My guest today is David Hoang, who in my opinion has one of the best Design Twitter accounts. I've been following him for some time and have learned a ton about design leadership in the process. To be able to have him on the podcast today is an absolute pleasure, and you're going to love it. I've mentioned that the Designed Today podcast is changing, and in today's intro, I'll finally give you some details on what that change is going to look like. In short, things evolve. This podcast needs to ...
Mar 16, 2021•43 min
Drew Bridewell is a fellow content creator with tons of experience to draw from which include companies like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Invision. Today he's away from the corporate world to pursue his own endeavors which include leveling up UX designers across the world. In today's episode, Drew takes us through the four different types of goals which we should all be setting, and helps us create an action plan to achieve those goals. You'll want to listen to this episode as it's jammed packed with...
Mar 09, 2021•52 min
It's the grand finale of our Soft-Skills mini-series! These last 7 episodes with Uncle Mikey have been a blast and I've learned a ton. Today is no exception. In our last episode, we dig one of the top UX Buzzwords... Empathy. What is it? Do you need it? How can you get it? All in today's episode. This series came about after a recent LinkedIn post caught some attention and found over 100 comments on the topic. You can see the original post here: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/dillonwinspear_hey-...
Mar 02, 2021•32 min
It's no secret that my feelings towards recruiters are… rough at best. Corporate recruiters have never done me any favors other than escorting me to an interview, which in truth, I could have done on my own. Agency recruiters are another ball of fun. They tend to be a sizable percentage of my LinkedIn connection requests, followed by a surface level conversation where I’m treated like a commodity. Then this episode happened. I can’t say “it's all changed” but understanding is definitely improved...
Feb 23, 2021•41 min
We've been fortunate to have the one and only Uncle Mikey part of our Soft-Skills mini-series over the last couple of months, and today's episode shows why he's one of the best. Today we break down the soft-skill of listening, and Uncle Mikey has prepared a really fun way for us to discuss and remember it for next time. This series came about after a recent LinkedIn post caught some attention and found over 100 comments on the topic. You can see the original post here: https://www.linkedin.com/p...
Feb 16, 2021•41 min
In my vanity, I like to think I've got this podcasting stuff down after doing it for 3 years, but in truth, I've got nothing on the O.G. of UX Podcasting, Jason Ogle. It has been my experience hosting this podcast that I've really learned so much from my guests, that I can't even begin to imagine what it must be like to have been doing this for nearly 6 years. Jason joins me today on the podcast to help us learn to become true "User Defenders". Find Jason: LinkedIn: Jason Ogle | LinkedIn Twitter...
Feb 09, 2021•41 min
Another beautiful week to chat with the wickedly talented Uncle Mikey. Today's topic of discussion is collaboration. We've danced around this subject over the last few episodes as we've talked about facilitation and articulation, but today we hit the nail on the head to help you improve your collaboration sessions. Listen close to hear how you can improve your ability give and receive critique, as well as how you can build upon others' ideas. Over the next few weeks, listen along and ask yoursel...
Feb 02, 2021•41 min
There are a ton of different niches of design out in the world today, from physical products to digital products, learning products, and even voice products. That last one there is something I wasn't all too familiar with and was excited to have my guest Lauren Madsen come on the show to give us an introduction. Lauren works full time as a conversational AI designer at Rain, a digital agency located here in Utah. While the field is still fairly new and developing, Lauren has provided us with ton...
Jan 26, 2021•42 min
This is week 4 of the Soft-Skills mini-series where Uncle Mikey (Michael Curtis) and I dive into the intangible skills that give designers an edge in the journey. Our focus today is on facilitation. Nearly every moment of my day is found in meetings, many of them which I am running or coordinating. Prior to a management role, I'd still say over half my day was in UX focused meetings. With that in mind, it's no wonder designers need to become masters of facilitation. Over the next few weeks, list...
Jan 19, 2021•38 min
New year, new you, right? How about some money in your pocket, how does that sound? If you’ve not started your freelance career, then what are you waiting for? Sure it can be intimidating, but tell me what new thing isn't. On the show today, I’ve got Jeremy Mura, a contract designer from Down Unda joining me to talk about how you can improve your communication skills with your contracted clients. Jeremy has been freelancing for years and on top of that, he’s been diligent in helping designers up...
