Design Kaffé

073: Do We Need Product Managers?

August 18, 2023 05:00 - 43 minutes - 40.2 MB

In our last episode of season 4, we ask ourselves: do we need product managers? Can people in other disciplines, like designers and engineers, do product management, or is it essential that there is a dedicated PM on every team? When does it make sense to have PMs and when does it not?

072: Speed of Delivery, at All Costs

August 04, 2023 05:00 - 50 minutes - 47 MB

This week we're talking about delivery speed and the fine balance to find with delivering quality. We explore why it matters, the impact delivery speed can have on the quality of the team's outputs and how we as designers can face this challenge.

071: Money as Designers

June 30, 2023 05:01 - 1 hour - 65.1 MB

We talk about money. How transparent should we be about salaries with our peers, recruiters, and companies? How should salary negotiations be handled or not handled? What about raises and promotions? Follow us on Twitter @designkaffe and check out our website designkaffe.com.

070: Discrimination in the Workplace

June 23, 2023 05:00 - 58 minutes - 53.8 MB

We're back this week with a heavy topic on discrimination. We're trying to unpack how being discriminated feels like, what discrimination looks like and why it occurs in the workplace. We also explore how we can be better allies and improve our work environments. Follow us on Twitter @designkaffe and check out our website designkaffe.com.

069: Nepotism & Other Toxic Workplace Signs

June 02, 2023 05:00 - 46 minutes - 43.5 MB

We talk about nepotism and other signs of toxicity in the workplace. We discuss why it’s so damaging to individuals and teams when there’s systemic toxicity at work, and share thoughts on what to do when you find yourself in these situations. Follow us on Twitter @designkaffe and check out our website designkaffe.com. New episode every other Friday!

068: Stigmas of Taking Time Off for Mental Health

May 19, 2023 05:00 - 43 minutes - 40 MB

We explore the challenges and difficult feelings of taking time off from work due to mental health. We discuss why it is tricky to be honest and upfront about it, and fears we may have about the perception others have of us and our reliability at work. Follow us on Twitter ⁠@designkaffe⁠ and check out our website ⁠designkaffe.com⁠. New episode every two weeks on Friday

067: Tiia Meuronen & Tom Kerwin on Redundancy & Pay Cuts

May 05, 2023 05:00 - 55 minutes - 51.7 MB

This week Tiia Meuronen and Tom Kerwin guest our podcast to share their experiences with redundancies and having their hours and pay cut. We talk about how you can look after yourself while going through such challenging experiences, how companies handle redundancies and pay cuts well and not so well, and what the wider design community can do to look after each other. Find Tom on LinkedIn, his Innovation Tactics deck on Pip Decks, his Pivot Triggers on Maven, and his consulting services on...

066: Poorly Delivered Feedback

April 21, 2023 05:00 - 53 minutes - 49.9 MB

Today we’re discussing feedback and how it can sometimes be delivered poorly. We explore in what contexts or situations poor feedback tends to occur and how we can best react to it. Follow us on Twitter @designkaffe and check out our website designkaffe.com. New episode every two weeks on Friday

065: Mediocrity & Low Standards

April 07, 2023 05:00 - 46 minutes - 43.3 MB

We talk about mediocrity and low standards where design over time doesn’t deliver impact or meet the standards set by ourselves and others. We discuss what might cause mediocre design, how experience as leaders and designers can affect our standards, and what we can do to improve our design standards. Follow us on Twitter @designkaffe and check out our website designkaffe.com.

064: Toxic Productivity & Goal-Setting

March 24, 2023 06:00 - 51 minutes - 47.8 MB

This week we talk about toxic goal-setting and productivity. We reflect on the best way to evaluate growth at work and best practices to set goals for ourselves. We also discuss productivity and how to set healthy boundaries when we're caught into the hustle mentality. Follow us on Twitter @designkaffe and check out our website designkaffe.com.

