Designing for Infinity, The Meaning of Craft in the Age of AI, and the Power of Curiosity, with Rachel Been (Expedia SVP of Design)

Rachel Been is Expedia's SVP of Design. Previously, she was one of the designers who laid the foundations for Google's Material Design, and has worked across products at Airbnb, Google Home, and Nest. Starting her career as a photojournalist, Rachel brings a unique perspective to product design, grounded in curiosity and craft. On today's show we chat about designing for infinite expressiveness, the tension between craft and efficiency, the power of curiosity over specialisation, and what AI should and shouldn't be able to do.Timestamps:00:00 – Intro02:22 – Rachel's journey from photojournalism to design05:42 – The power of curiosity and being a generalist09:16 – Designing for infinity and infinite expressiveness18:34 – The tension between craft and efficiency in design28:22 – Material Design's impact and evolution35:48 – AI-powered search and building AI products at Expedia42:16 – The future of search and conversational interfaces48:24 – End of show questionsConnect with RachelLinkedInSelected links from the episodeExpedia in ChatGPTCarly Ayres' essay on the great design reset.