Conversations with creatives. Growing together through design and community. west & ease is part of & luo studio — designing for connection at andluo.studio. <br/><br/><a href="https://www.westandease.com/s/conversations?utm_medium=podcast">www.westandease.com</a>
west & ease
Claim This Podcastby Leslie Luo
8 episodes
Updated Daily
Accepts GuestsHas SponsorsLocation 🇺🇸
Podcast Overview
Conversations with creatives. Growing together through design and community. west & ease is part of & luo studio — designing for connection at andluo.studio. <br/><br/><a href="https://www.westandease.com/s/conversations?utm_medium=podcast">www.westandease.com</a>
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
12/27/2023
1 verified contact email on file for west & ease
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Recent Episodes
June 23, 2026
On my own timeline
<p>There’s a particular kind of clarity that comes from being told “no.”</p><p>Not the sting of it, though that’s real too, but what’s underneath once you’ve sat with it long enough. Specifically, the relief. Because I am human, and like most humans, I carry a deep wish to belong, to be accepted, to be seen as enough. And for a long time, I kept trying to be more of what was expected, hoping that would change things.</p><p>At some point, I realized how incredible it is to be told “no,” so I can be redirected towards a life worth living. To be relinquished from the confines and definitions of who I am “supposed to be.”</p><p>So this year, I started <a target="_blank" href="http://www.andluo.studio?utm_source=westandease.com">& luo studio</a>.</p><p><strong>--</strong></p><p><strong>Let’s try together.</strong></p><p>If you’re a founder or product leader looking for a fractional product design partner to help you build with more clarity and intention, I’d love to hear what you’re working on.</p><p>If you’re a designer navigating a transition, figuring out what’s next, or trying to make work actually feel like what you want, I offer one-on-one coaching.</p><p>And if you just want to be in a room with curious, creative people, come to something I host in Brooklyn.</p><p>You can find all of it at <a target="_blank" href="http://www.andluo.studio?utmsource=westandease.com">andluo.studio</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.instagram.com/lxluo/">@lxluo</a> and say hello at <a target="_blank" href="mailto:leslie@andluo.studio">leslie@andluo.studio</a>.</p><p>Music by <a target="_blank" href="https://pixabay.com/users/lsaudio-54077238/?utmsource=westandease">lsaudio</a> from <a target="_blank" href="https://pixabay.com/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=1535">Pixabay</a></p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://www.westandease.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2">www.westandease.com/subscribe</a>
June 11, 2026
Designing Postcards: social media for real friends
<p>A quick reintroduction for anyone new here: Hi, I’m Leslie and I’m a product designer. I’ve spent the last decade-plus building with early-stage startups and larger tech teams. Now I run my own studio, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.andluo.studio/">& luo studio</a>, as a fractional product design partner for teams building meaningful experiences.</p><p>If you’ve followed along here for a while, you probably know me more for the creative side of my life including the gatherings I host and the creatives I love featuring. But lately I’ve been wanting to open up to share the projects I’m diving into. So I’m trying something new with this one: a bit of behind-the-scenes.</p><p>For a while now I’ve been embedded with the team building <a target="_blank" href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/postcards-are-fun/id6764377933"><strong>Postcards</strong></a>. <a target="_blank" href="https://jared.xyz/?utmsource=westandease.com">Jared</a>, the founder, and a friend, <a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/jaredhecht/status/2062562603612754394?s=46&t=NbgKyDBtp6PYBC954xyEbg">recently wrote about why we made it and what it means to him</a>: his case for social media in its purest form, sharing with the people you actually know. I want to share the other side: what it was like to actually design it (so far).</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/postcards-are-fun/id6764377933">Postcards is live on iOS</a>. Try it out and send us your feedback. We’d love to hear what you think.</p><p>And if you’re a founder or a small team building something meaningful, looking for an embedded design partner who works like this: intentional, fast-moving, comfortable with AI as part of the process but not the whole thing, I’d love to hear from you. I run <a target="_blank" href="http://www.andluo.studio?utmsource=westandease.com">& luo studio</a>, and you can reach me at <a target="_blank" href="mailto:leslie@andluo.studio">leslie@andluo.studio</a>.</p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://www.westandease.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2">www.westandease.com/subscribe</a>
April 21, 2026
Eric Li on building Scratch with AI and the case for thoughtfully crafted software
<p>Interviewed in April 2026. This conversation has been edited for clarity and brevity.</p><p> west & ease is a space for conversations with creatives, insights on design, and the moments that bring community to life. I’m Leslie Luo, and I’ve always been fascinated by how we interpret the world. And west & ease is where I explore that through conversations, design, and community.</p><p>Today I’m talking with <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ericli.io/?utmsource=westandease.com">Eric Li,</a> a self-taught designer, developer, and co-founder of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.getversive.com/?utmsource=westandease.com">Versive</a>, a YC-backed AI user research platform. Eric started his career in investment banking, then made a deliberate pivot into product, designing at Bread as their first designer, at Uber Eats, and leading product and design at Vareto before starting his own company, Versive.</p><p>Recently, he built <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ericli.io/scratch?utmsource=westandease.com">Scratch</a>, a free open-source markdown notes app, all in a weekend using AI coding agents and watched it blow up on GitHub, LinkedIn, and Twitter. We get into his actual workflow with Claude Code. Why design taste is still the hard part, even when AI can ship working software in minutes, and what building in public looks like when you’re already running a company. </p><p>To learn more about Eric and his work, visit <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ericli.io/?utmsource=westandease.com">www.ericli.io</a> or follow him on <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/erictli/?utmsource=westandease.com">Linkedin</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/erictli?utmsource=westandease.com">Twitter</a>.</p><p>You can also read our first conversation, where Eric shares more about his creative journey.</p><p><p>west & ease is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></p><p>west & ease is part of <a target="_blank" href="http://www.andluo.studio/?utmsource=westandease.com/holding-space-for-connection">& luo studio</a>, where I do fractional design consulting, design coaching, and host creative community events. If you’re a brand, team, or creative partner interested in collaborating, I’d love to connect. You can learn more and reach out at <a target="_blank" href="http://www.andluo.studio">www.andluo.studio</a>.</p><p>Credits</p><p>Music by <a target="_blank" href="https://pixabay.com/users/lsaudio-54077238/?utmsource=westandease">lsaudio</a> from <a target="_blank" href="https://pixabay.com/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=1535">Pixabay</a></p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://www.westandease.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2">www.westandease.com/subscribe</a>
8 total episodes available
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