Shows
Design Explorers by Agoda DesignAlexis Collado - How to build successful communitiesIn our show today we are talking with Alexis Collado, Co-Founder and Chief Design Officer at Swarm - a trust-based community of builders, founders, and investors collaborating on awesome projects.Alexis takes us through his inspiring journey from when the time he used to be an intern at Agoda, his challenges and frustrations of finding the right opportunities for his design jobs early on in his career, and how all that lead him to the conclusion and realization that he should make his own fate.Determined and motivated by his passion for design, not only...2022-04-0459 min
Roots094: Jarell Alvarez (The Uncomfortably Comfortable)Jarell is an intermediate product designer currently working on enterprise software for Copperleaf who helps utility companies make better decisions that make a better world. On the side he volunteers at ADPList and BCIT as a mentor, regularly hosts or speaks at local meetups and events, and started a local design community in Vancouver on April 2020 with over 600 members worldwide for casual bi-weekly calls. In this episode, we talk about the power of community and building it from scratch, helping other people succeed, doing enterprise design, and so much more.2021-10-2552 min
Roots093: Jen Enrique (The Advocate)Jen Enrique is a Staff Product Designer at Slack. With over 14 years experience, she has worked at agencies, startups, and big companies. Today, she champions building design culture and teaching designers how to self-advocate at work. As a 2nd generation child of immigrants, she had to learn how to navigate corporate cultures without insider expertise or formal mentors. In the last year, she has parlayed that experience into mentoring 100+ designers. In this episode, we talk about starting and formalizing design community work at Slack, going through the interview circuit, finding balance through travel, and so much more. 2021-10-231h 01
RootsThe Design Champion (Ray Sison)
The Design Champion
Ray Sison
Ray Sison is a Senior Design Director for Product Design for SNKRS at Nike, designing for a niche community of sneakerheads. Before that, he was the Head of Design at Clarity Money, which was acquired by Goldman Sachs in 2018. He was previously a Design Director at both Work&Co and R/GA, and worked on top brands like Google, Apple, Facebook, Playstation, Fortnite, Aesop, Nike+, Nike Basketball, Samsung, and a lot more.In this episode, we talk about what it’s like to design for a br...2021-06-1300 min
Roots092: Ray Sison (The Design Champion)Ray Sison is a Senior Design Director for Product Design for SNKRS at Nike, designing for a niche community of sneakerheads. Before that, he was the Head of Design at Clarity Money, which was acquired by Goldman Sachs in 2018. He was previously a Design Director at both Work&Co and R/GA, and worked on top brands like Google, Apple, Facebook, Playstation, Fortnite, Aesop, Nike+, Nike Basketball, Samsung, and a lot more. In this episode, we talk about what it’s like to design for a brand like Nike, how to be an effective design director, why ma...2021-06-131h 12
RootsThe Wayfinder (Pia Zaragoza)
The Wayfinder
Pia Zaragoza
Pia Zaragoza is a creative technologist, researcher, and educator exploring the current use cases and future possibilities of emerging technologies. She is the former Vice President of Accessibility Research and Insights at JP Morgan Chase and is currently a Presidential Innovation Fellow. Pia’s Google Home once told her that the meaning of life is all about finding a way.In this episode, we talk about how Pia found her way into inclusive design and research, finding your voice as a designer, contributing to civic tech, designing fo...2021-05-2300 min
Roots091: Pia Zaragoza (The Wayfinder)Pia Zaragoza is a creative technologist, researcher, and educator exploring the current use cases and future possibilities of emerging technologies. She is the former Vice President of Accessibility Research and Insights at JP Morgan Chase and is currently a Presidential Innovation Fellow. Pia’s Google Home once told her that the meaning of life is all about finding a way. In this episode, we talk about how Pia found her way into inclusive design and research, finding your voice as a designer, contributing to civic tech, designing for accessibility and inclusion, and so much more.2021-05-231h 07
RootsThe UX Writer (Leonardo Raymundo)
The UX Writer
Leonardo Raymundo
Leonardo Raymundo is a content designer and content strategist from Seattle, Washington—where he was born and raised. He currently works at Orca Pacific, a MightyHive company, as the lead content strategist, helping some of the leading brands optimize their content across multiple eCommerce platforms such as Amazon, Target, and Walmart. In his spare time, he mentors up-and-coming UX writers through the UX Writing Hub, and is particularly passionate about helping those in the BIPOC/AAPI community.In this episode, we talk about shifting to a UX...2021-05-1600 min
Roots090: Leonardo Raymundo (The UX Writer)Leonardo is a content designer and content strategist from Seattle, Washington—where he was born and raised. He currently works at Orca Pacific, a MightyHive company, as the lead content strategist, helping some of the leading brands optimize their content across multiple eCommerce platforms such as Amazon, Target, and Wal-mart. In his spare time, he mentors up-and-coming UX writers through the UX Writing Hub, and is particularly passionate about helping those in the BIPOC/AAPI community. In this episode, we talk about shifting to a UX writing career, systemic racism and the BLM movement, the challenges and pri...2021-05-161h 21
RootsInternational Man of Mystery (Ian Sagabaen)
International Man of Mystery
Ian Sagabaen
Ian Sagabaen is a UX Designer at Google, building Google Cloud's enterprise tools. If you've ever been described as shy and need that nudge to break out of your comfortable shell, Ian’s travel stories might motivate you. He started as the quiet kid from San Jose, when on a whim challenged himself to live on the other side of the world, then applied his newfound courage he discovered while abroad to build up his body of work at different Silicon Valley tech companies. In this...2021-03-2800 min
Roots089: Ian Sagabaen (The International Man of Mystery)Ian Sagabaen is a UX Designer at Google, building Google Cloud's enterprise tools. If you've ever been described as shy and need that nudge to break out of your comfortable shell, Ian’s travel stories might motivate you. He started as the quiet kid from San Jose, when on a whim challenged himself to live on the other side of the world, then applied his newfound courage he discovered while abroad to build up his body of work at different Silicon Valley tech companies. In this episode, we talk about progressing from graphic to interaction design, moving to Ja...2021-03-2858 min
