User Defenders: Inspiring Interviews with UX Superheroes

  Austin Knight motivates us to just start making things. He encourages us to keep designing, even if it isn’t our job yet. He teaches us how the future of UX is all about expansion and that there’s never been a better time to be a designer. He also inspires us to not only fight for the user, but the stakeholder, the company and the client. Austin Knight (Mentor Man) is a Senior UX Designer at Hubspot where his work impacts more than 8 million visitors per month. He’s an international speaker and author. He’s a fellow podcaster co-hosting the UX & Growth podcast. He serves as a UX and IxD mentor at Columbia University and General Assembly. He also has a popular UX Design blog and newsletter at AustinKnight.com. Fun fact about Austin: He’s terrified of flying. Even though he flew 150,000 miles last year and has willingly jumped out of three planes skydiving…he has yet to overcome that fear. Secret Identity/Origin Story (2:41) Biggest Superhero (8:20) Second Career Choice (10:42) Biggest Failure (12:06) Awkward Testing Story (21:32) Design Superpower (28:51) Design Kryptonite (31:19) Successful Culture Building (34:07) Design Superhero Name (40:47) Fight For Users (41:13) Should designers get a BA (45:43) Future Of UX Design (47:44) Habit Of Success (50:10) Invincible Resource (52:42) Book Recommendation (55:08) Best Advice (57:26) Most Excited About (1:00:11) Contact Info (1:03:50) (more…)

  Jordan Dobson inspires us to never stop learning and be generous in sharing knowledge with others. He encourages us to craft prototypes in order to gain valuable insight early and often. He challenges designers to gain empathy for their developers by learning a bit about code. He also shows us how the little details can make a big difference. Jordan Dobson (Minutia) is a hybrid designer, developer and prototyping visionary with over 17 years of experience. He brings motion into visual, product & UI design to build amazing digital products. He’s a freelancer currently contracting at Skype. He’s worked at Microsoft and is also co-founder of the Seattle FramerJS Meetup. Back in the day he could ollie off a launch ramp clearing four trash cans & land it. Secret Identity/Origin Story (2:16/5:18) Biggest Superhero (13:44) Second Career Choice (14:43) Biggest Failure (16:47) Awkward Testing Story (22:12) Design Superpower (25:22) Design Kryptonite (28:52) Design Superhero Name (33:48) Fight For Users (35:07) Future Of UX Design (37:21) Habit Of Success (39:50) Coder Who Designs Or Designer Who Codes (42:34) Should Designers (43:01) Best Path To code (51:18) Invincible Resource (54:28) Book Recommendation (56:52) Best Advice (58:29) Listener Question (1:00:17) Most Excited About (1:04:06) Contact Info (1:06:33) (more…)

  Drew Lepp encourages us to learn the business side of technology in order to achieve greater success with our designs. She encourages us to always know why we’re doing what we’re doing, and to be able to clearly articulate why every element on the page is there. She inspires us to fight on in our work especially when we grow weary because what we’re doing can make a world of difference in the lives of many. She also motivates us to be our authentic selves and to follow our values and what we think is important. Drew Lepp (Pizazz) is the UX Director and Co-Founder at TimeKat which is a delightful time tracking, task and project management tool. She’s runs her own UX Design consulting biz where she designs incredibly beautiful and usable digital experiences. She believes in putting her heart into everything she creates while focusing on delivering thoughtfully simple experiences that are engaging, compelling, memorable and fun. She lives almost entirely on sugary snacks. Secret Identity/Origin Story (2:27) Biggest Superhero (12:02) Second Career Choice (14:18) Biggest Failure (17:38) How Do You Measure Delight? (26:04) Awkward Testing Story (30:38) Design Superpower (36:05) Design Kryptonite (38:30) Fight For Users (49:10) Design Superhero Name (52:55) Future Of UX Design (54:10) Habit Of Success (59:55) Invincible Resource (1:02:30) Book Recommendation (1:04:49) Best Advice (1:08:00) Advice On Color Usage (1:10:20) Most Excited About (1:16:25) Contact Info (1:18:26) (more…)

