The technology wasn’t fake. But its maturity was performative.

It was an announcement of the future — not evidence of infrastructure ready at scale.

This week, China presented something different: humanoid robots performing a choreographed Kung Fu routine alongside human artists, broadcast nationwide during the Spring Festival Gala.

This was not a promotional video. It was a public demonstration of technical capability.

The difference between the two moments is not aesthetic. It lies in the stage of system maturity.

From Perception to Strategic Realignment

For decades, Chinese products were associated with low quality and imitation. That narrative became culturally embedded in Western markets. Yet the past fifteen years have revealed a different pattern: when a technology becomes strategically important to the state — such as electric vehicles, semiconductors, or batteries — China aligns capital, supply chains, research, and industrial execution toward a common objective.

Humanoid robotics now appears to be entering that same cycle.

What may look like spectacle could, in reality, be rehearsal for scale.

Historically, markets make a recurring mistake: underestimating early-stage technologies because they do not conform to the dominant aesthetic of innovation. But acceleration rarely begins polished.

The End of the Linear Workflow

During Brazil’s Carnival season, Figma announced a feature that allows production code — including code generated via Anthropic Claude Code — to be converted into editable artifacts on the design canvas.

Practically speaking, this alters a paradigm that has held for over two decades.

The traditional sequence was:

Design → Development → Production.

With the rise of generative AI, we began to see:

Prompt → Code → Interface.

Now, a more structural layer is emerging:

Code → Canvas → Collaboration → Code again.

This circularity is not trivial.

It reduces the time between conception, validation, and implementation. It brings design closer to real production environments. It demands new organizational competencies.

More than a feature, it represents a reorganization of workflow architecture.

The Problem of “Manual Mode”

In Brazil, there is an expression associated with Carnival culture: “dança da manivela” — literally, the “crank dance.” It evokes the image of turning something manually, repeatedly, in a mechanical rhythm.

Applied to contemporary design, it becomes a metaphor for risk.

Teams that continue operating exclusively in manual cycles — screen by screen, adjustment by adjustment — ignore the fact that the market is increasingly structured around automated iteration loops.

The question is not whether designers will be replaced.

The question is whether the operational model will be.

When leaders repeat the comforting mantra that “AI won’t replace you,” they often overlook a crucial nuance: AI may not replace the professional, but it can replace large portions of the execution that once defined that professional’s competitive advantage.

That distinction reshapes team structures, roles, and expectations.

Leadership, Infrastructure, and Competitive Advantage

Recent history demonstrates that markets are not dominated by the best narrative, but by the strongest infrastructure.

Robots controlled remotely are theater.

Robots executing at scale are systems.

Likewise, AI-generated prototypes are interesting.

But integrated pipelines connecting code, design, and automation in continuous loops are infrastructure.

The distinction between the two determines who gains relevance when market cycles accelerate.

2026 Has Begun

In Brazil, there is a saying that the year only truly begins after Carnival. If that holds true, then 2026 begins now.

The strategic question is not whether AI will replace designers.

The question is:

Are design leaders reorganizing their workflows to operate in automated loops, or are they still turning the crank?

Because in 2026, those who insist on operating in manual mode will not be replaced by robots.

They will be outpaced by teams who understood the loop earlier.

Markets, much like crises, have a way of revealing quickly who built theater — and who built infrastructure.

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In one of those conversations, while commenting on how favorable the economic environment seemed for Brazil, a CEO said something that stuck with me:

“When the wind is at your back, it’s easy to look good. Many mediocre executives appear above average. The company grows, bonuses arrive… but that’s not excellence — that’s a good tide.”

According to him, it’s when the tide turns that you can really distinguish substance from momentum. That’s when true leaders show up.

For years, the Brazilian delivery market rode a perfect wave — and iFood was, without a doubt, the biggest surfer on that wave.

Delivery surfed the best tide possible

For more than a decade, Brazil’s delivery market lived exactly that: wind at its back.

Founded in 2011, iFood built a level of dominance that few digital markets ever see. In recent periods, it concentrated over 90% of market share, operating in more than 1,500 Brazilian cities, with millions of users, restaurants, and couriers connected to the same infrastructure.

The pandemic accelerated everything. Habits solidified. Consumption exploded. In 2025, even with competitors returning to the market, iFood still processed around 1.7 billion orders. The market simply had no real alternative.

Restaurants accepted high fees, tough contracts, and little flexibility — not because it was ideal, but because there was no choice.

The tide was perfect.

When the wind starts to change

But no tide lasts forever.

Starting in 2025, two moves began to change the dynamics of the game. 99Food returned aggressively, backed by DiDi , with billion-real investments and a clear strategy of zero fees and heavy subsidies. Shortly after, Keeta, backed by Meituan — one of the world’s largest delivery platforms — entered Brazil promising even larger investments, starting in São Paulo and Santos.

These moves made one thing very clear: the delivery market’s barrier to entry was never technology.

A functional app, organized logistics, and enough capital to subsidize prices are already enough to create rapid impact — especially in large urban centers. In regions like Greater São Paulo, iFood remains the leader, but its local dominance is no longer absolute.

National leadership remains. Local comfort does not.

Volume misleads. Margin reveals.

Another signal that emerges when the tide turns is where the money actually ends up.

Talking to restaurants, a pattern repeats itself: outside iFood, order volume is often lower, but net margins are frequently higher. Zero fees, subsidized promotions, and more flexible contracts completely change the end-of-month math.

This isn’t a homogeneous or universal phenomenon, but it’s enough to break a long-standing myth: that there were no viable alternatives.

When alternatives appear, loyalty stops being guaranteed — it becomes negotiated.

Carnival as a public statement

This morning, at 8 a.m., that shift became impossible to ignore.

São Paulo’s Street Carnival, historically associated with iFood, kicked off with a different protagonist. 99Food launched the block “99 Presents: Quem Pede, Pede”, bringing Ivete Sangalo to lead a São Paulo trio for the first time.

It may look like “just marketing.” But in this context, marketing is strategy made public.

When a company chooses the country’s biggest cultural stage to position itself, it’s sending a clear message: we’re here to compete.

When “good news” gets louder

As competition becomes more visible, another movement becomes inevitable: the constant need to reaffirm strength, growth, and leadership.

None of this is wrong. But it is symptomatic.

When the tide was perfect, nothing needed to be explained. Now, every announcement matters.

And in the middle of this dispute, there’s an immediate winner: the advertising market. One competitor forces the other to advertise, spend, and show up. The war becomes public.

The uncomfortable question

Brazil’s delivery market is not collapsing. But it has clearly entered a new phase.

And perhaps the most uncomfortable question isn’t about who is losing share right now, but about how products are being built.

What iFood had to develop over more than a decade to establish its dominance is far more replicable today than it was before.

AI, automation, cloud infrastructure, APIs, outsourced logistics, programmatic marketing, and venture capital have drastically reduced execution time. What once took years can now be compressed into months.

That doesn’t mean market dominance has become easy. But it does mean the market is likely to become increasingly fragmented.

Fewer monopolies. More local battles. More pressure on product, experience — and especially leadership.

Less tolerance for improvisation or “stage-ready” mediocre executives. More need to anticipate market shifts and align teams around a clear purpose.

When the tide turns, the winner isn’t the one who grew first. It’s the one who keeps navigating when the wind changes.

Those who merely replicate what already exists — combined with price dumping — may cause short-term damage… but they don’t win the long race.

Looking at the turbulent delivery market today, one song keeps playing in my head:

🎵 “Watch the wave, watch the wave… better be careful not to get swallowed…” 🏄♂️

Because just as crises reveal who people really are, markets reveal which business models actually work.

And now, unmistakably, the wind has changed.

Need a hand with your design team?

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Reading Design for a Better World by Don Norman feels less like consuming a book and more like being gently — and repeatedly — confronted.

Confronted with how artificial our designed world has become.
Confronted with how normalized that artificiality feels.
And confronted with how rarely we stop to question the second-order effects of our design decisions.

Norman invites us to notice what we usually ignore: cities optimized for cars, houses disconnected from climate, lawns engineered to look “natural” while rejecting everything that actually grows there.

We call weeds “problems.”
We call insects “plagues.”
But rarely ask: what system did we design that made them so?

This reflection took me back to Brazil, to the story of the arara-azul-de-lear — a bird made famous by pop culture, but deeply misunderstood in real life.

Its story is not about extinction alone. It’s about substitution. About replacing ecosystems with “efficient” systems. About treating living beings as edge cases in a design that was never meant to include them.

Electric grids, livestock, monoculture farming — each decision made sense in isolation. Together, they created collapse.

And that’s the uncomfortable mirror Don Norman holds up for designers today.

We are now designing not only products and interfaces, but agents, systems, and AI that act autonomously inside complex environments. If we repeat the same isolated thinking, the consequences won’t just be bugs — they’ll be systemic failures.

Designing for a better world is not about better intentions.
It’s about broader accountability.

The question is no longer can we build it?
It’s what ecosystem will it change once it exists?

Thank you for reading,

🤜🤛 JUNO @ DOJO+

Need a hand with your design team?

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Hello people, in this issue, we’ll dive into…

• 🪣🪏 Playtime,

• 🧵 Make it bigger Stitch,

• 🔌 The USB-C plug,

• 🫟 Zine Zone,

• 🐉 How to train my 🤖,

• 🔥 Playground set on fire,

• 🍟 and extra things to bite it…

  ---

🪣🪏 Playtime

As I mentioned in past issues of this newsletter covering Figma’s launch at Config 2025, Figma Make feels—and is—a beta product. It’s where you build digital toys more than final applications. And that’s not a bad thing.

Watching the livestream with Holly Li, Niko Klein, and Tom Duncalf building and breaking things in real time felt like kids getting messy in a sandbox. Pure fun, full of curiosity.

Don’t get me wrong—play is serious business. For creatives, it’s the first step toward building something valuable. Only by experimenting do we build the muscle memory needed to use new tools intuitively. Play leads to control—what buttons👇 to push. And control leads to craft.

At my kid’s school, I learned something that stuck with me: a child’s job is to play.

That’s why they don’t give grades, homework, or competitive games from early childhood through 8th grade. Instead, they teach games that foster collaboration—mindsets and skills that will be valuable in the future.

🤝 We need a space like that as adults too—especially when working on experimental or side projects.

Of course, since Figma launched Make, the internet was flooded 🌧️ with hot takes: comparison videos, feature checklists, and “why Make isn’t good enough yet” posts. It makes sense—most of us grew up in systems built on grades and competition. It’s what we know. 😂

But while others race to say Loveable, Framer, or Vercel are better, Figma’s taking the long game. They’re not burning cash on proprietary LLMs—they’re building smartly on top of Claude, which gives them flexibility and speed.

Imagine if Figma became a multi-LLM framework, like Galaxy AI does.

Last week, Figma rolled out Make to all paid accounts 💸. For me, it was finally time to get messy. I built a ton of random stuff, broke things on purpose, and had real fun.

But here’s the catch: while Make is live, it still doesn’t integrate seamlessly with Figma Sites or 💠 Design Systems. You can’t easily move a project from one product to another without friction. It’s like having amazing LEGO sets that don’t snap together yet.

Still, I believe in Figma’s ability to design their way out of this. Like what they did with Figma Draw—a seamless toggle between pixels and vectors—I’m sure they’ll find an elegant solution here too.

And if they need help breaking more toys to make something better, I’m in. 🙋

🧵 Make It Bigger Stitch

You know when a kid shows up to the sandbox with a shiny new toy? That was Google a couple of weeks ago.

They dropped Stitch, an AI-powered interface generator for mobile and web apps. And yep—it caught everyone’s attention. You describe a flow, and boom, you get a ready-to-go UI. 🧠✨

But here’s the catch: Google isn’t trying to beat Figma at being Figma. They already know designers love ❤️ Figma (🚫 not Adobe). Figma is the blueprint, the single-source of truth, the design bible in most teams.

So instead of trying to replace it, Stitch was built to export straight into Figma. No ego, just plug-and-play energy. Honestly, that’s smart. If Figma Make wants to get serious about dev handoff, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a native Stitch integration someday—maybe even tucked behind the paywall (as it should be).

Right now, Stitch is kind of in the early buzz stage: free with usage limits (350 generations in Flash mode, 50 in Experimental), and yes, the traffic is so wild you might see some lag. But give it time.

This could be the start of something big—and the fact that it's pointing straight into Figma? That says a lot about who’s leading and who’s stitching along. 🧵

🔌 The USB-C plug

Once you start building with Figma Make, one thing becomes super clear: Figma’s real power is in the metadata—that beautiful, structured info inside your designs that can be used to build full-on apps.

Opening parenthesis for Techstars (

I remember mentoring a startup at Techstars trying to create a Figma plugin that would auto-generate screens using a design system. They ghosted on a key question: "What if Figma just builds this?" And surprise—they're not around anymore.

Honestly, too many of those moonshot startups I mentored? Gone. Because they missed the point: solve real problems. Grow steadily. Don’t play startup cosplay.

) Closing parenthesis for Techstars

🔙 Now—back to Figma Make.

The hot takes are everywhere: "Figma is behind!" "Where’s the AI?" "Why so slow?" But here’s the thing:

Figma doesn’t care about keeping up. They’re building a new workflow for the next decade (or more). And they’re doing it smart.

Just look at what happened last week. Along with rolling out Make, Figma announced Dev Mode MCP Server. 🤯

🤔 Wait—what’s MCP?

Model Context Protocol (MCP) is basically a 🔌 USB-C plug for AI tools. It lets AI models (Claude, ChatGPT, whatever you like) connect directly to tools like Figma.

So now your AI assistant in VS Code—or Cursor, or wherever—can read your Figma file. It knows your 💠 design tokens. It understands your 💠 components. It sees your 💠 system.

No more uploading screenshots. No more clunky descriptions. Just direct line-of-sight into your design intent.

And when AI can see what you see, it can write real code—clean, on-brand, testable, maintainable.

Why this matters:

A lot of folks online say we should let go of pixel perfection and just “vibe.” Nope. We’re not trading craft for garbage. 🗑️

The problem isn’t that our standards are too high—it’s that our tools, workflows, and front-end engineering haven’t caught up.

This new layer from Figma? It’s a bridge. 🧩 And it’s exactly what we need.

Figma’s not behind—they’re just in The Zone. 🎧🏀

🫟 Zine Zone

While Figma is in their Zone, I’ve been vibing in my own Zine Zone. That’s right—I’m spending more time experimenting and less time chasing pixel perfection on Figma Sites. Just breaking the grid with joy. 🧩

Figma Sites isn’t a full-fledged blog tool yet—it still needs basic author roles and a clean writing interface. But that’s what makes now the perfect time to experiment.

I want to turn this moment into a collaborative zine playground. If you’re into zine culture, publishing weird experiments, or just wanna riff inside Figma Make and Sites, leave a comment on LinkedIn or Substack. Let’s turn this into a community jam session.

Also—there’s a fantastic article in the PRACTICE book from Figma that you shouldn’t miss: From screen to zine: Meet the makers using Figma for digital DIY. Total inspiration.

If you’re feeling bold and want to go analog, try the Zine Maker plugin and actually print one. 🖨️

And hey, I’ll be hosting a talk soon for Friends of Figma, Atlanta on how to build better layout systems with Figma grids. It’ll be a virtual event, so join in from anywhere.

Let’s reinvent publishing—with joy, mischief, and a little chaos. 🌀

🐉 How to train my 🤖

Now that Figma’s plugged us into the AI universe with their MCP rollout—still alpha, it’s time to think about what comes next. If we want our models to actually help us build better, we have to train them better too.

🗺️ Sitemaps & Userflows

I’ve been using Relume a lot to design sitemaps and outline what should go where on a site. It's been super helpful. Should this live in FigJam? In Sites? That’s for Figma to figure out.

Even cooler? Relume lets you sketch wireframes as a starting point. But when Wix Studio dropped their own AI sitemap builder, I canceled my Relume plan. It’s free inside Wix now.

Relume’s trying to stay alive—and like other AI-powered tools (Lovable, Bolt), they’re in that tight spot: get acquired 🏆 or disappear 🪦.

While the future of Relume is defined by Figma Ventures team.

Another tool that will be cool to have is a way to build Userflows on top of the Sitemap. Showing how a user interact and navigate from page to page.

Those tools are going to be a huge improvement if they introduce on Config Rio (not happening yet but we, Brazilians, are working on it).

All this? Just more ways to train our 🤖.

💽 Database Schema

Where’s Figma CMS? I need to see it in action to make some key calls for future projects.

Right now, Wix Studio and Webflow are more reliable for CMS functionality—at least in my tests.

I still plan everything in Airtable. It’s my current single source of truth for data. And I love using the Base Schema extension to visualize structure and connections.

It would be amazing if Figma integrated things like Variable Visualizer natively—and let us sync with tools like Airtable. Let me reuse structure across files without rework.

If Figma CMS doesn’t want to be on an island 🏝️, it needs to connect better to tools like Make, Zapier, and n8n. First-party integrations, please. 🙏

🏷️ Bravo Tags

I’ve built apps using Bravo Studio—and while publishing to app stores is still painful, the design experience is solid.

One thing I love? Bravo Tags. These let you tag your Figma frames with functional labels that the app understands.

It’s like teaching your design to speak dev.

If you want to try it, check out this Bravo Tag cheatsheet and Notion master doc.

Using tags like these is a great way to start training our models—and making our designs way more useful in the AI workflow.

🔥 Playground set on fire

After the collapse of the $20B Adobe x Figma deal, the design world shifted. Adobe paid a $1B breakup fee in cash—and even though they say “No Figma, No Problem,” I saw a few Adobe fans sneaking into Config like visitors in another church. ⛪️

But that’s where the shift really hit.

Figma isn’t just generating images on canvas—they’re building a vision, a new workflow, a real movement.

Yeah, there’s chatter about Lovable, Bolt, and other newcomers. But let’s be real: it’s going to be a struggle to convince anyone they’re a better bet 🐎. Figma has more gas ⛽️ —and with an IPO ahead, more runway.

Most startups? They’d need $1B just to try keeping up. And convincing a VC you’re going to beat Figma? Good luck. 🍀

Quick story—on my last day in SF, I was having lunch at Rad Radish (go eat there) when a couple of older folks noticed my Patagonia backpack and Figma tee. We started chatting. I showed them my DOJO+ Rank Verified jiu-jitsu belts and gave them my Config recap. One of them, after nodding through all of it, said: "Figma will catch up soon."

Maybe they’re Figma investors. Maybe not. But they liked my honesty and POV.

In Silicon Valley, serendipity is priceless.

In Brazil, we call this moment "🔥 fogo no parquinho"—which literally means "fire on the playground," and culturally means: things just got real. Conflict, heat, chaos—in a good way.

Since Day 1 at Config, Figma has been stacking more 🔥 on the battlefield. 🪵

Figma might not have all the polished products right now—but after Config, they’ve placed their pieces strategically on the board. ♟️ And make no mistake: they’re more than ready for this fight. 🔪💀

And I’m here for it.

Let’s go. 🚀

🍟 BITes

🔟 I maxed out my 10-domain limit on the Pro plan already. Holding off on upgrading until Figma drops pricing in Brazilian reais. 👀

🏪 Meanwhile, Wix is moving fast—especially for real-world SMB needs. I got 3 emails this week with features I suggested, already scheduled for Q3 2025. That’s what listening looks like. 👂💡

💰 If Figma wants to print more 💵 than just charging for seats, Figma Payments should be on the roadmap for 2026. (Imagine: CRM + payment + CMS = magic.)

🔒 One small annoying thing—Figma forces you to use www. on custom domains and doesn’t auto-redirect http to https. Team, this is an easy win. Let’s push that into the next sprint, please. 🧼 ➡️ 🔐

📚 Next on my reading list: I Am a Strange Loop. 🌀🧠 If you’ve read it, hit me up—I love discussing weird books about consciousness and identity.

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👨🏾‍🎓 Thinking about becoming a UX/UI Designer? Well, look no further! Enroll in the next Ironhack UX/UI Bootcamp and kickstart your journey to greatness. You're going to learn so much and have a blast doing it! 🚀

See you next week! 🤗

Juno
Designer, writer, educator, UX/UI Design advocate, and mentor for startups.

Hello people, in this issue, we’ll jump into…

• 🍔 Happy Meal,

• 🌄 Rio, I Love You,

• 🎭 We are Carnaval,

• ✍️ Sign the petition,

• 🍟 and extra things to bite it…

As I mentioned in a few past newsletters, Figma is officially landing in Brazil. And to say it the Brazilian way:

💦🫘 Bota mais água no feijão que o Figma tá chegando.
(Add more water to the beans — Figma is coming.)

If you’ve never heard this before, it’s a classic. When unexpected guests show up, the cook doesn’t panic — they just add more water to the beans. Stretch the meal, make room at the table. 🍽️

And that’s what this piece is about: making room. Not just to celebrate Figma arriving in Brazil, but to document, out loud, our desire to someday host Config right here in Rio.

Since nobody’s making this pitch officially, I’ll do it. I’m just putting this into the universe — in case someone at Figma is listening with both ❤️ heart and 🤑 business sense.

Kind of like when Dogan wished for a “Publish” button in Figma — and boom, it became real. Let’s see if ⚡️lightning strikes twice ⚡️.

🍔 Happy Meal

During the Config London keynote, Dylan mentioned that 40% of Figma’s active users are in Europe — which makes total sense for launching a regional Config. The Euro and USD are pretty aligned, the economies are mature, and pricing is straightforward.

But when we talk about bringing Config to Brazil — or any real expansion in Latin America — things get a bit more complicated.

Before we talk about Rio, let’s talk about hamburgers.

In 1986, The Economist created the 🍔 Big Mac Index — a clever way to measure purchasing power around the world using the price of a Big Mac. Since it’s the same burger everywhere, its price becomes a benchmark for how much a dollar feels like in different economies. It gives us a delicious lens into purchasing power parity.

💸 In Brazil, $10 USD isn’t just $10. It could feel like $25. Or $5.
That’s the kind of detail global companies need to get right.

Now why does this matter to Figma?

Because when you expand globally, you can’t just translate your interface. You have to translate value.

And many of Figma’s biggest competitors already have:
✔️ Adobe charges in Brazilian reais
✔️ Wix does too
✔️ WordPress, GoDaddy, Canva… same playbook

All of them figured out a way to price in Brazilian reais, which sounds like a boring finance move — until you realize how powerful it is.

🎯 Canva, in particular, nailed it. Brazil is now one of their top markets. They didn't just translate the UI — they translated the value. And now, they’re aggressively moving into Figma’s backyard with Canva Sites, Sheets, and other tools.

So if Figma wants to play in this market, it can’t just be a vibe. It has to be viable.