063: Being Human at Work

March 10, 2023 06:00 - 54 minutes - 50.3 MB

We talk about being human at work, whether that's our emotional states or more enduring traits of our identities and personalities which all influence how we interact with our work and our coworkers. We discuss the challenges of the notion of “bringing your whole self” to work and how managers and leaders can better support humans at work. Follow us on Twitter @designkaffe and check out our website designkaffe.com.

062: Bad Job Search Experiences & What to Do About Them

February 24, 2023 06:00 - 51 minutes - 47.8 MB

We're back for another design conversation, this time about bad job search experiences. We share our own past experiences searching for a design role and what we've found frustrating and uncomfortable when interviewing with companies. We also open the Pandora's Box on design tasks and share a few tips on what to do with unpleasant recruitment experiences. Follow us on Twitter @designkaffe and check out our website designkaffe.com. New episode every other Friday!

061: Being Introverted in an Extraverted Workplace

February 10, 2023 06:00 - 51 minutes - 47.4 MB

In our first episode of season 4, we share our experiences of being introverted designers in extraverted workplaces. What challenges have we found, how have we overcome them, and what value can we bring by having more diversity of thinking and communication styles in our industry? Follow us on Twitter @designkaffe and check out our website designkaffe.com. New episode every other Friday!

Season 4 Trailer

February 08, 2023 06:00 - 4 minutes - 3.98 MB

Welcome to Design Kaffé, a podcast where we have mindful, candid conversations for designers in tech. In our fortnightly episodes, we discuss a wide range of topics to explore what it means to be a designer, the challenges we face in the design and tech industry, and share thoughts on how we can all be better at what we do. We hope you enjoy listening!

Bonus: Reflections — End of Season 3

November 11, 2022 06:00 - 39 minutes - 36.9 MB

In this last episode of season 3, we look back and reflect over the season’s episodes and format. We talk about what felt challenging to us and what lessons we took away from this season. Follow us on Twitter @UX_Maturity and check out our website uxmaturitypodcast.com.

060: Gathering Insights

November 04, 2022 06:00 - 42 minutes - 39.2 MB

We complete our last theme for season 3 by exploring the when and how of gathering insights. When during design do we know we should gather insights? How do we get started gathering insights, and what are some of the common mistakes we make in doing so? Follow us on Twitter @UX_Maturity and check out our website uxmaturitypodcast.com.

059: Getting To & From Insights

October 28, 2022 05:00 - 42 minutes - 39.1 MB

This week we continue our theme on Insights and deep-dive into identifying and using insights. We talk about the best ways to analyse data and extract meaningful insights, what methodologies we like to use and how visualising insights can be key to retain them throughout the design process. Follow us on Twitter @UX_Maturity and check out our website uxmaturitypodcast.com. New episode every Friday

058: Léa Samrani on Product & Design Collaboration

October 21, 2022 05:00 - 56 minutes - 52.3 MB

We have the wonderful Léa Samrani on as a guest this week to discuss how product managers and designers can collaborate well with each other. We explore the differences and overlap in PM and designer roles and responsibilities, and the importance of nurturing the PM-designer duo relationship to drive better outcomes. Follow us on Twitter @UX_Maturity and check out our website uxmaturitypodcast.com. New episode every Friday!

057: Being Data-Driven vs Data-Informed

October 14, 2022 08:16 - 41 minutes - 38 MB

We’re starting a new theme on Insights and discuss the differences of being Data-Driven vs Data-Informed. We dive into how team dynamics or design process can differ with each approach. We also cover lessons from our experience and share why we believe in a Data-informed approach ourselves. Follow us on Twitter @UX_Maturity and check out our website uxmaturitypodcast.com. New episode every Friday

056: Managing Yourself

October 07, 2022 05:00 - 45 minutes - 42.4 MB

We round off our Management theme by talking about managing ourselves. How do we manage our goals—whether they’re project goals or career goals—and ensure we set the right goals to begin with? How do we self-manage both our deliverables as well as our ultimate impact and outcomes? And how do we keep ourselves accountable? Follow us on Twitter @UX_Maturity and check out our website uxmaturitypodcast.com. New episode every Friday!