  Don’t miss Part I of this unforgettable interview. Jeffrey Zeldman inspires us to not underestimate our users by always testing our assumptions–because we’re often wrong. He reminds us of the tremendous value of writing and synthesizing our thoughts. He teaches us to never underrate our gut instincts. He also encourages us to stay enchanted in our work. Jeffrey Zeldman is the Godfather of Web Design, and unquestionably the greatest friend of the Web. He’s a guy behind highly esteemed Web Design content initiatives such as A List Apart, An Event Apart and A Book Apart. He’s a prolific speaker and heavily influential blogger. He’s the Author of the our industry’s staple: Designing with Web Standards. He’s the host of one of my favorite design podcasts: The Big Web Show. He’s also the founder of renown Web Design studio Happy Cog. Back in the day, he played synth and Casiotone with The Insect Surfers, a DC post-punk techno-surf band. LINKS Jeffrey’s Twitter Jeffrey’s Website [RESOURCE] I think it’s your brain. Everything else is replaceable. If you’re bored, start learning something new. If you’re bored, you shouldn’t be in this field. If you’re restless and easy easily distracted–that’s good. That means you’ll keep learning. [BOOK] Don’t Make Me Think SUBSCRIBE Subscribe on iTunes | Subscribe on Android | Subscribe on Google Play | RSS Feed SUPERPOWER OF SUPPORT Here’s your chance to use your superpower of support. Don’t rely on telepathy alone! If you’re enjoying the show, would you take two minutes and leave a rating and review on iTunes? I’d also be willing to remove my cloak of invisibility from your inbox if you’d subscribe to the Bi-Weekly Bugle for my best UX/Personal Growth tips and superguest announcements. SUPER-CRED Artwork by Cesar Lemus | Editing by Chris Combs | Music by Wyman Gentry (more…)

  Don’t miss Part II of this unforgettable interview. Jeffrey Zeldman dives deep into his origin story to enlighten us on how he got started on the Web. He inspires us to not get caught up in the buzzwords, but to keep it simple and clear. He also gets vulnerable to reveal how overcoming his biggest failure has led to his greatest successes. Jeffrey Zeldman is the Godfather of Web Design, and unquestionably the greatest friend of the Web. He’s a guy behind highly esteemed Web Design content initiatives such as A List Apart, An Event Apart and A Book Apart. He’s a prolific speaker and heavily influential blogger. He’s the Author of the our industry’s staple: Designing with Web Standards. He’s the host of one of my favorite design podcasts: The Big Web Show. He’s also the founder of renown Web Design studio Happy Cog. Back in the day, he played synth and Casiotone with The Insect Surfers, a DC post-punk techno-surf band. LINKS Jeffrey’s Twitter Jeffrey’s Website SUBSCRIBE Subscribe on iTunes | Subscribe on Android | Subscribe on Google Play | RSS Feed SUPERPOWER OF SUPPORT Here’s your chance to use your superpower of support. Don’t rely on telepathy alone! If you’re enjoying the show, would you take two minutes and leave a rating and review on iTunes? I’d also be willing to remove my cloak of invisibility from your inbox if you’d subscribe to the Bi-Weekly Bugle for my best UX/Personal Growth tips and superguest announcements. SUPER-CRED Artwork by Cesar Lemus | Editing by Chris Combs | Music by Wyman Gentry

  Design for Real Life is a profound and hugely inspiring book. The more things become automated and robotic, the more evident the need to remain human becomes. This book compels us to strive to stay human especially in our approach to how we design for other humans. It deeply challenges the long-held status-quo of resistance to serving so-called edge-cases in our work. It shines a floodlight on our biases that prevent us from looking at the harmful effects our design decisions can have on others when they lack thoughtfulness, compassion & empathy. Sara Wachter-Boettcher is a content strategy consultant, writer, and the former editor-in-chief of A List Apart. She is the author of Content Everywhere from Rosenfeld Media. She’s also a frequent conference speaker and content strategy workshop facilitator. She’s lived in South Philly for three years, but has still never had a cheesesteak. Eric Meyer has been working on the web since late 1993 and is an internationally recognized expert on HTML, CSS, and web standards. He’s a widely read author and the founder of Complex Spiral Consulting. He’s technical lead at Rebecca’s Gift, non-profit organization dedicated to providing healing family vacations after the death of a child. He’s also the co-founder of one of my favorite Web conferences…An Event Apart. His first paying gig was working the fry station at a very busy McDonald’s. SUBSCRIBE Subscribe on iTunes | Subscribe on Android | Subscribe on Google Play | RSS Feed SUPERPOWER OF SUPPORT Here’s your chance to use your superpower of support. Don’t rely on telepathy alone! If you’re enjoying the show, would you take two minutes and leave a rating and review on iTunes? I’d also be willing to remove my cloak of invisibility from your inbox if you’d subscribe to the Bi-Weekly Bugle for my best UX/Personal Growth tips and superguest announcements. SUPER-CRED Editing by Chris Combs | Music by Wyman Gentry

