Anton Sten

Anton Sten

@antonsten.com

I write about design and careers at https://www.antonsten.com

1.4K followers262 following330 posts

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Anton Sten
@antonsten.com

It’s never been easier to launch a product. AI, no-code, tools everywhere. But the hard part hasn’t changed: Building something people actually want. That’s what my new book is about. Products People Actually Want — out now www.antonsten.com/books/produc...

antonsten.comProducts People Actually Want | Anton Sten – UX Lead & Product DesignerA Designer's Guide to Building Better. We're drowning in products nobody wants, built by people who never asked if they should.

Anton Sten reposted

HeyDesigner
@heydesigner.com

🚀 Issue 718 is out! This week: → True design is better than new design → Japanese letterforms → The fundamentals problem → Six key components of UX strategy → Slots in design systems → Designing Perplexity and more. Read it here 👉 heydesigner.com/newsletter/t...

heydesigner.comTrue design is better | HeyDesignerJapanese letterforms, UX strategy, The fundamentals problem, Slots in design systems, AI prototyping, Inclusive design, and more.
Anton Sten
@antonsten.com

Products People Actually Want just went live on Amazon. Started as frustrated notes about watching teams build things nobody wanted. Now it's something you can leave on your desk or give to that colleague who keeps adding features instead of talking to users. www.antonsten.com/books/produc...

antonsten.comProducts People Actually Want | Anton Sten – UX Lead & Product DesignerA Designer's Guide to Building Better. We're drowning in products nobody wants, built by people who never asked if they should.
Anton Sten
@antonsten.com

One of my readers asked me something I hadn't put into words yet: "How has design changed from showing what technology can do to actually serving individual needs?" Short answer: We've moved from "look what this can do" to "here's what this can do for you."

antonsten.comFrom powerful to personal: Where design is heading | Anton StenDesign has shifted from showcasing what technology can do to helping people get exactly what they need. Personalization is becoming the baseline, and AI is accelerating this shift toward hyper-customi...
Anton Sten
@antonsten.com

AI will confidently fill in all the blanks in your thinking. The problem? Those blanks are where the real design work happens. If you don't know what your customers want, AI will happily make it up for you. That doesn't mean it's right. www.antonsten.com/articles/ai-...

antonsten.comAI will happily design the wrong thing for you | Anton StenAI tools are incredible leverage, but they amplify whatever you bring to them. If you don't understand the problem you're solving, AI just helps you build the wrong thing more efficiently.
Anton Sten
@antonsten.com

It’s never been easier to launch a product. AI, no-code, tools everywhere. But the hard part hasn’t changed: Building something people actually want. That’s what my new book is about. Products People Actually Want — out now www.antonsten.com/books/produc...

antonsten.comProducts People Actually Want | Anton Sten – UX Lead & Product DesignerA Designer's Guide to Building Better. We're drowning in products nobody wants, built by people who never asked if they should.
Anton Sten
@antonsten.com

I didn’t write this book because I had all the answers. I wrote it because I kept seeing smart people build things no one needed. Products People Actually Want is about slowing down, asking better questions, and building with care. “A design mentor in book form.” — Maureen Herben

antonsten.comProducts People Actually Want | Anton Sten – UX Lead & Product DesignerA Designer's Guide to Building Better. We're drowning in products nobody wants, built by people who never asked if they should.
Anton Sten
@antonsten.com

Most “user-centered” products forget the user. We design for personas. We optimize for metrics. We forget we’re building for real people. I wrote a book to help change that. “Captures what most design resources miss — the human relationships behind great products.” — Kevin Twohy

antonsten.comProducts People Actually Want | Anton Sten – UX Lead & Product DesignerA Designer's Guide to Building Better. We're drowning in products nobody wants, built by people who never asked if they should.

Anton Sten reposted

Stef Walter
@stephaniewalter.bsky.social

How to stand out, when anyone can use AI to build anything? For @antonsten.comSten, most people go for “how do we build this”, instead of asking “what should be built that people actually want?”. This leads to a situation, where, most new apps and products, solve, fake problems.

antonsten.comHow to stand out when anyone can build anything | Anton StenWhen AI tools have democratized product creation, standing out isn't about better tools or flashier features—it's about fundamentally different skills that most people skip entirely.
Anton Sten
@antonsten.com

Anyone can build an app in an afternoon now. But people changed the question from "how do we build this?" to "what do we build next?", without asking if people actually want it. The result? An explosion of products that work fine but solve problems that don't exist. www.antonsten.com/articles/how...

antonsten.comHow to stand out when anyone can build anything | Anton StenWhen AI tools have democratized product creation, standing out isn't about better tools or flashier features—it's about fundamentally different skills that most people skip entirely.
Anton Sten
@antonsten.com

While getting feedback on my new book, Maureen asked a question that got me thinking: "You mentioned you see yourself as an introvert - what does leading a team look like for you? How do you manage your energy levels?"

