Instagram story viewer> @callenthompson> Tagged

Cal Thompson

@callenthompson

2.5K

followers

3947

following

Queer artist, designer (Headspace VP Design '21-'25) & mindfulness teacher, making paintings.
📍'26 artist @vermontstudiocenter
📍'27 @studiokura

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

When anyone can build anything, what should we build? I explored this question with Cal Thompson, former VP of Product Design and Research at Headspace on the Bloomerangas Podcast 🎙️.

AI now lets designers, engineers, product managers and founders all ship features. Cal sees the result every day: products filling up with extras nobody asked for. She calls them “user need hallucinations.” Features that sound plausible but don’t come from any real human need. We’re getting “more but worse.”

Watch/listen to the full conversation on the Bloomerangas Podcast. Link in bio.

#ProductDesign #ResponsibleDesign #AI #FutureOfWork

8

3

What if the habits that help people feel better are the same ones that keep them as customers? Cal Thompson, former VP of Product Design and Research at Headspace, explains how her team worked with data to find out. 📊

Watch/listen to the full conversation on Bloomerangas Podcast. Link in bio.

#ProductDesign #UXDesign #FutureOfWork

15

0

“We are animals, we are part of the forest.” Cal Thompson, former VP of Product Design and Research at Headspace, on why human-centered design isn’t enough anymore, and what life-centered design asks of us. 🌿

Full conversation on the Bloomerangas Podcast 🎧 (link in bio)

#LifeCenteredDesign #SustainableDesign #DesignThinking

121

25

When everyone on a team can ship features, the app starts to feel like chaos. Cal Thompson, former VP of Product Design and Research at Headspace, on why designers can feel it, and why it’s time to edit things down. 🔨

Full conversation on the Futurising Podcast 🎧 (link in bio)

@callenthompson

#ProductDesign #UXDesign #AI

8

0

little moments from the show 🔵

photography by @miwahlee

30

2

BLUE!

I had such an incredible time planning this with Sam (@samaldrich3)!

We invited everyone to join us in a world-building experience: wear blue, sip a blue slushie, turn your tongue blue with ring pop, and immerse yourself in the blue exhibit. Blue was such a success and was only possible thanks to all the talented artists who contributed their work and the vision of LA Design Weekend (@ladesignweekend) in creating the space and energy to bring it all to life.

My favorite moments were seeing everyone dressed in blue and being mesmerized by the creativity of each piece in the show.

Blue Artists
@anyagups
@benmedansky
@callenthompson
@_elizabethwood__
@creativegrounds.la
@_gigiallen
@entler_studio
@kelsey_overstreet
@lieselplambeck
@dink.nation
@nooshagolab
@badglassshop
@tylerbarrydesign

Photography by @miwahlee

81

15

BLUE featured so many different materials and techniques, and I loved hearing everyone talk about what they were drawn to.

My piece for the show was a striped mirror, and I put my grandma’s little blue bird on the shelf for display. It was so fun to see people taking photos in the mirror and enjoying it. I’m excited to make more of them :)

Photography by Miwah Lee @miwahlee

67

7

BLUE was a big success, thank you to all of the artists and visitors who came out to celebrate! I feel so grateful to have co-curated this show with Melissa Anderson (@studioserpentine) as part of this year’s @ladesignweekend.

We had 15 fantastic artists in the show, and alongside their blue works we had blue drinks, blue candy, blue music, and blue artist pins (made by yours truly). The reception was poppin and so many people came dressed for the occasion!

💙🦋🐬🚙🦕🔵🌀👕🧵📘🪣🫐🐋🩵

Photography by Miwah Lee @miwahlee

(And yes, my shirt is a little purple-y. No, I DON’T wanna talk about it!!!)

136

18

@ladesignweekend has been inspiring me for years, and this year felt extra special. 💛 

One of my favorite things is getting to explore other artists’ work, discover new spaces, and see all the creativity happening in this community. I always leave with so many ideas and so much appreciation for the people making it all happen. 

Last year, I left LA Design Weekend with a little promise to myself that I’d open my own studio the following year. 

And this year, I did just that! 

Getting to be part of LA Design Weekend with @texture_la, our very first open studio and exhibition, made this year’s experience one I’ll never forget. 

So grateful to be part of this creative community and already looking forward to next year! ✨ 

#TEXTURELA #LADesignWeekend #CorrieInColor #LosAngelesDesign #CreativeCommunity

3

15

We need the new generation of design leaders

▶︎ In our recent interview, Cal Thompson, former VP of Design at Headspace, said that even with the rise of new AI tools, it's important to continue hiring junior talent and interns and allow them to bring in new expertise and ways of thinking into the work. They need to be able to learn from other humans and senior designers to grow and become the new generation of designers.

#AI #GenAI #DesignLeader #Hiring #Creative Design CreativeCapes

25

3

AI isn’t replacing designers. It’s giving them superpowers.

Exciting update to our Product Design Strategy course. ✨

In an exclusive Bonus Chapter, Cal Thompson, former VP of Design at Headspace, reveals how the design team at Headspace use AI to:
→ Elevate creativity and speed
→ Turn ideas into vision prototypes overnight
→ Stay human in an AI-powered world

If you lead design, this is something you need to see.
👉 Join the course: LINK IN BIO

#ProductDesignStrategy #Designer #Creative

36

0

AI generates, designers decide

▶︎ @callenthompson , former VP of Design at Headspace, mentioned in our recent interview with them that the main role of designers in the age of AI is to have the decision making skill to determine what is good quality and what they as humans will stand behind, because it's down to the designer to have discernment, their own taste, and their own point of view.

#AI #GenAI #Designer #Design #Creative #DesignLeader #CreativeCapes

138

8