UX Fika Podcast

Welcome to the second season of the UX Fika podcast. Four years ago, I sat down with some of the most thoughtful voices in design, product and tech. Part of our conversations then were about resilience and shaped by the transition to remote work and what it means to shape meaningful careers and companies in uncertain times. A lot has changed since then.So this season, I'm reconnecting with those same guests to find out what's happened since. How have their views shifted? What have they learned and what still holds true? And what's happening in their careers and their lives as of now? And of course, what do they make of the future of design in a world where AI is making its mark? These are not just updates. They're conversations about how we adapt, grow, and keep on moving forward. And this time, there's a video too, so you can watch as well as listen.New episodes will be released as usual each Tuesday, so make sure you subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

In this episode of the UX Fika Podcast, I sit down with Be Kaler Pilgrim, a pioneer in digital recruitment, co-founder of Futureheads Recruitment – one of the most trusted names in design and tech recruitment – and more recently the founder of the executive search firm Smithfield Search.As someone who’s spent over 30 years at the intersection of technology and talent Be has helped shape countless careers, including mine. When we recorded this conversation in 2021, Be was still at the helm of Futureheads, navigating the uncertainty of the pandemic while helping companies and candidates adapt to a rapidly changing world.We talk about how she accidentally fell into recruitment, studying Ayurvedic medicine in Sri Lanka in her 20ies, setting up Futureheads in the teeth of the recession, and how recruitment and hiring has changed over the years.Be also shares what it was like growing up as the youngest of 10 siblings in a traditional Punjabi household, how her father’s belief in education made such a difference, and what it was like becoming a mum later in life. We also talk about why honesty and empathy – real, practiced empathy – is at the heart of how she builds teams, relationships, and careers.It’s a warm, reflective conversation about building a career by helping others find theirs, leading through change, and holding space for growth in all its forms.Plus:☕️ Why black oolong tea from New Aurelia in Sri Lanka and a samosa is her go to fika🌟 Why you should talk about stuff, reach out to people, and have that inner dialogue with yourselfWhat we cover:00:00 Intro & Navigating the Pandemic: Personal and Professional Challenges02:23 Opening a New Office As The Pandemic Hit05:26 Career Journey: From Studying To Become a Ayurvedic Doctor To Entrepreneurship06:46 The Evolution of Recruitment in the Digital Age08:59 Setting Up A Recruitment Business In The Teeth of Recession09:49 Adapting to Change: The Impact of COVID-19 on Hiring Practices14:04 Changes In How Companies Recruit16:45 The Shift From Agencies To Client Side18:34 Community Engagement and Purpose-Driven Initiatives22:43 On Mental Health and Not Knowing What's Cooking In Somebody Else's Pot29:14 Looking Ahead: Events and Conferences Post-Pandemic32:27 Navigating Post-Lockdown Life36:07 Reflections on Motherhood and Aging37:05 The Evolving Landscape of Parenting39:58 Support Systems in Parenting41:29 Plans for Family Reunions and Staycations45:02 Learning To Drive45:40 Immigrant Stories, Family Legacy, and Big Families49:56 Life Lessons and Personal Growth51:45 Cultural Connections and Future AspirationsWhere you’ll find Be:⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠Smithfield Search Website⁠⁠Futureheads WebsiteWhere you’ll find Anna & UX Fika:⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠If you liked this episode, help us reach more people by following, leaving a rating and a review.~#recruitment #futureheads #uxdesign #agencies #business #technology #careeradvice #productdesign #tech #scaleups #empathy #uxfika #uxfikapodcast #bekalerpilgrim #smithfieldsearch

