Skip to main content
Design by 3

Design by 3

By Ganji, Harshadewa, and sirStinkySocks

Db3 is a Podcast by three lifelong friends Ganji, Harshadewa, and sirStinkySocks on a mission to embarrass each other. Yes, they also talk through a secret magical door to the beautiful world of design. When they stop embarrassing each other topics such as Product Design, UX Design, Business Analysis, and Product Management are taken up.
Available on
Apple Podcasts Logo
Castbox Logo
Google Podcasts Logo
Overcast Logo
Pocket Casts Logo
RadioPublic Logo
Spotify Logo
Currently playing episode

Finally! Slack sees the elephant in the room

Design by 3Jul 29, 2020

00:00
38:09
Why we say that everyone is a designer
Apr 09, 202127:12
How we did our career change into Design

How we did our career change into Design

In this video, we are sharing our journey of how we got ourselves into careers in product design and product management.

If you are feeling doubtful and lost about a career change into Design or Product Management after establishing yourself in your current career, this video is for you! If you are wondering if you have the right qualifications to land a design job, you must watch this video!

Harsha had been a software engineer for many years before he decided to make the switch and Ganji is designing while being a Product Owner by profession! Each journey is unique and that is why we decided to talk about it openly with you.

Resources: 

Some YouTube channels that we have been following to learn design: 

AJ&Smart: https://www.youtube.com/c/AJSmart/featured

NNgroup: https://www.youtube.com/c/NNgroup/featured

Some books that we recommend for anyone who wants to learn design: 

  • SPRINT by Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky 
  • The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman 
  • Creative Confidence by Tom & David Kelley  

An online course that we recommend for anyone who wants to learn design: Product Design: The Delft Design Approach - https://www.edx.org/course/product-design-the-delft-design-approach

Design by 3 Hosts

Gayanjith Premalal (Ganji) https://www.linkedin.com/in/gayanjithpremalal/

Harshadewa Ariyasinghe (Harsha) https://www.linkedin.com/in/harshadewa/

#design #productdesign #designinspiration #designsprints #uxdesign #uxdesignprocess #uxcareers #uxdesigner #designduo #designduovlog

Feb 24, 202111:41
IKEA effect - A Great Hack for your Design Toolkit
Feb 19, 202106:43
What is Parkinson's Law
Feb 17, 202105:55
How to Brainstorm without having unproductive discussions

How to Brainstorm without having unproductive discussions

You're asking how to brainstorm without having thousands of unproductive discussions and meetings? 

If you need to have a productive brainstorming session with your team, you need to do these things: 

  1. Go for quantity over quality. 
  2. Treat any idea as a good idea. 
  3. Do it together but individually.

When brainstorming, let's try to maintain a diverging mindset focusing on creating options. When we brainstorm in a team, we judge ourselves and filter out our ideas in our heads until we come up with the best idea we can think of. This is a myth and you will NOT generate great ideas by doing so. One simple exercise to practice going for quantity over quality is to timebox the idea generation session to a couple of minutes and set a goal for the number of ideas that each individual should generate.

When generating ideas, dare to go wild! If you are a facilitator, set the stage for it. Announce openly that everyone can go wild in this brainstorming session with the ideas. Treat all the ideas as good ideas but do not appreciate or turn down any of the ideas that are generated. Criticizing can be done in a later step when we are converging our options down.

However, most of the brainstorming sessions end up being unproductive due to noise and power. That is why we encourage the brainstorming to be done individually, anonymously, and silently even if everyone is gathered in the same room. If the CEO is a part of your brainstormer, if her idea was exposed, everyone will like the idea just because she is the CEO! If someone looks at the other's idea on paper and says "What a cool idea!", the rest of the team will feel reluctant to go against it as it is already perceived as a good idea by one of the participants.

Try these tips and methods in your next brainstormer and let us know how it went! Happy Brainstorming!

Design by 3 Hosts

Gayanjith Premalal (Ganji) https://www.linkedin.com/in/gayanjithpremalal/

Harshadewa Ariyasinghe (Harsha) https://www.linkedin.com/in/harshadewa/

#design #productdesign #designinspiration #designsprints #uxdesign #uxdesignprocess #uxcareers #uxdesigner #designduo #designduovlog

Jan 15, 202109:15
3 Design Tips to take from the Greatest Sports Teams
Jan 08, 202106:23
3 tips to take any Design Decision faster
Dec 30, 202012:34
How do we design faster?
Dec 22, 202016:18
3 ways to excel in Collaborative Design
Dec 19, 202019:28
Magical Meetings with Master Facilitator - Douglas Ferguson
Dec 08, 202046:42
DesignOps: What, How and Why 🤷‍♂️ 🤷‍♀️?
Sep 27, 202040:08
Being Design-Driven is overrated?
Sep 18, 202044:48
Why Design Sprints are like Ice Cream 🍦?
Sep 05, 202054:51
Secrets revealed 🤫 : How designers are made

Secrets revealed 🤫 : How designers are made

Are designers born or made? In this episode, we decided to tell you our own story! (Probably we will bore you to death! If you survive, you will never listen to us again).

