
Growth Design Podcast
Explore growth design with insights from industry-leading designers. Gain actionable best practices and tools to fuel your design journey.
Latest episodes

Sep 13, 2024 • 1h
Data-Driven Design: Bridging Qualitative and Quantitative Insights | Sara Gattoni | Drop 01. Ep 01
Sara Gattoni shares her journey from being a mathematician and academic researcher to leading growth at tech companies. Known for her unique insight into data, Sara discusses the importance of balancing quantitative and qualitative data, her career transitions, and the role of data in product development.
Key Topics Discussed:
- Sara’s transition from academia to startups.
- The role of quantitative and qualitative data in design.
- How to avoid common traps when relying on data.
- Strategies for designers to integrate data into their workflows.
- Building a centralized data system at Localized.
- The origin and significance of her nickname, "Data Witch."
Takeaways:
- Balance between data-driven and data-informed approaches is crucial.
- Centralising data from various departments enhances accessibility and efficiency.
- Designers should maintain qualitative insights alongside quantitative data.
- Effective communication and collaboration between designers and data scientists are key to product success.
Referenced Resources:
- Airtable and Productboard for data management.
- The importance of having a glossary for shared language within teams.
- Use of AI tools to facilitate access to centralized data.
Where to find Sara Gattoni:
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sara-gattoni/
Referenced:
- Outcome-driven innovation (ODI) as a framework.
- Books: "Alice in Wonderland" for personal and product development insights.
- "Atomic Habits" and "Ikigai" as recommended reads.
Co-hosts: Emmanuel - https://www.linkedin.com/in/omoleemmanuel/
IniOluwa - https://www.linkedin.com/in/inioluwa-abiodun/
Production by https://www.linkedin.com/in/damilola-ilesanmi-720baa1b0/
For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email hello@growthdesigncast.com

Jun 26, 2024 • 1h 10min
08. Designing Effective User Onboarding | Ben Shih, Lead Product Designer
In this episode, we sit down with Ben Shih, Lead Growth Designer at Localize, to discuss all things user onboarding. Ben shares his journey into design and his current focus on growth design.
Here are some Key Takeaways:
- Growth design is about using data, experimentation and testing to optimize getting users to a product's core value as quickly as possible. It differs from core product design.
- When analysing onboarding, look at both qualitative data (user feedback, observations) and quantitative data (drop-off points in funnels) to identify problems and opportunities.
- Common onboarding mistakes include overusing tooltips, landing users on empty states with no guidance, and asking for payment before demonstrating value.
- Personalisation is key in onboarding to match the user's needs and get them to the "aha moment" faster.
- Advice for growing as a designer
This episode is a must-listen for any designer, product manager or growth marketer looking to level up their user onboarding and drive better user retention.
Resources:
- Growth Design School Spring Cohort, use GROWTHDESIGNPOD10 to get 10% off - https://www.growthdesigners.co/school
- Mobbin, get 20% off here - bit.ly/49dX8H6
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Where to find Ben Shih
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/hbshih
Website: https://bento.me/hbshih
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Where to find the Growth Design Podcast and co-hosts:
- LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/growth-design-podcast/
- Website - https://growthdesigncast.substack.com/
- Instagram - https://instagram.com/growthdesignpod
- Emmanuel’s LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/omoleemmanuel/
- IniOluwa’s LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/inioluwa-abiodun/
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Production by Damilola Ilesanmi - https://damilolailesanmi.com/

