Experience Designed (Experience Designed)

Ha Phan is an inventor, speaker, product and design leader. She specialises in emerging tech, user-centric product innovation and experimentation.

In this episode, we delve into her product innovation experiences at Zillow, GoPro and many others. We explore the evolution of design beyond traditional UX practices, especially in the realm of emerging technologies like AI. This conversation will spark new ideas and perspectives.

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Debbie Levitt, MBA, a CX leader focused on strategy, research and Human-Centered Design/User-Centered Design. She’s the author of a recently published Customer Know You Suck book which covers actionable CX strategies to understand, attract, and retain customers.

In this session, we discuss her book, the tech industry dysfunctions, how UX professionals are being gaslighted and ideas to correct the course for designers and tech teams alike.

Today, I’m chatting with Lawton Pybus and Thomas Stokes, UX Research veterans and founders of Drill Bit Labs, a research strategy consultancy.

They have also researched and authored several UX industry meta-reports and educational articles that can help UX researchers, designers, and UCD leaders stand out from the crowd.

In this riveting episode, we explore:

💼 The evolving UX industry job market: insights into the skills, roles, and opportunities defining the next generation of UX researchers.

🤖 AI's growing role in UX Research: how artificial intelligence is reshaping our methodologies and deliverables.

🔬 Essential and more advanced research methods: tried and tested, and innovative techniques that are pushing the boundaries of marrying user needs with tech advancements.

And much more.

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Today, I’m chatting with ⁠Manuel Lima⁠, a UX design thought leader, author, and leading figure in visual culture development, the intersection between art and technology, and data visualisation. Manuel Lima's latest book, The New Designer: Rejecting Myths, Embracing Change, challenges traditional notions of design by emphasizing designers' ethical responsibilities in today's society. 

In this thought-provoking conversation, we explore how design shapes not just what we see but also how we live, think, and interact with the world around us. Manuel dismantles traditional design paradigms and presents a compelling case for designers to embrace their role as architects of change, addressing crucial challenges at personal, societal, cultural, and environmental levels.

In this episode, I'm talking with Dr. Nick Fine. Nick has been one of the leading UX researchers and a bold voice for the wider UX design community. He has kickstarted initiatives like UX Psychology, as well as influenced the development of user-centric design standards and methods. We will discuss a few hot topics, such as AI and automation tools being a potential threat to UX research and design, ongoing job market difficulties and how to stay relevant and many more topics.

Thomas Wilson is a UX design thought leader, service designer and industry veteran currently focusing on CX/UX/EX and AI strategies.

In this session we delve into a few hot topics: service design and its stark differences across the UK and the US, how future digital services can be shaped with AI, why absolutely everyone needs a portfolio and what makes for good and bad design leadership.

We also discuss the recent theme of 'founder mode' and how it's masking more pertinent issues of innovators vs adaptors in tech.

This episode offers valuable perspectives for design professionals and enthusiasts on staying ahead in the rapidly evolving field of experience design.

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Join us for an insightful discussion with Pavel Samsonov, a seasoned UX leader whose journey through product management at industry giants like Amazon and Bloomberg has shaped his unique perspective on measurable design impact. Pavel breaks down why establishing a clear North Star is critical to UX success and how designers can create attributable work that gets recognized.

In this actionable conversation, we explore the art of failing safely as an essential component of effective UX practice. Pavel shares invaluable insights on navigating systemic challenges, implementing meaningful design metrics, and applying key principles from his time at Amazon that can transform how teams approach user experience. Whether you're looking to demonstrate your design's business impact or seeking to align your UX process with organizational goals, this episode offers practical wisdom for creating work that truly counts.

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Join us for a candid and crucial conversation with UX research and service design leaders Dr. Nick Fine and Thomas Wilson as they tackle one of the industry's most pressing but rarely discussed challenges: ageism in tech and design. In an era where UX leadership roles are increasingly disappearing and AI is reshaping the landscape, our guests share invaluable insights on building a sustainable, age-proof career.

This thought-provoking discussion explores the critical decision points between individual contributor and management paths, offering practical strategies for becoming truly irreplaceable regardless of your career stage. Fine and Wilson draw from decades of experience to highlight the skills, mindsets, and approaches that create enduring value in an ever-changing industry. Whether you're early in your UX career or a seasoned professional navigating industry shifts, this episode delivers honest advice for remaining essential and impactful in the face of technological disruption and changing workplace demographics.

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In this episode, I'm talking with Samuel Huber. Samuel is one of the leading voices for planet-centric design, design thinking for AI coach, one of the founding members of For Planet Strategy Lab and many other things that we will cover in this session. We will also discuss strategy prototyping, human-centred design pitfalls and how absolutely anyone can create sustainability-focused movements within their organizations.

Mike Green is a user research leader specialising in research and service design for public services. He's also a host of the Understanding Users podcast.

In this episode, we delve into the current state of user research with AI: tools, limits and opportunities. Additionally, we also cover Mike's rich background in government public services and what private companies and UX designers and researchers can learn from it. We also discuss the state of the general UX job market and share advice for newcomers and existing people struggling to find the next job.

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Dan Saffer is a UX design leader, author and assistant professor at CMU Human-Computer Interaction Institute.

Dan's work has directly influenced my career development as such this conversation will also be extremely valuable to buddying and leading user researchers, designers and product managers.

We discuss everything AI: the industry, the good and not-so-great examples, principles that UXers and product folk should keep in mind and much more.

My guest today, Wolfgang Bremer, is an award-winning UX leader and design executive who has worked in multiple Fortune 500 companies. In his career to date, he has managed several highly performing global design orgs and teams.

