This page provides details about Julie Zhuo (person) which was ranked #24 out of 130 in the list of brands (12 mentions (2.6% share)) in answers from AI models (Anthropic Claude Sonnet (latest), OpenAI ChatGPT Latest, Google Gemini Flash (latest), X.AI Grok (latest)) when they were asked the following 3 questions: "What are the best Design Tools options available today? Please provide a comprehensive overview including: the leading brands and products, top companies and service providers, recognized experts and thought leaders, promising startups and new market entrants, major industry events and conferences, active communities and forums, and influential publications and media covering this space.", "If I'm looking to get into Design Tools, who and what should I know about? Include the most trusted brands, recommended products and services, reputable companies and providers, influential experts and reviewers to follow, helpful communities and resources, important events and conferences, notable startups disrupting the space, and key publications and media channels to stay informed.", "What does the Design Tools industry look like right now? Identify the dominant market leaders and brands, best products and services, key companies and providers, influential figures and thought leaders, emerging startups and trends, major conferences and events, active professional communities, and the top publications and media that cover this industry." on Dec 30, 2025 by AI Chat Watch.
What are the best Design Tools options available today? Please provide a comprehensive overview including: the leading brands and products, top companies and service providers, recognized experts and thought leaders, promising startups and new market entrants, major industry events and conferences, active communities and forums, and influential publications and media covering this space.
[...] ://ueno.co)** - Digital agency (acquired by Accenture)
6. **[Work & Co](https://work.co)** - Digital product design agency
## Recognized Experts & Thought Leaders
### Design Leaders & Practitioners
1. **[Don Norman](https://jnd.org)** - Author of "The Design of Everyday Things," UX pioneer
2. **[Julie Zhuo](https://www.juliezhuo.com)** - Former VP of Product Design at Facebook, author
3. **[Mike Monteiro](https://mikemonteiro.com)** - Design director, author of "Ruined by Design"
4. **[Khoi Vinh](https://www.subtraction.com)** - Designer, former Design Director at NYTimes
5. **[Jessica Hische](https: [...]
December 30, 2025
If I'm looking to get into Design Tools, who and what should I know about? Include the most trusted brands, recommended products and services, reputable companies and providers, influential experts and reviewers to follow, helpful communities and resources, important events and conferences, notable startups disrupting the space, and key publications and media channels to stay informed.
[...] maxon.net/en/cinema-4d)** - 3D modeling and animation
13. **[After Effects](https://www.adobe.com/products/aftereffects.html)** - Motion graphics and VFX
14. **[Spline](https://spline.design)** - 3D design tool for web
## Influential Experts & Thought Leaders
### Design Leaders to Follow
1. **[Julie Zhuo](https://www.juliezhuo.com)** - Former VP of Product Design at Facebook, author of "The Making of a Manager"
2. **[Don Norman](https://jnd.org)** - Author of "The Design of Everyday Things," UX pioneer
3. **[Jared Spool](https://twitter.com/jmspool)** - Founder of [Center Centre - UIE](https://ce [...]
December 30, 2025
What does the Design Tools industry look like right now? Identify the dominant market leaders and brands, best products and services, key companies and providers, influential figures and thought leaders, emerging startups and trends, major conferences and events, active professional communities, and the top publications and media that cover this industry.
[...] nmall.com)** - Design system consultant and educator
- **[Jared Spool](https://twitter.com/jmspool)** - UX researcher and founder of [UIE](https://www.uie.com)
- **[Vitaly Friedman](https://www.smashingmagazine.com/author/vitaly-friedman/)** - Co-founder of Smashing Magazine
### Design Voices
- **[Julie Zhuo](https://www.juliezhuo.com)** - Former VP Product Design at Facebook
- **[Cap Watkins](https://capwatkins.com)** - VP of Design, author
- **[Pablo Stanley](https://www.pablostanley.com)** - Designer, illustrator, founder of [Humains](https://www.humaaans.com)
## **Major Conferences & Events**
### [...]
December 30, 2025
What are the best Design Tools options available today? Please provide a comprehensive overview including: the leading brands and products, top companies and service providers, recognized experts and thought leaders, promising startups and new market entrants, major industry events and conferences, active communities and forums, and influential publications and media covering this space.