  Pek Pongpaet teaches us that the key to successful UX is in pattern recognition and application. He reminds us of the power of visual hierarchy in that if something’s important, it should never be buried. He reminds us of the power of observation and in testing our product with users. He also inspires us to not just do the work we’re given, but to do the work we want to do. Pek Pongpaet is the Managing Partner at Silicon Valley based studio imPekable. He crafts outstanding mobile and web products for clients that include Google, HP, Motorola and Groupon to name a few. He’s quite the ninja…literally. He’s an actual motion capture model in the Mortal Kombat games. He’s one of the rare and coveted breeds we would call a unicorn, but he would call a Diviner (Developer/Designer). One of the things you may not see on his resume is his experience working as a stock photography model. LINKS Pek’s Studio (impekable) Pek’s Twitter Pek’s Instagram [RESOURCE] Study design patterns. [BOOK] Don’t Make Me Think SUBSCRIBE Subscribe on iTunes | Subscribe on Android | Subscribe on Google Play | RSS Feed SUPERPOWER OF SUPPORT Here’s your chance to use your superpower of support. Don’t rely on telepathy alone! If you’re enjoying the show, would you take two minutes and leave a rating and review on iTunes? I’d also be willing to remove my cloak of invisibility from your inbox if you’d subscribe to the Bi-Weekly Bugle for my best UX/Personal Growth tips and superguest announcements. SUPER-CRED Artwork by Cesar Lemus | Editing by Chris Combs | Music by Wyman Gentry (more…)

  David Demaree reminds us of the value of simplicity, brevity, and editing. He encourages us to know who are users are and where they’re coming from. He inspires us not to get too wrapped up into the closeness of our own material and not take the criticism of our work too personally. He also teaches us the importance of staying in touch with the community and to read as much as we can. David Demaree is a software maker, speaker and blogger. He’s the author of newly released A Book Apart published, Git for Humans. He’s a product manager, designer and web developer for everyone’s favorite groundbreaking font-service software, Adobe Typekit. He’s one of the lucky ones who can say he works really close to a great coffee place…called his kitchen. LINKS David’s Twitter David’s Website [RESOURCE] Following other product and UX people on Twitter and clicking on interesting links. Staying in touch with the community. Read as much as you can. [BOOK] The Idea Factory SUBSCRIBE Subscribe on iTunes | Subscribe on Android | Subscribe on Google Play | RSS Feed SUPERPOWER OF SUPPORT Here’s your chance to use your superpower of support. Don’t rely on telepathy alone! If you’re enjoying the show, would you take two minutes and leave a rating and review on iTunes? I’d also be willing to remove my cloak of invisibility from your inbox if you’d subscribe to the Bi-Weekly Bugle for my best UX/Personal Growth tips and superguest announcements. SUPER-CRED Artwork by Cesar Lemus | Editing by Chris Combs | Music by Wyman Gentry (more…)

  Victor Yocco teaches us that standing out in our work involves identifying human needs, and always being willing to address them. He enlightens us that failure leads to greater things, but our motivation should be not to fail. He shows us how practicing perseverance is a great habit to get into because it always pays off. He also expounds upon his noble and provocative message that it’s okay to not drink in office and industry events. Victor Yocco is an author of the Manning Publications release Design for the Mind: Seven Psychological Principals of Persuasive Design. He’s an active speaker who’s been invited to speak at notable UX conferences such as IXPA and IA Summit. He’s a prolific blogger who’s published articles on Smashing Magazine and A List Apart. His interests and expertise include the application of psychological theory to digital design, user research, innovation and reducing the abuse of alcohol in design and tech. He’s also a husband and father and has engaged in guerrilla research while standing in front of gorillas. Secret Identity (3:37) Origin Story (9:00) Biggest Superhero (16:19) Second Career Choice (20:37) Biggest Failure (23:22) Awkward User Testing (32:14) Design Superpower (37:25) Design Kryptonite (38:22) Design Superhero Name (42:11) Fight For Users (43:14) Future of UX Design (45:27) One Habit (49:56) Invincible Resource (55:10) Book Recommendation (57:28) Best Advice (1:03:54) Most Excited About (1:05:07) LINKS Victor’s Website Victor’s Twitter [ARTICLE] Incorporating Social Identity Theory Into Design [ARTICLE] What It’s Like to be a Recovering Alcoholic in an Office Where Booze is Everywhere [RESOURCE] Join.me [BOOK] Don’t Make Me Think SUBSCRIBE Subscribe on iTunes | Subscribe on Android | Subscribe on Google Play | RSS Feed SUPERPOWER OF SUPPORT Here’s your chance to use your superpower of support. Don’t rely on telepathy alone! If you’re enjoying the show, would you take two minutes and leave a rating and review on iTunes? I’d also be willing to remove my cloak of invisibility from your inbox if you’d subscribe to the Bi-Weekly Bugle for my best UX/Personal Growth tips and superguest announcements. SUPER-CRED Artwork by Cesar Lemus | Editing by Chri