In this episode of the UX Fika Podcast, I chat with Jeff Gothelf – author of five books including Lean UX, Sense & Respond, Forever Employable and Who Does What By How Much – about how we can bring the same intentionality we apply to product design into shaping our own careers.Jeff’s work has helped organisations around the world build better, more customer-centric products, and executives build the culture that is needed to build better products. But what happens when you apply those same principles – iteration, clarity of outcomes, experimentation – to your own career? That’s exactly what we talk about in this conversation, recorded back in 2021.We cover the story behind his book Forever Employable and how turning 35 made Jeff question everything and pushed him to “plant his flag” as a thought leader. We also dive into the evolution of Lean UX through three editions, the value of outcomes over outputs, and why getting paid what you’re worth matters.We also talk about what spending six months working in a circus and how working as a musician and performing live helped shape his skills as a speaker and trainer, and what those unexpected experiences taught him about adaptability, feedback, and finding your place on stage.It’s a thoughtful, practical, and inspiring conversation about designing your life and career with intent.Plus:☕️ Why dark chocolate rice cakes and coffee are his favourite fika🌟 Why you should stop starting and start finishingWhat we cover:00:00 Intro02:25 Adapting to Remote Work: Changes in Business Dynamics07:38 The Evolution of Lean UX: A Journey Through Editions10:30 Evolving As A Writer14:35 Writing the Third Edition of Lean UX15:44 Jeff's Different Books19:28 Becoming Forever Employable23:13 Planting your own flag26:39 Treating your career as a product30:20 Finding Your Ikigai33:42 Career Insurance And Making Yourself Resilient37:27 The Value of Experience39:08 Beating Imposter Syndrome & Getting Paid What You're Worth43:53 Evaluating Speaking Opportunities50:19 Forever Employable Stories Podcast52:25 Lessons From Working In the Circus & Being in A Band54:46 Reading the Room58:21 Engaging with Criticism01:05:57 Future Projects 01:06:59 Life advice - Stop Starting, Start FinishingWhere you’ll find Jeff:⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠Website⁠⁠YouTubeBooksCoursesWhere you’ll find Anna & UX Fika:⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠Website⁠⁠Instagram⁠If you liked this episode, help us reach more people by following, leaving a rating and a review.~#leanux #okr #uxdesign, #productdesign #business, #technology, #foreveremployable, #careeradvice #productdesign #uxfika #uxfikapodcast #jeffgothelf

In this episode of the UX Fika Podcast, I sit down with Andy Budd – designer, investor, coach, and founder of Clearleft and conferences such as dConstruct, UX London, and Leading Design. Andy’s been a defining voice in the UX and design leadership community and in this episode he shares the story of why, after 15 years, he decided to hand over the reins of the company he built and step into a new, more uncertain chapter. We talk about what led to that moment, how Clearleft became an employee-owned business, and what it means to intentionally walk away from something you love in search of something new.We also talk about how the pandemic reshaped his thinking on remote work and collaboration, and why asynchronous communication might be the most underappreciated design tool in the industry.But this episode, which is from 2021, also takes a few wild turns, from talking about learning to fly to cave diving in Mexico and shark wrangling on the Great Barrier Reef. Andy shares what flying and diving in high-risk environments has taught him about leadership, self-awareness, and staying calm under pressure, plus one of the more challenging jobs he’s ever done.It’s a conversation about reinvention, letting go, finding clarity through discomfort – and how boredom might actually be a creative advantage.☕️ Why he loves going form one cafe to another, afternoon tea and something chocolatey as his favourite fika🌟 Why you shouldn’t over index on the past or the futureWhat we cover:00:00 Intro03:00 Navigating Company Culture in a Remote Environment08:08 Adapting Business Strategies During the Pandemic25:46 Embracing Change: Leaving Clearleft31:36 Making Clearleft an Employee Owned Business37:13 Reflections on Leadership and Responsibility38:37 Embracing Change and New Beginnings 39:45 The Importance of a Serendipity Break41:13 Exploring Future Opportunities46:37 The Thrill of Flying and Personal Growth58:14 Diving into Adventure: Scuba and Cave Diving01:09:37 Navigating Risks and Life Lessons01:14:13 Living in the Moment: Life Advice and PhilosophyWhere to find Andy:LinkedInWebsiteStacklistTwitterBlueskyInstagramWhere you’ll find Anna & UX Fika:⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠Website⁠⁠Instagram⁠If you liked this episode, help us reach more people by following, leaving a rating and a review.~#uxdesign, #productdesign #business, #technology, #adventure, #serendipitybreak #productdesign #designleadership #uxfika #uxfikapodcast #andybudd #clearleft

