Sam Shares #1: Design systems, asynchronous communication and custom GPTs

Hi guys,

Welcome to the first edition of the Sam Shares newsletter! I'm currently in Biarritz for a surfing/working vacation, let's start off by sharing my view. ??

The idea of a newsletter has been there for a while and recently I've been able to make headspace to jot down my thoughts on some topics I like. In the past 2 months I've started sharing updates and insights on e-commerce, CWVs, AI, web development... on LinkedIn and Youtube.

And here we are with a first newsletter, hope you enjoy!

Today's topics

1. Why brands benefit from design-systems.
2. How I boosted my efficiency: Less unnecessary meetings thanks to asynchronous communication.
3. Training AI to become a company's omniscient assistant.
4. Sustainable e-commerce: Wakuli shows how it's done.

1. Future-proof front-end development: Why design-systems set brands up for sustainable growth

At dear digital , we offer 2 different design services in a web development project. Or we create a theme-based design, or brands can choose a design-system. The latter is becoming the norm. Last week Jons Janssens talked about it in the webinar he hosted. I thoroughly recommend watching it if you want to learn about optimised and efficient systems for sustainable growth.

Jons advocates design-systems because they are more complete, simpler and more future-proof. The theory behind is as following:

1. You create a design-system in Figma with your logos, favicon, fonts, colours and derivatives...
2. With for example Tailwind CSS in your framework, you can import that design-system.
3. Tailwind will act as a library that's coded so that all output follows the design-system. It's predetermined that way.
4. You are less dependent on designers, you create a streamlined workflow and reduce costs
5. If different devs have to work on the same brand, they don't have to search for different files.

For a more in-depth explanation, you can watch the webinar here:

2. 'Asynchronous communication': A focus and efficiency boost

"Asynchronous communication is a method of information exchange where there is no expectation of immediate feedback, allowing participants to respond at their convenience."

This practice has become very popular with loads of leaders and executives. This episode of The Tim Ferris Show, with Sam Corcos as the guest, I also really recommend. From minute 11 up until 20 it's about communication and more specifically about Loom.

I love Loom. I use it daily and it helps me communicate clearly whenever I want to. (I even started a Youtube-series with Loom, where I dive deep into topics that I find interesting. Feel free to have a look!)

Keeping things asynchronous at work helps everyone stay focused and keeps the work backlog in check. You don't often need to respond to messages right away, and luckily it doesn't happen too often that communication is super urgent.

It's crucial, though, to have clear guidelines on when and how to communicate. Shifting to an async style isn't a walk in the park and needs some adjustment, but it pays off. I still love to talk with the team, but meetings can be unnecessarily long and inefficient.

3. Training AI to become a company's omniscient assistant

I guess you all read about last week's soap at OpenAI. If not, here's some background info.

But in the meantime, everything seems back to 'normal' and we can get back to the future. In a post I published on LinkedIn last week, I looked into the customisation of AI for companies, and what this could mean. Staying behind is not an option.

4. Sustainable coffee by Wakuli

Last month during a work trip to Amsterdam, we met with our client Wakuli to forecast what 2024 will look like, and to see if we could assist them in their strategy. Also on that trip, we recorded a podcast (yes, another podcast reference) with co-founder Lukas Grosfeld.

In the podcast he elaborates on how responsible entrepreneurship is done. It's not just a choice anymore, there's no more excuses not to do it the sustainable way. A truly inspiring story and worth the listen:

For those who are interested in what we have done with Wakuli in the past, make sure to the case study.

Thanks for sticking until the end!

So, this is was it for the first edition. Plenty of material to listen to, that's for sure. ??

Really hope you enjoyed it, take care and see you in 2 weeks!

Love,

Sam