  Alexa Leigh Herasimchuk inspires us to go find our why and to not fear reaching out to people who inspire us. She teaches us that the future of UX should be integrated into our education system. She reminds us that we can’t make people care, but we can build things people care about. She also encourages us to design systems that are helpful (not harmful) to future generations. Alexa Leigh Herasimchuk is a Product Designer at Yelp where she designs thoughtful ways to connect people to local businesses, and business owners to their communities. She also cares about people…a lot. So much so that she started a really interesting project with her partner called “Practice Happy” where they set out to redefine the understanding of happiness. She created a project called #100DaysOfThinking where she posts inspirational quotes and thoughts each day to help make better sense of the world and to relate with others. She’s a designer because she wants to be a part of crafting something greater than herself and for the world to be better because she was here. LINKS @AlexaLeighH Alexa’s Website Practice Happy [RESOURCE] Do something not related to design. Get outside, or listen to interesting podcasts. Find a great mentor. [RESOURCE] Dear Design Student [VIDEO] We Are What We Build by Eric Meyer [BOOK] Just Design [BOOK] Designing for Social Change SUBSCRIBE Subscribe on iTunes | Subscribe on Android | Subscribe on Google Play | RSS Feed SUPERPOWER OF SUPPORT Here’s your chance to use your superpower of support. Don’t rely on telepathy alone! If you’re enjoying the show, would you take two minutes and leave a rating and review on iTunes? I’d also be willing to remove my cloak of invisibility from your inbox if you’d subscribe to the Bi-Weekly Bugle for my best UX/Personal Growth tips and superguest announcements. SUPER-CRED Artwork: Cesar Lemus | Editing: Chris Combs | Prep: Win Goodbody | Music: Wyman Gentry

  Rachel Andrew inspires us to understand people who are not like us because most often the products we design are not for us. She motivates us with her successful habit of GTD (Getting Things Done). She teaches us that solid attention to detail and ability to execute can be more important than specific technical skills. She also proves to us that experience never gets old. Rachel Andrew is a Web Pioneer and the Managing Director and founder of UK-based web development company EdgeOfMySeat.com. She’s a prolific author of a number of Web Development books including her most recent A Book Apart published “Get Ready for CSS Grid Layout“. She’s also an active speaker who has spoken at a number of notable web conferences. When she’s not writing code, or writing about writing code…she’s a taxi to teenagers and quite a fitness buff. LINKS @RachelAndrew Rachel’s Web Site Perch CMS [ARTICLE] Perfectionism or procrastination? Reframing the MVP [RESOURCE] Style guides and pattern libraries [BOOK] Atomic Design by Brad Frost [BOOK] The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right by Atul Gawande SUBSCRIBE Subscribe on iTunes | Subscribe on Android | Subscribe on Google Play | RSS Feed SUPERPOWER OF SUPPORT Here’s your chance to use your superpower of support. Don’t rely on telepathy alone! If you’re enjoying the show, would you take two minutes and leave a rating and review on iTunes? I’d also be willing to remove my cloak of invisibility from your inbox if you’d subscribe to the Bi-Weekly Bugle for my best UX/Personal Growth tips and superguest announcements. SUPER-CRED Artwork: Cesar Lemus | Editing: Chris Combs | Prep: Win Goodbody | Music: Wyman Gentry (more…)

  Khoi Vinh teaches us that designers can do their best work by drawing on many different sources and working on different challenges simultaneously. A big fan of breaking large problems up into actionable chunks and making lists of all those things that need to get done, Vinh enjoys articulating the value of the design process to colleagues and executives. And for a guy with his hand in some of the latest new software tools for mobile, his advice for getting better at your design may surprise you: write. Khoi Vinh (Mr. Subtraction) is an experience designer, prolific blogger, and the Principal Designer at Adobe. He has already and continues to make huge impacts in the creation of tools and methods toward designing on-the-go using mobile devices. He’s the former New York Times Design Director and one of the 50 most influential designers in America according to Fast Company. He’s also an author who’s written books like “Ordering Disorder”, “Grid Principles For Web Design”, and recently released “How They Got There” that interviews top designers and how they got where they are which is a great parallel and compliment to this show. LINKS @Khoi on Twitter Khoi’s Website [MOVIE] Design is One: Lella & Massimo Vignelli [BOOK] How They Got There by Khoi Vinh [BOOK] The Inmates Are Running the Asylum by Alan Cooper SUBSCRIBE Subscribe on iTunes | Subscribe on Android | Subscribe on Google Play | RSS Feed SUPERPOWER OF SUPPORT Here’s your chance to use your superpower of support. Don’t rely on telepathy alone! If you’re enjoying the show, would you take two minutes and leave a rating and review on iTunes? I’d also be willing to remove my cloak of invisibility from your inbox if you’d subscribe to the Bi-Weekly Bugle for my best UX/Personal Growth tips and superguest announcements. SUPER-CRED Artwork: Cesar Lemus | Editing: Chris Combs | Prep: Win Goodbody | Music: Wyman Gentry (more…)

