Conscious Tech

Frank Bach, aka “Zen Daddy,” is a Staff Product Designer at Instagram. Frank not only designs the creator experience at Meta, he also runs his own company, Sunshine Shop, and plays in his band, Monk. 🎶

Chapters

(00:00:00) Frank’s universe

(00:05:24) Frank’s band Monk

(00:06:55) Continue your passions

(00:08:44) Running a small studio

(00:10:37) Product Design at Redbull

(00:13:07) Headspace and meditation

(00:19:33) Getting a job at Headspace

(00:26:36) Product Design at Headspace

(00:29:15) Always be building your portfolio

(00:31:31) Getting laid off

(00:36:40) Instagram creators team

(00:39:33) Becoming a speaker

(00:47:37) Frank’s business Sunshine Shop

(00:56:38) Performing with the band and time management

(00:59:50) What’s in Frank’s future?

Resources

___________________________________________________________

I'm Sera Tajima, Climate Tech Advisor & Investor. 🤙

I talk about:

→ Product Growth Strategy (Growth, Design, AI)

→ Climate Tech

→ Venture Capital

⁠Connect for more good energy⁠ ⚡️

Become a sponsor: [email protected]

Ridd, aka Michael Riddering, is the Founder of Figma Academy, Host of podcast Deep Dives, and the founding designer behind Maven.

Chapters

(00:00:00) Ridd’s background

(00:02:02) Learning coding

(00:04:06) Startup failure & finding design

(00:13:04) Transition to agency life

(00:15:33) Visual finesse and raw talent

(00:16:45) Becoming a Founding Designer with Maven

(00:21:20) Building the Maven team

(00:25:31) Twitter as testing for Figma Academy

(00:28:44) Design Media Business

(00:31:09) It’s not work, it’s a game

(00:41:02) What makes Figma Academy successful

(00:52:16) Prototyping is a superpower

Get the Conscious Tech Newsletter 🗞️

Where to find Ridd:

Twitter: https://x.com/ridd_design

Dive Club Podcast: https://www.dive.club/

Figma Academy: https://www.dive.club/advanced-figma

___________________________________________________________

I'm Sera Tajima, Climate Tech Advisor & Investor. 🤙

I talk about:

→ Product Growth Strategy (Growth, Design, AI)

→ Climate Tech

→ Venture Capital

⁠⁠Connect for more good energy⁠⁠ ⚡️

Become a sponsor: [email protected]

Suzan Doodeman is a social entrepreneur, activist, author of Hoe Dan Wel, and Co-Founder of De IdealenSchool.

Chapters

(00:00:00) Suzan Doodeman background

(00:03:49) Protest for undocumented people

(00:09:33) Starting a business (Hoe Dan Wel)

(00:11:23) The importance of your business partners

(00:14:24) Traineeship for social entrepreneurs

(00:15:22) Writing a book

(00:16:28) Activist work, pushing the boundaries

(00:23:45) Pragmatic idealism

(00:27:11) Design thinking & experimentation

(00:28:06) Practical tips on how to start your business

(00:31:20) 1. Take a look at yourself

(00:32:09) 2. Everything is possible, divergent thinking

(00:34:18) 3. Research & experimentation

(00:34:45) 4. Make it real

(00:36:27) 5. Celebrate the results

(00:39:29) Taking care of yourself

(00:42:50) People over the economy

(00:44:37) Time and income

(00:48:40) Start as soon as possible

(00:50:41) Stay away from perfection

Suzan’s Resources:

The Nutmeg’s Curse by Amitav Ghosh

How Migration Really Works by Hein de Haas

(Buy books locally if possible 😊)

Where to find Suzan Doodeman:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/suzan-doodeman/

___________________________________________________________

I'm Sera Tajima, Climate Tech Advisor & Investor. 🤙

I talk about:

→ Product Growth Strategy (Growth, Design, AI)

→ Climate Tech

→ Venture Capital

⁠⁠Connect for more good energy⁠⁠ ⚡️

Become a sponsor: [email protected]

In this episode, Sera, host & Founder of Conscious Tech deep dives on JTBD for technologists.

Chapters

(00:00:00) Introduction and Annoucements

(00:01:21) Why companies are dying quicker

(00:02:34) Why I like JTBD

(00:03:26) People are trying to progress in life

(00:04:18) The process of creative disruption

(00:05:20) Customers inadvertently lie

(00:06:11) JTBD theory and practice

(00:09:46) Examples of 3 dimensions

(00:11:29) Tony Ulwick’s 9 tenets of JTBD

(00:13:03) Incorporate JTBD into Your Process

(00:14:40) Investigate beyond the superficial layer

(00:16:47) 1. Define your market(00:17:56) 2. UX Research

(00:23:40) 3. Synthesize your research(00:24:22) 4. Map the job

(00:25:03) 5. Identify customer needs (example with ChatGPT and Claude)

(00:26:10) 6. Create JTBD statements(00:27:09) 7. Ideate solutions

(00:27:53) 8. Prioritization and planning(00:29:00) 9. Design and test

(00:30:00) 10. Refine and measure impact

(00:30:58) Bob Moesta’s Case study

(00:33:33) FAQ

⁠Join the Newsletter (sources here)⁠⁠

Learn Sustainable Growth Design⁠

___________________________________________________________

I'm Sera Tajima, Climate Tech Advisor & Investor. 🤙

I talk about:

→ Product Growth Strategy (Growth, Design, AI)

→ Climate Tech

→ Venture Capital

⁠⁠Connect for more good energy⁠⁠ ⚡️

Become a sponsor: [email protected]

Don Norman has paved the way for design as we know it. He is a retired Professor, Apple VP, and co-founder of Nielsen Norman Group. His 21 books include Emotional Design, Design of Everyday Things, and Design for a Better World.

