Design Life

Thank you to our sponsor, Workflow. As a listener, you can experience the Workflow too with an exclusive 30-day trial (instead of the usual 14) — so you can see the magic for yourself. Head to workflow.design/designlife [http://workflow.design/designlife] to start your extended trial today.  Femke and Charli reflect on the Figma Config event, exploring exciting new features like Figma Make and Draw, and sharing their thoughts on potential future innovations such as AI-powered tools and conversational interfaces. Timestamps: 01:04 Episode intro 01:39 Workflow [https://www.workflow.design/designlife] sponsorship 02:59 Figma Config event 2025 6:15 Design leaders were absent from the main stage of the conference. 08:39 Femke co-hosted an event at Figma Config 09:52 Figma’s new products and features: Grid, Figma Sites, Figma Make, Figma Buzz and Figma Draw 10:30 Which new feature excited Femke and Charli the most? 12:59 How do you think these updates will impact market designers' workflows? 19:38 What are your impressions of Figma Make? 23:43 Do you see yourself incorporating Figma Make into your workflow? 24:51 What about Draw? Do you think it will be useful for you? 30:48 Is Figma concerned about cannibalizing its community—balancing features versus plugins? For example, what used to be a plugin is now integrated directly into the tool. 32:55 Do you have any guesses about what might be announced in the future? What features would you like to see? What's currently missing for you? 33:50 Do you think Figma will ever develop a chatbox interface? 35:36 Finally, what do you think they might announce next year? Links:  A huge shoutout to our sponsor for this episode, Workflow [https://www.workflow.design/designlife] Make sure to check them out Femke's new community [https://www.femke.design/community] Femke’s course “Product strategy for designers” [https://maven.com/femke/product-strategy-for-designers] Share your topic suggestions for the show with us at hello@designlife.fm [hello@designlife.fm]

This episode is sponsored by Mobbin [https://mobbin.com/?via=femke], which is the largest design reference library for mobile and web, offering practical inspiration from real apps that address diverse design challenges. Don’t forget to mention Design Life when you register at Mobbin! Femke shares her experience returning to work, exploring team dynamics, personal impacts, surprises, challenges, and positive aspects of re-entering the workplace after maternity leave. Timestamps: 0:49 Episode intro 01:39 Mobbin [https://mobbin.com/browse/ios/apps?via=femke] sponsorship 06:56 How did your first days back at work go? 10:15 Did it feel like you were joining the same company, or was it a different experience? How did it feel to meet your new team? 11:58 Your team previously had a manager. How do they feel about you joining the team? Were there any steps you took to establish a positive relationship from the start? 13:23 Can you tell me more about what your team does? 14:40 How would you describe your current responsibilities? How do they compare to your responsibilities before your maternity leave? 17:42 When you first joined Gusto as a manager, was your role a backfilled position, or was it a new managerial role? 19:10 What has been the personal impact of returning to work? How was your first week back as a working mom? 21:49 One of the biggest surprises upon your return has been the influence of AI. How has this impacted your work? 25:09 What has been the most surprising and the most challenging aspect of coming back to work? 28:15 And finally, what has been the most rewarding or positive aspect of going back to work? Links: A huge shoutout to our sponsor for this episode, Mobbin! [https://mobbin.com/?via=femke]Make sure to check them out Femke's new community [https://www.femke.design/community] Femke’s course “Product strategy for designers” [https://maven.com/femke/product-strategy-for-designers] Share your topic suggestions for the show with us at hello@designlife.fm [hello@designlife.fm]

This episode is sponsored by Mobbin [https://mobbin.com/?via=femke], which is the largest design reference library for mobile and web, offering practical inspiration from real apps that address diverse design challenges. Don’t forget to mention Design Life when you register at Mobbin! Femke and Charli respond to a listener's question about how to choose between pursuing a career as a design manager or an individual contributor (IC). They share their personal experiences navigating their career paths, discuss the factors they considered in their decision-making, and outline the skill sets required for each role. Timestamps:  01:06 Episode starts 04:36 Mobbin [https://mobbin.com/?via=femke] sponsorship 06:11 Femke shares her journey in choosing between an individual contributor (IC) role and a managerial position. 07:43 What factors influenced your decision to pursue a career as a design manager? 13:43 Advice on how to determine which career path is right for you. 17:19 Have you ever considered different direction when you were in a design manager role? 23:45 Does Femke envision herself managing people, and what key responsibilities define the role of a design manager? Links: A huge shoutout to our sponsor for this episode, Mobbin! [https://mobbin.com/?via=femke]Make sure to check them out Charli's latest Youtube video [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6UBcXggs1A] Femke's livestreams [https://femke.kit.com/products/livestream-edward-052625] Femke's new community [https://www.femke.design/community] Femke’s course “Product strategy for designers” [https://maven.com/femke/product-strategy-for-designers] Share your topic suggestions for the show with us at hello@designlife.fm [hello@designlife.fm]

This episode is sponsored by Mobbin [https://mobbin.com/?via=femke], which is the largest design reference library for mobile and web, offering practical inspiration from real apps that address diverse design challenges. Don’t forget to mention Design Life when you register at Mobbin! Femke and Charli explore the transition from mid-level to senior roles and touch upon the changes in responsibilities. They delve into practical tactics for boosting confidence and understanding workload expectations, as well as strategies to help listeners feel more secure in their new positions. Femke and Charli also give advice on embracing new opportunities while managing feelings of impostor syndrome. Timestamps:  0:48 Episode begins 2:01 Mobbin [https://mobbin.com/?via=femke] sponsorship 3:54 Transitioning from mid to senior: How did responsibilities change? Was it a significant shift? 12:01 Tactics to boost confidence and support in your new role—understanding expected responsibilities and seeking peer insights. 15:08 Is this level of responsibility common for senior roles? Insights on expected workload. 21:11 Additional strategies for listeners to gain confidence in their new role. 24:26 Advice for embracing new opportunities versus dealing with impostor syndrome. Links: A huge shoutout to our sponsor for this episode, Mobbin! [https://mobbin.com/?via=femke]Make sure to check them out Femke's new community [https://www.femke.design/community] Femke’s course “Product strategy for designers” [https://maven.com/femke/product-strategy-for-designers] Share your topic suggestions for the show with us at hello@designlife.fm [hello@designlife.fm]

This episode is sponsored by Mobbin [https://mobbin.com/?via=femke], which is the largest design reference library for mobile and web, offering practical inspiration from real apps that address diverse design challenges. Don’t forget to mention Design Life when you register at Mobbin! Femke and Charli explore effective ways for designers to incorporate AI into their everyday workflows, sharing practical insights on how they use AI tools in their own work. They also tackle the question of whether AI will replace designers and examine the current trajectory of AI adoption within the design industry. Timestamps: 1:04 Episode start 2:23 Mobbin [https://mobbin.com/?via=femke] sponsorship 4:15 What is the current state of AI in design? Charli's experience using AI in a hackathon project 11:48 Will AI take away our jobs? 13:29 Potential workflows for designing with AI 15:01 Recommendations for AI tools 23:11 How prevalent is the use of AI tools across the industry? Links: A huge shoutout to our sponsor for this episode, Mobbin! [https://mobbin.com/?via=femke]Make sure to check them out  Femke's new community [https://www.femke.design/community] Femke’s course “Product strategy for designers” [https://maven.com/femke/product-strategy-for-designers] Share your topic suggestions for the show with us at hello@designlife.fm [hello@designlife.fm]