055: Managing Upwards

September 30, 2022 05:00 - 45 minutes - 41.7 MB

We’re continuing our Management theme this week and talk about managing upwards. We share our experience and lessons on how to challenge or give feedback to senior colleagues and managers. Follow us on Twitter @UX_Maturity and check out our website uxmaturitypodcast.com. New episode every Friday!

054: Being Managed

September 23, 2022 05:00 - 50 minutes - 46.8 MB

This week we are kicking off a new theme on Management, starting with some reflections on what it’s like ‘to be managed’. We explore what qualities we value in a great design manager and what management practices have marked us in our experience. Follow us on Twitter @UX_Maturity and check out our website uxmaturitypodcast.com. New episode every Friday!

053: Making Decisions & Bias For Action

September 16, 2022 05:00 - 44 minutes - 40.7 MB

We round off our Productivity theme by discussing how we can be better at making decisions and be biased towards action. How do we create an environment where people are empowered and trusted to make decisions in the face of risk and incomplete information? How do we mitigate sign-off culture and decision paralysis, so that we can effectively move forward towards better outcomes? Follow us on Twitter @UX_Maturity and check out our website uxmaturitypodcast.com. New episode every Friday!

052: The Value of Slack

September 09, 2022 05:00 - 46 minutes - 42.7 MB

In our second episode on Productivity, we deep-dive into the value of slack: why is it important — and not counterproductive — for productivity to have downtime, take breaks, and not do work for a while? What does good slack and bad slack look like? How can we be better at incorporating slack into our practice as individual designers as well as teams? Follow us on Twitter @UX_Maturity and check out our website uxmaturitypodcast.com.

051: Yuri Martins on Accessibility

August 26, 2022 05:00 - 57 minutes - 53.1 MB

In this week’s episode, Yuri Martins joined us to talk about accessibility and his approach at Typeform! We dive into accessibility by design, what a good process looks like and also chat about some of the big misconceptions about accessibility. Yuri recommends the following resources for accessibility: Microsoft figma library, Twitter Figma library, Microsoft/Inclusive, Building for Everyone, Universal Design, Designing Voice User Interfaces Follow us on Twitter @UX_Maturity and check out...

050: Efficiency vs Effectiveness

August 19, 2022 05:00 - 40 minutes - 37 MB

We kick off a new theme, Productivity, by discussing the difference between efficiency and effectiveness. How are they different, and how do they go hand in hand? When should we focus on being efficient and when should we focus on being effective? What are our hacks and tips for have we can be more productive by working more efficiently and effectively? Follow us on Twitter @UX_Maturity and check out our website uxmaturitypodcast.com. New episodes every Friday!

049: Beyond The Core Design Skills

August 12, 2022 05:00 - 39 minutes - 36.6 MB

This week, we cover our last topic in our theme of The Designer Role where we talk about those valuable skills that sit outside the core product design skills. We explore how service, research and content design skills can either often be included in your responsibilities or be stand alone functions that you collaborate with. Follow us on Twitter @UX_Maturity and check out our website uxmaturitypodcast.com. New episode every Friday morning!

048: UX/UI Designer vs Product Designer

August 05, 2022 05:00 - 41 minutes - 38.7 MB

We continue exploring the theme of The Designer Role by discussing whether or not a UX/UI Designer is the same as a Product Designer. Where are they similar? What makes them different? Do titles even matter? Follow us on Twitter @UX_Maturity and check out our website uxmaturitypodcast.com. New episodes every Friday!

047: UX vs UI — The Great Divide?

July 29, 2022 05:00 - 43 minutes - 40.3 MB

We start a new theme about The Designer Role. Our episode this week tackles the controversial topic about UX vs UI 🙈. We talk about the differences in the two roles and explore the value of both being a specialist or a hybrid designer. Follow us on Twitter @UX_Maturity and check out our website uxmaturitypodcast.com. New episode every Friday morning!

046: Dealing With Ambiguity

July 22, 2022 05:00 - 41 minutes - 37.9 MB

In our last episode about Discovery, we discuss how we deal with ambiguity in discovery: when and how do we run into ambiguity in our discovery work? Should we always seek certainty or embrace ambiguity? How do we help our stakeholders deal with ambiguity as well? Follow us on Twitter @UX_Maturity and check out our website uxmaturitypodcast.com.