Saying “Eu falo português” is cute. ☺️
Saying “Eu aceito Pix” — that’s how you enter the room. 🤯

That’s why Figma’s office launch in Brazil can’t just be a swag drop — it needs to be a pricing strategy moment.

Figma could build its own Figma Payments — like Wix did. Start on top of Stripe. MVP it. Charge more at first. Then build a custom payment processor by region. Not just to charge — but to enable. So designers, freelancers, agencies, and small businesses in Brazil can earn, sell, and grow inside the platform.

If Config ever lands in Brazil, it shouldn’t just be a tech parade — it should reflect the economics of where it lands.

If Praveer Melwani (Figma’s CFO) is reading this, here’s the recipe:
🍔 Think global. 📊 Price local. 🇧🇷 Accept Pix.

🌄 Rio, I Love You

This might already be on your bucket list — but if it’s not, let me make it official: you owe yourself a trip to Rio at least once in your life. And if you time it with Config, even better. I’ll make sure you get the best local guide through this newsletter — just bring your curiosity and sunscreen 🧴.

Rio — for the insiders, not just Rio de Janeiro — is more than a city.
It’s a whole state of spirit. 🧘

And this spirit? It’s been the backdrop for some of the most iconic global events in the world:

• 🏆 FIFA World Cup (1950 & 2014)

• 🏅 Summer Olympics (2016)

• 🇧🇷 Pan American Games (2007)

• 🙏 World Youth Day (2013)

• 🌍 Earth Summit / Rio 92

• 🌱 Rio+20 (2012)

• 💸 G20 Finance Ministers Meeting (2008)

• 🌐 G20 Summit (2024)

As Harry Hastings, the founder and director of Plan South America, once said:

It’s no surprise Rio was voted the best destination in South America.

One photo is worth a thousand words — but if you’ve been there, you know: it’s the feeling that stays.

🗣️ Getting Fluent in the Carioca Way

Even as a Brazilian, I had to learn how to survive Rio. Between São Paulo and Rio, I was flying weekly (yes, every week). At first, it felt cool — George Clooney in Up in the Air vibes. Then came the airport chaos, long lines, and no Clear or Global Entry. Pro tip: stop wearing belts.

But Rio has its own rhythm. Its own slang. Its own rules.

If you want to get ready for Config Rio 2026, start with these Instagram legends:

🇧🇷 @meiobrasileira — an American who teaches English and speaks Portuguese like she was born in Lapa. “Meio” means “half,” but let’s be real — she’s full-on Brazilian at this point. She even got her CPF (Brazilian Social Security Number).
And by the way — I don’t do “half.” I tell my kids: Never half. Always double. Double the culture. Double the roots. Double the superpowers. 🇰🇷 🇧🇷

🗣️ @iae.break — carioca da gema. The real deal. This kid’s slang game is undefeated.

"Carioca da gema" is a beloved Brazilian expression that means someone is a true Rio native to the core — not just born in the city, but shaped by its culture, rhythm, and way of life. The word gema means “yolk,” so the phrase suggests someone who’s Rio through and through — like the golden center of the egg, where the real flavor is. 🍳

🎤 @leamariajahn — a German doing stand-up in Portuguese and absolutely killing it. Hilarious and weirdly accurate.

🎬 P.S. Watch Rio, I Love You

If you’ve never seen Rio, I Love You — it’s part of the Cities of Love series, alongside Paris, Je T’Aime and New York, I Love You.

There aren’t many cities that get a cinematic love letter like this.
But Rio? Rio deserves it.

So… Stop resisting. Just come.

🎭 We are Carnaval

First things first — let’s get this clear: it’s CARNAVAL, not carnival. Don’t confuse it with the masked elegance of Venice. This is something else entirely. This is Brazil. This is energy. This is vibe.

And yes — to be realistic, syncing Config’s calendar with Carnaval’s official dates is a tough one. But… we’ve figured that out already.

In Brazil, we created a concept called “Carnaval fora de época” — off-season Carnaval — or what we also call micareta. Translation? We can throw Carnaval whenever we want, wherever we want. Problem solved. 🎉

Like every great company party (a.k.a. festa da firma), we’d need a proper concert to close it out — something that matches the height and energy of the event. We’re talking legendary.

Here’s my dream Config Rio lineup:

• Ivete Sangalo – no debate. My #1 pick. Iconic. Period.

• Alexandre Pires (with or without Seu Jorge)

• Bell Marques – King of micaretas, still rocking like he’s 50 at age 72.

• Raça Negra – considered by some (including me) better than The Beatles. 😂

And we’re open to suggestions. But any of these would help us create another historic musical moment — like Queen at Rock in Rio — where a massive crowd sings together in one voice. Config meets Carnaval? Now that’s magic. 🪄

🌊 And about The Wave™ I started at Config 2024? In Rio, it’ll be the most beautiful wave you’ll ever witness. Our Friends of Figma (a.k.a. FoFis) are beyond ready to ride it.

Let’s be real: even if Figma brings zero new features in 2026, the energy will still be unforgettable. But if they match the innovation level of 2025?

The crowd. Will. Lose. It.

And just to set the mood, hit play on this:
🎶 “We are Carnaval, we are folia, we are the world of Carnaval…”
(Click to listen) 🎧

✍️ Sign the Petition

If you want to see Config land in Rio, it’s time to show some love. ❤️

👉 Sign the petition. Share it. Talk about it. Tag Figma. Let’s make some noise.

If you're a designer and Brazilian, this is your cue —
Drop a comment, share it on LinkedIn, and push it forward.
Vamos com tudo, porrrrrra!

So…

Seja bem-vindo. Não repara a bagunça. Pode tirar o chinelo. Sinta-se em casa.
Vou passar um cafezinho e assar uns pães de queijo…
Welcome. Sorry for the mess. You can take off your sandals. Make yourself at home.
I’ll brew some coffee and bake some cheese bread…

🎶 “Isto aqui ô, ô… É um pouquinho de Brasil iá iá…”

Let’s bring the world to Rio — Figma style.

🍟 BITes

🏋️‍♀️ I’m currently working on a few projects to showcase how Figma can be used across industries and company sizes in Brazil. I’ll be sharing these soon — keep reading this newsletter. (Oh, and I also helped translate Figma to Portuguese 🇧🇷.)

💸 There’s been some chatter about the so-called “dark pattern” Figma uses to charge more. My take? Please stop being cheap. If you love Figma and want to support it, do your part. It’s still way more affordable — and powerful — than Adobe. Here’s the article everyone is sharing.

📺 If you haven’t watched the Canva Create keynote, do it. Compare it side-by-side with Figma’s drops. It’s going to be a bleeding battle — Sites, Sheets, AI, workflows — who’s going to win?

🇧🇷 If you're a designer in Brazil living in Salvador-BA, or Fortaleza–CE, or know someone who is — let’s get them to start Friends of Figma chapters there. I’d love to visit, share knowledge, and soak in the local vibe.

🏛️ And Config in Rio would also be the perfect excuse to update my Free Museum Project with all the museums in Rio that have free entry days. Culture, tech, and design? Count me in.

🏁 Enjoy This Newsletter?

If you love this newsletter, why not share the goodness with a friend? Forward it to them and let them know they can subscribe right here. 📩

🌟 You can contribute to the newsletter! If you've got an awesome section idea, shoot it our way, and we'll include it in a future edition.

📣 Wanna chat with me? Head on over to ADPList for some mentorship sessions, or follow me on TikTok for more awesome UX tips and tricks. You don't want to miss it!

👨🏾‍🎓 Thinking about becoming a UX/UI Designer? Well, look no further! Enroll in the next Ironhack UX/UI Bootcamp and kickstart your journey to greatness. You're going to learn so much and have a blast doing it! 🚀

See you next week! 🤗

Juno
Designer, writer, educator, UX/UI Design advocate, and mentor for startups.

• ☕️ Mornings at Config,

• 🌊 The Waves — Brought to You by Google,

• 🧠 From Supernatural to Super Product,

• 🧶 The craft of design (sessions that spoke to my heart),

• 🍟 and extra things to bite it…

☕️ Mornings at Config

Config mornings start early. Really early.

I’m usually one of the first in line at 7 AM, and coming from the East Coast with jet lag? Sleep isn’t an option — even after staying up late for The Chainsmokers concert, I was still up the next morning, oat latte in hand, ready to soak up whatever Config (and the community) had to offer.

Well, not soak. A wise friend once told me:

🧽 “Don’t be a sponge — be a strainer.”

Sponge absorbs everything. The strainer keeps only what matters. I’ve lived by that rule at every Config.

☕️ My mornings always start with a lap around the venue, sipping Blue Bottle and catching up with Figma’s team at Expert Bar. Big shoutout to Ana Boyer and Mallory Dean — we had some amazing convos (at least from my side, 😊).

If I can offer one piece of advice for your next Config:

👉 Do what you can’t do later.

You can always rewatch the talks.

But you can’t replay those hallway chats, those spontaneous connections. That’s where the magic lives.

Some folks even skip the keynotes 😱, but I always prioritize the Day 1 product announcements and the big guests. This year, that meant Dylan’s fireside chat with Meta CTO Andrew “Boz” Bosworth — but more on that in a sec.

🌊 The Waves — Brought to You by Google

If you’ve seen the aura photo booths sponsored by Google, you know the vibe. This is my second year doing one. Last year: mostly white. This year: indigo to violet, blue, and with a faint white. Compared to last year: More depth, more energy range — maybe a reflection of growth, personal evolution, or new focus areas.

Coincidence? Maybe.

🤓 But I’ve been reading Becoming Supernatural by Dr. Joe Dispenza, and it got me thinking.

Call me crazy, but he talks about how humans emit electromagnetic fields — and the frequencies waves can vary with emotion, focus, energy. What if these aura cameras really are capturing something more than heat signatures? Or something deeper?

I’m not saying Google’s building a vibe-based LLM…

Maybe this is science. Maybe it’s something else. Maybe it’s both.

But like Arthur C. Clarke said:

“Magic is just science we don’t understand yet.”

Think about your phone 📱. You probably don’t know how it actually works. And yet, here it is, 📡 beaming thoughts around the world. We live inside miracles and barely notice them.

🧠 From Supernatural to Super Product

Now let’s jump into Dylan Field’s fireside chat with Andrew "Boz" Bosworth (CTO at Meta).

If Steve Jobs took a calligraphy class that helped shape the Mac, Boz said his philosophy courses from 25 years ago still inform how he builds product today.

Some 🔥 takeaways:

• Consciousness as a spectrum: Inspired by Hofstadter, Boz believes AI will reach “non-zero” consciousness in our lifetime.

• Mirror neurons in infants: Empathy emerges before speech. A model for AI theory of mind.

• Design must evolve: As we shift into spatial and generative interfaces, design needs to move from optimization to invention.

We’re heading toward interfaces that anticipate user needs. No clicks. No taps. Just context-aware actions. Forget the TikTok scroll or Gmail swipe. Think: disappearing UI.

"The goal isn’t better buttons. It’s fewer buttons."

Boz says the mouse-to-touchscreen era lasted 60+ years. He doesn’t think the next interface paradigm will take that long to change.

It got me thinking about my grandma. She went from post-war Korea to black-and-white TVs, to seeing the birth of the internet. What kind of shifts will we witness?

In the next 10 years, Boz sees us skipping over all the "tickytacky" bits — missed clicks, bad inputs, friction. Within 20, he thinks we’ll use tools that offer full, anticipatory plans, which we’ll simply adjust. Not build from scratch.

And the tools we use today? They have to evolve too.

Boz’s final call was for designers to:

"Question inherited paradigms."

He’s right. Our job isn’t just to design for what exists. It’s to imagine what could.

And that, my friends, is the real 🌊 wave to ride 🏄.

And maybe the Singularity is closer than we can think.

If you came to my talk at FoF Miami, you may remember my first slide:

"There is no man better than a machine.
to be continued…

🧶 The craft of design

Beyond the futuristic vibes and jaw-dropping demos, one thing really made me smile this year at Config: craft is making a comeback.

Yes, AI is everywhere. Yes, we’ll all be working alongside bots, and yes, that’s cool. But there’s something sacred about what we do with our hands, minds, and hearts. Something only humans can bring into the design process. Figma got that — and brought it to the main stage.

Last weekend, I was helping out at my kid’s school for an upcoming event. And honestly? It was pure joy. Laughing, making a mess, chatting with other parents, eating snacks. That’s craft. That’s connection.

It reminded me that design is more than tools. More than polish. It’s about presence. Play. Intentionality.

We’re not building things with bots to replace us. We’re building things alongside bots to amplify us.

And that’s why it was so special to see Figma give space to the humans behind the pixels.

Here are a few speakers who spoke directly to my design soul:

Designing dystopia: the creative vision behind Severance

On Day 2 of Config, Jeremy Hindle sat right in front of me. And I had a chance to talk to him a bit.

I had to confess something awkward: I’d never watched Severance. (I know, I know.) But that didn’t stop me from sharing how grateful I was that he was there — and how refreshing it felt to have someone like him on stage. Less AI buzz. More craft. More vision.

Jeremy’s talk wasn’t just about designing a set. It was about designing a reality. He brought the precision of advertising into the world of long-form storytelling, where every frame is a frame-within-a-frame. Every hallway, every prop, every flicker of light was intentional. It felt more like art direction for a museum than a TV show.

It took me back to my early days at DM9DDB in Brazil, when I learned how powerful craft and detail could be. That was my advertising school — free tuition, real-world pressure. Seeing those same lessons applied in shows like Severance? Mind-blowing. Apple TV is truly leveling up the visual language of television. (If you haven’t watched Pachinko yet, do it. $13M an episode and worth every frame.)

Jeremy showed how Severance's worldbuilding began with a lookbook: defining people, culture, behavior, architecture. How light, ceiling height, and camera placement would shape the psychological maze that is Lumon Industries. They took cues from Jacques Tati, brutalist architecture, and sterile office parks to design a place that feels alien, yet familiar.

"We’re all ants," Jeremy said. And in this show, you feel it.

A retro phone. A fluorescent hum. An endless hallway. These weren’t just props—they were metaphors. Aesthetic choices that reflected identity loss, surveillance, and the loneliness of corporate life.

Design wasn’t in the background. It was the story.

And maybe, just maybe, as you read on, you’ll feel smaller than an ant too. 🐜

Jeremy nailed the Config vibe.

It was a talk for the misfits, the weirdos, the craft-obsessed. The ones who still believe that design matters not just on screens, but in the stories we tell.

How to be a robot whisperer with Dr. Madeline Gannon

This talk was part sci-fi, part philosophy, part DIY robotics class — and I loved every second of it.

Dr. Madeline Gannon, aka the "robot whisperer," gave one of the most human talks about machines I’ve ever seen. She shared how she rescued a robot from an old assembly line and brought it back to life. Yes, like some people rescue dogs. Except this one has servos and sensors.

It reminded me of a book that’s been sitting on my reading list for a while: The New Breed by Kate Darling. The idea is simple, but powerful — if we want to understand our future with robots, maybe we should stop thinking of them like people and start thinking of them like animals. And Madeline’s work makes that theory feel real.

She doesn’t just build robots. She lives with them. Her home and studio are filled with machines that don’t just compute — they communicate. Using motion sensors and subtle behaviors, she gives these machines something like presence. A little awareness. A little personality.

She calls it embodied AI — not just intelligence in code, but intelligence in physical form. And through careful design, movement, and even eye contact, she helps people form emotional connections with machines. The way we once did with Tamagotchis, or game characters, or talking toys.

One of her robots, Mimi, became so lifelike in its subtle movements that over 100,000 museum visitors felt connected to it. Not just intrigued — emotionally moved. That’s wild.

Dr. Gannon argues that automation isn’t inevitable. It’s a choice. Culture is humanity’s first and most powerful technology, and we have the power to shape the future of robotics not through fear, but through curiosity, optimism, and even play.

"Amateurism, playfulism, optimism." — that was her mantra.

And honestly? I’m here for it. We need more weird, creative misuse of technology. We need more people like her showing us how to build with feeling.

Because robots aren’t just coming.

They’re already here. Might as well teach them some empathy.

Breaking and entering (and building culture along the way) with Jeff Staple

I really loved the way Jeff told his story — it felt cinematic. Like a punk rock version of a TED Talk.

His framing of culture, community, and design reminded me of a Brazilian podcast I listened to called O Fim do Futuro (The End of the Future). They told this mind-bending metaphor: If the Earth’s 4.5 billion-year history was compressed into one single calendar year, the timeline would look like this:

• January: The oceans appear.

• February: Life begins.

• March to November: A slow, steady rise of flora and fauna. Dinosaurs arrive only in December.

• December 31, 11:45 PM: Humans show up.

  • 11:59:54 PM: We invent agriculture — just 6 seconds before midnight.

  • 11:59:58 PM: The industrial revolution hits — only 2 seconds to go.

We’ve been here for a blink. But look how much we’ve already changed.

And what have we done in those 2 seconds?

We reshaped the planet in ways ancient philosophers already feared. They even created a myth for it — Prometheus, the Titan who stole fire (aka knowledge, reason, technology) from the gods and gave it to humanity. He was punished for eternity.

Prometheus gave us the fire🔥. And we? We set the Earth on fire 🔥🌍.

Okay, dramatic? Maybe. But it was the perfect setup for Jeff’s talk.

He traced his origin story through punk, hip-hop, Bruce Lee, Michael Jordan, and even Connie Chang. From journalism to design to fashion. From getting paid almost nothing to screen-printing t-shirts in a school lab. From dropping out — twice — to launching a global brand.

The metaphor that stuck with me most? Command Z (or Control Z on Windows 🪟). Undo. It’s not just a keyboard shortcut — it’s a mindset. Jeff’s point was clear: design is about iteration. You test, you fail, you learn, you rebuild. You own your story, one version at a time.

It reminded me of another metaphor from that same podcast: Earth’s 4.5 billion-year history compressed into one calendar year. It’s not just a clever way to show how small we are — it’s a wake-up call.

"Technology and progress shaped our imagination to believe the future had no limits. But Earth is limited." We showed up late, made a mess in seconds, and now we’ve got to clean it up.

Maybe undoing the damage is more than a design metaphor — maybe it’s the ethos we need. One careful revision at a time.

A lot of his references hit home — and made me think of my own. Growing up in downtown São Paulo, my culture was shaped by Brazilian hip-hop (or “Rap Nacional”): Racionais MC’s, Sabotage, RZO, Rappin’ Hood, Negra Li, Thiago Elniño, Emicida. And let’s not forget pagode and samba — Seu Jorge, Alexandre Pires, Raça Negra. That’s me, like it or not.

Microaggressions? Like Jeff, I’ve collected a lifetime of them. Even in the U.S. — a Brazilian CFO once told me, “Japanese people can’t like pagode.”

🪘Sure. Tell that to the kid who grew up listening to Raça Negra in the broken heart of SP.

Jeff’s talk was a reminder that identity is patchwork. You build it from scraps, from setbacks, from what people told you you couldn't do. And you pass it forward — to the younger version of yourself.

He asked: What message are you delivering? What’s the mechanism?

And I thought of Free Museum. A tiny project I launched before Config. A love letter to those who didn’t grow up going to museums — because you were broke, or excluded, or just didn’t feel welcome. Like Shirt told Jeff said in his Business of HYPE episode:

“When you’re broke, you’re not thinking about going to the Guggenheim on Friday.”

We’re not just designing things. We’re designing access.

For the kids we once were.

And for the ones coming next.

How Nicole McLaughlin reimagines waste and discarded materials

Nicole’s work isn’t just upcycling — it’s reframing the entire conversation about consumption, fashion, and sustainability.

We talk about cutting back on 🥩🍗 meat to save the planet (and yes, animal agriculture is a major contributor to emissions). But the 👗 fashion industry accounts for around 10% of global greenhouse gases too. Nicole reminds us that rethinking what we wear is just as urgent.

She started while working in corporate fashion, surrounded by unused samples and discarded materials. With no formal training in garment construction, she just started experimenting. DIY-style. Rapid prototyping. Iterating. Using herself as the mannequin. Sound familiar?

Her IKEA sandals went viral. Her art caught fire. Her impact keeps growing.

She worked with Reebok, Gucci, Puma — but always kept her vibe. And during the pandemic? She pivoted, started reworking old projects, and leaned into impermanence.

She teaches people how to fix things. Run workshops. Promote sewing as a life skill. Nicole doesn’t just make stuff — she makes community.

Now that so many people are in #buildinpublic mode, it reminded me of the book Show Your Work. In a crowded market, the only way to truly stand out is by doing more than just presenting a shiny portfolio — it’s about sharing the process, the story, and the thinking behind what you create.

Here were my takeaways:

🧑‍💻 Step away from the screen. Go make something. Anything.

🪡🧵 Learn new skills. I’m learning sewing by doing crafts at my kid’s school. No shame.

♻️🦋 Embrace metamorphosis. Upcycle. Repair. Reuse. Think in loops, not lines.

Nicole could be a designer by profession, but she’s an artist by soul. And I’d be so down to join a workshop with her. Config 2026, are you listening?

If you're not already following her on Instagram — do it now. She’s not just showing her work. She’s reshaping ours.

Redesigning the computer mouse with Corten Singer & Ryan Hudson-Peralta

🐭 The Mouse, Reimagined (and Licked?)

This is the most powerful talks I saw at Config 2025.

It came from Corten Singer and Ryan Hudson-Peralta. Together, they introduced something wild: the MouthPad — a hands-free, tongue-powered computer interface that basically turns your mouth into a mouse. Yeah, you read that right.

Corten broke it down. For decades, we’ve used mice and keyboards like it's 1995, and it works… unless it doesn’t. For people with disabilities, those tools are often inaccessible or limiting. So Augmental decided to rethink it all. The result? A dental retainer embedded with sensors that lets you move your cursor, click, scroll, and even use Figma using just your tongue and subtle head gestures.

Corten calls the tongue our "11th finger" — super dexterous, richly mapped in the brain, and always available. (Honestly, brilliant.)

And then came Ryan.

Born without hands, Ryan Hudson-Peralta is a designer, speaker, and all-around inspiration. He showed how he uses the MouthPad to create — not just to function. Not just to get by. He designs, draws, plays, and even races toy robots with his kid. That’s what inclusive tech does: it doesn’t just open doors; it builds playgrounds.

I caught Ryan outside after the talk and told him how much I admired his work. And to be honest?

Sometimes I feel like I have my own kind of invisible disability — the mental blocks, the inner critic, the weight of not doing enough.

Seeing what Ryan builds despite (or because of) his challenges reminded me that real strength is in adaptation, not perfection.

And it brought back memories of training with my friend Carlitos, a blind jiu-jitsu black belt. When we roll, it’s not about aggression or speed. It’s about presence, control, technique. That same energy was in Ryan’s talk. No excuses. Just flow.

