075: You Belong Here with Jessica Gaddis

Life and career (re)focus this year have brought me to a place where I need to hit pause on this show’s production for the foreseeable future. Check out this broadcast for further info on this. Keep fighting the good fight, dear Defender! Jason jasonogle.com Bio I’m a highly self-aware design leader with 30 years of experience leading and crafting digital experiences that solve complex problems, delight the users and exceed business outcomes. As a veteran HCI design practitioner, I’m passionate about designing thoughtful, innovative, elegant user interfaces and interactions that reduce friction and make life better for users and more profitable for business. Along with being comfortable with ambiguity, I’m a solutionist who’s borderline obsessed with solving problems, and among the few who sweats the small stuff (always have, always will). As a personal growth/mindset enthusiast, I’m convinced that being a great designer begins and ends with being a great human. I’m also the founder, host and producer of User Defenders Podcast, creator of the only Jakob Nielsen-endorsed Heuristic Evaluation Template, and I have a personal relationship with the Creator of the Universe. (more…)

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 & 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 forgot to say it at the end of the episode, so Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Joyous New Year dear Defenders! Take care of yourself and each other, and I’ll see you on the other side of this year with more amazing UX/Design content! Jason Ogle Bio Jason Ogle is human, not dancer. He’s a growth-minded, avid reader and listener whose vehicle is a rolling university. He’s an innovative and strategic design leader focused on product creation, growth and conversion. He’s a passionate user defender who fights for the users who are victims of bad design decisions. He’s an influential podcaster who uses the enchanting magic of audio to inspire and equip an audience of hungry and ambitious designers. He’s an evocative (often contrarian) writer who believeth in the power of the written word. He’s a confident, highly self-aware servant-leader who believes that humans are so much more than resources. He’s a loving husband (22 yrs and counting) and father of six here on earth (which speaks to his leadership abilities), and one already in heaven (which speaks to his deep capacity for empathy). Fun facts: He once had to get a manicure to be a hand-model for a tech ad, got his uvula surgically removed while recovering from ankle surgery, and has a rare essay titled “Altars of Satan” given to him and signed by Eldridge Cleaver. Timestamps Origin (4:50) Count the Costs (9:53) Portfolio (21:18) Resume (29:49) Networking (35:03) Applying (40:38) Interviewing (50:11) Negotiating (1:02:32) In Closing (1:09:45) (more…)

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! (more…)

Artwork by Eli Jorgensen 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?’. He also likens our work to building sandcastles on the beach, causing us to reflect on the brevity and temporal nature of it, and inspires us to make everything we make with our friends (for others) count. Bob Baxley is a design executive, advisor, mentor, and advocate that has built, managed, and led UX teams at some of Silicon Valley’s most respected companies. With a career spanning three decades, Bob’s work at Apple, Pinterest, Yahoo!, and elsewhere has touched hundreds of millions of users around the world. Currently, Bob serves as the Senior Vice-President of Design at ThoughtSpot, a business intelligence and data analytics platform. An advisor to Project Invent, Bob is committed to recruiting and inspiring the next generation of designers by mentoring individuals and advising organizations that are working to improve the profession and practice of digital product design. When he was a kid, he was attacked by a baby goat at a petting zoo and to this day he can’t stand goats. Crash Course History of Silicon Valley (7:52) Love at First Byte: (Re)Discovering the Magic of Computing (14:17) The Beautiful ‘Burden’ of Doing Great Work That We’re Proud Of (21:11) The Question Steve Jobs Was Known to Ask In Design Reviews (24:55) Technology: Wonderful Servant, Terrible Master (26:53) Employing Analogue Tools for Deeper Creativity (34:10) There Are No Rolling Credits for Interaction Designers (52:51) We Need More Designers and Less Roadblocks (54:45) Is There a Growth Trajectory for IC’s Besides Mgmnt? (1:10:01) What’s Your Recommended Path for Design Leadership? (1:21:54) Where is Silicon Valley Going? Do You Have Concerns? (1:27:35) What’s Your Design Superpower? (1:34:28) What’s Your Design Kryptonite? (1:35:19) What’s Your UX Superhero Name? (1:37:41) Habit of Success? (1:38:23) Invincible Resource or Tool? (1:42:37) Recommended Books (1:45:25) What’s the Best Lesson You Learned From Steve Jobs? (1:48:30) Best Advice? (1:53:44) Connect & Keep Up (2:03:16) (more…)