RootsThe Misguided Youth (Francis Estrada)
The Misguided Youth
Francis Estrada
Francis Estrada is an Interaction Designer at Google, currently working on YouTube Music Ads. As a fan of taking the scenic route, Francis gained experience working in marketing, software quality assurance, and web design before finding his way into UX. Over the years, he's picked up a side hustle as a UX instructor, having taught both undergraduates and adult learners at several institutions including The University of Washington, Bellevue College, and the School of Visual Concepts in Seattle. In this episode we talk about starting out as a...2021-03-2200 min
Roots088: Francis Estrada (The Misguided Youth)Francis Estrada is an Interaction Designer at Google, currently working on YouTube Music Ads. As a fan of taking the scenic route, Francis gained experience working in marketing, software quality assurance, and web design before finding his way into UX. Over the years, he's picked up a side hustle as a UX instructor, having taught both undergraduates and adult learners at several institutions including The University of Washington, Bellevue College, and the School of Visual Concepts in Seattle. In this episode we talk about starting out as a web designer, designing for Amazon Key and its delivery exper...2021-03-221h 26
RootsThe Design Hobbyist (Krizia Lim)
The Design Hobbyist
Krizia Lim
Krizia Lim is a Senior Graphic Designer at Kalibrr by day, a Freelance Illustrator and Designer by night, and a photographer, web designer, and more in between. She was previously an intern at Pepper.ph and an art director at Elevation Partners, where she worked with Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf — developing her interest in designing for F&B brands. She believes that her love for design, food, music, games, and k-culture fuels her to create, illustrate, and explore other trades of design.In this episode we ta...2021-01-0300 min
RootsSan Diego Content Designer (Mike Walkusky)
San Diego Content Designer
Mike Walkusky
Mike Walkusky is a Senior Content Designer at Intuit, the maker of TurboTax, Mint, and QuickBooks. Prior to joining Intuit, he was the editor-in-chief of http://EDM.com and a sports journalist for Bleacher Report. Mike lives in San Diego, California with his wife, daughter, and three dogs. He loves spending time with his family, discovering new music, basketball, sneakers, Asian food, K-dramas, and movies. Also, he's passionate about diversity, equity, and inclusion.In this episode, we discuss the difference of content writers and...2020-12-2400 min
RootsRiel Mosqueriola (The Pathfinder)
The Pathfinder
Riel Mosqueriola
Riel Mosqueriola is a Product Designer at LiveMore, a personal development app whose goal is to provide the right tools and knowledge in achieving one's personal goals . Previously, she worked in Grab, designing for GrabFood and GrabExpress. She greatly believes that in order to get better in anything you do, you should never be afraid to ask. She is currently based in Singapore, where in apart from being a Designer, she’s a “chef” at her own kitchen experimenting new dishes.In this episode we talk about...2020-11-2400 min
RootsAlysa Trinidad (The Visual Designer)
The Visual Designer
Alysa Trinidad
Alysa Trinidad is a Senior Visual Designer at Intuit, the maker of TurboTax, QuickBooks and Mint, based in Mountain View, California. As a California native, she grew up in nearby Wine Country where her love for art, music and digital media led her to a fulfilling career path as a multidisciplinary designer. She has lived many creative lives, from leading the very first social media department at her college radio station, to working as an in-house designer at high profile startups in Silicon Valley.In this...2020-11-0200 min
RootsSheryl Cababa (The Systems Thinker)
The Systems Thinker
Sheryl Cababa
Sheryl Cababa is the Vice President of Strategy at Substantial, a design and technology consultancy in Seattle, and has more than two decades of experience as a multi-disciplinary design practitioner. With a background in human-centered design research and strategy, she has worked as a design consultant at companies like Artefact, frog, and Adaptive Path. She is an international speaker and facilitator, and has developed methods for designers to integrate systems thinking with their practices.In this episode, we talk about design consulting, Filipino representation in tech...2020-10-1800 min
RootsRannie Teodoro (The Gamechanger)
The Gamechanger
Rannie Teodoro
Rannie Teodoro, Ph.D., is the Head of Design at Thumbtack, an online marketplace that matches customers with local service professionals. She is one of the few researchers in the world leading a design organization, including the Product Design, Experience Research, and Creative teams. Prior to Thumbtack, she was leading a team of UX researchers at Facebook. Her work has informed strategies for news-based platforms, search products, local services, and emerging markets.In this episode, we talk about going from academic research to UX research, creating ethical pr...2020-10-0400 min
RootsEd Salvaña (The Clown Prince of Design)
The Clown Prince of Design
Ed Salvaña
Ed Salvaña is a Product Designer at Facebook. After long stints on Facebook Ads, Instagram and Events, he now designs experiences for new platforms and devices at Facebook Reality Labs. While growing up, he thought he would become a priest, a pilot, or even a scientist. He ended up becoming an animator, engineer, then eventually a product designer. He still has trouble explaining what he does to his parents. Ed is also a voracious carnivore, appreciates fine brews and well-made video games.In...2020-08-3100 min
RootsNiki Torres (The Content Designer)
The Content Designer
Niki Torres
Niki Torres is the founder, producer, and host of Chief Best Friends, a podcast helping women succeed in work and business through meaningful friendships. She also writes BFFs, a bi-weekly email for Asia’s female founders, bringing together resources on growing a business, cultivating friendships, and seeking opportunities for funding. Niki has 12+ years of experience in communications, growth, and digital marketing, and was most recently the Director of Product Growth at a Sequoia-backed startup.In this episode we talk about pirate metrics and growth loops, changing a...2020-08-1700 min
RootsFrancis Alturas (The Design Pirate)
The Design Pirate
Francis Alturas
Francis Alturas is the Co-founder and CDO of Abstract Digital—a digital product design agency with expertise in doing design sprints for venture-backed seed stage startups in Southeast Asia. He worked with brands like 500 Startups, Rocket Internet, The World Bank, and The Presidential Communications Office. He enjoys designing interfaces, writing frontend code, and co-organizing local design events like the UXPH Roadshow, Visual 4 and Sketch & Dribbble Meetups.In this episode we talk about Francis and his early days with the web, wearing multiple hats as a designer and...2020-08-1000 min