[...] d experts & thought leaders (practical + influential)
- [Don Norman](https://jnd.org/) (human-centered design; also see [Nielsen Norman Group](https://www.nngroup.com/))
- [Jakob Nielsen](https://www.nngroup.com/people/jakob-nielsen/) (usability; [Nielsen Norman Group](https://www.nngroup.com/))
- [Julie Zhuo](https://www.juliezhuo.com/) (design leadership/product design)
- [Brad Frost](https://bradfrost.com/) (design systems)
- [Ethan Marcotte](https://ethanmarcotte.com/) (responsive web design)
- [Vitaly Friedman](https://www.vitalyfriedman.com/) ([Smashing Magazine](https://www.smashingmagazine.com/) [...]
December 30, 2025
If I'm looking to get into Design Tools, who and what should I know about? Include the most trusted brands, recommended products and services, reputable companies and providers, influential experts and reviewers to follow, helpful communities and resources, important events and conferences, notable startups disrupting the space, and key publications and media channels to stay informed.
[...] Norman](https://www.nngroup.com/people/don-norman/).
- [Don Norman](https://www.donnorman.com/) — foundational thinking on human-centered design.
- [Jakob Nielsen](https://www.nngroup.com/people/jakob-nielsen/) — usability heuristics and web UX research.
### Product design leadership and craft
- [Julie Zhuo](https://www.juliezhuo.com/) — design leadership perspectives (also authored “The Making of a Manager”).
- [Teresa Torres](https://www.producttalk.org/) — continuous discovery and product research practices.
### Practical design education channels
- [The Futur](https://thefutur.com/) — design/busi [...]
December 30, 2025
What does the Design Tools industry look like right now? Identify the dominant market leaders and brands, best products and services, key companies and providers, influential figures and thought leaders, emerging startups and trends, major conferences and events, active professional communities, and the top publications and media that cover this industry.
[...] voices with durable influence:
- **[Don Norman](https://www.jnd.org/)** (human-centered design; cofounder of [Nielsen Norman Group](https://www.nngroup.com/))
- **[Jakob Nielsen](https://www.nngroup.com/people/jakob-nielsen/)** (usability; [Nielsen Norman Group](https://www.nngroup.com/))
- **[Julie Zhuo](https://www.juliezhuo.com/)** (product design leadership)
- **[Brad Frost](https://bradfrost.com/)** (design systems; “Atomic Design” framing—book site: [atomicdesign.bradfrost.com](https://atomicdesign.bradfrost.com/))
- **[Ethan Marcotte](https://ethanmarcotte.com/)** (responsive web design) [...]
December 30, 2025
What are the best Design Tools options available today? Please provide a comprehensive overview including: the leading brands and products, top companies and service providers, recognized experts and thought leaders, promising startups and new market entrants, major industry events and conferences, active communities and forums, and influential publications and media covering this space.
[...] tandard for UX research and training.
* **[Pentagram](https://www.pentagram.com):** The world’s largest independently-owned design studio.
### 3. Recognized Experts and Thought Leaders
* **[Don Norman](https://jnd.org):** Author of *The Design of Everyday Things* and co-founder of NN/g.
* **[Julie Zhuo](https://www.inspiringhq.com):** Former VP of Design at Facebook and author of *The Making of a Manager*.
* **[Sarah Ando](https://www.sarahando.com):** A prominent voice in UX research and collaborative design.
* **[Chris Do](https://thefutur.com/team/chris-do):** Founder of The Futur, focusin [...]
December 30, 2025
If I'm looking to get into Design Tools, who and what should I know about? Include the most trusted brands, recommended products and services, reputable companies and providers, influential experts and reviewers to follow, helpful communities and resources, important events and conferences, notable startups disrupting the space, and key publications and media channels to stay informed.
[...] rms for hosting design portfolios and finding inspiration.
