IxDA Sydney Podcast: Recent Episodes
IxDA Sydney
This is the IxDA Sydney Mentoring Program Podcast. A show that guides you through the stages of design mentorship, whether you are just starting out and looking to find your feet, or you're a seasoned designer. Join us where we speak to design thinkers, and design doers.
We can't guarantee answers, just better questions!
Join Vinita and Sam in our last episode of the series, as they reflect on their IxDA podcasting journey.
The IxDA podcast emerged in 2022 as a unique approach to the IxDA Sydney mentoring program, interviewing design leaders around career progression and mentoring. This year we've delved more into the 'zeitgeist of design', covering topics from Web3 to design accessibility.
We'll be taking a short break from the podcast while the team focuses on delivering an amazing program for Interaction 24.
You can find the the audio transcript for this episode as well as any resources mentioned at ixdaysydney.org.
Hello and welcome to the latest episode of the Sydney IxDA Podcast. In this episode, Vinita and Jess are chatting with the team at Therapy for Designers. Simone Attanasio - Product Design Lead at Canva, Benaz Irani - Product Design Manager at OpenTable and Milly Schmidt - Experience Design Manager at Atlassian.
We've all heard of career growth programs through ADPList and IxDA's mentoring program. Therapy for Designers is looking at doing this in a way that incorporates meaningful conversations, connections, food and wine. Creating a space for designers to safely share their challenges, be heard and learn to build a growth mindset and leadership capabilities as a group.
We'll be covering:
- The origin, inspiration, and purpose behind the program
- Differentiating themselves from other career growth initiatives
- The connection to conversations, connections, and food
- Leadership styles within the facilitators
- Their learnings with "experiments" and scaling going forward
You can find the the audio transcript for this episode as well as any resources mentioned at ixdaysydney.org.
In our ninth episode of the season, Vinita and Jess are having a chat with Amy Howard. Amy is the Lead Designer for IAG’s Design System, leading the creation and implementation of tools and resources that support designers using the design system. She works closely with designers and digital teams across the company to support its adoption and ensure it meets the needs of the organisation and its users.
We’ll be covering the following themes:
- The landscape of design systems and design ops
- How design systems reflect branding
- Consumption of a design systems by different stakeholders
- Accessibility, scalability, and documentation within design systems
- The role design systems play in a designer’s career
You can find the the audio transcript for this episode as well as any resources mentioned at ixdaysydney.org.
In this episode, Vinita is joined by Elise Margaritis, the Creative Director of TEM. Elise built the brand and marketing function for TEM which has grown to become Asia Pacific’s most trusted carbon offset provider.
In this session we dive into the following themes:
- Her philosophy and approach to helping organisations achieve net-zero emissions through carbon offsetting.
- How designers can take the initiative to investigate sustainable claims made by businesses and not to promote greenwashing.
- What designers can do to make an impact within the sustainable space.
- How Australian organisations can learn from Europe's stricter sustainability measures
If you want to learn more about IxDA Sydney's podcast show notes, resources, events and mentorship programs, please visit: www.ixdasydney.org
In this episode, Jessica and Sam are joined by Kent Eisenhuth, a data visualisation thought leader at Google and author. As the leader of Google's data accessibility program, Kent has designed visualisations for various products, including Fitbit, Google Fit, Material Design, Workspaces, Google Cloud, and X.company. This episode is a deep dive into the world of data, covering topics such as accessibility, visualisation, and more!
We cover:
- The value of data visualisations in the UX world.
- How education played a pivotal role in building a data visualisation practice within Google.
- Data accessibility maturity in an organisation.
- Making sketching approachable for people who aren’t designers Kent's work and ideas have been featured in several prominent publications, including Fast Company, Tech Crunch, The Guardian, and Smashing Magazine. He has presented talks and ideas at prestigious conferences such as IxDA's Interaction and SXSW, and he frequently guest lectures at universities across the United States. For more information about Kent and his book, "Drawing Product Ideas: Fast and Easy UX Drawing for Anyone," please visit https://www.kenteisenhuth.com/.
If you want to learn more about IxDA Sydney's podcast show notes, resources, events and mentorship programs, please visit: www.ixdasydney.org
In this episode, Vinita and Sam speak with Rich Brophy, Head of Design at Blue Egg, a Behavioral Design Consultancy. As a former stand-up comedian, Rich shares his perspectives on the connection between comedy and design facilitation, as well as the significance of design principles and personal branding.
We cover the following themes:
- How Rich's experience in comedy and advertising has given him an unfair advantage in the design field.
- The importance of storytelling, empathy, and improvisation in design facilitation.
- How design principles guarantee a more predictable path to quality work.
