Hitting Pause (2022)
Life and career (re)focus this year have brought me to a place where I need to hit pause on this show's production... Keep fighting the good fight, dear Defender! 👊 Jason linkedin.com/in/jasonogle
Episodes
User Defenders – UX Design & Personal Growth
Being a great UX designer begins and ends with being a great human. We can't pour an empty cup into another. We can’t lead others where we are not.
This UX podcast helps UX’ers become the best, most powerful designers (and humans) they can be. Yes, you'll discover how-to’s, but much more importantly you'll discover why-to’s.
Every episode is sure to inspire and equip you on how to better fight for your users and business, and dare I say change the world (even if only for one human at a time) in a much deeper and more tangible way than you ever thought possible.
Episodes
080: Everything I Know (So Far) on Landing a Job in UX with Jason Ogle
Video available on the show notes page at userdefenders.com/080 This is the last episode of 2021. After nearly two years of outlining the content for this episode and nearly two months (at time of writing) of recording and editing, here's everything I know (so far) on landing a job in UX. I hope this content is not only useful to you and anyone you know looking to land their first (or next) job in UX, but I sincerely hope this episode is greatly inspirational and even life-changing for you. I fo...
079: Listener Spotlight – Landing My First UX Job
Here’s a fun treat I’ve never done before. In this episode I shine the spotlight on listeners Jordan Burke + Joel Ryerson who recently landed their first job in UX! Hear them tell their inspiring stories of their journey getting here while gaining some valuable insights on how you can too! I was blown away at the depth, insight, authenticity and value they both added with their motivational and entertaining stories of struggle and ultimately triumph! Like Jordan says in her awesome interview, we...
078: There and Back (and Forward) Again with Bob Baxley
Bob Baxley, a Silicon Valley pioneer, takes us back in time through the history of Silicon Valley and gives us a glimpse into the future of it. Spoiler alert: He's got concerns. He reveals how every little interaction matters and motivates us to be proud enough of the work we do to want to show our friends and family...otherwise, we've got more work to do. He challenges us to challenge the status quo and constantly be looking for ways to improve our work by asking, 'How could this be better?'. H...
077: Conflict Resolution for People Who Hate Conflict with Josh Mauldin
Josh Mauldin shows us how resolving conflict not only makes us better humans, but better designers. He challenges us to approach conflict with a growth mindset and the question, "What can I learn from this?" to help us become less anti-conflict and more pro-resolution. He articulates the difference between healthy and unhealthy conflict and teaches us why healthy conflict is good and even worth pursuing. He reminds us that it all comes back to empathy which does not mean agreeing with someone, b...
076: User Research? Game On with Steve Bromley
Join the UD Email List at userdefenders.com/join through March 2021 and enter to win a free signed copy of Steve Bromley's new book, "How to be a Games User Researcher"! Steve Bromley shows us how to level up our user research skills. He illuminates the path to getting started as a Games User Researcher. He inspires us to use our user research superpower and insights to make things better for our users. He teaches us techniques he's used to actually enjoy synthesizing data more. He reveals how m...
075: You Belong Here with Jessica Gaddis
Jessica Gaddis motivates us to realize that we belong here. Not only in the field of design, but in this often painful and perplexing world we call home. Why? Because somewhere, sometime, somehow...someone needs us. She inspires us to find our community because they’re already out there, searching for us and waiting for us to connect with them and even lead them. She reveals how she was able to on a very limited budget go all in and learn UX and go on to get her foot in the door as a Product Des...
074: Designers, Mind Your Business with Pek Pongpaet
Pek Pongpaet teaches us how to be business-minded designers. He reveals how designers with business knowledge and more tools in their tool belt will get hired more often than ones without and with less. He shows us how to get a seat at the table while challenging us to count the costs of actually having one. He motivates us to measure and quantify our designs. He also inspires us to get out of our comfort zones and talk to other disciplines and become consumers of information in the area(s) we d...
073: The Unstoppable Designer with Jeff Gothelf
Jeff Gothelf tells us how to be unstoppable designers. He debunks the mythical creature known as Phase 2. He shows us what a designer effectively working in Agile looks like, and enlightens us to how new UX teams can show immediate value. He articulates the need to differentiate between outputs and outcomes. He also motivates us to stay humble and curious since you can teach anyone technical skills, but you can’t teach someone humility and curiosity. How do Designers Most Efficiently Integrate i...
072: Everyone's a UX Designer with Jared Spool
Jared Spool has been doing and defining UX long before many of us existed and/or even knew what it was. He invites us in to hear his fascinating yet seldom discussed UX origin story. He reveals how and why we’re all UX designers. He demystifies the arduous and often frustrating process of landing a job in UX. He articulates what it means to learn how to learn. He addresses the important, but oft-forgotten business part of the design business. He also inspires us to be great design leaders by ill...