* **[UX Collective](https://uxdesign.cc)**: A major Medium-based publication focused on user experience.
### 5. Experts & Thought Leaders to Follow
These individuals provide deep insights into the philosophy and future of design.
* **[Julie Zhuo](https://www.juliezhuo.com)**: Former VP of Design at Facebook and author of *The Making of a Manager*.
* **[Don Norman](https://jnd.org)**: The "grandfather" of User Experience and author of *The Design of Everyday Things*.
* **[Michal Malewicz](https://www.malewicz.com)**: A prominent UI desi [...]
December 30, 2025
What does the Design Tools industry look like right now? Identify the dominant market leaders and brands, best products and services, key companies and providers, influential figures and thought leaders, emerging startups and trends, major conferences and events, active professional communities, and the top publications and media that cover this industry.
[...] s://www.mural.co) (standard for design thinking and workshops).
### 4. Influential Figures and Thought Leaders
These individuals shape the discourse around design systems, ethics, and methodology.
* **Dylan Field:** Co-founder and CEO of Figma. [Twitter Profile](https://twitter.com/zoink)
* **Julie Zhuo:** Former VP of Product Design at Facebook; author of *The Making of a Manager*. [The Inspiring Manager](https://www.inspiringmanager.com)
* **Brad Frost:** Creator of **Atomic Design**. [Brad Frost’s Blog](https://bradfrost.com)
* **Don Norman:** The grandfather of User Experience; founder of [...]
December 30, 2025
What are the best Design Tools options available today? Please provide a comprehensive overview including: the leading brands and products, top companies and service providers, recognized experts and thought leaders, promising startups and new market entrants, major industry events and conferences, active communities and forums, and influential publications and media covering this space.
[...] .autodesk.com/](https://www.autodesk.com/): For 3D/industrial design (e.g., Fusion 360 [https://www.autodesk.com/products/fusion-360/overview](https://www.autodesk.com/products/fusion-360/overview)).
### Recognized Experts and Thought Leaders
Influential figures shaping design tools discourse:
- **Julie Zhuo** [https://www.juliezhuo.com/](https://www.juliezhuo.com/): Former Facebook VP of Product Design; author of *The Making of a Manager*.
- **Femke van Schoonhoven** [https://femke.design/](https://femke.design/): Senior designer at Figma; newsletter on design careers.
- **Tobias van Schneider** [http [...]
December 30, 2025
What does the Design Tools industry look like right now? Identify the dominant market leaders and brands, best products and services, key companies and providers, influential figures and thought leaders, emerging startups and trends, major conferences and events, active professional communities, and the top publications and media that cover this industry.
[...] ) |
| Miro | Visual collab/whiteboarding | [Miro](https://miro.com/) |
Cloud providers like AWS integrate via plugins, but core is SaaS.
### Influential Figures and Thought Leaders
- **Dylan Field**: Figma CEO, collab pioneer. [Dylan Field on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/dylanfield/)
- **Julie Zhuo**: Ex-Facebook VP Design, author of "The Making of a Manager". [Julie Zhuo](https://www.juliezhuo.com/)
- **Tobias van Schneider**: Sublime co-founder, design advocate. [Tobias van Schneider](https://www.samschneider.co/)
- **Pablo Stanley**: Blush/formerly InVision, illustration leader. [Pablo Sta [...]
December 30, 2025
[...] ud providers like AWS integrate via plugins, but core is SaaS.
### Influential Figures and Thought Leaders
- **Dylan Field**: Figma CEO, collab pioneer. [Dylan Field on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/dylanfield/)
- **Julie Zhuo**: Ex-Facebook VP Design, author of "The Making of a Manager". [Julie Zhuo](https://www.juliezhuo.com/)
- **Tobias van Schneider**: Sublime co-founder, design advocate. [Tobias van Schneider](https://www.samschneider.co/)
- **Pablo Stanley**: Blush/formerly InVision, illustration leader. [Pablo Stanley](https://pablostanley.com/)
- **Femke van Schoonhoven**: UI evangelist [...]