Women don't need more imposter syndrome workshops. We need better managers.

capybarrage

the unhinged energy figpals has unleashed in the office @figma today is why I'm here

absolute dream team effort. congrats @jakub_swiadek @keeyeny for making this happen 🐐.

I'm hiring Product Designers at Figma! ✨. Shape our beloved products FigJam and Community and join our ranks of exceptional craftspeople. I'd love to hear from you!. ➮ Product Designer, FigJam. ➮ Product Designer, Community.

(slight old news but) I joined Figma as a design manager leading FigJam and Slides last week! Awed by the humans that make up this company and can't wait to add to the quirky energy both the products and its makers already radiate.

I learned so much from the people there, who managed to showcase both incredible talent and generosity at all times. I already miss them the most and will forever be their loudest cheerleader!.

A few months ago, I left my job at Instagram. I took time to focus on myself, travel to beautiful places, and resolve some existential crises. Now I feel much better and have joined something new! Will announce that separately but wanted to properly close this chapter 🫡

Designers wear a lot of black bc:.- We believe there is beauty in simplicity.- We’ll never be happy with any choice so might as well pick the one that matches everything.- Perfect for getting murdered in crit.

Had some technical hiccups with sending this out (bye Revue, hi again Substack) but it's out 🥹.

Nearly finished with my next newsletter issue, after a 1.5 year hiatus in writing 😳

Yikes I should not have uploaded a transparent PNG on Twitter. Here's a fixed version for those on mobile:

Tiny design detail: nested border radii look really funky if they're the same. To maintain the same curvature, the outer radius = inner radius + padding.

1.5 years later, I copped another promotion!!! Incredibly thankful for the role models at my company who believe and invest in my growth. To many more years of learning and giving that same generosity back to those around me 🙏.

To anyone who want to mentor but feel under-qualified: sometimes beginners are better at teaching than veterans!. With more clarity on which areas need extra attention, less usage of jargon, and an overall more welcoming attitude, beginners can be stellar mentors.

This also sets the stage for me to be honest about myself, especially my flaws. Negative traits from leaders are amplified to the team under them, and acknowledging some of my own is a small step towards eliciting ongoing feedback as I work on them.

The reason I do this is because the inherent imbalance of power between manager and report often makes working together more awkward for the latter. But I can take the initiative to diffuse that discomfort, instead of having them painfully dissect what makes me tick.

One of my favorite parts of becoming a manager is doing all the stuff that I wish I got when I was an IC. This includes sending a how-to guide to my reports to take the guesswork out of working with me. Here's a public version:

Although my mom and I had our issues growing up, not once did she ever make me feel I was a mistake or I was unwanted. She very much supported me from the day I was born.

My mom had an abortion before her pregnancy with me. She planned to do so with me too but realized she did want a child. And while the idea of not existing is haunting, I'm glad she had me when she was ready, instead of leaving it to people with no business deciding that for her.

Q: Most/all of my interviewers were men. Can I speak to some women on the team to hear more about their experience?. Why: This happens. A lot. Having zero representation of someone like you can be a very bad sign of how the team respects diverse perspectives.