01:32 Jake Knapp convinced me to be a designer
09:35 Why I was fighting to be a spec writer
13:04 I was, really, really, really good at maths
17:06 Product of the week: Walling
22:26 Ken Robinson and Rebel in no-chaos is a terrorist
26:21 Is Youtube reliable to learn?
27:49 Book Review: Leadership and Self-Deception
34:27 Make people great again, and Harsha's love for solving problem
36:58 What's Ganji's end game

Products and services:

Walling: https://walling.app/
Ideo Designkit: https://www.designkit.org/

Books:

Leadership and Self-Deception: Getting out of the Box: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40510378-leadership-and-self-deception

Design by 3 Hosts

Gayanjith Premalal (Ganji) https://www.linkedin.com/in/gayanjithpremalal/

Harshadewa Ariyasinghe (Harsha) https://www.linkedin.com/in/harshadewa/

Yasith Abeynayaka (sirStinkySocks) https://www.linkedin.com/in/yasithabeynayaka/

Aug 27, 202041:59
Design in Agile: Better Love Story Than Twilight

Design in Agile: Better Love Story Than Twilight

In this episode, we ramble on how designers can fit into Agile Sprints? We think David Kelley is more creative than you. Also, we are so kind to give you some career advice. 

01:34 How does the Product Designer role fit into a Scrum Team?
06:30 When should design happen in Scrum?
07:00 Dual and Tri track Agile
11:23 Product of the Episode: Canva
15:37 Speed first, Aesthetics second?
19:22 Google is not afraid to fail
21:40 Design is experimenting
23:42 Book review: Creative Confidence by David Kelley and Tom Kelley
29:50 Organizational Culture and the Role of Design
31:44 Feature teams vs Product teams 

Products and services: 

Canva https://www.canva.com/ 

Books: 

Creative Confidence: https://www.creativeconfidence.com/book/ 

Design by 3 Hosts 

Gayanjith Premalal (Ganji) https://www.linkedin.com/in/gayanjithpremalal/ 

Harshadewa Ariyasinghe (Harsha) https://www.linkedin.com/in/harshadewa/ 

Yasith Abeynayaka (sirStinkySocks) https://www.linkedin.com/in/yasithabeynayaka/

Aug 21, 202035:37
Have you ever heard of AI Design Sprint™?
Aug 14, 202039:49
Screen-time is the new smoking?
Aug 04, 202036:30
Finally! Slack sees the elephant in the room
Jul 29, 202038:09
Can you be forever unemployable?

Can you be forever unemployable?

This episode gets heated up with a rough battle between UX and UI Design. It is extremely controversial and contagious! Wash your ears for 20 seconds after listening to this episode.

00:30 Personas are broken, just use JTBD (https://uxdesign.cc/heres-why-you-should-stop-using-personas-63c09a844e67)
07:00 Designing for accessibility is not that hard
20:30 UX Design is UI Design bruh!
31:47 Everything about Smart Facemasks (https://www.donutrobotics.com/c-mask)
36:50 Product of the Week (https://www.onwatch.app/)
39:59 Jeff Gothelf Forever Employable - Book Review (https://jeffgothelf.com/foreveremployable/)
47:55 Have Design Managers forgotten that they are designers too

Products and services:

OnWatch: https://www.onwatch.app/

Books:

Forever Employable: https://jeffgothelf.com/foreveremployable/

Everything else:

Designing for Web Accessibility: https://www.w3.org/WAI/tips/designing/

--

Design by 3 Hosts

Gayanjith Premalal (Ganji) https://www.linkedin.com/in/gayanjithpremalal/

Harshadewa Ariyasinghe (Harsha) https://www.linkedin.com/in/harshadewa/

Yasith Abeynayaka (sirStinkySocks) https://www.linkedin.com/in/yasithabeynayaka/

Jul 21, 202058:16
The mmhmm... Episode

The mmhmm... Episode

How do we design features that are rarely used? Is there a difference between a Product Designer and a UX Designer? What the hell is the "API-First approach" in developing products?

In this episode, we are trying our best to find answers! Do you think we succeeded?