RootsErika Sibal (The Gamification Innovator)
The Gamification Innovator
Erika Sibal
Erika Sibal is a Senior Designer and UX Lead at ExxonMobil’s Modern Applications & Platforms team. Before joining Exxon, she was a 2D Senior Project Lead at The Studio of Secret 6, a game development company based in the Philippines. Erika merges her passion for design, culture, and games by transforming experiences through gamification. Outside of design, she enjoys playing video games, reading books, and illustration.In this episode, we talk about how Erika went from architecture to game design to evangelizing UX, navigating design politics, gamifying corpor...2020-08-0300 min
RootsJonathan Remulla (The Authentic Designer)
The Authentic Designer
Jonathan Remulla
Jonathan Remulla is a Product Design Manager at SurveyMonkey, leading design for the core surveys experience for self-serve and enterprise customers. Since 2015, he's been an educator at General Assembly, teaching UX at the San Francisco campus. Jonathan also runs Supafrenz, providing clients with both traditional graphic and product design. A Bay Area native, he loves watching anything fighting, forever the Warriors, and the 49ers and Giants, only when they're good. In this episode, we talk about leading north star redesigns in tech companies, learning to be a UX...2020-07-2600 min
RootsKervin Tan (The Freelance Product Designer)
The Freelance Product Designer
Kervin Tan
Kervin Tan is a freelance product designer and a mountain seeker. He is currently a product designer consultant at Hometime, a property management startup based in Australia and at BioMark, a health-tech startup based in Singapore. He is focused on working with companies that are building their MVPs, redesigning their platforms, and scaling their systems. Kervin loves to hike and appreciate nature in its raw form but due to the current pandemic situation, he became a plant daddy.In this episode, we talked about using...2020-07-1900 min
RootsCarla Taruc Porticos (The Unicorn Chaser)
The Unicorn Chaser
Carla Taruc Porticos
Carla Taruc Porticos is the UX/CX Research Lead and Managing & Founding Partner of Influx Research Philippines. Before her ABCs, she learned research terms from her parents who worked in market research for over 30 years. Shifting from market research to UX was seamless for Carla, having worked on UX projects since 2006. She also rides a 1200cc BMW RNineT motorbike which she calls “Beast.” Now, Carla is building an agritech start-up to uplift the lives of Filipino farmers, and dreams to be the first Filipina unicorn.In t...2020-06-2800 min
RootsGrey Diamante (The Solo Backpacker)
The Solo Backpacker
Grey Diamante
Grey wanted to be a UX Designer way before it was cool. After spending more than half a decade as digital product manager for the banking and fintech industry, she is now a Product Design Lead for UBX Philippines. She loves conducting design sprints/workshops and user research and testing. — anything that will allow her to talk to and learn more about people. She also regards herself as a serial solo backpacker. Having seen how cities/towns in other countries are like, her dream job is to become a globetr...2020-06-2100 min
RootsJennifer Suazo (The Shapeshifter)
The Shapeshifter
Jennifer Suazo
Jennifer Suazo is the UX Lead for Singlife Philippines, a digital insurance company that embraces technology to help Filipinos manage, grow, and protect their money. She took her Master's of Science in Interaction Design and Computing at University of Westminster in London with a Merit Award Class, which previously helped her land her first UX role in AXA Philippines. She’s an avid reader and a self-proclaimed Axure fangirl who enjoys turning complex and manual processes into efficient and delightful digital experiences. In this episode, we talk abo...2020-06-0700 min
RootsMiramark Diaz (The Keen Observer)
The Keen Observer
Miramark Diaz
Miramark Diaz is a Designer who creates digital products for brands, companies, and startups. Currently he’s a Design Manager at one of the largest airline companies in the Philippines, Cebu Pacific Air, where he looks over the process, people, and the optimization of their work. His drive to learn, do, and create is fueled by his hunger for the mastery of the process, and the continuous cycle of problem-solving. Outside of work, he fiddles around with learning how to brew good coffee.In this episode, we...2020-06-0100 min
RootsAlex Atienza (Invisible ESO Designer)
Invisible ESO Designer
Alex Atienza
Alex Atienza is a Senior Product Designer working on the “Carina” Design System and the Hospitality Cloud platform at Cvent. Previously, he was a designer at gaming companies like Bethesda Softworks and Zenimax Online Studios shipping https://Bethesda.net and leading design for the game platform shipping The Elder Scrolls Online. Alex believes that transparent UX processes, cross functional teams, and a delivery driven work ethic will result in shipping great products. Currently, he juggles a good father and playing FF7 Remake.In this episode we talk...2020-05-2400 min
RootsTim Quirino (The Chef)
The Chef
Tim Quirino
Tim Quirino is a Product Designer on Facebook's News Feed & Stories. In over 6 years at the blue app, he helped launch Facebook Watch, Facebook Live, and Music Sharing. Not one to miss the opportunity for excellent wordplay, Tim lives by the ethos of Ray and Charles Eames. “The role of the designer is that of a very good, thoughtful host anticipating the needs of his guests.” He's also a Chef and Co-founder of Carb Your Enthusiasm, a pop-up dinner series based in San Francisco. In this episode, we ta...2020-05-1700 min
RootsJamie Cabaccang (The Lotus)
The Lotus
Jamie Cabaccang
Jamie Cabaccang is an award-winning Product Design Leader, Inventor, a Certified Reiki Master and Founder of Techies + Wellness. She led product design at Microsoft for over 10 years for Office on the Apple platforms and invented new technology for the Windows Incubation team. She is currently a Product Design Lead at Pinterest. By designing holistic wellness experiences and transformative retreats, she connects individuals to their own inner wisdom. Helping them on their path to self discovery, authentic self expression and honoring their true calling.In this episode, we talk...2020-05-1000 min
RootsJeremy Dizon (Production Design Nerd)
The Production Design Nerd
Jeremy Dizon
Jeremy Dizon is a Senior Production Designer at Lyft, where he maintains and evolves the Lyft Product Language design system, supporting the entire Product Design organization. He honed his production design skills at companies like Google and Airbnb, where he advocated for production design as an integral part of building products. Balancing work and life as a dad of two, Jeremy also enjoys dressing up in plastic armor on the weekends as part of the worldwide Star Wars group, the 501st Legion.In this episode...2020-05-0300 min
