Facebook’s head of design on creating for 2 billion people

Luke Woods is the Head of Design at Facebook. In this episode, we discuss how digital design is in a unique position to make an impact on the world, dive into the details of what the evolution of design looked like at Facebook, and learn the importance of three little words: understand, identify, execute. 

Facebook has grown immensely throughout the five-and-a-half years Woods has worked there. Throughout our interview, he gives us an inside look at how the design team grew from a few dozen to a few hundred, explaining the trials the team faced as it scaled and the tools they used to overcome their problems.

On how to approach designing a new product or feature, Woods says there are three steps: understand, identify, and execute. Take the time to understand what it is you’re trying to accomplish with the product. Use that understanding to identify the biggest problems you need to solve. And execute on the idea by focusing on getting it done and making it real.

Jared Erondu and Bobby Ghoshal are the hosts of High Resolution. This post and episode notes were put together by freelance writer, Gannon Burgett. Watch for High Resolution episodes to drop every Monday on TechCrunch at 8 a.m. PT. You can also listen on iTunes and Overcast.