Pragmatics Podcast (Pragmatics Studio)

We've learned so much about the business of starting a studio and we wanted to share these learnings with you guys now that it's been a year. Can't wait to see how things will be in another year from now 😂.

To watch our UX analyses, subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6pQ-KVljjtPm4wv7L7XBbw

You don't need wicked design skills to test potential interaction ideas for apps that are already out there. Ever noticed something about Facebook or Airbnb that bugged you and you thought you had a better idea? You can go and try it quickly with a few screenshots and free tools.  

Tools used in this episode: 

• Figma (for building the prototype): https://figma.com/
• Maze (for testing the prototype): https://maze.co/ 

You can try the Facebook share limiting prototype yourself and leave us feedback: https://t.maze.co/8901832

How is AI changing the way we discover music? In this episode, we dive into the rise of algorithmic curation, its impact on musical exploration, and what it means for our sense of community and creativity. From Spotify playlists to niche discoveries, we explore the balance between machine precision and human connection in the world of music.

Though we're more comfortable moving pixels around, we take a stab at calculating our cash flow so that we can see what numbers we need to make our business work. If you're starting out with freelancing or thinking of starting a studio but you're scared of spreadsheets, this one is for you.

We used Shopify's great cashflow forecast template and tweaked it so it made more sense to us.

Here's a link directly to the Shopify spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Eq1CE8quJei-Lgt_1DdMVzxgv8v-ROpLQiKHT7okHgM/edit#gid=2137285335

You can read more about it from Shopify's website here: https://www.shopify.ca/blog/cash-flow-management

Design tools like Figma are amazing at helping designers become more productive at creating designs, but they often leave behind the people working around the designers like developers and product managers. In this episode we discuss our recently launched FigDone, our recently launched Figma plugin, which is trying to help bridge that gap.

• Learn more about the history of the infinite canvas
• Read more about FigDone
• Try FigDone in your workflow

FigDone is a collaboration between Pragmatics Studio and Adam Albarghouthi.

Credits: Shin Ling Low (Editor)

The formalization of "Design Thinking" as steps you can follow to achieve the results of a designer is great for introducing people to design, but it's not necessarily an effective tool being a talented designer. In this episode we discuss the importance of curiosity and how it can be an even better tool than any structured process when trying to solve complex problems.

Join Charlie Gedeon and Allan Macdonald, co-founders of Pragmatic Studio, as they unpack the practical applications of AI in UX research workflows. Through hands-on demonstrations, they explore how AI tools like ChatGPT, Dovetail, and FigJam can augment—not replace—qualitative research processes.

Chapters:

0:00 Intro

01:54 Setting up a workspace in Notion

4:25 Using ChatGPT to generate interviews

11:23 Transcribing and tagging interviews in Dovetail

22:26 Note-taking in Notion

24:35 Brainstorming with ChatGPT for theme analysis and reflection

26:36 Organizing and facilitating analysis with FigJam

36:13 When to use AI and how to avoid errors with it

37:54 Q&A Start

39:05 Question: What's your perspective on Notion's new templates and AI?

43:22 Question: Have we tried the AI integration in MIRO?

46:30 Question: How do we integrate our UX/UI process in products where there is an accompanying hardware?

52:47 Closing

Key Topics of Discussion:

• Creating better interview scripts with AI-assisted brainstorming
• Leveraging AI for efficient interview analysis and insight generation
• Using collaborative AI tools to enhance client communication
• Balancing automation with human expertise in research synthesis

The workshop offers a nuanced perspective on AI integration, emphasizing thoughtful implementation while acknowledging the importance of human judgment, ethical considerations, and potential biases. Rather than positioning AI as a replacement for human researchers, the presenters demonstrate how these tools can serve as powerful thinking aids that enhance the research process while maintaining the critical role of human expertise.

Presented by the Association of Industrial Designers of Quebec (ADIQ), this masterclass bridges the gap between traditional industrial design and modern UX methodologies, offering valuable insights for designers across disciplines.

#UXResearch #AI #DesignThinking #ADIQ #QualitativeResearch #UserExperience #DesignTools

In this episode, we dive into six incredible books that have profoundly impacted how we approach design, UX, and creative problem-solving. Whether you're looking for actionable insights, inspiring stories, or new perspectives, these recommendations are sure to spark ideas for your work and life.