Jan 12, 2021•43 min
The new year is off to the races. Like many of you, I've got my fingers crossed for a better year than the last. I recognize however that to make the year better, I've got to do my part. Make your own luck. My encouragement to you today is this... If you're not a "resolution" kind of person, join me (a fellow non-resolution person) in breaking that mold this year. Isolate and identify those things in your life that are bringing you happiness, and chase after more of it. Identify what you want to...
Jan 05, 2021•10 min
The last 2 years have been an incredible journey. In this episode, we will celebrate with 7 of our fan-favorite guests. Please consider subscribing to Designed Today on any of the popular podcasting platforms. ********************************** Ready to join the email list or Slack community, receive your invite here: https://designedtoday.com/community/ Designed Today brings you insights to help bridge the world of Design & Business. Learn how you can improve your design, branding, marketin...
Dec 01, 2020•1 hr 18 min
With the last double-digit episode of Designed Today, I’ve brought on another special guest. Torrey Podmajersky is the author of the best seller Strategic Writing for UX, one of the original UX writing books published by Oreilly, and holds a 4.7 out of 5 stars on Amazon. Additionally, Torrey works as a UX writer for Google and was kind enough to share her time with us today. In this episode, we talk about how every UX designer can become a better UX writer with some basic insights to help frame ...
Nov 24, 2020•42 min
This is week 3 of the Soft-Skills mini-series, and we are starting off where both Uncle Mikey and I struggled in the self-assessment challenge from last week. The category of struggle was collaborating in groups, which in and of itself is a huge category of topics. We narrowed in on articulating your design choices and taking your stakeholders along on the journey of your design process. This week's challenge is to record yourself presenting. It can either be in an actual meeting in which you're...
Nov 17, 2020•33 min
My guest today has made a huge splash in the freelance design world after. After his appearance on the Young Guns show hosted by Chris Do of The Futur, Connor was off to the races designing logos for businesses of all types. But to get himself to that point he had to be prepared. In his own words, learn what worked and what didn't work for Connor as he jumped both feet into the freelance career. Find Connor: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cfowlerdesign/ Dribbble: https://dribbble.com/cfow...
Nov 10, 2020•43 min
If you're joining us for week 2 of our mini-series on Soft-Skills, we're going to assume you no longer need to be convinced of the importance of these skills in the workplace. I will take this opportunity however to note that, none of this will matter if you can't honestly assess where you stand when it comes to these skills. All of this will be time wasted if you're not earnestly invested in improving your soft-skills. This stage is going to sting a little bit. If you're doing it right, then yo...
Nov 03, 2020•35 min
Laura Silva is the VP of Accessible UX Design at Bank of America and shares with us what a day in her life looks like. Her background wasn't always rooted in accessibility, but after a few life events, she felt inclined to help those who are often forgotten. In this episode, you'll learn how you can look out for those with different accessibility needs, whether they be physical or mental, temporal or permanent. We also get to answer a few questions that come in from the audience, which contribut...
Oct 27, 2020•56 min
I've got some special for you... Today's introduction is the start of a new mini-series in which my good friend Michael Curtis will be joining me to talk about Soft Skills, and how you can strengthen your own. Over the last few years, I've found Uncle Mikey and I expressing similar thoughts on the topic. It's one of the reasons that we became friends in the first place. Over the last couple years, you've heard me share some thoughts here and there about these soft skills, also known as 'interper...
Oct 20, 2020•28 min
Jared Spool, the Maker of Awesomeness and co-founder of Center Centre UIE, is here to share some great insights. We discuss the steps you should be taking before leaving your UX Schooling, and what you can do to help you secure a job after graduation and avoid those first-year growing pains. Additionally, we jump to the other side of the table in the hiring process. Learn how to streamline and hire better candidates. Find Jared: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jmspool/ Center Centre UIE: h...
Oct 13, 2020•49 min
A much overdue Q&A session with questions sent in by the listeners via Slack, LinkedIn, and Instagram. The questions tackled in this episode include: "How did you start learning? How did you find the right resources?" "How did you land your first job as a designer?" "What skills should good UX Designers have?" "How do you keep yourself inspired and up to date with the design world?" Thank you for your questions, and if there is ever anything I can do, I'm happy to help. Please Subscribe to a...
