
Honest UX Talks
Honest weekly conversations about UX design career, challenges, portfolios, mental health, and all things UX. Ioana and Anfisa together have 20 years of experience in the UX field and trying to share their main lessons to help anyone transitioning to design overcome the fears.
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Latest episodes

Sep 17, 2024 • 41min
#112 Design market predictions
This episode was recorded during the Hatch conference in Berlin.
In this episode:
• What key trends shaped the design industry in 2023 and 2024? How do they influence the design market in 2025 and beyond?
• What can designers do today to stay competitive in the evolving design industry?
Check out these links:
Ioana's AI Goodies Newsletter
Join Anfi’s Job Search community. The community includes 3 courses, 12 live events and workshops, and a variety of templates to support you in your job search journey.
Enroll in Ioana's AI course "**AI-Powered UX Design: How to Elevate Your UX Career"** on Interaction Design Foundation with a 25% discount.
❓Next topic ideas:
Submit your questions or feedback anonymously here
Links:
🎓 Into UX design online course by Anfisa
🎓 Domestika course Create a Learning Strategy by Ioana
🧡 Want to support us?
Sign up here to get access to exclusive locked episodes for $0.99/mo
Follow us on Instagram to stay tuned for the next episodes.
🗂 Our instagram
👩💻 Anfisa’s instagram
👩🏻💻 Ioana’s instagram

Aug 20, 2024 • 35min
#111 Becoming a mature UX designer
In this episode:
• What does it mean to be a mature designer?
• What key traits should you focus on developing as you advance in your design career?
• Is maturity in design the same as seniority, or is it something else?
• Hosts share practical tips, insights, and personal stories about navigating workplace conflicts and growing into a more mature designer.
Check out these links:
Ioana's AI Goodies Newsletter
Join Anfi’s Job Search community. The community includes 3 courses, 12 live events and workshops, and a variety of templates to support you in your job search journey.
Enroll in Ioana's AI course "**AI-Powered UX Design: How to Elevate Your UX Career"** on Interaction Design Foundation with a 25% discount.
❓Next topic ideas:
Submit your questions or feedback anonymously here
Links:
🎓 Into UX design online course by Anfisa
🎓 Domestika course Create a Learning Strategy by Ioana
🧡 Want to support us?
Sign up here to get access to exclusive locked episodes for $0.99/mo
Follow us on Instagram to stay tuned for the next episodes.
🗂 Our instagram
👩💻 Anfisa’s instagram
👩🏻💻 Ioana’s instagram

Aug 6, 2024 • 34min
#110 Storytelling in UX portfolios
In this episode:
• Why is storytelling important?
• Why is everybody talking about storytelling? What does it mean to have a story in your portfolio?
• How should a good case study be structured?
• What are some tips and tricks for effectively using storytelling in your portfolio?
Mentioned in this episode:
Hatch Conference in Berlin, September 4-6
Ioana's Instagram live on how the life of an AI product designer looks like.
Join Anfi’s Job Search community. The community includes 3 courses, 12 live events and workshops, and a variety of templates to support you in your job search journey.
Design Is Storytelling book
Storyworthy book
Check out these links:
Ioana's AI Goodies Newsletter
Enroll in Ioana's AI course "**AI-Powered UX Design: How to Elevate Your UX Career"** on Interaction Design Foundation with a 25% discount.
❓Next topic ideas:
Submit your questions or feedback anonymously here
Links:
🎓 Into UX design online course by Anfisa
🎓 Domestika course Create a Learning Strategy by Ioana
🧡 Want to support us?
Sign up here to get access to exclusive locked episodes for $0.99/mo
Follow us on Instagram to stay tuned for the next episodes.
🗂 Our instagram
👩💻 Anfisa’s instagram
👩🏻💻 Ioana’s instagram

