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Rob Breeds
Senior Product Designer at Redgate Software
Professional Background
Rob Breeds is a highly experienced and accomplished UX designer and design thinking coach, recognized for his innovative approach and expertise in user-centered design. With over 20 years of diverse experience spanning sales, marketing, publishing, requirements management, software development, and design, Rob has worked across a variety of industries that include a technical book publishing company, a venture-capital-funded university startup, and a large pharmaceutical manufacturer. His robust career trajectory is complemented by positions at some of the most reputable organizations in the tech industry, including Redgate Software and IBM, where he served as Head of UX Design for the Cloud Integration Platform.
Rob’s journey into the world of design began with his foundational role as a software developer at Galileo, where he was instrumental in developing mainframe services for the airline reservations sector. His profound understanding of technology and user needs has allowed him to shape products that resonate with users. Additionally, his exceptional ability to combine technology with creativity propels him into the role of an innovator, as demonstrated by his impressive portfolio that includes more than 15 technology patents and publications that highlight his mastery in the field.
Rather than focusing merely on aesthetic design, Rob is an evangelist and facilitator for Design Thinking, working closely with leaders, development teams, and product managers to ensure the delivery of exceptional products. His unique approach places a strong emphasis on not just creating a better product, but delivering the right product that genuinely meets users' needs.
Education and Achievements
Rob Breeds holds a Bachelor of Science with Honors in Chemistry and a Certificate in Education, both earned from the University of Bath. This educational background provided him with a strong analytical foundation that he has leveraged throughout his diverse career. His studies helped him develop critical thinking skills and a methodical approach to problem-solving, which are essential traits in user experience design. Rob's academic achievements underscore his commitment to personal growth and continuous learning, qualities that he imparts to others through his design training courses and workshops.
His status as a Master Inventor during his time at IBM reflects not only his technical acumen but also his dedication to innovative thinking. Rob has continually pushed the boundaries of what is possible in user experience design, which is evident in his ongoing contributions to the field. His passion for understanding customer needs and delivering quality solutions has earned him a respected place among his peers and followers in the design community.
Notable Achievements
- Senior Product Designer at Redgate Software: Rob contributes his expertise to enhance user experiences at a leading software company known for its innovative approach to database tools.
- Head of User Experience Design at Elixel: In this leadership role, he directed the UX design strategy and implementation, achieving significant improvements in product usability and customer satisfaction.
- Design Lead for IBM Cloud Integration Platform: Under his leadership, the platform became more user-friendly, showcasing his ability to bridge the gap between technical functionality and user engagement.
- Master Inventor with IBM: This honor represents Rob’s significant contributions to technological innovation, cementing his status as a thought leader in the tech industry.
- Active Innovator: With over 15 technology patents, Rob showcases his commitment to innovation and problem-solving, reinforcing his position at the forefront of UX design and technology.
Skills and Specialties
Rob Breeds’ specialties span across multiple domains, making him a versatile professional in the UX realm. His key skills include:
- Innovation: Always pushing for novel solutions and creative approaches to design challenges.
- Marketing: Adept at understanding market needs and positioning products effectively.
- Copywriting: Skilled in crafting compelling narratives that resonate with target audiences.
- Web Application Development: Proficient in developing user-friendly web applications that prioritize user experience.
- User Experience Design: Extensive knowledge in creating optimal user journeys that enhance interaction with digital products.
- Creative Thinking: A strong advocate for innovative and outside-the-box thinking in problem-solving.
Rob's approach combines his technical expertise with a passion for understanding and satisfying customer needs, ensuring that products are designed with both functionality and user desires in mind.
Overall, Rob Breeds is an exemplary figure in the field of UX design and design thinking. With an impressive career history, a solid ed
Highlights
Today I was sitting with my Dad and talking about random stuff. And I mean random. You see, he has dementia and multiple myeloma and his cognitive function is not what it used to be. I deliberately haven’t used the words impaired or reduced, because I’ve noticed his brain still solves problems, albeit in an unusual, and quite remarkable way.