May 17, 2024 • 1h 3min
07 - Getting Started as a first growth hire and PLG as a Designer | Alicia Cressall, Senior Growth Designer.
Meet Alicia Cressall, a Senior Growth Designer and Mentor at DesignLab. She joins us in The Growth Designer's Career Playbook to discuss her journey as a growth-first hire and how a designer can get started with product-led growth.
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Here are a few highlights & areas we discussed.
— Discovering & defining growth design as a first-hire
— Building Trust & experimentation culture.
— Lessons learnt as a growth designer
— Getting comfortable with failure & experimentation.
— PLG is putting data-driven design into practice
— PLG thrives in a cross-collaborative working environment.
— Common challenges designers face when designing for PLG.
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Resources:
- Growth Design School Spring Cohort, use GROWTHDESIGNPOD10 to get 10% off - https://www.growthdesigners.co/school
- Mobbin, get 20% off here - bit.ly/49dX8H6
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Where to find Alicia
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alicia-cressall/
Website: aliciacressall.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/aliciacressall
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Where to find the Growth Design Podcast and co-hosts:
- LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/growth-design-podcast/
- Website - https://growthdesigncast.substack.com/
- Instagram - https://instagram.com/growthdesignpod
- Emmanuel’s LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/omoleemmanuel/
- IniOluwa’s LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/inioluwa-abiodun/
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Production by Damilola Ilesanmi - https://damilolailesanmi.com/

Apr 14, 2024 • 1h 18min
06 - Staying Ahead in Your Design Career | Christian Vasile (Snr Growth Product Designer, ZOE)
Christian is a Product Designer with 15 years of experience designing both enterprise software and consumer products. Over the past 7 years, he’s focused on Growth roles and has helped different companies move key metrics through the power of Design. Christian believes in simple design, working closely with engineers, testing products often, and building relationships to help Design thrive. Throughout his career, he designed for many household names, including British Gas, KPMG, Uptime, DFS, McLaren, HSBC, and Google.
Continuing our conversation on the series, “The Growth Design Career Playbook”, we discussed how to stay ahead in our design career. Here are some highlights from our conversation:
— Continuous learning is crucial for staying ahead in your design career.
— Building a strong professional network can open doors to new opportunities and collaborations.
— Staying up to date with industry trends helps you stay relevant and adaptable in a fast-paced field.
— The importance of taking on challenging projects to grow as a designer.
— Setting clear goals and having a long-term vision can guide your career progression.
— Effective communication skills are essential for collaborating with cross-functional teams.
— Understanding the global design landscape can give you a competitive edge in the industry.
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Where to find Christian Vasile
- LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrvasile/
- Website - christianvasile.com
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Where to find the Growth Design Podcast and co-hosts:
- LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/growth-design-podcast/
- Website - https://growthdesigncast.substack.com/
- Instagram - https://instagram.com/growthdesignpod
- Emmanuel’s LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/omoleemmanuel/
- IniOluwa’s LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/inioluwa-abiodun/
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Production by Damilola Ilesanmi - https://damilolailesanmi.com/

Mar 10, 2024 • 44min
05 - How to Recognise Growth Design Opportunities in Your Current Role | Olusegun Adebajo (Product Designer, Rocket Homes)
A Growth Product Designer from Rocket Homes shares insights on recognizing Growth Design opportunities in current roles. Topics include mindset shifts, evolution of growth design methodologies, resources for understanding user behavior, mentorship, design iterations, and future outlook. Casual discussion on favorite foods and movies is also included.

Feb 25, 2024 • 59min
04 - The Monetisation Mindset: Building Products That Sell Themselves | Shawn Gong, Product Advisor
Shawn Gong is a product advisor and head of product growth, with background in product management. He has 12 years of experience leading cross-functional teams and launched award-winning products globally. He spearheaded international expansion for Grindr, the largest social networking app for LGBTQ. He also orchestrated GOAT's expansion into China, the largest marketplace for authentic sneakers. In addition, his team pioneered augmented reality mobile apps at Daqri, acquired by Snap. In our conversation about "Monetization Mindset: Building Products That Sell Themselves" we discussed
- What is monetization & different models
- Understanding the Audience for Effective Monetisation
- Data-driven strategies for Monetisation
- Balancing Monetisation with User Experience
- Adapting to Evolving Monetisation Trends
- Overcoming Behavioural Barriers.
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Where to find Shawn Gong:
- LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/gongshawn/
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Where to find the Growth Design Podcast and co-hosts:
- LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/growth-design-podcast/
- Website - https://growthdesigncast.substack.com/
- Instagram - https://instagram.com/growthdesignpod
- Emmanuel’s LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/omoleemmanuel/
- IniOluwa’s LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/inioluwa-abiodun/
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Production by Damilola Ilesanmi - https://damilolailesanmi.com/

