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Ryo Lu - Systems thinking for product designers

Dive Club 🤿
In this episode, Ryo Lu, one of Notion’s earliest designers, offers a behind-the-scenes look at how the company approaches product design, especially in the context of integrating AI. The conversation delves into Notion’s user-centered philosophy, the importance of systems thinking, and how design decisions are made at scale.
Ryo shares insights into Notion’s AI design process, emphasizing the importance of thorough user research and iterative feedback loops. The team focused on building flexible, horizontal systems that could evolve with user needs while maintaining transparency. Systems thinking played a central role in how Notion structured its tools and collaborated across disciplines. The discussion also covered the challenges of asynchronous work, the evolution of Notion’s design system, and how the company maintains alignment as it scales. Finally, Ryo touches on how designers can operate beyond traditional roles and what he looks for in a design portfolio.
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00:00
AI at Notion was designed as a building-block and horizontal system to ensure flexibility.
09:38
09:38
AI can act as a middle layer to help users achieve their goals with flexible building blocks.
16:19
16:19
Notion designers often code, leading to a fluid experience between design and engineering
22:34
22:34
Notion aims to map user needs to tools and avoid overwhelming users early on
25:49
25:49
Clear communication is essential for designers in 2024.