Jon Yablonski is a senior product designer at Mixpanel and the author of Laws of UX. In this episode, we explore how software engineers can get better at UX design through observation, practice, and collaboration, starting with the products they already use and love.

In our conversation, we discuss:

✦ Why engineers may already have more design skills than they realise

✦ How to train your design eye by studying products you use and love

✦ How engineering decisions shift complexity between your code and your users

✦ When familiar interface patterns help, and where novelty makes sense

✦ How Jon uses AI for prototypes while working through design ideas with pen and paper

Episode transcript: [ADD EPISODE URL]

Where to find Jon Yablonski:
• Website: https://jonyablonski.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-yablonski-b4269115/

Where to find Peppe:
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peppesilletti/
• X: https://x.com/peppesilletti
• Website: https://peppesilletti.io

Where to find The Product Engineers Podcast:
• Website: https://productengineers.com

In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) Introduction: what UX design really means
(07:01) Why engineers aren’t “bad at design”
(10:22) Bridging design and engineering
(17:45) How to train your design eye
(20:16) Laws of UX: complexity and trade-offs
(27:29) Familiar patterns and when to break them
(31:57) Designing better AI experiences
(37:37) Using AI without outsourcing your thinking
(41:49) Figma, AI prototypes, and design systems
(47:31) Design is a skill you can practice

Referenced:
• Laws of UX: https://jonyablonski.com/work/laws-of-ux/
• Laws of UX, 2nd Edition: https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/laws-of-ux/9781098146955/
• Tesler’s Law
• Jakob’s Law
• Figma
• Claude Code
• Storybook