Jul 31, 2024 • 50min
#109 How AI is Shaping Design /w Pablo Stanley
Today, we are joined by Pablo Stanley, who is a designer based in Mexico. He is the co-founder and CEO at Musho & Lummi — AI design tools aimed at unlocking people's creativity. Previously, he co-founded Carbon Health and Blush, and held roles as a staff designer at Lyft and lead designer at InVision.
Episode's timestamps:
01:05 Episode introduction
05:42 How did you become interested in the intersection of AI and design? What are the use cases of AI in your workflows and design processes?
17:11 What challenges do you face when using AI systems to design products?
30:31 How can designers start experimenting with AI and incorporate it into their workflows?
36:43 What are the limitations of AI in design? Do you think AI will eventually replace designers?
47:37 Where can our listeners find you online?
Here are Pablo's details:
Instagram
LinkedIn
Twitter
Youtube channel "Sketch Together"
Check out these links:
Ioana's AI Goodies Newsletter
Join Anfi’s Job Search community:
Enroll in Ioana's AI course "**AI-Powered UX Design: How to Elevate Your UX Career"** on Interaction Design Foundation with a 25% discount.
❓Next topic ideas:
Submit your questions or feedback anonymously here
Links:
🎓 Into UX design online course by Anfisa
🎓 Domestika course Create a Learning Strategy by Ioana
🧡 Want to support us?
Sign up here to get access to exclusive locked episodes for $0.99/mo
Follow us on Instagram to stay tuned for the next episodes.
🗂 Our instagram
👩💻 Anfisa’s instagram
👩🏻💻 Ioana’s instagram

Jul 24, 2024 • 46min
#108 Landing a junior job at META amidst tech crisis /w Nitya Kumar
Today, we are joined by Nitya, who successfully landed a job at META at the beginning of the tech crisis in 2022. Currently, she works on Instagram and Messenger. In addition to her role at META, she is a product design judge at Boston University and is a guest speaker at Columbia University.
In this episode:
• How to Secure Your First Job Through Proactive Outreach
Discover how Nitya successfully landed junior designer positions at Google and Meta. Learn about the hiring processes at these top tech companies.
• Leveraging Your Background in your UX Career
Explore how Nitya used her unique background, including comedy, to build compelling case studies and advance in her UX career.
• Gaining Industry Knowledge Without Experience
Find out strategies for acquiring industry knowledge even if you lack direct experience.
• The Value of a Mentor at the Start of Your Career
Understand how having a mentor can significantly boost your early career development.
Here are Nitya's details:
Linkedin (Nitya Kumar)
Apdlist mentoring link
Nitya's portfolio
Check out these links:
Ioana's AI Goodies Newsletter
Join Anfi’s Job Search community:
Enroll in Ioana's AI course "**AI-Powered UX Design: How to Elevate Your UX Career"** on Interaction Design Foundation with a 25% discount.
❓Next topic ideas:
Submit your questions or feedback anonymously here
Links:
🎓 Into UX design online course by Anfisa
🎓 Domestika course Create a Learning Strategy by Ioana
🧡 Want to support us?
Sign up here to get access to exclusive locked episodes for $0.99/mo
Follow us on Instagram to stay tuned for the next episodes.
🗂 Our instagram
👩💻 Anfisa’s instagram
👩🏻💻 Ioana’s instagram

Jul 2, 2024 • 25min
#107 How can your side interests help in you UX career?
In this episode:
• How can you leverage your secondary skills in your UX journey?
• How can you utilize your background when transitioning into a UX career?
• How can you begin identifying which of your skills are relevant to design?
LinkedIn post mentioned in the beginning of the episode
Check out these links:
Ioana's AI Goodies Newsletter
Join Anfi’s Job Search community:
Enroll in Ioana's AI course "**AI-Powered UX Design: How to Elevate Your UX Career"** on Interaction Design Foundation with a 25% discount.
❓Next topic ideas:
Submit your questions or feedback anonymously here
Links:
🎓 Into UX design online course by Anfisa
🎓 Domestika course Create a Learning Strategy by Ioana
🧡 Want to support us?
Sign up here to get access to exclusive locked episodes for $0.99/mo
Follow us on Instagram to stay tuned for the next episodes.
🗂 Our instagram
👩💻 Anfisa’s instagram
👩🏻💻 Ioana’s instagram