- The significance of design research in shaping design decisions.
If you want to learn more about IxDA Sydney's podcast show notes, resources, events and mentorship programs, please visit: www.ixdasydney.org
In this episode, Jessica and Vinita speak with Grishma about the importance of data science within product development. Grishma is a data scientist with the UX research operations team in IBM in San Francisco. In her team, she supports a design and research team of over 80 where she uses data to understand user struggles and opportunities to enhance user experiences.We cover the following themes: The value of data in storytelling and using successful case studies to demonstrate the impact of research on business metrics How to communicate the importance of research to organisations that may not have fully embraced it How data scientists can collaborate with researchers and designers The future of research in design and product development If you want to learn more about IxDA Sydney's podcast show notes, resources, events and mentorship programs, please visit: www.ixdasydney.org
In this episode, Vinita and Sam talk to software engineer and SHE codes mentor, Nina Ajnira Karisik, to discuss how to break into the tech industry as a self-starter, dealing with unconscious bias, and how to overcome these barriers to achieve success.
We cover the following themes:
- Finding her feet in tech as a self-starter
- How unconscious bias has affected her career
- The benefits and limitations of AI in programming
- The co-dependence between design and programming
Nina is a software engineer and a sustainable fashion enthusiast with a background in digital marketing, branding and journalism. She looks at code holistically, being equally interested in back-end and front-end development, as well as being very passionate about how said code makes a difference in people's lives.
If you want to learn more about IxDA Sydney's podcast show notes, resources, events and mentorship programs, please visit: www.ixdasydney.org
Join hosts Jessica and Sam as they sit down with Kate Linton, the Global Design Lead at ThoughtWorks, to discuss the critical role of accessibility in designing successful customer experiences. Discover how Kate has used her experience to gain valuable insights into creating intuitive and accessible designs that cater to a diverse range of users.
We cover the following themes:
- How incorporating accessibility after launching your product can be quite difficult.
- The challenges of working with stakeholders to ensure accessibility is top of mind
- Tips for incorporating neurodiversity into your design choices.
- How small improvements can lead to a big impact on accessibility
By taking small steps to improve your digital accessibility, you can make a huge difference for people with disabilities and ensure your content is accessible for all. Let's make the digital world a more inclusive place for everyone!
If you want to learn more about IxDA Sydney's podcast show notes, resources, events and mentorship programs, please visit: www.ixdasydney.org
In this episode Sam and Vinita speak with Mark Monfort, co-founder of NotCentralised and the Australian DeFi Association. We travel with Mark on the journey through the Web3 space - from tracing the history of blockchain, crypto and NFTs, to breaking down popular buzzwords.
Whether you're just breaking into Web3, or a full-blown degen - this episode is not to be missed!
We'll be covering the following themes:
- How Web3 is pushing the boundaries of innovation and pivoting to community feedback in order to find product market fit.
- WHY there needs to be a shift change in how we interact with services and products.
- Where Web3 is being used effectively
- Where Web3 needs to improve to be widely adopted from a user experience perspective.
If you want to learn more about IxDA Sydney's events and mentorship programs, please visit: www.ixdasydney.org
Hello, and welcome to a new season of the Sydney IxDA Podcast! Join us for a fascinating conversation with Felix Lee, Co-Founder and CEO of ADPList, the world's largest mentorship platform for the tech industry. In this episode, we'll hear Felix's story and how ADPList came to be and discuss the importance of mentorship and its impact on careers.
We'll be covering the following themes:
- Felix’s background and journey before ADPList The Singapore design scene and why design is integral to progressing organisations forward
- The creation of ADPList and how the platform has evolved over time
- ADPList’s journey to finding product-market fit
- The importance of democratising mentorship in personal and professional growth
- The future vision for ADPList and its continued impact on the tech industry.
If you want to learn more about IxDA Sydney's events and mentorship programs, please visit: www.ixdasydney.org
Hello and welcome to the final episode of this series, The Season Finale! Mentoring stories.
In this episode, Molly, Vinita and Sam are joined by a whole host of mentors to discuss their personal experiences during the IxDA mentoring program. We'll dig into what they found surprising, the differences of mentoring within the workplace to externally, and key resources they hang their hat on when mentoring.
Segment 1: - 01:00
- Vee Mercado: Lead Designer @ WooliesX
- Fabiana Eisenmann: Product Designer @ Playvox
Segment 2: - 15:14
- Vivid Savitri: Head of UX @ Breville
- Sam Dawson: UX Designer @ Macquarie Bank
- Ulf Sthamer: UX Lead @ SBS
Segment 3: - 28:07
- Kevin Wilkins:Practice Lead @ Sseavan
- Jessica Smith: UX Team Lead @ Servian
Segment 4: - 39:07
- Jessica Pang:Senior Product Designer @ Airwallex
- Luna Andreux:Product Designer @ Servian
In this episode, Vinita and Molly are talking to Meera Pankhania. Their conversation focuses around the government and civic design space.
