Shows
Surviving UXInvesting in bondsWhat does it feel like to lose everything? What's left over when you walk away from your corporate job and your dream home burns to the ground? Margot Dear faced this unthinkable scenario and has risen from the ashes to rebuild her career, reasses her life, and rediscover the bonds she formed over years of working with UX teammates. Support Margot's GoFundMe to support Altadena, CA: https://gofund.me/175fa8bf 2025-03-251h 00
Surviving UXLead into GoldWhat's the biggest irony of our jobs? Can maximize your productivity if you also have care tasks? How many times do you read your layoff notice? And does your manager really care when you get laid off? Uday Gajendar returns to the podcast. Zirp Soda Tshirt Zirp Soda Sticker2025-02-0436 min
Surviving UXReject allCan you take on a chatbot and win? Are you making your users do chores? Are you pumped about automatic renewal laws? Get hyped with us about UX in 2025.2024-12-3046 min
Surviving UXCase studiesAre you in UX for the right reasons? If you lost your job would you walk away from the UX field or fight for your passion? Do you have the stamina to apply to over 1,000 jobs? We talk to seasoned UX professional Shawn Kenney who is navigating the UX job market in these insane times.2024-12-2040 min
Surviving UXSophisticated naiveteDo designers have enough supervision? Can you be proactive about your destiny in this job market? And who’s a worse train passenger: babies or bachelorettes? User Experience Research Leader Ben Basilan joins the podcast to talk about mastering the research interview and evolving in your career. 2024-12-1837 min
Surviving UXPrettiest screen in the roomWhat proved to be most sticky from UX Y'all the TriUXPA conference? What does it take to get the tech obessesed to look up from their phones? Is there anything that can make bad team dynamics better? More tales of UX survival with guest Matt Rogers, Product Design Lead and fellow UX Y'all presenter.2024-11-2437 min
Surviving UXMini episode: UX Y'all (5 of 5)It's the final countdown! Join us for all the conference fun 1 day before, 2 hours before, and 1 hour after our talk at UX Y'all in Raleigh. 2024-09-2129 min
Surviving UXMini episode: UX Y'all (4 of 5)Nearing the finish line! Is our stress a manufactored crisis? Perhaps a Meg-ufactured one? We forge on and share reflections on the final, tired days of prep. 2024-09-1821 min
Surviving UXMini episode: UX Y'all (3 of 5)We continue to collaborate on our conference talk and ponder: After all this time, how could we be learning new things about each other? What makes all this effort worth it? And, this is going to be fun, right? Right?2024-09-0913 min
Surviving UXMini episode: UX Y'all (2 of 5)We continue to prep for UX Y'all and the rewriting and second guessing is in full swing! This week we talk about nervously crafting slides and talk tracks: What's gonna hit? What's gonna land? 2024-09-0416 min
Surviving UXMini episode: UX Y'all (1 of 5)In a few short weeks Jessamyn and Meg will present at UX Y'all. Will we get the presentation done in time? Will our friendship hold out? And what is it like to get ready for such a UX professional extracurricular? 2024-08-2711 min
Surviving UXThe notebookWhat would you do to save your most precious notebook? Is the remote-worker promotion penalty real? How many chicken nuggets can your AI order? 2024-07-1434 min
Surviving UXGet out of FigmaHow do you move from mocks to strategy? Does anyone appreciate UX consultants? Courtney Campbell joins Surviving UX to talk about her big switch to UX strategy and why she tells designers to get out of Figma.2024-06-2833 min
Surviving UXCommunity feelsWhat happens when you stay at the same company for over a decade? Do you feel represented by UXPA or Figma's communities? Joshua Ledwell joins me and Meg Cramer to talk about staying put.2024-06-2237 min
Surviving UXSummer coldWhat sets you off? Have you ever had an emotional freak out at work? Does it matter if we stay professional or is okay to cry? 2024-06-1438 min