🖱️ Getting Beyond the Mouse

Right after Meta’s CTO talked about the next paradigm of interaction (no screens, just intention), Augmental shows up with something that actually feels like the future.

You can draw. Design. Play. Speak.

All with your mouth.

They’re even working on silent speech interfaces that could one day replace keyboards entirely. No hands. No keys. Just thought and tongue.

Which brings me back to that moment during the product launches keynote when I got a DM from a friend that read:

“Figma is so sexy right now I wanna lick it."

Well, with the MouthPad, maybe you finally can. 😜

📋 Others must-watch

Here are a few more sessions that stayed with me:

📺 Writing is Designing with Andy Welfle — Thank you for motivating me to keep writing. I might dip my toes into video soon, but writing is where I feel most at home. (Also, I still need to finish my book!)

📺 Redefining Fan Engagement in the NBA with Jay Lee & Ellen McGirt — The talk was good, but the product is next level. Download the NBA app and just navigate — from watching games to interacting with content, it’s social, sleek, and addictive in the best way.

📺 Growth Design as Art and Science with Becca Ramos — Loved the breakdown of tools and strategies Becca uses to align with stakeholders while staying rooted in the design process.

📺 Typography Is the Foundation of Any Design System with Elliot Jay Stocks — No frills, just facts. Typography matters. Always.

📺 Rituals & Skills in the Age of AI with Yuhki Yamashita & Shishir Mehrotra — Grounding thoughts on what it takes to stay human while building with machines.

📺 Building Design Systems Together with Jake Albaugh & Chad Bergman — A great behind-the-scenes view on collaborative systems thinking.

📺 The Space-Filling Curve of Design with Helena Zhang — One of the most poetic and mind-expanding takes on systems and scale I’ve seen in a while.

🌴 Back to the Miami Talk

And circling back to that talk in Miami — I leave you with a quote I used in my talk:

“There is no man better than a machine.
But there is no machine better than a man with a machine.”
— Richard Bookstaber

And maybe what feels like science fiction is just the preface — the Singularity might be creeping in quieter than we expect.

🍟 BITes

🐣 Read PRACTICE — the little book they handed out at Config? It’s gold. I’m devouring it. Will share more thoughts soon.

👋 The perfect Config wind-down: a picnic hosted by Timothy Gailey, Ariel Zilist and Grace Ling. Perfect way to connect before saying “see you next year”. Honestly, we need to implement a way to identify when you are leaving post Config so people can hangout extra days together.

☯️ In Brazil, we call jiu-jitsu post-training talk resenha — it’s where the real lessons happen. During my week in SF, I trained at multiple gyms. After a roll, one cop I sparred with said something that stuck with me: “People need balance… like you Asian folks say — yin and yang. Not all or nothing, just more grounded.”

🏁 Enjoy This Newsletter?

If you love this newsletter, why not share the goodness with a friend? Forward it to them and let them know they can subscribe right here. 📩

🌟 You can contribute to the newsletter! If you've got an awesome section idea, shoot it our way, and we'll include it in a future edition.

📣 Wanna chat with me? Head on over to ADPList for some mentorship sessions, or follow me on TikTok for more awesome UX tips and tricks. You don't want to miss it!

👨🏾‍🎓 Thinking about becoming a UX/UI Designer? Well, look no further! Enroll in the next Ironhack UX/UI Bootcamp and kickstart your journey to greatness. You're going to learn so much and have a blast doing it! 🚀

See you next week! 🤗

Juno
Designer, writer, educator, UX/UI Design advocate, and mentor for startups.

• 🌊 The Wave,

• 🧑‍🔧 The Fix,

• ✏️ The Draw,

• 📢 The Buzz,

• 🖥️ The Sites,

• 🧑‍💻 The Make,

• 📱 The Apps,

• 🍟 and extra things to bite it…

🌊 The Wave

Before anything else, I want to thank everyone who took part in the wave. If you don’t know what I’m talking about — just wait. The video from my Ray-Ban Meta View is here.

If you were at Config 2024, you probably remember the crowd wave (or “ola” as we say in Portuguese 🇧🇷) I kicked off. It became my unofficial-official Config role.

This year, I got ambitious. I wanted to stretch the wave from one end of the room to the other. Moscone is huge, so the dream is still alive. But when the announcements dropped, it wasn’t a wave anymore — it was a tsunami 🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊.

A marolinha of feature drops turned into a full-blown flood of "WHAT!?" moments. People were amazed. Some updates felt like pure innovation. Others? Shameless, beautiful copy-paste from the competition. And And I loved every second of it — Figma made all the competitors bleed on Day One.

Let me pause here: in Brazilian surfer slang, marola is already a small wave. Marolinha? That’s an even smaller ripple — barely a pulse in the ocean. Great for beginners. But Figma? It sent a wall of water crashing through Moscone. From calm to chaos in one product keynote.

Let's ride that wave, section by section.

🧑‍🔧 The Fix

If you've been reading my newsletter for a while, you already know how I feel about Auto Layout. It’s great — but it was missing the fundamentals to truly behave like HTML/CSS. For Figma to reach that magical "Publish" button moment, we needed these foundations in place before launching Figma Sites.

That moment has finally arrived.

There were several small but meaningful updates implemented by Figma to support this moment.

But the real breakthrough? Grids.

Figma introduced support for CSS-like grids, a major shift that brings us closer to designing real, semantic layouts — not just stacking things in nice containers. If you haven’t read it yet, Christine Vallaure’s article breaks it down beautifully. It’s the best explanation I’ve seen since Config.

Designers: if you want respect from developers, learn CSS and JavaScript. I mean it. Understanding layout systems makes you a better designer and a better collaborator.

Knowledge is power — and it might even turn you into a 🤓 nerd like me.

Let me say it louder: Auto Layout is inspired by Flexbox — but it's not quite there yet.

Yes, it now supports features like gap and "Fill container" (which mimics flex-grow: 1), flex-wrap, so elements can wrap to the next line naturally, alignment tools that resemble justify-content and align-items. However, there are still some limitations to be aware of.

That said, we're getting closer.

Now that Grid is in the game, I hope we break free from designing the same “bento-style” layouts over and over. Let’s break the grid. Let’s explore the weird edges of layout again.

This update isn’t just technical — it’s cultural. Figma is nudging us to design like developers without taking away our visual playground 🛝. The gap is closing.

✏ The Draw

Let’s talk about Draw — the quiet, almost poetic feature drop that gave me a hit of nostalgia.

Figma didn’t just launch a new tool. It summoned the spirit of Macromedia Freehand. 🕊️

For the younger crowd: Freehand was one of the best vector tools of its time. Before Adobe bought and buried it, Freehand was beloved for its freedom, its fluidity — especially by designers who built websites before the rise of Illustrator. I was one of them. It had soul.

With Draw, Figma brings that kind of soul back.

You stay in the same interface, toggle into Draw mode, and suddenly you’re sketching with vectors — directly into your design. No exporting. No weird Illustrator copy-paste issues. Just pure expression.

It’s not a small feature — it’s a special one in the Figma ecosystem, and it has massive potential.

Think about how Helena draws hearts in Figma — or how the designers at Font Awesome created over 30,000 icons. They used Figma to do it — even with limitations. Now imagine the future, when Draw becomes a native superpower fully unleashed within the ecosystem. Draw lets us refine, tweak, and explore that same depth — with both power and performance built in.

Clunky icon workarounds? Say goodbye. 👋

Draw feels like a creative reincarnation — a 🤘 gentle rebellion against sterile systems, reminding us that even in the most advanced design tools, everything starts with a human hand and an imperfect line.

Now imagine having all your illustrations — the ones you’ll actually use on your website — created and managed in the same environment, ready to be turned into components with just a few clicks. That’s not just convenient — that’s powerful.

📢 The Buzz

Figma Buzz is definitely catching up with 🦘 Canva — a platform where small businesses and marketers solve day-to-day challenges for creating marketing assets. Having something similar inside Figma is fantastic. But let’s be honest: it wasn’t quite ready for Canva Create announcements just weeks earlier.

👍 The advantages

First, bringing familiar features like Variants and Multi-Edit — already native to Figma — was a smart move. These are exactly what high-velocity teams need. You can now switch components faster, edit in bulk, and work without breaking the content panel. It’s the kind of quality-of-life upgrade that adds up fast.

Another big win? Templates that marketing teams can use to change only the content — without touching or messing up the approved layouts. That keeps design integrity intact while empowering non-designers.

Also, having all assets in one place — ready to collaborate, review, and export — is a huge boost for creative workflows.

And importing data through a CSV or spreadsheet? It works. Not as elegantly as Canva’s solution, but it gets the job done (for now).

👎 The disadvantages

If you’ve used Canva’s Brand Kit or Adobe Libraries, you know how powerful it is to have quick access to all your brand elements — logos, colors, fonts, images, and video — in one centralized space. That’s the level of experience Figma Buzz is aiming for.

Figma is finally moving in that direction, but when it comes to media asset management (especially images and video), Canva is more prepared — at this moment. That said, I truly believe this is the next area where Figma Buzz will evolve.

At my previous role at OnChain Studios, we managed over 2,000 image assets for brands like Disney, Mattel, StarWars, Nascar, and the NBA. When a designer uses the wrong image, it’s more than a mistake — it can cost you a partnership. That’s why having a proper brand asset system inside Figma will be a game-changer.

📁 I’ll share soon how I tackled this DesignOps challenge in my portfolio.

🔗 Connected Data

This might be the feature with the most long-term potential.

Imagine linking real product data — like images, names, and prices — directly from a source like Airtable or Google Sheets into your Figma components. Canva already nailed this with the launch of Canva Sheets, letting users manage spreadsheets and even upload images into rows — just like Airtable.

Figma’s take on connected data feels promising, but it’s still early. Right now, working with CSVs feels a bit too “Microsoft Excel 2006.” The experience isn’t dynamic or visual enough yet. Think: Airtable meets Figma Variables — that’s the direction it needs to go.

Also: Lauren McCann will thank you when she no longer has to wrestle with files like speakers-config-2025_v1 (1).csv during late-night updates. You know exactly what I mean. 😅

And speaking of CSVs: linking photos wasn’t very clear. Do they need to be hosted externally? Can they be uploaded to Figma? It’s still confusing. A more elegant Airtable-like approach — where you can upload images directly into the spreadsheet or tie them to a component — would make a huge difference.

Ideally, we’ll soon have a shared online database that powers presentations, marketing assets, and websites — all managed directly inside Figma.

💭 That’s the dream. And we’re getting close.

🖥️ The Sites

— Figma, have you no shame on your face?
— No. Just beauty. 😘

🔍 Tech Vibes from SF to Config

When I landed in San Francisco from Atlanta, I was hit by a wall of tech advertising. But what stood out most? Framer. Their ads were everywhere — almost as if they knew what Figma was about to unveil.

🍎 And the leaks? Classic Apple-style. Figma Sites news was already jumping from one LinkedIn post to another. It felt like the hype had already spoiled the reveal. But when it finally happened, it still hit.

😎 Figma’s Coming-of-Age Moment

Figma is like that 👨‍🎤 young, rebellious, and charming friend who makes even 👴 old guys like me feel young again. It’s giving us permission to ship, build, and play again.

Yes, Figma is still in its pre-teen phase — a little unsure of what it wants to be. But Figma Sites is a bold move, and it’s exciting to witness.

💻 Desktop-First Is the Reality

Let’s settle this: mobile-first is an outdated mantra. I’ve designed financial platforms that were desktop-only, and fitness apps that were mobile-only. What matters is user context — not buzzwords.

Figma Sites embracing desktop-first just reflects how most people design. And while Framer nailed the desktop-to-mobile cascade, I still dislike their unfamiliar Auto Layout labels — it’s a relearn process for no good reason.

🧠 From Idea Graveyard to Site Builder

I’ve lost count of how many ideas died waiting on a dev. But that changed when I found Wix Studio. In the past year alone, I’ve built 50+ websites — not just for me, but for DOJO+ clients who needed control over their daily operations.

One dream that became real? Free Museum. It started as a mental note and now lives online — thanks to Wix. I might even switch to Figma Sites if Dylan wants to be a patron. 😉

🕸️ A Site is More Than a Site

Let’s talk about scale — because Figma Sites isn’t just entering a playground, it’s entering a battlefield. ⚔️

WordPress still dominates the landscape. It powers an estimated 43.5% of all websites, totaling over 529 million globally. That kind of reach is massive. And when you compare it to tools like Webflow (which sits at around 1.24%) or Squarespace and others that hover below 1%, it becomes clear: Figma is playing catch-up in numbers, but not in culture.

WordPress earned its dominance by being flexible and open — but it also became messy. It’s a developer-first platform that can do just about anything, but often at the cost of usability. That’s fine for developers, but for writers, marketers, or indie creators, it often becomes overwhelming.

Figma Sites can change that balance. It doesn’t need to own the internet like WordPress — it just needs to own the way we design for it. 😍 It already owns the hearts of designers. Now, if it can give us the power to ship without compromise, it’s game over.

We’re not just talking about launching portfolios. We’re talking about redefining what it means to build online — with less code, less dependency, and way more freedom.

🪟 Less Customization, More Control?

Let’s be honest — most people don’t want to customize everything. They just want to publish, connect, and maybe collect emails. But even that can feel like a maze.

Take WordPress: if you want to collect emails, you need a plugin. Want analytics? Another plugin. Want it to load fast and not break? Better get another plugin for that too.

Medium, on the other hand, feels like Apple. Polished, elegant, and walled off. It’s a joy to write on, but it doesn’t let you own your audience. No direct access to emails, no flexibility. You’re playing in someone else’s sandbox.

That’s why I personally lean toward Substack. It gives me ownership — I get my audience and my list. But even there, customization is limited. You can’t really change the design or layout. Ghost is another interesting option, especially if you’re self-hosting. But again, it’s not for everyone.

The truth is, most people don’t create content — they consume it. And platforms like Medium and Substack are built beautifully for that. But once you want to build something with a personal touch — your own branding, layout, and vibe — limitations show up quickly. That’s when creators start bumping against the guardrails of Medium, Substack, and similar platforms.

Despite its reach, WordPress hasn’t kept pace with evolving user needs. It got too comfortable at the top, and unless it rethinks its usability, it risks becoming a relic rather than a leader.

🎨 More Customization, More Power (but More Work)

When you do want to go deeper — brand it your way, tweak the layout, make it feel truly yours — then we’re talking about the big leagues: Webflow, Wix Studio, Squarespace (cute but shallow), and maybe soon… Figma Sites.

These tools let you customize everything: styles, components, interactivity, and even how things scale. But once you go this route, you’re also stepping into more complexity. That’s not bad — it’s just the tradeoff.

And when you move beyond static sites into real functionality — things like e-commerce, CRMs, and lead funnels — it’s a different conversation. Platforms like Hubspot, ClickFunnels, HighLevel, ActiveCampaign, and Mailchimp still dominate because they’re built for performance and tracking.

In e-commerce, Shopify is still king 👑, and in Latin America, local giants like VTEX (which powers Walmart and other massive players) are hard to beat.

Figma Sites? It’s not ready for all of that yet. But it doesn’t have to be — not right away. What it can do is set the new standard for design-first publishing, with a roadmap that welcomes integrations, plug-ins, and developer support over time.

🔧 Improvements I’d Love to See

As promising as Figma Sites is, there are still a few things I hope the team prioritizes next:

🍝 Menu navigation that scales. No one demoed this, but it’s key. I want to link pages without creating a spaghetti bowl of connections. Framer already handles this more gracefully.

🔁 Smarter overrides: Edits in Figma Sites don’t sync back to the Design System. That might seem minor now, but over time it can create inconsistencies and break your source of truth. Right now, it feels more like a !important override than a true integration.

🔌 Embed widgets and tools. Calendars, forms, and scripts should be easy to drop in — not duct-taped together.

🍪 Cookie consent and analytics. We need native, flexible ways to handle cookie banners and send clean user data into Google Tag Manager (GTM).

📈 Conversion tracking. Ideally, designers should be able to implement things like Meta’s Conversion API or Google Ads tracking without calling in dev backup.

✅ Final Thoughts about Sites

Figma Sites isn’t just another builder. It’s a new workflow. A bridge between design and deployment. It collapses the gap between what we imagine and what goes live — and that’s huge.

Is it perfect yet? No. But it’s already good enough to build with. And that’s the whole point.

Even I’m planning a new portfolio. Not because I have to — but because this feels fun again. That’s the signal we’ve been waiting for.

No more mockups collecting dust. No more “someday” ideas stuck in Figma files.
Let’s ship. 🚀

🌍 All the Websites in the World

Figma doesn’t need to own all the websites in the world. It already owns something bigger: the way we design them. 🫶

And honestly? That’s more powerful.

I don’t want to see designers walking into meetings pitching Figma Sites as a one-size-fits-all solution. That’s how you lose trust fast. My message to Figma lovers (like me): understand what the tools are for — and when to use them. Overselling Figma Sites without understanding the full context of a company’s stack, workflow, and business logic can make you come off as naive or junior. Figma doesn’t need to be everything. It just needs to make everything easier to design and hand off — wherever it ships.

Designers have already made Figma the creative source of truth. Now, instead of trying to dominate publishing, Figma should double down on making it effortless to design once and ship anywhere — whether that’s inside Sites or other platforms.

This is where ‹div›RIOTS comes in.

I had the chance to speak with their CEO and see a demo of figma.to.website. It’s powerful — but limited in scope. Rather than trying to be a builder, ‹div›RIOTS has a bigger opportunity: become the bridge between Figma and the platforms where other companies run their business. Imagine:

• figma.to.wordpress

• figma.to.elementor

• figma.to.webflow

• figma.to.wixstudio

• figma.to.squarespace

• figma.to.godaddy

• figma.to.shopify

• figma.to.woocommerce

• figma.to.vtex

If they build this right — and if Figma sees the value, maybe even bringing them into the Figma Ventures family like LottieFiles — the exit strategy writes itself.

And I’m not daydreaming. Figma has already shown signs — just look at their investment in Replo, a tool that lets you send Figma designs straight to Shopify.

Georges Gomes, if you’re reading this — I’ve already mapped out some core Design System foundations for Wix Studio, Squarespace, and other CMS platforms. Let’s connect. This is a wave worth riding.

My challenge to ‹div›RIOTS? Turn this into a full system. Think Setapp style: one bundle subscription, multiple integrations, access to every platform designers use — all while keeping Figma as the single source of truth.

💽 The Database

If you’ve ever built content structures in WordPress, you know it’s plugin city. Creating custom post types and managing structured content always feels like a workaround — not native.

Then Canva came along with a better answer: Canva Sheets. A true central database that powers all of Canva’s surfaces — from websites to presentations to social media. It’s seamless, visual, and fully integrated. Just elegant. 🎩

Figma needs this.

Right now, using Variables or importing CSVs feels like trying to teach Excel to speak design. The workflow is outdated, clunky, and leaves marketing teams struggling to stay synced with designers.

What we need is a connected, visual database that powers everything across the Figma ecosystem:

• Figma Sites 🖥️

• Figma Slides (aka Flides) 📊

• Figma Buzz 📢

• Figma Draw ✏️

Imagine editing a product name once and having it update across your entire design system — landing pages, decks, social assets — without copy-pasting or version confusion. Just like Canva or Airtable.

If Figma embraced this logic, Variables could work like true references — not just static tokens. Designers, marketers, and even PMs could confidently make updates, all within a controlled and visual interface. And once this foundation is in place, using data across different files — like local or global Variables — becomes much easier and more consistent across the ecosystem.

Airtable offers views like Wix CMS — making it more customizable and easier to use — and even allows embedding media (images and videos) directly in each row, just like Wix CMS. It’s a powerful model that Figma could learn copy from.

💡 Bonus idea? Let us sync it with Airtable for now. Let us build with what we already know.

🧪 CodeLayers

If Figma Sites is serious about scaling into real production workflows — especially for React or Tailwind-based teams — CodeLayers is a project worth keeping an eye on.

They’re exploring how to bridge the gap between design and development inside Figma, which could be a game-changer. It’s still early, but the idea of writing real, structured code without leaving the design environment is promising.

Not sure how far they’ll take it — but if it works, it could open the door to a whole new class of product builders.

I’m curious to see where this goes.

🔌 The Plugins

Figma has done an incredible job nurturing its design community — just like WordPress once did for developers. But here’s the difference:

WordPress always tiptoed around plugin devs. It was careful not to kill off its ecosystem by absorbing too much into core features. Figma, on the other hand? It’s not afraid to absorb, replicate, or replace. And honestly, I respect that.

Even if it means some plugin developers get steamrolled along the way. 🪦

We’ve already seen this in action:

• ✅ Contrast checkers (accessibility plugins)

• ✅ Arc text tools

• ✅ Rename layers

• ✅ Background removal

• ✅ Annotation tools

• ✅ AI-powered image generation and upscaling

All these categories were once plugin-first. Now? They’re built into Figma — and often better than the original.

And that’s how it should be. If Figma wants to evolve, it can’t rely on external tools to solve foundational problems. Otherwise, it risks becoming WordPress — where you still need plugins like ACF just to build a decent database.

The rule of Big Tech still applies: if we don’t buy it, we build it. So if you’re a company backed by Figma Ventures (or Dylan himself), congrats — you’re probably safe. The rest? Brace yourself.

☠️ Tokens Studio for Figma might be next on Figma’s “we’ll take it from here” list. It’s a powerful plugin — no doubt — but I’m not a fan of storing sensitive design system data outside the Figma ecosystem. And let’s be honest… it’s only a matter of time before Figma builds all those features natively.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Figma launches an official Extensions or Plugin Marketplace next year. Especially with Sites, Buzz, and Slides expanding, there’s more space than ever to build on top.

🎞️ Why LottieFiles Will Survive (and Thrive)

Not every plugin will make it — but LottieFiles is in a strong position to not just survive, but become core to Figma’s future.

Why? Because it solves a real gap: microinteractions and motion. Adobe tried to tackle this in XD, but their implementation felt clunky and half-baked. Figma, with its cleaner UI and modular interface, is much better positioned to pull it off — and LottieFiles is already part of the Figma Ventures portfolio.

That means they’re not outsiders — they’re insiders. Almost like a Trojan horse 🎠, quietly positioned to observe and learn from the competition in the site builder space.

LottieFiles brings a wealth of experience with timeline-based animation, and if Figma integrates it fully, we could finally get:

• A native animation mode via the bottom toggle (just like switching to Draw, Prototype or Dev Mode)

• Timeline-style controls for easing, motion states, and sequencing in component level

• Built-in support for audio and even haptic feedback triggers

This would be a game-changer — not just for fancy UI polish, but for building truly interactive design systems. It’s motion at the system level, baked into components, and ready to hand off to devs with clean code.

So no, LottieFiles isn’t getting killed. It’s getting promoted.

