Product and Design leader, Ryan Scott, discusses gaining influence and persuading stakeholders in design careers. He explores the importance of connecting design to business metrics, tailoring tactics to specific environments, and assessing team quality. Ryan also shares insights on his new business, Accelerate Design Company, and the benefits of mentorship and continuous learning.

Doug has been in the Design world for 30 years and is well known for his role as VP of Design at IBM, where he oversaw IBM's design practice, design career and leadership programs, and the scaling of cross-functional design thinking practices. Doug is a role model for many design leaders and someone I've been looking up to for many years. Having him on the show is such an honour.Timestamps:00:00 – Intro02:32 – The three chapters in Doug's career09:35 – Building good relationships at work13:18 – The environment needed for designers to do great work20:44 – The role coaching played for him and how he's coached others27:13 – How do you know when a report is ready for a promotion36:04 – An overview of the work done at IBM by Design 42:16 – The role of ethics in Design48:13 – Design in the age of AI51:04 – End of show questions.Connect with DougLinkedInSelected links from the episodeThis is a Prototype Podcast (Apple, Spotify, Google)The Making of a Manager, by Julie ZhouThe Total Economic Impact Of IBM’s Design Thinking Practice, by Forrester

Dan is a seasoned designer with over 20 years of experience in leading teams at companies such as Farfetch, Just Eat, Wonderbly, and Fresha. Until very recently Dan ran a small design studio – Rubber Studio. In today's chat we get a behind the scenes view into the life of a studio owner, what's important when trying to find work, and how your life as a designer can change if you decide to start a studio yourself.Timestamps:00:00 – Intro02:38 – Dan's journey into Design05:43 – His thoughts on Design education08:28 – His journey as a studio owner19:44 – What you need to know before starting a studio32:32 – What's important when pitching for work43:39 – On his talk about innovation at Hatch Conference46:36 – End of show questionsConnect with DanLinkedInSelected links from the episodeChris DoJust enough research, by Erika HallSupermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon (Documentary Trailer)Dan Tase: Why Innovation Fails? (And what can we do about it) – Talk at Hatch Conference

Dan is a seasoned design executive who's led teams at Microsoft, Google, UnitedHealth Group, Walmart, and Lloyd's, among others. From working on the Surface Tablet, starting Project ARA at Google, leading the efforts to redesign Walmart.com, and more recently writing his own book, Uplifting Design, Dan believes in the importance of Design at the core of any business, and that's what we're talking about today. We also chat in detail about how his design team has doubled conversion for walmart.com, and about why he believes that you should look at your career from a perspective of two year stretches.Timestamps:00:00 – Intro02:42 – Dan's journey into Design04:06 – Why Dan thinks Design is at the core of business09:11 – The forces that come down to devalue Design15:51 – Companies that show Design matters23:24 – Designing software vs. hardware and how compassion fits into this42:54 – On the redesign of Walmart.com51:29 – Dan's new book, Uplifting Design56:08 – Managing your career in two-year stretches01:04:18 – End of show questionsConnect with DanLinkedIn, Uplifting.Design, WebsiteSelected links from the episodeNeolMcKinsey Design ReportFuelling Creative Renewal Report

Lea is a Product & Growth Consultant with a massive proven track record of helping companies get traction. Today we talk about experimentation frameworks, how to build better relationships with Product, and about what kinds of designers are best to collaborate with.Timestamps:00:00 – Intro02:36 – Lea's journey into Product03:37 – On working for one company vs. consulting 07:06 – Lea's definition of Product10:50 – Building relationships with Product19:18 – The ideal designer to work with25:08 – On experimentation47:39 – The importance of quality in a product52:39 – End of show questionsConnect with LeaLinkedIn

Maria is a Product Design Leader at Turo and Founder of Careercoach.design. In this episode get to talk about the rise of the Player-Coach Designer, about building better relationships at work, about coaching, and we also talk about practical advice on how to approach your job search. Timestamps:00:00 – Intro02:18 – Maria's journey into Design04:28 – On Player-Coach Designers12:43 – Maria's thoughts on Design leadership19:21 – Building relationships at work23:44 – Giving and receiving feedback30:27 – Maria's practice as a Coach34:10 – On finding a job48:36 – Demystifying interview questions54:24 – How to negotiate your salary56:58 – End of show questionsConnect with MariaLinkedIn, CareerCoach.DesignSelected links from the episodeDemystifying common design interview questions, by Maria 

In this engaging discussion, Alastair Simpson, VP of Design at Dropbox and former Head of Design at Atlassian, shares his wealth of experience as a design leader and mentor. He emphasizes the importance of storytelling and effective communication in design. Alastair explores the balance between technical skills and soft skills, advocating for curiosity and iterative processes. He also discusses the significance of crafting compelling presentations and navigating feedback. Listeners gain insights into inspiring leadership and the evolving role of design in driving business success.

Sean has spent the past 25 years at the intersection of commerce, consumer behaviour, and data-driven feedback loops. This included working for Tesco, GfK, and two long stints with Amazon, among others. In this chat we talk about how design can better work with product, how to speak the language of our senior stakeholders, and what he's learned about hiring from interviewing over a thousand people at Amazon.Timestamps:00:00 – Intro03:54 – How does Product act differently in small vs. in big companies05:53 – Interviewing others as a Bar Raiser at Amazon10:55 – Portfolios – How do you get to the bottom of study cases?13:24 – The one question Sean likes to ask in interviews17:58 – How does a good relationship between Design and Product look like?29:58 – Challenges that Product faces when they deal with Design49:10 – Making it 'cheap' to be wrong53:23 – Why sometimes Design reports to Product56:53 – End of show questions.Connect with SeanLinkedInSelected notes from the episodeSean's 10 Product Development Principles (to create the right culture and velocity):1. Solve the right user need2. Measurable accountability to outcomes3. Release value in slices (avoid long bets)4. Put data in the hands of decision makers5. Build once, run everywhere6. Make it cheap to be wrong 7. Build it fast AND proper8. Extreme focus on top priorities9. Simplify, simplify, simplify10. Be credible

Tom Scott, an experienced design recruiter and founder of the invite-only talent network Verified, shares insights on navigating the design job market. He discusses the importance of community in recruitment and the challenges introverts face in networking. Tom highlights the rise of 'player-coach designers', who balance leadership with hands-on design work, and the evolving landscape of design education, critiquing boot camps and the need for supportive environments for newcomers.

We're launching season 3 together with Nate Langley (Monzo), talking about how constraints breed creativity, the five pillars you want to touch on in interviews, and the importance of an integrated brand experience.Timestamps:00:00 – Intro03:38 – How Nate started out05:50 – On confidence and how to build it14:17 – Best ways to start out in Design21:09 – Individual Contributor vs. Manager track28:45 – How to do well in interviews40:26 – On how constraints breed creativity 45:58 – End of show questionsConnect with NateLinkedIn, ADPlistSelected links from the episodePeak, by Anders Ericsson & Robert PoolThe Rebalancing of Design Management, by Cap Watkins