Life and career (re)focus this year have brought me to a place where I need to hit pause on this show's production, foreseeably throughout 2022. Will definitely revisit cadence in 2023. Check out this broadcast for further info on this. I am keeping myself (somewhat) available for 1:1 life/career coaching at jasonogle.com/coaching in meantime. Keep fighting the good fight, dear Defender! ? Jason linkedin.com/in/jasonogle ..read more

Video available on the show notes page at userdefenders.com/080 This is the last episode of 2021. After nearly two years of outlining the content for this episode and nearly two months (at time of writing) of recording and editing, here's everything I know (so far) about landing a job in UX. I hope this content is not only useful to you and anyone you know looking to land their first (or next) job in UX, but I sincerely hope this episode is greatly inspirational and even life-changing for you. I forgot to say it at the end of the episode, so Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Joyous New Year ..read more

Here’s a fun treat I’ve never done before. In this episode I shine the spotlight on listeners Jordan Burke + Joel Ryerson who recently landed their first job in UX! Hear them tell their inspiring stories of their journey getting here while gaining some valuable insights on how you can too! I was blown away at the depth, insight, authenticity and value they both added with their motivational and entertaining stories of struggle and ultimately triumph! Like Jordan says in her awesome interview, we can't do this alone. Looking for community? Find yours at User Defenders: Community (community.user ..read more

Bob Baxley, a Silicon Valley pioneer, takes us back in time through the history of Silicon Valley and gives us a glimpse into the future of it. Spoiler alert: He's got concerns. He reveals how every little interaction matters and motivates us to be proud enough of the work we do to want to show our friends and family...otherwise, we've got more work to do. He challenges us to challenge the status quo and constantly be looking for ways to improve our work by asking, 'How could this be better?'. He also likens our work to building sandcastles on the beach, causing us to reflect on the brevity an ..read more

Josh Mauldin shows us how resolving conflict not only makes us better humans, but better designers. He challenges us to approach conflict with a growth mindset and the question, "What can I learn from this?" to help us become less anti-conflict and more pro-resolution. He articulates the difference between healthy and unhealthy conflict and teaches us why healthy conflict is good and even worth pursuing. He reminds us that it all comes back to empathy which does not mean agreeing with someone, but making an active effort to understand where they’re coming from. He also reveals how embracing co ..read more

Join the UD Email List at userdefenders.com/join through March 2021 and enter to win a free signed copy of Steve Bromley's new book, "How to be a Games User Researcher"! Steve Bromley shows us how to level up our user research skills. He illuminates the path to getting started as a Games User Researcher. He inspires us to use our user research superpower and insights to make things better for our users. He teaches us techniques he's used to actually enjoy synthesizing data more. He reveals how many user's is enough–spoiler alert...it depends. He challenges us ethically to be responsible for th ..read more

Jessica Gaddis motivates us to realize that we belong here. Not only in the field of design, but in this often painful and perplexing world we call home. Why? Because somewhere, sometime, somehow...someone needs us. She inspires us to find our community because they’re already out there, searching for us and waiting for us to connect with them and even lead them. She reveals how she was able to on a very limited budget go all in and learn UX and go on to get her foot in the door as a Product Designer. From 0 to Netflix, and now Twitter. She touches on the unwelcome voice in many of our heads k ..read more

Pek Pongpaet teaches us how to be business-minded designers. He reveals how designers with business knowledge and more tools in their tool belt will get hired more often than ones without and with less. He shows us how to get a seat at the table while challenging us to count the costs of actually having one. He motivates us to measure and quantify our designs. He also inspires us to get out of our comfort zones and talk to other disciplines and become consumers of information in the area(s) we desire growth in. Why Should We Listen to Pek? (05:04) Why Should Designers Understand Business More ..read more

Jeff Gothelf tells us how to be unstoppable designers. He debunks the mythical creature known as Phase 2. He shows us what a designer effectively working in Agile looks like, and enlightens us to how new UX teams can show immediate value. He articulates the need to differentiate between outputs and outcomes. He also motivates us to stay humble and curious since you can teach anyone technical skills, but you can’t teach someone humility and curiosity. How do Designers Most Efficiently Integrate into Agile? (6:43) Why is it Important to be a Facilitator? (16:32) Phase 2: Reality ..read more

Jared Spool has been doing and defining UX long before many of us existed and/or even knew what it was. He invites us in to hear his fascinating yet seldom discussed UX origin story. He reveals how and why we’re all UX designers. He demystifies the arduous and often frustrating process of landing a job in UX. He articulates what it means to learn how to learn. He addresses the important, but oft-forgotten business part of the design business. He also inspires us to be great design leaders by illustrating what one actually looks like. Jared's Compelling UX Origin Story (5:56) How Do You See th ..read more