The UX Level-Up

Dan Brown, seasoned information architect who now leads Curious Squid Design Lab, walks through why product structure matters and how IA and product design drift apart. He and Sophia dissect noun-foraging, object-oriented IA, and the risks teams face when skipping structural work. They also unpack AI’s limits, why data quality and domain knowledge still win, and practical ways to start small and make IA useful.

Angie King, content strategy manager and veteran content strategist who led UX at U.S. Bank, shares how a repeatable framework transformed her work. She discusses why confidence matters for content pros. They explore ORCA (objects, relationships, calls-to-action, attributes), how late-stage content hurts products and AI, and how AI can scale OOUX for real healthcare systems.

Sophia Prater is the founder of OOUX and the creator of the ORCA process, a practical system for untangling complexity and designing more intuitive digital products. In this episode of the podcast, Sophia shares what she’s learning from Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s book Flow, why so many status quo UX practices actually keep designers stuck between boredom and overwhelm, and how ORCA helps create the conditions for deeper focus, clearer thinking, and more intrinsically rewarding work. She also explores the six ingredients of flow state, why UX often thwarts them, and how AI can either support or sabotage the kind of meaningful problem-solving designers are really hungry for.LINKS:Get access to the Free Training here Join the OOUX Forum Connect with ME on LinkedIn Message me on Instagram and tell me what you think Continue the Conversation in the Forum

Jon Alderink is a UX consultant with experience in Industrial IoT, where he’s worked on complex machine software systems, and he previously worked at Twist Think. He has also worked as a color artist for Marvel and DC, and recently created his own website, Norn Forge, where he’s been experimenting with OOUX, AI workflows, and connected tools. In this episode of the podcast, Sophia and Jon talk about why AI can generate screens but still struggles to design the system underneath, how OOUX helped Jon’s team move faster and make better product decisions, and how designers can use tools like Notion, Claude, and schema markup without offloading the critical thinking that makes their work valuable. LINKS:Be one of our Scholars! Connect with Jon on LinkedIn Check out Jon’s Website - Norn Forge Continue the conversation in the OOUX Forum

Meghan Logan, a Lead Product Designer at Stripe who speaks on systems thinking and neurodiverse design, discusses ADHD, masking, and workplace safety. She explains why OOUX and the ORCA process feel clarifying and supportive for literal thinkers. They explore using structured systems thinking to reduce ambiguity, communicate clearly, and make design more inclusive.

Mandi Geiselman has worked as Senior UX Designer at Autodesk, where she designs for complex media & entertainment tools (like Maya and 3DS Max), and she is an Advanced OOUX Strategist who’s created resources on building an OOUX community of practice inside big organizations. In this episode of the podcast, Sophia and Mandi talk about OOUXing Horizon Forbidden West, why game UX isn’t about “making it easy,” and how bases, extensions, and conditional logic can make even the most complex systems more understandable (and more shareable for teams).LINKS: Join the OOUX Forum Connect with Mandi 💪 Get access to the free training and get 20 strategies to level up your UX practice! OOUX.com/levelup Continue the conversation in the forum

Sophia reveals a major mistake she made in 2025 that contradicts core OOUX principles. She discusses confusion caused by overlapping concepts, using examples from EdTech and Mighty Networks. Learn about three strategies to handle overlapping objects: combine, differentiate, or accept confusion. Excitingly, she announces a shift in OOUX training, merging the Foundations course into a streamlined Discovery Bundle for clarity and reduced maintenance. Get ready for a more efficient learning experience in user experience design!

Elena Haskins, founder of Anele UX Studio and Advanced OOUX practitioner, helps B2B teams make software clearer. She explains OOUX basics and a practical ORCA-lite workflow. Short, client-friendly training, role-based prioritization, and ways to bridge designers and developers come up. The conversation stays practical and focused on making people feel smarter, not overwhelmed.

Allie Ofisher has worked as a UX consultant for complex systems, served as the lead instructor for the Representation Round in the OOUX Foundations program, and is a Certified Advanced OOUX Strategist. She’s also one of the core contributors to the newly refilmed OOUX Masterclass, leading the way on rethinking CTA Representation and object integrity.In this episode of the podcast, Sophia and Allie talk about how broken CTAs sabotage UX (and trust), why screen-first design leads to bloated prototypes and stakeholder distractions, and how to align affordances across object views without creating chaos.LINKS:Allie Ofisher ⁠https://www.allieofisher.com/⁠• Connect with Allie Ofisher on LinkedIn ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/allieofisher⁠• OOUX We did it Again ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@OOUXwediditagain⁠Continue the conversation on the OOUX Forum!

Ryan Young and Kayla Ferris, OOUX Strategists at P3+Uplift, delve into the power of Object-Oriented UX in navigating complex product design. They discuss how OOUX transforms P3’s design process, enabling rapid adaptation to challenging projects. Their shared experiences highlight how effective object mapping can clarify confusion, even with clients in specialized fields. They also reveal how they've been perceived as domain experts and the importance of collaborating closely with clients to build effective designs and reduce rework.