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Sera Tajima Podcast

Latest episodes

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Mar 10, 2025 • 1h 22min

Scaling Climate Impact: Inside Watershed's Journey to Reduce 500 Mt of Global Emissions

This is Watershed's zero to one journey. From serving tech companies with climate interest to building enterprise-grade solutions for Fortune 500s, Molly Goldberg (Group Product Design Lead, Apps and Foundations) and Tess Hannel (Product Designer, Finance) take us inside this Series C climate tech startup that's tackling global emissions at scale. Discover how they're helping multinational corporations measure, report, and reduce their carbon footprint with a rigorous approach to data and auditable artifacts. Learn how their design team balances technical complexity with user experience while working toward an ambitious goal of reducing global emissions by 500 megatons—equivalent to Brazil's entire carbon output. The conversation spans building effective design teams, tackling complex Scope 3 emissions, navigating corporate sustainability requirements, and creating measurable climate impact. Whether you're a founder looking to create impact at scale or a product designer interested in climate tech, this episode reveals valuable insights about building solutions for one of our generation's most pressing challenges.Subscribe to Conscious Technology ⁠⁠🗞️Chapters[00:00:00] The Inspiration to Join a Climate Startup[00:03:31] How Watershed is Reducing Global Emissions by 500 mt[00:06:45] Product 0-1 Journey [00:10:20] Calculate Emissions from Primary Activity Data[00:12:37] Gathering Scope 3 Emissions as Levers[00:15:55] How Watershed Found PMF Upmarket[00:19:22] Key JTBD, Policy, CSRD, ESG[00:22:15] Joining Climate Tech and Climate Expertise[00:24:50] Growth Opportunities in Financial Institutions Scope 3.15[00:27:33] Watershed Design Teams & Customer JTBDs[00:32:59] Gaps in Data, Support Team, Activation[00:39:38] Customer Profiles, Reporting, Data, Watershed Customers[00:48:00] Investment in ESG, Report Authoring[00:50:13] Future Investment Forecasting & Insurance Risk [00:52:10] Design Team OKRs[00:55:54] How to Hire a Great Design Team[01:00:39] Interviewing and Onboarding at Watershed[01:01:52] Hiring Designers Interested in Climate[01:06:33] Measuring Success on Product Usage[01:09:04] Transition Into Climate Tech With No Background[01:11:57] Biggest Surprise Working at Watershed[01:14:55] Lightning Session ⚡️Where to find Molly & Tess: Molly Goldberg, Group Product Design Lead, Apps, and FoundationsTess Hannel, Product Design FinanceWatershed
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Feb 24, 2025 • 1h 10min

Will AI Take Your Design Job? | Juan Ramirez

Juan Ramirez has such an incredible story. He came to the US from Colombia as a student and studied at Carnegie Mellon. Following this, he’s worked at some pretty incredible companies like Amazon, Meta, Gitlab, and Netflix. What I enjoy most about Juan’s content is how thought provoking it is. 💡⁠Subscribe to Conscious Technology ⁠🗞️Chapters[00:00:00] The Call to Be a Creative; Meta, Amazon, Netflix[00:03:15] Studying as an Immigrant and Becoming a Citizen [00:05:11] “Netflix is The Best Job I’ve Ever Had”[00:11:50] Netflix is Going Hard on Ads as a Business Strategy [00:14:20] Design Engineer Profile and the Value of Code[00:24:53] What Good Designers Do [00:27:41] Intro to Programming at Carnegie Mellon [00:31:27] Human Consciousness & Esoteric Beliefs[00:47:04] Side Projects: Brainglue.ai [00:54:12] It’s Not Failure if You Learned From It[00:58:17] Design Zeitgeist Concerns About AI Taking Our Jobs[01:00:07] The Problem With Linkedin[01:01:35] Lightning Session ⚡️Where to find JuanLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juanjramirez/Brainglue.ai: https://www.brainglue.ai/
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Feb 17, 2025 • 1h 17min

Is Technology Enslaved? Dori Tunstall on Master - Slave Dynamics in AI

We’re kicking off Season 4 with Dori Tunstall. Dori is the author of Decolonizing Design: A Cultural Justice Guidebook. She has a has a PhD from Stanford and was the Dean of the Faculty of Design at OCAD University in Toronto. Join the Newsletter: ⁠⁠https://seratajima.substack.com/⁠ ⚡️Chapters[00:00:00] Introduction [00:01:23] Dori’s Journey from Anthropology to Design [00:04:15] Becoming the First Black Dean on a Design Faculty [00:10:17] Colonization is Intertwined with Capitalism and Sustainability [00:16:15] Decolonizing Design: A Cultural Justice Guidebook[00:19:52] Releasing the Flow for DEI at OCAD[00:28:43] Self Preparation for Equitable Community[00:32:36] Liberatory Joy is about Connection and Purpose[00:35:11] Colonization is Harmful to White People Too [00:38:00] Is There a Place for Universal Design? [00:44:33] Scaling Monopolies vs Specialization and Exchange[00:47:30] Better Living Through Tech (AI) is a Fallacy[00:56:41] Master and Slave Dynamics in AI [01:05:35] Decoupling From Corporate Taking of Creativity [01:12:11] Lightning Session ⚡️Where to Find Dori Tunstall: Website: https://doritunstall.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dori_tunstall/Book: Decolonizing Design: A Cultural Justice GuidebookBecome a sponsor: podcast@the-craft.io
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Jan 24, 2025 • 58min

