Ep. 322 – Craft, taste and judgment in Software Design with Randy Hunt
Wed Jan 28 2026
In this concluding episode of the Craft series, I (Kedar Nimkar, Host of The Gyaan Project Podcast) speak with Randy Hunt, Head of Design at Notion and Chair of the MFA Design program at SVA. Randy reflects on craft as a combination of skill, practice, and judgment, and shares how taste shapes meaningful software experiences. The conversation explores speed versus quality, scale versus care, and why momentum can sometimes improve craft. Randy also offers an interesting perspective on how he sees, AI as a material, and explains what stays as tools as technologies change. This episode is for designers, product leaders, engineers, and makers who care deeply about building thoughtful, well made digital products for the long term.
Topics discussed
(02:14) What is Abecedarium?
(04:14) What does craft mean to you?
(08:12) How has your definition of craft changed over time?
(14:45) Should craft be visible to the end user?
(18:04) Can craft and scale go together?
(22:28) Any example of great quality with speed?
(28:18) Can taste be taught?
(38:17) Can craft bring value at an enterprise level?
(43:32) How do you look at craft at Notion?
(46:57) How do you see the future of craft in the world of AI?
(48:43) How do you practice craft at Notion with AI?
(51:17) What would your poster say about design?
(52:00) How do you see craft evolving in the next 10 years?
Reference links
https://www.instagram.com/randyjhunt
https://www.linkedin.com/in/randyjhunt
https://www.randyjhunt.com
https://www.notion.com/blog/meet-randy
https://books.google.com.sg/books/about/Product_Design_for_the_Web.html?id=paKPAQAAQBAJ&source=kp_author_description&redir_esc=y
https://pda.designsingapore.org/jurors/2020/randy-hunt/
https://design.sva.edu/cofaculty/randy-hunt/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=268NRHhPSZ0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ux5g5PnIoY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3Mr1WRvYiA
https://www.designweek.co.uk/a-lot-of-this-is-about-rituals-an-hour-with-notion-design-chief-randy-hunt/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4JEl7LHgqI
https://www.thegyaanproject.com/p/ep-321-lucy-datyner
https://www.thegyaanproject.com/p/ep-320-how-craft-shapes-digital-product
https://www.thegyaanproject.com/p/ep-319-craft-as-way-of-doing-things
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegyaanproject.com
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In this concluding episode of the Craft series, I (Kedar Nimkar, Host of The Gyaan Project Podcast) speak with Randy Hunt, Head of Design at Notion and Chair of the MFA Design program at SVA. Randy reflects on craft as a combination of skill, practice, and judgment, and shares how taste shapes meaningful software experiences. The conversation explores speed versus quality, scale versus care, and why momentum can sometimes improve craft. Randy also offers an interesting perspective on how he sees, AI as a material, and explains what stays as tools as technologies change. This episode is for designers, product leaders, engineers, and makers who care deeply about building thoughtful, well made digital products for the long term. Topics discussed (02:14) What is Abecedarium? (04:14) What does craft mean to you? (08:12) How has your definition of craft changed over time? (14:45) Should craft be visible to the end user? (18:04) Can craft and scale go together? (22:28) Any example of great quality with speed? (28:18) Can taste be taught? (38:17) Can craft bring value at an enterprise level? (43:32) How do you look at craft at Notion? (46:57) How do you see the future of craft in the world of AI? (48:43) How do you practice craft at Notion with AI? (51:17) What would your poster say about design? (52:00) How do you see craft evolving in the next 10 years? Reference links https://www.instagram.com/randyjhunt https://www.linkedin.com/in/randyjhunt https://www.randyjhunt.com https://www.notion.com/blog/meet-randy https://books.google.com.sg/books/about/Product_Design_for_the_Web.html?id=paKPAQAAQBAJ&source=kp_author_description&redir_esc=y https://pda.designsingapore.org/jurors/2020/randy-hunt/ https://design.sva.edu/cofaculty/randy-hunt/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=268NRHhPSZ0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ux5g5PnIoY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3Mr1WRvYiA https://www.designweek.co.uk/a-lot-of-this-is-about-rituals-an-hour-with-notion-design-chief-randy-hunt/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4JEl7LHgqI https://www.thegyaanproject.com/p/ep-321-lucy-datyner https://www.thegyaanproject.com/p/ep-320-how-craft-shapes-digital-product https://www.thegyaanproject.com/p/ep-319-craft-as-way-of-doing-things This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegyaanproject.com