In this episode of Builders Wanted, we’re joined by Ann Rich, Senior Director of Design at Adobe. Kailey and Ann dive into the intricate world of product design where empathy drives innovation. They discuss the challenges and strategies in leading design at scale, how Adobe builds trust in the era of generative AI, and the importance of cross-functional collaboration. Ann shares insights on inclusive design, co-innovation with customers, and the evolving role of designers in creating user-centric and technologically advanced solutions.

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Key Takeaways:

• Successful AI-era design requires deep technical understanding alongside creative craft—designers must know the models and technology behind their interfaces to bridge human needs with AI capabilities.
• Speed and adaptability are essential as market paradigms can shift between conception and launch, requiring experimentation, customer co-innovation, and iterative validation over traditional research cycles.
• Design leadership gains influence by grounding decisions in data and user needs rather than aesthetic opinion, transforming design into a strategic driver in executive and engineering conversations.

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“ [Design] is really changing from a two-way model of communication and interaction to a three-way or more discussion. That's really thinking about it being a human, the interface they're working on, and then all of the things happening behind the scenes. In order for someone to be successful with what you're designing, designers have to start understanding the technology behind it. Because in order to deliver on the use case, you actually have to understand the technology and it will change the interface.” – Ann Rich

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Episode Timestamps:

‍*(01:50) - Ann’s mission at Adobe as a design leader

‍*(08:15) - How trust factors into Adobe’s design process

‍*(16:53) - Ann’s approach to inclusive design

‍*(25:08) - What design teams should stop doing

‍*(31:12) - A recent project that made a measurable difference for users

‍*(39:06) - Ann’s advice for designers looking to elevate their voice

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Links:

Read Ann’s Article How to Adapt Your Design Practice for the Age of Generative Technology

Connect with Ann on LinkedIn

Connect with Kailey on LinkedIn

Learn more about Caspian Studios

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Sponsor

Builders Wanted is brought to you by Twilio – the Customer Engagement Platform that helps builders turn real-time data into meaningful customer experiences. More than 320,000 businesses trust Twilio to transform signals into connections—and connections into revenue. Ready to build what’s next? Learn more at twilio.com.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode of Builders Wanted, we’re joined by Michelle Suzuki, Chief Marketing Officer at Commerce. Kailey and Michelle delve into the impact of agentic commerce, the evolution of AI in customer engagement, and strategies for maintaining consistency and relevance in marketing. Michelle also shares insights on the challenges and opportunities in rebranding and driving data-driven marketing.

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Key Takeaways:

• Embracing change and leveraging data-driven insights are essential for marketers to stay relevant and effective in a rapidly evolving commerce landscape.
• The most successful marketing strategies combine creative brand-building with rigorous data analysis, ensuring that emotional connection and measurable outcomes drive growth.
• Truly understanding your audience and meeting them where they are enables organizations to deliver more personalized, impactful experiences.

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“ The front end and the back end, it's sort of like that brand and demand element is how do you make this holistic ecosystem that is really productive for the experience and really driving what that looks like as you put together your overall strategy.  It's so important to think holistically about what it is that you're meaning to deliver and incorporating all of those elements together so that there aren't jagged, hard edges between them. But it's all one entire ecosystem that presents something that is more comfortable and relative to what it is that the user is hoping to experience with you.” – Michelle Suzuki

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Episode Timestamps:

‍*(01:56) - What being a builder means to Michelle

‍*(06:07) - The shift most critical for brands right now

‍*(13:05) - Bridging the gap between data-driven and creative marketing

‍*(27:30) - Lessons from rebranding

‍*(33:04) - Building teams for speed and effectiveness

‍*(35:13) - Quick hits

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Links:

Connect with Michelle on LinkedIn

Connect with Kailey on LinkedIn

Learn more about Caspian Studios

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Sponsor

Builders Wanted is brought to you by Twilio – the Customer Engagement Platform that helps builders turn real-time data into meaningful customer experiences. More than 320,000 businesses trust Twilio to transform signals into connections—and connections into revenue. Ready to build what’s next? Learn more at twilio.com.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this special episode of Builders Wanted, recorded live from Twilio Transform in New York City, we’re joined by Rikki Singh, Twilio’s VP of R&D for Emerging Technologies. Rikki explores groundbreaking advancements in AI, security, and communications, touching on the evolution of technology and customer expectations as we approach 2026. The conversation delves into the role of AI in software engineering, the importance of trust and privacy by design, changes in customer engagement, and the future of agentic workflows.

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Key Takeaways:

• Building robust systems and prioritizing speed empowers organizations to drive innovation rapidly while maintaining high standards of quality.
• Reliable, well-structured data and clearly defined, measurable objectives are critical for achieving success in AI and analytics initiatives.
• The most impactful product enhancements stem from actively listening to customers, understanding their challenges, and reimagining features as needed.

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“ The fact that we want to give you contextual memory that is able to capture communication, that matters. Because that's where you're expressing your satisfaction, your happiness, your joys. So how do we take that and then use that to help you rather than microsegment you on demographics and target you? I think that's the positive pivot I hope we make as this technology allows for that.” – Rikki Singh

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Episode Timestamps:

‍*(01:48) - What excites Rikki heading into 2026

‍*(02:54) - What feels different about today compared to a year ago

‍*(07:14) - Themes shaping the next 12 months for builders

‍*(19:43) - What’s evolving fastest: the tech stack, the buyer, or the org chart?

‍*(27:50) - What builders underestimate about AI and where it’s going

‍*(43:36) - Quick hits

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Links:

Connect with Rikki on LinkedIn

Connect with Kailey on LinkedIn

Learn more about Caspian Studios

-------------------

Sponsor

Builders Wanted is brought to you by Twilio – the Customer Engagement Platform that helps builders turn real-time data into meaningful customer experiences. More than 320,000 businesses trust Twilio to transform signals into connections—and connections into revenue. Ready to build what’s next? Learn more at twilio.com.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.