RootsEverett Katigbak (The Pintado)
The Pintado
Everett Katigbak
Everett is a Bay Area transplant and failed musician who exchanged the Los Angeles smog for the San Francisco fog. Raised in the LA skate punk scene of the 80s and 90s, he was naturally drawn to the counter culture epicenter that was the Bay Area. He’s currently a documentary filmmaker at Stripe, and is wrapping up Stripe Press’s first feature length release. Prior to Stripe, he was a Brand Creative Manager at Pinterest, Co-Founder of the Facebook Analog Research Laboratory, and was an Exhibition Designer at the...2020-03-2900 min
RootsLacey Sabado (The UX Program Manager)
The UX Program Manager
Lacey Sabado
Lacey Sabado is a UX Program Manager at Google, where she helps improve people’s everyday lives through meaningful user experiences. She completed her Master’s in Human-Computer Interaction at the University of Maryland, where she was the Graduate School Commencement Speaker and Most Outstanding Graduate Assistant of 2018. She also co-founded the first student UX organization, UXTerps, at UMD. She interned as a UX Researcher for The New York Times. Before that, she spent most of her 9-year career as an IT Manager at Procter & Gamble.In...2020-03-1500 min
RootsCamille Villanueva (The Jill of All Trades)
The Jill of All Trades
Camille Villanueva
Camille Villanueva is a Brand and Marketing Designer at Square, bringing product marketing campaigns to life through different media, such as illustration and photography. Four years ago, Camille took a leap of faith and left her job as a high school teacher in Los Angeles to become a designer in San Francisco. In her spare time, you'll usually find Camille juggling personal projects like puppetry, printmaking, photography, and cosplay.In this episode, we talk about the fundamentals of critique and feedback, Camille’s journey fr...2020-03-0800 min
RootsAndrew Tolentino (The Vocal Designer)
The Vocal Designer
Andrew Tolentino
Andrew Tolentino is a Senior Product Designer at Credit Karma designing experiences that help people make financial progress and buy their first home. His passion lies in mission driven, user-facing products that help people make progress towards their goals. At a young age, he started building his own websites, eventually transitioning to product and UX design through his internships at agencies like MWWPR and fullSIX. In his spare time, you can find him in a pottery class throwing clay on a wheel, hand lettering, or in the kitchen...2020-03-0100 min
RootsArvi Raquel-Santos (The Wanderer)
The Wanderer
Arvi Raquel-Santos
Arvi is Dad, Superman fanboy and Product Designer living in San Francisco. He has over 20 years of product and brand design experience. He is currently a Sr. Product Design Manager at Glassdoor helping people to find a job and a company they love. Previously, he was a Design Lead at Fitbit, leading the Activity and Exercise team to help people lead healthier lives. He was also a former Product Designer at Facebook with the Insights and Measurement team, building products for over a billion users worldwide.In...2020-02-2300 min
RootsKylie Timpani (The Charmed Designer)
The Charmed Designer
Kylie Timpani
Kylie Timpani is a Product Designer in Silicon Valley working on the way people consume and experience TV. Previously, she was the Senior Designer at Humaan, an Australian digital agency with an aim to make technology and the experiences that come with it more human. Kylie loves to give back whether that’s by mentoring early-stage designers, organising conferences like Mixin, or sharing knowledge freely. When she’s not designing, she’s falling off a skateboard and watching Filipino soap operas as a way to learn Tagalog.In...2020-02-1600 min
RootsAnj Garong (The Workshopper)
The Workshopper
Anj Garong
Anj Garong is a developer turned designer, now an Innovation and Creative Entrepreneurship student at Thames International. She loves seeing other people happy and successful, which is why she decided to focus on teaching and workshopping, and thus, started Ang Design Co. Before that, she spent 3+ years at Sprout Solutions, where she grew the Psroduct Design team and spread the design culture. She has also been teaching at iACADEMY for several years now and sharing UX knowledge with communities and private companies since 2016.In this episode, we...2020-02-0900 min
RootsDan Mall (The Super Orchestrator)
The Super Orchestrator
Dan Mall
Dan Mall is the Founder & CEO of SuperFriendly, a design collaborative that helps in-house teams make better digital products with design systems. Having worked with clients like United Airlines, Harvard Business School, athenahealth, Capital One, Apple, dotdash, Google, Reader's Digest, The New York Times, ExxonMobil, and more, Dan has a passion for playing matchmaker between surprising art direction and intuitive interaction design and building teams that are finely tuned to the solutions clients are looking for. In this episode, we talk about Dan’s design roots in P...2020-01-1600 min
RootsNeil Bantoc (The UX Engineer)
The UX Engineer
Neil Bantoc
Neil Bantoc is a UX Engineer on the Design Systems Engineering team at Facebook where he supports the Facebook Design System by creating standardized UI widgets that conform to the FDS design patterns and guidelines. Before this, he was a software engineer at Venmo — a PayPal company, and Freelancer.com Manila. As a student, he obtained his Bachelors in Computer Science at University of the Philippines at Los Baños and his Masters in Human Computer Interaction at Carnegie Mellon University. In this episode, we talk abou...2020-01-0700 min
RootsArchie Riva (The Enterprise Designer)
The Enterprise Designer
Archie Riva
Archie Riva is an Enterprise UX Designer and Manager at Procter and Gamble. From being a systems analyst and project manager in the Financial Solutions department, Archie transitioned to be a UX practitioner and became successful in incorporating UX methodologies and techniques tailored fit to the enterprise environment. As a UX manager and having obtained master certification from Nielsen and Norman group, Archie continues to evangelize UX in his organization and seeks to reapply best practices from outside in. In this episode, we talk about project man...2019-12-3100 min
RootsNelson Gomez (The Ethical Designer)
The Ethical Designer
Nelson Gomez
Nelson Gomez is a Product Designer at Holotech Studios designing an app called Animaze where people can make fun videos on their phone with avatars that imitate their every expression. Moreover, he has designed lifestyle web and app experiences spanning from weddings (through the Knot) to fitness to name a few. After hustling to start his career and graduating from college in the Philippines, Nelson also volunteers for ethical non-profits and organizations that cater to LGBT, women, and homeless communities.In this episode, we talk about...2019-12-2300 min
