Carl Rivera - Shopify’s big bet on design and craft as the differentiator

What does the perfect e-commerce platform look like in an AI era? That’s the question Shopify’s Chief Design Officer Carl Rivera has set out to answer so this week’s episode is all about Shopify’s big bet on design and craft as the ultimate differentiator. We go deep into: - What happens when AI makes everyone a 7/10 designer - What most design teams get wrong when casting vision - How design can lead the creation of truly native AI experiences - Why every designer at Shopify is learning to ship to production - Carl’s thesis for why designers are severely undervalued in the market - Why Shopify acquired Molly Studio and what it means for how the org works - + a *lot* more

studio/ - design studio acquired by Shopify Chapters 0:00 Intro 1:05 How Shopify is elevating design 8:11 Why Shopify acquired Molly studio 13:51 How Carl thinks about design rituals 16:10 Designing north stars vs. focusing on scope 23:23 How design has responded to the CEO's AI memo 28:50 Why it's worth investing in AI prototypes 32:18 Envisioning the future of how design teams work 40:59 What qualities Carl looks for in designers 48:47 Why Carl loves agency designers Dive is where the best designers never stop learning 🤿 🌐 club 🐦 com/joindiveclub Now you can join advanced courses taught by the top designers to help you take a huge leap forward in your career 💪