🧑‍💻 The Make

One of the best pieces of advice I ever got came from one of the founders of Bondfaro, back when we worked together in Rio de Janeiro:

Juno, if you can’t explain what you want in clear and concise Portuguese, we’re not going to be able to code it. Code is a logical language — what you want must be clearly written.

🧠 That stuck with me.

Which brings us to Figma Make — the AI-powered assistant that aims to remix your design intent into functional output. But here’s the truth: more than being polite to AI (like we saw in the demo), you need to be clear. Requirements matter. Logic matters. The better you define, the better Make delivers.

The real superpower behind Make is that it already has access to your design metadata — your naming conventions, your styles, your components, and even your design system. That context gives it a huge head start compared to any external AI tool. And every time you rename a layer? You’re training the model. Every constraint you apply? You're shaping the logic engine (I believe). It’s almost like Facebook’s '10-Year Challenge' — every small action, like renaming a layer, helps train the model behind the scenes. Except here, it’s about design logic, not facial recognition.

This is what will eventually crush tools like Lovable and other AI design startups — because Figma is where designers already live, breathe, and ship. The context is richer. The workflows are tighter. And the vibe? All Figma.

WHEN VIBE CODING MEETS VIBE DESIGN ⚡

🌿 Version Control & Going Beyond Toys

Here’s where things get real.

Designers still struggle with concepts like branching and merging — even in companies using Enterprise Figma. But when you're working with Sites + Make, you're stepping into a different arena. This isn’t just a sandbox anymore. You’re now dealing with product-level complexity: bugs, handoffs, rollbacks, and all the messy realities of real production.

And while Figma’s current versioning system is fine for simple work, it doesn’t scale well for full applications. We need better workflows to:

• Track changes

• Test iterations

• Roll back mistakes

• Work in parallel without chaos

At the Enterprise level, some of this can be managed inside Figma. But once a project leaves the safe space of mockups and enters the world of live builds, developers and companies need proper version control — not only for design files but for code too. That means GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, or similar tools to maintain structure, ship confidently, and collaborate at scale.

Right now, Figma Sites + Make still feel experimental — more like digital toys than production tools. But if we want to build real products that solve real problems, we’ll need to leave the playground behind. Let’s build real things, with real impact.

📱Figma App(s)

It’s becoming increasingly clear: Figma doesn’t just need to improve its mobile app — it may need a full mobile strategy.

Each product has its own potential, but also its own mobile gaps:

• Draw should rival Procreate in creativity and smoothness.

• FigJam should aim to surpass tools like Miro and Freeform, especially for mind maps and collaborative sketching.

• Buzz needs to deliver a Canva-like experience on mobile: fast, clean, and intuitive.

And all of this needs to run flawlessly — smooth performance, offline capabilities, and reliable sync.

📌 Quick side note: my wife created three books using just Procreate and Canva — no AI, just raw talent. She’s a total rockstar (and yes, way better than me). You can find them on Amazon.

🍟 BITes

🇧🇷 Figma is opening an office in Brazil — and I’m truly excited for what’s ahead. Wishing all the best to the amazing team I met during Config: Débora Mioranzza, Silvio Freire, and Leandro Rosarin. I’m more than happy to support and contribute to the local community however I can. Now I just hope Figma starts localizing its pricing strategy — like Adobe, Canva, and Wix — by charging in Brazilian Reais. It would make life so much easier for everyone there.

🏛️ Want to explore San Francisco without spending a dime? Check out Free Museum — a side project I launched right before Config. It lists all the free museum days in SF, and I’m already working to expand it to other cities like London. Got a favorite museum story? Send it my way — I’d love to feature it!

🏁 Enjoy This Newsletter?

If you love this newsletter, why not share the goodness with a friend? Forward it to them and let them know they can subscribe right here. 📩

🌟 You can contribute to the newsletter! If you've got an awesome section idea, shoot it our way, and we'll include it in a future edition.

📣 Wanna chat with me? Head on over to ADPList for some mentorship sessions, or follow me on TikTok for more awesome UX tips and tricks. You don't want to miss it!

👨🏾‍🎓 Thinking about becoming a UX/UI Designer? Well, look no further! Enroll in the next Ironhack UX/UI Bootcamp and kickstart your journey to greatness. You're going to learn so much and have a blast doing it! 🚀

See you next week! 🤗

Juno
Designer, writer, educator, UX/UI Design advocate, and mentor for startups.

• 🥾 Coastal Recharge Before the Badges,

• 👯 Config Commons: Street-Level Energy,

• 🪐 Out of Scope: Craft, Burnout & New Paths,

• 🍟 and extra things to bite it…

🥾 Coastal Recharge Before the Badges

Config hadn’t officially kicked off yet, but Day Zero already felt special.

Coming from the East Coast, I couldn’t sleep well the first few days — so I started the day early and picked up Jonathan Montalvo in a Waymo — a fully autonomous car that always feels like a glimpse into the near future. It’s one of those moments that reminds you why the Bay Area remains a tech epicenter.

We headed to the Hike & Coffee event hosted by Molly Hellmuth from UI Prep — a brilliant way to ease into the week while connecting with fellow designers. The trail delivered big time: fresh air, ocean views, and that crisp San Francisco light that hits differently. Every step felt like a soft reboot. I’m definitely bringing the family here next time.

Post-hike, we landed at Ocean Plant — a surf shack turned coffee spot, buzzing with Config attendees. The staff was clearly outnumbered, but still managed to serve up some excellent Andytown espresso. That mix of salty air and good coffee? Peak SF.

Want to check it out for yourself? Start here:

📍 Lands End Trail Eagles Point
916 El Camino Del Mar, San Francisco, CA 94121, USA

👯 Config Commons: Street-Level Energy

Right after the hike, we headed straight to the Config Commons at Moscone — and I’m glad we did.

The Config Commons block party was already buzzing: street closed, music on, people everywhere. It felt less like a design conference and more like a festival. This year’s layout forced people to move, talk, and mingle. Compared to last year — when the chill zones kept people in small circles — this setup pushed us into conversations. And it worked.

We grabbed our badges, scored the new swag (shoutout to the sweatshirt — beautifully made and already claimed by my wife), and ran into so many friends from the Friends of Figma crew. Huge thank you to everyone who stopped me to say they used my Config Guide — that meant the world.

And of course, it was the perfect moment to finally meet so many folks from the Brazilian crew. From our WhatsApp group to random shouts of “Aqui é Corinthians!” — it was a reminder that no matter where we are, we show up loud and proud.

🪐 Out of Scope: Craft, Burnout & New Paths

We closed the day at Freepik’s offsite event with the Out of Scope panel — and it turned out to be the most grounding moment of Day Zero.

Panelists:

• Joey Banks – Founder of Baseline Design

• Garron Engstrom – Design Director at Meta

• John Rodrigues – Senior Product Designer at JPMorgan Chase

• Michael J. Chagoya – Senior Design Recruiter at Faire

Each speaker brought their own lens on growth in design — and while some points felt familiar, they hit differently this time. Especially the conversation around the 🦹 “Super IC” path.

Garron shared how he once admired Mailchimp’s Aarron Walter and got noticed by adding value consistently — without asking for coffee or sending cold DMs. That approach resonated deeply. In Brazil, the only path forward was management. I led a team of 30 people and slowly drifted away from the craft, eventually burning out. 😩 Garron’s story reminded me that alternative career paths — where you stay close to the work — are still rare, even in Silicon Valley. It's time we rethink the outdated industrial management model and make room for designers to grow without leaving design behind.

Michael Chagoya added sharp insights from the recruiter’s seat. He stressed how essential it is to clarify your role in each project — what you actually did, how you moved the needle, and what made it uniquely yours. His advice? Keep your case studies clean, human, and focused. Simple, but powerful. Also… his sneakers? 🔥

Then Joey spoke about reducing social media — and I smiled 😊. I’d mentioned the same in my talk at FoF Miami. These days, if someone crosses my mind, I just send them a message. A voice note, a picture, a video. Joey might prefer a landline ☎️, but I’ve been practicing a slower, more intentional kind of 1:1 connection — social media without the feed.

Later, when Joey asked the room who was actively pursuing independence, only a few hands went up. Maybe most are still attached to the stability mindset. But for me, going independent is how I’ve always survived and grown. Coming from Brazil, I learned early on: there’s no safety net. Building DOJO+ and launching projects like Free Museum gives me the peace and creative space that traditional jobs often can’t.

I even shared a glimpse of a design system I built at OnChain Studios — a scalable setup that used Airtable to manage asset metadata and sync with Figma. I’ll share the full case study soon 🔜.

As a bonus twist to the day, I finally saw both Jonathans from Miami — Jonathan Montalvo and Jonathan Ruiz — in the same room for the first time. Years of knowing them separately, and Config brought it all together. That kind of synchronicity just happens here.

I also met another Brazilian designer from the gaming world, and we swapped stories about burnout, pivots, and the grind.

Huge thanks to Tamia James for putting the panel together and making space for these kinds of conversations. I didn’t get to hear all the top-voted questions answered live, but I had the chance to chat with some of the panelists afterward and left with new insights.

This panel wasn’t just a session — it was a reset. A reminder that there’s no one-size-fits-all path in design. And you don’t have to stop designing to grow.

I told my friend Fabio I’d give Day Zero a solid 7/10 — not because it lacked anything, but because I could feel how much more is coming.

🍟 BITes

🌴 Missed my talk at Friends of Figma, Miami? I shared thoughts on what designers should actually focus on to build resilient careers in the age of AI — and no, it's not about prompts. Watch it here.

🏛️ Want to explore San Francisco without spending a dime? Check out Free Museum — a side project I launched right before Config. It lists all the free museum days in SF, and I’m already working to expand it to other cities like London. Got a favorite museum story? Send it my way — I’d love to feature it!

🏁 Enjoy This Newsletter?

If you love this newsletter, why not share the goodness with a friend? Forward it to them and let them know they can subscribe right here. 📩

🌟 You can contribute to the newsletter! If you've got an awesome section idea, shoot it our way, and we'll include it in a future edition.

📣 Wanna chat with me? Head on over to ADPList for some mentorship sessions, or follow me on TikTok for more awesome UX tips and tricks. You don't want to miss it!

👨🏾‍🎓 Thinking about becoming a UX/UI Designer? Well, look no further! Enroll in the next Ironhack UX/UI Bootcamp and kickstart your journey to greatness. You're going to learn so much and have a blast doing it! 🚀

See you next week! 🤗

Juno
Designer, writer, educator, UX/UI Design advocate, and mentor for startups.

It took me way too long to properly visit San Francisco for the first time. The Bay is the real deal. Sure, other cities like Austin or Miami like to cosplay as tech hubs — but SF? Still the Meca. Still where deals get done and dreams get pitched.

Right now, I’m writing this newsletter at a Blue Bottle. Full circle moment. I remember when the specialty coffee scene was blowing up (along with green juices 🧃 🤣) and Google Ventures dropped 💰 bags 💰 into Blue Bottle back in 2012. Did I understand the investment thesis? Nope. But it felt like one of those “Jeff Bezos accidentally asked Alexa to buy Whole Foods” moments. Billionaire logic, you know?

Coming to San Francisco is always a bucket list thing for anyone in tech. When I first came here, it was with my girlfriend — now my amazing wife ❤️. We scored an epic upgrade in a cute boutique hotel, and it was one of those core memories you just keep replaying.

I met a lot of people, made some good connections, and even visited Evernote HQ (yeah, yeah, that sounds ancient now). But hey — Evernote was the Notion of its time. Back in Brazil, I had a startup called LookBook, and we were featured by them for how we used Evernote to run our content operations. Real ones know.

We had tacos with the Evernote crew in Castro at La Taqueria — 🔥 spot back then. (I’ve since gone vegan, so my taco game has changed.)

🪦 And then there was The Creamery. If you were around in the early 2010s, you know. It was the place where founders and VCs “accidentally” met. I went there with a dear friend… who’s sadly no longer with us. I miss that place, but I miss him more.

🗺️ Where I Go in SF When I’m Not at Moscone

A mix of go-to favorites, lowkey gems, and places I’ve been meaning to try — curated by cravings, caffeine needs, and curiosity.

🍜 Mensho Tokyo

Listen, this spot is tiny. Like “don’t even think about showing up with a group” tiny. It’s one of those ramen places where you either go solo or bring one person max — and even then, you’re probably waiting outside. No reservations, no problem.

But the ramen? Next level. I went for the plant-based one and it was unreal. Deep flavor, not too salty, just enough heat — the kind of bowl that resets your soul after 12 slides of dark-mode UI components. Oh, and it’s approved by folks on the Figma team, which means you may spot a designer slurping next to you while reviewing their speaker notes. SF magic.

📍 672 Geary St, San Francisco, CA 94102
🌐 mensho.tokyo
📲 @mensho.usa

🌱 Wild Seed

Every now and then you walk into a place and think, “Wow, I wish I could teleport my wife here.” That’s Wildseed. She’s a phenomenal cook and appreciates every detail in a good dish — and this spot nails it. Not in a trying-too-hard way, but in a confident, plant-powered kind of way.

I wanted everything on the menu. Literally. But I settled on the Wildseed Burger — a housemade patty that tastes like a chef actually thought about balance and not just branding. The space is beautiful, the vibes are right, and you leave feeling like you actually did your body a favor. If you’re looking for a meal where your gut and brain both say “thank you,” this is it.

📍 2000 Union St, San Francisco, CA 94123
🌐 wildseedsf.com
📲 @wildseedsf

🍔 Mr. Charlie’s

Imagine this: A 100% plant-based fast food joint that looks suspiciously like a McDonald’s, sitting directly across from an actual McDonald’s. This is Mr. Charlie’s. Their Frowny Meal is a hilarious 🖕 middle finger to Big Burger — and it somehow tastes amazing too.

The whole vibe is rebellious and tongue-in-cheek. I’m not sure how they haven’t been sued into oblivion by now, but I’m glad they haven’t. It’s fun. It’s absurd. It’s tasty. And Mike Tyson is an investor. If you want to post an ironic photo on your Stories while also eating guilt-free fast food — this is the place.

📍 432 Sutter St, San Francisco, CA 94108
🌐 mrcharlies.co
📲 @mrcharlies

☕️ Graffeo Coffee Roasting Co.

Sure, Blue Bottle is everywhere. It’s convenient. But if you want the anti-chain coffee experience — a place where the beans matter more than the branding — go to Graffeo. They’ve been roasting since 1935, and they don’t do gimmicks.

No latte art. No Wi-Fi. Just beans, stories, and the kind of aroma that makes you want to write a manifesto. I came here looking for coffee and left thinking about legacy. Come here when you’re feeling thoughtful, or just need a caffeine reset.

📍 735 Columbus Ave, San Francisco, CA 94133
🌐 graffeo.com
📲 @graffeocoffee

🍵 Vital Tea Leaf

This place made me slow down — which, if you know me, is saying something. You sit at the tea bar, and they just… start pouring. Oolong, pu-erh, jasmine — and while you’re sipping, they tell you about the regions, the rituals, the energy. It’s part education, part meditation.

As someone who’s always been in a committed relationship with coffee, this experience really opened me up. If tea is the quiet friend in the back of the room, Vital Tea Leaf helps you hear what they’ve been saying all along.

📍 1044 Grant Ave, San Francisco, CA 94133
🌐 vitaltealeaf.net
📲 @vitaltealeaf

🏯 Japanese Tea Garden – Golden Gate Park

It’s touristy. Yes. But also timeless. Walk slowly, breathe deeply, and enjoy the design of nature. Bonsais. Bridges. Koi. Bamboo. The whole place feels like someone turned a poem into a park.

Bonus: If you go Mon/Wed/Fri between 9–10am, it’s free. And worth it. Bring your notebook or sketchpad. Leave your Slack notifications behind.

📍 75 Hagiwara Tea Garden Dr, San Francisco, CA 94118
🌐 japaneseteagardensf.com
📲 @japaneseteagardensf

📚 👑 Black Bird Bookstore and Cafe

Everyone says content is king — but curation is the real queen 👑. This place is pure curation. Zines, design books, fiction that isn’t trying to sell you a framework. It’s like someone built a bookstore based on your Pinterest mood board — but real.

Sit in the back with a cortado, grab something off the Staff Picks shelf, and let your brain wander. If you’re feeling fried from too many product talks, this place will bring your creative energy back without trying too hard.

📍 4541 Irving St, San Francisco, CA 94122
🌐 blackbirdsf.com
📲 @blackbirdbooksf

🖼️ 🧳 SFMOMA

The travel hack for Config attends that need to pick a flight and you don’t have any place to leave your bags is to check-in the bags here and have a great time without the heavy load of luggage 🧳

SFMOMA offers a free admission on the First Thursdays of each month, unfortunately if you didn’t came early you missed like me this day. But last week I ran a solo hackathon — and out came Free Museum, a lightweight guide to free museums in San Francisco 🗺️ where I could explore Wix CMS, data manipulation, no-code tools, data analytics, and automation.

As requested for many people I will be adding next the Free Museums in London soon.

📍 151 3rd St, San Francisco, CA 94103
🌐 sfmoma.org
📲 @sfmoma

🏃‍♂️ Salesforce Park

It’s a park… on a rooftop… above a bus terminal. Classic SF. I ran laps here at 6am, still jet-lagged, watching early-bird designers line up for Config like it was Black Friday at Supreme. It’s walking distance from Moscone Center and place to have a walk and grab a coffee at Andytown Coffee Roasters. Great views, clean air, good latte. This place feels futuristic and weird — just like the city.

📍 425 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94105
🌐 salesforcetransitcenter.com
📲 @salesforceparksf

🏋️‍♀️ Let’s burn it

Let’s be honest — my real first sport is eating 🍔. That’s why I run. That’s why I roll. Gotta balance the Wildseed burger, Mr. Charlie’s, and all those oat lattes somehow. Jiu-jitsu keeps me grounded when my brain is spinning between Figma files and pitch decks.

If you’re anything like me, Config week can turn into a culinary sprint. So I highly recommend jumping into some of the community sports activities to balance things out. Last year, we had an epic time playing hoops at Studio Hoops, hosted by Dan Mall and Wix Studio. Designers dunking and talking systems thinking? Unreal.

This year, I’m bringing my other passion to the mat — I’ll be hosting a Jiu-Jitsu Open Class in partnership with the crew at Alliance SF Bay. It’s going down Friday morning, after Config wraps up. Perfect timing to sweat out the last panels and start heading back into your routine. Total beginners are welcome — no ego, just movement.

There’s also hikes, 5Ks, and other cool activities happening during the week. Check out the Config SF Community Events list and sign up for a few. Sometimes the best conversations happen after mile 3 — or after someone accidentally elbows you during guard passing.

✨ Manifesting Config 2026… in Rio

Okay, hear me out:

What if Config 2026 happened in Rio de Janeiro — the week before Carnival?

I’m not saying it’s official (yet), but let’s just say the FoF chapters in Brazil + Portugal crew — affectionately known as the FoFis — are manifesting this idea hard. Like, tropical-banner-designs-and-axe-samba-breaks-between-talks level hard.

The timing is perfect: Config on February 11–12. Carnival kicks off February 14.

Imagine it — two days of workshops, keynotes, and late-night figjams… followed by parades, bloco parties, trio elétricos, and caipirinhas with fellow designers under the Rio sun (or Salvador).

Energy. Color. Chaos. Joy.

And honestly? The world could use a little more of Rio’s spirit right now — creative, chaotic, warm, and wildly welcoming.

So yeah — we’re just planting the seed. ✨

#ConfigInRio2026 — let’s make it a Xwitter trend.

👋 If this guide made you smile, send it to someone.

Maybe you found a new ramen spot, a tea ritual to try, or just realized someone else also treats eating like a competitive sport 😅 — either way, if this guide brought you anything good, share it with a friend.

It costs nothing. But it means the world to me.

And hey, if you spot me wandering around SF during Config — probably wearing a hoodie, sipping oat latte, and carrying a tote full of books I told myself I wouldn’t buy — come say hi. I’d love to meet you, swap stories, or even roll on the mat if you’re showing up to Jiu-Jitsu Friday.

Thanks for reading.

See you out there.

— Juno

Originally published in https://www.juno.pro

Returning to Miami for the Friends of Figma (FoF) Miami event felt like a full-circle moment for me. This city was my first home in the U.S., and now I found myself back during one of the most transformative eras in technology: the rise of AI. In the years since I last walked these streets, artificial intelligence has exploded onto the scene, dramatically altering how we work and create. The pace of change can feel overwhelming, but as I shared in my talk, it’s also a source of unprecedented opportunity for those willing to adapt and grow.

The Overwhelming Pace of Change (and Opportunity)

Every week it seems there’s a new AI tool, a new workflow, or a new paradigm in design. This rapid pace of change is enough to make any designer’s head spin. I saw it in the audience’s eyes during the talk — the mix of excitement and uncertainty about what AI means for our careers. It’s true: keeping up can be hard. But here’s the flip side of the coin — never before have we had so many chances to reinvent ourselves and our skill sets. The same technology that feels destabilizing can become our launchpad. By shifting our mindset, we can see change not as chaos to fear, but as fuel for growth.

I spoke about how this AI revolution, despite its challenges, is an opportunity in disguise. Yes, automation might handle more routine tasks, and yes, some skills we mastered a year ago might suddenly feel outdated. But designers who embrace learning can ride this wave and even steer it. Instead of being paralyzed by the speed of change, we can choose to surf it — continuously picking up new skills and perspectives. When we do, we often find more doors opening: new kinds of projects, interdisciplinary roles, and creative solutions that didn’t exist before. In short, the AI era can be overwhelming, but it’s also a playground for the adaptable and the curious.

Designing with Intention: Focus on the Value You Deliver

One key theme of the talk was intentionality in design. With all the flashy new tools and AI features, it’s easy to get distracted by how we design and lose sight of why we design. I encouraged everyone to step back and ask: What value am I really delivering here? Whether you’re crafting a user interface or building a brand, designing with intention means focusing on the problems you’re solving and the people you’re helping. It’s about being deliberate with our choices so that every design decision ladders up to a meaningful outcome.

This idea became especially clear to me in my own career journey. A few years back, I went through a tough period — I faced several rejections and even lost two jobs in a row. It was a humbling experience that forced me to reevaluate what I was doing and why. Instead of giving up, I doubled down on learning with intention and started a side project addressing a real need I was passionate about. (As it turns out, that side project grew into my full-time business.) Rebuilding momentum through intentional learning and reinvention not only got my career back on track, it reshaped my whole approach . I realized that when you focus on being useful — solving real problems, providing genuine value — opportunities eventually follow. In fact, I reminded the FoF Miami audience that the most valuable thing a designer can be is useful . Trends will come and go, but if you never lose sight of delivering value, your work will always matter to someone.

