stephen liu

If this barista bot is called "Artly", then does it count as art? #config2025

And that's it for #config2025! See yalls next year if I get to come again!

A tweet saying: Context is everything. This looks more polished, refined and less "playful" than what Collins did which I'm sure was effective for introducing Robinhood to the mass market at the time. Storytelling never ends. Each chapter is in context of the one before it.

Each chapter is in the context of the one before it, a sentiment that reminds me of Kamala Harris's coconut tree anecdote. #config2025

A demonstration of Robinhood's website

The goal was to show a more mature brand. Something that could be used for more than just meme trading, but instead serious things like IRAs. #config2025

The brand also needed to apply to their app and not just their website/collateral. I assume this is why I wasn't aware they used illustrations, since I don't use their app. #config2025

A slide saying "More Intentional"

I wonder how intention this grey was, because it's not very high-contrast to the naked eye. #config2025

Sizzle real of their current brand.

I honestly did not realize Robinhood had done a rebrand, but more importantly, do they really have IRA Matching? #config2025

This slide is giving me flashbacks to how many times I had to watch that Powers of 10 video when I worked at IBM. #config2025

They also moved to geometric illustrations influenced by financial graphs and charts because their previous illustration style had apparently become generic and undistictive.

A fair point because I didn't even realize they did much with illustrations in the past.

#config2025

They expanded the typography system to further build up a more mature identity. I wonder if they ran into sizing and spacing problems with their mix of different typefaces. #config2025

The most noticeable change to the logo was moving the feather to the front, allowing a flexible structure for their product portfolio.

By Grabthar's Hammer, what a difference.

#config2025

Images of different products in the Robinhood portfolio

1. Create a system built to scale 2. Resonate with an experienced audience 3. Stand out against the sea of sameness

They had expanded their product portfolio into additional verticals, so they wanted to have a consistent brand, so there were three goals they worked towards. #config2025

Robinhood needed to work on a perception shift; they felt like their brand was associated with play money.

Which is fair, because I think a lot of people associate them with Gamestonk. #config2025

There's a sweet spot etern Design & Culture and Business & Strategy, which is where our speaker prefers to reside.

Does that sweet spot have ice cream popsicles? Because the ones from yesterday were delicious. #config2025

After scoping out the #config2025 grounds, we're back in the Main Stage hall for the final session about Robinhood's rebrand.

"When you're building new products, at the end of the day you're just building new toys" #config2025

Not sure if that's supposed to be motivational or if it's supposed to highlight how inconsequential we are in the grand scheme of things......

A slide with three columns discussing ways to play in products, process, and people.

#config2025

An image showing affordances on a door

You can also play with people, yet another Day 2 #config2025 statement that really needs context.

Building for yourself as a user is one way to play with process, although I feel like that'll get people to lose sight of the reality that they are probably not the user. #config2025

I wonder what sort of atypical metrics could we try to incorporate into corporate to measure things that are by nature more
subjective, especially if it'll help us measure abstract things like delight and quality. #config2025

I never realized until now that the work week ends in WTF, which seems very appropriate. #config2025

One headline of a company leader discussing AI in the workplace

Leaders keep telling their companies to use AI, but how people can actually bring it into their processes is a whole different problem #config2025

A slide saying "invite serendipity" projected behind two speakers

Product development cycles can be slow and linear because of the hand-offs and steps involved.

What's that like? I've only ever experienced anarchy 😭😭 #config2025

A chart demonstrating the standard distribution of chatbot sentiments

Where do you fall in the Parabola of Chatbot Sentiments? #config2025

A demonstration of a slider in OpenAI projected behind two speakers

Constraints can be educational, letting people customize a system but also exposing to them what possibilities exist. Basically letting people learn by doing instead of by reading the manual. #config2025

A speaker with a video demonstration of grammarly in the background

"What if the power in AI isn't in what it automates but instead what it lets us improvise", or what if we just embraced how bad iOS autocomplete is? #config2025

a blank canvas being projected behind two speakers

The blank canvas. The embodiment of paralysis of choice. My worst enemy. My ultimate foe. #config2025

Constraint and exploration are the axises for "play". #config2025

A man holding a stick with a picture of a stick behind him.

Sticks are versatile! They're great as a weapon or as a pointing device. #config2025

Next up is Lane and Mihika to talk about play and AI. #config2025