A common distraction for designers is the aesthetics of their work. What was meant to serve the user attempted to seduce them instead. Oftentimes that seduction will successfully gain the visual attention of the user but fail to engage and direct the overall interaction. There have been many thoughts circulating on being more mindful of this distraction, in fact, I read an article here on Medium a little while back which explained the seduction as a sort of “Dribbblisation of Design”.
What is particularly refreshing from this AMA is Kyle’s focus on the priorities within product architecture. His solution to avoid that trance towards “dribbblisation” seems to be his perspective on the fundamentals of design and keeping the user in mind at all times. It is an empathetic approach which surely contributed to becoming a design fellow at KPCB, designer at Flipboard and now at Nest, where he currently works with product design teams. So enjoy and be sure to reach out to Kyle if you found his advice and experience helpful to you.
MakerMesh — May 22nd, 2015
Rodrigo: How is it working for Nest?
Nest is definitely the most interesting place I’ve had the opportunity to work at. A lot of the designers and teams I work with are previously from Apple or Google... It’s almost like having the opportunity to work at both companies in some instances.
I’ve also never been in an environment where I’ve learned as fast as I have at Nest. They function like a startup, but have the resources from Google... making it quite unique in how things operate internally. The projects move extremely fast, but with so many hands on the work, the level of craftsmanship and execution is among the highest I’ve had the chance to see in my time as a designer.
Wesley: I’d love to know about your very early days. What was your biggest inspiration as a child? Were there any movies, games, or people that propelled you to get where you are today?
My early days were a bit odd in some regards because I was interested in a lot of different things as a child. I loved computers from as early as I could remember. My older brother used to build computers in his room when I was growing up, which really fascinated me. I think all younger siblings tend to admire what their older siblings do. For me, my brother was the smartest person I knew, and anytime I had a question, he always had an answer. I grew up learning a lot from him in areas from technology all the way to art. I believe this had a deep impact on my interests and taste in various genres from music and art as well.
My dad is probably my biggest inspiration overall. He’s an architect and spends a lot of his time building all sorts of things. I remember as a child watching him sketch right on our kitchen table. I also was able to watch him work and spend 18 hour days on buildings. This taught me that hard work, and attention to detail were required to make anything worthwhile. If it wasn’t for my dad and brother, I honestly don’t think I’d be where I am today as a designer.
I grew up in a family that had a tremendous appreciation for craftsmanship and details. These things were instilled in me early on and they’re what I truly value when it comes to design today.
Asis: What are the day-to-day design challenges you came across at Nest and what is the design process there?
Hmm. This one is tricky because challenges vary from day to day depending on the work. However, a lot of the challenges I’ve been faced with recently have been ones of “Does this feel right for the brand/Nest?”. This issue can be difficult to solve because brands can often evolve over time. What has helped me get over some of these hurdles is to take a step back and understand a few things:
- Where has the brand has been?
- Where it is now?
- Where does it need to be?
I started off in design working in agencies and learning a lot about how brands operate on both a business and design level. A designer must understand the brand better than anything to be able to design for it. This is because brands are more than just a logo or a flashy product. It’s much deeper than that. The brand is everything a user feels when they see a product or a logo, It’s the image you put out into the world. Whether your brand has an audience of 10 or 10 million, it is crucial to stay true to what it is you’re putting out into the world.
When we try to innovate we tend to look at what’s new and in the moment, but this often creates design that lasts no more than a few years. You have to dig deep into what people in this world need. You must also be user-centric in everything you do and execute.
The moment you forget about the user is the same moment that they will forget about you.
When it comes to the design process, these principles are at the forefront.
Rodrigo: Have you contributed to the design of the Nest thermostat in some way?
To the actual design of the Nest Thermostat, no.
Due to my NDA with Nest, it’s very sensitive in terms of what I can talk about. I’d love to answer more in depth, but I don’t want to step on any toes. However, I can tell you that I’ve been focusing on some VERY special projects as of late.
Thomas: When designing, do you work more for the product or for the target market? How do you balance the two?
In terms of the category of work, I’m definitely more on the side of the target market. I’ve worked on both sides, and I don’t prefer one over the other. However, I think it’s really interesting that you bring up the balance between the two. Both are quite different in terms of the design process. Yet they both depend on each other… so much so that if one is off then the whole design will fall through.
To balance between these fields is actually not as difficult as one might think. You’re also focused on one thing, and that’s the user. The difference starts to come when you think about the mindset of the user.
In marketing, you’re trying to identify a customer or audience.
In product, you’re trying to identify that customer’s needs.
Josh: How do you ‘keep up with times’ / keep coming up with new ways to interest users when there are so many styles being repeated all over?
This is one that I’m still trying to figure out myself! But I’ll try and answer this to the best of my ability.
Trends exist in design as they do anywhere in the marketplace. It can be difficult to identify what is a trend and what is an actual shift in the industry. To hold the interest of users, it starts with creating and designing something that actually works and makes their life easier. I can show you a whole body of work out there on the web that looks amazing, but it isn’t actually doing any real good. There was a quote I heard when I was at a VC meeting while working at Flipboard,
“Your design is good, but does it do good?”
I keep this in mind anytime I begin designing. It’s not enough to create something that looks great, you must be solving a real problem with your work.
The other component is how you become inspired. As time goes by I find myself looking less and less at other peoples design for inspiration. It’s not that I don’t find their work great, but it’s dangerous to get too close to someone’s work.
The best design that is done has come from going out into the world by hiking, or reading a really well written article. Inspiration can come from anywhere, and it should. If you think back to when Nest was designing the Thermostat, do you think they had any resources to pull from? Nothing else in the world existed like it at the time.
How do you create something that is completely new but at the same time is intuitive. This takes a lot of ideation and a lot of inspiration from different places to create something that is fresh and can stand the test of time. One of the best pieces of advice I can give you is to follow your own intuition and listen to this:
You can reach Kyle by visiting his site http://kylebennettdesign.com