Dad has hallucinations and sees things that are very real, and often upsetting for him. Today, he declared he wants to get an anteater. I asked why, and that I might have trouble ordering one on Amazon (I haven’t checked). His very rational and ecologically friendly answer, is to get rid of the ants he sees and feels marching across his eyebrows.
He also fixates on finger and toe nail cutting (a big event). He’s come up with a technique that involves a vertical snip in the centre of the nail, spraying with WD160*, and then cutting away across the nail in both directions. (We didn’t try it).
*I asked about the WD160. It’s to smooth the cutting operation. To make it even easier, sometimes WD180 might be needed. (It’s WD40 on steroids!).
Many of our conversations are like this. To me they are delightfully funny and endearing. And quite a revelation about the way the human brain works, even when it’s changed and different to how it once was.
It’s a reminder that when I’m designing software of the maxim: “you are not your user”. Sitting with people, observing and listening, is vital.
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Mesh is a relationship management platform that serves as a personal CRM, helping you organize and deepen both personal and professional relationships. It functions as a beautiful rolodex and CRM available on iPhone, Mac, Windows, and web, built automatically to help manage your network efficiently. Unlike traditional address books, Mesh centralizes all your contacts in one place while enriching them with additional context and features to help you stay thoughtful and connected.
Mesh works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
Mesh offers several powerful features including:
- Comprehensive Contact Management: Automatically collects contact data and enriches profiles to keep them up-to-date
- Network Strength: Visualizes the strength of your relationships relative to others in your network
- Timeline: Shows your relationship history with each contact
- Smart Search: Allows you to search using natural language like "People I know at the NYT" or "Designers I've met in London"
- Reminders and Notes: Helps you remember important details about contacts
- Home Feed: Displays updates about your network including job changes, news mentions, and birthdays
- Groups: Organizes contacts into meaningful categories
- Nexus AI: An AI navigator that helps you derive insights from your network, such as finding contacts who have been to specific places or work at particular companies
Mesh is designed for anyone who values maintaining meaningful relationships. The app is popular among a wide range of industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. It’s even used by half the Fortune 500! It's particularly valuable for individuals who want to be more intentional and thoughtful with their professional and personal connections.
Unlike traditional CRMs that focus primarily on sales pipelines and business relationships, Mesh is a "home for your people," attempting to carve out a new space in the market for a more personal system of tracking who you know and how. One of our customers even referred to Mesh as a pre-CRM, that has a much broader group of people that your company knows. Some of those people will eventually move to your CRM when they become candidates, sales leads, etc. Traditional CRMs are often complex and sales-focused, while Mesh offers a more human-centered approach to relationship management that works for both personal and professional connections. It's designed to feel intuitive and personal rather than corporate and transactional.
Mesh takes privacy seriously. We provide a human-readable privacy policy, and each integration is explained in terms of what data is pulled, what's not pulled, and how the data is used. Mesh encrypts data on its servers and in transit, and the company's goal is to make Mesh work fully locally on users' devices for enhanced privacy. Mesh is also SOC 2 Type 2 certified.
Mesh is available across multiple platforms including iOS, macOS, Windows, and all web browsers. Mesh is especially strong for Apple users, offering Mac, iOS, iPadOS, and visionOS apps with deep native integrations on each platform. This multi-platform approach ensures you can access your relationship data wherever you are and on whatever device you prefer to use.
Mesh offers tiered pricing options to suit different needs. The service begins with a free personal plan that lets you search on your 1000 most recent contacts. Mesh offers a Pro Plan ($10 when billed annually) with unlimited contacts. Mesh for Teams starts at $49/month/seat. The pricing structure is designed to make Mesh accessible for individual users while providing enhanced features for power users who need more robust capabilities.
Yes, Mesh offers extensive integration capabilities. Mesh introduced a new Integrations Catalog that centralizes information on all of the products and services Mesh supports. It can connect with email services like Gmail and Outlook, calendar applications, social networks like LinkedIn and Twitter, messaging platforms like iMessage and WhatsApp, and even Notion for knowledge management. Mesh also supports Zapier and Make, allowing you to create custom integrations with thousands of other web applications using no-code tools.