Chapters 0:00 - Intro and Context 0:41 - Book 1: Figure It Out by Steven P. Anderson and Karl Fast 4:22 - Book 2: Change by Design by Tim Brown 7:54 - Book 3: Life and Death Design by Katie Swindler 13:46 - Book 4: Don’t Make Me Think by Steve Krug 17:02 - Book 5: A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki 22:00 - Book 6: How to Keep House While Drowning by KC Davis 28:02 - Bonus Mention: Articulating Design Decisions by Tom Greever 28:33 - Conclusion and Wrap-Up

Books and Podcast Links

Figure It Out by Steven P. Anderson and Karl Fast

• 🎧 Listen to the author at UX Podcast - Episode 242: https://uxpodcast.com/242-figure-it-out-anderson-fast/
• 📖 Buy the book: https://rosenfeldmedia.com/books/figure-it-out/

Change by Design by Tim Brown

• 🎧 Listen to the author at Design Matters with Debbie Millman: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tim-brown/id328074695?i=1000320035482
• 📖 Buy the Book: https://www.ideo.com/journal/change-by-design

Life and Death Design by Katie Swindler

• 🎧 Listen to the author at Rosenfeld Review: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-the-rosenfeld-revie-30129434/episode/katie-swindler-life-and-death-design-88718789/
• 📖 Buy the book: https://rosenfeldmedia.com/books/life-and-death-design/

Don’t Make Me Think by Steve Krug

• 🎧 Listen to the author at MarketingSherpa Interview: https://extraordinarybusinessbooks.com/episode-35-dont-make-me-think-with-steve-krug/
• 📖 Buy the book: https://sensible.com/dont-make-me-think/

A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki

• 🎧 Listen to the author at Identity Theory Interview: https://www.identitytheory.com/ruth-ozeki-interview-time-being/
• 📖 Buy the book: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/312488/a-tale-for-the-time-being-by-ruth-ozeki/

How to Keep House While Drowning by KC Davis

• 🎧 Listen to the author at How to Be a Better Human: https://www.ted.com/podcasts/how-to-be-a-better-human/how-to-keep-house-while-drowning-w-kc-davis-transcript
• 📖 Buy the book: https://www.strugglecare.com/book

Articulating Design Decisions by Tom Greever

• 📺 Watch our video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYZHc6bajCY
• 🎧 Listen to the author at UX Podcast - Episode 302: https://uxpodcast.com/302-articulating-design-decisions/
• 📖 Buy the book: https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/articulating-design-decisions/9781492079217/

If you found this helpful, don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share! 🎨💡

Welcome to the ShiftSlash podcast where designers Allan and Charlie explore what it means to start a new design agency in 2022. 

Check out our placeholder website: http://pragmatics.studio

Subscribe to our YouTube channel to get the video update: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6pQ-KVljjtPm4wv7L7XBbw

Follow us on LinkedIn to find out when we're hiring: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pragmatics-studio

In this first video podcast, we talk about how we are launching our design studio without spending much time building a custom website or branding. A lot of the time, designers get stuck perfecting details before they've even validated if anyone wants to hire them and what clients want to learn about their business.  Subscribe to our channel to see the podcasts as they launch. 

Links from the podcast: 

• Notion startup credits: https://www.notion.so/startups
• Mmm website builder: https://mmm.page/
• Allan's portfolio: https://www.allan-macdonald.com/
• Charlie's portfolio: https://www.charliegedeon.com/
• Pragmatics' Notion site: http://pragmatics.studio

When COVID took the world by storm in 2020, the concept of "asynchronous" communication at work took the spotlight. All of a sudden, the meetings that had flooded people's calendars were no longer thought of as normal as Zoom and the comfort of working from home gave people a new perspective on productivity. In this episode we discuss our perspective on synchronous and asynchronous communication, when is the right time for which, and the challenges of asynchronous communication as a service provider.

Subscribe to our podcast to get the latest episodes!

We're back from some much needed vacations and we're excited to be recording these from the same room now!

In this episode we're asking questions about how much "good" we're doing for the people and world around us. Are we achieving our goals as a studio to do meaningful work? Can a studio ever really fulfill that ideal?

Many beginners feel trapped by their physical abilities when it comes to creative work. You don't have to! Sometimes all it takes is just jumping in and trying stuff out to see where it takes you.

The hardest part of UX is never designing the interface—it’s all the human factors that we need to manage. Over the last 10 years building software, we’ve come across 3 situations that consistently get in the way of great work. These are:

1. A key stakeholder isn’t making a critical decision
2. Not getting approval for user research
3. Competing constraints from different stakeholders

Thank you so much for tuning in. Tell us about the struggles you’ve experienced and what you’ve done to overcome them in the comments.

We've been thinking a lot about how Pragmatics Studio team will grow. In this episode we give into those thoughts and explore our rationale behind when and how we'll start hiring. 

Subscribe to our channel to see the podcasts as they launch.

Often times people will have requests about redesigning something and they'll have a hard time putting it into words. The best thing anyone can do is build a quick prototype without any design skills and we're here to show you how—zero design skills required.

Tools we used:

- Marvel Pop: https://marvelapp.com/pop

- Figma: https://figma.com/