In this episode of the UX Fika podcast, I talk to Cennydd Bowles, technology ethicist, author of Future Ethics, and recently a Fulbright Scholar. Cennydd advises companies like Google, Mozilla, and the BBC on how to build more responsible, ethical, and inclusive technologies – and in this conversation, which just like the rest of season 1 is from 2021, we unpack how and why that work is more urgent than ever.We talk about the ethical blind spots of our industry, the challenges of inclusive design, and how speculative design and “provocatypes” can help teams meaningfully explore the futures they’re shaping, often without realising it.Cennydd shares his journey from designer to futurist, what it’s like being a lone voice for ethics in the room, and how tech workers are beginning to organise to push companies toward more responsible innovation. He also opens up about the realities of writing (and self-publishing) Future Ethics, what it takes to produce something of lasting value, and why he’s was going back to university to study Practical Ethics at Oxford.Plus:☕️ Why a cup of Earl Grey and a slice of Barabrith makes for an excellent fika.🌟 Why you should try to remember when you wanted what you have nowWhat we cover:00:00 Introduction to Design and Futurism02:08 The Role of a Futurist in Design02:20 On Being A Futurist06:57Ethics in Technology and Design09:14 Challenges in the Tech Industry11:30 Direct And Indirect Implications Of What We Design13:23 Designing with Responsibility17:23 Expanding the Scope of Design20:15 The Future of Data Sharing23:35 Navigating Ethical Conversations in Tech28:11 Advice for Junior Designers on Ethics32:18 Pursuing Further Education in Ethics32:41 Pursuing Knowledge: A New Academic Journey34:04 The Self-Publishing Experience36:34 The Challenges of Writing40:04 The Writing Process: Structure and Creativity43:52 Reflections on Writing and Future Projects46:58 Ethics in Technology and Non-Human Life48:15 Personal Interests: Chess and Sports53:11 The Impact of Travel on Life and Work01:00:04 Life Reflections and Future AspirationsWhere you’ll find Cennydd:⁠Website⁠Where you’ll find Anna & UX Fika:⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠Website⁠⁠Instagram⁠If you liked this episode, help us reach more people by following, leaving a rating and a review.~#uxdesign, #business, #technology, #ai #ethics #innovation #productdesign #uxfika #uxfikapodcast #cennyddbowles

In this episode of the UX Fika podcast, I catch up with Jonty Sharples – product, design, and business leader, and – at the time of our 2021 conversation – CXO at Where Is My Transport. These days, Jonty’s a consulting CPO working from a wooden cube at the bottom of his garden. But back then, he was fresh off several years of travel to emerging megacities, trying to design better services for people earning under $20 a day.We talk about his journey from Albion to founding the purpose-led design studio Hactar, and how building products for social good—and wrestling with the realities of pro bono work shaped the kind of problems he wants to solve today.Jonty shares what it was like shifting from in-person ethnographic research to remote workshops spanning four time zones, how informal transport works in cities like Mexico City and Dar es Salaam, and why field work reveals the kind of insights no spreadsheet ever can.It’s also a conversation about building the kind of career—and team—you actually want, knowing when to leave, and creating space (literal and emotional) to figure out what’s next.Plus:☕️ Why a scone, a cup of tea, and a bit of quiet might just be the perfect fika.🌟 Why you should always hire people smarter than yourself. What we cover: 00:00 Journey to Hacktar and Social Change00:33 Social Media and Digital Presence01:41 Introduction and How We Met05:41 On Running Away From Public Speaking And Social Media11:52 Change Of Plans14:07 Looking Back At The Start Of The Pandemic17:15 Cancelled Travel And Working From A Wooden Cube18:57 Ethnographic Research in Majority World Mega Cities25:57 Informal Transport28:43 The Evolution of Remote Work32:04 Downside Of Remote Work35:23 Navigating Social Interactions Post-Pandemic38:42 Adapting to New Learning Environments39:28 Kids using Teams41:35 Reflections on Career Transitions And Starting Hactar49:00 The Impact of Purpose-Driven Work51:36 Pro Bono Work Sucks And Everyone Is To Blame56:42 Leaving Hactar01:00:23 Embracing New Challenges in Leadership01:04:12 Home Away From Home01:08:50 Life Lessons and Future Aspirations01:14:11 New ChapterWhere you’ll find Jonty:⁠LinkedIn⁠Where you’ll find Anna & UX Fika:⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠Website⁠⁠Instagram⁠If you liked this episode, help us reach more people by following, leaving a rating and a review.~#innovation, #business, #technology, #Hactar, #socialchange, #informaltransport #innovation #productdesign #uxfika #uxfikapodcast #jontysharples