Feb 12, 2024 • 1h 4min
03 - Getting Started in Growth Design | Kristina Volchek (Sr. Product Designer, ex-SweatCoin)
Kristina Volchek is a Senior Product Designer who transitioned from a marketing background where she had risen to become Chief Marketing Officer. She has helped build innovative growth experiences across different startups, some of which include Flooz and Sweatcoin. At Sweatcoin, she was the Growth Product Lead on the acquisition team responsible for adding 66m new users. She joins us for the first episode in our new series, “The Growth Design Career Playbook”. In our conversation, we discuss:
- Her journey into Growth Design
- Key skills of a Growth Designer
- Transitioning from Product Design into Growth Design
- The base you need for a career in Growth Design
- Storytelling as a powerful tool
- Growth mindset
- Showing your impact as Growth Designer
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Resources:
- Starting with Growth Design Resource by Growth Design Podcast & Kristina Volchek - https://bit.ly/3OLu0yP
- Growth Design School Spring Cohort, use GROWTHDESIGNPOD10 to get 10% off - https://www.growthdesigners.co/school
- Mobbin, get 20% off here - bit.ly/49dX8H6
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Referenced:
- Ruined by Design by Mike Monteiro - https://www.ruinedby.design/
- Growth Design Community - https://www.growthdesigners.co/
- Win Every Argument by Mehdi Hasan - https://www.waterstones.com/book/win-every-argument/mehdi-hasan/9781529093582
- Happier Hour by Cassie Holmes - https://www.cassiemholmes.com/happierhour
- Sweatcoin case study - https://kristi.digital/shots/growth-design-case-study-66m-new-users-in-a-year
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Where to find Kristina Volchek:
- LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristi-digital/
- Website - https://kristi.digital/
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Where to find the Growth Design Podcast and co-hosts:
- LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/growth-design-podcast/
- Website - https://growthdesigncast.substack.com/
- Instagram - https://instagram.com/growthdesignpod
- Emmanuel’s LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/omoleemmanuel/
- IniOluwa’s LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/inioluwa-abiodun/
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Production by Damilola Ilesanmi - https://damilolailesanmi.com/

Feb 4, 2024 • 36min
02 - Cognitive Bias: The Hidden Psychology of Everyday Products | Emmanuel Omole & Ini Abiodun
Emmanuel Omole and IniOluwa Abiodun discussed the psychology behind the products we interact with every day. These psychology tactics are used by many successful products we know and love in our daily lives.This episode covers how users interact with products by filtering, making associations, and seeking meaning through various cognitive biases. We also provide examples of how these are applied and how designers could understand and influence customer buying thus increasing business revenue.

Feb 2, 2024 • 32min
Season 1 Reflection & 2024 Plans
In this episode, Ini Abiodun joins the podcast as a co-host, sharing her recent adventures as a growth designer. We recap and reflect on the top episodes from season 1, highlighting our key takeaways and hot takes. We also share some of our new plans with the podcast.

Sep 1, 2023 • 1h
08 - How to build a successful growth career | Chase Denomme (Leading Design @ Disco )
Meet Chase Denomme, currently leading design at Disco. Disco aims to empower creators to establish live learning empires that will revolutionize the education industry. Chase is a dedicated product leader who prioritizes connecting business with design to resolve real-world issues, achieve mutual benefits, and expedite growth.
Our conversation centred around building a successful growth design career. We explored methods for balancing various types of tension and strategies for overcoming career obstacles as a growth designer.
Show Reference:
Growth Design School
Fall cohort: https://growthdesigners.disco.co/p/growth-design-course/register
Spring 2024 https://growthdesigners.disco.co/p/growth-design-course-spring2024/register
Where to find Chase
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chase-denomme-5a803817/
Where to find Emmanuel:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/omostical
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/omoleemmanuel/