Removing Biases and Designing For Your User with Alexis Morin, Design System Lead

It’s the finale episode of The Dev Morning Show (At Night)! We’re finishing out the season by looking back at the coolest old tech we saw, most memorable guest quotes, and funny moments that you may not have seen before!-------------------Episode Timestamps:(01:04): Cassidy and Zach discuss their favorite part of The Dev Morning Show (At Night)(03:55): Favorite old tech moments(14:15): Memorable guest quotes(27:44): Funny moments-------------------“​​It's an ever-growing industry where there's so much knowledge out there and a lot of people may not be up to date on, ‘What is the latest, greatest way to do things?’ Or, ‘What is the latest and greatest tech?’ It's good to be compassionate and understand people's viewpoints and where they're coming from. It just helps everyone, at least from a learning perspective, just grow better.” – Zach Plata-------------------Links:Twitter - Follow CassidyTwitter - Follow ZachThe Dev Morning Show (At Night) YouTube Page 

This episode features an interview with Munnawar Hashim, a Developer Advocate at LaunchDarkly. Munnawar joined the dev community in 2020 after a successful career as an English language teacher. He is passionate about diversity, comedy, and exploring integrations and plug-ins.In this episode, Cassidy and Zach sit down with Munnawar to discuss stepping out of your comfort zone, expressing gratitude through emojis, and Sega Mega Drives.-------------------Episode Timestamps:(01:49): What Munnawar is working on right now(02:58): What Munnawar’s day-to-day looks like(05:37): What tools Munnawar uses(06:33): How Munnawar got into the industry(10:22): Rapid Fire Questions(21:24): Random Segment Generator(27:31): Cassidy’s Sage Advice-------------------“As a dev advocate, I wake up and I'm like, ‘I don't know what I'm going to do after I finish brushing my teeth,’ but it's going to be something quite sick. So, usually it's that discovery phase of either finishing off a video, a blog post, or a slide deck. Or reaching out to teams within my company being like, ‘You guys make really cool integrations. Is there any that are coming out next week that I can make stuff about?’” – Munnawar Hashim-------------------Links:Twitter - Follow MunnawarTwitter - Follow CassidyTwitter - Follow ZachThe Dev Morning Show (At Night) YouTube Page

This episode features an interview with Suz Hinton, Senior Software Engineer at CrowdStrike, where she develops advanced threat hunting technologies. Suz has been in the industry for over 15 years holding positions at Microsoft, Stripe, and Kickstarter. She’s also an advocate for accessibility, privacy, security, and prioritizing the user experience.In this episode, Cassidy, Zach, and Suz discuss not being dogmatic, exploring outside the domain, and self-hosted web services.-------------------Episode Timestamps:(03:34): What Suz is working on right now(05:29): What Suz’s day-to-day looks like(09:16): What tools Suz uses(14:57): How Suz got into the industry(20:00): Rapid Fire Questions(34:19): Random Segment Generator(47:07): Cassidy’s Sage Advice-------------------“Don't be dogmatic about something just because it's the only tool that you are really comfortable with and you don't want to explore another one, because then that makes you feel weird. [...] Just think about what is actually useful, what is something that is actually going to address my needs. And try to avoid the hype train, try to avoid that feeling of FoMo.” – Suz Hinton-------------------Links:Twitter - Follow SuzVisit fragile.systemsTwitter - Follow CassidyTwitter - Follow ZachThe Dev Morning Show (At Night) YouTube Page

This episode features an interview with Eve Porcello, software engineer, instructor, author, and co-founder of Moon Highway. Since starting her company in 2012, Eve has created video content for egghead.io, O'Reilly Media, and LinkedIn Learning. She has taught JavaScript, GraphQL, and React workshops to tech professionals for nearly a decade and is a frequent speaker at conferences.In this episode, Cassidy and Zach sit down with Eve to discuss building practical tools for yourself, apps for teachers, and the power of the cowboy emoji.-------------------Episode Timestamps:(01:33): What Eve is working on right now(03:41): What Eve’s day-to-day looks like(05:28): What tools Eve uses(07:17): How Eve got into the industry(10:12): Rapid Fire Questions(21:13): Random Segment Generator(28:54): Cassidy’s Sage Advice-------------------“Because a lot of what I do is learning-related, sometimes I can get down a road of just trying to learn too much or taking too many tutorials or not really getting into the weeds with something. So I think building something that is somewhat practical, or maybe even just for a single user app, is nice because you'll run into problems that you don't in a nice little clean edged tutorial. So building something is super important, I feel like, and I try to not break that rule.” – Eve Porcello-------------------Links:Twitter - Follow EveEve’s GraphQL NewsletterVisit Moon HighwayTwitter - Follow CassidyTwitter - Follow ZachThe Dev Morning Show (At Night) YouTube Page

