturated design landscape.
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What Designers Can Learn From The First Interface — The Human Face (6 minute read)
The human face serves as the original interface, offering immediate, cross-cultural communication through micro-expressions that evolved as survival mechanisms. Digital interfaces attempt to replicate facial communication through emojis, avatars, and video calls, but lose the authenticity and spontaneity that make faces so powerful. Designers can learn from facial principles like timing, subtlety, and trust-building rhythms to create more natural digital experiences that feel intuitive rather than requiring constant explanation.
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Chat is: the Future or a Terrible UI (2 minute read)
AI-powered chat interfaces divide opinions between those who see them as software's future and others who view them as terrible UI. Proponents argue that chat leverages existing user familiarity, captures intent through natural language, and eliminates interface learning curves. Critics counter that chat lacks clear affordances, poorly displays complex information, and creates cumbersome scrolling experiences that lose context over time.
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The design of shallow thinking (10 minute read)
Our capacity for deep thought has been eroded less by AI and more by how the internet's design has evolved. Early online spaces felt like destinations that encouraged exploration, long-form expression, and reflection, while smartphones, infinite feeds, and algorithm-driven platforms shifted us toward shallow, compulsive consumption. These patterns were shaped by business models built on maximizing attention, not by accident. Rethinking design to include boundaries, stopping points, and depth-focused features could help restore sustained attention and more meaningful engagement.
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Jae Lee, Matej Latin & Ralph Brinker
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