About the company and my role
1
Can you tell us about Speckle and what attracted you to the company?
Speckle is an open-source data platform for AEC (Architecture, Engineering, and Construction). It's designed to streamline collaboration and data exchange in the built environment.
What really drew me to Speckle was the perfect blend of my background in building engineering and my passion for 3D and product design. It was an opportunity to apply my technical knowledge in a cutting-edge design context with an international team.
2
What were your main responsibilities at Speckle?
During my time at Speckle, I had three primary focus areas:
Building Speckle's Design System: I led the effort to create a comprehensive design system for Speckle. This involved establishing consistent visual elements, interaction patterns, and design principles that could be applied across all of Speckle's products and interfaces.
Creating Design Solutions: I was heavily involved in designing solutions for the new version of Speckle. This required a deep understanding of user needs in the AEC industry and how to translate those into intuitive, efficient interfaces.
Collaboration with Founders and Developers: I worked closely with the founders and development team to ensure that our design vision was accurately implemented. This involved regular communication, design reviews, and sometimes rapid iterations based on technical constraints or new insights.
Challenges and solutions
3
Can you elaborate on the process of building Speckle's design system?
Building Speckle's design system was a fascinating challenge. We started by auditing our existing design elements and identifying inconsistencies. Then, we defined our core design principles, things like precision, clarity, and scalability were paramount.
We created a component library in Figma that included everything from basic elements like buttons and form inputs to more complex components specific to 3D data visualization. Each component was designed to be flexible enough to accommodate various use cases while maintaining consistency.
We also established guidelines for typography, color usage, spacing, and interaction patterns. The goal was to create a system that would not only make our current products more cohesive but also facilitate faster, more consistent design as we expanded our product offerings.
4
How did your background in building engineering influence your work at Speckle?
My background in building engineering was invaluable at Speckle. It gave me a unique perspective on the challenges faced by AEC professionals and how technology could address them. I could speak the language of both designers and engineers, which helped bridge the gap between user needs and technical implementation. This background also allowed me to anticipate potential use cases and edge cases that might not be immediately obvious to someone without industry experience.
Interdepartmental collaboration and leadership
5
What was the most challenging aspect of your role at Speckle?
The most challenging aspect was balancing the need for intuitive, user-friendly interfaces with the complexity of the data and processes we were working with. AEC data can be incredibly complex, with multiple layers of information and intricate relationships between different elements. Our challenge was to present this complexity in a way that was manageable and understandable for users with varying levels of technical expertise.
Another challenge was ensuring that our design solutions could scale effectively. We were dealing with projects that could involve massive amounts of data, so performance and efficiency were always top of mind in our design decisions.
Lessons learned
6
How would you summarize your experience at Speckle?
My time at Speckle, though relatively short, was incredibly rewarding. It was a unique opportunity to combine my technical knowledge with my design skills in a cutting-edge environment. Working closely with the founders and developers gave me valuable insights into the challenges of bringing innovative products to market in the AEC industry.
I had the opportunity to meet them in a co-working organized in Athens (Greece).