  Dan Mall inspires us to get really good at what we do by constantly practicing it. He reminds us of the importance of work/life balance and setting the right priorities. He also reminds us that there’s a big difference between being a leader and being a boss, and how great leaders are always looking for ways to serve their people. He also shares with us that the future of good UX is the same as it’s always been…invisible. Dan Mall (Vision) is the founder and Design Director of the magnificent design collaborative “SuperFriendly” based in Philadelphia where he teams up with his own Justice League of top-notch design superheroes such as Josh Clark (a.k.a. Dr. Touch) and Brad Frost. He’s the author of A Book Apart published “Pricing Design“. He’s been the Design Director at Big Spaceship, Interactive Director at Happy Cog, technical editor for A List Apart, and singer/keyboard player for contemporary-Christian band Four24. He has a passion for playing matchmaker between surprising art direction and intuitive interaction design. His most significant role I’d wager is as an enthralled husband and Dad. (more…)

  KaL MichaeL teaches us that empathy is less of something we practice and more of a result of patience and perseverance. He challenges us to remain humble enough to know that we do not know everything, and what we don’t know will always far surpass what we do know. He also encourages us to own our skill sets and to not do anything blindly like following trends for the sake of trends. KaL is a passionate UI and Experience Designer and has been affecting change and improving lives through his design work for the past 14 years. Five and a half of those years were spent as Lead Creative at Apple improving the retail corporate site experience and building internal sites for enhanced communications. He’s utilized his expertise in iOS and Mac design solutions through his design of the award-winning PDF Expert app. He also has a meticulous attention to detail always remains open and teachable in advancing the tech industry. One way he’s doing that is through his work as a Mentor with Cascade SF. LINKS KaL’s Website KaL’s Twitter ODI Spark Plaaying for Mac [RESOURCE] Draw everything. [BOOK] What Customers Want SUBSCRIBE Subscribe on iTunes | Subscribe on Android | Subscribe on Google Play | RSS Feed SUPERPOWER OF SUPPORT Here’s your chance to use your superpower of support. Don’t rely on telepathy alone! If you’re enjoying the show, would you take two minutes and leave a rating and review on iTunes? I’d also be willing to remove my cloak of invisibility from your inbox if you’d subscribe to the Bi-Weekly Bugle for my best UX/Personal Growth tips and superguest announcements. SUPER-CRED Artwork by Cesar Lemus | Editing by Chris Combs | Music by Wyman Gentry (more…)

  Golden Krishna teaches us that it’s possible to reduce our amount of screen time and still solve people’s problems elegantly in the background. He enlightens us to how much we’re all drowning in screens. He also shares with us that our stuff isn’t good enough, and it never will be because as designers we’re always striving to make things better. Golden Krishna is a deeply thoughtful design innovator. Even though his website introduces him with the humble title of “UX Designer”, he’s the visionary superhero creating a powerful ripple effect in the UX world through his pioneering of the “No UI” movement starting with his popular essay that turned into his essential-reading book, “The Best Interface is No Interface“. In his work at Samsung, he’s been a part of the creation of products that the market has not even defined yet. He’s also worked at Cooper solving big UX problems for Fortune 50 companies. LINKS Golden’s Website Golden’s Twitter [BOOK] The Best Interface Is No Interface [VIDEO] SXSW Talk SUBSCRIBE Subscribe on iTunes | Subscribe on Android | Subscribe on Google Play | RSS Feed SUPERPOWER OF SUPPORT Here’s your chance to use your superpower of support. Don’t rely on telepathy alone! If you’re enjoying the show, would you take two minutes and leave a rating and review on iTunes? I’d also be willing to remove my cloak of invisibility from your inbox if you’d subscribe to the Bi-Weekly Bugle for my best UX/Personal Growth tips and superguest announcements. SUPER-CRED Artwork by Cesar Lemus | Editing by Chris Combs | Music by Wyman Gentry (more…)