What the Next Season is Looking Like...
This episode is me apologizing for the literal radio silence and filling you in on all the very valid reasons why I've been MIA with new content here in this feed. I miss you, and I miss putting content out regularly, but there have been (and continue to be) some significant transitions in my own world, not to mention the world at large that have impacted me and this show... TRANSCRIPT Greetings. User Defenders. Remember me? Your faithful host. Well, maybe I haven't been so faithful lately. I ha...
071: User Defenders Live – A Panel on Design Accessibility, Diversity & Ethics with Mina Markham, Derek Featherstone and Farai Madzima
I had the great honor of being invited back to An Event Apart Denver (2019) to record a live podcast episode with Mina Markham, Farai Madzima, & Derek Featherstone on the important topics of Accessibility, Design Inclusion & Ethics, Hiring & Retaining Diverse Talent and Landing a Job in UX. Amazingly, we were able to cover all of this in just under an hour! Please enjoy, please share it out into your social channels, and please be sure to subscribe to User Defenders: Podcast at https://userdefen...
070: Harnessing Life Experiences in Design with Shaheena Attarwala
Shaheena Attarwala defends a woman’s right to design her own future, especially in the face of fierce adversity and opposition. She champions living ruthlessly amid oppressive whims and societal precepts. She’s a magnet that brings the issues forward and carries the water for anyone who dreams of raising their standards and never settling for status-quo expectations. This episode is not just about design. So make your way or step aside. It’s time to hear her metaphoric journey, examine your own ...
069: We Are All Pioneers with Sophia Prater
Sophia Prater reminds us that we're all pioneers in a field that is changing every minute. She encourages us to use forcing functions by getting the gig first, and then figuring it out. She introduces us to a design philosophy she pioneered called Object-Oriented UX which is all about taking really complex problems, and breaking them down into parts and organizing them. She also reminds us that in order to be successful in this field, we must become lifelong learners. Origin Story (4:58) Biggest...
068: People May be the Most Important Thing You Build as a Designer with Braden Kowitz
Braden Kowitz reveals how human-centered design has everything to do with the humans we design and build with every day. He advocates for a genuinely supportive environment where it’s okay to be who you are, and where you’re encouraged to speak up, and openly share how you’re truly feeling. He reminds us to acknowledge that life isn’t perfect, and neither are we…and that’s also okay. He articulates the origin story and evolution of design patterns and explains why ‘ugly’ may sometimes appear to ...
067: Design for How People Think with John Whalen
Dr. John Whalen teaches us what it means to design for how people think. He reveals the powerful principals behind what he calls the six minds of user experience, and explains how anybody can harness them to build better products (no doctorate degree required!). He reminds us that it takes serious research to reveal the deep insights that genuinely make our products successful for the user and the business. He also encourages us to understand that no one is more qualified than anyone else in sol...
066: Is Web Design Dead? with Jeffrey Zeldman
Jeffrey Zeldman answers the provocative question, “Is Web Design Dead?”. He enlightens us to what the Web was, where it’s at now, and where it could go in the future. He touches on the many short-sighted predictions that tend to prod our delicate psyches such as automation and new technologies poised to replace Web Designers. He encourages us to ignore the rhetoric and continue to learn as tools change how Web Design is done. He also emphasizes that the Web was built on sharing, and that we must...
065: Yes, AI will Replace Designers with Jasmine Oh
Jasmine Oh informs us that AI will one day replace our current jobs as designers. She challenges us to adapt to AI since no career field is exempt from its influences. She also reminds us not to fear AI but to harness it to our advantage instead. She reveals that AI shouldn’t be judged as a gloomy UX future but as a medium that supports our most meaningful work in new roles. She also encourages us to challenge stakeholders when shallow data is used to feed requirements into a product. Working at...
064: How to Become Indistractable with Nir Eyal
Nir Eyal teaches us how to harness the skill of the century…becoming Indistractable. He reminds us that distraction is an action that starts from within. He motivates us to take command of our personal development in a world that is frequently competing for our attention. He encourages us to recognize the external triggers that don’t serve us and how to be more mindful of those that do. He also shares what it takes to be competitive in an increasingly automated job market. Book Origin Story (3:5...
063: Mindset & Learning How to Learn with Jessica Ivins
Jessica Ivins schools us on the critical value of a growth mindset in UX Design. She teaches us how to learn how to learn. She enlightens us as to why it’s always better to generalize before specializing. She reminds us introverts that we can only truly succeed by extroverting. She also reveals how the best tool recommendations can only come when it’s clear what one is trying to learn. Personal Passions (5:18) Origin Story (6:28) Biggest Failure (12:52) Introvert or Extrovert (17:10) Awkward Tes...
