#36 / Drove 700KM for interviewing a job I didn’t like, and failed
Hello my friend! 👋
Just another week without too much drama. Sharing a few things about the books I read, some thoughts and learnings. Enjoy!
Here’re a few things I’d like to share with you today 🙂
A short story about reality and imagination
The Nostalgia Nerd’s Retro Tech
Sam Altman’s Need for Speed
A quick recap of my experience writing newsletters in 2023
Drove 700KM for interviewing a job I didn’t like, and failed
How Can Designers Align with Engineers & Product Teams?
A short story about reality and imagination
In the world of AI imagery, where fiction and reality are intertwined, it’s tough to tell what’s real anymore. This reminds me of a time when a friend shared a team dinner photo online. Everyone was smiling, except the boss, lost in his phone. I joked, “Your boss seems more into his phone than the party!” But, it turns out he was just picking out tunes for the evening. That moment was a mere slice of the whole truth. It taught me a valuable lesson: things aren’t always what they seem at first glance, especially in a world where AI blurs the lines even further.
The Nostalgia Nerd’s Retro Tech
I came across “The Nostalgia Nerd’s Retro Tech” at the library and it’s absolutely fascinating. It features classic electronic devices that I had only heard of but never seen, like the Commodore 64, Sinclair ZX, and the earliest Atari 2600. Of course, it also covers the iconic Apple II and the first installment of the game “Prince of Persia” that ran on it. It’s amazing to think that video games became a social culture and phenomenon as far back as 1977, with the launch of the Atari 2600. This industry is nearly 60 years old now!
Modern folks might find the PS5 design a bit over the top, but if you look at the earliest Sega consoles and others like 3DO, you’d realize the PS5 is relatively tame. The hardware designs from that era were even more extravagant, resembling space battleships.
I’ve owned a few consoles myself and played on others at friends' houses, like Super Nintendo, Sega, and others. But what I played the most was the FC, known here as NEC, and later my own Gameboy handheld, Xbox, and PSP. Such wonderful memories!
Sam Altman’s Need for Speed
Sam Altman really doesn’t mess around when it comes to speed. At the OpenAI Dev Day, he made it clear with his GPT example - if you’ve got a great idea, why on earth are you not hustling to get it out there faster? And then, there’s the whole OpenAI board saga. Sam got booted out and then made his comeback. His first tweet just mentioned a four-day delay in the AI progress.
His drive to push things forward at lightning speed is probably a big reason why investors and his team believe in him so much?
A quick recap of my experience writing newsletters in 2023
Last year, I shifted my newsletter platform from Twitter to Substack and started writing in both Chinese and English. I published 35 editions in Chinese and 31 in English, each with a theme and 5–6 specific shares, packing quite a bit of information.
With ChatGPT’s help, I achieved efficient sync of content in both languages. I also set up a system using Notion and a database for content management. This allowed me to edit and publish both versions of the newsletter in just about an hour each week.
My proudest achievement this year has been establishing this system, enabling me to consistently and efficiently produce content. Although there wasn’t any standout single edition, maintaining weekly continuity is definitely a highlight.
To sum up my newsletter in 2023: The combination of AI tools with Notion and the Substack platform enabled me to flexibly and efficiently build and share my content.
https://bearliu.substack.com/ - 中文
https://beardesign.substack.com/ - English
Drove 700KM for interviewing a job I didn’t like, and failed
Found this photo that I took a few years ago on this day, which reminded me how I started my career here in New Zealand as a product designer.
That day, I drove nearly 400 kilometers to a town far away from Auckland, to interview a marketing job that I didn’t like. At that time, my role was going to be disestablished, so I needed to move on. As a new immigrant, I didn’t have much choice, even though I’m not a big fan of that role. And then, I didn’t get through the interview process to the final stage.
Now, as a reflection, it was the best thing happened on my career.
Because of that, I determined to focus on UX design career path. No looking around, just focus. A few months later, I got my first role as a UX designer.
Sharing this to remind myself, as well as a note for someone out there experiencing the similar stuff that I experienced: you’ll get through.
And, life is short. Do what you really love to do, and thrive.
How Can Designers Align with Engineers & Product Teams?
Explore the nuances of Design Critique in this video, where I share an enlightening example from my team’s experience, perfect for junior designers. Learn the key steps for a successful critique, focusing on collaboration strategies between designers, product teams, and engineers. Discover how to establish clear principles, use visual aids effectively, validate solutions collaboratively, and why building trust is the ultimate game-changer in team dynamics. Whether you’re refining your critique skills or seeking harmony in interdisciplinary teams, these insights are your guide to more impactful collaborations.
Have a great one and see you soon!
Bear Academy Newsletter
Non-crap tips and thoughts on design, product and technology ✨
🐻 Bear Who?
Hi there 👋, I’m Bear, a seasoned Product Designer with 15 years of overall design experience and six years in product design, transforming the user experiences for millions 📝
As an Apple Award-Winning Podcast Host at BearTalk and a Design Mentor at Springboard and CareerFoundry, I apply my self-taught design skills and science background to solve complicated problems and mentor budding designers 😃
In my downtime, you’ll find me reading, drawing, podcasting, and making videos about everything from tech to design and productivity 👨🎨
🤓 Work
💼 What I do:Product Designer at Xero
🌃 I also do:Design Mentor at Springboard and CareerFoundry / Founder at Bear Academy
🎤 Side hustle:Podcast host at Award-winning podcast BearTalk
💡 Goodies
Bear Academy - my courses around UX Design, AI, etc
Bear Academy Newsletter - my free newsletter, which you are reading now
Beartalking.com - all my posts, English and Chinese
Youtube.com/@Bearliu - A video is worth a thousand words
💬 Contact
https://twitter.com/bearbig - Majorly I post in Chinese
bear@beartalking.com - The old fashion email way
LinkedIn.com/in/bearliu - My professional life