The Diary Of Design Thinking: Recent Episodes
Simon Hoang
A monthly conversation with a different expert each time. These conversations touch upon the main topic of UX design, how designers of all levels tackle projects within their organisation. Walking us through their workflow in terms of the end to end UX process techniques, design thinking and implementing best practices.
Sharing the knowledge so that you can apply it in your process today. Get inspired and stay curious.
Edward Chechique is a Product Designer, with a successful extra-curricular track record in sharing and teaching Design and AI on Medium (6.7k followers!), YouTube, and more.
Timestamps
0:00:00 Introduction
0:00:45 Who is Edward Chechique
0:09:18 Graphic design education
0:10:40 Discovering Figma
0:12:08 Should design leads stay hands-on?
0:14:30 Helping others become autonomous
0:17:57 Remaining efficient in Figma
0:22:28 Figma's hidden shortcut
0:26:37 Variables, Dev mode, Advanced prototyping: yay or nay?
0:32:11 Designer efficiency
0:36:20 Famous Spanish slogans
0:39:11 How design workflows have changed since ChatGPT
0:45:40 GPT 3.5, or 4.0?
0:50:08 Disadvantages of using ChatGPT and AI
0:55:01 Keeping your authentic voice, even with AI tooling
0:58:05 Synthesizing your own AI voice
0:59:18 Midjourney, stolen art, and stress testing prompts
1:04:00 Defending against fake images and videos
1:06:10 Using chatbots to maintain your friendships
1:09:11 Future for designers
1:14:01 Last words from Edward
Full show notes available at https://chk.fyi/0UzN8G
Whether UX, UI, product, research or content design—this one's for all the job hunters and newly minted hiring managers. Our guidance and reassurance in the rapids of the 2023 job market.
We cover balancing the role versus culture, negotiating salary, optimising your CV, landing remote roles, the interview process as it is today, and how to onboard your first hire.
Yes, it's tough out there, but it's not impossible. If we can connect you to anyone or help review your CV for example, drop us a line on LinkedIn.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuckwired/ and https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonhoang23/.
Full notes and resources at: https://chk.fyi/FocFni
Timestamps
00:00 Introduction
00:47 Episode starts
01:50 Job hunting in 2022/2023
01:50 Simon's most recent job hunt
05:40 Role, or culture?
07:00 Making your mark
07:44 Recruiters: yay or nay?
12:29 Negotiating salary
14:59 Optimising your CV
17:47 Design interview processes
23:31 Whiteboard exercises
26:52 What to do when you're stuck
31:30 Hiring and managing your time
36:42 Interns versus Seniors
38:48 Onboarding a new hire
44:01 Does design education prepare you for industry?
47:26 What to look for in a hire?
50:41 Memes and conclusions
Kevin Coyle, currently working with Brad Frost and friends at Big Medium, is an incredible all-star professional in tech currently focusing on frontend. While we cover the professionally interesting work of building a Design System within the giant that is Pfizer, we also cover some lighter topics such as AI stealing jobs, Blu-ray is ancient, and Apple's Vision Pro.
What we discussed
0:00:00—Introduction
0:00:49—Welcome Kevin Coyle
0:02:29—How did you get into Design Systems? Where did it all start?
0:06:39—What it's like working on Helix, Pfizer's Design System
0:09:20—Overcoming resistance to adopting a system
0:13:28—Origins and intentions behind DatePickers and Hero sections
0:16:42—How to approach each new client
0:19:17—Thorny experiences of open source development
0:20:39—Where does an "open mindset" come from?
0:23:00—"Design systems are simply a collection of decisions"
0:24:34—How strict to be following your system guidelines?
0:29:54—What's the future of Design Systems, and does AI affect it?
0:37:51—How does AI affect the incoming workforce's skillsets?
0:43:56—Gen Z don't know what a "folder" or "directory" is
0:45:55—CD's, cassette tapes, and ownership of media
0:52:16—Kevin's sci-fi novel
0:52:59—AR, Apple Vision Pro, and the beauty of spatial design
1:00:30—3-dimensional Design Systems, and abstracting physical actions
1:02:24—ChatGPT coaching Kevin on writing his sci-fi novel
1:06:25—Last words of wisdom from Kevin
Full show notes, resources, and the blurb to Kevin's book can be viewed at: https://chk.fyi/KuUo2T
Dan Donald, previously Zeroheight and Autotrader, is not only an engineer, designer, and product person rolled into one, but an absolute generous gem of a human being.
We're privileged to have him with us to discuss all things Design Systems. How do we start one? What's the best tool? Will ChatGPT change how we approach them?
Plus: what our beers of choice were, Dan's celebrity doppelgänger, and some very wise words from Dan:
"Perfect is the enemy of the good".
What we discussed
- 0:00:00—Overview and introductions
- 0:01:00—Chuck, Simon, and Dan Donald’s introductions
- 0:03:58—Zeroheight, Storybook, and other design system tools
- 0:05:01—Maintaining culture as you scale, and hiring for culture
- 0:07:59—How Dan got into Design Systems
- 0:10:57—Types and patterns of Design Systems
- 0:12:15—Do you even need a Design System?