Skill Flux: Navigating Constant Skill Change

Next, we dove into the concept of “Skill Flux.” This term captures the reality that in today’s tech landscape, skills have a shorter shelf life than ever. We’re in an age where a design technique or software trick that was hot a couple of years ago might be obsolete now. (Remember when mastering Flash or jQuery was a huge deal? Times change fast.) In fact, some experts have noted we’re entering a “skill flux era” where the half-life of technical skills has collapsed to just about 2.5 years . That means what you know today could be less relevant by the time you fully master it. It’s a dizzying thought — and for many of us, it’s a source of anxiety.

However, understanding skill flux can actually empower us. Knowing that our hard skills might expire quickly encourages us not to cling too tightly to any single tool or technique. Instead, we need to fall in love with learning itself. In the talk, I joked that being a designer now is a bit like being a perpetual student — there’s always homework! But seriously, acknowledging constant change as the new normal prepares us mentally. We can start viewing our career not as a linear path of accumulating static expertise, but as a dynamic journey of continuous evolution. When you accept that flux is part of the game, you free yourself to explore more and fear change less. After all, if change is the only constant, then adaptability becomes the most critical skill of all.

Surge Skilling: Continuous Daily Improvement

So, how do we deal with skill flux? The answer is what I like to call “Surge Skilling.” Surge skilling is about committing to rapid, continuous learning — essentially, making learning a habit and priority every single day. Instead of the old model of education (learn once, work for decades), it’s a cycle of always be learning, unlearning, and relearning. This doesn’t mean you need to enroll in endless formal courses or burn out trying to chase every trend. It can be as simple as setting aside a bit of time each day or week to expand your horizons. For example, you might:

• Read an article or chapter about a new design concept or technology.

• Watch a tutorial on an emerging Figma feature or an AI tool.

• Experiment with a small side-project to practice a skill in a hands-on way.

• Reflect on feedback from peers or users and identify one thing to improve in your work.

The idea is to build a learning rhythm into your life. By “surging” in short, focused bursts of skill acquisition, you stay ready for whatever changes come next. In our discussion, we noted that companies and teams are starting to value this ability highly — the next competitive edge is how quickly you can learn and apply new skills . It’s no longer just “What do you know?” but “How fast can you learn what you need to know?” I shared with the audience an insight from the tech industry: organizations are now racing to help their employees adapt, as “surge skilling” becomes essential for survival. In other words, continuous learners are in demand. When you make a habit of daily improvement, you not only keep up — you set yourself apart as someone who can thrive in any environment.

Importantly, surge skilling also shifts how we see ourselves as professionals. Instead of defining ourselves by a fixed skill set (“I am a UX designer who knows Sketch and Figma”), we define ourselves by our adaptability (“I am a designer who can quickly pick up whatever tool or skill is needed”). As one futurist put it, we’re moving from an “I am what I know” mindset to an “I am what I adapt” mindset. Embracing this outlook is liberating. It means you’re never stuck as long as you’re willing to learn. Your value isn’t in the specific tools you mastered last year — it’s in your capacity to continuously evolve and contribute in new ways.

🛠️ Tools Are Just Tools: Master the Craft, Not the Toolset 🧰

With AI and ever more software flooding our workflows, it’s easy to get caught up in the tool hype. Designers often ask, “Should I master this new tool? Will it secure my future?” But one of the grounding truths I’ve learned is that tools are just tools. They’re means to an end, not the end itself. Mastery in design isn’t about memorizing every feature of Figma or becoming a whiz at the latest AI image generator. Mastery is knowing how to solve problems. If you have that, you can pick up any new tool as needed. On the flip side, if you lack the core design thinking and understanding of user needs, no fancy app or AI will save your project. As one designer aptly said, “Figma doesn’t make you a designer. … Tools are just that — tools. Without the right knowledge, they’re pointless. With the right knowledge, they become powerful.” . I couldn’t agree more.

Reflecting on my journey, I see how tool-agnostic thinking helped me survive the big shifts. Early in my career, I fretted over not knowing the software du jour. (I’m old enough to have witnessed the great Sketch vs. Figma debates, and now some are debating design AI vs. Figma!) But the truth is, over the years I’ve used everything from Adobe Photoshop to Sketch to Figma to Webflow, and dabbled with AI design assistants too. Each time, there was a learning curve — but because I focused on underlying skills like UX principles, visual hierarchy, communication, and code basics, I could climb those curves faster. It’s like a seasoned woodworker who can pick up a new chisel and quickly get the hang of it because they already know how to craft wood. The tools may change, but the craft remains.

This is a reassuring thought: you don’t have to chase every single new tool frantically. Instead, focus on the fundamentals and on understanding problems deeply. When a new tool comes along, approach it with curiosity — does it help me solve a problem better or faster? If yes, great, add it to your toolbox. If not, it’s okay to set it aside. In my case, I embraced no-code tools and automation software when building DOJO+ because they helped solve my clients’ problems faster (e.g., automating their sign-up process). But I also said “no” to a couple of hyped AI tools that would auto-generate UI layouts, because I found they didn’t align with the bespoke experiences I needed to craft. Remember, the goal is to serve the user or client, not to impress other designers with how many tools you can juggle. At the end of the day, clients rarely ask “What software did you use?” They care about “Did you solve my problem?”.

By keeping tools in their proper place, we maintain control of our creative process. We become problem solvers first and software users second. This mindset not only makes us more resilient to change (because we’re not overly attached to any one tool), but it also keeps us focused on what truly matters: delivering value through design.

Thriving Through Intention and Adaptability

As I concluded my FoF Miami talk, I felt a sense of optimism in the room. Yes, the AI era is shaking things up. It’s changing job descriptions, workflows, and even how we define our roles. But it’s also a chance for each of us to reimagine our career paths with fresh eyes. The core message I hoped everyone walked away with is that we have to be proactive participants in our own career design. By learning to design with intention (focusing on meaningful value) and embracing adaptability (through concepts like surge skilling), we equip ourselves to not only survive in a shifting industry, but to truly thrive. We become confident that no matter what tool comes out tomorrow, or what trend sweeps the industry next month, we’ll find a way to leverage it or learn it if it helps us solve a real problem.

Standing there in Miami, I was struck by how much the design community has grown and how resilient it is. The fact that so many people showed up to discuss these topics tells me that as designers, we’re ready to lead in this new age of AI, not just follow. We’re asking the right questions: How can I be more useful? How can I keep learning? How can I design a career that doesn’t just react to change, but uses it as creative energy? These reflections are how we’ll navigate the uncertainty ahead.

For those who missed the talk or want to dive deeper, I invite you to watch the recording on the Friends of Figma Miami YouTube channel. It captures the full conversation, examples, and Q&A from that inspiring night. More importantly, I invite you to join the conversation. What are your thoughts on designing a career in the age of AI? Have you felt the pressure of skill flux, or found strategies to keep growing? Feel free to share your reflections or questions in the comments. By learning from each other’s experiences, we can all continue to grow intentionally. After all, our careers are the ultimate design projects — and with the right mindset, we can craft them to not just withstand the future, but to shape it.

As some of you know, I’m from Brazil. And if you’re familiar with Brazilian television, you know that Rede Globo reigns supreme. For decades, it dominated the airwaves, while SBT—founded by the legendary Silvio Santos—remained perpetually in second place.

Back in the early days of the internet boom, I worked as a consultant to a director at Globo. He was pouring buckets of gold into building a SaaS platform—way ahead of its time. I was brought in to help oversee the agency working on it.

One day, in a candid conversation, he asked me:

“Do you know why Globo is bigger than any competitor?”

And without hesitation, he answered his own question:

“Because Silvio Santos is incompetent.”

I laughed. And I disagreed.

Silvio Santos is a self-made man, a hustler, a winner in his own right. But his background and approach to business were fundamentally different from the powerful family behind Globo. SBT was never truly a contender—it was just… there. Always playing catch-up.

And this conversation stuck with me. Because history repeats itself.

The SBT of Tech

Fast forward to today. We see billion-dollar tech companies armed with immense resources, burning cash, hiring “top talent”—yet some still lose the race to local competitors.

Case in point: Uber Eats in Brazil.

Uber poured money into its food delivery business, hired Brazil’s best operators, and still lost. Badly. Meanwhile, iFood—a homegrown player—took over the market.

But this isn’t a story about Uber.

This is about Wix.

Yes, you read that right. Wix—the powerhouse behind Wix Studio, which I love and use every day—had a golden opportunity to dominate another industry. And they completely fumbled it.

Dine by Wix: The Forgotten Uber Eats

If you’ve never heard of Dine by Wix, don’t worry. Most people haven’t.

It’s an Uber Eats-style food ordering platform built by Wix. And on paper, it should have been massive. Wix has millions of paying users—restaurants, cafés, and food businesses across the world. They had the infrastructure to plug in food ordering at scale.

But they failed.

Not because the product was bad. It’s actually pretty damn good.

They failed at business development, marketing, and sales.

A friend of mine from California called me the other day. He had just invested in a restaurant and needed a website that integrated with Toast. That’s when it hit me.

If Wix had executed correctly, they’d be the go-to for restaurants. Instead, businesses are stuck choosing between Toast and Square, which give them horrible websites.

Wix Needs a Better Strategy

Wix could own this space. But they need better leadership in these business units—not a Silvio Santos approach. Because in tech, if you’re always playing catch-up, you’re never really competing.

And who’s the second-largest search engine in the world? Nobody cares.

This is why Uber Eats, iFood, and many other platforms around the world have taken a big bite out of this flavorful industry.

And Wix? They’re still at the table, staring at an empty plate.

What do you think? Should Wix double down on the restaurant industry, or is it too late? Drop your thoughts in the comments!

Thanks for reading,

Juno

Since moving to the U.S., one of my dreams has been to work for a major American corporation. Listening to a recent podcast episode featuring Scott Galloway only validated this desire. In the episode, he emphasized that working for Fortune 500 companies is one of the most reliable paths to wealth and long-term economic security. It’s often referred to as the "boring way to get rich," but it’s also the most sustainable.

Galloway highlighted how many young, privileged kids turn down job offers from companies like Google or Amazon, claiming they want to "pursue their dreams." But as he pointed out, this is often a misguided decision. The odds of becoming the next Zuckerberg or Bill Gates are slim. Instead, learning and growing inside these established corporations can provide invaluable experience and a solid foundation for the long-term game.

Living in Atlanta has given me the unique advantage of being surrounded by several Fortune 500 company headquarters. Here’s a look at some of the major players in the area:

1. The Home Depot – Home improvement retail.

2. UPS – Package delivery and supply chain management.

3. The Coca-Cola Company – Beverage industry.

4. Delta Air Lines – Airline industry.

5. Southern Company – Energy provider.

6. Genuine Parts Company – Automotive parts distribution.

7. WestRock Company – Paper and packaging solutions.

8. PulteGroup – Home construction.

9. Asbury Automotive Group – Automotive retail.

10. Newell Brands – Consumer goods (Rubbermaid, Sharpie, etc.).

11. Global Payments Inc. – Financial technology solutions.

12. NCR Corporation – Digital banking and POS systems.

13. ICE Intercontinental Exchange – Financial and commodity marketplaces (including the NYSE).

14. AGCO Corporation – Agricultural equipment.

These companies are not just household names; they are engines of growth and innovation. I would be thrilled to contribute my skills to any of them, either locally here in Atlanta or remotely. If you work at one of these companies, I’d love to share more about how I can be an asset to your team. 💡

I appreciate any introductions or tags in the comments. Let’s make some connections!

If you're curious and want to learn more about the conversation that inspired this post, listen to the podcast episode.

I was supposed to be flying to Miami today, but the weather had other plans. Instead of sunny skies and palm trees, I’m grounded and reflecting on what I’ll miss—at least for this week. My main mission for this trip? Working with a legal startup and running a Design Thinking workshop, which is now postponed until next week. And, coincidentally, next week is also the start of Adobe Max in beautiful Miami.

This city holds a special place in my heart. It was the first place I called home after moving from Brazil to the U.S. It's where my kids were born, and it’s a city that radiates with creativity and cultural energy. Miami is more than just a vibrant backdrop; it’s a designer's canvas, full of inspiration at every corner.

Whenever I return to Miami, I’m flooded with memories of teaching a new generation of Product Designers. While I officially taught UX/UI Design, I always incorporated broader principles from disciplines like interaction design, service design, and even a bit of industrial design. It wasn’t just about the tools or the wireframes; it was about pushing boundaries and thinking holistically about the product experience. One of my standout students, Andrea, embodies this philosophy.

Andrea is a true artist. She’s always challenging the conventional, blending art and function in her web design projects. Her most recent contribution is a project that hits close to home—A Miami Guide by Designers. This guide is a designer’s dream: a curated list of places to Eat, Drink, Shop, and Things to Do, all with that unique creative twist. Andrea’s method of presenting the guide in bin folders reminds me of the work of South Korean designer Junho Han and his industrial design project, External Hard Drive Folder.

My Go-To Spots in Miami

As I think about next week’s trip, here are a few must-visit places I always recommend to fellow designers. These spots not only refuel your body but also your creative soul.

🏍️ Imperial Moto Cafe

This place is a vibe, plain and simple. I’ve been coming here since it opened at its Little Haiti location. Matt, the founder, is a great guy and loves motorcycles and Porsches—what’s not to love? The café is a hangout spot for creatives, coffee lovers, and gearheads alike. It’s the perfect spot to sip an iced oat latte while working on your next big design project.

📍Imperial Moto Cafe
7299 NW 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33150

🫖 Admari Modern Tea Merchants

Tea lovers, this one’s for you. Admari offers tea-tasting experiences that are on another level. The founder, Adrienne, and her team have an encyclopedic knowledge of tea-making, and their Miami Chai blend is a must-buy to take home. Do yourself a favor and book a tasting while you’re in town.

📍Admari Modern Tea Merchants
223 NE 82nd St, Miami, FL 33138

🍕 Mister O1 Extraordinary Pizza

There are several locations, but the Miami Beach spot holds a special place in my heart. It’s tucked away inside an office building, and the pizza? Extraordinary. There’s a reason this hidden gem is a favorite.

📍Mister O1 Pizza
1680 Michigan Ave STE 101, Miami Beach, FL 33139

🎧 Dante’s HiFi and Miami Soundbar

Looking for a place where you can vibe to high-quality music while sipping a well-crafted cocktail? Dante’s HiFi and Miami Soundbar are the spots to go. It's a perfect end to a creative day of brainstorming and sketching.

📍Dante’s HiFi
519 NW 26th St, Miami, FL 33127

📍Miami Soundbar
123 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131

📚 Dale Zine Shop

Finally, for all the graphic designers out there, this is a must. Dale Zine Shop is a treasure trove of indie zines, design books, and unique finds from local creatives. It’s one of my favorite places to pick up inspiration in printed form.

📍Dale Zine Shop
50 NE 40th St, Miami, FL 33137

While I may not be in Miami just yet, I’m looking forward to diving back into its creative energy next week. I hope this guide helps you navigate the city as a designer during Adobe Max 2024. From cozy cafés to hidden design gems, Miami has so much to offer. And who knows, you might even bump into me at one of these spots, latte in hand, ready to chat about the next big thing in design.

Stay inspired, and I’ll catch you in Miami!

Juno

• 🤯 10 Rules for Creativity,

• 🍑 Friends of Figma Atlanta,

• 🧑‍🏫 Figma Variables Masterclass,

• 🤖 The AI progress,

• 🍟 and extra things to bite it…

🤯 10 Rules for Creativity from Corita Kent

Corita Kent's 10 rules have been a beacon of inspiration for me, profoundly reshaping my views on creativity. As an influential pop artist, educator, activist, and nun ⛪️, her guidelines serve not just as steps but as a holistic framework nurturing the creative spirit within us all.

1. 🏠 Find a place you trust, and then try trusting it for a while. - Cultivate a safe, supportive environment for your creative process.

2. 🤝 General duties of a student – pull everything out of your teacher; pull everything out of your fellow students. - Engage actively in learning, drawing knowledge and inspiration from those around you.

3. 👩‍🏫 General duties of a teacher – pull everything out of your students. - Encourage and challenge students to reach their full potential.

4. 🧪 Consider everything an experiment. - Approach tasks with an open mind and a willingness to explore and learn from both successes and failures.

5. 📅 Be self-disciplined. - Commit to your work and processes, setting and adhering to your own rules and guidelines.

6. ❌ Nothing is a mistake. There’s no win and no fail. There’s only make. - Embrace every outcome of the creative process as a valuable step in learning and exploration.

7. 💼 The only rule is work. If you work, it will lead to something. - Dedication and effort are the foundation of progress and discovery.

8. 🧠 Don’t try to create and analyze at the same time. They’re different processes. - Separate the acts of creation and critique to allow for freer expression and more effective refinement.

9. 😊 Be happy whenever you can manage it. Enjoy yourself. It’s lighter than you think. - Find joy in the creative process, and don’t take yourself too seriously.

10. 🔄 “We’re breaking all the rules. Even our own rules. And how do we do that? By leaving plenty of room for X quantities.” - Stay flexible and open to the unexpected. Allow room for spontaneity and the unforeseen in your work.

Other recommendations from Corina are:

🌟 Always be around
Jump into experiences headfirst! Being present means you're ready to soak up inspiration from everywhere. 📍

🚀 Go everywhere
From the mountains to the cities, every place has its own story. Explore them all! 🌍

📚 Always attend classes
Knowledge is everywhere, and classes are gold mines for new ideas. Keep learning! 🎓

📖 Read everything within reach
Books, articles, cereal boxes - you name it. Every word can spark a new thought. 🤓

🎬 Watch movies carefully and often
Films are not just entertainment; they're lessons in storytelling and emotion. Dive deep into them! 🍿

🔍 Save everything because it might come in handy later
(I bet she was a hoarder... just like me 😆) You never know when that random doodle or ticket stub will ignite your next big idea. 📦📦📦📦📦

Embracing the spirit of curiosity and openness, these tips encourage us to absorb, learn, and treasure the world's stories and details, transforming them into fuel for our creative fires.

Over the past months, I've leaned heavily into rule #7, letting work be my mantra. This commitment to creation and learning, especially through hands-on activities like woodworking, has unlocked new dimensions in my brain, enhancing my everyday work.

Moreover, I've explored the impact of our habits on creativity through an enlightening interview with Dr. Daniel Amen. It's led me to experiment with detoxes from daily staples like coffee, discovering how even small changes can significantly affect our creative output.

📐 Aspect Ratios Mastery in Figma

Consider me the 💁‍♀️ Marie Kondo of Design Systems, where every pixel sparks joy.

Achieving the perfect aspect ratio within your Figma cards is a game-changer. Too often, I've seen components morph into a wild array of sizes, throwing off design harmony. Embracing aspect ratios is not just about aesthetics; it's about ensuring your UI components play well across the vast spectrum of devices out there—from the compact screens of smartphones to the expansive displays of desktop monitors.

Why is this so crucial? Consistency. By designing with aspect ratios at the forefront, we guarantee that our components retain their intended proportions and relationships, no matter the device. This commitment to consistency offers users a seamless, visually cohesive experience that gracefully transitions across platforms, safeguarding your design's integrity and functionality in every scenario.

Ready to tidy up your design system with aspect ratios? Download this Figma file here and dive into our #Superfast tutorial. And for those who prefer taking it slow, a #Superslow version awaits on our Bootcamp Sprint YouTube channel.

👉 Figma Community File

Let's make your design system a place where every component finds its perfect spot, ensuring your designs not only look beautiful but function beautifully across every screen.

🍑 News from Friends of Figma Atlanta

I'm thrilled beyond words to share that I've stepped into the vibrant Friends of Figma Community Leader role right here in the heart of Atlanta! 🍑✨

We're gearing up to bring you some electrifying events in ATL, blending the best of both worlds with in-person gatherings and online meet-ups. To make sure you're in on all the action, hop over to our Friends of Figma Atlanta page and hit that join button! 🚀 Follow our journey on Instagram, X (Twitter), and LinkedIn to catch live updates and snag an invite to our upcoming events. Let's make FoF Atlanta design community stronger, together!

And for those wanderlust souls, I'm heading to San Francisco for Config this year! 🌉 It's going to be an epic rendezvous, and I'd be over the e moon to meet fellow design aficionados there.

Calling out to Dan Mall 🏀: Get ready for some serious game time in San Fran! I'm diving back into the basketball scene, and my Friday Hoops at 5 am are just the beginning. Let's bring our A-game and make some unforgettable memories on the court!

Stay tuned, stay inspired, and let's create something incredible together with Friends of Figma Atlanta! 🌈💡

🗓️ Save The Date: Figma Variables Masterclass

This year I had the privilege of engaging with diverse audiences through several talk, but I'm particularly thrilled about my upcoming engagement with the LTUX group here in Atlanta. My passion for the UX community in our vibrant city knows no bounds, and this event promises to be a special one.

If you're around, don't miss out! I'll be diving deep into the world of Figma Variables, sharing practical use cases and real-world examples I've crafted myself. It's a fantastic opportunity to explore innovative design strategies and connect with fellow UX enthusiasts.

🔗 Secure your spot for the event: LTUX Atlanta Meetup.

🤖 The AI progress

The progression we've witnessed in video creation, led by pioneers like OpenAI's Sora, is just the tip of the iceberg. This trend marks a shift towards a future where AI's role in design is not just complementary but foundational. To navigate this future, we must be proactive in exploring and adopting AI technologies that can transform our creative processes.

Here's an updated list of groundbreaking AI tools, complete with links for easy exploration. Each is poised to redefine creativity and efficiency in design:

1️⃣ 10web.io AI Builder: This tool is a game-changer for web design, enabling users to create complete websites from simple prompts. It demystifies the process of web creation, making it accessible and efficient.

2️⃣ Spline Design: For those looking to venture into 3D design with ease, Spline Design offers an AI-assisted platform that simplifies the creation and styling of 3D visuals, making it an invaluable tool for designers looking to add depth to their work.

3️⃣ Neuronsinc.com: Instant heatmaps are crucial for understanding user interaction and design effectiveness. Neuronsinc.com uses AI to generate these insights quickly, allowing designers to make data-driven improvements with unprecedented speed.

4️⃣ Flair AI: Transform your product photography with Flair AI. This tool uses AI to enhance product images, ensuring they capture the essence of your brand and grab your audience's attention.

🍟 BITes

🔠 Sketch to Editable Digital Design with Uizard: Ever wished you could transform your low-fi sketches directly into editable digital versions? While Figma might not have a built-in plugin for this, Uizard steps up to the plate. Not only can you turn sketches into digital formats, but you can also upload screenshots and make them editable. Don't miss out on this quick tutorial (note: it's in Portuguese, but the visuals alone are incredibly insightful).