This episode features an interview with Ceora Ford, Developer Advocate at Auth0. Ceora began her career in 2020 during the height of the global pandemic. Because of the unusual timing, she focused on learning in public and getting her name out in the industry. Ceora’s career revolves around creating education content that makes the tech industry more accessible to everyone. She’s collaborated with companies like Apollo GraphQL, CodeSandbox, and egghead.io.In this episode, Cassidy, Zach, and Ceora discuss building relationships, learning how to ask for help, and Ceora’s love of K-pop.-------------------Episode Timestamps:(01:53): What Ceora is working on right now(05:10): What Ceora’s day-to-day looks like(07:05): What tools Ceora uses(09:32): How Ceora got into the industry(17:46): Rapid Fire Questions(30:11): Random Segment Generator(40:07): Cassidy’s Sage Advice-------------------“Every job that I've gotten is because of people who I became friends with through learning in public. It's not just a take relationship, it's give and take. So you do a couple things for them, they do a couple things for you. That's how I've gotten every role thus far. I really think that me investing so much time and building that community was really valuable because it's something that still helps me to this day.” – Ceora Ford-------------------Links:Twitter - Follow CeoraVisit Ceora’s WebsiteThe Stack Overflow PodcastTwitter - Follow CassidyTwitter - Follow ZachThe Dev Morning Show (At Night) YouTube Page

This episode features an interview with Alexis Morin, a Design System Lead. Alexis has over 15 years of experience collaborating with teams and organizations to create and ship digital experiences, working with brands like Google, Meta, and Audi.In this episode, Cassidy and Zach sit down with Alexis to discuss what a design system is, removing biases in your work, and over-optimizing Duolingo experience points.-------------------Episode Timestamps:(01:32): What Alexis is working on right now(03:22): What Alexis’ day-to-day looks like(08:47): What tools Alexis uses(09:46): How Alexis got into the industry(12:48): Rapid Fire Questions(24:34): Random Segment Generator(31:20): Cassidy’s Sage Advice-------------------“I always try to keep in mind, and this is a design rule, that the people who will be using the thing that you're making, it's probably not you. A lot of the times, we want to build something and the intent is, ‘This is how I would do it.’ But at the end of the day, that's rarely the case. It's important to just keep that in mind and sometimes you just exercise a little bit of empathy, put some empathy into your work. And that can go a long way into removing some biases that we all have.” – Alexis Morin-------------------Links:Visit Interaction 23Twitter - Follow AlexisTwitter - Follow CassidyTwitter - Follow ZachThe Dev Morning Show (At Night) YouTube Page

This episode features an interview with Jeri Ellsworth, CEO and Co-founder of Tilt Five, a modern-day tabletop gaming kit powered by augmented reality technology. Jeri is a lifelong gamer, inventor, creator, and one of the world’s leading AR experts. Her love of invention began with building race cars before transitioning to hardware design. In this episode, Cassidy, Zach, and Jeri discuss AR tabletop games, choosing your career path, and appreciating the history of technology.-------------------Episode Timestamps:(02:22): What Jeri is working on right now(12:02): What Jeri’s day-to-day looks like(16:26): What tools Jeri uses(18:33): How Jeri got into the industry(26:42): Rapid Fire Questions(38:25): Random Segment Generator(46:54): Cassidy’s Sage Advice-------------------“Sometimes people look at my journey and sometimes it's like a hero's journey; dropout of high school, get into racing, brute force my way into different fields and learn it all myself. For some people, that's a really good direction to go. I've always been non-traditional in the way I think about things and do things, and so, very rigid schooling never really resonated with me. But, it depends. It depends on your personality. Some people are better served to have a more rigorous path. It definitely hasn't been easy, so I don't recommend it unless you have a personality like me.” – Jeri Ellsworth-------------------Links:Visit Tilt Five’s WebsiteTwitter - Follow JeriTwitter - Follow CassidyTwitter - Follow ZachThe Dev Morning Show (At Night) YouTube Page

