How to Develop Killer Taste

Hey, I’m Shane.

This newsletter is for founders, builders, and anyone shaping the future of software. Every week, I’ll share tools, advice, and lessons from my life as the founder of Turbo, a design studio helping startups build great products.

At some point, you may have downloaded one of my digital products—maybe my iPod Wallpaper or iOS Vision Prototype, or you may have found me on Twitter.

Today, you’re here because I’m starting something new: Design for Builders.

If you’re someone who loves to build products and wants to improve your design sense so you can create more well-crafted, beautiful stuff, this newsletter is for you

Let’s kick things off with the first issue: Developing Good Taste.

Here’s some quick takeaways before you start:

• Designing is now the easy part. The founder’s taste shapes the product’s future.

• Honing your taste is a skill you can develop.

• Articulate your taste is the key to high-quality, fast execution.

• Find the quickest way to calibrate your taste with your team.

I’ll also have a fun challenge for you at the end. Let’s get started!

Design is easy. Taste is hard.

As you know, AI tools have made building stuff ridiculously easy.

You can throw together an app in a weekend. I know because I actually did it.

But the difference between meh and wow? That’s your taste.

It has become a bit of a buzzword in the VC and startup world nowadays, but taste is truly what separates the products everyone loves from the ones no one remembers.

The good news? Taste isn’t some magical gift. It’s a skill you can work on.

Step 1: Feed Your Brain the Good Stuff

Your taste is only as good as what you consume. If you’re only looking at bad design, guess what you’ll create?

Consuming is one thing, but to develop your taste, you have to be actively curating.

Here’s how to start:

1. Save what inspires you. Use tools like Pinterest, Cosmos, MyMind or Eagle to organize visual ideas.

2. Explore the real stuff. Collect designs that actually got shipped out in the real world, and not prototypes. Skip Dribbble, and check out Mobbin, 60 FPS, PageFlows, or Minimal Gallery for real-world inspiration.

3. Go deep into niches. Find and lurk in a community For hardware, check out SeeSaw. For branding inspo, bookmark BP&O.

Pro tip: Schedule 30 minutes a week to add to your library. It’s a habit that compounds.

Step 2: Break It Down

Seeing good design is one thing, but understanding why you think it’s good is another.

When you find a design you love, make it a habit to ask yourself:

• Why does this work?

• How does it make me feel?

• What do others say about this?

• Could this inspire my product?

Asking yourself these questions will help you understand why something works and refine your own taste.

The more you dissect, the sharper your sense of taste becomes. Even more importantly, you’ll develop a keener eye for bad design

Step 3: Learn to Articulate Your Taste

Here’s where most builders get stuck: they know what they like and what’s good, but they can’t explain why it’s good

If you’re working with a team and can’t articulate your taste, they’ll end up frustrated and unmotivated. A recipe for bad design and team dysfunction.

Here’s the fix:

1. Put it down. Write down what “good design” means to you in 3-5 bullet points.

2. Show don’t tell . Share them the examples of what you’re aiming and, and be specific on the things you like on that design.

3. Overcommunicate early. Don’t assume things and try to be specific on the details. Encourage your team to ask clarifying questions.

It can be annoying at first because you might think “why don’t they just get it??” as you’re telling them the design you want. Resist it.

The quality and speed of your product depend on how well you communicate your taste and how well your team understands it.

Step 4: Calibrate Your Taste with Your Team

Once you’ve honed your taste and can articulate it, the next step is calibration. This means working with your team to align their execution with your vision.

Your job here is to strike a balance between your vision and your design team’s creativity. Once you get to that sweet spot, you’ll get closer to the High Craft Velocity zone.

✅ High Craft: Your product looks and feels amazing.
✅ Velocity: Your team works fast because they get your vision.

To get to this point, you need to work with designers who challenge you, and not just “yes” people. That’s where the magic happens.

It’s the same principle if you’re a solo builder who hires freelancers for design projects: calibrate quickly so the people you hire can use their creativity to execute your vision.

Once you get to the High Craft Velocity zone, you’re in the perfect spot where you can design beautiful products fast.

Developing a killer taste is not something you can do instantly. You have to take the time to consume, explore, and curate.

It’s a long journey, but if you’re a builder, it’ll be worth it. Trust me.

Your Challenge

Take 5 screenshots of product or brand designs you love. Write a sentence or two about why they’re great.

This exercise will help you clarify your taste and maybe give you something to bring to your next design meeting.

Then, share them with your team (or post them on Twitter and tag me @theshanelevine — I’ll share my favorites!).

Remember: Your taste is your superpower. Build it, explain it, and watch your product stand out.

Cheers,
Shane

P.S. If you liked this, forward it to a builder friend. Let’s build something amazing together.