🖼️ Job Application Revolution: Tired of the endless cycle of job applications? Let AI take the helm. This MASSIVE tip is a game-changer, potentially explaining why some candidates seem to have an edge. Embrace AI to revolutionize how you apply for jobs and stand out in the competitive market.

🤖 The Rise of No-Code AI Tools in 2024: Prepare for a seismic shift as no-coding tools powered by AI are set to dominate the tech landscape in 2024. Don't be left behind—check out this amazing tutorial to get ahead of the curve and learn how these tools can streamline your workflow.

👨🏾‍💻 Figma to WordPress - Bridging Design and Code: As a staunch advocate of WordPress, it's clear that the platform needs to leverage AI more effectively and improve its no-coding integration between design and code. A shining example of this potential is the Figma to WordPress plugin, a tool that exemplifies how seamless the transition from design to development could be. Explore the plugin here: Figma to WordPress Plugin.

🏁 Enjoy This Newsletter?

If you love this newsletter, why not share the goodness with a friend? Forward it to them and let them know they can subscribe right here. 📩

🌟 You can contribute to the newsletter! If you've got an awesome section idea, shoot it our way, and we'll include it in a future edition.

🏋️‍♀️ Ready for some exciting stuff? Join our super cool UXUI club and be one of the 🎖️ Founding Members. It's going to be a blast! 💥 Let's build an awesome community together!

📣 Wanna chat with me? Head on over to ADPList for some mentorship sessions, or follow me on TikTok for more awesome UX tips and tricks. You don't want to miss it! 🎯

👨🏾‍🎓 Thinking about becoming a UX/UI Designer? Well, look no further! Enroll in the next Ironhack UX/UI Bootcamp and kickstart your journey to greatness. You're going to learn so much and have a blast doing it! 🚀

See you next week! 🤗

Juno
Designer, writer, educator, UX/UI advocate, and mentor for startups.

• 🃏 Playing This Game Like Amazon,

• 🤖 AI Tools to Explore in 2024,

• 📘 Top 10 Nielsen Norman Articles of 2023: UX Insights You Can't-Miss,

• 🔮 The Future of Skills: A Glimpse into 2030,

• 🤹🏽‍♂️ Design Skills to Learn in 2024,

• 🌟 2024: The Year AI Takes Center Stage,

• 🍟 and extra things to bite it…

🃏 Playing This Game Like Amazon

As 2023 wrapped up, a significant event unfolded in our industry – the Adobe and Figma acquisition saga. In a surprising turn of events, Adobe did not acquire Figma, a development many designers globally might consider a Christmas miracle, especially for those not so fond of Adobe.

Let's take a trip down memory lane. I recall my time in Brazil's e-commerce sector, pre-Amazon era. Amazon had set up shop but was still 'studying' the market. This created a frenzy among local startups and established companies, all preparing to be potentially acquired by Amazon. They exposed their inner workings to Amazon under NDAs, naively revealing their strategies and weaknesses. It was a tactical move by Amazon, gathering insights without direct involvement.

The CEO of Netshoes, Marcio Kumruian, back then shared a similar mindset, thinking they were playing the same game as Amazon. But they missed the bigger picture - Amazon wasn't just an e-commerce website; it was building a comprehensive ecosystem encompassing AWS, Prime Video, logistics, creating their own brands, marketplace, and more. This misconception highlights how easily companies can misunderstand their competitors' strategies.

This brings us to the Adobe-Figma situation. Adobe, a seasoned player in acquiring design-related companies, seemed poised to take over Figma. But like Amazon's approach, the process revealed much about Figma's internal strategies and operations to Adobe. While Figma has been a favorite among designers, especially for its innovations, it has recently shown signs of stagnating, particularly in areas like AI integration - something Adobe has been aggressively pursuing.

2023 was a year marked by AI's growing influence in design. Adobe has been at the forefront, continually integrating AI into tools like Illustrator and Photoshop. In contrast, Figma's advancements, like AI plugins from Diagram, have been less impressive.

With the acquisition falling through, Adobe is now back to the drawing board. They might focus on bridging the design-to-product gap, potentially leveraging AI even more. Tools like Framer are already using AI, and Adobe might follow suit, accelerating product development.

For Figma, 2024 will be a year of proving its mettle. They need to innovate, especially in AI, to stay competitive. Additionally, they face the challenge of converting their vast user base, often reluctant to pay, into paying customers.

Adobe, on the other hand, might be relieved not to deal with users resistant to monetization. They're financially equipped and strategically positioned to explore new avenues in the UX/UI world, possibly revisiting projects like Adobe XD with an AI-driven approach.

Lastly, it's an interesting moment for other players like Sketch, which is known for robust design systems capabilities. Adobe's strategic shifts could open opportunities for such companies.

In summary, this development is not just about Figma or Adobe; it's a pivotal moment in the design industry, where strategies, user expectations, and technological advancements are all in flux. Let's watch how 2024 unfolds for these giants and the design community at large.

🤖 AI Tools to Explore in 2024

It's time to embrace the AI revolution! AI tools are not just the future; they're here, enhancing our workflows in ways we never imagined. Here are some AI tools I've been experimenting with, and I highly recommend you dive into them too:

Sketch to Design

• tldraw: Transform your rough sketches into polished designs. It's like having a design assistant who understands your scribbles!

Creative Tools with Runway ML

• Runway ML: A playground for creative minds. Explore, experiment, and create with AI models that push the boundaries of your creativity.

Revolutionizing Website Building

• Relume: Building websites is about to get a lot smoother. This tool is redefining the game with its intuitive AI-driven design capabilities.

UI Design Innovations

• UIzard: A blessing for UI designers. It turns your visions into UI elements with an almost magical touch.

• Galileo: This is your AI navigator for the complex world of UI design. It's like having a co-pilot for your design journey.

Copy And Strategy

• Chat GPT: A strategic partner for crafting compelling narratives and design strategies. It's like having a brainstorming buddy, always ready with fresh ideas.

Image Generation – The New Frontier

• Adobe CC Generative AI: Adobe's bringing its A-game to AI in image generation. Prepare to be amazed by the possibilities.

• Midjourney: An AI journey into the heart of creativity. Midjourney takes image generation to new heights.

• Krea AI: is where art meets AI. It's a canvas for your imagination, powered by artificial intelligence.

• Microsoft Designer: The new kid on the block from Microsoft, blending AI with design in a unique, user-friendly package.

• OpenAI's Dalle 2: is redefining creative expression. It's like having a digital artist at your fingertips.

• StockImg.ai for AI-generated stock images that are a cut above the rest.

• DreamStudio AI, your dream designs become reality, thanks to the power of AI.

These tools are reshaping our design landscape, offering solutions for immediate and future needs. They're not just tools; they're companions in our creative journey. If you have the time, I highly recommend exploring these AI innovations. They're sure to add incredible value to your design process.

📘 Top 10 Nielsen Norman Articles of 2023: UX Insights You Can't-Miss

2023 has been a remarkable year for user experience insights, and Nielsen Norman Group has been at the forefront of this knowledge wave. Here are the top 10 most-read articles from their collection that every UX enthusiast should check out:

1. Heuristic Evaluations: How to Conduct

   Dive into a step-by-step guide on systematically reviewing your product for usability issues. Plus, grab their free heuristic evaluation template!

2. User Journeys vs. User Flows

   Understand the nuances between user journeys and user flows. Both are pivotal in planning and evaluating experience, but they differ in scope and purpose.

3. AI: First New UI Paradigm in 60 Years

   AI is revolutionizing UI, introducing a paradigm where users dictate the 'what' and not the 'how', effectively shifting the locus of control.

4. Error-Message Guidelines

   Learn to craft error messages that are visible, constructive, and respectful of user effort, enhancing overall UX.

5. The Negative Impact of Mobile-First Web Design on Desktop

   Explore how mobile-first designs can lead to usability issues on desktops, including challenges with content dispersion and layout.

6. ChatGPT Lifts Business Professionals’ Productivity and Improves Work Qualit

   A study reveals how ChatGPT improves task efficiency and quality for business document creation.

7. The Anatomy of a Good Design: An Analysis of 4 Sites

   Dissect what makes a design visually pleasing through an analysis of consistent type styles, visual hierarchy, and grid structures.

8. Bottom Sheets: Definition and UX Guidelines

   Get to know the bottom sheet UI pattern, commonly used in mobile apps for contextual details or controls.

9. Onboarding Tutorials vs. Contextual Help

   Compare tutorials and contextual help, understanding how the latter can be more effective and less intrusive.

10. UX-Research Methods: Glossary

    A handy glossary to demystify key terms and concepts related to UX research methods.

Each of these articles offers a wealth of information and actionable insights, perfect for keeping your UX knowledge fresh and relevant.

🔮 The Future of Skills: A Glimpse into 2030

Curious about the future of your job? Enter the fascinating world of AI predictions! I've stumbled upon this intriguing AI tool by Pearson that forecasts the demand for various jobs by 2030: Future Skills. It's like having a crystal ball for your career!

While I wouldn't advise basing your entire career trajectory on this tool, it's definitely an eye-opener. It offers a fun and insightful peek into what the data suggests will be hot (or not) in the job market a few years down the line. Think of it as a data-driven glimpse into the future, showcasing trends and potential shifts in various industries.

So, if you're ever pondering over a coffee break, "Will my skills still be relevant in 2030?" or "What new skills should I be picking up?" – this tool could provide some intriguing answers. It's a blend of data analysis and AI wizardry that offers a unique perspective on the ever-evolving job landscape.

Remember, though, it's just one piece of the puzzle. Your passion, adaptability, and continuous learning will always be key ingredients in your career success recipe.

🤹🏽‍♂️ Design Skills to Learn in 2024

As we dive into 2024, the design world continues to evolve at a breakneck pace. Whether you're a seasoned pro or just starting out, staying ahead of the curve is crucial. Here's a rundown of the key skills you should be honing this year:

1. Cross-Platform Design: The line between mobile, desktop, and even wearable tech is blurring. It's more important than ever to understand how to create seamless experiences across all platforms. Think responsive, adaptable, and fluid.

2. Motion Design: Animation isn't just for cartoons anymore. Subtle motions can guide users, convey information, and add that extra layer of polish to your designs. Time to get your feet wet with tools like Lottie Files or After Effects. Dynamic experiences are the new norm in captivating users.

3. Voice User Interface (VUI): Siri, Alexa, and their friends are becoming household staples. Learning to design for voice interactions is no longer optional. It's a skill that's rapidly becoming a necessity.

4. AR/VR Experience Design: Augmented and Virtual Reality are not just gaming gimmicks. They're transforming how we interact with digital content. Understanding spatial design and user interaction in 3D spaces is the future.

5. Accessibility and Inclusive Design: Design isn't just about looking good; it's about being usable for everyone. Brush up on WCAG guidelines and start incorporating accessibility into your workflow from day one.

6. AI and Machine Learning: AI is changing the way we design and interact with digital products. Understanding the basics of AI and how it can be applied in design will give you a significant edge.

7. Design Systems: Gone are the days of reinventing the wheel for every project. Efficient, scalable design systems are the way forward. Learn to create and manage them to ensure consistency and improve collaboration.

8. Storytelling: Transform skeptics into supporters with compelling narratives. The ability to articulate your design process and outcomes is as important as the design itself.

9. Active Listening: Often overlooked, active listening is a superpower for designers. It leads to more effective, actionable research and deeply resonates with users' needs.

10. Strategic Design: Aligning your design initiatives with business strategy is crucial. To get started, I highly recommend the book "The Brand Gap: How to Bridge the Distance Between Business Strategy and Design" It's a game-changer in understanding how design and business intersect.

11. Data-Driven Design: Let data guide your design decisions. Understanding and interpreting data ensures your designs are not just aesthetically pleasing but also functionally effective.

12. Research: The backbone of any good design. Deep dive into user needs, market trends, and technological advancements to create relevant and impactful designs.

13. Lean Methodologies: Agile, efficient, and effective. Embrace lean approaches to streamline your design process, reduce waste, and deliver faster.

Remember, the key is not just to learn these skills but to understand how they fit into the bigger picture of user experience. It's an exciting time to be in design, and the opportunities are endless.

What other skills are you hoping to learn?

🌟 2024: The Year AI Takes Center Stage

I recently came across an insightful article on Medium: AI-pocalypse Now, that sparked some fascinating thoughts about the trajectory of AI in 2024.

Rapid Evolution of AI

Earlier this year, I had an enlightening chat with an AI engineer from Google who hinted at the transformative changes AI would bring in 2023. True enough, we've witnessed AI's staggering impact across various fields. What's even more astounding is the speed at which AI is advancing. I've spoken about this in several events this year, comparing the older Classic AI with the newer LLM, more advanced AI systems we have now. The pace of self-improvement in these AI systems is something many still haven't fully grasped.

AI in Customer Service and Sales

I've been experimenting with AI tools for customer service and sales. It's remarkable how these tools can handle tasks that would typically require extensive human resources. This technology is set to reduce the number of employees needed, reshaping company structures and payroll dynamics. It's a shift we need to be aware of, especially regarding its impact on our industry and job market.

AI's Creative Leap

Reflecting on my past work, creating e-cards for Avon in Brazil, I'm amazed at how AI is transforming even simple creative tasks. For instance, Coca-Cola's recent project utilizing AI to generate and customize Christmas cards offers a glimpse into a new era of personalized experiences. AI's ability to blend creativity and personalization is not just impressive; it's a game changer.

Looking Ahead

As we step into 2024, it's clear that AI will not just be a part of our world; it will shape it in profound ways. Whether it's revolutionizing customer interactions, altering workforce dynamics, or redefining creativity, AI's influence is set to grow exponentially.

So, as we embark on this AI-mazing journey, let's stay curious, adaptable, and informed. The AI revolution is here, and it's time to embrace its immense potential.

🏁 Enjoy This Newsletter?

If you love this newsletter, why not share the goodness with a friend? Forward it to them and let them know they can subscribe right here. 📩

🌟 You can contribute to the newsletter! If you've got an awesome section idea, shoot it our way, and we'll include it in a future edition.

🏋️‍♀️ Ready for some exciting stuff? Join our super cool UXUI club and be one of the 🎖️ Founding Members. It's going to be a blast! 💥 Let's build an awesome community together!

📣 Wanna chat with me? Head on over to ADPList for some mentorship sessions, or follow me on TikTok for more awesome UX tips and tricks. You don't want to miss it! 🎯

👨🏾‍🎓 Thinking about becoming a UX/UI Designer? Well, look no further! Enroll in the next Ironhack UX/UI Bootcamp and kickstart your journey to greatness. You're going to learn so much and have a blast doing it! 🚀

See you next week! 🤗

Juno
Designer, writer, educator, UX/UI advocate, and mentor for startups.

• 🥳 The Latest Buzz: Figma Variables Update for 2024,

• 🤖 AI is eating the world,

• ⛱️ It’s Super Miami,

• 🍟 and extra things to bite it…

🥳 The last update from Figma Variables for 2024

🚀 Big news from the Figma front - their pre-2024 update on Variables is seriously impressive. What's got me super stoked? The potential fix for Variables in nested instances. Remember how they used to lose their mojo in nested components? Super frustrating, right? I stopped using variables in some projects because it felt like trying to juggle with one hand. But hey, I'm diving back in to test this out and will spill the beans exclusively at our Bootcamp Sprint Club - members, stay tuned! 🤓

Now, let's chat about the 'no-brainer' use of Variables for breakpoints. How many projects have we all been in where everyone's playing by their own rules for breakpoints and viewport sizes? Total chaos. 🌪️ This update could be the life-saver we didn't know we needed.

But here's a hiccup I'm still chewing on: viewing all those tokens in a tidy table. I caught Romina Kavcic's demo and, wow, using Airtable to sort Variables? Mind. Blown. 🤯 The Slack automation is neat, but I'm on the hunt for a slicker way to sync Airtable tokens directly to Figma. As a big Airtable fan (I mean, it's pretty much a database superhero), I'm hopeful. 🌟

Don't have an Airtable account yet? What are you waiting for? Go, go, go! Dive into their templates and discover the magic. 🧙‍♂️

Are you feeling a bit lost in the Figma Variables wilderness? You're not alone! It's a lot to take in. But fear not - this handy guide will get you up to speed in no time. Just remember, crafting your Design System comes first before you start playing with Variables. Priorities, right? 😉

Gemini will write a new chapter for AI.

People have been sharing the new capabilities added for Google AI Bard in the past few days. In this new update, Google brings its most advanced and capable AI model to address the increasing complexity and scale of information. Gemini represents a significant breakthrough in AI technology. Some key points about this new announcement:

• Multimodality: Gemini is unique for being multimodal from the ground up, allowing it to handle text, audio, images, and video seamlessly. This differs from traditional models that combine separate text, vision, and audio models.

• Capabilities and Performance: Gemini excels in understanding and interacting with the world in a human-like manner, performing exceptionally well across 50 different subject areas, matching or surpassing expert human levels.

• Availability and Variants: Gemini will be offered in three versions: Gemini Ultra for complex tasks, Gemini Pro for a broad range of tasks, and Gemini Nano for efficient on-device tasks, each designed to cater to different needs and platforms.

• Safety, Ethics, and Impact: Google emphasizes the importance of safety and ethical considerations in AI development. Gemini incorporates proactive policies and rigorous testing to prevent harm, and its creation aligns with Google's mission to make information universally accessible and useful.

🚀 Let's talk about a game-changer in our toolkit - Relume. This AI gem is revolutionizing how we build Sitemaps and Wireframes. Imagine crafting them quickly and then seamlessly exporting them to Figma or Webflow. That's Relume for you! 🛠️🎨

Want to add some pizzazz to your wireframes from Relume? Here's a tip: dive into the ocean of UX patterns. It's a treasure trove for enhancing your sections. A go-to resource? Refero Design. It's like finding the missing piece of a puzzle. 🧩

And guess what? I've brought AI closer to our world by creating a Juno AI, powered by ChatGPT. Think of it as having a mini-me, your personal UX/UI guru, right in your pocket. Ask my GPT avatar for guidance on your projects - it's like having a design buddy 24/7. 🤖💡

Oh, and there's more! I stumbled upon another GPT wizard, this one's a whiz at guiding you through the intricacies of Design Systems. Imagine having an AI mentor, ready to unravel the mysteries of Design Systems with you. 🌐🔍

Keep exploring, and let AI amplify your design superpowers!

✨ PRESENTED BY IRONHACK ✨

👩‍🎓 Elevate your career to the next level

Are you ready to take the next step in your career and become a user experience and user interface designer? Look no further than Ironhack's UX/UI Bootcamp! Our intensive program will give you the skills and knowledge you need to succeed in the industry. Our hands-on approach lets you learn the latest design tools and techniques while working on real-world projects. You'll also have access to a network of industry professionals who will mentor you and provide valuable insight into the field.

Don't let lack of experience hold you back. Our bootcamp is designed for individuals with diverse backgrounds and no prior design experience. By the end of the program, you'll have a portfolio of work to showcase to potential employers. Don't wait any longer. Join Ironhack's UX/UI Bootcamp today and start your journey to becoming a successful designer.

⛱️ It’s Super Miami

Wow, it's been over a year since I swapped the vibrant vibes of Miami for Atlanta! I often joke that I've finally started living in 'the States'. Moving from São Paulo to Miami was like stepping into a familiar world, surrounded by a sea of Latino culture. It felt like a second home. 🏝️🇧🇷

Recently, I stumbled upon this fascinating article titled "It’s super Miami: A Florida dialect is getting recognition". It's all about Miami's unique blend of English, shaped by years of Latino influence. Did you know they've got their own twist on the language? It's called "Miami English", and it's as colorful as the city itself. 🎨🗣️

Here's a taste: In Miami, you don't just 'get in line', you 'make the line'. And when you're more than just tired, you're 'super tired'. These phrases, directly spun from Spanish, showcase the rich tapestry of Miami's language, mirroring its diverse Latino heartbeat. It's a linguistic dance of cultures, making Miami not just a place, but a unique experience. 💬🌍

This Miami dialect, influenced by the massive influx of Cuban and other Latino immigrants, represents a blend of Spanish and English, reflecting Miami's role as a major immigration hub.

Have you ever pondered how local dialects, like 'Miami English', can shape UX Writing in our digital products?

It's a fascinating aspect to consider, especially in the realm of digital experiences like online food ordering systems. For instance, in Miami, it's not just 'meat empanadas' – it's 'empanadas de carne', embracing the local lingo where 'carne' distinctively means 'meat'.

In a melting pot of cultures and languages like Miami, digital platforms need to embrace and reflect the unique expressions and phrases that color daily conversation. Imagine you're crafting a UX for a Miami-based food ordering app. It's not just about translating content; it's about immersing in the local dialect.

Words like "make the line" or "meat empanada/empanada de carne" aren't just translations; they're a window into the community's soul, a way to resonate deeply with the local user base.

This approach isn't just about being linguistically accurate; it's about creating a user experience that feels familiar, comfortable, and engaging to the local community. It's about making every user feel seen and understood in their digital interactions. 📱💬🌍

Some takeaways:

1️⃣ Localized Language: Use familiar phrases and idioms that resonate with the local audience. This could mean incorporating terms from Miami English into the app's interface, making it more intuitive for local users.

2️⃣ Cultural Context: Understand the cultural context behind certain expressions. For example, knowing that "meat empanada" in Miami English typically refers to a beef empanada can inform menu descriptions in food apps.

3️⃣ Inclusive Design: Design with inclusivity in mind, ensuring that the application is accessible to people who speak different dialects or have varying levels of language proficiency.

4️⃣ User Testing: Conduct user testing with locals to ensure that the language used in the app feels natural and is easily understood.

In conclusion, UX writers need to be cognizant of local dialects and cultural nuances to create digital products that are functional, culturally relevant, and engaging for the target audience. This approach enhances user experience and fosters a stronger connection between the product and its users.

Are you open to working on a local 305 side project I’m doing for the city? Drop me a message on X (Twitter until death), and let’s talk.

👯‍♂️ Miami's Design Get-Together

To kick your FOMO after Art Basel in Miami if you are in Miami in the following days, don’t miss these two great meetups:

📌 Tuesday, December 12: Friends of Figma, Miami: Year-End Meetup

📌 Thursday, December 14: Ironhack’s 10-Year Anniversary Celebration

🍟 BITes

🔠 Discover unique fonts at OH no Type: This is where history meets creativity. Since 2015, they've been crafting lively, organic typefaces that respect tradition while offering a fresh twist. The studio based in California 🐻 prioritizes good spacing, lively imperfections, and the organic over the geometric. Explore fonts that are more than letters—they're art.

🖼️ I'm constantly in awe of Canva's role in revolutionizing design. It's incredible to see how people are using Canva and ChatGPT together to create designs. This powerful combo is reshaping the design landscape, making it simpler to craft marketing assets, even though it may impact junior designer roles. 🚀👩‍💻👨‍💻

👨🏾‍💻 I've been on the hunt for hassle-free ways to create real websites, and I stumbled upon Siter. It seems like a promising tool to turn designs into live websites. I hope Figma is preparing something ‘super’ exciting for Config 2024 related to No-Coding.