Meera is a design leader with a career spanning over 17 years in the private, not-for-profit and public sectors across the UK and Australia. After several years in the Australian Public Service, Meera co-founded Propel Design; a strategic research, design and delivery consultancy that uses an evidence-based approach to help co-create strategies and solutions that are human-centred. With this breadth and depth of experience, Meera strives to deliver impactful, pragmatic outcomes while building capability and leading teams through growth and change.
We dive into the following themes:
- The nuances of working within the public sector
- Why government isn't for every designer
- How Meera has seen design maturity within government significantly improve over the last 5 years.
- How she's found mentoring in government quite challenging
If you want to learn more about IxDA Sydney's events and mentorship programs, please visit:
www.ixdasydney.org/mentoring
You may have noticed that Wednesday has been and gone without a podcast release? Not to fear! We'll be back in a couple of weeks to finish off the first season of the IxDA MP Podcast.
In this episode, Sam and Vinita are talking to David Meier. Their conversation dives into how design IS Business and why understanding your subject matter inside out is the first step to getting a seat at the leadership table.
David’s career foundations were established through graphic design and digital advertising. It wasn’t until working within the startup space when David got a deep understanding of the fundamentals of UX. In the last four years David has transitioned into design leadership positions at Real estate giant, Domain. And later at Fintech disrupters, Zip and now Finder. David is a passionate and experienced design leader focussed on finding the sweet spot between delivering strong business outcomes, while nailing the user needs.
We dive into the following themes:
- How knowing your subject matter inside out is vital.
- Inheriting an always learning approach, with the d.MBA program helping him land this latest role.
- How leaning on your designer network is a great way to unblock your workflow.
If you want to learn more about IxDA Sydney's events and mentorship programs, please visit:
www.ixdasydney.org/mentoring
In this episode, Sam and Molly are talking to Marla Mitelman about how she has built and lead high performing design teams. Marla is a design leader and a hands on UX designer for over 20 years. She's passionate about the design of useful, usable and purposeful experiences for innovative products and services. Since 2020, she's been working both as a freelance design consultant through Mitelman Webb, and has been employed permanently by organisations such as BCG, digital ventures, and PwC, to lead their experience and strategic design teams.
We dive into the following themes:
- Building out design teams and defining culture.
- How to grow designers with confidence and not arrogance.
- How to challenge the status quo, whether you're focusing on deliverables or managing stakeholders.
- How embracing failure is a good thing.
If you want to learn more about IxDA Sydney's events and mentorship programs, please visit:
www.ixdasydney.org/mentoring
In this episode, Sam and Molly are talking to Michael Wong AKA Mizko, about how the strength of your portfolio can set you up for success within your design career. Mizko is a founder, educator and product/UX/UI Designer at heart. He has spent the last 15 years strategising and designing for high-growth companies that have raised a total of $500M. His passion lies at the intersection of business, design and technology and today runs an online educational platform, Designership with over 3,500 alumni.
We dive into the following themes:
- Learn Mizko's unconventional path into UX design and how his strong marketing skills shaped his success in his design career.
- Understand the value in learning the business side of design and the importance we add as designers within an organisation.
- The power in experimenting with objectives, constantly iterating and pushing yourself to be a better designer by looking at the glass half full.
- Hear Mizkos perspective on the power of portfolios and what elements of your portfolio you should focus your attention on.
- Practical tips and truths on interviewing, freelancing and when to make the jump to do your own thing.
You can find out more about Mizko on his Youtube Channel, Mizko and atThe Designership
If you want to learn more about IxDA Sydney's events and mentorship programs, please visit:
www.ixdasydney.org/mentoring
In this episode, Molly, Sam & Vinita are taking your mentoring questions, where dive into the following themes:
- How do I keep cadence with the mentor/mentee relationship?
- Learning about psychology within UX and how to implement it.
- What happens when the program comes to an end.
If you want to learn more about IxDA Sydney's events and mentorship programs, please visit:
www.ixdasydney.org/mentoring
In this episode, Molly and Vinita are talking to Erin Turner about the power of feedback, and when the right rituals are put in place, it can really drive the feedback culture of that organisation. Erin is a UX leader and organisational psychologist with over 15 years experience. Erin started her career consulting in UX research and design across a range of industries before moving client side to set up and lead various UX and service design teams. Erin passion is in delivering impactful and purposeful design for human centered and empathetic innovation, and helping practitioners build confidence and skill for our coaching and mentoring.
