This might seem like a very late post (Config happened June 26-27), but I didn't have a blog then to gush about all my favorite talks!

Whenever you do find this post, I hope these talks will help you in some way. They've certainly helped me with my work flow and added to my design philosophy as well.

From paper to pixels: why great ideas start on a napkin
Raphael Schaad

Raphael went through his process of collecting thoughts and inspiration in the humble sketchbook/notepad. These ideas can be roughly sketched out in the sketchbook, then fully fleshed out in your design tool like Figma. This talk reaffirmed my own process which is very similar. I think jumping into Figma can be limiting because you already start thinking about aligning, components, etc. A sketchbook, on the other hand, lends itself better to scribbles and mess around before committing to anything.

Serious play
Andy Allen

Andy talked about bringing in mechanics, know-how, and experiences from other sources into your design for better usability and frankly, make it more fun. He brought up several video games and how they've influenced the way he has designed some of his current !Boring apps. I love this, because I think as designers we should be taking in inspiration from all angles. I myself have used the quest mechanic from games like Break of the Wild as a way to walk a user through a long process like correcting an error. Turning an arduous task into something more fun.

The broken promises of design systems
Cam Worboys

Finally, probably my favorite talk from Config this year. Cam talked about the downfalls to being overly dependent on design systems. They certainly help with consistency, but he astutely pointed out they can also make the design landscape a sea of sameness. A brand needs its own visual style to leave an impression. I love design system, don't get me wrong, but I agree that they can take you down a prescribed look-and-feel very quickly or instill a fear of "breaking the system."

Well, what do you think? Did you find another talk more informative? Let me know!