Olaolu Olawuyi

I took some time to share my own take on what Shopify Winter ’26 truly means for the ecosystem, and why I think app developers shouldn’t just pay attention, but get excited. There’s been a lot of talk about where Shopify is headed, and whether app devs might feel at risk. My view? This edition is a big signal that apps still matter, and there are new pathways opening up with AI workflows, Sidekick extensibility, agentic storefronts, and more. If you build apps, partner with merchants, or have wondered whether the Winter ’26 changes shift the landscape for developers,this one’s for you. 👉 https://lnkd.in/gtyq8um5 #Shopify #Swym #Ecommerce #WinterEditions'26

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Is the news about Shopify adding a coding section to PM interviews a signal for the direction the industry is going? With the rise of AI, it seems to be moving toward a core requirement. This isn't about becoming an engineer; it's about being a more effective partner to your dev team. ​What's your take? Is this the future, or is it a step too far?

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I wanted to double underline the sunk cost fallacy, just throwing things away, and vibe coding as a way to explore —and then throw it away! It's how a series of systems at Shopify are built * GSD (Get Shit Done): our product management system. The PROTOTYPE phase is for exploration, the artifacts (code) should be thrown away before the BUILD phase * Hackdays: you don't have to ship anything (you can!) but working with folks you don't usually get to work with and trying non-obvious avenues of attack * Subtraction: what if we don't need this tool/code/process/approach anymore? Can we make it simpler? All of these lean on LEARNING as the artifact 🔑 — not the design, process or existing code Vibe coding is super useful for all types of these explorations Here’s Tobias and Rousseau talking about it

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i recently watched Michael Riddering's chat with Darrin Henein, where he quotes Jared Spool: “design is the rendering of intent.” that line stuck with me. it’s the idea that our job as designers isn’t just to imagine an outcome, but to make it real. not just for ourselves, but for our team and, ultimately, for the people who will use what we build. it reminded me that getting others to see and feel the intended experience is just as important as designing it. because when everyone's aligned on what we're aiming for, we’re far more likely to ship something users actually feel was made for them. and that alignment starts with how we share our work. i used to drop a figma link or screenshot and call it a day. fast? sure. but static frames miss motion, pacing, and interaction. they leave gaps. and more importantly, they miss the chance to help others get a real feel for what the experience is intended to be. this opens the door to fill in gaps with imagination. intent can get lost. feedback drifts. decisions stall. today, i try to pick the artifact that fits the moment: 📸 screenshot: for a quick glance ✨ gif: to show a delightful interaction or magical moment 🎬 screen recording: a run-through of a staged figma prototype or early code 🎙️ quick loom with narration: same run-through, plus the why (if you ask my team, my “quick looms” are rarely quick 😂) 💻 live, coded prototype: teams can click, poke, break, and feel the thing for themselves screenshots still have their place. but alignment happens faster when people can really get a feel for what you're designing, beyond just seeing a static version of it. how do you render intent in your process?

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"This is genuinely the most exciting design role in the company right now - leading AI at scale for millions of merchants, defining future of software interfaces, Shopify's #1 priority with full executive support and resources." Always a strong signal when you're discussing a new opening for the roster, this incoming role is huge...!

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Two things about Shopify’s hiring process really stuck with me. 1️⃣ Even VPs have to code. Every engineering director and VP candidate does a coding interview. Not strategy. Not leadership philosophy. A coding interview. Apparently, many VP candidates are shocked. Shopify CTO Farhan Thawar explains it simply: “We believe they are still deeply in love with technology.” The point isn’t that leaders should code every day. It’s that the best engineering cultures are led by people who are still running toward the craft. When leaders step back into coding interviews, something interesting happens: The muscle memory comes back. And whether it does tells you a lot. 2️⃣ AI tools are allowed in interviews. Candidates can use anything. Cursor. Copilot. Claude. Whatever they’d use on the job. But Farhan isn’t just watching for speed. He’s watching how candidates think when AI fails. He described a candidate who ran into a single-character bug in AI-generated code. Trivial to fix manually. Instead of fixing it, the candidate kept re-prompting the model — hoping it would catch the mistake. Farhan stopped them and asked: “Are you really an engineer?” What Shopify is looking for: Engineers who are 90–95% AI-assisted. Not 100% AI-dependent. That last 5–10% matters. The judgment to: • step in • fix the line • understand what broke Speed is table stakes now. The real signal is whether someone can still think clearly in the moments where AI isn’t enough. 🔗

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For designers contributing to enterprise-level code: How did your design org get engineering to support this collaboration? What were those first conversations like? 🤔 For context: Many years ago, I worked at a startup where designers were encouraged to code and contribute directly. What I’ve never fully understood is how this works at enterprise scale. How did design and engineering align on such a setup?

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Proud to share my latest blog post with Tidal Cyber! As a Senior UX Designer working in a fast-paced, lean team environment, I’ve learned that thoughtful design doesn’t just mean making things look good—it means making them work for everyone. In this post, I share practical insights for designing with accessibility in mind—especially in cybersecurity, where users are often stressed, neurodiverse, or navigating complex tools with varying levels of expertise. From context-switching to collaboration, it’s all part of the challenge—and the joy—of designing in this space. Check it out 👇🏾 #UXDesign #Accessibility #Cybersecurity #InclusiveDesign #LeanUX #WomenInTech #Neurodiversity #DesignMatters

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