Surviving UXThank you, brain!UX research practitioner Troy Effner joins the podcast! What is work like after a dyslexia diagnosis? How might you sell your super powers to the business? And where can you look to find what nourishes your brain?2024-06-0239 minSurviving UXSurviving UX DraftJoin Meg, Jessamyn, and two special guests for the first Surviving UX Draft to determine the best ever conditions for UX design work. Laura Martin returns and Patrick Kovacich joins for draft day 2024. 2024-05-1442 minSurviving UXAfter darkAre you a UX saint or sinner? Do dark patterns have a place in design? Should you push back if you're asked to design "dark"?2024-04-3031 minSurviving UXIcebreakersWhen's the last time you had the courage to look your stakeholder in the eye and put a design workshop on their calendar? Sami Lee joins us to talk about extra long coffee runs and agenda-less meetings.2024-04-1733 minSurviving UXIt's not youTension? Boredom? Burnout? Are you stuck professionally? It's the perfect time to explore career moves with UX coach Amy Santee.2024-04-0434 minSurviving UXI was rightHave you ever been right at work but had to let someone else believe they were? Did your latest performance review's negative feedback ring true? Is it possible not to get tricked by online shopping UX compliance patterns? 2024-03-1532 minSurviving UXConfetti from the ceilingWhen do employees not want cupcakes? How can one keep calm and M&A on? Is any tech actually improving our lives? Meg and Jessamyn tackle these and other UX quandries spurred by recent tech headlines. 2024-03-1234 minSurviving UXThat old chesnutDinner with the family or drinks after work? Users' time or engineering time? Candy or pain relievers? Jessamyn and Meg tackle the tough judgement calls that come with UX.2024-02-2332 minSurviving UXBeginner's mindCan coaching and meditation get you through a tough job market? Can you to push past pixel pushing to UX strategy? And are true offsites just a fleeting memory now? Meg and Jessamyn welcome Dvir Adler and Dor Reich to talk about their warmest onboarding memories.2024-02-1337 minSurviving UXHoliday partyGlad to see the end of 2023? Meg survives a return to work, including cat attacks. Jessamyn survives on vending machine snacks in a race to the bottom of the cheapest eats in the office.2023-12-1934 minSurviving UXQuestion snobWhat's it like to work at a big company with your spouse? What's it like to work in a small space, also with your spouse? And what's it like to be hitched to a UX professional? Surviving UX tackles love and marriage with two special guests. 2023-12-0635 minSurviving UXWhole selfDo fur babies get more perks at work than children? What’s it like to dip back and forth between military service and big tech? Why is Product put in charge of UX teams and not the other way around? Join us and special guest, UX leader Laurie Lynch, as we sort out which self is the right self to bring to work. 2023-11-2036 minSurviving UXYour day in courtWhere can you have the most public of romance/work breakups? What is especially disgusting about cryptocurrency? And how can you archive the toxic work experiences you just want to forget? Join Jessamyn and Meg for their hot investment tips and the trials of tech. 2023-10-3131 minSurviving UXOn the iceCan you design away a one-thousand-page manual? Does saying yes to UX mean letting go of other passions? Meg and Jessamyn talk to Bahar Espiritu, creative director of Essence of Hockey.2023-10-0939 minSurviving UXThe friends we made along the wayAre you scared to go to reunions? How great would it be to bring your work bestie along to your next gig? What fun things could you learn if you take a virtual tour of your colleague’s home? Senior Product Designer Brianna Koch joins Jessamyn and Meg for a chat. 2023-10-0238 minSurviving UXOpen to workHave you ever dreamed of hanging out your consulting shingle? Can you signal that you're open to new jobs without risking your current one? Amber Braden and Jill Christ join the podcast to share how they founded GLOW Insights, a user research consultancy.2023-09-2239 minSurviving UXEnough days in the (work) weekHow attractive are 4 day work weeks? Can one UX individual actually get more done in less time? When’s the last time you used a new product or service where it felt like they really talked to users? 