When hiring for Zenly and Amo, the team prioritized a candidate's side projects over their experience at Meta or Apple. Side projects are the strongest signal of curiosity, ambition, and an entrepreneurial mindset—acting as a "Trojan horse" for getting noticed by top companies.
Instead of a complex design system, a single, delightful element—like Zenly's bouncy logo or Amo's animated avatars—acted as a central "atom." This created a "halo effect," organically dictating the feel of the entire UI, from animations to overall product personality, ensuring a cohesive DNA.
Amo's visual language breakthrough came from mimicking a refrigerator door—a messy collage of magnets and papers. This "fridge ID" concept led to a UI built on layered, sticker-like elements, creating a look that is thoughtfully chaotic, personal, and distinct from polished, grid-based designs.
Real delight is not a superficial layer like confetti, but is embedded in the core UX through physical, tactile interactions. Amo's friend browser mimics an old Rolodex or iPod wheel—a non-essential but highly engaging mechanic that makes users smile even after repeated use.
Julien Martin learned design fundamentals not through formal training, but by iterating hundreds of times on a simple banner under Behance co-founder Mathias Correa. This obsessive focus on alignment and balance instilled a deep appreciation for precision and craft, shaping his entire career.
Contrary to popular belief, a resume from a top tech company can be a disadvantage when applying to startups. Hiring managers now often prefer candidates with freelance, agency, or startup backgrounds, fearing that big-company hires will bring a slow, process-heavy mindset incompatible with a nimble environment.
Modern startups aim to stay lean, meaning the founding designer is often the *only* designer for years. This role requires a "360-degree" skillset: participating in strategy, shipping hands-on craft, creating marketing assets, and even committing code. Specialization is a liability in this new environment.
To truly differentiate, Zenly and Amo focused on creating entirely new interaction patterns. The "edge zoom"—pulling a thumb along the screen edge to zoom the map—was so effective that users found it hard to use standard maps afterward, demonstrating how novel UX creates a deep, defensible moat.
A truly product-driven culture involves everyone, not just designers and product managers. At Amo and Zenly, a deep connection between all teams was crucial, with many innovative product ideas originating from unexpected places like the backend engineering team, who were deeply involved in shaping the user experience.