Conscious Tech with Sera Tajima

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. Chapters(00:00:00) Don Norman introduction (00:01:39) Don’s 5th retirement(00:04:10) Design Lab University of California San Diego (00:05:47) Author of 21 books(00:08:33) Design for a better world is spreading (00:10:35) What’s wrong with human centered design(00:11:50) Expanding our mind and staying curious(00:14:00) Logic is not how people think (00:16:49) The value of creativity(00:18:37) How economics is significant to design (00:20:53) Nobel Prize for economics(00:24:08) Sidetracked on profit (00:26:00) Changing human behavior (00:29:33) Prioritize the most important thing (00:31:50) Problems like climate change are invisible(00:32:33) Greenwashing is good(00:33:54) If your company is wrong, give them a solution (00:37:14) You must understand the entire company(00:39:30) How design increases the quality of life(00:44:52) Lifestyle changes since writing the book (00:49:22) The US medical system has been taken over by profit(00:51:30) Politics and lobbying for Apple(00:54:25) The world is complex(00:55:16) Design systems (00:57:34) Are ICs powerless? (01:00:02) UN Sustainable Development Goal 17(01:00:31) The Netherlands is a leader for sustainability(01:04:38) Colonialism rules the world (01:11:23) It’s not too lateDon’s 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/ ___________________________________________________________I'm Sera Tajima, Founder, Climate Tech Advisor & Investor. 🤙I talk about: → Product Growth Strategy (Growth, Design, AI)→ Climate Tech→ Venture Capital⁠⁠Connect for more good energy⁠⁠ ⚡️Become a sponsor: partner@seratajima.com

Thorsten Jonas is Founder of SUX, keynote speaker, and consultant on sustainability and responsible AI. Chapters(00:00:00) Thorsten, Digital Sustainability Trailblazer(00:08:09) Going through a burnout(00:22:38) Is AI the right solution? (00:25:38) Energy and water consumption of AI (00:28:03) AI education and bias(00:32:16) Human creativity (00:34:14) What is truth? (00:35:25) Surveillance in Nazi Germany (00:38:14) Momo and stealing time(00:39:49) Harmful KPIs, manipulation, & dopamine(00:41:44) Data privacy, GDPR, regulations(00:44:40) Change is many small steps(00:46:27) Having conversations & finding compromises(00:51:40) SUX, workshops & masterclassResources: SUX: https://sustainableuxnetwork.com/ SUX Academy: https://sustainableuxnetwork.com/academy Sustainability Resources: https://suxnetwork.notion.site/ Momo (book referenced)Where to find Thorsten Jonas: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thorstenjonas/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dolbydigger/ Website: https://thorstenjonas.com/___________________________________________________________I'm Sera Tajima, Founder, Climate Tech Advisor & Investor. 🤙I talk about: → Product Growth Strategy (Growth, Design, AI)→ Climate Tech→ Venture Capital⁠⁠⁠Connect for more good energy⁠⁠⁠ ⚡️Become a sponsor: partner@seratajima.com

Phil Pham is a Head of Design, Author of "Work From Anywhere", and fellow Maui resident. We chat about intentionally designing your life and Phil's experience, which ranges from agencies, to Uber, BetterUp, and philanthropy. Chapters(00:00:00) Balancing career and family (00:05:00) Phil’s design background (00:07:57) Letting fear derail you from your path (00:21:27) How Phil became head of design(00:26:41) Working at Uber and Travis Getting Ousted(00:30:08) Career development seminars at Uber(00:35:16) Value and toxicity working in tech in San Francisco (00:37:23) Don’t wait for permission (00:39:03) Phil’s book - Work from Anywhere(00:40:26) Making a decision where the cost of failure is too high (00:45:15) Working at BetterUp with a focus on psychology(00:48:04) Getting laid off and how interviewing has changed(01:00:00) Experimental philanthropy and leveraging AI Phil’s Reading List: Work from Anywhere: How to Do What You Love in the Remote Economy (Phil’s book) Awaken the Giant Within by Tony Robbins The Art of Non Conformity by Chris Guillebeau Think and Grow Rich by Napolean Hill Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle Where to find Phil Pham: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philpham/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-pham/ Website: https://philphamdesign.com/ Podcast: Modern Dad Life___________________________________________________________I'm Sera Tajima, Founder, Climate Tech Advisor & Investor. 🤙I talk about: → Product Growth Strategy (Growth, Design, AI)→ Climate Tech→ Venture Capital⁠⁠⁠Connect for more good energy⁠⁠⁠ ⚡️Become a sponsor: partner@seratajima.com

