👋 I'm Sona, a designer, an author, and a maker of a generative AI design platform. AMA
Sona J
20 replies
I'm Sona, currently serving as a Chief Design Officer (CDO) at Sivi.ai, while also wearing the hat of an author of Ecommerce UX design playbook.
Before venturing into the world of Development, leadership, and authorship, my journey began as a designer. Having worked on multiple Fortune 500 and small to medium e-commerce websites, I decided to gather all my learnings in one playbook.
When I'm not immersed in Building Sivi.ai, design, or writing, you'll find me either on a squash court or sketching outdoors.
Now, I'm excited to engage with all of you in a discussion about everything from bootstrapping, funding, Design, UX and UI, productivity, community building, and even my experience as an author.
I'll be here for the next 48 hours to answer any questions you might have. So, let's get the conversation started!
Replies
Tejaswini Gopalaswamy@tejaswini_gopalaswamy
Hey Sona, thank you for opening an AMA. The playbook shares the do's, what would be the top 3 dont's according to you?
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@tejaswini_gopalaswamy That depends on the topic. For example, if we take e-commerce marketing emails, I would suggest: don't spam, don't neglect mobile optimization, and don't use the same template
@tejaswini_gopalaswamy Hey Tejaswini, thanks for the follow, followed you back BTW! Congratulations on the amazing Sivi launch -- any tips for a founder also launching an AI product this month?
@kimberley_lattanzio Many!
- Build an awesome community
- List spaces you can share the launch on
- Be active on PH
- Let your product speak for itself & make sure your copy conveys it
- Support generously
PH is a beautiful community and generous with its genuine feedback.
Happy to share more, let's connect via linkedin!
can you share most important steps to avoid drop-offs at the checkout stage
When you started your career, what made you choose UI/UX?
Hi Sona! your work sounds very interesting. In your opinion what are the biggest challenges e-commerce is facing in 2023, in terms of UX, but also generally? Super curios to hear your opinion.
Hello @janine_nitz, thank you for your interest! In 2023, I think the e-commerce industry is facing several challenges, both in terms of UX and more generally. Some challenges I think are increased customer expectations, ethical and eco-friendly considerations, instant deliveries, customizations, etc.
You are wearing different hats - especially an engineer with expertise in design - which I find would be a very tough ask for many people. And now you have taken up the role of an author and e-commerce evangelist. What makes you equip yourself with such versatile skills, and what would be your advice to people who want to do something similar? And talking about e-commerce, can small D2C brands take on bigger platforms by empowering themselves with the learnings from the playbook?
@saravana_kumar26 Thank you for your appreciation! Continuous learning and perseverance have been instrumental in upskilling me. Speaking of D2C brands, absolutely, integrating the insights from the playbook would greatly enhance their website experience.
Could you share some key insights or lessons you've learned throughout your journey as a designer, leader, and author that have had a significant impact on your career?
@paul_pamfil I'd say collaboration, empathy, continuous learning, sharing knowledge, and giving back to the community are some that have had a significant impact
Hi Sona! Wearing so many hats, how do you keep track of all your ideas?
Whether it be for clients, designs or your own random ideas, how do you go from thinking "oh that's a great idea I should write that down" to fleshing it out, sharing it, acting upon it etc?
Hello @calli_fuchigami, David Allen quotes “Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them.” I try to write down all the ideas, act upon the ones that will yield results, and reject those that wouldn't work out.
Great product, But how do you position yourself from products like Microsoft Designer. Where I am able to generate an ad with a single prompt using AI. And also able to edit the composed creative ?
Thanks, @rakesh_sundar! I guess MD helps generate image and one or two pieces of text and replaces templates with those. If you look at business visuals, they need more pieces of content. Sivi follows the design process and generates business visuals. It doesn't replace templates.