RootsAndrew Abogado (The Neo-Generalist)
The Neo-Generalist
Andrew Abogado
Andrew Abogado is the Design Lead at Saleswhale, a Singapore-based Y-Combinator startup. It’s a B2B SaaS product that deploys an AI sales assistant, helping engage and qualify leads at scale. Previously, he was a Frontend Engineer at Viki (exited, Series B) which was acquired by Rakuten. Andrew is drawn to venture-backed tech startups where he can solve big problems as well as bring big impact during the company’s early stage. Outside of work, Andrew likes cycling and travels with his wife in different countries. In t...2019-12-1500 min
RootsCedric Lee (The Design Rookie)
The Design Rookie
Cedric Lee
Cedric Lee is the UX Lead at Cambridge University Press, a leading global publishing business that aims to advance education and research worldwide. Before leading the user experience team, he previously held graphic design, UI, and UX roles from the same organization. Currently he’s taking up his Masters in Communication in De La Salle University. As a student at LPU, he championed transparency reforms and constitution revision as President of the student council, and was an active debater for the debate society.In this episode, we...2019-12-0800 min
RootsJian Adornado (The Data Designer)
The Data Designer
Jian Adornado
Jian Adornado is a Product Designer at Netflix designing data and financial tools to shape the company’s content portfolio. He previously designed data intelligence tools for Uber and tools to control, simulate and remote operate self-driving cars for Uber’s Advanced Technologies Division. He also worked at Dropbox and Amazon. Jian is specialized in helping users monitor performance, report insights and explore data in historical, real-time and predictive timeframes.In this episode, we talk about getting used to Silicon Valley’s hustle, finding inspiration from observ...2019-11-2500 min
RootsJordan Deja (The UX Guy)
The UX Guy
Jordan Deja
Jordan Deja is an Assistant Professor in De La Salle University teaching courses like Human-Computer Interaction, Design Patterns, and Software Engineering. He is also a Community Lead of UX Philippines, the country’s largest network of UX professionals, students and enthusiasts. He helps people bridge technology and design towards better interfaces and experiences. He is also the Vice-Chair of Manila ACM-SIGCHI Chapter and the Advisor of User Experience Society - DLSU.In this episode we talk about how he found his calling in UX, leading the UX...2019-11-1700 min
RootsOliver Bayani (Designer From The Hood)
Designer From The Hood
Oliver Bayani
Oliver Bayani is a Senior UX Designer, managing user research and UX writing for digital products used by 4 million Filipinos at Home Credit Philippines. Previously, he was the Co-founder and Vice President of Product & Design of SnippetMedia, a news app boasting 2 million users. He was also a journalist for 8 years, writing about the most creative people in advertising for Marketing Magazine Philippines and Adobo Magazine. He now uses his skills to serve his user’s needs, instead of just readers. In this episode, we’ll talk...2019-11-1100 min
Roots051: Riel Reyes (The Design Prankster)
The Design Prankster
Riel Reyes
Riel Reyes is an Associate Product Designer at Kalibrr. His design work includes the 40th Metro Manila Film Festival Souvenir Programme and Truelogic's brand redesign, where he previously worked as a Graphic and UI designer. He enjoyed tinkering with electronics and joining poster making contests as a kid, which he believes are the roots for his fondness in design. Riel is also passionate about his side project Intersections, a monthly documentary series on people with multiple passions in life.In this episode we talk about Riel’s...2019-11-0300 min
RootsJanelle Hitz (The Chicken Chaser)
The Chicken Chaser
Janelle Hitz
Janelle Hitz is a Senior Visual Designer working on the Disney+ platform. Previously, she designed for gaming companies that include Electronic Arts and Blizzard Entertainment — working on things like Origin, Hearthstone, StarCraft II, and Heroes of the Storm. She enjoys executing the entire breadth of a design process. Janelle believes that building relationships across teams and disciplines is the key to successful products. When she's not designing, you can find her surfing, snowboarding, or playing video games. In this episode, we talk about the being a first...2019-10-2700 min
RootsCamille Zapata (Collaborative Prototyper)
Collaborative Prototyper
Camille Zapata
Camille Zapata is the Lead UX/UI Designer at Tailors Mark, where she is part of a team that designs innovative solutions in the world of custom clothing — namely bespoke suits. She is a team player who enjoys moving fast to validate ideas through creative experiments, design tests, and prototypes. Previously, she designed for the growing marketplace at Carousell. She also worked with a range of brands and companies from beauty to finance, like SK-II and Credit Suisse, while at the design agency Huge.In this episode, we...2019-10-1300 min
RootsAndrei Gonzales (Design Evolutionist)
Design Evolutionist
Andrei Gonzales
Andrei Gonzales is a Service and Interaction Design Associate Manager at Fjord Canberra, Australia, focusing on designing and delivering innovation for Government, Health, and Public Services. Previously, he was a Senior UX Designer at BCG Digital Ventures in Sydney, where he helped build ventures that put the customer first. Before moving to Australia, Andrei was co-founder of Hugo Manila, a Philippine design consultancy, and a designer at InVision, a very popular prototyping tool, during what he describes as the “really early days”.In this episode, we talk about...2019-10-0600 min
RootsJill Tiutan (Design Co-founder)
Design Co-Founder
Jill Tiutan
Jill Tiutan is a product designer who currently studies Cognitive Science at UCLA. She has been designing professionally for the last 5 years and was most recently a product design intern at Factual, a big data company focused on location. Prior to that, Jill has also interned at Fjord (Accenture Interactive) in LA, and at GoGuardian, where she built Enterprise tools for schools. Apart from being an avid designer, she also co-founded Applica.me, which became a part of Stanford’s StartX student program in 2017.In this episode we...2019-09-2900 min
RootsShannen Sapar (Design Fighter)
Design Fighter
Shannen Sapar
Shannen Sapar is a self-taught Product Designer and art enthusiast. She currently works as a UI/UX Designer at Onerent, where she focuses on solving UX challenges in the real estate market and mentoring junior designers. Previously, she was a freelance designer, and also worked for companies like Oranj and Ingenuity. She’s no stranger to building design communities. Shannen is the Co-founder and Social Media Manager of UX Davao, and a core member of the Davao Graphic Designers Community.In this episode we talk about how Sha...2019-09-1500 min
