Sera Tajima Podcast

Ridd, aka Michael Riddering, is the Founder of Figma Academy, Host of podcast Deep Dives, and the founding designer behind Maven. Subscribe to Conscious Tech 🗞️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 superpower___________________________________________________________I'm Sera Tajima, Climate Tech Advisor & Investor. 🤙I talk about: → Product Growth Strategy (Growth, Design, AI)→ Climate Tech→ Venture CapitalConnect for more good energy ⚡️➕ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Conscious Tech Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠➕ ⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠➕ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠➕ ⁠Tiktok⁠➕ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Advising⁠⁠⁠⁠Become a sponsor: partner@seratajima.com

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 Tech: ⁠⁠⁠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 Chris___________________________________________________________I'm Sera Tajima, Climate Tech Advisor & Investor. 🤙I talk about: → Product Growth Strategy (Growth, Design, AI)→ Climate Tech→ Venture CapitalConnect for more good energy ⚡️➕ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Conscious Tech Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠➕ ⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠➕ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠➕ ⁠Tiktok⁠➕ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Advising⁠⁠⁠⁠Become a sponsor: partner@seratajima.com

The most comprehensive guide on the internet for Jobs to Be Done (JTBD). Join Conscious Tech: ⁠⁠⁠⁠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___________________________________________________________I'm Sera Tajima, Climate Tech Advisor & Investor. 🤙I talk about: → Product Growth Strategy (Growth, Design, AI)→ Climate Tech→ Venture CapitalConnect for more good energy ⚡️➕ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Conscious Tech Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠➕ ⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠➕ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠➕ ⁠Tiktok⁠➕ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Advising⁠⁠⁠⁠Become a sponsor: partner@seratajima.com

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 Tech: ⁠⁠⁠⁠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___________________________________________________________I'm Sera Tajima, Climate Tech Advisor & Investor. 🤙I talk about: → Product Growth Strategy (Growth, Design, AI)→ Climate Tech→ Venture CapitalConnect for more good energy ⚡️➕ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Conscious Tech Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠➕ ⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠➕ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠➕ ⁠Tiktok⁠➕ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Advising⁠⁠⁠⁠Become a sponsor: partner@seratajima.com

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 Tech: ⁠⁠⁠⁠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___________________________________________________________I'm Sera Tajima, Climate Tech Advisor & Investor. 🤙I talk about: → Product Growth Strategy (Growth, Design, AI)→ Climate Tech→ Venture CapitalConnect for more good energy ⚡️➕ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Conscious Tech Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠➕ ⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠➕ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠➕ ⁠Tiktok⁠➕ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Advising⁠⁠⁠⁠Become a sponsor: partner@seratajima.com

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.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 ⚡️___________________________________________________________I'm Sera Tajima, Climate Tech Advisor & Investor. 🤙I talk about: → Product Growth Strategy (Growth, Design, AI)→ Climate Tech→ Venture CapitalConnect for more good energy ⚡️➕ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Conscious Tech Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠➕ ⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠➕ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠➕ ⁠Tiktok⁠➕ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Advising⁠⁠⁠⁠Become a sponsor: partner@seratajima.com

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. 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 ⚡️___________________________________________________________I'm Sera Tajima, Climate Tech Advisor & Investor. 🤙I talk about: → Product Growth Strategy (Growth, Design, AI)→ Climate Tech→ Venture CapitalConnect for more good energy ⚡️➕ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Conscious Tech Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠➕ ⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠➕ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠➕ ⁠Tiktok⁠➕ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Advising⁠⁠⁠⁠Become a sponsor: partner@seratajima.com