2023-09-1134 minSurviving UXOpen waterWhat are you willing to do to put food on the table? Do you bother applying to jobs where 300 people have already applied? How do you keep swimming without anything to hold on to? We welcome freelance UX designer and researcher Tim Duffield.2023-08-2833 minSurviving UXJess's LunchBack in the office? Starting over yet again? Climb aboard this UX career train and join Jessamyn and Meg to talk LinkedIn desperation, following dreams, and the glamorous return of commuting. 2023-08-1634 minSurviving UXEveryone's on vacation but meDo you miss cubicle walls? What do you do with a piece of hot gossip? Why don’t senior designers share their secrets? Meg and Jessamyn chat with designer Jo Carroll. 2023-07-3135 minSurviving UXEnforced PositivityAre UX card decks back, or just more divine? Does anyone really want to know about your bad weekend? Do melancholic leaders (wherever they might be hiding) wield power? Meg and Jessamyn ponder the Bittersweet (book by Susan Cain) and try desperately to beat the summer heat. 2023-07-2632 minSurviving UXStill in loveAre you awake at night wondering if your design is ready for users? Are designers scared of talking to their own customers? Can you "borrow" research from other teams? Jessamyn welcomes Shilpa Bhat, senior designer in ML/AI at AWS.2023-06-0326 minSurviving UXRear-facingCan cars be designed any worse for infants? Does GDPR protect us from getting too many catalogs? Is your workplace menopause-friendly?2023-05-3031 minSurviving UXContradictionsHave you been on a project team that released a chatbot but detest them in real life? Can you navigate your job like a roomba while smashing through walls? How do you work through the evening and have dinner with your kids? Meg and Jessamyn consider talk chat crap, dreaming big, and mealtime etiquette. 2023-05-2450 minSurviving UXBathroom UXCould women's bathrooms be designed any worse? Do theme parks even realize people come in different sizes? Is my brastrap showing on this video call? Jessamyn and Meg doubt anyone would understand their LinkedIn posts, so they don't even bother.2023-05-1432 minSurviving UXSpringtime SmörgåsbordEver wondered what plumbing is like at theme parks? Does it seem weird when a colleague is working from bed? What do you think you'd differently when next years performance review season rolls around? And will you actually do it? Jessamyn and Meg catch up on surviving as springtime emerges, even though those pesky germs haven't gotten the memo.2023-04-2145 minSurviving UXShow offDo competitive designers get ahead? What does healthy competition look like? Have you ever thrown anyone under the bus? Meg and Jessamyn talk to Shubha Gargava, senior user experience designer for artificial intelligence and machine learning at AWS. 2023-04-0241 minSurviving UXAffectedWhat does it feel like to wake up to a layoff notice? Why are recruiters sensitive to their interview count? Should you keep your job hunt on simmer or just wait for the phone to ring? Jessamyn and Meg talk to Adam Starr, relationship-first technologist and people person.2023-03-0144 minSurviving UXWorking with CancerScared to talk to managers and HR about unexpected life events? What kind of support do employees need during a major medical crisis? And what can you do for a colleague taking leave? Check out our episode on the “Working with Cancer” pledge and navigating life’s big and little reasons to press pause. 2023-02-1138 minSurviving UXOperational rigorWill you miss pushing pixels if you become a UX manager? Is anyone reading your Figma comments? Can you claim the business's success as your own after designing a feature? Jessamyn and Meg chat with Laura Martin, Senior UX Manager at Amazon.2023-02-0248 minSurviving UXUX layoffsHave you been affected by recent layoffs? How do you share your layoff story in social media? Meg and Jessamyn talk about the broken fantasy of tech careers.2023-01-2439 minSurviving UXLean to accept, Lean to rejectIs it possible to minimize UX drudge work? Can you let go and shake up your process? And just how many of your houseplants should you expect will die? Jessamyn and Meg wade through UXPA (UX Professional Association) conference reviewer feedback and wrap up Surviving UX Season 2!2023-01-1142 minSurviving UXMinivans in the parking lotAnything worse than saying good-bye over zoom? Where do you go at work to talk about parental leave? T-shirt or notebook? Jessamyn and Meg invite guest Krishna Vadrevu, fellow UX Designer, to chat about the best swag, switching jobs in the pandemic, and advice for the non-birth parent. 