Couple of Months ago I watched an episode of the netflix-show “Abstrakt”. This one was about the head of design of Instagram Ian Spalter from San Francisco. He explained the history and power of user experience and user interface design.
I thoroughly enjoyed this episode because digital product design is a field I’m truly passionate about. What struck me as particularly fascinating was the realization of how Steve Jobs laid the groundwork for modern digital product design, especially in the mobile realm. The iPhone’s impact on mobile UI/UX is profound, and it’s intriguing to consider how different the landscape might be without it – Instagram and many other apps might not even exist. In the realm of digital product design, there’s a continuous process of building on others’ ideas, inventions, and designs, whether it’s Ian Spalter reimagining Instagram or the very concept of a Graphical User Interface (GUI).
Ian Spalter’s approach to encouraging his team to explore bold designs resonated with me. Having been in less receptive work environments before, where change and new ideas faced resistance, I appreciate Spalter’s effective management style in fostering creativity within a product design team. The challenges Ian Spalter faced after the Instagram update, with its negative feedback, must have been incredibly stressful and discouraging. Examining Snapchat’s downfall due to a poorly received redesign highlights the critical role design plays in a product’s success. Interestingly, Instagram’s adoption of stories contributed to Snapchat’s decline, showcasing how designers can iterate on each other’s work, even though ethical concerns may arise.
While I thoroughly enjoyed the episode, I wished for a deeper dive into product design specifics. Perhaps, having worked in the field myself, I felt the episode didn’t explore the UI/UX design process in as much detail as I would have liked, focusing instead on non-design-related aspects. Of course it’s just an episode of a netflix show and made for a broad audience but some more educational facts would’ve been nice. Anyways, this little journey into the life of a typical silicon-valley-head of design was very inspiring to watch!