What We Mean When We Talk About Strategy

Much has changed in design hiring over the past decade, from interview exercises to unclear expectations. In this episode, Tanner and Jasmine share advice for candidates and hiring teams on asking better questions, evaluating evidence, and finding the right fit.

AI can now write code and turn out passable visual and interaction design for anyone with a $20 subscription. So where does the design industry go from here? In this episode of New Layer, Jasmine and Tanner start with Mills Baker's "Designer Duds" and Jon Schlossberg's response, "Design Doesn't Deserve a Seat at the Table," which separates design's perceived value from a business's real value. They ask whether taste and judgment are enough to keep designers essential when AI can produce 40 directions in the time it takes to make two, and how the lines between design, engineering, and product keep blurring. They also discuss the risk of handing research and foundations to AI, why product design has never been about pushing pixels, and what designers can do with the time AI gives back: take bigger swings, play more, and return to the place where business and design meet.

When everything in tech seems to change at once, how do you keep up without feeling behind? In this episode of New Layer, Jasmine and Tanner talk about getting through rapid industry change. They cover replacing fear with curiosity, keeping a beginner's mind, and taking a "low and slow" approach that values watching and listening over racing ahead. They also discuss how AI can overturn established workflows overnight, the pressure to deliver high-fidelity prototypes in a week, and why measuring your career by what you learn may matter more than promotions. Designers may also have an advantage here: we're trained to treat change as a user problem to solve.

We are indefinitely calling it "quits" on New Layer, this is potentially our last episode. When is the right time to call something "quits?" Quitting never feels good, it even has many negative connotations surrounding it, but sometimes stepping away from something is the best thing you can do for it and yourself. For the New Layer podcast, the time has come for Jasmine and Tanner to step away. Learn more in this short episode.

What's a dream job and how will you know it when you see it? In this episode of New Layer, Tanner and Jasmine break down what it means to have a "dream job" and why so many designers end up in their dream job only to realize it wasn't very dreamy after all. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/new-layer/support

What is influence and how do designers build it? In this episode of New Layer, Tanner and Jasmine uncover the various ways designers can build influence in their lives and careers. Influence is built through showing up and having a presence, reflecting authority appropriately, leveraging information to build social proof, being consistent, and reciprocating influence from others. All this and more, in this week's episode of New Layer! Mentioned in this episode: How to Win Friends & Influence People - https://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/0671027034/ Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion - https://www.amazon.com/Influence-Psychology-Persuasion-Robert-Cialdini/dp/006124189X/ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/new-layer/support

What exactly *is* a design workshop? What's the difference between an effective meeting, a workshop, and an email? In this episode of New Layer, Jasmine and Tanner ruminate and discuss, as well as share experiences of hosting and attending workshops that worked well. Whether you're planning to host a workshop soon or just want to expand your toolset, this is a must-listen episode. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/new-layer/support

In this short but sweet episode of New Layer: Tanner covers for Jasmine, who is out sick, by reading one of her highly regarded article How to look at evidence and not translate it into your own agenda. We'll be back next week for our regularly recorded programming. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/new-layer/support

What is ambiguity and why do product designers talk about it so often? A listener to the podcast emailed us for help on the subject, so we obliged. Whether you're just starting out in your career and hear the term come up often, or have been designing for a while and are still unsure of what it means to deal with ambiguity, this episode we talk about it all. Note: Jasmine was overcoming a sickness on this episode so is a little cough-y. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/new-layer/support

When you start a new job, take on a new challenge, or join a new team, you probably find yourself experiencing some form of doubt. Worse is as you progress in your career and that doubt remains. When do career professionals stop doubting themselves, if ever? In this episode of New Layer, Tanner and Jasmine share their experiences with career doubt, dive into the true meaning of the word, and spotlight techniques and tools anyone can use to take advantage of doubt and turn it into a superpower. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/new-layer/support