The UX job market is rough. Veterans are being laid off, juniors are struggling to find jobs, and yet, digital experiences are clunky and getting worse. What gives?In this raw and honest solo-episode, Sophia explores why UX has been set up to fail — why big problems remain unsolved, and why leadership often undervalues UX work. You'll hear how we've been pushed into pixel-pushing and spackling over the cracks of complexity instead of tackling structural solutions. And why that's not good enough anymore.But there’s hope. UX can evolve, and we can take back our craft. Discover the Five Core Level-Ups that will empower you to redefine your role and bring deeper meaning into your work.If you are ready for a deep dive into Sophia’s practical how-to, Join our  90-minute, totally free training: The UX Level-Up. You'll learn 20 actionable strategies to start leveling up immediately—yes, right after the training.👉 Register here: https://www.ooux.com/levelupLet’s stop spackling. Let’s build better.

Sophia dives into the intriguing concept of world models in AI, discussing their potential for creating human-like intelligence. She evaluates the arguments for and against training AI with these models, referencing insights from Melanie Mitchell's work. The conversation highlights the limitations of large language models and their reliance on shortcuts rather than true comprehension. Additionally, the principles of Object-Oriented UX are explored as essential tools for enhancing mental models and improving user experience in AI design.

As president of Catbird Content, Torrey Podmajersky helps teams solve business and customer problems using UX and content. She has written inclusive and accessible consumer and professional experiences at Google, OfferUp, and Microsoft, and now for clients of Catbird Content. She wrote the best-selling Strategic Writing for UX, and teaches at schools and conferences in North America and Europe.In this episode of the podcast, Sophia and Torrey talk about why people tend to be biased toward stories they understand, how facilitating with sticky notes helps level the playing field for ideas, and how Torrey used OOUX to untangle the “spaghetti” of requirements, system objects, and team vernacular at a large company we all know. Follow Torrey on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ Afflilate link to Torrey's book⁠, "Strategic Writing for UX" ⁠Early release second edition of Strategic Writing for UX⁠ Learn about Catbird: ⁠www.catbirdcontent.com⁠ Early release chapters (so far) of UX Skills for Business Strategy⁠ Sign up for UX Level-Up!

In this episode, Sophia and Allie get clear on what exactly OOUX is, how the ORCA process works, and why everyone is talking about it! If you have heard about OOUX and were wondering what it can do for you in your UX practice, or if you find yourself faced with intense digital complexity and need a way to break it down, this video is for you! Check out these articles for more on the cognitive science of OOUX: "Don't Dead Him - Why Verbs Are Hard and What It Means For the UX Process" -   / dont-dead-him-why-verbs-are-hard-and-what-...   "UX For Lizard Brains" - https://alistapart.com/article/ux-for... "The Object-Oriented User" - https://blog.prototypr.io/the-object-... 👻 Get on the waitlist for the Four UX Fails Mini-Course: https://www.ooux.com/offerings/fourfails A deep dive into how to detect and prevent these unsavory flavors of unintuitiveness! ⭐️ Join the waitlist for the OOUX Masterclass: https://www.ooux.com/spmcwaitlist A 22-hour online course that will help you have more confidence in the face of complexity, design more elegant and resilient digital systems, reduce rework while also having more fun, and overall level-up as an advanced, high-value UXer.

Raktim Chatterjee is a Certified OOUX Strategist and the Lead UX Consultant at Xebia, a global IT consultancy. In this episode, Sophia and Raktim talk about how to get buy-in on OOUX with stakeholders by reviewing headaches from previous projects through an OOUX lens and by meeting people where they are, why OOUX becomes exponentially beneficial when all team members know the fundamentals, and just how much OOUX it's possible to do in just 45 minutes. This is a great conversation on the nuts and bolts of getting started with OOUX at work. Enjoy! LINKS: Connect with Raktim on LinkedIn Or email Raktim at raktim.ux@gmail.com. He'd love to talk to you about your OOUX questions. Join the waitlist for Cohort 11 of the OOUX Certification Program Join the waitlist for the new and improved Self-Paced OOUX Masterclass Join the vibrant OOUX Community over on the OOUX Forum! It's free to join.

The Self-Paced OOUX Masterclass is coming off the shelf at midnight on Friday, September 27, 2024. In this solo episode of the podcast, Sophia talks about why she's taking the course off the market, when it will be back, and why you should get this "life-changing," "mind blowing," "career-saving" course today before it's gone, plus two big lessons she's learned over 10 years of entrepreneurship! LINKS: Invest in your future. Join the Self-Paced OOUX Masterclass.

In this solo episode of the podcast, Sophia asks, what is the point of OOUX? What are the things people get out of OOUX? Sophia outlines the three glorious transformations that OOUX provides to the weary UX professional. This podcast is for people who are wondering if they should dive deeper into the world of Object-Oriented UX. LINKS: Get started Object-Mapping with OOUX using the Object-Mapping Quickstart Guide. Get it here. Is the OOUX Certification right for you? Take the quiz! Cohort 10 of The OOUX Masterclass Certification is open for enrollment! Get your spot before they run out. Continue the conversation on the OOUX Forum!

There are big changes coming to the world of OOUX. In this episode of the podcast, Sophia talks about bumping the ORCA process up from 15 to 16 steps. She also discusses the upcoming Cohort 10, which will mark the tenth anniversary of OOUX! And to celebrate that milestone she has devised four new bonuses for this cohort. Plus, why we will be putting the Self-Paced OOUX Masterclass on pause in the coming month. Sales for Cohort 10 of The OOUX Certification Program for Self-Paced Masterclass students will open up July 25! Purchase the Self-Paced OOUX Masterclass. Sales for the Cohort 10 Waitlist will open up July 29. Get on the waitlist! Kickoff for Cohort 10 of The OOUX Certification Program is September 2, 2024! LINKS: Connect with Sophia on LinkedIn. If you have taken the OOUX Masterclass and you would like to tackle some more advanced training, check out the 15 Advanced Moves course on The OOUX Forum.

Kate Redfern is a Senior UX Consultant at Manifesto, a digital experience agency that works with clients in the non-profit and government space. Philippe Fara is the Digital Experience Manager for Renfrewshire Council. In this episode of the podcast, Sophia, Kate, and Philippe discuss using the ORCA process to raise user competency scores for the Renfrewshire Council website, how OOUX makes maintaining digital content easier, and why OOUX is a good investment for companies and governments. LINKS: Connect with Kate on LinkedIn. Connect with Philippe on LinkedIn. Check out Manifesto via their website Join the Waitlist for Cohort 10 of the OOUX Masterclass Certification, kicking off September 2, 2024!

Will Poole is Head of User Experience at Kyan, a digital product agency that specializes in strategy, design, and engineering, expertly crafting digital experiences to solve complex problems and drive innovation. In this episode of the podcast, Sophia and Will talk about Will's journey to finding OOUX, the challenges of bringing OOUX to Kyan, and using ORCA to design continuing ed and personal development for Premier League coaches. LINKS: Connect with Will on LinkedIn Watch Will's talk, "Wrangling Complexity with ORCA" Upgrade your career with the Self-Paced OOUX Masterclass Take the OOUX Fundamentals course Take the OOUX for AI and AI for OOUX