045: Continuous Discovery

July 15, 2022 05:00 - 40 minutes - 37 MB

This week is about Continuous Discovery! We explore how it differs from project-based discovery as well as some of the best practices about when and how to implement it in your team. We are @UX_Maturity on Twitter and UX Maturity on LinkedIn — follow us there for the latest updates. New episode every Friday morning.

044: Designing the Right Thing vs Designing the Thing Right

July 08, 2022 05:00 - 54 minutes - 50.8 MB

This week we are tackling the big mighty theme of Discovery. Starting with a first topic on how to design the right thing VS designing the thing right. We talk about how we frame problems, when we feel that it’s time to move forward within the design process and how solution phase also involves discovery. We are @UX_Maturity on Twitter and UX Maturity on LinkedIn — follow us there for the latest updates. New episode every Friday.

044: Designing the Right Thing VS Designing the Thing Right

July 08, 2022 05:00 - 54 minutes - 50.8 MB

This week we are tackling the big mighty theme of Discovery. Starting with a first topic on how to design the right thing VS designing the thing right. We talk about how we frame problems, when we feel that it’s time to move forward within the design process and how solution phase also involves discovery. We are @UX_Maturity on Twitter and UX Maturity on LinkedIn — follow us there for the latest updates. New episode every Friday.

043: Knowing Your Value

July 01, 2022 05:00 - 38 minutes - 35.4 MB

For our last episode in our trilogy on how to not lose your soul, we talk about knowing our value as designers: when do we think we’re being undervalued as designers? What can we do to help the rest of the organisation understand what value we bring? To what extent does where design sit in the org chart speak to our value? We are @UX_Maturity on Twitter and UX Maturity on LinkedIn — follow us there for the latest updates. New episode every Friday.

043: How to Not Lose Your Soul: Knowing Your Value

July 01, 2022 05:00 - 38 minutes - 35.4 MB

For our last episode in our trilogy on how to not lose your soul, we talk about knowing our value as designers: when do we think we’re being undervalued as designers? What can we do to help the rest of the organisation understand what value we bring? To what extent does where design sit in the org chart speak to our value? We are @UX_Maturity on Twitter and UX Maturity on LinkedIn — follow us there for the latest updates. New episode every Friday.

042: How to Not Lose Your Soul: Staying Creative

June 24, 2022 05:00 - 40 minutes - 37.6 MB

We continue our topic on how to not lose your soul by deep-diving into the challenges of staying creative as a designer. What is creativity in UX and design, and why can it sometimes be so hard to stay creative? What are some ways we can overcome our creativity blocks? We are @UX_Maturity on Twitter and UX Maturity on LinkedIn — follow us there for the latest updates. New episode every Friday.

042: Staying Creative

June 24, 2022 05:00 - 40 minutes - 37.6 MB

We continue our topic on how to not lose your soul by deep-diving into the challenges of staying creative as a designer. What is creativity in UX and design, and why can it sometimes be so hard to stay creative? What are some ways we can overcome our creativity blocks? We are @UX_Maturity on Twitter and UX Maturity on LinkedIn — follow us there for the latest updates. New episode every Friday.

041: Sarah Doody on Treating Your UX Career Like a Product and Finding Your Next Role

June 17, 2022 05:00 - 57 minutes - 52.8 MB

Sarah Doody joins us this week to talk about UX career and job search. She tells us about how we can benefit from treating our career like a product and gives many valuable advice to designers in search for their next role. Sarah is the founder and CEO of the Career Strategy Lab™. Articles and videos mentioned in the episode can be found right here: how to write a case study, how to create a UX resume and how to optimise your LinkedIn profile We are @UX_Maturity on Twitter and UX Maturity ...

040: How to Not Lose Your Soul: Being a Product Designer

June 10, 2022 05:00 - 58 minutes - 54 MB

We explore a new theme: how to not lose your soul. How do we keep our soul as product designers? How do we stick to our user-centred values and principles while meeting business needs? How do we escape the feature factory? Follow us on Twitter @UX_Maturity or buy us a coffee to support us.

