Design Engineering Handbook

What's in the book

Introducing Design Engineering

The unicorn myth

The Design Engineering Process

Hybrid method in practice

Engineering Collaboration

A cognitive shift

Design Engineering Organizational Models

Finding the right fit

Design Engineering Leadership

Sage advice for scaling a practice

Coda: A Design Engineering Manifesto

A blueprint for your organization

Plus—video interviews with leading design engineers at Salesforce, Indeed, Clearbit, and more.

About the authors

Natalya Shelburne

Natalya Shelburne

Senior Software Engineer Tech Lead / The New York Times

Natalya Shelburne is a designer, developer, writer, educator, speaker, and artist. She is a senior software engineer at the New York Times and an occasional instructor at Harvard Extension School . Previously, she taught design at a nonprofit. Natalya holds bachelor's degrees in studio art and psychology, and a master's in creativity and talent development. Bridging mental models and building collaborative tools and workflows for design and engineering is at the foundation of much of her work.

Currently listening to : Ison by Sevdaliza . I discovered this artist while writing in a coffee shop in Berlin. This album has been my go-to playlist for overthinking and writing ever since.

Currently inspired by : My kind, resilient, and curious daughter. She reminds me to be creative and patient every single day.

Cultural thing I'm lovin' : There's a lot happening in 2020, but today, I feel hopeful seeing community, creativity, and energy returning to New York City after months of shutdowns, quarantine, and loss.

Adekunle Oduye

Adekunle Oduye

Senior UX Engineer / Mailchimp

Adekunle Oduye (Add-eh-koon-lay Oh-due-yay) is a UX engineer born and raised in the great city of New York. Currently, he helps build a design system that serves millions of users at Mailchimp . He has previously built products for companies like Memorial Sloan Kettering , Justworks , and NASDAQ . Outside of work, he is a board member for the Code Cooperative , an organization that teaches digital literacy and programming skills to individuals impacted by incarceration. He is also a mentor and coach for next-generation designers and front-end engineers.

Currently listening to: My current rotation is the Creed 2 soundtrack and Afrobeats .

Currently inspired by: My family, my culture, minimalism, and the late Milton Glaser .

Cultural thing I'm lovin': I've been reading a lot about Stoicism lately and figuring out how I can implement its principles in my life and work.

Kim Williams

Kim Williams

Head of Product Design / Minted

Kim Williams is head of product design at Minted . Kim's an expert at threading together and synthesizing the vision of brand, product, and technology. She leads design to craft experiences that are human, hopeful, trusted, and performant. Prior to Minted, Kim led UX for the job-seeker organization at Indeed , working with design technologists and UI engineers on search, native apps, and job seeker journeys. At eBay , Kim was head of design systems and collaborated with design technologists. Kim knows firsthand that design engineering is a critical discipline for accelerating product innovation.

Currently listening to: Koffee and Tobe Nwigwe . I'm obsessed with the conscious and uplifting lyrics and incredibly beautiful artistic expression in their music videos.

Currently inspired by: I'm forever inspired by my daughter whose creativity and curiosity knows no bounds.

Cultural thing I'm lovin': Everything Black. Everything that celebrates Black culture; especially Black women.

Eddie Lou

Eddie Lou

Senior Director of Design Engineering / Indeed

Eddie Lou is the senior UX director and head of the design system team at Indeed , where he leads designers, engineers, and design technologists. Eddie initially started Indeed's Design Technology team with the focus of providing critical technical capabilities to the UX organization. The team later evolved into design engineering organizations which include UI engineers who focus on creating quality user experience to production. Previously he held various UX and engineering leadership roles at BigCommerce , Visa , Apple , PayPal , and Cisco .

Currently listening to: Bastille , an English indie pop band that formed in 2010. The name of the band derives from Bastille Day, which is celebrated on July 14. It's also the date of the lead vocalist Dan Smith's birthday.

Currently inspired by: Cynthia Chu , who's been my mentor and manager since we first worked together in 2000. She encourages me to lead with a focus on my team's passions and career paths. I believe that passionate individuals will always be capable of solving any problem.

Cultural thing I'm lovin': Simple things in life make me happy: Finding time to travel, visiting old friends, and exploring different cities and countries. Even just enjoying a cup of coffee helps me relax and reenergize.