Ep. 322 – Craft, taste and judgment in Software Design with Randy Hunt

In this concluding episode of the Craft series, I (Kedar Nimkar, Host of The Gyaan Project Podcast) speak with Randy Hunt, Head of Design at Notion and Chair of the MFA Design program at SVA. Randy reflects on craft as a combination of skill, practice, and judgment, and shares how taste shapes meaningful software experiences. The conversation explores speed versus quality, scale versus care, and why momentum can sometimes improve craft. Randy also offers an interesting perspective on how he sees, AI as a material, and explains what stays as tools as technologies change. This episode is for designers, product leaders, engineers, and makers who care deeply about building thoughtful, well made digital products for the long term.Topics discussed(02:14) What is Abecedarium?(04:14) What does craft mean to you?(08:12) How has your definition of craft changed over time?(14:45) Should craft be visible to the end user?(18:04) Can craft and scale go together?(22:28) Any example of great quality with speed?(28:18) Can taste be taught?(38:17) Can craft bring value at an enterprise level?(43:32) How do you look at craft at Notion?(46:57) How do you see the future of craft in the world of AI?(48:43) How do you practice craft at Notion with AI?(51:17) What would your poster say about design?(52:00) How do you see craft evolving in the next 10 years?Reference linkshttps://www.instagram.com/randyjhunthttps://www.linkedin.com/in/randyjhunthttps://www.randyjhunt.comhttps://www.notion.com/blog/meet-randyhttps://books.google.com.sg/books/about/Product_Design_for_the_Web.html?id=paKPAQAAQBAJ&source=kp_author_description&redir_esc=yhttps://pda.designsingapore.org/jurors/2020/randy-hunt/https://design.sva.edu/cofaculty/randy-hunt/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=268NRHhPSZ0https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ux5g5PnIoYhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3Mr1WRvYiAhttps://www.designweek.co.uk/a-lot-of-this-is-about-rituals-an-hour-with-notion-design-chief-randy-hunt/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4JEl7LHgqIhttps://www.thegyaanproject.com/p/ep-321-lucy-datynerhttps://www.thegyaanproject.com/p/ep-320-how-craft-shapes-digital-producthttps://www.thegyaanproject.com/p/ep-319-craft-as-way-of-doing-things This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegyaanproject.com