Ever wonder what it takes to build an award-winning app that captures the attention of Apple?

Ever wonder what it takes to build an award-winning app that captures the attention of Apple?" In this episode of the Real Gaijin AMA Podcast (S-02, E-17), we sit down with Carlos Lastres, a renowned Tokyo-based designer and engineer with an Apple Design Award to his name. If you are a creative professional, software developer, or tech enthusiast, this conversation is a masterclass in bridging the gap between aesthetics and engineering. Carlos shares his unique journey working within the global tech industry, his approach to design thinking, and the specific strategies he uses to build high-impact, user-centric software. In this episode, we cover: Winning the Apple Design Award: The philosophy and hard work behind the recognition. The Intersection of Code & Design: How to maintain a dual-skill set to stand out in the competitive tech market. Tokyo Tech Insights: What it’s like to work at the forefront of innovation in Japan’s vibrant startup scene. Product Strategy: How to scale your ideas from a simple concept to a finished, award-worthy product. Career Advice: Essential skills for those looking to pivot into design-led engineering. Connect with Carlos Lastres: https://www.lastrescarlos.com/ Please subscribe and click on 🔔, 👍 and share. ▬▬▬ CHAPTERS ▬▬▬ 00:00 Lead-in clip about how AI prompts are changing software design -- fewer bells and whistles 01:02 Introductions and housekeeping 03:07 What's the story with all of the tatoos? 05:22 Carlos' path from Costa Rica to Japan via Palo Alto and Hangzhou, PRC 10:50 Interest in anime -- especially collecting figures "to remove the noise," get organized, and be creative 13:18 Comparing and contrasting how Latin America, Silicone Valley, mainland China, and Japan are so different 15:21 Striking a balance (or not) among creativity, speed-to-market, and attention to detail to ensure quality 16:36 Winning the 2025 Apple Design Award for Inclusivity with the Speechify app 21:04 Experience of putting together a team at Speechify 22:26 Tension faced by Japanese people who want to push the envelop while also abiding by the strict rules of Japanese culture 26:46 Status as a "gaijin" (foreigner) as a super-power 28:44 Positive experience of working with female software engineers 30:53 Putting together and managing a remote-based team for a software development project 34:57 Relationship between UI/UX and the rigors of tight engineering requirements -- especially now with AI 39:16 How AI actually liberates software engineers to be able to use human language to develop solutions vs. focusing on coding 40:32 How do software developers deal with AI hallucinations? Be specific! 42:39 Will vibe coding with ChatGPT or Claude destroy SaaS providers? 44:24 Advice to aspiring software engineers -- particularly people from Japan 47:32 Future project #1: Glimpse -- AI vision for your Ray-Bans 49:32 Future project #2 (just for the Japanese market): An AI companionship app 49:45 Final words and a big thank you to Carlos! Lets connect... ▪️Website (Substack): https://realgaijin.substack.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ▪️ Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/realgaijin.b... ▪️ Instagram:   / real_gaijin_on_substack   ▪️ Threads: https://www.threads.net/@real_gaijin_... ▪️ Tiktok:   / real.gaijin   ▪️ X (Twitter): https://x.com/Real_Gaijin_ ▪️ YouTube: / @realgaijin ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ▪️  / mark-wilt-kennedy   Copyright ⓒ 2026 Real Gaijin, All Rights Reserved.