Bear Academy

Bear Academy

By Bear LiuBusinessEducationArtsSelf-ImprovementCareersDesign
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Bear Academy episodes

  • #05 - Designer, you should learn drawing!
    This might be an unpopular opinion: designers should learn how to draw, and it's even more important in the digital age. I have three reasons:
    ✅ Better communication - using sketch or doodle to communicate is a great way. Architecture designer uses this approach for decades.
    ✅ Better observation - by learning and practising drawing, you will learn how to observe, which is very helpful for your user research and discovery.
    ✅ Understanding UI fundamentals - UI trends are changing, but the basic of the basic, e.g. colour palette, composition and perspective, these aren't changed for decades.
    So, I think a designer should learn drawing. It's a transferable/timeless skill, and it's really fun! But how? Here are a few tips in this one. Check it out!
    Watch the video version on YouTube (https://youtu.be/O1XR7EawNUA)
    13 min
  • #04 - Number 8 Wire Dilemma for NZ Innovators - Brendan Jarvis
    "In New Zealand we have so much potential, but we still have this belief in number 8 wire innovation. It’s a total myth and seriously limiting, especially when it comes to achieving future prosperity.
    We need to start taking ourselves and how we approach design more seriously, if we’ve got a hope of remaining competitive in such a rapidly evolving world."
    Brendan Jarvis
    As a new immigrant designer, I feel so resonate of the quote above, and can't help to think about how we can cope with the new norm, especial on an individual level. After talking with Brendan Jarvis, the founder of Space in Between, I think I found the answer on how to deal with the uncertainties, and create your personal best practice as a designer.
    Shownote
    Space In Between (https://thespaceinbetween.co.nz/)
    Brave UX Podcast (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdOejeOwirOOzRIv55nDryg)
    AGENCYFOUNDERS interview - Float (https://www.float.com/agency-founders/brendan-jarvis/)
    Meet our friends… Brendan Jarvis - Design Assembly interview (https://designassembly.org.nz/2020/09/04/meet-our-friends-brendan-jarvis-the-space-inbetween/) Special Guest: Brendan Jarvis.
    1 hr 3 min
  • #03 - The Designer Who's Trapped On A Tropical Island - Peter Atcheson
    Imagine you and family went to a tropical island for a three-night trip, and you were trapped on the island because of the pandemic, not a few days, not a few weeks, but nearly nine months. How about that?
    A few months ago, I read a post from a designer I followed on LinkedIn. That was his true story. Peter Atcheson is a Digital Product Designer from South Africa. After accidentally stayed in Fiji for eight months, he founded a design studio and dealt with the uncertainties in the best possible way. In this episode of Bear Academy Podcast, I invited Peter to share his story - when life gives you lemons, make lemonade, remotely on a tropical island.
    Shownote
    Peter's website: shineupstudio (https://shineupstudio.com/main)
    Peter's LinkedIn Page (https://www.linkedin.com/in/peteratcheson/) Special Guest: Peter-Atcheson.
    1 hr 18 min
  • #02 - You're a designer, and now what? - Jeff Gothelf
    "As a guy who dreams of becoming a great designer, I got a design job and worked as a designer every day. I got myself in the party, and now what? How could I become a senior designer? What are the pitfalls that I need to avoid? What is the roadmap for my career? And, back to the basic, how to define a senior designer?" These are some common questions from the designers who want to improve, and I have those questions too. Only other senior designers could answer these questions, I mean, real senior designers.
    Jeff Gothelf is the co-author of Lean UX and Sense & Respond, as well as a speaker and organizational designer. He was most recently nominated for a Thinkers50 award for innovation. Over his 20 years in technology, Jeff has worked to bring a customer-centric, evidence-based approach to product strategy, design, and leadership at a wide range of companies, like Neo Innovation, TheLadders, Webtrends, and AOL. He is one of those senior senior designers, and definitely has heaps of experience to provide guidance for intermediate and senior designers. I asked Jeff these questions and got lots of insightful answers.
    If you work in tech or creative industries and would like to become a senior designer, this episode of Bear Academy Podcast is the right one for you.
    Shownote
    Jeff Gothelf website (https://jeffgothelf.com/)
    Lean UX (https://jeffgothelf.com/books/#lean-ux)
    Forever Employable (https://jeffgothelf.com/foreveremployable/) Special Guest: Jeff Gothelf.
    1 hr 3 min
  • #01 - The Design System of Xero with Zac Sanderson-Harris

    Xero, a company with 3000+ employees and 2 million users, was identified by Forbes as the World's Most Innovative Growth Company in 2014 and 2015. Their design team consists of 57 product designers, 13 researchers, and 2 content strategists working from Australia, New Zealand, and other parts of the world. In this podcast, I talk to Zac Sanderson Harris, Product Design Manager - Design Manager (Systems) at Xero, about Design Systems.

    In this episode, you will learn:

    • What is a design system?
    • How does it work?
    • How does a designer at Xero know if a design is successful or not?
    • What competencies do design system builders need to have?
    • How can you learn those skills?

    Zac also shares information about Xero's design team growth, with open roles in product design, design research, and design systems across Australia, New Zealand, and North America. You can find these opportunities on Xero's LinkedIn page, under jobs. Additionally, the design team has published articles about their work and experiences on Medium, in a publication called 'Humans of Xero (https://medium.com/humans-of-xero)'.

    Design Systems resources:

    • Atomic Design | Brad Frost (https://atomicdesign.bradfrost.com/)
    • Design Systems | Alla Khomatova (https://www.smashingmagazine.com/design-systems-book/)
    • Design Systems | Eight shapes (Medium) (https://medium.com/eightshapes-llc/tagged/design-systems)
    • Design Systems Handbook | Invision (https://www.designbetter.co/design-systems-handbook)
    • Practical UI Patterns for Design Systems | Diana MacDonald (https://didoesdigital.com/project/book-practical-ui-patterns-for-design-systems/)


    1 hr 2 min

About Bear Academy

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Bear Academy is a series of candid conversations with founders, designers, and builders about the decisions behind what actually ships. Product bets, design craft, AI workflows, and the messy…