How Maven's Founding Designer, Michael Riddering, is Reshaping Design Education

Ridd, aka Michael Riddering, is the Founder of Figma Academy, Host of podcast Deep Dives, and the founding designer behind Maven. Subscribe to Conscious Technology 🗞️Join lightning session on product led growth ⚡️Where to find RiddTwitter: ⁠https://x.com/ridd_design⁠Dive Club Podcast: ⁠https://www.dive.club/⁠Figma Academy: ⁠https://www.dive.club/advanced-figma⁠Chapters[00:00:00] Intro[00:01:23] Ridd's background[00:03:25] Learning coding[00:05:29] Startup failure & finding design[00:14:27] Transition to agency life[00:16:56] Visual finesse and raw talent[00:18:08] Becoming a Founding Designer with Maven[00:22:43] Building the Maven team[00:26:54] Twitter as testing for Figma Academy[00:30:07] Design Media Business[00:32:32] It's not work, it's a game[00:42:25] What makes Figma Academy successful[00:53:39] Prototyping is a superpowerBecome a sponsor: podcast@the-craft.io
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Jan 17, 2025 • 60min

What it Takes To Build a Design Business with Founder of UX Playbook Chris Nguyen

Founder of UX Playbook, Chris Nguyen, shares what it takes to build a design business with a focus on experimentation and understanding your audience. Join Conscious Technology: ⁠⁠⁠https://seratajima.substack.com/⁠⁠ ⚡️Resources:BacklogUX PlaybookMy First MillionLenny’s PodcastWhere to find Chris Nguyen:LinkedinChapters(00:00:00) Introduction (00:01:04) How Chris Got Into Design(00:03:10) Posting on Linkedin(00:05:00) UX Playbook organic growth(00:10:14) Expanding the funnel on Linkedin(00:16:11) Product Bundle Experiment(00:19:32) Free 5 Day Growth Challenge(00:23:49) What the Market Wants(00:27:33) Downsells are More Effective than Upsells(00:29:02) Pricing Experimentation(00:32:37) Sera's Business Journey(00:39:36) Create Urgency Getting Your Product Out(00:45:55) What Gives Designers Business Superpowers(00:50:33) Biggest Mistakes Chris Made(00:54:20) A Workday With ChrisSponsor the pod: hi@the-craft.io
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Jan 10, 2025 • 35min

Everything You Need for JTBD (Jobs to be Done) for Founders & Product Designers

The most comprehensive guide on the internet for Jobs to Be Done (JTBD). Join Conscious Technology: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://seratajima.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠ ⚡️(00:00:00) Introduction(00:00:40) Why companies are dying quicker(00:01:53) Why I like JTBD(00:02:45) People are trying to progress in life(00:03:37) The process of creative disruption(00:04:39) Customers inadvertently lie(00:05:30) JTBD theory and practice(00:09:05) Examples of 3 dimensions(00:10:48) Tony Ulwick's 9 tenets of JTBD(00:12:22) Incorporate JTBD into Your Process(00:13:59) Investigate beyond the superficial layer(00:16:06) 1. Define your market(00:17:15) 2. UX Research(00:22:59) 3. Synthesize your research(00:23:41) 4. Map the job(00:24:22) 5. Identify customer needs (example with ChatGPT and Claude)(00:25:29) 6. Create JTBD statements(00:26:28) 7. Ideate solutions(00:27:12) 8. Prioritization and planning(00:28:19) 9. Design and test(00:29:19) 10. Refine and measure impact(00:30:17) Bob Moesta's Case study(00:32:52) FAQ
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Jan 3, 2025 • 1h 17min

Design for a Better World: Meaningful, Sustainable, Humanity Centered with Don Norman

