What's The Deal With Contracting?

In this episode, James and Dave catch up with their former colleague Ellina Morits, now a Principal UX Designer at Flutter International. With a career built on a foundation of deep UX and user research, Elina discusses the intricacies of managing products across diverse international markets where legal and functional requirements shift with every border.In a peek behind the scenes of a Principal UX Designer, Elina explains why discovery remains the most vital tool in a Principal’s arsenal. Dave and James dig into the "soft" side of the role, uncovering how to identify and influence the stakeholders who truly hold the keys to a project's success.As always, expect thoughtful takes and practical insights, so hit that play button and stimulate the parts of your brain other podcasts can’t touch.We want to hear from you! Share your thoughts on this episode or suggest future topics for 1 Pixel Out by leaving us a comment.

Let’s talk about craft, baby. Let’s talk about you and me. Let’s talk about what craft means in digital product design! Not quite hitting the same level of Salt-N-Pepa’s lyrics, but you get the gist.In this episode, James, Mikey and Dave chat about the perceived increase in the use of the word ‘craft’ within the industry. How do we define craft? Is craft more important in a world of AI design tools? Is craft something that’s at risk? We have ideas, we have thoughts and eventually arrive at some answers.As always, expect insights, interesting takes and practical advice, so hit that play button and stimulate the  parts of your brain other podcasts just cannot reach.We want to hear from you! Share your thoughts on this episode or suggest future topics for 1 Pixel Out by leaving us a comment.

In this episode, James, Steve, Mikey and Dave finally tackle the big topic of the moment: AI. The guys dive into the tools they’re currently finding value in, what they’re hearing from the design community, and how they really feel about the current narratives surrounding AI and design.As always, expect thoughtful takes and practical insights, so hit that play button and stimulate the parts of your brain other podcasts can’t touch.We want to hear from you! Share your thoughts on this episode or suggest future topics for 1 Pixel Out by leaving us a comment.

In this episode, James, Mikey and Dave delve into the world of contracting. They cover current market conditions, the pros and cons of the contracting lifestyle, and tips on how to get started if you’re looking to make the leap.As always, we want to hear from you! Share your thoughts on this episode or suggest future topics for 1 Pixel Out by leaving a comment. Get involved!

Mikey returns from London (yay!) to reunite with Steve, Dave and James, joined by their first guests, Niki Estrella and Chris Leyland. Niki and Chris, former colleagues in Data and Insights, share advice for designers collaborating with Data.Areas covered include good examples of Design and Data working together, when there can be friction between the two disciplines, and also how they have similar challenges within the wider business. There are also a few quick-fire questions thrown in at the end - can you ever have too much data? Listen to find out.​We want your feedback! Share your thoughts on this episode or suggest future topics for us at 1 Pixel Out. Leave a comment and get involved.

In this episode, James, Steve and Dave debate the pros and cons of the design process, using Jenny Wen's 2024 article ‘Don’t Trust The Process’ as inspiration.​It’s a discussion that asks: Has the process become a problem? Have we stopped caring about the actual design in favour of process theatre? And what are the benefits of having a process?​As always, we want to hear from you. Share your thoughts on this episode or suggest topics for us to cover next on 1 Pixel Out by leaving us a comment. Join the conversation!https://jennywen.substack.com/p/dont-trust-the-design-process

In this episode, James, Steve, Dave, and Mikey discuss their experiences dealing with burnout.Together, the team discusses what burnout can look like, how it’s affected their personal and professional lives, and provides solid advice for listeners who believe they’re starting to feel the effects of burnout.As always, we want to hear from you. Share your thoughts on this episode or suggest topics for us to cover next on 1 Pixel Out by leaving a comment on Spotify. Join the conversation!

We’re back after the Summer break! In this episode, James, Steve, Dave, and Mikey delve into the challenges of transitioning into leadership roles, sharing their experiences alongside revealing their favourite George Clooney movies.Together they cover the change in role dynamics when stepping into a managerial role, juggling the day-to-day and longer-term strategies of the team and offer advice to those looking to make the move and avoid the ‘manager trap’.As always, we want to hear from you - share your thoughts on this episode or suggest topics you’re eager for us to cover next on 1 Pixel Out. Join the conversation!

It’s Episode 2! James, Steve, Dave and Mikey are back, revealing their deep knowledge of the Spice Girls' back catalogue, along with discussing the ‘hot right now’ topic of how to stand out in a difficult job market.Please leave a comment with your thoughts on the content of this episode, or leave us a suggestion for future topics or themes you'd like to see us cover in future episodes!George Clooney Link

James, Steve, Dave and Mikey kick things off with the inaugural episode of the 1 Pixel Out podcast.Lucky listeners will get a more formal-than-expected introduction from the team before finding out who gets sent to prison for liking pineapple on pizza!We discuss Return to Office (RTO) mandates, how we're dealing with the changes to our working lives and the impact these requests are having on how we work as digital product designers.We also touch on the challenges of ensuring design teams remain effective in this new world order.We hope you enjoy the show. Please leave us your suggestions for future topics or themes you'd like to see us cover in future episodes!