Artwork by Eli Jorgensen 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, but making an active effort to understand where they’re coming from. He also reveals how embracing conflict is the catalyst for building the best teams, the best products, and the best you. Joshua Mauldin is Director of Design at Artium and an expert who speaks all over the world on conflict resolution. He is currently writing a book on the subject. He’s also written and spoken extensively about design for Smashing Magazine, O’Reilly Media, and more. Joshua loves approaching design with as much curiosity and humanity as he can muster. Also, he’s a big fan of dogs. Cats, too. But mostly dogs. His nickname in high school was Gumby because he could tie himself into a pretzel and jump rope with his arms. How Long Have you Been Thinking About Conflict Resolution? (4:38) Has Team Conflict Increased Since We’ve Gone Remote? (9:48) How Can We See Past the Emoji’s? (13:53) What Does Your Conflict Resolution Framework Look Like? (18:54) How Does Your Cranky Conclusions Approach Work? (20:53) Conflict Resolution for Leaders (28:14) How Do You Address Conflict with Your Leadership? (32:08) What’s the Difference Between Healthy and Unhealthy Conflict? (35:10) How Does Healthy Conflict Create Better Products? (38:28) Is Agile a Double-Edged Sword When it Comes to Team Conflict? (41:20) Design Superpower? (46:13) What’s Your Design Kryptonite? (47:08) UX Superhero Name (47:57) Habit of Success (48:36) Invincible Tool or Resource (49:26) Best Advice (54:11) Connect & Keep Up (55:44) (more…)

Artwork by Eli Jorgensen 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 many user’s is enough–spoiler alert…it depends. He challenges us ethically to be responsible for the consequences of what we’re designing. He also motivates us to document as we go, but also to be sure and stop to reflect every once in a while. Steve Bromley is an experienced user researcher. He works with organizations to help them start new user research teams. He writes all about this the book Building User Research Teams. He also works with game studios to help them use insight from players to make games better. Some titles he’s worked on include Horizon: Zero Dawn, No Man’s Sky, SingStar and the PlayStation VR launch lineup. Fun fact: As a child, he was once on the Disney Channel advertising Land Yachting. Get Steve Bromley’s Great Book Pick up How to be a Games User Researcher through my Amazon affiliate link, and help User Defenders at no additional cost to you. Win/win! Own this Gem Most Important Question (4:40) History + Evolution of Games User Research (6:59) Differences Between Games UR vs. Software UR (16:55) How Do You Measure Delight? (20:30) The Dark Side of Gaming (26:39) Who’s Responsible? (29:59) Recommended Path to Games UR (37:42) The Light Side of Gaming (42:21) How Can We Enjoy Synthesizing Data More? (46:00) How Many Users is Enough? (49:59) What’s Your Why? (53:32) What’s Your UX Superpower? (55:30) What’s Your UX Kryptonite? (57:35) What’s Your UX Superhero Name? (60:00) Habit of Success (60:33) Invincible Resource (61:24) Best Advice for Aspiring Games UR’s (62:09) Connect & Keep Up (63:00) (more…)

Artwork by Eli Jorgensen 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 Designer. From 0 to Netflix, and now Twitter. She touches on the unwelcome voice in many of our heads known as imposter syndrome, and reveals how she’s been able to successfully combat it. She also shares with us how advocating for black women in design by opening up her calendar as a mentor has been one of the most rewarding and impactful design decisions she’s ever made. Jessica Gaddis is a Midwest transplant living in the Bay Area. Her mission is to create more thoughtful user experiences and to bridge the gap between usability and accessibility. She has a background in journalism and PR and her love for storytelling is at the heart of every experience she makes. She’s passionate about designing products that solve problems and creating moments that excite. Fun Fact: When she was a freshman in college she got an internship at a TV station back home in Detroit. Towards the end of her internship she had the opportunity to do an on-air spot about a museum exhibit. She was terrified and not very good but it was a great experience that taught her how much she did not want to be a reporter! Origin Story (5:05) Growing Up In a Techie Home (8:48) Journalism + UX? (11:42) The UX of Learning UX (18:21) Teaching Should Be Every Company’s Core Value (32:15) Have You Overcome Imposter Syndrome? (44:14) How Do We Find Community? (50:00) The Deep Value of Mentoring (57:59) What Do You Want On Your Headstone? (70:13) UX Superpower? (74:09) UX Kryptonite? (75:37) UX Superhero Name (77:38) Habit of Success? (78:02) 
UX Resource or Tool (81:04) Recommended Book (83:11) Best Advice (84:56) Connect & Keep Up with Jessica Gaddis (87:21) (more…)