RootsJamie Cristal (The Design Trailblazer)
The Design Trailblazer
Jamie Cristal
Jamie Cristal is an Inclusive Designer at Airbnb —where she is helping create a world where anyone can belong anywhere. Previously, she led design initiatives at Facebook as a Design Operations Program Manager and Product Design Lead for Facebook Lite. Before, Facebook, she served as one of Yahoo’s first Design Associates, where she spearheaded cultural initiatives for the greater design community. She led the craftsmanship of delightful experiences for various parts of the business, such as Flickr, Tumblr, and Yahoo. In this episode, we talk about...2019-09-0800 min
RootsLeroy Almeida (The Curious Learner)
The Curious Learner
Leroy Almeida
Leroy Almeida is an experience designer at ING, the Philippines' first fully-digital bank. He previously worked at Kalibrr, where he designed the recruiter platform, and Accenture, where he worked with Philippine Airlines and Globe Telecoms. Largely self-taught, he transitioned from engineering to design by reading books, asking for feedback, and learning from the smart people of the Twitterverse. Leroy believes that design can improve people's lives, transform companies, and change the culture. In this episode we talk about Leroy’s transition to design at Kalibrr, how to...2019-09-0100 min
RootsJay Demetillo (The Do-It-All Designer)
The Do-It-All Designer
Jay Demetillo
Jay Demetillo is the Lead UX Designer for GrabFood. With 10+ years of experience working in New York City to San Francisco and now Singapore, Jay Demetillo has almost seen it all in the design world. Jay has worked with Twitter, Pinterest, and Yahoo. He's also worked on notable projects such as the Bay Lights, Gaspar Brasserie, and San Francisco's Park System SFPark. Jay is an adjunct professor at CCA in San Francisco and has taught/spoken in China for ACG. In this episode, we talk about be...2019-08-2500 min
RootsJustine Win (The Gritty Designer)
The Gritty Designer
Justine Win
Justine Win is a Product Designer, UI Developer, and team player. She'll be joining Shopify — a leading cloud-based, multi-channel commerce platform — as a Product Designer in the core product team. She recently ended her stint as the Design Lead of UBX Philippines where she had an opportunity to assemble a team, establish a design process, and design products for financial inclusion. Justine's mission is to help organizations realize the value of design by facilitating design sprints, writing articles on design and tech, and mentoring fellow designers and developers. Havi...2019-08-1800 min
RootsChristine Balatbat (The Empathic Designer)
The Empathic Researcher
Christine Balatbat
Christine Balatbat is a customer experience officer in JG Summit Holdings Inc., one of the biggest conglomerates in the Philippines. A normal weekday for her is moderating research studies, synthesizing qualitative data and communicating findings to stakeholders. Over her 7-year career she became the UX research manager of OLX Philippines, did experience design for On-Off Group, and co-founded UXPH in 2014.In this episode, we talk about UX research in an agency, product company, and conglomerate, specialising as a user researcher, how to communicate user research results...2019-08-1100 min
RootsPatrick James Lim (The Competitive Designer)
The Competitive Designer
Patrick James Lim
Patrick James Lim is a Senior Product Designer for SplitmediaLabs Inc. With over 4 years of experience, he was able to work for companies of various types and sizes like NetSuite, Accenture and First Circle before finding his love for esports or competitive gaming. Now, he currently utilizes his UI and interaction design skills for Challonge, an application for managing competitive activities like esports or traditional sports.In this episode, we talk about discovering UX through meetups, joining the Philippine Startup Challenge, becoming a designer in...2019-08-0400 min
RootsBoggs Labayen (The Emotional Designer)
The Emotional Designer
Boggs Labayen
Boggs Labayen is the User Experience Lead at Home Credit Philippines —a self proclaimed emotional designer and guardian of the users. Armed with 10 years of experience in designing products that enrich people’s experiences, he uses his emotions as a key ingredient in the design process. He held various roles from different industries and companies such as ABS-CBN, ASPAC Creatives Incorporated, QUIDDITY, and now leading a great pool of UX unicorns at Home Credit Philippines.In this episode, we talk about creating a digital product against tran...2019-07-2800 min
RootsVJ Francisco (Design Ninja)
Design Ninja
VJ Francisco
Vj Francisco is the Head of Experience Design for NuWorks Interactive Labs. He brings with him 12+ years of design experience and expertise in design leadership, usability analysis and human-centered design. An experience strategist by practice, his most recent stint before joining NuWorks was with Globe Telecom where he was also the Head of Experience Design. There he championed human-centricity while using design thinking as a method. Prior to this, he has assumed design leadership roles at Hewlett Packard (HP) and Citibank.In this episode, we talk about go...2019-07-1400 min
RootsAccessibility Specialist (Mikey Ilagan)
Accessibility Specialist
Mikey Ilagan
Mikey Ilagan is a Product Manager on the Comcast Accessibility Team. He's spent the past decade building digital experiences using a lifetime of passion for technology. He is a former web designer and frontend developer. He's spent his career working in and around his hometown, Philadelphia, PA, USA. Today, he uses a diverse background to work with product teams to ensure Xfinity's offerings are usable and well-designed for customers using assistive technology. Mikey is also a co-organizer of the Philly Accessibility Meetup.In this episode we talk...2019-07-0700 min
RootsDesign Cruiser (Tari Rosario)
Design Cruiser
Tari Rosario
Tari Rosario is the Lead UX Product Designer for Sprout Solutions, where she designs for HR and Payroll software systems. Previously, she held UX Designer positions in various startups before finding her love for research upon entering On-Off Group, where she worked as a Lead Experience Strategist. She graduated with a degree of BFA Information Design from the Ateneo de Manila University and spent her Junior Term Abroad in the National University of Singapore. In this episode, we talk about going on exchange at NUS, learning culture t...2019-06-3000 min
RootsBranding Sorcerer (Jiggy Villanueva)
Branding Sorcerer
Jiggy Villanueva
Jiggy Villanueva is a fresh Management Information Systems graduate from Ateneo de Manila University. For the past year, he served as the Executive Vice President of User Experience Society, the first student-led UX organization in the Philippines. He also led the branding team of JFFC, the biggest student web design conference in Asia. He interned as a UX Designer for companies like Make Technology and Kalibrr. In a few months, he will return to Kalibrr, as an Associate Product Designer.In this episode, we talk about designing...2019-06-2300 min
