Family

What I learned at Facebook:
• It’s not enough to have an idea, you need to execute
• “Perfect” execution debugs the plan

What I learned at OpenStore:
• It’s not enough to execute, you need distribution
• How you tell the story is everything

What I learned at a16z:
• The…

Sophie M. Song on X

https://x.com/osphie/status/1722300230371102763

ABOUT US  Character’s mission is to give everyone on earth access to their own deeply personalized superintelligence that helps them live their best lives.  Achieving our mission will require solving ambitious technical challenges, including engineering, research, and design, and we are assembling a world-class team to do so. Our founding team includes AI pioneers from Google Brain and Meta Research whose research has led to major breakthroughs in natural language understanding and dialog applications such as Transformers and Google LaMDA.  Check out our beta http://beta.character.ai/ to get a glimpse into the future.     ABOUT THE ROLE  We are building the future of open-ended interactions between people and intelligent dialog agents. This requires rethinking design, user interfaces, workflows and interactivity from first principles. We’re looking for experienced UX designers who are genuinely excited about building beautiful and intuitive user experiences to join us in our mission.    Responsibilities:  We are seeking a talented UI/UX designer to create visually stunning and user-oriented experiences that engage our consumer-facing software applications. This position will work directly with our development teams to bring life to Character designs, develop high-fidelity wireframes and prototypes for both web and mobile platforms. The ideal candidate will have a passion for user-centered design and will be skilled in creating visually compelling and engaging user experiences. This individual will have the ability to work collaboratively in a fast-paced and dynamic environment, have a strong understanding of design principles and industry trends, and be able to deliver high-quality designs that meet or exceed our design guidelines.   - Develop high-fidelity user interfaces and user experience designs for desktop, mobile, and other devices   - Collaborate closely with development teams to craft designs that deliver unique and engaging user experiences   - Provide wireframes and design prototypes for product development teams, including creating detailed design specs for engineering to implement   - Participate in design reviews, review user feedback data, and other project-related activities to collect feedback and improve design iterations   - Stay up-to-date on industry trends and best practices in UI/UX design, and continuously improve design workflows and processes   - Stay organized, manage time effectively and prioritize work between multiple projects and deadlines   - Work effectively in a collaborative and agile environment, and be able to work with stakeholders across the company      Job Requirements:   - 7+ years of experience as a UI/UX designer with at least 4 years on consumer-facing software applications.   - Proven portfolio of high-quality work, including wireframes, user interface prototypes, and other digital designs   - Strong understanding of design principles and best practices for UI/UX design   - Strong skills in visual design and interaction design   - Track record for building simple and elegant solutions to complex problems   - Expertise in design tools such as Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD, or other tools for wireframing and prototyping   - Ability to create visually appealing designs for web and mobile platforms   - Strong communication and collaboration skills, such as the ability to communicate design concepts and processes to team members and stakeholders and receive feedback   - Experience in conducting user research          Character is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, disability or any other legally protected status. We value diversity and encourage applicants from a range of backgrounds to apply.

Senior/Staff UX Designer

https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/character/bb4b39f9-3950-4db1-b0d7-d7c1eb3e3ad9

I started this substack in 2021 as I was leaving Facebook, with the goal of jotting down some of my learnings from Big Tech and chronicling my new chapter at a startup. Since then, Facebook the Company rebranded to Meta. The seed stage startup raised its Series A — then B — and grew from 10 people to 130. I moved from New York to Miami, and back to New York. I left the startup and

A Re-Introduction

https://peaches.substack.com/p/a-re-introduction

honestly I have the sickest Spotify playlists 🙄

I can now type hella fast with long ass nails and have unlocked a new level of ratchet 💅

Best mac app to record my screen? I want the thingy where it zooms into where your mouse is.

Smthng super simple, not overloaded with a trillion features. I have a single functioning brain cell, please...

I am learning swift UI and having so much fun 🤓 hehe har har

https://family.co/ is one of my favorite business websites. So well-crafted, simple, and still distinct from a ton of other startup sites.

LFE team always killin it...

Just noticed that Posts' web app shows how many people are in different locations. Big NY presence... we should do a meet up 👀

I’m going to start writing regularly for my blog — what are some topics you’re interested in discussing?

A few ideas I had:

1. The Merits of Growth Design (what it is/isn't, and how to succeed in the role)
2. Pendulum Swinging (switching back and forth into IC & Manager roles)

Would you share your portfolio presentation deck? What if ppl paid you for it?

my eyesballs hurt from designing 😵‍💫

Forgot to take a new job selfie last time I was out here so HERE IT IS ✨✨

Sort of incredible how once someone has your phone #, they can find you / follow you around to any social media app

You can't undo giving someone your phone # 

(tbf this is probably aggravated since the last year has seen an explosion in 298379 social apps... but still.)