🏁 Enjoy This Newsletter?

If you love this newsletter, why not share the goodness with a friend? Forward it to them and let them know they can subscribe right here. 📩

🌟 You can contribute to the newsletter! If you've got an awesome section idea, shoot it our way, and we'll include it in a future edition.

🏋️‍♀️ Ready for some exciting stuff? Join our super cool UXUI club and be one of the 🎖️ Founding Members. It's going to be a blast! 💥 Let's build an awesome community together!

📣 Wanna chat with me? Head on over to ADPList for some mentorship sessions, or follow me on TikTok for more awesome UX tips and tricks. You don't want to miss it! 🎯

👨🏾‍🎓 Thinking about becoming a UX/UI Designer? Well, look no further! Enroll in the next Ironhack UX/UI Bootcamp and kickstart your journey to greatness. You're going to learn so much and have a blast doing it! 🚀

See you next week! 🤗

Juno
Designer, writer, educator, UX/UI advocate, and mentor for startups.

• 🗓️ Mark Your Calendars for Config 2024,

• ❤️‍🩹 Figma & AI, not a Love Story,

• 🎭 Drama in the Startup World,

• 🤨 Is SEO really Dead,

• 🍟 and extra things to bite it…

🗓️ Mark Your Calendars for Config 2024

Get ready, folks! Config 2024 is all set for June 26-27 at the Moscone Center. Can't wait to catch up with y'all in San Francisco! Before you splurge on Black Friday deals, snag your ticket for a cool $175. That's a whopping 75% discount! 🎟️

❤️‍🩹 Figma & AI, not a Love Story

Since Config 2023, I've been on the edge of my seat for some groundbreaking AI integration from Figma. Their Magician acquisition? Big news, but honestly, the plugin's still a bit meh. 🥱 And their latest AI board generator? More like a fancy FigJam template picker. We need real AI magic here, folks! 😕

🍄 Seamless Figma to FigJam Transitions

Loving the concept of transferring Figma pages to FigJam. But hey, why not spice it up with interactive links for live updates? And once you jump to FigJam, getting back to Figma isn’t as clear as it should be. Let’s make this switch smoother! 🔄

👉 Without this message, I couldn’t find another way to copy a page to FigJam again.

🗺️ Figma's AI Strategy: What's Next?

Chatting with a mentor, I learned how AI strategy is becoming a big deal for investors. And I bet Figma's brainstorming some cool AI features. The future looks AI-mazing! 🌐

👉 Auto-Arrange Affinity Mapping

First up, imagine a plugin that links Google Forms and other survey platforms directly to FigJam. This reminds me of how Miro used to automatically generate sticky notes for each survey response on your board. Such a time-saver!

Next, let's talk about harnessing genuine AI power, like QoQo. This could be a game-changer for UX Designers, especially in creating detailed Affinity Maps or Empathy Maps with ease and precision. 🚀🗺️🖌️

🖥️ Screenshot to Code

Picture this: a tool that turns your screenshot into HTML/Tailwind CSS code, thanks to GPT-4 Vision. Using Screenshot to Code, you can convert screenshots to code, and nowadays, you can enter a URL to clone a live website.

✏️ Low-Fi to Wireframe

Transform a low-fi sketch into a wireframe with a simple prompt. Or use prompts to build wireframes similar to Wireframe Designer. Exciting, right?

🙅‍♂️ Design Without Coding? It's Happening!

Tools like Framer or Uizard are changing the game. You might not even need Figma soon to design and deploy a website. These AI tools are learning fast and will soon be indispensable in our design toolkit. And for mobile app design? Bravo Studio is my go-to. Easy, code-free, and fun! 📱

🐞 And last but not least

It’s not AI-related but is about productivity and making Figma better. Please, we need fewer glitches in the prototype tool. It's crucial for presenting our work flawlessly. I’m working on a big project, and because of the bugs, I cannot trust 100% of the prototypes to present the work to stakeholders.

Advanced Variables: copy or acquire Tokens Studio for Figma. It does make one wonder – why bring together so many talented individuals if we're still struggling with copying & pasting Tokens Studio for Figma features?

Lastly, a little throwback to my Buscapé days in Brazil: the due diligence for Naspers' acquisition was quite eye-opening. It was intriguing how the technical team admitted that most startups they scrutinized fell short technically. Makes sense, though. A founder's primary aim is often to craft a product, make it marketable, and rake in profits. It's more about the hustle than the perfect technical setup.

Switching gears to Figma and Adobe, it's easy to point fingers at Adobe for the bugs and slow pace of innovation in Figma post-acquisition. However, if we're being real, these issues likely predate Adobe's involvement. For Dylan Field, it's going to take more than an inspiring speech next year to reassure us that Figma remains a trailblazer in the design world. The proof will be in the pudding – or in this case, in the software updates and bug fixes! 🛠️💻🚀

When I worked at Buscapé in Brazil, we had a traditional and technical due diligence process before Naspers acquired Buscapé. It was funny at that time that the team in charge of the technical due diligence confessed to me that all the startups they made due diligence failed in the technical aspect. I can understand because a founder's goal is to build a product, sell it, and make money. It is not about holding hands and hugging trees.

Now, you may think to blame Adobe for acquiring Figma, but on the level of bugs and lack of speed to deliver new things, you can probably believe that those problems were already there before Adobe. Dylan Field will need more than a heartful speech next year to prove to the fans that Figma is still the future of design.

✨ PRESENTED BY IRONHACK ✨

👩‍🎓 Elevate your career to the next level

Are you ready to take the next step in your career and become a user experience and user interface designer? Look no further than Ironhack's UX/UI Bootcamp! Our intensive program will give you the skills and knowledge you need to succeed in the industry. Our hands-on approach lets you learn the latest design tools and techniques while working on real-world projects. You'll also have access to a network of industry professionals who will mentor you and provide valuable insight into the field.

Don't let lack of experience hold you back. Our bootcamp is designed for individuals with diverse backgrounds and no prior design experience. By the end of the program, you'll have a portfolio of work to showcase to potential employers. Don't wait any longer. Join Ironhack's UX/UI Bootcamp today and start your journey to becoming a successful designer.

🎭 S05E09: Drama in the Startup World

This episode feels like a scene straight out of "Silicon Valley" – CEOs getting fired and rehired within four days. It reminds me of my time at DM9 DDB in Brazil, where Nizan Guanaes, the former CEO, was known for his rapid-fire hiring decisions.

Despite the chaos at OpenAI, there's some exciting stuff on the horizon:

1️⃣ Custom GPTs

Now you can tailor ChatGPT to your needs. Mix and match instructions, knowledge, and skills to create unique versions like a writing coach, startup advisor, Canva GPT designer, or even a Zapier AI for task automation. Imagine having a custom Persona from UX Research that addresses specific user pain points and evaluates solutions. 🤖✍️

2️⃣ The App Store of AI

Created your own GPT? Get ready to showcase and monetize it in the upcoming GPT Store. Think of it as the App Store, but for AI creations – and the best part? No coding skills required! 📲💸

3️⃣ GPT-4 Turbo: Bigger and Better

OpenAI is upping the game with GPT-4 Turbo. It boasts a massive 128k context window – like writing prompts as long as a book. Plus, it's up-to-date with events up to April 2023. 📚🚀

4️⃣ Assistants API

This new API lets developers integrate AI-driven interactions in their apps. From natural language data analysis to AI vacation planners, the possibilities are endless. This might redefine the role of bootcamps in preparing future tech talent, because, in 2024, there won’t be any space for junior positions. 💡📈

5️⃣ Copyright Shield 🛡️

Worried about copyright issues with OpenAI products? They've got you covered. OpenAI promises to defend and cover costs for legal claims around copyright infringement. This could be tricky for content creators, especially with all those Disney-inspired characters out there, or maybe it will help Disney to collect royalties from everybody. 🛡️👩‍⚖️🎨

🤨 Is SEO really Dead?🪦

Jakob Nielsen on UX

SEO Is Dead, Long Live AI-Summarized Answers

Summary: Unlike search, which just identifies and ranks potential information sources, AI synthesizes a single clear answer from all available info, tailored to the user’s specific query and circumstances. AI also provides clarifying details, analysis, and supplementary information as part of its answers…

Read more

3 years ago · 16 likes · Jakob Nielsen

As we kicked off the year, the AI wave surged, sparking chatter about the potential downfall of Google and semantic searches – the very foundations of Sergey Brin's and Larry Page's fortunes. But think about it: the world has transformed drastically in the last two decades, and it's poised for another seismic shift.

Consider how phones, our current primary interface, are somewhat dated in their form and function. Google has made attempts to innovate in this area, but it seems Apple might be the one to usher us into a new era. Their introduction of Apple Vision Pro is just a glimpse of this evolving landscape.

Meanwhile, according to Jacob Nielsen, SEO might be on its way out, or at least evolving. My advice to designers has always been to understand SEO principles. It's crucial for designing web pages that not only make sense to developers and search engine bots like Google but also ensure quick scanning and accurate ranking of your site. 🌐📱🔍🚀

I've got some juicy insights from Nielsen’s article "SEO is Dead".

💡 User-Centric Over Algorithm-Chasing: Nielsen talks about the big shift moving away from obsessing over search engine algorithms. Instead, the focus is now squarely on user experience. It's all about creating content that resonates with real people, not just what ranks well.

💡 Quality Content Reigns Supreme: Nielsen emphasizes that high-quality, valuable content is king. This means crafting information that's genuinely useful and engaging for your audience. It's not just about keywords anymore; it's about relevance and value.

💡 UX/UI's Rising Importance: This is a big win for us in the UX/UI world. The article highlights our role in shaping web experiences that are visually appealing, deeply satisfying, and intuitive for users.

💡 Adapting to User Behavior: Nielsen points out that understanding how users interact with your content is key. This means paying attention to things like how they navigate your site, what content they engage with, and what turns them off.

💡 SEO Isn't Really "Dead": Okay, so the title might be a bit of a hyperbole. SEO isn't gone; it's just evolved. It's less about gaming the system and more about a holistic approach that marries great content with a stellar user experience.

Essentially, we're at a pivotal moment where adopting a user-centric mindset is key. Exceptional UX/UI design isn't just a bonus – it's absolutely vital.

In line with this philosophy, I'm currently crafting a directory of Martial Arts schools for DOJO+. I'd love for you to check it out and share any thoughts or feedback. Keep in mind, it's a work in progress. In the digital product world, nothing is ever truly "finished." 🥋🖥️🔄

🍟 BITes

👩‍🎨 I came across Helga Stentzel's art, and she has a fantastic creativity to make this series using hanging clothes to make animals. Take time to explore her portfolio and follow her on Instagram.

🏷️ Black Fridays deals Uizard (get 25% discount in any plan), Bravo Studio get Free Advanced or Business app for 1 year.

🪦 RIP WeWork. Since I learned about Switchyards, this is my place to go when I have to focus and work. It’s a more comfortable way to work and connect with other local creatives. WeWork is just a Regus office with startup clothes. Like many people, I downgraded my WeWork account this month, which could impact the WeWork bankruptcy.

🖼️ If you want to have some cool wallpapers for your phone, you must follow Antonio Monaco. He creates the sickest backgrounds for your phone. I personally love using the GameBoy Advance screens.

👨‍🍳 OSP, or Open Source Kitchen, is a repository for creatives built by obsessed designers. You can find typography, tools, workshops, works, and an excellent inspiration blog.

🏁 Enjoy This Newsletter?

If you love this newsletter, why not share the goodness with a friend? Forward it to them and let them know they can subscribe right here. 📩

🌟 You can contribute to the newsletter! If you've got an awesome section idea, shoot it our way, and we'll include it in a future edition.

🏋️‍♀️ Ready for some exciting stuff? Join our super cool UXUI club and be one of the 🎖️ Founding Members. It's going to be a blast! 💥 Let's build an awesome community together!

📣 Wanna chat with me? Head on over to ADPList for some mentorship sessions, or follow me on TikTok for more awesome UX tips and tricks. You don't want to miss it! 🎯

👨🏾‍🎓 Thinking about becoming a UX/UI Designer? Well, look no further! Enroll in the next Ironhack UX/UI Bootcamp and kickstart your journey to greatness. You're going to learn so much and have a blast doing it! 🚀

See you next week! 🤗

Juno
Designer, writer, educator, UX/UI advocate, and mentor for startups.

• 🎨 The new Figma Color Wheel,

• 💼 UX Job Market,

• 💪 The Right Design Skills,

• 🎲 Designer Games,

• 🌈 Adobe MAX 2023,

• 🍟 and extra things to bite it…

Watch out, I’m 🔙

Hey there, design fam! It's been a whirlwind of deadlines and passion projects lately. Despite the hustle, keeping our newsletter alive and kicking is top of mind. 💌 Your encouragement has floored me to keep the words flowing – shoutout to the reader who penned that heartwarming email claiming this is the only design newsletter she reads. Is it for real? I can't say for sure but talk about pressure. 🤣

Are you not in the Bootcamp Sprint Club yet? Hop on in! 🚀 I’m curating a treasure trove of resources, and it’s the perfect spot to mingle with fellow subscribers. Imagine – nearly 50,000 creatives exchanging ideas! 💡

Even with the wizardry of ChatGPT in our toolbox, crafting this newsletter is a hands-on task that eats up my week – but it's all for you! 🧙‍♂️✨ So, here's the million-dollar question:

🎨 Figma Color Wheel

Figma silenced dropped a new color palette generator, a tool highly anticipated by some people.

Like any other color generator, it allows you to input a color code and instantly create a color palette, streamlining the design process.

I love using Coolors because they give you different methods to generate your color palette. And also because they suggest color names that I love to use on my Design System tokens. But now, if you want to use other methods than Auto, you must pay for it on Coolors.

If you still have doubts about using the different color generator methods, I listed below some easy references you can save for future reference.

• Complementary: Uses colors from opposite sides of the color wheel, offering high contrast and a vibrant look, like blue and orange together.

• Triadic: Involves three colors evenly spaced around the color wheel, like the combination of the primary colors red, yellow, and blue, to create a balanced and harmonious look.

• Split: Combines one base color with the two colors adjacent to its opposite on the color wheel, providing vibrant contrast with less tension, such as blue with yellow-orange and red-orange.

• Square: Chooses four colors evenly spaced around the color wheel, forming a square, to provide a balanced palette with consistent contrast between the colors.

• Monochromatic: Uses different shades, tones, and tints of a single hue to create a unified and visually cohesive effect.

• Tetradic: Utilizes four colors in two complementary pairs, offering a rich scheme with one dominant color and three accents, arranged as a rectangle or square on the color wheel. (This is the only one Figma doesn’t have, and I like to use this one to generate some mesh gradient color tokens as they provide a balance of harmony and contrast, with enough variation to create the intricate color transitions that make them more visually appealing).

To create cool mesh gradients, I often recommend playing with Triadic, Tetradic, and Split Complementary schemes. Check the games I recommend by the end to practice color-picking on those methods.

✨ PRESENTED BY IRONHACK ✨

👩‍🎓 Elevate your career to the next level

Are you ready to take the next step in your career and become a user experience and user interface designer? Look no further than Ironhack's UX/UI Bootcamp! Our intensive program will give you the skills and knowledge you need to succeed in the industry. Our hands-on approach lets you learn the latest design tools and techniques while working on real-world projects. You'll also have access to a network of industry professionals who will mentor you and provide valuable insight into the field.

Don't let lack of experience hold you back. Our bootcamp is designed for individuals with diverse backgrounds and no prior design experience. By the end of the program, you'll have a portfolio of work to showcase to potential employers. Don't wait any longer. Join Ironhack's UX/UI Bootcamp today and start your journey to becoming a successful designer.

💼 UX Job Market

We know the job market mood is not all 😎 sunshine and roses 🌹 right now—landing that dream gig isn't as breezy as in pre-pandemic times. A mix of factors is shaking things up, and yup, AI's big moment on the tech stage is definitely stirring the pot. 🤖

And here's a twist: even some UX pros are feeling the strain. I've got a buddy in Brazil who's hitting pause on the daily grind for a year-long sabbatical to recalibrate and gear up for her next career chapter. 🇧🇷✈️🧘‍♀️

Diving into Christopher Nguyen's insights, we've got the top 3 reasons why you might quit a UX design job 🏃‍♂️💨 🏢

1️⃣ Misalignment of values
Frustration with companies that put aesthetics > genuine user needs and feedback.

2️⃣ Lack of growth and learning
Designers leave when they feel:
😩 Stagnant
😩 Unsupported
😩 Unable to access the resources needed to upskill

3️⃣ Under-appreciation and undervaluation
It’s not just about the pay.
🪑 Designers want to work where their contributions are recognized and sit at the table when critical decisions are made.

So, if your current spot's not ticking these boxes, maybe it's time to polish that portfolio and scope out new horizons! 🚀👀

To sum it up, if businesses are serious about keeping top-notch UX pros on board, it's crucial to foster a work environment that champions growth and development 🌱 – truth be told, I've noticed this isn't always a priority for some. Respect is the name of the game 🎮, along with offering salaries that truly reflect our worth – something that’s been a bit off the mark in the recent couple of years.

On the flip side, it's quite fascinating 🧐 to observe the eagerness in the industry – there's a bustling crowd ready to step into your shoes if you lose that spark of daily motivation. So, staying charged and bringing your A-game every day is key 🔑 to staying ahead!

💪 The Right Design Skills

First, design is not about being good in Figma. This Figmaism thing from junior designers is so naive. This won’t make you a great designer.

It’s countless times I say not to fall in love with tools. Tools are to use to accomplish your goal. And yes, Figma is a tool as much as you believe in Figma founder's lovely speech.

Overemphasis on Figma and design systems is due to the popularity of short-form content and the market saturation of aspiring designers.

Bring Business Value Beyond Pixels

As designers, it’s pivotal to zoom out from our creative canvases and sharpen those skills that add tangible value to our business landscape. We're talking about the art of delivering compelling presentations 🎤, becoming a mentor to foster growth 🌟, offering insightful feedback 🔄, and mastering the smooth handoff of our designs to our developer comrades – no more defaulting to "just check Dev Mode."

Get out of your designer comfort zone and embrace important aspects of your role as a designer in a company.

It's time to expand our horizons beyond the confines of our favorite design tools. Delving into process optimization 🛠️, taking the reins on projects 🏇, and stepping up our communication game 🗣️ can skyrocket our influence within our organizations. Trust me, these moves pack a punch that goes way beyond any savvy Figma shortcut.

So, let’s step out of that designer bubble 🛁 and embrace the multifaceted aspects of our role. Remember, a fixation on tooling alone could put the brakes on your career trajectory. Cultivate those core competencies that businesses are truly after, and watch your career soar 🌈✨.

👉 To keep learning design, you need to be in our club. Click to visit.

🕹️ Designer's Arcade

I've lined up a roster of games that are sure to give your designer's instinct a workout! Make it part of your daily routine and share your milestones in our club channel – let's level up together! 🚀

🎯 The Bézier Game: Get your pen tool skills on point by mastering the curves and angles with this interactive challenge.

👽 HEX Invaders: Ready, aim, and match! Zap aliens by finding the right HEX code – it's color matching with a galactic twist.

🅰️ Kern Type: Become a wizard of whitespace by nailing the perfect spacing between characters.

🔲 Pixactly: Put your pixel prowess to the test – draw boxes that match exact dimensions and refine your eye for detail.

👀 Can’t Unsee: A showdown of UI choices – pick the design that dots the i's and crosses the t's with precision.

🌈 Color Method: Dive into the world of color theory and practice creating palettes that pop.

🎯 It’s Center That: Challenge your inner symmetry sage – is that dot really in the center? Put your judgment to the test.

Ready to play? Let's see who can hit the high scores! 🏆 Remember, these aren't just games; they're your ticket to becoming a design dynamo! 🌟

🌈 Adobe "Magic" MAX 2023

Adobe didn’t invite me 😢 like Figma did for Config, to be at this big design party 🎉this year, but I hope we can make it together next year. It’s always a great time to meet other designers and be in LA and do a vegan food tour with my local friends Javi and Natalie ❤️.

🤖 AI Meets Design

I'm really digging how Adobe's doubling down on Generative AI – it's like they've unlocked a secret door to the design future, and it’s brimming with intuition and imagination.

✨ Adobe Express: The Hero Tool

Talk about efficiency – Adobe Express is our creative cape, folks! It's transforming us from idea architects to execution experts at warp speed. Whether you're fine-tuning a masterpiece in Illustrator or cutting your next viral video, Adobe Express is pushing the boundaries of what we can do with our creations.

🔊 And that Filler Word Filter? Pure audio magic, making us sound crisp and clean with just a click.

Adobe Firefly

Recently, I signed up for the paid version of ChatGPT, which gives you access to image-generative AI DALL-E. The main advantage of Firefly is how Adobe streamlines the process of adding AI and how well-integrated it is into Adobe's ecosystem. I spent hours playing with it and sending the results to Photoshop below.

But more than creating images, it is very interesting how you can save a style to reuse it in the future. So basically, if you can fine-tune it and save it, You will be able in the near future to prompt Adobe tools and create photos, videos, illustrations, and animations in seconds.

This unparalleled level of control 🤯 is just mind-blowing.

From a cozy mountain hut in a tiny square image, I stretched out the scene to include the ocean, gave the house an architectural facelift, and threw in some majestic white horses for good measure.

🫰Hey Figma Lovers

Post-acquisition life for Figma seems...quiet, especially on the AI front, and they’re trailing in the no-code revolution, too. I see designers turning to Framer for a one-stop design and deployment solution. But I'm all eyes and ears for what Figma will unveil at the next Config – it's gotta be grand. 🚀

🤝 Giving Back

While I have not written this newsletter to you, I was giving back to the design community in different ways.

• Mentoring startups in cohorts for:

  • Techstars Miami (2023 Fall)

  • Techstars Atlanta (2023 Fall)

  • Techstars New Orleans (2023 Fall)

• Running a Design Workshop for the University of Florida in Gainsville (FL)

• Part of the Judging Panel at the Hackathon for ETHMiami 2023

• Mentoring 1:1 at ADPList (I reduced my time slots; my agenda has been too busy)

🍟 BITes

💎 Reinvest in yourself: use this personal brand canvas to help position yourself better, find your strengths for your next interview, and rebuild your portfolio. 🤩

🎨 Try Adobe Express and post videos to your TikTok or Instagram Reels.

🏁 Enjoy This Newsletter?

If you love this newsletter, why not share the goodness with a friend? Forward it to them and let them know they can subscribe right here. 📩

🌟 You can contribute to the newsletter! If you've got an awesome section idea, shoot it our way, and we'll include it in a future edition.

