< More Episodes

The No-Win Design Problem (with Desiree Garcia, Automattic)

Hustle

Ep
76
January 3, 2020
40
Min
Amazon music logo
"I don't think we have figured out how to evaluate people for what might make a good manager or leader — down the line — because we're still looking at: 'Are you shipping?'"

About

Desiree Garcia is a senior designer at Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com and most recently, Tumblr. Their goal is to democratize publishing so that anyone with a story can tell it, regardless of income, gender, politics, language, or where they live in the world. She's also an editor at A List Apart, a webzine that explores the design, development, and meaning of web content, with a special focus on web standards and best practices.

In this episode, we discuss:

  • How a psychology degree can influence design and teamwork
  • What we miss about the old web
  • Star Trek's Kobayashi Maru and how it applies to design
  • How to respond to situations that can't be won
  • The challenges of talking about your work
  • Designing things that "aren't real"