I'm finally moving to NYC on Friday! 😱

one of a16z's AI startups is hiring a product designer. don't need formal experience! 👀 👀

Great opp for ppl who are trying to get their start in tech...

Feel free to DM me & I'm happy to help look at your portfolio. (@osphie at Twitter bc I think there's no DMs on posts yet?)

Do I know product designers in Toronto looking for a new role? Ideally 5+ yoe, some interest in AI

Why yes…….. I did make Super Shy / Powerpuff mini me’s for hours last night……….. no I wouldn’t call myself obsessive………..,,

Sorry, last post about job searching 🙏 

Any Enterprise/SaaS product designers here interested in learning about new opportunities at an a16z portco?  💕

Some news… a few weeks ago, I left my role at a16z 😱

More here: https://x.com/osphie/status/1722300230371102763

goodbye my sweet racket, u served me well…

Personally, I think it's very depressing to see people who want to break into Design (including a handful of my IRL friends) waste their money on bootcamps taught by professionals who haven't accomplished much or whose experience is just a string of <1 stints.

I get that WFH is great and v convenient for folks, but it also makes me sad that my lil sis & bro will have a harder time experiencing in-office camaraderie

like bday celebrations…
(Facebook)

ya girl just did sum mf shquats w sum mf plates on 😤🦵

just caught and crushed a fly w my bare hands. call me jackie chan

Sometimes I wish I could do multiple roles at once. This is a real cool one (and awesome team):

https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/character/bb4b39f9-3950-4db1-b0d7-d7c1eb3e3ad9

RIP my old boss wants to go running w me ever since I made a stupid Twitter joke 😭💀

If I posted more frequently about open roles I come across, what type of jobs would you want to know about?

Geared towards junior or more senior?

Primarily Product Design, or are there other functions on Posts too?

Most will be a16z portcos… 🤓

Who do I know that’s interested in designing for AI x EdTech? Very mission-driven

Am I crazy? Are there DMs on Posts? Swear I had a few going...

I’ve found that there are 2 types of designers:

1. Ships at “good enough”
2. Ships at “this is delightful”

Both buckets require a lot of intuition and acquired discernment. Different product teams need one vs the other at different stages.

I'm so nosy that if I see a computer/phone screen in a photo I will zoom in 100% of the time 😶

I’m going to finally draw something today and you all are going to hold me accountable

I need a place to go where I can safely subtweet and scream into the void

I hate how my friends complain about their age.

My 20s were so angsty — making money, building a career, maintaining appearances.

Now I’m 32 and finally feel free of expectations. I feel like my life is just starting. 

Sick of everyone acting like it’s all downhill from here.

all these yung designerz and engineerz are producing real cool shit. I need to up my game

Guess how much I paid for this “hamburger” 💀

do I have any friends here who lift? 🏋🏻‍♀️

designing web apps is just refreshing prod to see if dev has hit over and over again until you die

somebody please explain to my peabrain how to use my NFT as my profile picture on Twitter 💀

TBH after 3 yrs living in NYC/Miami… I missed you SF 😭💕

Coolest opp ever on my radar:

Join the “design seal team” swarming on launch moments & pushing the vision of an AI product with arguably the highest distribution…

Looking for high craft senior (ic6+) folks with a reputation for being a great collaborator.

If you have leads lmk

I'm working on a Feed product rn... getting the algorithm right is no joke 😵‍💫 

Unless you have a super dense inventory , sorting based on recency will always feel stale as soon as you start scrolling

It’s crazy how fast & often I oscillate between “I hate SwiftUI why did I start this” and “wow I’m a mf coding prodigy/genius it’s so over for you hoes”

Are there safe/nice running routes in SF for a female to run by herself? 

I grew up in the Bay but I’m staying in the city for the next few days and realize I know nothing about it 💀

I have a few drafts in the tank, ready to publish… so I’m relaunching my substack! 🥳

First series on deck:
• Different frameworks for career growth
• "Pendulum swinging" btwn IC <> Manager

https://peaches.substack.com/p/a-re-introduction

Commuting into the city by myself for the first time since moving here, and I can't get the song "On My Own" from les miserables out of my head 😅

The more I practice for something, the more nervous I get in the minutes leading up to it 😅

Would you let me critique your portfolio and publish my generalized feedback, for the benefit of other designers who might be running into the same things?

In return, you’d get:
1. 30 min call to go over the feedback
2. 30 min follow-up call