We dive into the following themes:
- Ensue that you're creating a safe space in order to provide feedback.
- Setting the right context is key when giving feedback
- Have the mindset that treating any piece of feedback is a gift, good or bad.
If you want to learn more about IxDA Sydney's events and mentorship programs, please visit:
www.ixdasydney.org/mentoring
In this episode, Sam and Vinita are talking to design leader and top-rated ADPlist mentor, Paul Blake. With over 25 years of industry experience, Paul is a journalist by training, in 1995 he put away his typewriter to embrace design. He has worked internationally in a range of corporate government and agency environments. He made it in strategic and service design and is an enthusiastic mentor for younger designers. And ever curious traveler music fan and craft beer nerd.
We dive into the following themes:
- Why imposter syndrome is rife within the design industry.
- Ways to approach overcoming your own inner critic.
- Valuing frameworks over craft.
- How designers are pseudo change managers.
If you want to learn more about IxDA Sydney's events and mentorship programs, please visit:
www.ixdasydney.org/mentoring
In this episode, Vinita and Molly, we are talking to Mags Hanley about why it's important to think beyond your role as a designer, why you should be taking notice of aspects adjacent to our role like data, and why learning about other people's business needs to improve your sphere of influence. Mags is a career and Information Architect. She works with designers at all stages of their careers, help them identify the path to go on, be more effective at work and support them in leading their design teams.
Her recently published career architecture, analyse structure and plan your design career, a guidebook for designers working out where to go next in their careers. We dive into the following themes: Making the differentiation between mentoring and coaching. How to go about expanding your craft in transitioning to a leader, it's not always managing people! How to influence and teach others the value of design. Navigating your way through differing design maturity levels throughout your career.
If you want to learn more about IxDA Sydney's events and mentorship programs, please visit:
www.ixdasydney.org/mentoring
In this episode, Molly and Vinita are talking to Tim Yeo. Tim coaches introverts to have impact and influence without pretending to be extroverts at The Quiet Achiever. He is currently Design Director @IBM, helping Enterprise clients transform their businesses with enterprise scale at startup speed.
In IBM, Tim focuses on DesignOps for the Customer Transformation design practice in Australia.Previously, Tim was the first UX and Design leader at fintech startups @Finder, @OFX and @Prospa where he hired, established and scaled design teams from scratch. Best known for saying complex things simply. He's also a public speaker, bookbinder and currently living the nomad life with no permanent address in Adelaide, Australia with his partner and the fluffiest Old English Sheepdog ever. Tim has also reviewed did reviewing design portfolios for IxDA and done mock interviews with general assembly for graduating programs.
We dive into the following themes:
- How designers starting out in the industry can stand out when trying to get their first role
- What kind of mindset to have while approaching design exercises
- How introverts in particular can start to really craft their design paths
If you want to learn more about IxDA Sydney's events and mentorship programs, please visit:
www.ixdasydney.org/mentoring
In this episode, Molly and Sam are chatting with Chris Naylor. Their conversation dives into how to develop people skills, and about how to step outside being just a designer to bring more to your craft. They go into some tactical methods on how designers can build up their commercial skills, while still balancing flow, speed and craft.
We dive into the following themes:
- Building on your design craft and understanding business drivers.
- Understanding the commercials behind your design decisions.
- Putting your design theories into practice.
Chris is the Regional Design Practice Director for Accenture Interactive, APAC region. He's a design leader focused on making complex systems simple, and driving customer experiences that solve jobs and generate stakeholder value. He helps businesses develop growth strategies and experiences to achieve key outcomes through strong consumer science, design, leadership and management skills.
If you want to learn more about IxDA Sydney's events and mentorship programs, please visit:
www.ixdasydney.org/mentoring
Hello, and welcome to the introductory episode of The IxDA Sydney MP pod. We'll be introducing your hosts for the next 12 weeks, Vinita, Molly and Sam, while also taking you through how to best set up for success with the IxDA Sydney mentoring program.
Every Wednesday, we will be bringing you new insight from design doers and thinkers from across Australia. There's a lot of giggling in this episode since we have no guests, so hang on for some fodder and great design talk!
Find out more about the IxDA Sydney Mentoring Program here:
ixdasydney.org/mentoring
In March 2022, IxDA Sydney will be launching a podcast to support mentoring conversations from a diverse group of design thinkers and doers around Sydney and Australia. These conversations aspire to spark new perspectives, problem solving and insight into other design teams.
Molly, Sam and Vinita have interviewed a handful already and will be adding to them over the year. These will be available soon, both in your usual Podcast-subscribing services as well as through the IxDASyd website.