Don Norman has paved the way for design as we know it. He is a retired Professor, Apple VP, and co-founder of Nielsen Norman Group. His 21 books include Emotional Design, Design of Everyday Things, and Design for a Better World.Join Conscious Technology: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://seratajima.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠ ⚡️Resources: ⁠Design for a Better World Resources⁠⁠Don Norman Design Award⁠⁠Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness⁠⁠Understanding Computers and Cognition: A New Foundation for Design⁠⁠Empire of Cotton: A Global History⁠Where to find Don Norman:Linkedin: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/donnorman/⁠Website: ⁠https://jnd.org/⁠Chapters(00:00:00) Introduction (00:01:06) Don Norman introduction(00:02:45) Don's 5th retirement(00:05:16) Design Lab University of California San Diego(00:06:53) Author of 21 books(00:09:39) Design for a better world is spreading(00:11:41) What's wrong with human centered design(00:12:56) Expanding our mind and staying curious(00:15:06) Logic is not how people think(00:17:55) The value of creativity(00:19:43) How economics is significant to design(00:21:59) Nobel Prize for economics(00:25:14) Sidetracked on profit(00:27:06) Changing human behavior(00:30:39) Prioritize the most important thing(00:32:56) Problems like climate change are invisible(00:33:39) Greenwashing is good(00:35:00) If your company is wrong, give them a solution(00:38:20) You must understand the entire company(00:40:36) How design increases the quality of life(00:45:58) Lifestyle changes since writing the book(00:50:28) The US medical system has been taken over by profit(00:52:36) Politics and lobbying for Apple(00:55:31) The world is complex(00:56:22) Design systems(00:58:40) Are ICs powerless?(01:01:08) UN Sustainable Development Goal 17(01:01:37) The Netherlands is a leader for sustainability(01:05:44) Colonialism rules the world(01:12:29) It's not too late
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Dec 20, 2024 • 33min

Corporate Sustainability: A Guide to the Planetary Boundaries Framework with Sera Tajima

Sera Tajima, your host, gives a breakdown of planetary boundaries, tipping points, digital illusions, Biden's legacy, and the potential impact of the new administration in the US. Join Conscious Technology: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://seratajima.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠ ⚡️*Correction for the ai generated typo in the captions. It's Vox News, not Fox News. Chapters(00:00:00) Business Growth (00:04:18) Crossing Planetary boundaries(00:09:20) Social Tipping Points(00:10:01) Degrowth is a Response to Crisis(00:17:53) What Are Companies Doing?(00:20:38) The Digital Illusion(00:24:18) A New Paradigm(00:26:49) Biden and Trump Climate Impact
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Dec 13, 2024 • 58min

Becoming a Design Manager at Twilio and Transitioning Back to IC | Kelly Jacobs

Kelly Jacobs is a Product Design Lead and Manager at Parachute Health, formerly Design Manager at Twilio. We talk about becoming a manager, women in leadership, working at Twilio, design career ladders, transitioning to IC, and re-learning Figma.Join Conscious Technology: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://seratajima.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠ ⚡️Where to find Kelly: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelly-jacobs-b491bb23/Revamping the Twilio Career Ladder (Created by Kelly Jacobs and Megan Allison)Twilio’s Product Design Career LadderChapters(00:00:00) Transitioning From Deloitte to An In House Tech Role(00:05:55) Upcoming Events With Sera(00:07:53) Women in Leadership (00:10:36) Influences on Management Style and Julie Zhuo(00:14:39) Imposter Syndrome as a Manager(00:17:43) Qualities of Effective Managers(00:20:52) Interviewing for a Manager Role(00:23:16) People Management at Segment, Twilio(00:27:27) Performance Reviews, Career Ladders & Design Leveling(00:36:04) Returning to Individual Contributor Role(00:38:03) Management to IC Portfolio(00:40:59) Upskilling in Figma with a Maven Course(00:42:27) Debunking Myths in Career Transitions(00:52:41) Lightning Session ⚡️Become a sponsor: podcast@the-craft.io
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Dec 6, 2024 • 1h 17min

Mastering Figma: Design Systems & UI Architecture with Baseline | Joey Banks

Joey Banks, (he/him) is the Founder of Baseline. Heis based in Colombus, Ohio. Joey started in healthcare working on dashboards and fell in love with design. He has worked at companies like ⁠Figma⁠, Twitter, and ⁠Webflow⁠. Now he runs his own company, Baseline. Join Conscious Technology: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://seratajima.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠ ⚡️Where to find Joey:⁠⁠Joey's Linkedin⁠⁠Level Up with Figma⁠Chapters (00:07.13) Joey's design origins at Figma, Twitter, Webflow, and Baseline(00:02:54) Rediscovery of hobbies outside of work(00:05:08) Always being on with your own businessF(00:08:58) Level Up with Figma Maven course(00:12:32) Non designers are using Figma now(00:12:57) Seasonality and education budgets(00:18:08) Working as a designer advocate at Figma and being introverted(00:23:37.) Receiving feedback as an instructor(00:26:26) The biggest thing designers struggle with in Figma(00:34:32) Figma’s expanding into the entire design lifecycle (00:37:46) Joey’s favorite tools (00:38:53) Clients, governing design systems(00:42:59) Design system metrics, adoption, and time savings(00:51:14) Where Joey’s interest in design systems all started(00:58:33) Health issues and surgeries for the past 18 months(01:09:28) Developing an iOS kit for Figma’s community(01:12:48) Lightning Session ⚡️Become a sponsor: podcast@the-craft.io

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