- 0:15:52—Scoping a Design System appropriately
- 0:17:28—Risk to your team’s velocity when starting out
- 0:21:20—Forget perfect, just aim for good
- 0:22:47—Auditing and documenting
- 0:24:30—“The best way to start a Design System for startups”
- 0:28:42—The technicals aren’t the challenge, it’s the people
- 0:31:11—Managing a Design System with a design team of 3
- 0:34:01—Outreach, and getting buy-in
- 0:37:18—Figma, file versioning, and branching
- 0:39:08—Do design and engineering need to version the same way?
- 0:42:40—Organising components and documentation in Figma
- 0:47:47—TLDR; the best way to organise or set up
- 0:48:50—Comedic relief: Dan’s celebrity doppelgänger
- 0:49:49—What beers are we drinking? (scroll down to see!)
- 0:53:04—Does ChatGPT affect Design Systems?
- 0:59:18—How does ChatGPT affect the incoming workforce?
- 1:02:04—What do we lose by using ChatGPT
- 1:05:03—Hype cycles, and the future is both incredible and boring
- 1:06:40—Dan’s time at Zeroheight
- 1:08:52—What’s the best tool to host a Design System?
- 1:11:06—Alternative Design System tools
- 1:14:31—There’s no wrong way to do things
- 1:16:01—Uno makes an appearance
- 1:16:59—Dan’s wise words for anyone trying to build a Design System
- 1:17:41—First wrap-up of the episode
- 1:18:25—Dan’s next steps (he might still be looking!)
- 1:22:13—Dan’s content, ebooks, and Design System Triage
- 1:24:29—Last words of Wisdom from Simon and Dan
Full show notes with links and resources available at: https://chk.fyi/jHDcgY
Designers often have an easier time progressing into leadership positions, we think, because giving feedback and critique is core to a healthy design culture. We discuss how to do it right, how to handle aggressive feedback, and techniques for lowering your defences while maintaining your dignity.
…and when you grab your iconic GTA weapons during feedback.
- 0:00:04—Introduction and topics overview
- 0:00:27—Episode starts: mic problems and camera simping
- 0:01:20—Uno the dog makes a guest appearance
- 0:02:10—Sync and async design feedback. Well, critique
- 0:03:50—Wrestling with getting time for design feedback
- 0:05:21—How do you get the right level of feedback?
- 0:07:00—Trying out video recordings for sharing design work
- 0:08:30—Embedding design crit sessions to an existing team
- 0:10:00—Feedback matrix: a structured way to critique design work
- 0:13:45—Design-only sessions, and wider cross-functional sessions. How many, and what ratio is right?
- 0:18:14—When should Engineers be involved in the design process?
- 0:21:20—What happens if you show Engineers at the end
- 0:23:30—What does a business with no designers look like?
- 0:24:55—Feedback at larger, established organisations
- 0:26:04—Being your authentic self at work
- 0:27:45—How to disagree with a piece of feedback the right way
- 0:29:17—Handling aggressive feedback
- 0:31:20—Getting data to back up your decisions
- 0:34:43—Sorting design choices into type 1, hard to reverse, and type 2, easy to reverse
- 0:37:05—Getting copy and content right, and what elements can be deferred
- 0:39:18—Being clear to others what’s still in flux, and what’s set in stone
- 0:43:01—Learning how to deliver feedback using Radical Candour
- 0:44:00—The other type of feedback: feeding up, and feeding down
- 0:44:43—How to lower your defences, if you find feedback hard to take?
- 0:46:20—Using fast and slow thinking to distill out the essence of feedback from tough people
- 0:48:48—Your mental health, and remembering you might just be in a toxic environment
- 0:51:19—Strategies to elicit clearer, constructive feedback from someone else
- 0:54:00—Wrap up and last words
Full show notes and links to resources: https://chk.fyi/SCfubd
Post-pandemic, we’ve gone from home bound to remote whenever we can, but is it even possible for a modern Product Designer? We discuss the ultimate desk setup, the worst desk setup, what belongs in your “go-bag”, and what setup graduates and freshly minted designers might need.
Plus, a couple books we can recommend, and tips to avoid causing your colleagues ear bleeds.
What we discussed
- 0:00:52—episode begins
- 0:01:30—post pandemic desk setups
- 0:02:40—dedicated microphone, is it worth it?
- 0:04:15—adjusting gain levels, to prevent your team mates’ ears bleeding
- 0:05:20—Chuck’s ultimate desk setup items
- 0:08:00—posture, neck positions, and preventing injuries
- 0:10:00—Simon’s ultimate desk setup items
- 0:11:30—managing all the dongles and devices
- 0:14:15—notes and sketching during meetings: pencil and paper, iPad..?
- 0:17:10—desk setup tips for fresh graduates and early career
- 0:20:00—desk setup tips if you have a dedicated space or room
- 0:22:00—standing desk versus normal desks
- 0:26:15—history of Chuck’s setup and how it developed over time
- 0:29:40—history of Simon’s setup and how it developed over time
- 0:31:30—is there truly a de-facto ultimate setup? Show us yours!
