Stripe built "Protodash," an internal tool that allows designers, PMs, and engineers to quickly create high-fidelity AI prototypes that mirror the real product. This removes the bottleneck of needing engineering for early exploration and empowers proactive, cross-functional ideation.
Stripe intentionally uses a long, descriptive H1 headline. For a multifaceted company, a traditional short headline would be too generic to be meaningful. The longer sentence provides necessary context and sets the stage for the product's complexity, asking users to pause and read.
Stripe's website features a data visualization that isn't functionally interactive but serves a critical purpose. It communicates care, technical prowess, and global scale. For a company handling money, this "utility in beauty" builds subconscious user trust and makes the product more compelling.
Stripe's sophisticated website imagery begins with AI but requires extensive manual work in Photoshop and 3D rendering to perfect details like lighting and shadows. The team believes that subconscious visual imperfections erode user trust, making the arduous human touch a worthwhile investment.
Katie Dill, Stripe's Head of Design, actively uses their internal prototyping tools and codes on weekends. She believes that for leaders to be effective in a rapidly changing technical landscape, they must stay in touch with the tools and workflows their teams use daily, rather than just managing from a distance.
AI tools are raising the baseline quality of design, making a "7 out of 10" experience nearly free to produce. Stripe sees this not as a call to do more, but to reallocate saved time toward creating exceptionally crafted, "15 out of 10" moments that truly differentiate the product.
Stripe's hiring criteria have evolved. Beyond craft, they now prioritize two key traits: a deep curiosity about AI's impact and "agency"—the proactive drive to build and experiment without being asked. They look for candidates with a "fire under their belly" who will push the company forward.
Stripe's design philosophy is influenced by co-founder Patrick Collison's question about what modernism lost. The team actively counters clean, sterile design by adding small, humane details and moments of magic, believing product experiences have become too disconnected and lacking in humanity.
While design systems ensure consistency, Stripe's leadership warns against letting them stifle innovation. When launching a "magical" new product like Financial Accounts, the team realized standard components felt underwhelming. They chose to break the pattern to create a bespoke UI that matched the product's promise.
Stripe maintains an uncompromisingly high bar for quality, even if it means making painful last-minute decisions. They would rather have a hard conversation and pull a project—or even retract an already-live billboard—than ship something the team isn't proud of. This culture prioritizes long-term pride over short-term deadlines.