Oct 06, 2020•18 min
It wasn't too long ago that people were born and their parents knew from Day 1 what they were going to grow up to be. For some it was a Doctor, for others it was a lawyer. Some people were going to take over the family grocery store. But if you start asking around, I could almost guarantee nobody today was born and raised to be a UX Designer. This would then mean that a career in UX wasn't planned, and we stumbled into the field from some other discipline. For me, a career in UX Design wasn't di...
Sep 29, 2020•41 min
In 2020, it's still unlikely to come across UX positions that still don't require a bit of UI work. However, unless you came from a visual design background, chances are you didn't spend much time learning UI while in your Bootcamp or online learning. This could ultimately hinder your hireability. Give this episode a listen and take the challenge to improve your UI over the next couple of weeks. Please Subscribe to any of the popular podcasting platforms. Just search Designed Today. ************...
Sep 22, 2020•7 min
Social media cultivates a world in which we feel pressured to live behind a facade of "everything's good" and "always sunshine over here" - but the truth of the matter is nobody is actually living that way, so why do we pretend? When quarantine hit, and everyone found themselves working from home, I began to see a natural evolution to get a glimpse of what happens "behind the scenes". From kids walking into zoom meetings, to dirty laundry in the backgrounds, to cats walking across keyboards. And...
Sep 15, 2020•44 min
Case studies are already an incredibly tricky thing to figure out. Even once we get all the details locked in, it's easy to lack confidence when we see parts of the traditional UX process missing from a project. If you're considering a small white lie to work in a survey which never actually happened, or if you want to showcase some other skills that just aren't as apparent in your case studies, let me put forth this idea I've been working on that I call "Micro Case Studies." Please Subscribe ei...
Sep 08, 2020•7 min
Many people struggle to find that balance between speaking up for your design decisions and coming off as too defensive. This balance between humble yet confident is a hard one to master. Fortunately, my guest today, Elize Todd, as figured out how to strike that balance and has learned the positive outcomes of speaking out. This goes even further than just articulating or presenting your project. You should also consider (although scary) how to vocalize what you need from your company, peers, an...
Sep 01, 2020•44 min
We are all going to have bad days. We're all going to have those days where we planned out our stretch goals, and when it comes time to act, we find excuses not to do it. I've found that for me its important on those days to just show up. Show up for your job, your class, and the workshop you RSVP'd for. Show up for your friends and family. Taking a day off just makes it harder to get going again the next day. What are you training your mind for? What have you conditioned your brain to do when y...
Aug 25, 2020•5 min
You might "like" Disney, but that's childsplay in comparison to my next guest. In this episode of Designed Today, my guest Adam Landefeld, the SVP of Product at Domo, shares insights he's learned from the original Disney Imagineers and how he's applied it to building software products. Adam has been passionate about all things Disney from an early age. Studying what made Walt, Walt. Today he's been able to become friends with many of the remaining original Disney Imagineers. If you've not heard ...
Aug 18, 2020•50 min
What a whirlwind of a week. I somehow went from extreme excitement on a project to a grinding halt after just one phone call. What happened that lead me to have to fire this client, I'll let you know in this week's storytime. I share these stories not to put anybody on blast. You wouldn't know the people or companies I'm talking about because I'm trying to keep their anonymity. But there ARE lessons to be learned here, and those are most valuable. Please Subscribe either on Youtube or on any of ...
Aug 08, 2020•9 min
Often times we think of our UX Deliverables as a checkbox or a level to pass. It's in those situations you need to remind yourself of why that checkbox exists. Understanding the value of our deliverables starts with knowing what the deliverables are, and the value they can bring to the table. Ana Santos is passionate about these deliverables, and on today's episode, she's going to coach you through how to make the most of them. Specifically, we will take a look at our portfolio case studies, and...
Aug 04, 2020•38 min
If you've found yourself struggling with your business because they don't understand UX, and they don't understand what you're trying to bring to the table, I got just the trick. In today's episode, I'm going to help those tortured designers figure out how to fix their situation, but it's probably not as you'd expect. Please Subscribe either on Youtube or on any of the popular podcasting platforms. Just search Designed Today. ********************************** Want to take your UX Resume from ZE...
Jul 28, 2020•4 min
