#26 - Experience Design—Apple's Best Kept Secret - Tim Kobe Tech Lead Journal

"Most people confuse a technical capability with technology. Ultimately, technology is a technical capability plus the human outcome that it creates."

Tim Kobe is a design leader, author, and founder of Eight Inc., a global award-winning strategic design firm also widely recognized as “Apple’s best kept secret”. In this episode, we looked at how successful brands build radical impact by creating ground-breaking human experiences with design.

We started off with Tim’s career journey, the founding of Eight Inc., and how he ended up working with Steve Jobs for over 12 years, including coming up with the original design of the iconic Apple’s flagship stores. Tim also shared how he sees Steve Job’s mission to democratize technology and how he helped Apple built a unique branded experience. We then dived deep into Experience Design (XD), starting with understanding the human outcomes to building the strategy and tactics to create value with a unique human experience. We also discussed how Asia is evolving in Experience Design and how COVID has been dramatically changing the world. Tim also spoke about the massive impact of AI & ML that is yet to be witnessed. Towards the end, Tim shared insights about some future trends that he is currently working on to transform the industries and shape the future in human connection from retail, banking, real estate, telecommunication, and even government!

Listen out for:


Career Journey - [00:06:29]
Apple’s Strong Brand & Best Kept Secret - [00:11:55]
Apple Stores Concept - [00:16:20]
On Steve Jobs - [00:19:39]
Experience Design (XD)- [00:21:14]
Design Thinking - [00:27:49]
Digital Products & Design - [00:28:59]
COVID Impact - [00:32:32]
AI/ML in XD - [00:37:08]
Asia’s Promise & Notable Brands - [00:44:02]
The Future Trends - [00:50:21]
3 Tech Lead Wisdom - [00:55:01]

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Tim Kobe’s Bio
Tim Kobe is a design leader, author, and founder of the globally recognized strategic and experience design firm Eight Inc.

For almost 30 years in design and a leader in Innovation and Branded Experience, Eight Inc. has worked with companies such as Apple, Virgin Atlantic Airways, Nike, Coke, Knoll and Citibank. The firm takes on an interdisciplinary and holistic approach, working across traditional disciplines including strategy, architecture, exhibition, interior design, product, communications and branding. Many projects have received international design awards and have been published across Asia, Europe, and the United States. Eight Inc. has studios in San Francisco, New York, Honolulu, Tokyo, London, Singapore, Dubai, Istanbul and across China.

Kobe is a keynote speaker and speaks on topics surrounding design, innovation, technology and business valuation for many internationally known forums. He has been featured and recognized for his work in prominent publications like Harvard Business Review, Bloomberg, The Economist, Dezeen and Fast Company.

Follow Tim:


Twitter – https://twitter.com/TimKobe
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/timkobe/
Email – kobe@eightinc.com
Eight Inc – https://eightinc.com/


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For more info about the episode (including quotes and transcript), visit techleadjournal.dev/episodes/26.