Ep. #18: Over the past few years we’ve seen a growing trend of designer founded startups. There are a few really notable designer-founded startups like — Airbnb, Kickstarter and Lynda.com have paved the way… and in general startups are realize the value of user-centered design as a competitive differentiator, so there’s definitely more value placed on design and user experience. But the designer as founder is still not the norm for startups. This week I’m talking with designer-founder Will Sykora of Covailnt, to find out more about the benefits and challenges he's faced as a designer in the startup world. ​Will Sykora is a Product and UX Designer, and startup founder. When not focused on Covailnt, he works with companies to craft, validate, and focus their product experiences on their customers. Over the years, he's experienced the success that comes from putting people first, staying grounded in empathy, and delivering on customer needs to build great businesses. Will is well versed in LEAN, Design Thinking and the various flavors of Agile. He's a Certified Scrum Master and Scrum Product Owner, and holds a Masters in Technology Entrepreneurship from the University of Maryland.Check out Covailnt-- where freelancers go to find freelancers.Covailnt: https://covailnt.com/freelance_directory/will/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/willsykora/Website: http://www.willsykora.comConnect with us!Website: uxcake.coFacebookTwitterInstagramPodcast music by hip-hop band Eaters (song Cruziero, album Simian Samba) Hear their music on FacebookSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/uxcake. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ep. #17: Using tarot cards to create outcomes-focused designis a very out-of-the-box approach, and yet it's actually really simple and approachable. In this episode I talked with Sheryl Cababa, an executive creative director at Artefact Group design agency, about their Tarot Cards of Tech. It's a card deck of prompts for team discussions, a fun product that's meant to be playful, but with a serious purpose – to get teams thinking differently about their strategy and design. In this fun interview we touch on everything from British vs american spelling, and "satanic strategists,” to the more serious subject of design ethics and taking responsibility for the consequences of the products we create. But mostly we discussed how to use these cards to think more broadly about the bigger picture of your strategy and design."Think first about the outcomes you want to achieve, and work backwards from that."Sheryl is a multi-disciplinary executive creative director at Artefact Group with more than 20 years of experience in human-centered design. She has experience working with companies such as Microsoft, Philips, and IKEA, leading projects across industries from retail to robotic surgery systems. With her design weapon of choice (the Paper Mate Flair) handy at all times, she has helped clients spark their creativity by leading workshops in design innovation and strategy. Resources:Artefact GroupTarot Cards of Tech (get the PDF)Purchase Tarot Cards of TechSheryl CababaSheryl on TwitterArtefact Group on Twitter   Connect with UX Cake:Website: uxcake.coFacebookTwitterInstagramPodcast music by hip-hop band Eaters (song Cruziero, album Simian Samba)Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/uxcake. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ep. #16: This special episode of uxcake was a panel discussion recorded live in front of an audience in Seattle on June 28. If you’ve been in ux design or research for awhile, it's almost certain you’ve been involved in a review of your work, or your team’s work, and chances are you’ve experienced a review that goes off the rails, or that causes chaos after the fact, or you just don't get the feedback you really need. In this episode we discuss lessons learned and techniques you can use to make ux reviews more effective, and how to prepare for, and deal with, the sharks and the other perils that can derail ux reviews.My guests on the panel were Laura Barboza, a CX Research Strategist at REI, (you can also hear Laura on UX Cake podcast episodes 11 & 12); Tony Yates, Director of Design Strategy at Smartsheet; Laura Blanchard, co-founder and creative director of Blamo Corps Agency; and Ruth Kiken-gil, a product designer and innovation strategist at Microsoft.Connect with the panelistsLaura Barboza LinkedIn Tony Yates LinkedIn Twitter Laura Blanchard LinkedIn Twitter Ruth kikin-Gil LinkedIn Twitter Connect with UX CakeTwitter @uxcake_FB @uxcakepodcastInstagram @uxcake  www.uxcake.coSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/uxcake. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ep. #15: Have you ever had a meeting with a stakeholder or client who you thought you were in alignment with, and afterward thought “What the heck just happened in there?” Well it happened often enough to Morag Johnston and her team that she’s created a website and blog dedicated to the problem of understanding client dynamics, called understandingclients.com. Morag is a digital strategist and leadership coach at Effective by Design in Toronto, Canada, and she joined me for a conversation about how to have more effective UX outcomes through understanding client dynamics, and she shares some specific techniques she uses to do this.Show links:Four Stages of Learning model: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_stages_of_competenceBooks on Influence by Robert CialdiniInfluence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert CialdiniInfluence: Science and Practice by Robert CialdiniPre-suasion: Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade by Robert Cialdini Connect with Morag JohnstonLinkedInMoragjohnston.comUnderstandingclients.comInstagramConnect with UX CakeTwitter @uxcake_FB @uxcakepodcastInstagram @uxcake  www.uxcake.coSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/uxcake. