I’m WhatsApp Product Designer Charlie Deets and This Is How I Work
Charlie Deets, Lead Product Designer at WhatsApp , makes decisions that affect over 1.5 billion users every month. This means solving some unusual tasks, such as creating a chat interface in which even illiterate users can navigate. It also means that WhatsApp’s visual “stories” are different from those on Snapchat and Instagram.
Deets previously worked at Facebook on projects such as Privacy Checkup and a custom gender field. He is also the creator of the beautiful and popular MOON app . We talked to him about how he copes with his workday and how he remains focused on so many projects.
Deets discussed his broad design processes in Medium publications such as Annual Design on WhatsApp and Design for Facebook Privacy. As for our column, he confines himself to his personal work habits by day and minute. Like many successful tech professionals, Deets’ workflow is based on focusing on one task at a time.
Location: Menlo Park, California. Current position: Product Designer at WhatsApp. One word that best describes how you work: Focused. Current mobile device: Google Pixel 2 XL. Current computer: 2016 MacBook Pro 15-inch
First of all, tell us a little about your past and how you got where you are now.
My first real job was at my father’s printing house, where I was doing computer maintenance during the prepress stage. I worked alone at night, so I spent a lot of time learning Photoshop and other creative tools while computers backed up to tape. Through this experience, I was introduced to tons of graphic design, and it stuck with me.
When I was young I played in a band and eventually got my master’s degree in photography. I have created many websites to promote these projects and have found that I really like the combination of technology and design. After high school, I took a job at Wright , an auction house in Chicago, doing photo retouching and web design / development. I loved the product work I was doing and came to find out what user experience design is.
Then I switched to Electric Pulp to work on responsive websites. They are a great company and they also let me work with them to create spin-offs like Duo , a responsive web development tool. Then I joined Facebook and worked on a lot of projects in privacy, birthday, sharing, and groups focused teams before joining WhatsApp.
Tell us about a recent work day.
I wake up around 7 am and walk to work rather slowly. I like to start the day slowly so I don’t feel rushed or burned out later. Sometimes I run before work. I have breakfast at work by 9 am and go to my table. The office is often pretty quiet during this time, so I do a lot of cleaning tasks like checking my email and WhatsApp messages, or trying to catch up.
By 10 o’clock in the morning, I already have headphones, and I’m doing design or prototyping. I usually work on projects in progress, so I usually know what I need to do. We have minimal WhatsApp appointments. In fact, we try to stick to the no-meeting culture as much as possible. Instead, we send messages in real time to ask questions, problems, or provide status reports on projects. But if I do have an appointment, I try to schedule it for noon, because I am most productive in my design work in the morning and late afternoon.
I try to end my day when I stop working, not at the set time, but it usually is around 6:00 pm. I go home and walk with my wife. In the evening, I play video games with friends to relax.
What apps, gadgets or tools can’t you live without?
- Sketch : for static design
- Origami Studio : for prototyping
- Ulysses : for taking notes and writing
- WhatsApp : for messaging
- Spotify : for music
- Transfer : to transfer files
- Sublime Text : for writing code
- Alfred : for app launch and overall productivity
How is your workplace arranged?
I keep my laptop in the center of the table. I use the keyboard and trackpad built into the laptop, but I have a large external monitor centered above the laptop where I do most of the design work. I try to keep as little as possible on the table to focus, but I often have several mobile phones for testing and prototyping. I put them off every night, so when I go to the table in the morning, everything is clear. My desktop background is a flat medium gray and I keep most of my applications full screen so I can focus on what I’m working on. I am hiding the dock and menu bar.
What’s your best shortcut or life hack?
Using apps in full screen mode is very important to my work as it reminds me of what I’m doing. I am easily distracted and take precautions not to be distracted from the task. I flip my phone face down and block all notifications on my MacBook by setting Do Not Disturb, which is on most of the day. If I’m really distracted, I’ll just go along with it. If I try to fight it too much, I often become irritable and less productive. There are periods of time when I am naturally in the work area, and I try to make the most of that time by reducing unnecessary variables. I also keep my email client closed for most of the day. I check my email approximately every two hours.
Tell us about an interesting, unusual, or challenging process you have at work.
I switch from one mobile device to another very often as we build and test new WhatsApp features for different platforms. I usually use both Android and iOS mobile apps, so I might have similar experiences: Pocket Casts for podcasts, Spotify for music, Nike Run Club for running, and VSCO for photo editing.
Who are the people who help you achieve results, and how do you rely on them?
My team allows me to deliver results. This is the most respected team I have ever been on. We try not to disturb each other when we are in our zones. We try to form our thoughts correctly before asking a question. It helps everyone to talk about focus and take care of their tasks. We are patient with each other and we rarely put undue pressure on us to do something “now.” We try to create space to get the job done right. It helps to keep everyone in a good mood to do their best job.
How do you keep track of what you need to do?
I use Ulysses to keep track of my tasks, writing, and overall organization of everything that is text. I keep two main lists in my favorites: “To Do” and “Work to Be Done”. My Work to Be Done list is usually a collection of short words and notes that I know will make me remember what I need to do. I sync these Ulysses markdown files via Dropbox, so I can use iA Writer on my Android phone to access these files as Ulysses only works with macOS and iOS. I keep my to-do list separate so I can think less about work issues as I go about my normal life.
What do you enjoy doing the most and how do you deal with it?
Public speaking. I get very nervous when I feel the pressure of many people listening to me at the same time. I usually deal with this through over-preparation. It doesn’t really help, I’m still insanely nervous. I always assume that one day I’ll get over it, but that day hasn’t come yet.
How to recharge or take a break from work?
For fun, I like to play video games, take pictures and compose music. Sometimes writing CSS is fun for me too. I had certain weekends where I felt overwhelmed and writing a little interface code made me feel free, light, and energized. I know this is weird.
What’s your favorite side project?
Several years ago, I wanted to learn how to write Objective-C. So, I started making an iOS app to view the current moon phase. It worked out well, and I got more serious about the project . I add new features as Apple introduces new APIs. I also created it for Android, macOS and Apple TV. I send custom notifications before every new or full moon, which is a fun challenge to keep coming up with new content. The app recently attracted 1 million users, which seemed like a big achievement for a side project.
What are you reading now or what do you recommend?
I just finished reading Soonish , which humorously talks about new technologies.
Fill in the blank: I would like _________ to answer these same questions.
I’d like to know what IGN’s Damon Hatfield has to say.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
I asked a product manager I once worked with, “What is it like working with designers?” They stopped for a minute and then said, “They are emotional.” I agree. Designers are often passionate about their work and therefore their emotions are intertwined with the work they do. As much as possible, I try to remain open to the thought of being out of base when I do my job. It is easier for me to change the direction of work if I need to, but at the same time I remain passionate about what I do. I try to be as open as possible to new opportunities throughout the development process.