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Charlie Deets

What Charlie Deets thinks about design

@charlie-deets · 18 positions · 0 changes of mind

Designer at The Browser Company working on Dia, previously on the Human Interface Design team at Apple and the fourth designer at WhatsApp.

Everything they publish, on ppll ↗

Charlie Deets did not write this page.

We collected these quotes from things they published elsewhere, and every quote links to where it was said. They have no account here and have not endorsed this site. Quotes are word for word; the short line under each one is our own restatement, not their wording. Their own site. Is this you? Claim it or ask us to remove it. Or tell us what is wrong here.

12 dated positions, 2026, in their own words. Our reading of what Charlie Deets has said — not written or endorsed by them.

  1. Our readingIn utility-style apps especially, practical decisions sometimes end up being the most valuable and the least disruptive for people coming from something else.

    Their wordsBut when working on utility style apps especially, sometimes the practical decisions end up being the most valuable and cause the least interruption of like user experiences if they're coming from something else.

    ↗Charlie Deets - Designing the internet computeryoutube.com 1st of 18 in this recording

  3. Our readingSimple, practical decisions executed at a really high level often give a feeling of confidence in the experience.

    Their wordsif you have these simple practical decisions that are executed at a really high level, I think it gives you a feeling of confidence often with like the experience you're interacting with.

    ↗Charlie Deets - Designing the internet computeryoutube.com 2nd of 18 in this recording

  5. Our readingIt is really important that people have a framework of thinking of their own for what they want to do with design, because tools are changing rapidly and it is easy to be pulled into a tool that then guides your path.

    Their wordsit's really important that people have like a framework of thinking for themselves defining what they want to be doing with design because like as you know tools are changing rapidly around us and it's very easy to get pulled into the tool and the tool guides your path of like what you're doing more

    ↗Charlie Deets - Designing the internet computeryoutube.com 3rd of 18 in this recording

  7. Our readingA designer's edge now is pulling things back, making them simpler and more understandable, because everyone can kind of execute right now.

    Their wordsI I can pull things back. I can make it simpler. I can make it more understandable for the user. And yes, I care about making sure that button works exactly right or whatever. And I could have went in in there and fixed it. But if I keep staying like on this end of the equation where I'm thinking in this realm, I'm more novel over there than I am in the execution realm cuz like everyone can kind of execute right now.

    ↗Charlie Deets - Designing the internet computeryoutube.com 5th of 18 in this recording

  9. Our readingCommunication is also a skill of design, more than anything: being able to communicate quickly and set the boundaries of what is being done, what is not, and how far to take it.

    Their wordsCommunication is also a skill of design more than anything. And being able to communicate quickly, get it through, like set the boundaries of what we're doing, what we're not doing, like how far to take it.

    ↗Charlie Deets - Designing the internet computeryoutube.com 6th of 18 in this recording

  11. Our readingDesign is kind of going to turn into making more successful decisions.

    Their wordsBecause that's the thing that I think is the highest value of me in the future is like if I could make more successful decisions, then I think that's kind of what design is going to turn into.

    ↗Charlie Deets - Designing the internet computeryoutube.com 7th of 18 in this recording

  13. Our readingDecisions often require an extra level of awareness than you expect, and taking a beat to reconsider the deeper set of options before deciding sometimes prevents you from going down a bad path.

    Their wordsoften decisions require an extra level of awareness than you even expect, right? Like it may seem simple in the moment, but you at least taking a beat before the decision and like reconsidering the deeper set of options every time prevents you sometimes from pigeon hauling down into a bad path.

    ↗Charlie Deets - Designing the internet computeryoutube.com 8th of 18 in this recording

  15. Our readingApple goes back to the beginning better than anyone else, partly because its one-year release cycle makes that disruption an expected part of the process.

    Apple

    Their wordsthis is something I think Apple just does better than anyone else. And I think it's partially because of sort of this like one-year release cycle thing. It's like at any point in that cycle, you can kind of be like, is this really the right way? And you can go back to the beginning and it's like people kind of almost expect that disruption as part of the process.

    ↗Charlie Deets - Designing the internet computeryoutube.com 9th of 18 in this recording

  17. Our readingThe counterpoint to simple design is that people want fewer tools a lot of the time.

    Their wordsI think the counterpoint to simple design is that people want less tools a lot of the time if I can do it in notion I'll do it in notion cuz I already use notion

    ↗Charlie Deets - Designing the internet computeryoutube.com 11th of 18 in this recording

  19. Our readingImpulsiveness in decisions can be problematic, but impulsiveness in design should be facilitated all the time: try the random thought and go down that path.

    Their wordsthis is the counterpoint to my impulsive conversation earlier, which is like impulsiveness in decisions can be problematic in the way that you can make bad decisions. But impulsiveness in your design is actually something I think you should facilitate all the time because trying out like one random thought pops into your head, go down that path.

    ↗Charlie Deets - Designing the internet computeryoutube.com 13th of 18 in this recording

  21. Our readingPresenting well means aggressively guiding the conversation to a point where everyone is on the same page, giving context as fast and as clearly as possible.

    Their wordsI have a pretty particular strategy for presenting information, which is I really aggressively guide the conversation to a certain point. Like I want people to be on the same page when they're having the conversation. And that often requires me giving context as fast as possible, but as clear as possible to get people up to speed with where I'm at.

    ↗Charlie Deets - Designing the internet computeryoutube.com 15th of 18 in this recording

  23. Our readingPeople really appreciate collaborative designers who are willing to work with you and come to it with excitement.

    Their wordspeople really appreciate collaborative designers, people who are willing to work with you and whatever you're thinking about, but also, you know, coming to it with like an excitement.

    ↗Charlie Deets - Designing the internet computeryoutube.com 18th of 18 in this recording