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ep. #14: Besides needing strong technical skills, much of the work in UX and in our careers requires convincing others, about our ideas, our work, or our ability to do the work we want to do. My guest is Fiz Yazdi, a managing director at cxpartners in London and Bristol, UK. Fiz developed an approach to selling based on what’s called a ‘consultative’ model which Fiz adapted into a simple framework she uses in her own UX practice and has begun sharing it with others.Fiz Yazdi is generously offering her tips on 'Getting the work you want to do' to UX Cake listeners, so you can see the full details of her framework. Get a link to download the PDF from UX CakeBooks referenced in the podcast:The Challenger Sale by Matthew Dixon & Brent AdamsonSPIN Selling by Neil RackhamConsultative Selling by Mack HananConnect with Fiz and cxpartnerslinkedin.com/in/fizyazdi/www.cxpartners.co.uk/Twitter: @cxpartners Connect with UX Cake!Twitter @uxcake_FB @uxcakepodcastInstagram @uxcake www.uxcake.coSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/uxcake. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ep. #13: No one would argue about the relationship between UX and development being a critical one, but it’s not easy. Join us for a conversation with Jaime Lopez, an experienced developer and co-host of the More Than Just Code podcast (www.mtjc.fm) about the UX and developer relationship, creating solutions together, and increasing collaboration and communication.Jaime is an experienced software developer with a focus on iOS development. He led the iOS development team at OfferUp where he helped make the buying and selling experience simpler, faster, and safer. Jaime is currently an iOS developer at Simple, where he helps make personal banking delightful. He also worked on the StoreMode™ technologies at Point Inside. Jaime often enjoys a nice cup of coffee and conversation on various topics. He is also a co-host of the More Than Just Code podcast. mtjc.fm and also a co-host of the Star Trek Discovery podcast, Spockcast spockcast.fireside.fmConnect with Jaime on Twitter:twitter.com/devwiththehairtwitter.com/mtjc_podcasttwitter.com/spockcastConnect with us!FB uxcakepodcast  TW @uxcake_Instagram @uxcakeSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/uxcake. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ep. #12: Part 2 of Leigh & Laura's conversation about freelancing. In this episode we focus on ways to be more effective in your freelance career, from finding and managing clients to managing balance, and continuing to grow in your career. If freelancing is something you’re considering, or maybe you’ve been doing it for awhile and wondering what other people do, or what mistakes other people make, then listening to our experiences might fill in some blanks. And for lots more online resources, check out the show notes page on our site at uxcake.co, where you can also get the UX Brief template we mention, for your own client on-boarding.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/uxcake. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ep. #11: In this episode, Leigh and Laura discuss being an independent UX pro — contract, freelance, or consulting. The flexibility is what draws a lot of people to independent work, whether it's to have more time to travel or more time for family or a hobby, but of course there are drawbacks as well. Is there a personality type that works better for independent work? What are the benefits and drawbacks during different parts of your career? How does it affect your career over the long run? If you’ve been wondering if it might be for you, tune in to the conversation.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/uxcake. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ep. #10: We’re talking with Tamara Adlin, a persona pioneer, about a process for creating personas that not only aligns executives and stakeholders, but that also actually gets those personas used. Tamara’s honed this process over the last decade, and she shares with us what "alignment personas" are, how and why she creates them, and how you can create them too. Plus, how to navigate this potentially political process that is fraught with danger!Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/uxcake. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ep. #9: Many UX practitioners are interested in transitioning into emerging technology but aren’t sure where to start, or what that path looks like. In this episode we’re talking about the practical aspects of getting into augmented, virtual, or mixed reality, with Di Dang, who’s a UX specialist in AR/VR, and leads an emerging tech department at POP agency in Seattle.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/uxcake. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.