[Encore] Feet on the Ground, Eyes on the Stars: The True Story of a Real Rocket Man with G.A. “Jim” Ogle
On the eve of the 50th Anniversary of the Apollo Moon launch/landing, I invite you to come hear my rocket scientist father (G.A. "Jim" Ogle) re-tell his experience on User Defenders: Community ( https://community.userdefenders.com) of the events that took place the day of the launch on July 16, 1969, leading into the unforgettable and awe-inspiring day of July 20, 1969 when the U.S. achieved the unimaginable feat of landing the first humans on the moon. He will also answer your questions live! C...
062: UX School of No B.S. with Joe Natoli
Welcome to Joe Natoli’s UX School of No B.S. Class is now in session. Joe reveals that there’s no limit to how far any UX’er with a healthy dose of grit and resilience can go. He puts jargon in a choke-hold, then proceeds to drop-kick it in the privates! He inspires us to be like Tom Hanks in “Big”...never afraid to ask questions for the betterment of the people and project. He motivates us to apply for any job we truly want, especially when we feel unqualified for it. He also teaches us how lea...
061: Empathy as a Design Superpower with Jason Ogle
Jason Ogle proves that empathic design is not only possible, but essential in creating life-changing products and services. He enlightens us to our seldom talked about mirror neurons and the critical role they play in user testing. He shines a spotlight on incredibly powerful and moving examples of empathy in design. He also teaches us how empathy can not only be taught and learned, but practiced, because being great designer begins and ends with being a great human. Intro Story (00:24) What is ...
060: Improv & UX?! Yes, and...with Mike Gorgone
Mike Gorgone unleashes his impromptu playbook to rescue us from our most unwelcome critic...ourselves. He teaches us how marrying the two seemingly disparate concepts of improv & UX, can help us break free from the crippling self-doubt that keeps us from our best collaborations. Yes, and he shows us how fun kills fear. He also reveals how even the "bad ideas" can lead us to great ones while building a fantastic UX punchline worthy of a standing ovation. What Got You into Improv? (3:47) What Was ...
059: Writing for Designers with Scott Kubie
Scott Kubie shows us how writing is designing with words. He reminds us that someone has to be the writer, and it’s our job to know who that person is. He calls on us to take up the task of writing when nobody else can, and warns of what leaving it till the end will do. He also shares some neat tricks to spur momentum and overcome those intimidating blank pages. Why Do We Forget About Writing? (6:30) What's Wrong with Lorem Ipsum? (9:36) Present the Problem Before the Visuals (12:57) Are Designe...
058: Finding the Right Cultural Fit with Justin Dauer
Justin Dauer implores us never settle in our important quest to find the right cultural fit. He reminds us that being human-centered doesn’t just affect our users, but especially the humans we interact with. He encourages us to think hard about where we choose to hang our hat, and understand what the ramifications of the wrong decision may be. He also reveals the maze of signals to watch out for in our search for the culture that will foster our creativity, and empower our passion to produce wha...
057: Interviewing Like a Boss with Andy Vitale
Andy Vitale teaches us all about how to interview for our next UX job like a boss. He emphasizes the importance of avoiding jargon, and at all costs the temptation to conflate confidence with arrogance. He reminds us to be prepared to get way out of our comfort zones, and even offers smart techniques on how to cope with the discomfort in those critical moments. He also points out that pay isn't everything, and that a fantastic work culture can make all the difference. The Importance of Soft Skil...
056: Building an Effective UX Portfolio with Sarah Doody
Sarah Doody challenges us to think of our portfolio as one of the most important products we’ll ever create. She urges us to not only communicate our contributions, but to both show and tell the story of each project. In the end, she teaches us that using the right process is more than just about landing our next UX job–it will also make us better designers. Ideal Number of Projects (4:07) Lead with the Best Project (5:40) Alternate Portfolios (7:13) What a Recruiter Is Looking For Most (13:03) ...
055: How to Get Your Foot in the Door with Andy Budd
Andy Budd reveals what the hiring minds of companies are really thinking. He answers how to navigate the recruitment process and presents an invaluable insight that shows how to subvert it altogether. He urges us to be more of who we are and to recognize that each of us has unique talents that are fit for the right organizations at the right time. He also emphasizes that it's up to each job seeker to communicate their personal value if they want to land the job of their dreams. Resumes That Stan...
Radical Empathy with Seth Godin
Seth Godin shows us what radical empathy looks like. He reminds us to do work that matters, for people who care by focusing on serving a minimum viable audience. He teaches us that the way to stay indispensable in our work is to do work where you can’t write down the steps. He also reveals how faked empathy is just as good as real empathy for the true professional acting as if. Creating UX for Early Computer Games (4:23) What Book Would the Seth Godin of the Industrial Revolution Write? (6:43) H...