RootsLegal Design Whiz (Aris Acoba)
Legal Design Whiz
Aris Acoba
Aris Acoba is a product designer and developer. He is currently the Head of Design at LawAdvisor, a legal technology company founded in Australia. He has been tumbling around Manila, Melbourne, and London, designing legal tech enterprise solutions. He has worked with companies like Mashup Garage, IdeasXMachina, Toyota Philippines, PAREF Southridge School, Lorenzana Food Corporation, and Eastwest Banking Corporation. He held positions in various industries such as banking, advertising, and currently startups.In this episode, we talk about moving forward from doing advertising, working on your...2019-06-1600 min
RootsDesign Cook (Paul Sabandal)
Design Cook
Paul Sabandal
Paul Sabandal is the Head of Product Development at Qwikwire, a multi-awarded startup that provides cross-border payment solutions for real-estate — they handle international online payments for clients AyalaLand, Century Properties, Double Dragon and other top real-estate companies in the Philippines. He leads the end-to-end processes related to product discovery.He also co-founded Figma Philippines, helping teach the collaborative design tool Figma through meet-ups for the community. In this episode, we talked about working while finishing school, raising funds for an ICO, starting a community grou...2019-06-0900 min
RootsThe Front-end Designer (Chi Señires)
The Front-end Designer
Chi Señires
Chi Señires is a UI/UX Designer at TrueMoney Philippines, where she designs products to help the underbanked and underserved in our country. When not doing design work, she does front-end web development. Before graduating with a degree in Computer Science in 2016, she co-founded User Experience Society, the first student-led UX organization in the Philippines. She also served as the Associate Vice President for Publication at the Computer Society of the Ateneo, the home organization for Computer Science majors.In this episode, we...2019-06-0200 min
RootsExperience Engineer (Charz Mendoza)
Experience Engineer
Charz Mendoza
Charz Mendoza is the Head of User Experience at Mynt. His main responsibility is to ensure the products and services of GCash deliver good user experience across all its channels. Previously, he was a Co-founder and Chief Experience Officer of B3Solutions. Before that, he was an Experience Design Specialist at Smart. He also held design and copywriting roles at top ad agencies like Publicis Groupe, Mc cann Worldgroup, and Ogilvy & Mather.In this episode, we talk about shifting careers from graphic design to UX design, being a...2019-05-2600 min
RootsThe Design Master (Paolo Malabuyo)
The Design Master
Paolo Malabuyo
Paolo Malabuyo is a Director of User Experience for YouTube Advertising at Google, where he leads an international team of designers and researchers responsible for enabling a healthy ecosystem for YouTube and its billions of users worldwide, and an Adjunct Professor at Carnegie Mellon University Silicon Valley, where he teaches a graduate-level course on Human-Computer Interaction & User Experience. He has led Product UX teams at Netflix, Mercedes-Benz, Zynga, Xbox, and more.In this episode we talk about fighting career inertia, progressing from frontline manager to senior...2019-05-1900 min
RootsInclusive Design Advocate (Job Buenazedacruz)
Inclusive Design Advocate
Job Buenazedacruz
I interviewed Job Buenazedacruz, a graphic designer at Canva. She’s the founder of Inclusive PH, a small online community of professionals who want to share and learn more about inclusive practices in different fields like design, engineering, copywriting, education, and medicine. She’s also a design consultant with two design firms: CIA Bootleg Manila and Godmother PH. She handles design research, design strategy, experience design, branding, and Industrial Design projects.In this episode, we talked about solving social problems through design, helping clients understand customers and...2019-05-0500 min
RootsProductivity Architect (Brian Tan)
Productivity Architect
Brian Tan
I talked to Brian Tan, a UI/UX designer and merit scholar from the Ateneo De Manila University. He’s about to graduate in June with a degree in IT Entrepreneurship. Brian has done 6 internships already, including being a Product Design Intern at Kalibrr and a UI/UX Apprentice at Stampede, a Malaysian UX agency. He’s also the co-creator of HangTime, a web app built to help students compare class schedules. Brian is currently applying for design roles at tech companies and plans to start working later this year...2019-04-2800 min
RootsContent Design Wizard (Jasmine Ty)
Content Design Wizard
Jasmine Ty
I interviewed Jasmine Ty, a seasoned UX content strategist and marketing copywriter with over a decade of experience working in Silicon Valley. She has worked at small startups like JustAnswer to big brands like Gap and Facebook. Her expertise includes finding brand voice and tone, marketing, e-commerce, UX, and machine learning. Soon, Jasmine will be joining Netflix as a Content Designer.In this episode, we talk about why Filipinos should stop downplaying their achievements, being ethical and inclusive in design, working on products that billions of...2019-04-2100 min
RootsThe Design Enthusiast (Avery Si)
The Design Enthusiast
Avery Si
Avery Si is a UI/UX Designer in Mynt, a subsidiary of Globe Telecom, Ayala, and Ant Financial. He took up Management Information Systems in Ateneo de Manila University and was a founding member of User Experience Society--the first student-led UX organization in the Philippines that educates the next generation of design leaders. As a student, he was able take on UX and Product Design internships in Globe Telecom, Apical Design, and OnlineJobs.ph.In this episode, we talk about building a UX organization, hustling to...2019-04-1400 min
RootsThe UX Evangelist (Ely Apao)
The UX Evangelist
Ely Apao
Ely Apao is a Customer Experience Manager at JG Summit Holdings. He founded UX Philippines, a non-profit organization that hosts the Philippines' largest community of individuals passionate about the realm of User Experience. The organization aims to help spread awareness and raise the bar for design practices all over the Philippines. Previously, he also held UX roles at companies like OLX and US Auto Parts as a UX and Product Development Manager. In this episode, we talk about building the UX community, designing at an old...2019-04-0700 min
RootsMicrocopy Queen (Niaw De Leon)
Microcopy Queen
Niaw De Leon
Niaw de Leon is the author of Microcopy and co-founder of Cognible, a design consultancy that helps startups, IT firms, and development teams nail the right language and interactions to make sexy apps that sell. Starting out as an enterprise web developer at a CMMI Level 5 IT firm, she’s been a trainer, RFP writer, and product marketing manager until she found herself in the passionate embrace of interaction design and UX writing.In this episode, we talk about learning how to negotiate, how Filipinos can bec...2019-03-3100 min