In this very first episode of the UX Fika podcast, I sit down with the brilliant Jason Mesut – a creative coach, a strategic consultant, a community connector, and a shaper of designers. Jason’s been working in UX, Service Design, and Digital Product for over 25 years and currently consults and coaches via his business Resonant Futures. He also consults via the global creative talent network Group of Humans, and coaches via Coaching with Chemistry. On top of that he runs the (mostly) monthly IxDA London events with Boon Chew, as well as supports many local London and International events in UX and Digital Product Design as a speaker, host, and curator.This conversation was recorded back in 2021, but don’t be fooled – this is not a time capsule. It’s a raw, honest, and still incredibly relevant discussion about the winding road that is a design career.We talk about where Jason’s career began (including how he missed out on a job at Dyson), the worst email he’s ever received – at a conference at that – and how this partly led him to coaching as well as into a shift in how he helps others navigate uncertainty. We get into the shaping design frameworks he’s developed to help designers better understand their strengths, discuss the problem with interviews, how working with talented peers can re-energise your practice, and why being vulnerable might be the most powerful thing we can do as designers and leaders.There’s also a beautiful reflection on mentorship, gratitude, and the importance of saying thank you while people are still around to hear it.This one’s full of wisdom, warmth, and the kind of honesty and deep conversations we don’t always get when meeting up with others over dinners. It’s exactly the kind of conversation I created this podcast for.Plus:☕️ Why nutella on sourdough, and the magic of early mornings in Shoreditch is the go to for fika🌟 Why “shit is fertilising” is solid life advice.What we cover:00:00 Introduction to UX Fika Podcast and How We Met02:10 The Evolution of Interaction Design and Community Engagement05:23 Career Journey: From Industrial Design to UX Leadership07:59 The Importance of Mentorship and Professional Growth10:51 Vulnerability in Leadership and Personal Development13:52 Shaping Design: Understanding Self and Career Paths16:44 Frameworks for Self-Reflection and Growth in UX19:47 Interviewing Techniques and Assessing UX Talent22:45 Reflections on the Evolution of UX and Future Trends37:31 The Evolution of Design Roles40:45 Empathy vs. Curiosity in Design42:01 Navigating Client Relationships43:47 The Role of Coaching in Consulting48:17 Coaching vs. Mentoring51:52 The importance of listening52:38 Dancing, DJing, and design56:40 The Hiring Process Dilemma01:01:47 Life Lessons, Favourite Fika and ReflectionsWhere you’ll find Jason:LinkedInWebsiteJason’s linktreeMediumShaping Design seriesSubstackSoundcloudWhere you’ll find Anna & UX Fika:LinkedInWebsiteInstagramIf you liked this episode, help us reach more people by following, leaving a rating and a review.~#uxdesign, #productdesign #business, #technology, #shapingdesign, #creditwheredue #productdesign #uxfika #uxfikapodcast #jasonmesut

In this trailer for season 1, I share the story behind The UX Fika Podcast and why the first season was recorded back in 2021 but not released until now. I also share who the guests are and how I thought the chats would be a bit dated seeing they are 4 years old, but to my surprise they really aren't.

Hi, I'm your host Anna and welcome to the UX Fika podcast. The weekly show where I sit down for a fika chat with prominent friends and people I've met through the UX and conference scene. It's my chance to talk to them and ask them about the things we don't normally get time for when we meet at dinners, meet-ups or conferences. We talk about the honest bits, the behind the scenes, their stories, struggles, and moments that have shaped how we work and what we care about in UX and product design today. And of course, what their favorite fika is – that little treat you have when you meet up with friends and family over something small to eat and drink. So grab a coffee and make sure you hit follow where you normally listen to your podcasts, because I think you'll love these conversations just as much as I do.