Gabriel Valdivia
@gvaldivia.bsky.social
Fractional design partner for early-stage teams • Past clients: Daylight, Gather, GV, Patreon, CNN, Google, Facebook
I love using workmate.com to handle the back-and-forth of scheduling meetings and I love how Will (Founder and CEO) doesn’t shy away from talking through the nuance of building a human-like AI assistant. Watch the full interview here:
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August 28, 2025 at 1:34 PM
I love using workmate.com to handle the back-and-forth of scheduling meetings and I love how Will (Founder and CEO) doesn’t shy away from talking through the nuance of building a human-like AI assistant. Watch the full interview here:
Have you ever taken a pay cut for autonomy—was the trade worth it in hindsight?
August 26, 2025 at 1:58 PM
Have you ever taken a pay cut for autonomy—was the trade worth it in hindsight?
Which skill has compounded your career value more: storytelling or tooling mastery?
August 21, 2025 at 1:34 PM
Which skill has compounded your career value more: storytelling or tooling mastery?
The lower you are on the corporate totem pole, the more freedom you have to speak inconvenient truths.
August 19, 2025 at 1:58 PM
The lower you are on the corporate totem pole, the more freedom you have to speak inconvenient truths.
It’s easier to predict the future than to deal with the present. We love calling our shots about what’s next, but maybe the real work is right in front of us—messy, urgent, and unglamorous.
August 14, 2025 at 1:34 PM
It’s easier to predict the future than to deal with the present. We love calling our shots about what’s next, but maybe the real work is right in front of us—messy, urgent, and unglamorous.
One measure of a successful career is the number people you admire that also admire you.
August 12, 2025 at 1:58 PM
One measure of a successful career is the number people you admire that also admire you.
Fractional is a pressure valve: rent senior judgment at sprint cadence, avoid the full-time sticker shock, and unlock momentum before it calcifies.
August 7, 2025 at 1:34 PM
Fractional is a pressure valve: rent senior judgment at sprint cadence, avoid the full-time sticker shock, and unlock momentum before it calcifies.
When I share design work, I avoid panning around a Figma canvas, and instead use Figma's prototype mode to show the work in context. This shifts the focus away from the noise of my design process and onto what actually matters: how the product feels in action.
August 5, 2025 at 2:34 PM
When I share design work, I avoid panning around a Figma canvas, and instead use Figma's prototype mode to show the work in context. This shifts the focus away from the noise of my design process and onto what actually matters: how the product feels in action.
When it comes to presenting design work, your energy sets the tone.
If you sound unsure or disconnected, people will mirror that. But if you show up with excitement, curiosity, and conviction, others will lean in.
Don’t just show the work — show that you care.
If you sound unsure or disconnected, people will mirror that. But if you show up with excitement, curiosity, and conviction, others will lean in.
Don’t just show the work — show that you care.
July 31, 2025 at 1:34 PM
When it comes to presenting design work, your energy sets the tone.
If you sound unsure or disconnected, people will mirror that. But if you show up with excitement, curiosity, and conviction, others will lean in.
Don’t just show the work — show that you care.
If you sound unsure or disconnected, people will mirror that. But if you show up with excitement, curiosity, and conviction, others will lean in.
Don’t just show the work — show that you care.
When you let people in while the work is still forming, you make space for collaboration and momentum, not just approval. Over time, feedback becomes less of a verdict and more of an essential ingredient that helps shape the end result.
July 29, 2025 at 1:58 PM
When you let people in while the work is still forming, you make space for collaboration and momentum, not just approval. Over time, feedback becomes less of a verdict and more of an essential ingredient that helps shape the end result.
PSA: Make your design channel public. Working in public not only keeps the team aligned but also builds a collective history of how the work has evolved over time.
July 24, 2025 at 1:34 PM
PSA: Make your design channel public. Working in public not only keeps the team aligned but also builds a collective history of how the work has evolved over time.
Don’t wait weeks to unveil your designs. Share progress early and often to gather “micro-yeses” — small approvals that bring everyone on board, one step at a time.
July 22, 2025 at 1:58 PM
Don’t wait weeks to unveil your designs. Share progress early and often to gather “micro-yeses” — small approvals that bring everyone on board, one step at a time.
Next time you find yourself in a zoom call,
July 17, 2025 at 1:34 PM
Next time you find yourself in a zoom call,
The scrappy designer deletes 90% of scope to learn faster. The mature designer documents 90% of scope to operate safer.
July 15, 2025 at 1:58 PM
The scrappy designer deletes 90% of scope to learn faster. The mature designer documents 90% of scope to operate safer.