- 0:33:50—ultimate bag setup for digital nomads and people on-the-go
- 0:46:10—what’s the worst desk setup item?
- 0:51:30—desk mats, decoration, and more
- 0:55:45—book recommendations to feed your brain
- 0:58:55—discovery by speaking to users… every week?!
- 1:05:00—a question for next time
- 1:06:45—final thoughts
Don’t worry, these are all affiliate free 😉.
For full show notes, visit https://medium.com/north-west-ux/should-product-designers-work-remotely-and-the-ultimate-desk-setup-for-ux-ui-work-8fb6b474d4bb
Whether you’re struggling to reach Senior level, or spinning your wheels pushing to Lead and beyond, it genuinely takes some hustling and some luck to do it. We cover the trials you’ll encounter on your journey getting there, share some advice on leading your team through it, and tips on getting decisions made on your projects.
Oh, and a little first-aid for dogs.
- 0:02:20—Types of designers: visual, operational, and discovery
- 0:06:20—Dealing with being perceived as an artist
- 0:13:00—The non-visual side of designing great products
- 0:18:30—Getting non-designer team mates to use FigJam, Miro, or Lucid
- 0:23:40—Our first few weeks at our new jobs
- 0:26:30—First-aid and CPR for dogs
- 0:30:00—What’s it like to be promoted, and how do you earn it?
- 0:40:00—How to progress to Lead positions and above
- 0:48:40—Do you need a title in order to lead?
- 0:50:00—Leaders who are younger than yourself
- 0:55:00—Growing into your first leadership role
- 1:03:00—Uno makes a cameo and wants a cuddle
- 1:03:35—Delegating work to a team mate
- 1:08:32—When stakeholders disagree with each other
- 1:13:10—Convincing others to use a Design Sprint
- 1:21:00—A data-driven approach to decision making
- 1:23:52—How do break out of decisions going in circles?
- 1:26:40—What about when projects or decision making is too slow?
Get the full show notes here:
https://medium.com/north-west-ux/do-designers-need-to-draw-stuck-in-senior-and-lead-positions-and-when-stakeholders-disagree-64e97c450cba
Finding a new UX job can be daunting in itself, but it’s miles harder if you’ve just been laid off. What’s worse? Imagine if on your first day, it wasn’t what you signed up for—your manager informs you the role has changed responsibilities.
Bummer.
We cover how we navigate these difficulties in our own career journeys, wrangle with Webflow, and shine a transparent light on professionally disagreeing with your stakeholders.
Hint: rhymes with shdata, and shmuser shmesearch.
What we discussed
- 0:00:00 – what’s happened to Simon since last season?
- 0:02:30 – Webflow, it’s learning curve, and comparing it to Figma
- 0:07:55 – Chuck’s childhood, and the “life stages” of brewing coffee
- 0:12:25 – Simons career update, and starting a different job than advertised
- 0:18:00 – advice for you if a job doesn’t match the description; it differs if you’re junior or senior
- 0:23:10 – Chuck career update, a legit design system, and navigating a layoff
- 0:30:00 – Elon Musk, Twitter layoffs, and main character syndrome
- 0:34:50 – what to do immediately after a layoff
- 0:43:08 – Chucks new gig
- 0:44:40 – a tale of disagreeing with a stakeholder
- 0:50:20 – when to push back, and how to make your case
- 0:56:34 – what if the data says no, but a stakeholder still says yes?
- 0:58:55 – should designers take responsibility if devs are busy or not?
- 1:05:44 – after 8 years, would you join UX if you could start again?
Full show notes available here: https://medium.com/north-west-ux/bait-and-switch-jobs-a-layoff-survival-guide-and-the-art-of-disagreeing-with-stakeholders-bdca333f17d
Hey Design Thinkers! Refocusing on life and career so I am on pause until 2023. Potentially bringing a cohost onboard for season 2 so watch this space. Let’s get inspired and stay curious folks. Peace.
In this episode, I talk about the key principles I have learned throughout my journey as a UXer. Progressing further in my career.
Tom takes us on his career journey from starting in the profession of Law, then working as a Personal Trainer to tackling the Costa Coffee’s Design System as the Web Developer.
Living by the mantra "Seek first to understand, then be understood", James talks about what it takes to be a great leader. As a leader, you’re only as successful as the team.
In this episode of The Diary Of Design Thinking Podcast, Kosta walks us through the means of improving products and understanding how users interact with them in real world conditions.
In this episode, Chuck walks us through his processes using his experience as a UX Designer and Software Engineer. We also touched upon the process of setting up your OKRs.
Iulia Cornigeanu shows us her UX research process and teaches us techniques to improve our research skills. Top tip - there are no such thing is silly questions.
In this episode of The Diary of Design Thinking Podcast with Dan we talk about his data analytics approach at Costa Coffee.
In this first ever episode of The Diary of Design Thinking Podcast with Stacey we talk about her design process within software.
A deep dive into the idea behind The Diary Of Design Thinking Podcast and a short story about the host Simon Hoang.