00:10 Understanding the API-First Approach to Building Products: (https://swagger.io/resources/articles/adopting-an-api-first-approach/)

07:44 Designing for Truth Validation: Case of Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/help/1952307158131536

17:57 Who will win in a fistfight, UX Designer, or Product Designer?

31:27 Design inspired by Just In Case minimalism rule

42:24 Book review: The Obstacle is the Way 

47:43 Messenger and Whatsapp Integration

53:08 Mmhmm app is the way

Products and services:

mmhmm: https://www.mmhmm.app/about

Books:

The Obstacle is the Way: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1781251495/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_4dddFbQXA0QR1

Design by 3 Hosts

Gayanjith Premalal (Ganji) https://www.linkedin.com/in/gayanjithpremalal/

Harshadewa Ariyasinghe (Harsha) https://www.linkedin.com/in/harshadewa/

Yasith Abeynayaka (sirStinkySocks) https://www.linkedin.com/in/yasithabeynayaka/

Jul 14, 202001:00:55
Learning Design: Secrets Revealed!

Learning Design: Secrets Revealed!

Psst, Wanna learn design without breaking the bank? The blabbermouth Ganji finally lets the cat out of the bag. Meanwhile, despite a few hiccups in performance, always pick Mural over Miro ANYDAY!!!

P.S. In this episode, we talk about design.

00:10 Product of the Week
11:36 Battle of the week: Miro vs Mural (
https://miro.com | https://mural.co)
14:40 Stop selling 'What', sell the 'Why'! (https://simonsinek.com/product/start-with-why/)
19:19 Why should you listen to this podcast?
21:08 We are Apple fanboys!
23:45 How designers avoid habituation
34:45 Bye-bye developers, Honeycode is here! (https://www.honeycode.aws | https://tilda.cc)
40:15 Learn design without hurting your bank account
49:04 Summer vacation plans
59:00 We might end the podcast with this episode

Products and services:

Readaway: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/readaway/id1434754905

Facebook mentorship: https://www.facebook.com/help/380533659173752?helpref=popular_topics

LinkedIn found to be Snooping on your clipboards: https://gizmodo.com/linkedin-and-reddit-are-the-latest-apps-found-to-be-sno-1844268155

Honeycode: https://www.honeycode.aws

Tilda Publishing: https://tilda.cc

Online courses:

Product Design: The Delft Design Approach: https://www.edx.org/course/product-design-the-delft-design-approach

Books:

Start with Why: https://www.amazon.com/Start-Why-Leaders-Inspire-Everyone/dp/1591846447 

Creative Confidence: https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Confidence-Unleashing-Potential-Within/dp/038534936X 

Made to Stick: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1400064287/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_QYxaFb9CX45FF

Vision in Design: https://www.amazon.com/dp/9063692056/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_3WxaFbYDEBKD3

YouTube channels:

AJ&Smart: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeB_OpLspKJGiKv1CYkWFFw 

The Futur: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-b3c7kxa5vU-bnmaROgvog 

Product School San Francisco: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6hlQ0x6kPbAGjYkoz53cvA

Jul 05, 202059:40
Forget data, use the gut feeling! (not a click-bait)

Forget data, use the gut feeling! (not a click-bait)

In the sea of data, what is the role of gut feeling in making decisions? Is Apple really innovating or just following the leads of Google? What has DesignOps got to do with organizational culture?

In this episode, we ramble on many thought-provoking questions and controversial topics that will surely bore you to death.

00:33 Reflections on Apple WWDC 2020
12:16 Jason Fried's hey.com
18:26 Why you should base your decisions on gut feeling
25:52 How to learn design without hurting your bank account
28:40 Biomimicry: Design inspirations from nature
32:00 Skeuomorphism and Neumorphism
34:50 Confession on winning an OpenIDEO Challenge
40:05 Design Ops and Spotify's culture
46:16 Airbnb's inclusive design
52:08 Taking design for granted

Apple WWDC 2020 Day 1: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4An0ndagZsQ
New email app in town: https://hey.com/
A basic online course on Industrial Design: https://www.edx.org/course/product-design-the-delft-design-approach
Biomimicry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biomimetics
Japanese bullet train: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMtXqTmfta0
Material design: https://material.io/design/
Neumorphism: https://dribbble.com/tags/neumorphism
OpenIDEO New Life Challenge: https://challenges.openideo.com/challenge/new-life/top-ideas
Life at Spotify: https://www.instagram.com/spotifyjobs/
Airbnb's stance against discrimination: https://www.airbnb.com/against-discrimination

Happy Birthday song by Kevin Lax (Creative Commons Attribution)

---

Gayanjith Premalal (Ganji)