040: Being a Product Designer

June 10, 2022 05:00 - 58 minutes - 54 MB

We explore a new theme: how to not lose your soul. How do we keep our soul as product designers? How do we stick to our user-centred values and principles while meeting business needs? How do we escape the feature factory? Follow us on Twitter @UX_Maturity or buy us a coffee to support us.

039: Empathy With Ourselves

June 03, 2022 05:00 - 51 minutes - 118 MB

This week, we dive into our last empathy topic and talk about the importance of building empathy with ourselves. We discuss how self-empathy impacts us both positively or negatively at work and what practices we’ve tried to build self compassion. We are @UX_Maturity on Twitter and UX Maturity on LinkedIn — follow us there for the latest updates.

038: Empathy With Stakeholders

May 27, 2022 05:00 - 41 minutes - 38.3 MB

We continue our empathy theme and talk about why it’s important to build empathy with stakeholders. We also share thoughts on how we might be better at being empathetic to our stakeholders and building a compassionate culture. We are @UX_Maturity on Twitter and UX Maturity on LinkedIn — follow us there for the latest updates.

037: Empathy With Users

May 20, 2022 05:00 - 38 minutes - 36 MB

Our first theme for the season is empathy: we define empathy, talk about the importance of building empathy with our users, and share ways we can be more empathetic with users throughout our design process. We are @UX_Maturity on Twitter and UX Maturity on LinkedIn — follow us there for the latest updates.

UX Maturity — Trailer

May 16, 2022 05:00 - 2 minutes - 2.32 MB

We're back! Here's an overview of who we are and what to expect from UX Maturity season 3. We are @UX_Maturity on Twitter and UX Maturity on LinkedIn — follow us there for the latest updates.

036: Switching Careers Into UX + End of Season Reflections

March 04, 2022 06:00 - 56 minutes - 51.9 MB

In our last episode of season 2, we share our thoughts and opinions on what’s valuable to consider when switching careers into UX. See you in season 3! Follow us on Twitter @UX_Maturity and check out our website: uxmaturitypodcast.com.

036: Switching Careers Into UX + End of Season 2 Reflections

March 04, 2022 06:00 - 56 minutes - 51.9 MB

In our last episode of season 2, we share our thoughts and opinions on what’s valuable to consider when switching careers into UX. See you in season 3! Follow us on Twitter @UX_Maturity and check out our website: uxmaturitypodcast.com.

035: Active Listening

February 25, 2022 06:00 - 49 minutes - 114 MB

We talk about active listening: what it is, why it’s important, and tools and techniques to improve how we actively listen to our users, stakeholders, and colleagues — so that we can be better designers. Follow us on Twitter @UX_Maturity and check out our website: uxmaturitypodcast.com.

034: Conflict Resolution with Joshua Mauldin

February 18, 2022 06:00 - 56 minutes - 130 MB

Joshua Mauldin talks to us about conflict resolution: what is a healthy conflict and what is an unhealthy conflict? How do we create safe spaces that nurture healthy conflict resolution? How do we use empathy in ourselves and others when faced with conflict? Follow us on Twitter @UX_Maturity and check out our website: uxmaturitypodcast.com.

034: Conflict Resolution With Joshua Mauldin

February 18, 2022 06:00 - 56 minutes - 130 MB

Joshua Mauldin talks to us about conflict resolution: what is a healthy conflict and what is an unhealthy conflict? How do we create safe spaces that nurture healthy conflict resolution? How do we use empathy in ourselves and others when faced with conflict? Follow us on Twitter @UX_Maturity and check out our website: uxmaturitypodcast.com.

033: Fun and Whimsy at Work

February 11, 2022 06:00 - 48 minutes - 110 MB

We talk about the importance of fun and whimsy at work, and how it fosters creativity, interpersonal relationships, and a redefinition of work itself. Follow us on Twitter @UX_Maturity and check out our website: uxmaturitypodcast.com.

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