Jun 27, 2024 • 34min
#106 Remote vs. Office Jobs: Pros and Cons
In this episode:
• Hosts' Experiences with Office vs. Remote Jobs:
• Why understanding cultural aspects is crucial for remote work?
Mentioned in this episode:
"Culture map" book
Check out these links:
Ioana's AI Goodies Newsletter
Join Anfi’s Job Search community:
Enroll in Ioana's AI course "**AI-Powered UX Design: How to Elevate Your UX Career"** on Interaction Design Foundation with a 25% discount.
❓Next topic ideas:
Submit your questions or feedback anonymously here
Links:
🎓 Into UX design online course by Anfisa
🎓 Domestika course Create a Learning Strategy by Ioana
🧡 Want to support us?
Sign up here to get access to exclusive locked episodes for $0.99/mo
Follow us on Instagram to stay tuned for the next episodes.
🗂 Our instagram
👩💻 Anfisa’s instagram
👩🏻💻 Ioana’s instagram

Jun 6, 2024 • 28min
#105 Discovering what you are good at as a UX designer
In this episode Anfisa and Ioana discuss how can you learn what you are good at as a UX designer.
Mentioned in this episode:
"Which of the million UX roles suits you best? A personality type analysis" article by Bas Wallet
Hatch Conference in Berlin
Check out these links:
Ioana's AI Goodies Newsletter
Join Anfi’s Job Search community:
Enroll in Ioana's AI course "**AI-Powered UX Design: How to Elevate Your UX Career"** on Interaction Design Foundation with a 25% discount.
"Honest UX talks" Linkedin page
❓Next topic ideas:
Submit your questions or feedback anonymously here
Links:
🎓 Into UX design online course by Anfisa
🎓 Domestika course Create a Learning Strategy by Ioana
🧡 Want to support us?
Sign up here to get access to exclusive locked episodes for $0.99/mo
Follow us on Instagram to stay tuned for the next episodes.
🗂 Our instagram
👩💻 Anfisa’s instagram
👩🏻💻 Ioana’s instagram

May 29, 2024 • 1h 6min
#104 Collaborating with content designers (at MEWS)
In this episode, Anfisa is discussing collaboration with Michael at MEWS:
• How does collaboration between UX designers and content designers look like?
• What are the differences between journalism and UX writing?
• What brought Michael from a journalist into UX writing?
• Is it important for the UX writer to read a lot?
• What's the typical workflow of the UX writer?
• What UX designers can learn from content designers about accessibility?
• How do you prepare yourself to enter the UX writing industry?
Episode's guest:
Mishko Lahoda (notion.site)Mishko Lahoda – MediumMichael (Mishko) Lahoda | LinkedIn@mishkoala Instagram
Check out these links:
Ioana's AI Goodies Newsletter
Join Anfi’s Job Search community:
Enroll in Ioana's AI course "**AI-Powered UX Design: How to Elevate Your UX Career"** on Interaction Design Foundation with a 25% discount.
❓Next topic ideas:
Submit your questions or feedback anonymously here
Links:
🎓 Into UX design online course by Anfisa
🎓 Domestika course Create a Learning Strategy by Ioana
🧡 Want to support us?
Sign up here to get access to exclusive locked episodes for $0.99/mo
Follow us on Instagram to stay tuned for the next episodes.
🗂 Our instagram
👩💻 Anfisa’s instagram
👩🏻💻 Ioana’s instagram

May 22, 2024 • 41min
#103 When to stop hustling
In this episode:
• Where does the pressure to hustle come from for designers? When can you say enough is enough?
• What hustling can bring you in a positive and in a negative way?
• Are junior designers more prone to hustle or feeling that they need to prove themselves? Are they having a harder time to stop compared to senior designers?
Check out these links:
Ioana's AI Goodies Newsletter
Join Anfi’s Job Search community:
Enroll in Ioana's AI course "**AI-Powered UX Design: How to Elevate Your UX Career"** on Interaction Design Foundation with a 25% discount.
❓Next topic ideas:
Submit your questions or feedback anonymously here
Links:
🎓 Into UX design online course by Anfisa
🎓 Domestika course Create a Learning Strategy by Ioana
🧡 Want to support us?
Sign up here to get access to exclusive locked episodes for $0.99/mo
Follow us on Instagram to stay tuned for the next episodes.
🗂 Our instagram
👩💻 Anfisa’s instagram
👩🏻💻 Ioana’s instagram
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