🏋️‍♀️ Ready for some exciting stuff? Join our super cool UXUI club and be one of the 🎖️ Founding Members. It's going to be a blast! 💥 Let's build an awesome community together!

📣 Wanna chat with me? Head on over to ADPList for some mentorship sessions, or follow me on TikTok for more awesome UX tips and tricks. You don't want to miss it! 🎯

👨🏾‍🎓 Thinking about becoming a UX/UI Designer? Well, look no further! Enroll in the next Ironhack UX/UI Bootcamp and kickstart your journey to greatness. You're going to learn so much and have a blast doing it! 🚀

See you next week! 🤗

Juno
Designer, writer, educator, UX/UI advocate, and mentor for startups.

• 👯‍♀️ Human Connection — The UXUI Club,

• 📌 Pin-terest Relift,

• 👴 The old Webdesigner is back,

• 🪦 Twitter brand is dead,

• 📖 Magazines to love and copy,

• 🙀 From UX Researcher to Product Manager,

• 🍟 and extra things to bite it…

👯‍♀️ Human Connection — The UXUI Club

Probably you have been spending more time talking to AI than real people. My goal is to connect all readers to this new platform. where you can talk with each other and at the same time learn. Seeing all the interactions and contributions to make this community happen has been great.

I’m glad to see new faces and familiar faces in our club. Create your account for free, introduce yourself, and let’s connect all readers and keep our UX/UI Design learning journey together.

🆓 It’s free to join the community here.

📌 Pin-terest Relift

Ever notice how big corporations struggle to maintain the swift pace of startups? 🏃‍♀️ Let's chat about it. While companies like Spotify and Airbnb are dancing to the innovation beat, Pinterest seems to be tapping its foot to a different tune. 🎵 But fear not, for I believe a secret sauce could spark a revolution: handing more creative control to our stellar designers and developers. 🎨✨ When they're unleashed, innovation blossoms and a positively charged work atmosphere flourishes.

And if you don’t do a good job innovating your product, you open market gaps to new and fresh companies like SAVEE or DuckDuckGo. They don’t want or need to scale and be very big. For example, DuckDuckGo (or just Duck) founder Gabriel Weinberg's goal is to have “only” 1% of the searches in the world. Currently they DuckDuckGo handles an average of 98.79 million search queries a day., which means:

🌎 Worldwide: 0.66% share of the search engine market.
🇺🇸 In the US, it holds 2.45% of the market share.

I started using SAVEE a couple of weeks ago, and I love the interface and the modern look and feel of mood boards. And the good thing is you can import your pins from the 👵🏽 old Pinterest.

Some other good tools for inspiration that is not Pinterest are:

📌 DoingCoolStuff

📌 Visualle

📌 AIGA Eye On Design

Like the heartwarming saga of Figma's founder, whose approach to selling their creation melted hearts, there's a tale of inspiration brewing in the way SAVEE.it took its first breaths. And you can read more here.

And like any UX process

1 — What's the problem we are trying to solve?

2 — Who is the user?

3 — What does success look like?

👴 The old Webdesigner is back

In my early career in the pre-bubble of the first web, 1.0 or whatever you wanna call a lot of people started doing web design, a mix of skills design plus front-end code and sometimes even backend. I used to do many things using Microsoft's “Classic ASP” to build forms, chat, checkout, and forum apps.

Nowadays, I can see a comeback to this mix of skills, especially because of the Figma Variables and a new way to prototype. I think the concept of global and local variables, like in coding, will be very suitable to Figma and soon be a way to debug what is happening in the prototype.

I tested different ways, for example, to swap instances of components, but once you are using a nested component, some of the Variables stop working properly.

During the first pre-internet bubble crash was difficult for me to explain what was a web designer as a profession to some people; nowadays, if you read the definition of a Product Designer makes sense for Designers to start using more and more no-coding or low-coding platforms like Framer to bring a product to life without all the hustle of coding.

Product Designer
noun
a person who plans, designs, creates, and often maintains websites.

As a fact, I know bootcamps will take a long time to add those things to their curriculum, so that’s why the UXUI Club will be our place to learn and practice new tools to get ahead in our profession.

🪦 Twitter brand is dead and X 🪺 is hatching new eggs

Since Elon Musk sent Twitter brand to the graveyard, maybe Merriam-Webster will remove the tweet expression from the dictionary, and they are prepping a new superpower app, or just Super-Apps as the market defines it.

Many media have been skeptical about this idea or if it will make or break it in America. and I mentioned it before in a past newsletter. It’s a more cultural thing in Western countries. In Brazil, I remember a conversation with Fabricio Bloisi, Movile CEO, and they were trying to accomplish it in the Brazilian market and failed miserably. But the main difference is that Elon is in another club, the Billionaires Club, and could acquire not only the Twitter brand but the network effect of Twitter.

If you remember this scene from The Silicon Valley TV show, you will remember the difference between a 🪙 Millionaire and a 💰 Billionaire is not only zeros but how the doors of their car doors open. 🤣

⚛ The Network Effect by Facebook

I also mentioned a couple of weeks ago that the most important is the capacity of a platform to create a network effect. and you can see even Meta, with all the superpowers of Instagram, WhatsApp, and Facebook, struggles to migrate the traffic to the new Threads app.

When I was the Head of Product of QueBarato! in Brazil, we had a lot of challenges to keep bringing sellers and buyers to the platform. It’s a double effort to make it happen, and like in my time, 90% of the company's budget is to bring traffic. It is not even investing in the team.

In the past, Microsoft made a similar move to Elon Musk to enter the video game industry. They dropped 💰💰💰 BILLIONS of dollars to have exclusive game titles in their platform to force a network effect and bring Xbox to life. Without good games, you don’t have players. And without players, you don’t have gaming studios building games on your platform. Without Microsoft's money, the studio behind Halo franchising was almost filing for bankruptcy.

But it’s a good exercise to ideate with the team and see how other products do it. As a Product Designer, think about any marketplace and try to list the top 3 features to build a marketplace. It looks simple but is not.

🤜🤛 Elon Musk Vs. Mark Zuckerberg

As much as you, I would love to see this match, and I bet Zuck will win Elon easily in a cage match. And Mark, I greatly respect you for being a tuff jiu-jitsu athlete and being part of DOJO+, but Elon is investing his time in another game, taking over the future of apps or social media.

🏆 Winners?

Who could try to make a Super-App could be Apple or Google because they already own the devices of people and the Operational System. But this will kill thousands of developers who build the app marketplace. It’s a big trade-off, and they are probably just watching this battle from their yachts 🛥️.

If you wanna learn more about marketplaces and network effects I will be sharing a case study about Aliababa in the UXUI Club (members-only). Feel free to sign up and read it.

📖 Magazines to love and copy

Once you master making components and nesting them correctly, it’s time to see how they will play and make a harmonious design in the big picture. My main source of inspiration is printed magazines. It’s an easy way to think about sections in a webpage, they are mostly horizontal on a viewport size – what the browser will display to the user, and they can give you different layout options.

I’m lucky still to have some old magazines like MTV magazines from Brazil. I love to read the articles with the music they recommend for every article.

Below are some examples, and all the other photos you can use as sections for inspiration will be available at UXUI Club.

🙀 From UX Researcher to Product Manager

I was reading this article on Dovetail's blog about whether UX researchers (UXRs) should transition into product management roles to have more decision-making power, which happens in most companies.

Airbnb is the first company I know that gives much more power to designers and officially removed the Product Manager role and combined design and product management responsibilities.

It’s complex to say if it will work for all companies because you may need a different type of leadership and organizational culture to achieve it.

But it is worth reading it.

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Don't let lack of experience hold you back. Our bootcamp is designed for individuals with diverse backgrounds and no prior design experience. By the end of the program, you'll have a portfolio of work to showcase to potential employers. Don't wait any longer. Join Ironhack's UX/UI Bootcamp today and start your journey to becoming a successful designer.

🍟 BITes

💎 For real, this plugin is a great way to collaborate and organize what you need to add to a page. You can build a more complete sitemap and list all the sections you need. Content Map FigJam plugin is the way to go.

🎨 Trying to build personas and journey maps or a sitemap? Use the QoQo AI plugin and save much time on those tasks.

🧮 I’m waiting for Figma Variables to become a more complete lite Design Tokens plugin. If you read, this article is the backlog of things Figma needs to develop. Figma should only buy the plugin and fire the Product Manager prioritizing the backlog. 🤣

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See you next week!

Juno
Designer, writer, educator, UX/UI advocate, and mentor for startups.

• 🏋️‍♀️ The UXUI Club,

• 🪜 Design Career (it’s a lot here).

🗓️ Time

I understand that it's been a little while since my last message, but trust me, life has been quite the whirlwind these past weeks! 🌪️ I've been catching up with old colleagues and acquaintances, diving deep into discussions about the ever-evolving design landscape.

Today's scoop is packed with insights from those engaging conversations. 🗣️ I'm excited to share snippets that shed light on the design market and the potential shifts we might consider to align with our life aspirations. So, grab a comfy seat, indulge in these reads, and don't forget to hit me up with your thoughts! 📚💬 Your feedback is gold! 🌈🚀

🏋️‍♀️ Jump into the UXUI Club (absolutely free!)

💌 I'm absolutely stoked to extend an open invitation to you all – come join the electrifying UXUI Club! 🎉 It's like a playground where you can turbocharge your design skills on a daily basis. 🎨💪

1️⃣ Picture this: we're creating a haven for everyone who's been a part of this vibrant newsletter community. 🤝 With over 40,000 fabulous folks soaking in our content, my ultimate joy would be connecting a grand 1,000 enthusiasts! 🙌 Imagine the creative fireworks we'll ignite together! 🎆

2️⃣ But hold up, there's more to this dreamy destination! 🌈✨ We're sculpting an inclusive space, a one-stop hub for all things UXUI. No more hopping around – here, you can dive into various facets of the UXUI universe at your own comfortable pace. 🌐📚

Ever hit the gym? 🏋️‍♀️ Yeah, it's kinda like that – showing up day after day for that muscle pump, stamina boost, and strength gains. 💪😓 That's why we've even got the Design Challenge channel, where you can flex those creative muscles and showcase your awesome results! 🏆🖌️

So, what are you waiting for? 🕺 Strut into the UXUI Club and let's fuel our design journey together! It's an experience you won't want to miss out on. 🚀🎈

🎨🤓 I've been tirelessly curating a treasure trove of content, handpicked from my own stash and generously shared by my talented designer pals. 🌟 Everything's on the table, and I'm super excited to unveil it all to you within this community.

🆓 And hey, guess what's even better? 🎈 It won't cost you a dime to dive right in! Yep, you heard me – it's an open-door policy here. Swing open the gates and join the creative frenzy right now, just a click away. 🚪👉🎉

Now, let's talk about a little something special. 🎁 I've crafted an exclusive Founding Member tier, and it's the bee's knees! 🐝 For the first 100 trailblazers who chip in $10 each month, not only are you fueling this newsletter's awesomeness, but you're also powering the UXUI Club's vibrant atmosphere, chock-full of fresh and fabulous content. And the perks? Oh, they're golden! 🏅 Unrestricted access to all the goodies. Now that's what I call a win-win! 🌈💰

Hey, remember that time when I tried the whole Slack thing? Yeah, well, turns out we needed more than just a chatroom. We're all about sharing experiences, and resources, and soaking up knowledge in an organized and structured manner. Think of it as the ultimate knowledge hub! 💡📚 And if you're up for a spin with the paid account, use the code "HELLOFRIENDS" for a taste of the good stuff – 30 days absolutely on the house! 🎁🎊

Big smooches and bear hugs to our cherished Founding Members! 😘🙌 You legends have been there from the get-go, rallying behind this community vision. Your undying support and resource-sharing magic truly make you shine. 🌟 And hey, that "Founding Member" badge? Yeah, you're gonna flaunt it forever in our digital realm. 🎖️👑

So, are you ready to take the plunge? 🏊‍♀️ Don't wait – click this enchanting link and join the party over at the UXUI Club! 🎉🎈 Let's make waves together! 🌊🚀

🪜 Design Career: from mentee to mentor or vice-versa

👑 If you've ever dreamt of ruling the creative realm, remember this: to claim the crown, you must first don the garb of a noble apprentice. 👸🏽 And let me share a delightful twist from the past few days – a journey down memory lane where I reconnected with those who guided me through the labyrinthine beginnings of my design career.

☕️🥛 Sip of Wisdom: Café com Lent (Coffee with Lent)

Once upon the dawn of the dotcom wave, I was granted entry to the illustrious DM9 DDB, a branch of the revered DDB Group in Brazil. Allow me to recount that at the time, a mere year spent in the corridors of this esteemed advertising powerhouse held more weight than the accumulation of college years or even the rigors of a Miami Ad School bootcamp.

My boss and mentor in this chapter was none other than Michel Lent. His mentorship extended beyond physical distance, a celestial alignment of professional trajectories. 🌌 From agency inception to carving paths through prestigious accounts, and crafting iconic digital landscapes – every stride he took was a blueprint for my own.

Amidst our extended tête-à-tête, I've plucked out some sparkling gems that illuminate the vast tapestry of the design market.

⚡️ The job market will change faster than you think

Even with the disruptive bootcamps models, most of them are already reaching 10 years old in the market. We still prepare people to think about their careers only and not about their lifelong journey as designers and the different paths that they can take.

The job market for designers ends earlier than you can imagine. And the market changes a lot. The scenario you will find in your twenties will be totally different when you reach your thirties and with AI this will impact a lot the job market.

I can tell you from a person who started making websites using Photoshop and Microsoft Front Page, to work on some projects using Illustrator or the buried 🪦 Fireworks and Freehand from Macromedia.

If you think about other tools like Sketch, it was the most interesting software to design websites and apps 10 years ago and now everybody is crazy about Figma. So that’s why I always recommend you:

❤️ Love the craft, not the tool.

I do understand that there is a lot of soul in the Figma co-founder’s speech but they cannot predict the future of design and the direction the market will take in the next years.

🧠 Internet Saga: From Medium to Product

Working in advertising you learn to see the internet as a medium. Once I joined Buscapé I learned working closely with the founders that your build a product or property on the internet and this have much more value. And this forced me to learn that building a product is not only about making a beautiful design. There are a lot of facets of the product that a lot of designers don’t get it. And why I think bootcamp curriculums are so flawless.

During this adaptation process from Photoshop to Sketch I worked for some agencies in Brazil to pretty much train the team to use Sketch and start thinking about Design Systems and other processes, we should add during the construction of a digital product. Some agencies weren’t worried about my deliverables but about how I could prepare the team to start using the correct mindset to design products.

📝 Technical or Business

You start mastering the technical aspect of your field but when you get older you may not be in the same level of knowledge and technical constraints, and maybe this is why a lot of people transition to the business mindset or management.

When you are around your forties to fifties you may not be focusing on the technical aspect but maybe on the business side. I agree to disagree with that statement during our conversation, especially because the job market in the US looks a little bit different than the Brazilian market.

But of course, you will face every time talented new kids at 19 years old entering the job market and you don’t wanna compete with them in the technical aspect.

Staying always ahead and trying to be on top of everything that is coming to the market could be great in a personal aspect but thinking about a career could be risky.

🚷 Understand your pace to work

Working in the advertising agency brought me a hyper-speed way to work and to be a very workaholic in the first years of my career, which cost me a lot in health and relationships. I can say that I probably had my first burnout working at 26 years.

When I worked making websites for public companies in Brazil in partnership with FIRB (former Thompson Reuters in Brazil) I could see that other industries don’t need to work on this hyper-speed and could make more money.

😑 You must make mistakes to learn

When I used to have my own digital agency in Brazil like Michel, I didn’t plan much about my exit strategy. And if you wanna build any type of business this could be making websites or selling cupcakes you must think about the exit strategy.

I learned late in life that all businesses will die 🪦 and the role of the entrepreneur is to find a way to make your business survive:

➡️ Selling to another company
➡️ Succession to the next generation
➡️ IPO
➡️ or die.

If you open a design agency what is the main thing to have in mind? Only because you love design and crafting beautiful products shouldn’t be the answer. Work is about revenue, not what looks or feels good.

Like Michel, I worked with big accounts in Brazil making websites, and marketing campaigns. His agency was acquired by Ogilvy, a WPP Group agency in the past and this was his exit but…

👏 Acclaimed by Critics, yet a Box Office Flop

I did a lot of bad business decisions in my life but the mistake is part of the learning process.

I remember having in my agency in the past this super successful sunglass and accessories brand from Brazil called Chilli Beans, they had hundreds of stores, and making the website for them gave me a lot of exposure but not real money.

Caito Maia, ChilliBeans founder, and Shark Tank Brazil host, even mentioned the tools I designed, build, and maintained for years in his book and how those tools helped the brand to expand and distribute products, but ChilliBeans always underpaid me. The consequence for me was losing much more money than I expected.

You can have a lot of failures and you must learn from that.

🤑 Pillars From Media to Product

We need to be more pragmatic about making decisions in life. And Michel questioned me:

1️⃣ What makes you healthy?

Eating well, working out, brushing your teeth, and wearing sunscreen, and doing regular checkups with your doctor.

2️⃣ What makes you happy?

Being with family, friends, traveling, or just being at home and making a nice tea and enjoying the silence. Listening to music.

3️⃣ And, what makes you money?

Just working in a 9 to 5 job nowadays won’t build wealth for you and your family in the long-term and that’s why you may need to rethink your decisions.

Think about what will make money to you during your life to build wealth and make sure you don’t need to keep working and live month-to-month. 🚴‍♂️

And in the traditional educational system (and even bootcamps) we just say work hard and the result will come. And is not like that at the end of the road. The market changes a lot. Nowadays we don’t even know how our careers will be impacted by AI adoption.

📦 Out of the (design) box

You wanna succeed in your field but you should think out of the box 📦.

I was watching Arnold Schwarzenegger's Netflix documentary and I was surprised to know that he made his fortune before being famous in movies. He learned how to invest in real estate early in life and became a millionaire before doing this transition to entertainment. Which gave him time enough to join movies that he liked.

Maybe other people in Arnold's shoes will open a gym, but maybe this could be a big failure.

You can say that at that time it was easier to make money in real estate but that is not true, opportunities are everywhere, So let’s look out of the box 📦 and maybe we should look not only in the design field but look into other businesses you could invest to build wealth in long term.

Schwarzenegger may not be the most brilliant person in the world but he is very focused and obsessed. and perhaps this helped him to go on one path at a time.

By the way, Arnold's Pump Club newsletter is good as this newsletter.

📈 Make a financial plan for your career

You are conditioned like everybody else, including me, to think that the financial result is the result of your effort. And this is what you learned in school. You study, do tests, and get your grade and you pass to the next grade.

And in real life to make money is not only about the effort but having a plan to achieve your financial goals.

We learn chemicals and trigonometry but we don’t learn financial planning or not even how to invest in real estate.

Arnold Schwarzenegger had a plan. And you need to think about your plan.

But wait a minute…

🛣️ Don’t Make Me Think in 10 years’ plans

You can have milestones but your plan of action should be shorter than 10 years. Ideally something around 3 to 5 years because we are in a market that changes a lot and there are a lot of things you cannot control.

Like experienced Michel working at Americanas, a public company in Brazil, and in the past few months they found out that the executives weren’t reporting the right numbers in the balance sheets for years and this took the company to bankruptcy.

Or even in the US that BedBath&Beyond is closing its stores because the executive team couldn’t implement a plan to renovate the company. If you think about how Target adapted itself to compete with Amazon in the past years.

👩🏾‍🔧 Be Useful

Like Arnold said in his documentary: Be Useful.

Nowadays in the design field after all those layoffs you should be rethinking other ways to make money. Not only getting a job but there are so many other things you could be USEFUL as a designer.

It’s not complex, but we need to understand the job market and how you are allocating your time to make money.

In the UXUI Club, I wanna have those open conversations and we can support each other.

⏳ Trade time for money 💵

On one of the past weekdays after dinner time, I was playing with my son but after bedtime, I usually study or work for my side hustle DOJO+.

I explained to my son that I need to work on new things to make money so I will have more time to stay with him. Surprisingly he went to his toys and brought his wallet with expired bank cards that I gave to him to play and he said: “Papai (Dad), I have a lot of money and I will share it with you so you can stay with me playing today”.

Yes, time is precious and you cannot store time for the future. So use your time wisely.

The past weekend, I met this guy during our family trip to St. Augustine and he told me he carries an old watch in his pocket to remember me how time is precious in life.

It’s fine if you are working in a company and you cannot save money. But you need to understand this is a temporary situation and you will work to find another option to make money for your life.

Pain, Uncertainty, Constant Work

We cannot plan life properly. And sometimes life is hard.

I was watching the documentary 'Stutz' on Netflix by Jonah Hill's Therapist and one thing Stutz mentions is that life is:

Pain, Uncertainty, Constant Work.

At a young age, we are very romantic about our choices but whatever you pick you must think about how you will make money with it. It’s nothing wrong with being a UX/UI Designer from a bootcamp, but we need to always go back to basics and think about what makes you happy. Are you healthy and are you making money enough to save for your life?

To help with your decisions Michel shared with me his framework to make career decisions and analyze future job opportunities:

1️⃣ How much you can make annually.

2️⃣ The potential to make money in the short and medium term (3-5 years).

3️⃣How this job will contribute to a project to build wealth in the long term.

🔄 Constant Work

We come from different places and some of you maybe are not worried about your financials and some of you could be in the same boat like me trying to figure out your future.

I started working early in my life and at 18 years old I had to pay my own rent, my food, clothes, and everything else. Unfortunately, my parents couldn't support me for a long time and my life has been a constant work and probably will be like that for a couple of more years.

Like Michel, I didn’t have a traditional career ladder because being an entrepreneur gives you a different path and challenges, and most of the time you cannot save money every month.

But also the job market can’t stop hiring people if they reach 55-60 years old. You should be able to keep be able to work as a designer for the long term.

On the other hand, if you get higher on the corporate ladder gets harder to find a new spot or make moves. Because a startup with 30 or a corporation with 30,000 employees will have only one CMO or CPO. And if you remember that Airbnb also decided to not have the classic Product Management there will be less space between the intern to the C level.

😎 Wear Sunscreen

If you are here I know this email has been long and a lot of reflections about design career and the ways that you can make it in your life. But remember.

To conclude this long email I would like to share this video I watched when I was working at DM9 DDB with Michel and they played this short movie. I hope this can inspire you and we can connect at UXUI Club to have an open conversation.

😬 My sincere apologies for this long newsletter. Next week I promise to bring more UX/UI content to you.

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See you next week! 🤗

Juno
Designer, writer, educator, UX/UI advocate, and mentor for startups.