Early-stage design is about turning abstract conversations into something real—fast. That’s why instead of sitting around a meeting table, you’ll find me in front of a white board sketching what's being talked about.
July 10, 2025 at 1:34 PM
Early-stage design is about turning abstract conversations into something real—fast. That’s why instead of sitting around a meeting table, you’ll find me in front of a white board sketching what's being talked about.
We're looking for an exceptional 🤖 Android engineer to work on Dex — a language learning camera for kids.
✨ You'll work with me to build a whimsical OS from scratch.
🧑💻 Must be able to work with Jetpack Compose and Kotlin-Multiplatform.
👉 Email careers[at]worldexlab.com to apply or learn more.
✨ You'll work with me to build a whimsical OS from scratch.
🧑💻 Must be able to work with Jetpack Compose and Kotlin-Multiplatform.
👉 Email careers[at]worldexlab.com to apply or learn more.
July 10, 2025 at 1:41 AM
We're looking for an exceptional 🤖 Android engineer to work on Dex — a language learning camera for kids.
✨ You'll work with me to build a whimsical OS from scratch.
🧑💻 Must be able to work with Jetpack Compose and Kotlin-Multiplatform.
👉 Email careers[at]worldexlab.com to apply or learn more.
✨ You'll work with me to build a whimsical OS from scratch.
🧑💻 Must be able to work with Jetpack Compose and Kotlin-Multiplatform.
👉 Email careers[at]worldexlab.com to apply or learn more.
Pre-product-market-fit, iteration cost is low and opportunity cost is high; post-fit, those costs flip. Design like you know which column you’re in.
July 8, 2025 at 1:58 PM
Pre-product-market-fit, iteration cost is low and opportunity cost is high; post-fit, those costs flip. Design like you know which column you’re in.
Founders who treat design as “polish” end up buying it twice—first as decoration, later as surgery. Measure cost in replaced screens, not invoices.
July 3, 2025 at 1:34 PM
Founders who treat design as “polish” end up buying it twice—first as decoration, later as surgery. Measure cost in replaced screens, not invoices.
The original AI companion
July 1, 2025 at 1:58 PM
The original AI companion
Early-stage design is spelunking—map the cave while you move. Late-stage design is excavating—methodically digging out and shaping the environment. Bring a headlamp or a hard hat accordingly.
June 26, 2025 at 1:34 PM
Early-stage design is spelunking—map the cave while you move. Late-stage design is excavating—methodically digging out and shaping the environment. Bring a headlamp or a hard hat accordingly.
If you're curious about vibe coding, this 20 minute video from Pablo is a great primer that helps you understand the basics and get started... today! pablostanley.substack.com/p/vibecoding...
Vibecoding Basics
Stuff for beginners
pablostanley.substack.com
June 25, 2025 at 1:58 PM
If you're curious about vibe coding, this 20 minute video from Pablo is a great primer that helps you understand the basics and get started... today! pablostanley.substack.com/p/vibecoding...
I'm willing to bet that we're bound to see more early-stage designers as AI shifts our roles away from maintaining existing software to incubating new products.
June 24, 2025 at 1:58 PM
I'm willing to bet that we're bound to see more early-stage designers as AI shifts our roles away from maintaining existing software to incubating new products.
Monday ritual: ask “What can we ship by Friday that changes what we know?” Answer that ruthlessly and the roadmap writes itself.
June 23, 2025 at 1:26 PM
Monday ritual: ask “What can we ship by Friday that changes what we know?” Answer that ruthlessly and the roadmap writes itself.
I had the pleasure of speaking at Config this year. It was a real honor to get the opportunity to share my design approach with our design community.
Here’s the video in case you missed it: www.youtube.com/watch?v=LS2f...
Here’s the video in case you missed it: www.youtube.com/watch?v=LS2f...
Config 2025: Design at the speed of startups with Gabriel Valdivia
YouTube video by Figma
www.youtube.com
May 10, 2025 at 11:17 PM
I had the pleasure of speaking at Config this year. It was a real honor to get the opportunity to share my design approach with our design community.
Here’s the video in case you missed it: www.youtube.com/watch?v=LS2f...
Here’s the video in case you missed it: www.youtube.com/watch?v=LS2f...
I made another lil game over the weekend. Guess the movie as it gradually reveals itself. The faster you guess, the higher your score. 👉 www.flicktionary.com
March 31, 2025 at 4:05 AM
I made another lil game over the weekend. Guess the movie as it gradually reveals itself. The faster you guess, the higher your score. 👉 www.flicktionary.com