Tom Harman, a design leader with twenty years of experience at Monzo and BuzzFeed, joins The Gyaan Project to explore craft, taste and the role of AI in modern product teams. He explains how clarity, judgment and shared language shape high quality work. A useful episode for designers, PMs and founders who want to sharpen decision making, move with speed and build trust through thoughtful design.

Topics discussed

(00:00:00) Intro(00:01:03) What does craft mean to you(00:06:00) Rituals to improve craft(00:11:43) How do you define what great looks like(00:14:21) What does taste mean to you(00:18:57) How do you instill taste(00:22:44) How to keep pushing the boundaries(00:28:49) How is AI a copilot for craft and taste(00:32:38) How to work with AI(00:39:17) Can AI create serendipity(00:41:53) How do we ensure maximum impact and quality(00:47:06) How to handle uninformed decision makers(00:49:26) One poster idea on craft(00:51:32) Future of craft in the world of AI

Reference links

https://intentional.partners/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomharman/

https://x.com/tomharman

https://mastodon.social/@tomharman

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Today, The Gyaan Project turns 9.

And honestly, it feels surreal.

Since 27th December 2016, I have been documenting Indian creative wisdom across disciplines and ways of thinking. After 318 episodes, I found myself wondering how to mark this moment and the answer came naturally.

So here it is.

A small celebration.

A warm offering.

9th Anniversary Soup

9 bites from 9 conversations.

This is primarily an audio episode. You can also watch it on YouTube if you like.

The episode opens with Dr. Uttara Chousalkar from Episode 66, singing a short phrase of Baul music. The episode then closes with a few lines by Mohammad Muneem Nazir (Alif), from Episode 265.

The soup brings together these nine questions and voices:

What is Design? by B.V. Doshi

What is a frame? by Prashant Godbole

Should art depict society or should society learn from art? by Varun Grover

Is it wise to change your career path in Design? by Ruchita Madhok

How was design seen in the 1970s? by Sujata Keshavan

What is the measure of a good designer? by Ayaz Basrai

Why do we need art? by Rajat Kapoor

I hope you enjoy this soup as much as I enjoyed making it.

If you would like to give me an anniversary gift - Please share this episode with as many people as you can. And if you have not already, do subscribe to the YouTube channel and The Gyaan Project website. It truly means a lot.

Thank you for listening.

Thank you for staying.

See you next year.

Take care.

And stay curious.

Summary

This episode of The Gyaan Project features Harish Kumar and Anurag Bartarey who shaped Ather Energy’s groundbreaking EV dashboard. Recorded just before Ather’s IPO, we dive into the design process, challenges, and the nuances that make the dashboard so unique. It is ideal for designers, technologists, and EV enthusiasts curious about how hardware and software come together on two wheels. This is not a sponsored episode, just a deep and fun conversation.

Topics discussed in the episode

* What drew you both to Ather, and what was the mindset when you joined?

* Anurag: How did you shift from digital design to vehicles?

* Harish: What tech foundations were critical for building the ecosystem?

* How did you imagine a new dashboard UX and navigation system?

* What challenges came with integrating the dashboard into the scooter’s design?

* Anurag: How did you design gesture interactions and Ather’s sonic identity?

* Harish: What were the Linux limitations and how did you test with OTA updates?

* How did a startup mindset shape Ather’s design outcomes?

* With constant updates, how do you balance evolution with the original vision?

* Looking back, what critical but underrated decisions shaped Ather?

* What advice for young designers working across hardware and software?

Reference links

* Harish Kumar — https://in.linkedin.com/in/harish-kumar-b0926465

* Anurag Bartarey — https://in.linkedin.com/in/anuragbartarey

* Anurag’s portfolio — https://www.abartarey.com/

* Ather Energy (Wikipedia) — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ather_Energy

* Ather 450 series (Wikipedia) — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ather_450

* Ather Energy (LinkedIn) — https://in.linkedin.com/company/ather-energy

* Ather Energy (Instagram) — https://www.instagram.com/atherenergy/

* Ep22: Understanding motorcycle design with Chetan Shedjale

* Ep. 274 - Designing Trucks with Sathiya Seelan Gangaasalam