Dylan Field

When I look back, I go, man, I wish that we had gotten out earlier, first of all. I tell everyone that it's like, what's the smallest increment of the idea that you could get out in an inspiring form? I definitely look back and wish that we had found that smaller bit sooner. It would have made everything a bit easier. It's also way easier to say that now.

When I look back, I go, man, I wish that we had gotten out earlier, first of all. I tell everyone that it's like, what's the smallest increment of the idea that you could get out in an inspiring form? I definitely look back and wish that we had found that smaller bit sooner. It would have made everything a bit easier. It's also way easier to say that now.

We don't have the split test of what happens if we were to have launched with something very basic or incremental. Would it still have led to the Figma of today? We just don't know. But the hard parts were obviously just motivating the team, setting milestones. conveying product feedback. When I would give feedback to the team, it was often writing.

We don't have the split test of what happens if we were to have launched with something very basic or incremental. Would it still have led to the Figma of today? We just don't know. But the hard parts were obviously just motivating the team, setting milestones. conveying product feedback. When I would give feedback to the team, it was often writing.

I'd write up notes from talking to customers I'd visited and put the product in front of. Until I got to the point where I started just literally recording user research sessions with people's consent, of course, and then playing those back to the team in group settings. And we'd just sit there and awkwardly watch people struggle with a product for five minutes.

I'd write up notes from talking to customers I'd visited and put the product in front of. Until I got to the point where I started just literally recording user research sessions with people's consent, of course, and then playing those back to the team in group settings. And we'd just sit there and awkwardly watch people struggle with a product for five minutes.

That was the way to get people motivated about like, oh, we got to solve these problems. But there's still a disbelief of, okay, if we actually solve them, will people care? And I think you don't know that viscerally until you get something out into the market or at least announce.

That was the way to get people motivated about like, oh, we got to solve these problems. But there's still a disbelief of, okay, if we actually solve them, will people care? And I think you don't know that viscerally until you get something out into the market or at least announce.

If you make an announcement and it's big enough, then people will react to it and that can motivate an internal effort. But even that is hard. A lot of people without traction struggle to launch things in a way that's scaled. Gaining that reach and that scale, if you're doing something that's truly unique, that's tough.

If you make an announcement and it's big enough, then people will react to it and that can motivate an internal effort. But even that is hard. A lot of people without traction struggle to launch things in a way that's scaled. Gaining that reach and that scale, if you're doing something that's truly unique, that's tough.

So even that, getting the right action, you have to be pretty clear about what you're building and why to the team. And people would be really fired up about the mission.

So even that, getting the right action, you have to be pretty clear about what you're building and why to the team. And people would be really fired up about the mission.

This was the founding vision, was eliminate the gap between imagination and reality.

This was the founding vision, was eliminate the gap between imagination and reality.

That was the vision statement at the start. At some point, we made it more concrete about make design accessible to all because people were getting confused about the gap between imagination and reality. I'm looking at Time comp photo papers with my co-founder, Evan, and

That was the vision statement at the start. At some point, we made it more concrete about make design accessible to all because people were getting confused about the gap between imagination and reality. I'm looking at Time comp photo papers with my co-founder, Evan, and

We're seeing how many can use internet scale data to fill in regions of a photograph to basically do content fill, but do it in a way that is sourced from the internet rather than something clever. So we're looking at early machine learning approaches as applied to creative tools, and we were getting excited.

We're seeing how many can use internet scale data to fill in regions of a photograph to basically do content fill, but do it in a way that is sourced from the internet rather than something clever. So we're looking at early machine learning approaches as applied to creative tools, and we were getting excited.

But also starting to think about what's potential for something like a BCI in terms of human-computer interaction. And it felt like that was a vision statement that could last us a long time. And the feedback we got was amazing. This is so abstract. What the heck are you guys talking about?

But also starting to think about what's potential for something like a BCI in terms of human-computer interaction. And it felt like that was a vision statement that could last us a long time. And the feedback we got was amazing. This is so abstract. What the heck are you guys talking about?