Artwork by Cesar Lemus 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 desire growth in. Pek Pongpaet is the Managing Partner at Chicago-based studio imPekable. He crafts outstanding mobile and web products for clients that include Google, HP, Motorola and Groupon to name a few. He’s quite the ninja…literally. He’s an actual motion capture model in the Mortal Kombat games. He’s one of the rare and coveted breeds we would call a unicorn, but he would call a Diviner (Developer/Designer). One of the things you may not see on his resume is his experience working as a stock photography model. Why Should We Listen to Pek? (05:04) Why Should Designers Understand Business More? (7:07) How Do I Begin to Care More About Business? (11:05) How Do I Learn More About the Business Model? Who Do I Talk To? (14:22) How Can Designers Influence Product/Business Strategy and Quantify Their Work? (16:52) How Do I Know That Something I Designed Achieved Its Business Goal? (20:18) What Do You Look For In a Designer When Hiring? (24:50) Why You Should be Best Friends with Your Analytics Person/Team (26:20) How Can Designers do a Better Job Communicating the Business Value of Design to Non-Believing Stakeholders? (30:21) How Does a Designer Get a Seat at the Round Table? (33:29) What’s Your Best Advice for Designers Wanting to Grow in Business Side of Design? (40:45) Best Way to Connect and Keep Up? (45:45) (more…)

Artwork by Eli Jorgensen 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. Jeff helps organizations build better products and executives build the cultures that build better products. He is the co-author of the award-winning book Lean UX and the Harvard Business Review Press book Sense & Respond and just recently Forever Employable. Jeff works as a coach, consultant and keynote speaker helping companies bridge the gaps between business agility, digital transformation, product management and human-centered design. Most recently Jeff co-founded Sense & Respond Press, a publishing house for practical business books for busy executives. Fun fact: Jeff’s first job was in a traveling circus. How do Designers Most Efficiently Integrate into Agile? (6:43) Why is it Important to be a Facilitator? (16:32) Phase 2: Reality or Myth? (20:45) How Do You Convince ENGINEERS to Get Out of the Software is Done Mindset? (28:06) How Do You Convince DESIGNERS to Get Out of the Software is Done Mindset? (31:15) Why is MVP the Most Bastardized Phrase in Software Development? (33:49) Why Designers are Scientists Long Before We’re Pixel-Pushers (37:34) How Does a New UX Team Show Immediate Value? (41:17) What’s Your Why? (46:40) What’s Your UX Superpower? (48:23) What’s Your UX Kryptonite? (48:52) What’s Your UX Superhero Name? (49:34) Invincible UX Tool or Resource? (50:52) Recommended Books? (51:55) Best Advice for Aspiring UX Superheroes? (52:45) Best Way to Connect? (53:45) (more…)

Artwork by Eli Jorgensen 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 illustrating what one actually looks like. Jared M. Spool is a Maker of Awesomeness at Center Centre – UIE. Center Centre is the school he started with Leslie Jensen-Inman to create industry-ready User Experience Designers. UIE is Center Centre’s professional development arm, dedicated to understanding what it takes for organizations to produce competitively great products and services. In the 43 years he’s been in the tech field, he’s worked with hundreds of organizations, written two books, published hundreds of articles and podcasts, and tours the world speaking to audiences everywhere. When he can, he does his laundry in Andover, Massachusetts. A little known fact about Jared is he didn’t graduate high school or go to college, yet now he runs one of the leading schools for UX designers. He’s also an amateur magician. Jared’s Compelling UX Origin Story (5:56) How Do You See the UX Job Landscape Evolving? (14:50) UX’ers Have to Do What We Promised (17:31) Is Everyone a UX Designer? (24:57) If Design is a Team Sport, How Does the Team Win? (35:30) What Makes a Great Design Leader? (38:40) The Most Important Thing Designers Should be Learning (46:22) Best Advice for Designers Trying to Break In and Getting Rejected? (52:10) UX Superhero Name (1:09:23) (more…)