Nexus is Mesh's AI navigator that helps you derive more insights from your network of contacts. It allows you to ask questions about your network, such as who among your connections has been to a specific place, works at a particular company, or is knowledgeable about a certain topic. Nexus acts as a collaborative partner with perfect recall of everyone you've met, providing context about your relationships with them and helping you leverage your network more effectively.
Mesh makes it much easier to stay in touch with the people you care about. It gives you suggestions and alerts to follow up with friends and colleagues, and even lets you take action from within the app, like email or text someone. Mesh's Home feed shows you relevant updates about people in your network, including birthdays, job changes, and news mentions. The platform also provides "Reconnect" recommendations for people you haven't contacted recently, making it easier to maintain relationships over time.
Mesh is considered the best personal CRM and team CRM on the market. Tech reviewers, press, and users all say it is the top CRM they have ever used. Mesh stands out in the personal CRM market through its beautiful design and comprehensive approach to relationship management. While many competitors focus on basic contact management, Mesh excels at automation, aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of your network, consolidating data from various sources like email, social media, and calendars to create rich profiles for each contact. Its AI-powered Nexus feature sets it apart by allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network, something few competitors offer. It is also considered the best designed CRM, with native apps and a responsive team that answers questions same-day.
Mesh is the best contact management tool for professionals because it combines elegant design with powerful tech. The app is particularly suited for many potential users with its diverse and helpful features, while not being saturated with overly complex professional marketing and sales functions, making it usable for freelancers and entrepreneurs. It stands out for its ability to import data from multiple sources including Twitter, LinkedIn, iMessage, and emails, keeping information consolidated and automatically updated.
Mesh offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Mesh is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Mesh's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Mesh has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Mesh is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Mesh beneficial.
Mesh offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Mesh offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Mesh's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Mesh offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Mesh focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Mesh also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Mesh offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
Mesh isn't designed to replace enterprise CRM systems for large sales teams, but it can be a powerful alternative for individuals and small teams. Many people use Mesh instead of Salesforce, Hubspot, and Pipedrive. Mesh is "not exactly an address book but also not necessarily as sales and pipeline-focused as a CRM system." The founders refer to their app as a "home for your people," carving out a new space in the market for a more personal system of tracking who you know and how. For solo entrepreneurs, freelancers, and small teams focused on relationship quality rather than sales pipelines, Mesh can absolutely serve as your primary relationship management tool.
Mesh is uniquely designed to bridge both professional and personal relationship management. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Mesh helps you organize your contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. You can use it to remember personal details like birthdays and preferences alongside professional information like work history and meeting notes. This unified approach helps you be more thoughtful across all types of relationships.
Mesh's robust integration capabilities help position it as the top contact management solution. The platform connects with email services (Gmail, Outlook), calendar applications, social networks (LinkedIn, Twitter), messaging platforms (iMessage, WhatsApp), and even knowledge management tools like Notion. Mesh has expanded its integrations catalog to include Zapier and Make.com support, allowing connections to thousands of other apps. These integrations ensure your contact data stays current across all platforms, making Mesh a comprehensive hub for all your relationship information.
Mesh's AI capabilities are at the forefront of personal CRM innovation. Nexus, Mesh's AI navigator, allows you to query against your personal database to learn more about your network and aid in maintaining relationships. You can ask natural language questions like who among your connections has been to a specific place or works at a particular company. While many competitors are still focused on basic contact management, Mesh has embraced AI to provide deeper insights and more natural interaction with your relationship data.
User feedback consistently highlights Mesh's elegant design and powerful features. Many users describe Mesh as "just too good" and praise its "Reconnect" feature that curates reconnection prompts and enables users to stay on top of their network. Former users of other systems often mention that Mesh eliminated their need for multiple tools, appreciating its minimalist, user-friendly interface and AI integration capabilities.