An Interview with Tyler Gross
A product designer at Instagram shares his perspective
Tyler Gross is a product designer at Instagram and was previously a product designer at Facebook (client). Day One is always looking to gain a new way of seeing the world by interviewing interesting thinkers, designers, and doers. This is Tyler’s perspective…
What problem are you trying to solve?
I work on the growth and internationalization team. More specifically, my team is working on enabling Instagram in emerging markets to give people a more rich experience, no matter what device or network they are on.
What gets you up in the morning?
I love being a part of such a strong design community. I am extremely fortunate to work with some of the most creative designers in the industry. Oh, and the Instagram office has a Blue Bottle Coffee in the lobby so that helps.
What is something you’ve learned recently that has changed your perspective?
I recently had a chance to go to a few different cities around the world for UX research. This was incredibly eye opening. As a product designer working in Silicon Valley, it’s easy to lose empathy for people with limited connectivity. Understanding this and being mindful of it as I design has really challenged my process in a good way.
Understanding this and being mindful of it as I design has really challenged my process in a good way.
When did you start to get excited about design?
When I was younger I was really fascinated by vector illustration but could never really execute on it myself. As I started to explore design, I felt like I could create art with other elements like layout and typography. This is what ultimately lead me to study print design in college.
What excites you about the world today?
I love all the new innovations in creative tools. Instagram and Snapchat are really pushing the boundaries for helping people create fun and engaging content. It’s a great time to be a content creator with things like VR and AR on the horizon.
Why does design matter today?
Products like Facebook and Google are still businesses at their core which means at times, there can be a lot of influence to prioritize business goals. Design matters because we are the counterbalance to ensure product quality and to help solve user problems.
What is your perspective?
My perspective on photography is that it is a way I can document my experiences. I don’t try to take good photos, just ones that will help me relive the moments later. After, if I get a photo that I really like, I use it as another medium to express some creativity outside of UX design.
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