Sera Tajima, Host and Founder of The Craft gives an introduction to circular design with 4 global examples of circularity from Apple to e-waste in Brazil. Chapters(00:00:00) Introduction to circular design (00:05:35) Why design for circularity(00:07:10) Technical and biological waste(00:10:21) Smartphones, cost-savings, and Apple (00:12:20) Shifting to a society that consumes less(00:14:16) 4 Case Studies on Circularity(00:14:36) Recycling plastic waste in the beauty industry(00:18:14) Leveraging e-waste to build digital equity in Brazil (00:21:03) Modular headphone subscriptions to reduce waste(00:22:51) 100% regenerative agriculture with buy-in from shareholders(00:25:31) Continue the conversationGet resources here 👇🏽Join the Conscious Tech Movement⁠⁠___________________________________________________________I'm Sera Tajima, Founder, Climate Tech Advisor & Investor. 🤙I talk about: → Product Growth Strategy (Growth, Design, AI)→ Climate Tech→ Venture Capital⁠⁠⁠Connect for more good energy⁠⁠⁠ ⚡️Become a sponsor: partner@seratajima.com

Colton Schweitzer is the Founder of Kickass UX; he helps graphic designers become UX Designers. In this conversation we chat about Colton's background, starting Kickass UX, and where the UX education industry fall short. Chapters(00:00:00) How Colton got into UX (00:05:55) Creating your own opportunities (00:07:40) Depression, discovering spirituality, & gratitude (00:13:50) Sera's grieving & health issues (00:25:18) Critical thinking and the why (00:28:27) Kickass UX (00:35:08) Coaching students who were struggling in a bootcamp (00:36:25) Teaching graphic designers (00:38:56) Designers need to understand business and growth (00:40:00) Picking the right case study (00:45:05) Free work and value (00:51:34) Colton's relationship with social media (00:55:00) Unconscious habits and letting human needs drive the product (00:57:40) Meditation, manifesting, and visualizationsWhere to find Colton Schweitzer: LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/coltonschweitzer/Kickass UX: https://www.kickassux.com/free-ux-design-course___________________________________________________________I'm Sera Tajima, Founder, Climate Tech Advisor & Investor. 🤙I talk about: → Product Growth Strategy (Growth, Design, AI)→ Climate Tech→ Venture Capital⁠⁠⁠Connect for more good energy⁠⁠⁠ ⚡️Become a sponsor: partner@seratajima.com

Kate Kalcevich is the Head of Accessibility and Innovation at Fable. In this conversation we chat representation, intersectionality, and practical tips for accessible design. Chapters:(00:00:00) Season 2 and Kate Kalcevich(00:02:06) Empowering people with accessibility (00:09:45) You'll never learn if you don't engage(00:13:43) Good role models and representation (00:16:06) Kate's career in government(00:17:04) Fable and their products(00:18:30) A large portion of the population has a disability(00:21:44) Consciously create more inclusive products and teams(00:24:00) Talk to people with disabilities and tips for designing(00:30:44) Recruiting participants for research(00:34:00) Integrating accessibility into the day-to-day(00:38:30) Find purpose, advocate and shape your careerWhere to find Kate Kalcevich: Kate's LinkedIn:⁠ https://www.linkedin.com/in/katekalcevich/ Fable: ⁠https://makeitfable.com/___________________________________________________________I'm Sera Tajima, Founder, Climate Tech Advisor & Investor. 🤙I talk about: → Product Growth Strategy (Growth, Design, AI)→ Climate Tech→ Venture Capital⁠⁠⁠Connect for more good energy⁠⁠⁠ ⚡️Become a sponsor: partner@seratajima.com

Season 1 is complete! Join me for a review of the season, who the audience is, what we learned from each guest, and overall learnings. Chapters:(00:00:00) Story about launch(00:02:40) Timeline of events(00:04:13) About the audience and performance(00:08:00) Learnings from each episode(00:10:34) Overall season 1 learnings___________________________________________________________I'm Sera Tajima, Founder, Climate Tech Advisor & Investor. 🤙I talk about: → Product Growth Strategy (Growth, Design, AI)→ Climate Tech→ Venture Capital⁠⁠⁠Connect for more good energy⁠⁠⁠ ⚡️Become a sponsor: partner@seratajima.com