Michal Halperin Ben Zvi is a product strategist and consultant who increases engagement for the 65+ segments in digital products. She has a PhD in Psychology of Aging, speaks at conferences like UX Copenhagen, and writes for Smashing Magazine. Chapters (0:00:00) Michal’s Work With Increasing Engagement With Older Users(0:04:11) Who Are Older Users? (0:10:36) Standard UI Patterns(0:16:04) Ageism in Tech and Inclusive Products(0:19:55) The Overlap Between Age and Disability (0:22:50) Uncovering Mental Models to Increase Conversion (0:27:05) Assessing Digital Literacy with UX Research (0:29:50) Risk Perception as We Age, Microcopy, Labels(0:34:06) Icons, Gestures, and Hand Regulation(0:37:14) Designing for Our Own Future (0:41:12) Advantages of Tapping Into Older Demographics (0:41:55) Usability Testing(0:46:33) Consequences of Form Design(0:54:55) Future of Tech and Buying Trends (0:56:22) AI Adoption and Gen AI(1:00:03) Lightning Session ⚡️Where to find Michal:Michal's Linkedin⁠⁠___________________________________________________________I'm Sera Tajima, Climate Tech Advisor & Investor. 🤙I talk about: → Product Growth Strategy (Growth, Design, AI)→ Climate Tech→ Venture CapitalConnect for more good energy ⚡️➕ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Conscious Tech Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠➕ ⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠➕ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠➕ ⁠Tiktok⁠➕ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Advising⁠⁠⁠⁠Become a sponsor: partner@seratajima.com

Sera is your host, Founder of ⁠Conscious Tech, Principle Designer & Climate Investor. Today we do a dive into data centers, energy consumption, renewables, water, and nuclear energy. Microsoft, Meta, Google, Amazon, and more are at each other's throats to win the AI race with more compute power.⚡️Get on the waitlist for growth design course.Chapters (0:00:00) Subscribe to Newsletter for Event Updates(0:00:56) What is a Data Center?(0:03:22) Tech Race to Arms(0:04:40) Geographic Distribution of Data Centers(0:05:55) Major Concerns to Be Aware Of(0:07:00) Technical Architecture & Energy Consumption(0:09:26) Fresh Water Consumption(0:11:23) The Future - Increasing Emissions, Renewable Energy, Net Zero(0:13:33) Alternative Cooling Technologies(0:15:08) Going Nuclear for Clean Energy(0:17:15) Rate pod & get the highlights/footnotes___________________________________________________________I'm Sera Tajima, Climate Tech Advisor & Investor. 🤙I talk about: → Product Growth Strategy (Growth, Design, AI)→ Climate Tech→ Venture CapitalConnect for more good energy ⚡️➕ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Conscious Tech Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠➕ ⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠➕ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠➕ ⁠Tiktok⁠➕ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Advising⁠⁠⁠⁠Become a sponsor: partner@seratajima.com

Hang Xu is the Founder of Collective Supply, a candidate-centric talent agency based in NYC. Before that, Hang worked as a UX Designer for a decade, at companies like Boston Dynamics. His experience in both design work and recruiting gives him a unique perspective on the state of UX and hiring in the US. In his free time, Hang writes about design strategy, activism in tech, and salary negotiation techniques on Linkedin.Chapters (0:00:00) How Hang went from designer to recruiter(0:04:00) Hiring Market Post-Covid(0:07:26) Hiring Market Today and Finding the Best Role(0:12:06) Boundaries and Asian Identity(0:20:48) Hang's Therapy Journey(0:27:00) Sera's Mixed Race Identity and Belonging(0:31:20) Are Asian Americans seen as American?(0:37:08) Can BIPOC be racist?(0:41:38) Colonialism, Dutch East India Spice Trade(0:45:00) Asian Representation in Media, War, and Masculinity(1:00:30) Conventional Beauty and Toxic Masculinity(1:11:48) Being an (Asian) Woman in Tech(1:18:07) Asian American Stereotypes(1:20:39) The Asian American Glass Ceiling(1:28:42) Finding Your Own Path Through Self Discovery(1:31:39) Why Women Get Paid Less(1:38:53) Recruitment Process for Founding Designers(1:43:19) Perceptions on Craft(1:54:43) Demonstrating Strategy vs Craft in Portfolios(2:02:12) Lightning Session⚡️Where to find Hang:⁠Hang's Linkedin⁠___________________________________________________________I'm Sera Tajima, Climate Tech Advisor & Investor. 🤙I talk about: → Product Growth Strategy (Growth, Design, AI)→ Climate Tech→ Venture CapitalConnect for more good energy ⚡️➕ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Conscious Tech Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠➕ ⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠➕ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠➕ ⁠Tiktok⁠➕ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Advising⁠⁠⁠⁠Become a sponsor: partner@seratajima.com