This episode features an interview with Anjana Vakil, Software Engineer, Educator, and Freelance DevRel Consultant. Anjana’s passion for computational linguistics and software development led her to engineering and developer advocate roles at companies such as Mapbox, Observable, and Hasura. She also travels the world to speak about the joy of programming and advocate for a more equitable and ethical tech industry.In this episode, Cassidy and Zach sit down with Anjana to discuss burnout, developing a healthy relationship with work, and the novelty of flip phones.-------------------Episode Timestamps:(00:32): What Anjana is working on right now(04:44): What Anjana’s day-to-day looks like(07:42): What tools Anjana uses(11:37): How Anjana got into the industry(18:30): Rapid Fire Questions(34:45): Random Segment Generator(48:37): Cassidy’s Sage Advice-------------------“I like many people, I think, during the last few years, especially during the lockdown times, really set myself on a bullet train for burnout town. And so, now trying to figure out a more sustainable way to be working and still protecting that inner core, that little flame of creativity and curiosity that I think is so important to be able to continuously do really good work over the long term. But, it's so easy to neglect in the short term and let just sputter out.” – Anjana Vakil-------------------Links:The Recurse CenterOutreachyTwitter - Follow AnjanaTwitter - Follow CassidyTwitter - Follow ZachThe Dev Morning Show (At Night) YouTube Page

This episode features an interview with Charlyn Gonda, Senior Software Engineer at Pave. Charlyn’s impressive career journey saw her take on roles at Google and Uber as both a developer advocate and engineer. She believes that technology is made better when people collaborate in open platforms and diverse communities.In this episode, Cassidy, Zach, and Charlyn discuss hoarding technology, being kind, and creating WiFi message cubes.-------------------Episode Timestamps:(02:14): What Charlyn is working on right now(08:13): What Charlyn’s day-to-day looks like(12:25): What tools Charlyn uses(16:30): How Charlyn got into the industry(19:53): Rapid Fire Questions(31:37): Random Segment Generator(38:26): Cassidy’s Sage Advice-------------------“I get this question of like, ‘I want to make things but I don't know how to start.’ And, ‘What do you pick up first?’ And, ‘Should I buy a 3D printer?’ And my answer is always, ‘It depends on what you want to make.’ Because, if you start from the tool, while the novelty effect is active, you're going to have so much fun with the new tool. But then if you didn't have a thing that you wanted to build with it, then the novelty effect will wear off and then you're left with this fancy tool that you don't know what to do with.” – Charlyn Gonda-------------------Links:Visit Charlyn’s websiteTwitter - Follow CharlynMastodon - Follow CharlynInstagram - Follow CharlynHow To Make a WiFi Message CubeTwitter - Follow CassidyTwitter - Follow ZachThe Dev Morning Show (At Night) YouTube Page

This episode features an interview with Julie Yang, Vice President of Product at Spec. Julie’s extensive career took her to companies like Bloomberg, Bain & Company, and Bestow Life Insurance where she served as a software developer, management consultant, and product manager.In this episode, Cassidy and Zach sit down with Julie to discuss prioritizing productivity, setting boundaries, and the meaning of life.-------------------Episode Timestamps:(01:21): What Julie is working on right now(02:44): What Julie’s day-to-day looks like(07:09): How Julie got into the industry(15:58): Rapid Fire Questions(29:16): Random Segment Generator(37:43): Cassidy’s Sage Advice-------------------“In a hybrid or full remote work position, people try to demonstrate that they're on the job or that they're working. And so the most visible way to do this day-to-day, ends up being responsiveness. And so, people are always breaking their focus time to respond to a work chat, email. Or some people just like helping other people and interacting when they're at home with their coworkers through these chat programs. I think it turns out to be like a fire drill kind of way of working, where you just work on whatever pops up. Which I don't think is necessarily the most prioritized way of working.” – Julie Yang-------------------Links:Visit SpecTwitter - Follow CassidyTwitter - Follow ZachThe Dev Morning Show (At Night) YouTube Page