One of the most concrete ways users experience a modern startup is through the design of the app itself. Small choices in design and implementation can sway a user from becoming a fan or never opening the app again. Our guest today is Robin Rotman, Director of Design and Founder of ARE TOO, a design agency that focuses on UX/UI and Branding.About Robin Rotman:Robin Rotman is the Design Director and Founder of ARE TOO. She previously worked at Atlassian on the Trello team. Prior to that, she was at GrubHub Agency, where she started as a Visual Designer and ultimately became their Lead Product Designer and Developer. Designing and developing their core product offerings such as the home screen native app navigation, the Agency web SDK, branded email campaigns, and more.She graduated from Boston University with a BS in advertising.In this episode we discuss:

Robin’s path to opening ARE TOO

Why she decided to focus on Product Development and Design

How remote is impacting creative work and collaboration

What she took from her time at GrubHub Agency

The role of the GrubHub Agency

How Sweetgreen used her platform

What it was like working on Trello at Atlassian

Issues she faced at Atlassian

Are there ever bad signals from users you should ignore?

MVPs for individual features within an app or experience

Why she started ARE TOO

Robin’s process for developing brand identities and apps

The role of data in the design process

Balancing form and function of apps

Robin’s experience being lecturer at her alma mater Boston University

Advice to aspiring product designers

Does she recommend college