Five to inspire with Charlie Deets
Product Designer @ WhatsApp
Who are you?
My name is Charlie Deets. I am a product designer working on WhatsApp. I have previously worked on Facebook Groups, Facebook’s composer and Facebook’s privacy.
I have a few apps I’ve designed and developed, such as Moon and Tao Daily as well as some web experiences like Verses and Talk Turkey.
I received my MFA from the University of Illinois-Chicago. I enjoy making music, music videos and photographs. I also play a lot of video games and you can find me just about anywhere as ‘gargarbot’.
I wake up around 7am and grab my phone, which I don’t keep in the bedroom. I check my messages, Facebook and Twitter to see what happened over night. I consider it my ‘reading the newspaper time.’ It’s usually really quiet and I love waking up this way. I go for a run and get ready for work.
I get to work around 9am. I spend the first hour reading the internet and trying to get in the zone. I tend to hit a flow by 10am doing static design in Sketch or prototyping in Framer, depending on what I’m working on. If I get stuck I’ll check in with the PM or other designers to see if they have any feedback. Usually someone will notice something about the design to get me to think in a new way and I can get back into the flow.
I also spend time supporting the engineers who are building the designs. Giving them feedback, bug reports, assets and specs whenever they need something. I love hearing about their process of building the designs and the unexpected issues that come up along the way. I find that no design is ever final, it’s more of a fluid process. We have conversations and work together to find the right solution. I find that fun.
The day wraps up between 6–7pm and I drive home, go for a walk with my wife and eat dinner. Then I play a good hour or two of Overwatch and catch up with friends. To wind down, I’ll either do some writing, stretching or make music.
My perception of what is good design is constantly evolving based on what I’m designing for and why I’m designing it. I think the one thing that is underrepresented in ‘good design’ conversations is ‘feeling’.
The best designs contribute to positive feeling outcomes. Things just work. You are able to do something in a way that amplifies your normal abilities. You feel in control and things make sense. These are ‘positive’ outcomes.
When these things happen, you can believe in the power of design. You know why it’s there. The value is obvious. Some say good design is invisible but I don’t think it is. It’s represented by people having good feelings and successful outcomes in their life because of a product.
I think it’s easy to get lost in the beauty of design. It’s the same thing as using seduction to sell a product. The real value from design is much deeper than the surface. Musical artists can wear flamboyant outfits or show off their bodies to gain attention for their music, but the actual experience of the music and what it means to someone is what delivers value in the long run. If a design is visually appealing but doesn’t deliver, it’s really just disposable pop.
I want to start a software company that makes useful software for people. I have a huge amount of respect for applications like Ulysses, Framer, and Sketch. These are tools created by small teams that help amplify people’s abilities so they can accomplish more. They are focused tools and they are opinionated.
The reason I haven’t done this yet is because I’m not ready. In my experience I’ve been very good at doing things by myself but I haven’t been nearly as successful at accomplishing things with small teams.
Working at Facebook and WhatsApp has taught me how to operate within a larger system. How to get things done as a team, prioritize tasks and communicate vision. Most importantly, it has made me a better listener. I know I’ve still got a long ways to go, but some day I would like to take on the challenge and responsibility of software development from a founding position.
To my last point, I’m not sure I’ll be doing the same type of design I’m doing now in 10 years. Tools like Framer and Origami inch closer and closer to being truly easy to use for prototyping. I can imagine design tools advancing so much in the next 10 years that the actual labor of design will be much simpler, allowing people more time to do research and think through potential solutions rather than the actual execution of interface.
I could also imagine design and product management/direction positions becoming more similar, if not the same. All that design thinking could go into high level product decisions and potentially remove one of the players from product conversations. My guess is that simplified decision making would allow teams to move faster.
Gabriel Valdivia — Gabe is my friend and he’s an incredible designer. I’ve never had a single conversation where he doesn’t push me to be better than I am. That can be irritating when I’m struggling with something, but he’s almost always right. I can usually do a better job than I’m doing. I appreciate that and a ton more about him.
Jonathan Arena — Jonathan is also my friend at Facebook. He is relentlessly considering the future, while trying to understand what will work in the now. The way he thinks feels transcendental. He is able to escape his own thoughts and experiences in order to pursue the right ideas.
Stefan Hartwig, Aaron Mentele, and Michael Lehmkuhl — These three founded Electric Pulp, a company I worked at before moving to Facebook. The company is 50% remote employees, yet it operated so smoothly it’s difficult to describe. The sense of community, warmth and understanding they have built is amazing. All this while simultaneously doing great work.
Jennifer Mahanay — Jennifer is the best visual designer I’ve ever worked with. She’s so skilled with type and image that she could make beauty out of anything. I learned so much about how people see images and how type feels from working with her. Everyday was a learning experience.
Koen Bok & Jorn van Dijk — These two founded Framer. It’s been incredible to watch Framer grow from a JavaScript library into a fully featured application. The non-stop rollout of features they are developing is impressive, but what is most impressive is how much they listen to the people using their product. Participating in the Framer JS Facebook Group and other communities, helping people learn code and succeed at making incredible prototypes.