2022-10-0243 minSurviving UXUX internshipJust how many UX internships do you need to apply to, anyway? What will your parents think about your UX career? What type of work will you end up doing at an internship? Jessamyn and Meg talk to Adaeze Ezekwerre, Drexel University HCI student and summer intern at AWS.2022-09-2532 minSurviving UXUX on a yachtWhere do you find 1% users? Who are the unsung heroes of the UX world? Are the days of onsite interviews over? Jessamyn and Meg talk to Brian Ashbaugh, UX leader and user research director with 20 years in the biz. 2022-09-1836 minSurviving UXBroken prototypesDo you edit your presentation in front of your audience? Schedule meetings and then forget to attend? Jiggle your mouse while you're away? Meg and Jessamyn weigh in on more terrible work habits from UXers.2022-08-2435 minSurviving UXBad habitsDo you watch reality TV while you work? Are you the person who pipes up right before a meeting ends? Is doing your nails at your desk a productivity hack? Meg and Jessamyn celebrate terrible work habits.2022-08-1634 minSurviving UXLight and tightHow long is too long to spend polishing a deliverable? How do you motivate special snowflakes to use a design system? Meg and Jessamyn wonder if summer is even fun anymore. Episode transcripts are now available at https://survivingux.libsyn.com/site/about. 2022-06-2740 minSurviving UXUX bestiesAre you stagnating if you don't want to be a manager? How do you work for a manger who doesn't see your strengths? Is anyone still making friends at work? Jessamyn and Meg talk to best friends and UX dream team, designer and illustrator Priya Shetye and user researcher Whitney Patel.2022-06-1436 minSurviving UXUX is not a diet pillWhat's it like to ditch UX design and take on a new role at your company? How do you get it together to write a UX book? Are UX skills relevant outside of work? Meg and Jessamyn speak to Jim Kalbach, Chief Evangelist at MURAL. More on Jim Kalbach: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kalbach/ https://www.amazon.com/Jobs-Be-Done-Playbook-Organization/dp/1933820683 https://www.jtbdtoolkit.com/2022-06-0638 minSurviving UXTriple bookedCould you run a startup with your spouse? What's the first ritual to go after you leave the corporate world? How do you break bad news to your clients? Meg and Jessamyn speak with Jill Christ, UX research consultant. Twitter: https://twitter.com/jillchrist LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillchrist/ Website: https://www.jillchrist.com/ 2022-05-1738 minSurviving UXWork-cationHow much time should you give companies to interview you? How do you get away from home while working at home? In this job market, is it better to cling to your raft or jump ship? Jessamyn welcomes and bids farewell to Dvir Adler, UX designer at AWS.2022-05-0933 minSurviving UXPhenomenologyWhy do veterans make good UXers? How much whining can a design ops person tolerate? Why can't I be a special design snowflake? Jessamyn and Meg talk to Drew Nevins, UX program manager at AWS.2022-04-2637 minSurviving UXOverlapIs it even possible to be an artist and a designer? Is it better to bounce around or stay at the same company for a long time? Jessamyn and Meg welcome Brian Conery, Head of UI design at CISION. brianconery.com bricondesign.com IG: brianconerydesign IG: brianconeryart Medium articles: https://medium.com/p/e5f88b8740df https://medium.com/p/70d3e268044 https://medium.com/p/c26ec9d96ac9 https://medium.com/p/1f06b5b67f1d2022-04-1237 minSurviving UXFeedback sandwichHow can we light a fire under an unmotivated designer? Why can't our design teams be a bunch of mini-mes? What's the biggest difference between West Coast and East Coast designers? Jessamyn and Meg talk to Jessica Schafer, UX lead at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 2022-04-0228 minSurviving UXConferencesDo you remember your first UX conference? Has your conference proposal ever been rejected? Do I even like going to these things? Jessamyn & Meg reminisce about our favorite UX conference moments.2022-03-2139 minSurviving UXBack to workDoes anyone want to hear about your maternity leave? How much should you share your mental health struggles at work? Should you ever do design work for