In this conversation, we delve into a few topics surrounding design leadership:

• The ever-desired and elusive seat at the table, and how to do it right 
• The difficulties of leadership positions and how Wolfgang balances out highly abstracted leadership work and personal achievements
• Design leadership principles that Wolfgang leads his large design orgs
• Advice for buddying managers and design leaders, as well as ICs who would want to lead design organisations
• Ever-increasing levels of uncertainty due to emerging tech and AI and what design leaders should be prepared for

And much more.

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In the first episode of the Experience Designed podcast, I'll share a few underlying notions: the upcoming end of the hackers and painters era with the rise of automation, future thinking, and why now is the right time to reflect on what matters in designing experience for products and services that work not only today but years later too, guest appearances, the building of the collective intelligence and many more factors that will all shape the upcoming episodes.

Christian Crumlish is a UXer turned product management leader. He's also an author of the Product Management for UX People book and a host of Design in Product community and conferences on the same topic.

In this conversation, we delve into the turf wars between UX and PMs, the unique challenges from both sides, potential career transition strategies and tactics for those keen to take their UCD skills to more business-oriented realms and much more.

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Hang Xu is a UX leader turned recruiter and one of the most prominent design industry figures on Linkedin. In this session, we discuss the current state of the UX industry and what's to come. We also will delve into job-seeking aspects and what designers need to showcase in their portfolio to land the job in probably the most difficult time in history. Hang will also share his philosophy on what makes and breaks UX portfolios and much more.

In this episode, I’m joined by strategist and designer Kevin Richard. Kevin is a critical, design, systems, and strategic thinker and practitioner. As part of the wider discussion on handling uncertainty and complexity, we will cover how designers can become more strategic, he shares his take on what strategy really means.

In this episode, I'm talking with Daiana Zavate, Krasi Bozhinkova and Kevin Richard - the strategic design trio who most recently published a new strategy framework for business and product teams and strategic professionals called Multi-Ocean Strategy Framework. In this session, we will deconstruct this framework, discuss its application and benefits and more. Make sure to check more information to familiarise and start using it here and here.

Cal Thompson (they/them) is a design leader and the VP of User Experience at Headspace. They are leading a talented and mindful team of researchers and designers. Cal has extensive experience working with emerging tech, enterprise and customer experience challenges.

In this conversation, we will focus on strategic product design, how UX is done at Headspace, what matters most to them when crafting mindful experiences, a career in design tips and much more.

Steve Bromley is a highly regarded figure in the user research community, renowned for his expertise in game user research and playtesting. He has authored numerous books aimed at developing and guiding researchers. In this session, we will delve into the distinctive aspects of conducting playtests, explore his insights gained from both the gaming and software development industries, and discuss the future of UX research.

Greg Nudelman is a UX thought leader, serial design book author and speaker. With over 32 projects in AI, he's a true veteran in emerging tech-powered user experience design.

In this session, we discuss the evolving landscape of UX design in the era of AI. Greg shares key challenges, principles and how to pick the right tools to deliver great user experiences and become more future-proof. We also delve into how tech teams can pick the right use cases for AI projects, the value of field research and user interviews, and the concept of digital twins, value matrix and more in UX design.

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In this episode, I'm talking with Michelle P., a UXer, product marketing researcher and former community manager at Fatshark Games. Michelle shares her unique perspective from her community-building experiences in the gaming industry. We will draw a lot of learnings and parallels to more standard/web product and service community building. As well as explore the user research nuances and the differences between healthy and performant communities.

In this episode, I'm talking to strategist and designer ⁠Kevin Richard⁠. We delve into a few sustainable futures-focused topics and how designers can design them. In particular, Kevin shares his thoughts and ideas about Solarpunk as a concept and assemblage of narratives that could inspire more sustainable action.

Jennifer Blatz is a UX leader, strategist, and co-founder of the UX Research and Strategy group. We delve into the world of user personas in UX, exploring their strengths, limitations, and innovative alternatives. Jennifer introduces her latest framework, the Scenario Alignment Canvas, aimed at aiding product teams in fostering a deeper understanding of their users.

In this episode, I'm talking with Sean McGuire. Sean is a design thinker and author of his own Billboard design thinking method, UX architect, and master workshop facilitator at Microsoft. We will cover recent controversies around design thinking, what meaningful and impactful workshops are like, how empathy and a new setting to bring people together can work as an antidote to egos, and many more topics.

Kevin Richard⁠⁠ is a strategist, critical thinking and design leader. Also, a regular guest on the podcast with whom we dive into industry intricacies and specific hot topics.

In this episode, we will revisit sustainable futures, in particular, the Solarpunk as an upcoming design trend. We will also chat about the vanishing UX industry and often problematic positioning of design in businesses.

Join us for an eye-opening discussion with Debbie Levitt, a UX research leader, accomplished author, and career coach who's tackling the tech industry's most critical challenges head-on. Drawing from her latest book, Debbie explores how professionals can navigate the seismic shifts happening in tech – from widespread layoffs to AI's growing influence on the workforce.

In this timely conversation, we explore practical strategies for future-proofing your career. Debbie shares invaluable insights on developing your "Plan B," helping you assess your transferable skills, uncover hidden opportunities, and chart a course toward career resilience. Whether you're concerned about job security or simply wanting to expand your professional horizons, this episode offers concrete steps to transform uncertainty into opportunity.

If you’ve enjoyed this conversation, don't forget to share this episode with your friends and colleagues—it's a conversation worth spreading!

Dr. Nick Fine⁠ is user research leader, known for advocating standards within the broader UX design community. He is also a recurring guest on our podcast. In this follow-up session, we continue exploring the theme of 'Better at UX Research than AI' and delve into the future of user research practices. We discuss how the UX industry and its user-centric approach will evolve over the next five years, emphasizing the significance of evaluative research in today's landscape, among other topics.