RootsGoogle Sprint Master (Chrys Francisco)
Google Sprint Master
Chrys Francisco
Chrys Francisco Laguitao is a Senior UX Designer at Google currently based in Zurich, Switzerland. She has designed for both consumer and enterprise products such as Google Flights, Assistant, and AdWords. Her career journey has taken her from being an IT Associate Manager in P&G in Manila, to taking up Master's in Human-Computer Interaction at Carnegie Mellon University abroad, and finally pursuing her aspiration of becoming a UX Designer at Google.In this episode, we talk about looking for a graduate program in UX, getting...2019-03-2456 min
RootsT-Shirt Magnate (AJ Dimarucot)
T-Shirt Magnate
AJ Dimarucot
AJ is a self-taught graphic designer who is known for his iconic work on t-shirts--having designed for brands like Nike, Jordan Brand, Adidas, to a multitude of independent brands. His work has delivered millions of dollars worth of sales all over the world. He has designed officially-licensed tees for athletes in the NFL, MLB, and the NBA, as well as for properties like Coca-Cola, Star Wars, and Marvel. From US to Japan to his hometown of Manila, his t-shirt designs are worn all over the world.In...2019-03-1700 min
RootsThe UX Consultant (Tisha Ibasco)
The UX Consultant
Tisha Ibasco
Tisha Ibasco is the Experience Design Lead at Accenture, helping build the capability of UX in the Philippines. She leads a team of 20 designers based in Manila and Cebu. Before that, she was a Product Design Lead at Stratpoint. As an experience designer, she likes to dive deep into her projects and its uncertainties to help design thoughtful products. She puts considerable thought in understanding and modelling user and business needs to make product ideas happen.In this episode we talk about things like taking criticism...2019-03-1000 min
RootsThe Originator (Dan Matutina)
The Originator
Dan Matutina
I caught up with Dan Matutina — a graphic designer and illustrator. He is a founding partner at Plus63 Design Co. and the Hydra Design Group. He has worked on projects for brands such as Apple, Google, Microsoft, Pinterest, Airbnb, Samsung, WIRED Magazine, Fast Co., Wallpaper*, The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, Coca-Cola, Havaianas, Heineken, Uniqlo to name a few. At Plus63 Design Co., he develops graphic design identities and systems for brands.In this episode we talk about how Dan started his design journey, building a design socia...2019-03-0300 min
RootsThe Design Educator (Tata Yap)
The Design Educator
Tata Yap
Tata Yap is a creative director for digital agency, Code and Theory Manila; working with clients like Doctors Without Borders (MSF.org), the World Health Organisation, C40 Cities, and the International Crisis Group. She works to teach, and teaches to work, juggling her roles with 8 years of being a lecturer of type, web and graphic design at the Ateneo de Manila University where her students are always a source of optimism, inspiration, and energy.We talked about learning design through fandoms, why typography is important, how w...2019-02-2400 min
RootsMultidimensional CXO (Denise Haak)
Multidimensional CXO
Denise Haak
Denise Haak is the Chief Experience Officer at QUIDDITY, an end-to-end User Experience design and consultancy firm with clients like CebuPacific GetGo, Banco De Oro, and the Department of Trade and Industry. She was previously at Google as an Agency Business Lead and also worked as part of the inaugural team that launched the Google Philippines office. She was the Founder and Managing Director of ALT:ENGINE, and worked at the top ad agencies in the country.In this episode we talk about how Denise got into...2019-02-1700 min
RootsDesign Detective (Birdie Salva)
Design Detective
Birdie Salva
I talked to Birdie Salva, the co-founder and general manager of Curiosity, a Manila-based design research agency. He currently leads user-centered research projects for companies like Globe, Sun Life Financial, and Ayala Corporation. He has been part of an industrial design startup, a brand manager for L'Oreal Philippines, and a lecturer in Ateneo de Manila University. As an avid gamer, he’s now trying his hand in game design.In this episode, we talked about building a design research company, thinking about design consequences, creating a party ga...2019-02-1000 min
RootsThe Creative Partner (John Paul De Guzman)
The Creative Partner
John Paul De Guzman
I interviewed JP de Guzman, the Chief Creative of Frost Design. He is an entrepreneur by heart, a full-time life student by day, and now a father of four. He led various creative projects from top local and global organizations like International Organization on Migration (IOM), Globe Telecoms, Asian Institute of Management, AboitizLand, TV5, and Solar Network.In this episode, we talked about running a creative company, treating clients like partners, the quality talent problem in the industry, and a lot more.2019-02-0344 min
RootsCX Champion (Miggy Dela Cruz)
CX Champion
Miggy Dela Cruz
I interviewed Michael Dela Cruz, affectionately known by his peers as “Miggy,” is the former Director of Customer Experience Design at Globe Telecom, the leading telecommunications company in the Philippines. His professional experience in Globe lasted 10 years, starting from his humble beginnings as an intern back in 2007 and management trainee in 2008.In this episode we discuss what it’s like to lead design and change at Globe, how design can change lives, obstacle sports racing, and a lot more. ShownotesMiggy’s...2019-01-2744 min
RootsCSS Avatar (Samantha Rose Cruz)
CSS Avatar
Samantha Rose Cruz
I interviewed Samantha Rose Cruz, Senior UI Designer at Effective Digital. She has held roles as a Product Designer and Front-end Developer working at Make Technology by Ace Saatchi & Saatchi, Challonge at SplitmediaLabs, and Proudcloud. She is the founder and community manager of ManilaCSS, an organization aiming to promote the latest CSS practices.In this episode, we talk about being a lone designer vs being in a design team, coping with carpal tunnel syndrome, managing a CSS community, and a lot more....2019-01-2058 min
RootsSupersaiyan Designer (Aldrich Tan)
Supersaiyan Designer
Aldrich Tan
I talked to Aldrich Tan, the Design Director and Co-founder of Vessel Innovation Design Group. He previously held Design Roles at Remitly, Getty Images, Artefact, and IMS Health. His design journey has taken him to the US and Canada, before he decided to go back to the Philippines to build impactful startups, design cultures, and mindsets, while mentoring younger designers.In this episode we talked a lot about managing up, asking questions, requesting feedback, starting a design career, and a lot more....2019-01-131h 11