friends? Jessamyn and Meg talk about the joys of returning to work after baby.2022-03-0734 minSurviving UXOnboardingDoes anyone ever complete all those onboarding tasks? Is it better to be a solo designer or one of too many cooks in the kitchen? Are users lazy? Jessamyn talks to Eunju Tae, senior UX designer at Google.2022-02-0642 minSurviving UXHalf speedHow many meetings does it take to obliterate your productivity? Does being a thought leader matter? Are you supposed to be working on your own ideas? Jessamyn and Meg interview Uday Gajendar, design manager at Aurora Solar and curator at Rosenfeld Media.2022-01-2437 minSurviving UXTurnoverWhat hot UX design trends will completely pass you by this year? Would you encourage your kid to become a UX designer? How do you handle beloved coworkers quitting the team? 2022-01-1140 minSurviving UXOut of officeJessamyn & Meg welcome a living, breathing, male to the show, John Spann, director of Identity Platform at LogMeIn.2021-12-2039 minSurviving UXData friendWhat do you do when your research disagrees with what your team believes? Have you ever had your user researched challenged or dismissed? How do you find new collaboration partners when your stakeholder sucks? Meg & Jessamyn talk to Britney LeBaron, UX quantitative researcher.2021-12-1135 minSurviving UXTurn off your friendlyHow do you know when you're seeing red flags at work? What can you do to keep from feeling overwhelmed with UX requests? What should you do when a co-worker is a bit too friendly? 2021-11-3037 minSurviving UXRethinking my rethinkingWhat is the worst way to organize your project files? How can you embrace your UX burnout? Plus, Meg gives her hot take on "Think Again" by Adam Grant.2021-11-2336 minSurviving UXResearch opsIs it even possible to piss off your design or research ops person? Briana Perry, lead research ops goddess at Procore, talks about her post-it obsession, how she blasted through obstacles with her legal team, and people who do research (PWDR).2021-11-1734 minSurviving UXBlocked on mocksDoes anyone really use the design process? Are designers just a bottleneck? Is it so terrible to put lipstick on a pig? Jessamyn and Meg answer questions from designers in agony. 2021-10-2633 minSurviving UXMaternity leaveHow do you tell your boss you’re pregnant? What if everyone on your team is single and you’re expecting? Can you breastfeed on conference calls? This week Meg and Jessamyn chat with guest host, Nidhi, an anonymous UXer and mom, about pregnancy and maternity leave during your UX career.2021-10-1930 minSurviving UXSoft resistanceHow can you figure out what other designers are making? Is there any hope of staying ethical in your design practice? How can you make waves on your team using “soft resistance” ala Richmond Y. Wong? Jessamyn & Meg talk to Associate Professor Lynn Dombrowski from Indiana University - Purdue University in Indianapolis (IUPUI), who fell in love with design while she was learning to code. Find Lynn at www.lynndombrowski.com and https://twitter.com/lynndombrowski 2021-10-0830 minSurviving UXHackathon hellHow do you squeeze blood from a stone...or requirements from your product manager? Are hackathons ever worth the time? How do you respond when your collaboration partner is a dud?2021-09-2833 minSurviving UXNobody's ever complained about itWhat can airline stewardesses teach us about defending design decisions? Does anyone enjoy vision work? What happened to our happy path? Jessamyn & Meg answer questions from students getting into user experience. 2021-08-3036 minSurviving UXThere’s some gestalt in your RACI chartWhat happens when you get a design job without a design background? How do you deal with poor usability issues when everyone else just wants to launch? What do you do when that stakeholder wants another round of revisions? Join Jessamyn Edwards, Meg Cramer, and our special guest Laura Martin for a conversation about surviving these UX design scenarios and some design lingo you can use in your next meeting. 2021-08-0933 minSurviving UXHow to grow old in UXWhat's the most shocking thing you've encountered as a UX designer? How do you deal with dirty office politics? Can you age gracefully in design? Jessamyn and Meg share experiences for hanging in by your fingernails in your UX career.2021-07-2329 min