Anton Sten
@antonsten.com

After leading teams of 20+ people to now managing remote consultants, I've learned introversion isn't a leadership barrier. It's just a different approach.

Anton Sten reposted

John O'Nolan
@johnonolan.bsky.social

We've been growing fast lately, and we're growing the Ghost team to keep up! Still looking for more staff-level product engineers to come and work with us full-time on open source:

Ghost@ghost.org

It's been a while, but we are HIRING again 🚀 Join us as Staff Product Engineer and get paid to work on open source software shaping the future of independent media! 🌍 Fully remote since 2013 📅 4 day work week 💸 Competitive salary 🧑‍💻 Equipment paid for careers.ghost.org

careers.ghost.orgGhostGhost is a proud non-profit organisation building open source technology for fiercely independent, professional publishers.
Anton Sten
@antonsten.com

One design across all devices is great, but what I'd really want is for Apple Music on my Mac to pick up where I left off on Apple Music on my phone (like Spotify does). #wwdc25

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Anton Sten
@antonsten.com

As a founding designer, you say yes to things you’ve never done — because no one else will. You ship fast, hire contractors, convince skeptics, and juggle a thousand micro-decisions daily. It’s exhausting. But it builds real creative confidence. www.antonsten.com/articles/the...

antonsten.comThe solo designer: lessons from a startup journey | Anton StenReflections on being the first designer at a startup, sharing insights about daily work, valuable skills, and the unique challenges and rewards of being a startup designer.
Anton Sten
@antonsten.com

Big company designers might spend months refining a single feature. As a solo freelancer, I’d sometimes design an entire app in a week. That pace isn’t always pretty, but it builds instincts fast. You rack up reps, learn what matters, and get comfortable making decisions without overthinking.

Anton Sten
@antonsten.com

Two backgrounds have consistently shaped how I work: 1. Being the first (or only) designer at startups 2. Running a small freelance agency Both force you to make a lot of decisions quickly — often without data, often without backup. You learn to defend your thinking and stay flexible.

Anton Sten
@antonsten.com

Too many designers get pushed into management before they’ve gone deep in the work. But the best leaders? They still know how to move things around on the canvas. Wrote some thoughts on why craft comes first → www.antonsten.com/articles/gre...

antonsten.comWhy great design managers are usually great designers first | Anton StenExploring why the best design managers are often seasoned individual contributors first—and how staying hands-on builds trust, sharpens leadership, and deepens impact. Inspired by insights from Mig Re...
Anton Sten
@antonsten.com

We ran a design sprint — without the sprint. Instead of cramming everything into 5 days, we talked to users before building anything. Prototypes were scrappy. Turns out, ugly prototypes = better feedback. And slowing down = faster progress. www.antonsten.com/articles/des...

antonsten.comDesigning less to learn more | Anton StenHow slowing down the design sprint, focusing on real user feedback, and embracing rough prototypes led to deeper learning and better outcomes.
Anton Sten
@antonsten.com

Just launched a new site. First time I (mostly) built one myself since my Geocities (IYKYK) days. Wrote about why prompting might be the next big skill for designers. → www.antonsten.com/articles/des... Would love to hear if you’re thinking about this too.

antonsten.comDesigners don't need to code. They need to learn to prompt.Exploring how AI tools are changing the design landscape, and why learning to prompt effectively is becoming more important than learning to code for designers.
Anton Sten
@antonsten.com

I really want to get into journaling in a notebook but then there’s this other part of my brain that kicks in: ” but you won’t be able to get any data out of it if it’s on paper”. Please send help.

Anton Sten
@antonsten.com

🔥✨🔥✨

Jay 🦋@jay.bsky.team

We’re hiring a Head of Product! This is the perfect role for a creative, strategic, and experienced product leader who wants to help shape the future of social. Apply here: jobs.gem.com/bluesky/am9i...