The Informed Life

Jim Kalbach is the chief evangelist at MURAL, a leading provider of online visual collaboration software. He's the author of Designing Web Navigation (O'Reilly, 2007), Mapping Experiences (O'Reilly, 2016), and his latest, The Jobs to Be Done Playbook (Rosenfeld, 2020). In this conversation, we dive into Jobs to Be Done, how it relates to design, and how jobs can create an “out of body experience” for organizations.Show notes@JimKalbach on TwitterJim Kalbach on LinkedInMURALThe Jobs to Be Done Playbook by Jim KalbachMapping Experiences: A Complete Guide to Creating Value through Journeys, Blueprints, and Diagrams by Jim KalbachDesigning Web Navigation: Optimizing the User Experience by Jim KalbachJTBD ToolkitBook Notes: “The Jobs To Be Done Playbook” by Jorge ArangoKnow Your Customers’ “Jobs to Be Done” by Clayton M. Christensen, Taddy Hall, Karen Dillon, and David S. DuncanHow We Align Product Development with Jobs To Be Done at MURAL by Agustin SolerThe JTBD toolkitCompeting Against Luck: The Story of Innovation and Customer Choice by Clayton M. Christensen, Taddy Hall, Karen Dillon, and David S. DuncanDisclosure: I received Jim's book for free as a previous Rosenfeld Media/Two Waves author.Some show notes may include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.

Udhaya Kumar Padmanabhan is a Global Strategic Design Director at Designit, an international strategic design consultancy. He is based in Bangalore, and in this conversation we talk about challenges and opportunities inherent in designing information systems for the Indian market.Listen to the show Download episode 65Show notesUdhaya Kumar Padmanabhan (LinkedIn)DesignitLanguages of India (Wikipedia)IndEA (India Enterprise Architecture)Indian Ministry of Electronics and Information TechnologySwiggyZomatoSome show notes may include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.

Sarah Barrett, Principal IA Manager at Microsoft, discusses how architectural scale influences our perception of information environments. Topics include challenges in structuring content effectively, translating real-world rules into digital systems, the impact of spatial metaphors on user interaction design, and enhancing user experiences through intentional design elements.

Sophia Prater is a UX design consultant and chief evangelist of object oriented UX, a methodology that helps teams tackle complex design challenges. In this conversation, we discuss OOUX and how it differs from other methodologies. Download episode 63Show notes@sophiaux on TwitterRewired (Sophia's consultancy)Ooux.comThe Object Oriented UX PodcastObject-Oriented UX, by Sophia Prater (A List Apart article) Double Diamond Object Oriented UX Podcast, episode 10: Information Archaeology with Ren PopeEntity Relationship Diagram (ERD)The Elements of User Experience, by Jesse James Garrett (pdf)Conceptual Models: Core to Good Design, by Austin Henderson and Jeff JohnsonSome show notes may include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.

Alla Weinberg helps teams and organizations improve the quality of relationships at work. She has a background in design, but now calls herself a ‘work relationship expert.’ In this conversation, we discuss her new book, A Culture of Safety, and how teams can create environments that allow people to do their best work together.Listen to the show Download episode 62Show notes@IamAllaW on TwitterAlla Weinberg on LinkedInSpoke & Wheel (Alla's consulting company)A Culture of Safety: Building a work environment where people can think, collaborate and innovate by Alla WeinbergScientific Management (Taylorism)Frederick Winslow TaylorSome show notes may include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.

Jeff Sussna is a consultant and author specialized in helping organizations deliver software more effectively. This is Jeff’s second appearance on the show. In this conversation, he tells us about Customer Value Charting, a visual tool that helps teams balance strategy and agility.Listen to the show Download episode 61Show notesSussna AssociatesDesigning Delivery: Rethinking IT in the Digital Service Economy by Jeff SussnaThe Informed Life episode 15: Jeff Sussna on Cybernetics Customer Value Charting: A Visual Tool for Customer-Centered Discovery & Delivery by Jeff SussnaSoftware as a serviceSalesforceSlack’s new DM feature can be used to send abuse and harassment with just an invite (The Verge)Promise theoryMark BurgessWardley mapImpact mapping User Story mappingServiceNowJIRA

Kat Vellos on FriendshipKat Vellos uses her background in experience design to empower people to learn, grow, and thrive. She’s written two books on adult friendship, We Should Get Together and Connected from Afar. In this conversation, we discuss the importance and challenges of making friends, especially during this time of ‘social distancing.’Listen to the showDownload episode 60Show notesKat VellosWe Should Get Together (website)We Should Get Together: The Secret to Cultivating Better Friendships by Kat VellosConnected from Afar: A Guide for Staying Close When You’re Far Away by Kat VellosHydroponicsConnection Club

Matt LeMay is a product management consultant and author. He’s a co-founder and partner at Sudden Compass, which helps companies reconnect with their customers and helps teams focus on addressing human needs. He’s the author of Agile for Everybody and Product Management in Practice. In this conversation, Matt shares with us One Page / One Hour, his pledge to make project collaboration more agile.Listen to the show Download episode 59Show notesMatt LeMaySudden CompassOne Page / One HourTricia Wang The Anatomy of an Amazon 6-pagerDesignstaqSome show notes may include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.

Jesse James Garret is a renowned leader in the user experience design field. He’s a co-founder of the influential UX consultancy Adaptive Path and author of The Elements of User Experience. These days, Jesse coaches UX design leaders. In this conversation, we discuss the relationship between leadership and information architecture.Listen to the show Download episode 58Show notesJesse James Garrett’s website@jjg on TwitterJesse James Garrett on LinkedInThe Elements of User Experience: User-Centered Design for the Web and Beyond, 2nd Edition by Jesse James GarrettPeter MerholzFinding Our Way podcastMacGuffinConcept mapMind mapsSome show notes may include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.

In his consulting practice, Ben Mosior teaches Wardley Mapping, a tool for visualizing strategic intent. In this conversation, we dive into Wardley Maps: what they are and how they can help us make better strategic decisions.  Listen to the show Download episode 57 Show notes Learn Wardley Mapping@HiredThought on TwitterThe Phoenix Project by Kevin BehrLeading Edge ForumWardley maps: Topographical intelligence in business by Simon WardleyThe Art of War by Sun TzuHow to Read a Wardley Map video Some show notes may include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.