Carlo Liquido is Founder of Lady Bandit Studios, a local product studio dedicated to shaping a more equitable future in Hawaii. Pi’iku, his internship program, provides career-building opportunities for aspiring Hawaii-connected designers.Chapters(00:00:00) Get to know Carlo(00:02:10) Spotlighting Hawaii voices(00:03:56) Carlo’s journey into design (00:06:35) Moving home to Hawaii (00:07:24) Economic Impact on Kanaka Maoli (00:09:27) How tech companies calculate pay (00:11:19) Carlos’ work at Shopify(00:14:07) Circular Design Internship (00:17:08) Bridging the gap between education and jobs(00:19:08) Cohort 3 rebrand to Pi’iku(00:23:34) The Craft’s Product Design Accelerator(00:25:40) Companies don’t get value from interns(00:28:55) Bias towards hiring seniors(00:29:40) The future of design education (00:31:54) Financial struggles with pursuing a business(00:34:00) Building businesses that are not extractive (00:34:21) The 6 categories in life (00:35:30) Be localWhere to find Carlo Liquido:Pi`ikū Co: https://piiku.coPi`ikū Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/piiku-co/Carlo LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carloliquido/Carlo Website: https://www.carloliquido.com/___________________________________________________________I'm Sera Tajima, Founder, Climate Tech Advisor & Investor. 🤙I talk about: → Product Growth Strategy (Growth, Design, AI)→ Climate Tech→ Venture Capital⁠⁠⁠Connect for more good energy⁠⁠⁠ ⚡️Become a sponsor: partner@seratajima.com

Many designers struggle to gain buy-in for their work, to communicate with stakeholders, or to measure their impact. Join Sera in this episode to understand how to design like a growth hacker. If this interests you, the Sustainable Growth Playbook is now available (linked below). Chapters(00:00:00) An Introduction to growth thinking(00:02:00) Advance your design career with business thinking(00:03:53) The intersection of growth hacking and product design (00:05:28) Identifying the business lever (00:07:38) How to think about the customer lifecycle and growth frameworks(00:09:52) Risks associated with growth hacking(00:10:36) A strong growth strategy starts with retention (00:12:31) Good growth practitioners are humanity centered(00:14:48) Where your power lies as a technologistRecommended Resources: Sustainable Growth Playbook (The Craft) Decentering profit (referenced) Rethinking capitalism (referenced) Reforge Center for Humane Technology Design GuideTristan Harris on Trevor Noah Podcast___________________________________________________________I'm Sera Tajima, Founder, Climate Tech Advisor & Investor. 🤙I talk about: → Product Growth Strategy (Growth, Design, AI)→ Climate Tech→ Venture Capital⁠⁠⁠Connect for more good energy⁠⁠⁠ ⚡️Become a sponsor: partner@seratajima.com

Gabriela Lucía Lorenz is Director of UBS in Switzerland. She has an MBA in Sustainable Business, is originally from Argentina, and has worked in Switzerland for 10+ years. She is an advocate of ethical design practices, fostering sustainability and a change of paradigm — from user centric to humanity and planetary centered design. Chapters(00:00:00) Gabriela Introduction (00:03:34) Design Director at UBS Zurich(00:05:50) MBA in Sustainable Business(00:09:38) Ethics and Sustainability (00:12:39) Moral values for individuals and companies(00:18:01) Talking about DEI in Europe(00:19:00) Getting started with ethics(00:23:41) Frameworks for design and business(00:30:03) How to approach projects for sustainability and ethics(00:34:14) Growth, power, and money unregulated isn’t working(00:35:58) The definition of success(00:36:57) Work life balanceRecommended Resources: Don Norman, Design a Better WorldKelly Small, The Conscious CreativeRuben Paten, Politics of designThe Center for Humane TechnologyMariana Salgado Podcast ⁠https://disenoydiaspora.org/Uxía⁠ Arias García ⁠https://universomeraki.com/⁠Where to find Gabriela:LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/gllorenz/⁠___________________________________________________________I'm Sera Tajima, Founder, Climate Tech Advisor & Investor. 🤙I talk about: → Product Growth Strategy (Growth, Design, AI)→ Climate Tech→ Venture Capital⁠⁠⁠Connect for more good energy⁠⁠⁠ ⚡️Become a sponsor: partner@seratajima.com