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Katie Dill is the Head of Design at Stripe. Previously, she was Head of Experience Design at Airbnb and Head of Design at Lyft. Katie has been named one of Business Insider\u2019s 10 People Changing the Tech Industry as well as one of Fast Company\u2019s 100 Most Creative People in Business and received the Girls in Tech \u201cCreator of the Year\u201d award. In today\u2019s episode, she shares:

\u2022 What makes a design great

\u2022 Advice on building high-performing teams in hyper-growth environments

\u2022 A pivotal lesson in leadership she learned at Airbnb

\u2022 Stripe\u2019s focus on quality and how it\u2019s tied to growth

\u2022 A formula for removing organizational friction

\u2022 How to increase productivity

\u2022 What to look for when hiring a designer

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Find the transcript for this episode and all past episodes at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/building-beautiful-products-with

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Where to find Katie Dill:

\u2022 X: https://twitter.com/lil_dill

\u2022 Threads: https://www.threads.net/@lil_dilly

\u2022 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-dill-79168b3/

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Where to find Lenny:

\u2022 Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com

\u2022 X: https://twitter.com/lennysan

\u2022 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/

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In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) Katie\u2019s background

(04:47) Katie\u2019s pivotal leadership moment at Airbnb

(10:55) Advocating for design ROI

(16:07) Stripe\u2019s quality focus

(17:50) Stripe\u2019s vast scope

(18:45) How design enhances utility

(21:39) Defining beauty and its role in product growth

(26:19) Operationalizing quality

(28:44) Katie\u2019s insights from dialogues with diverse organizations

(34:47) 15 Essential Journeys: Stripe\u2019s method for holistic UX understanding and unified vision

(44:35) Stripe\u2019s PQR quality review

(46:25) Stripe\u2019s prioritization philosophy

(48:29) Measuring impact beyond metrics

(50:28) Performance = potential \u2013 interference

(54:09) Building and managing large teams

(1:01:46) Removing interference at Lyft: a practical example of Katie\u2019s leadership impact

(1:06:10) Stripe\u2019s physical workspace design

(1:07:41) Embracing bold ideas

(1:11:07) Qualities of great designers

(1:15:15) Stripe Press

(1:19:19) Katie\u2019s parting wisdom

(1:23:17) Lightning round

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Referenced:

\u2022 Beauty: https://www.amazon.com/Sagmeister-Walsh-Beauty-Stefan/dp/0714877271

\u2022 Terry (Olivia Colman) and Richie peel mushrooms\u2014scene from The Bear: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7D8THR_osU

\u2022 Building a culture of excellence | David Singleton (CTO of Stripe): https://www.lennyspodcast.com/building-a-culture-of-excellence-david-singleton-cto-of-stripe/

\u2022 Figma: https://www.figma.com/

\u2022 The Creative Act: A Way of Being: https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Act-Way-Being/dp/0593652886

\u2022 Quote by Robert Henri: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/43397-the-object-isn-t-to-make-art-it-s-to-be-in

\u2022 Brian Chesky\u2019s 11-star experience: https://www.product-frameworks.com/11-Star-Experience.html

\u2022 How to Win Friends and Influence People: https://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/0671027034

\u2022 The Wright Brothers: https://www.amazon.com/Wright-Brothers-David-McCullough/dp/1476728755/

\u2022 The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse: https://www.amazon.com/Boy-Mole-Fox-Horse/dp/0062976583/

\u2022 Oppenheimer: https://www.oppenheimermovie.com/

\u2022 Shrinking on AppleTV+: https://tv.apple.com/us/show/shrinking/umc.cmc.apzybj6eqf6pzccd97kev7bs

\u2022 Toniebox: https://www.amazon.com/Toniebox-Starter-Lightning-McQueen-Playtime/dp/B09V7NJCD8

\u2022 Stripe Press: https://press.stripe.com/

\u2022 Poor Charlie\u2019s Almanack: The Essential Wit and Wisdom of Charles T. Munger: https://press.stripe.com/poor-charlies-almanack

\u2022 Stripe\u2019s job board: https://stripe.com/jobs/search

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Books on design craft:

\u2022 Dieter Rams: Ten Principles for Good Design: https://www.amazon.com/Dieter-Rams-Principles-Good-Design/dp/3791387324

\u2022 The Vignelli Canon: https://www.amazon.com/Vignelli-Canon-Massimo/dp/3037782250

\u2022 Forget All the Rules About Graphic Design: Including the Ones in This Book, by Bob Gill: https://www.amazon.com/Forget-Rules-About-Graphic-Design/dp/0823018644

\u2022 Emotional Design: Why We Love (or Hate) Everyday Things: https://www.amazon.com/Emotional-Design-Love-Everyday-Things/dp/0465051367

\u2022 The Design of Everyday Things: Revised and Expanded Edition: https://www.amazon.com/Design-of-Everyday-Things-audiobook/dp/B07L5Y9HND

\u2022 Build: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0063046067

\u2022 In Praise of Shadows: https://www.amazon.com/Praise-Shadows-Junichiro-Tanizaki/dp/0918172020

\u2022 Interaction of Color: https://www.amazon.com/Interaction-Color-Anniversary-Josef-Albers/dp/0300179359

\u2022 Content Design: https://contentdesign.london/shop/content-design-by-sarah-winters-paperback

\u2022 Graphic Design Manual Principles and Practice: https://www.niggli.ch/en/produkt/graphic-design-manual/

\u2022 Collaborative Product Design: https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/collaborative-product-design/9781491975022/

\u2022 Principles of Form and Design: https://www.amazon.com/Principles-Form-Design-Wucius-Wong/dp/0471285528/ref=asc_df_0471285528

\u2022 The Timeless Way of Building: https://www.patternlanguage.com/bookstore/timeless-way-of-building.html

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Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.

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Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.