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gayanjithpremalal/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ganjilive/TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@ganjiliveTwitter:https://twitter.com/ganji_09Medium: https://medium.com/@gayanjith

Harshadewa Ariyasinghe (Harsha)

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harshadewa/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/harshadewaTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@harshadewalkTwitter: https://twitter.com/harshadewaMedium: https://medium.com/@harshadewaYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/c/HarshadewaAriyasinghe

Yasith Abeynayaka (sirStinkySocks)

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yasithabeynayaka/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sirstinkysocks/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sirstinkysocksTwitter: https://twitter.com/yasiththebaMedium: https://medium.com/@YasithYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnezQGxnUrxbVCwNYKJEVXg/

Jun 28, 202001:02:40
Hips don't lie, Bats don't die!

Hips don't lie, Bats don't die!

A big shout out to IDEO! We respect you! Black Lives Matter! In this episode, we go from bats to hips to Henrik Kniberg's MVP. We also give you a sneak peek at how companies run remote user testing during the pandemic.

00:27 NDI Camera wins the best product of the week
06:35 Hats off to IDEO - BLM!
13:27 'Tiktoking' is a word
15:25 How to do remote user testing right
21:50 Henrik Kniberg's abused MVP
29:09 Swedish Midsummer and Post Pandemic Life
34:00 Why Bats don't die from Corona Virus?
35:48 Hips don't lie, Bats don't die!
38:30 Outro 

NDI Camera: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/ndi-hx-camera/id1477266080
Mobbin: https://mobbin.design/
Figma: https://www.figma.com/
Mural: https://www.mural.co/
Bats don't die: https://theconversation.com/why-bats-dont-get-sick-from-the-viruses-they-carry-but-humans-can-137151
Hips don't lie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUT5rEU6pqM

---

Gayanjith Premalal (Ganji) 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gayanjithpremalal/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ganjilive/
TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@ganjilive
Twitter:https://twitter.com/ganji_09
Medium: https://medium.com/@gayanjith

Harshadewa Ariyasinghe (Harsha) 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harshadewa/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/harshadewa
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@harshadewalk
Twitter: https://twitter.com/harshadewa
Medium: https://medium.com/@harshadewa
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/HarshadewaAriyasinghe

Yasith Abeynayaka (sirStinkySocks)

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yasithabeynayaka/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sirstinkysocks/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sirstinkysocks
Twitter: https://twitter.com/yasiththeba
Medium: https://medium.com/@Yasith
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnezQGxnUrxbVCwNYKJEVXg/

Jun 20, 202038:56
Why Ryan Holiday should sue us
Jun 09, 202058:59
Did NASA learn by failing off the sky

Did NASA learn by failing off the sky

In this maiden voyage, the Db3 team rambles on everything from Design Sprints, Product Design, TikTok, Nasa, Project Management vs Business Analysis, Beatboxing, Mural, and Figma.

---
00:30 WFH is the best thing ever!
05:18 Massive Design Sprint Meetups!
07:00 Design Sprints and Design Processes
17:05 Did NASA learn from failure?
24:37 Failing at interviews
26:27 How to increase reach in Medium
30:55 The most boring podcast ever
32:10 Let us know that you survived this for half an hour (
https://www.instagram.com/sirstinkysocks/)
40:01 Post-Microsoft acquisition LinkedIn, COVID-19 era Instagram and Youtube
43:02 3 reasons why no one should be a PM (https://youtu.be/6QgaXr_VHJo)
46:28 How to close a podcast (send your suggestions: https://www.instagram.com/harshadewa)
49:14 Ganji beatboxing and Harsha's hit songs (Ganji: www.tiktok.com/@ganjilive Harsha: https://youtu.be/Smy-RET03vM and https://youtu.be/zqgX2BLp7-Y)
52:11 Podcast genre and the best noise for dishwashing
55:48 Figma beta and Mural beta

---

Gayanjith Premalal (Ganji)
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gayanjithpremalal/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ganjilive/
TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@ganjilive
Twitter:https://twitter.com/ganji_09
Medium: https://medium.com/@gayanjith

Harshadewa Ariyasinghe (Harsha)
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harshadewa/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/harshadewa
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@harshadewalk
Twitter: https://twitter.com/harshadewa
Medium: https://medium.com/@harshadewa
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/HarshadewaAriyasinghe

Yasith Abeynayaka (sirStinkySocks)
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yasithabeynayaka/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sirstinkysocks/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sirstinkysocks
Twitter: https://twitter.com/yasiththeba
Medium: https://medium.com/@Yasith
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnezQGxnUrxbVCwNYKJEVXg/

Jun 04, 202001:02:17