This talk is about the soft side of software — the intuitive, often overlooked skills that help us build products people truly love. It’s about developing your taste, learning to recognize quality, and understanding why those things matter when writing code.

It’s also about un-learning certain habits we pick up as engineers — the urge to optimize, validate, and measure — to make space for empathy, vision, and a bit of magic.

I’ll share some of my experiences trying to build great products, and offer practical ways to train your eye for quality: how to spot the difference between good and great, and how to create things that don’t just work correctly, but feel right.