Get weekly intel at ⁠⁠conscioustech.co⁠⁠

Chapters

(00:00:00) Don Norman introduction

(00:01:39) Don’s 5th retirement

(00:04:10) Design Lab University of California San Diego

(00:05:47) Author of 21 books(00:08:33) Design for a better world is spreading

(00:10:35) What’s wrong with human centered design

(00:11:50) Expanding our mind and staying curious

(00:14:00) Logic is not how people think

(00:16:49) The value of creativity

(00:18:37) How economics is significant to design

(00:20:53) Nobel Prize for economics

(00:24:08) Sidetracked on profit

(00:26:00) Changing human behavior

(00:29:33) Prioritize the most important thing

(00:31:50) Problems like climate change are invisible

(00:32:33) Greenwashing is good

(00:33:54) If your company is wrong, give them a solution

(00:37:14) You must understand the entire company

(00:39:30) How design increases the quality of life

(00:44:52) Lifestyle changes since writing the book

(00:49:22) The US medical system has been taken over by profit

(00:51:30) Politics and lobbying for Apple

(00:54:25) The world is complex

(00:55:16) Design systems

(00:57:34) Are ICs powerless?

(01:00:02) UN Sustainable Development Goal 17

(01:00:31) The Netherlands is a leader for sustainability

(01:04:38) Colonialism rules the world

(01:11:23) It’s not too late

Don’s Resources:

Design for a Better World Resources

Don Norman Design Award

Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness

Understanding Computers and Cognition: A New Foundation for Design

Empire of Cotton: A Global History

Where to find Don Norman:

Linkedin: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/donnorman/

[email protected]

Thorsten Jonas is Founder of SUX, keynote speaker, and consultant on sustainability and responsible AI.

Chapters

(00:00:00) Thorsten, Digital Sustainability Trailblazer

(00:08:09) Going through a burnout

(00:22:38) Is AI the right solution?

(00:25:38) Energy and water consumption of AI

(00:28:03) AI education and bias

(00:32:16) Human creativity

(00:34:14) What is truth?

(00:35:25) Surveillance in Nazi Germany

(00:38:14) Momo and stealing time

(00:39:49) Harmful KPIs, manipulation, & dopamine

(00:41:44) Data privacy, GDPR, regulations

(00:44:40) Change is many small steps

(00:46:27) Having conversations & finding compromises

(00:51:40) SUX, workshops & masterclass

Resources:

• SUX: https://sustainableuxnetwork.com/

• SUX Academy: https://sustainableuxnetwork.com/academy

• Sustainability Resources: https://suxnetwork.notion.site/

• Momo (book referenced)

Where to find Thorsten Jonas:

• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thorstenjonas/

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dolbydigger/

• Website: https://thorstenjonas.com/

___________________________________________________________

I'm Sera Tajima, Founder, Climate Tech Advisor & Investor. 🤙

I talk about:

→ Product Growth Strategy (Growth, Design, AI)

→ Climate Tech

→ Venture Capital

⁠⁠⁠Connect for more good energy⁠⁠⁠ ⚡️

Become a sponsor: [email protected]

Phil Pham is a Head of Design, Author of "Work From Anywhere", and fellow Maui resident. We chat about intentionally designing your life and Phil's experience, which ranges from agencies, to Uber, BetterUp, and philanthropy.

Chapters

(00:00:00) Balancing career and family

(00:05:00) Phil’s design background

(00:07:57) Letting fear derail you from your path

(00:21:27) How Phil became head of design

(00:26:41) Working at Uber and Travis Getting Ousted

(00:30:08) Career development seminars at Uber

(00:35:16) Value and toxicity working in tech in San Francisco

(00:37:23) Don’t wait for permission

(00:39:03) Phil’s book - Work from Anywhere

(00:40:26) Making a decision where the cost of failure is too high

(00:45:15) Working at BetterUp with a focus on psychology

(00:48:04) Getting laid off and how interviewing has changed

(01:00:00) Experimental philanthropy and leveraging AI

Phil’s Reading List:

• Work from Anywhere: How to Do What You Love in the Remote Economy (Phil’s book)

• Awaken the Giant Within by Tony Robbins

• The Art of Non Conformity by Chris Guillebeau

• Think and Grow Rich by Napolean Hill

• Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel

• The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle

Where to find Phil Pham:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philpham/

• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-pham/

• Website: https://philphamdesign.com/

• Podcast: Modern Dad Life

___________________________________________________________

I'm Sera Tajima, Founder, Climate Tech Advisor & Investor. 🤙

I talk about:

→ Product Growth Strategy (Growth, Design, AI)

→ Climate Tech

→ Venture Capital

⁠⁠⁠Connect for more good energy⁠⁠⁠ ⚡️

Become a sponsor: [email protected]

Sera Tajima, Host and Founder of The Craft gives an introduction to circular design with 4 global examples of circularity from Apple to e-waste in Brazil.

Chapters

(00:00:00) Introduction to circular design

(00:05:35) Why design for circularity

(00:07:10) Technical and biological waste

(00:10:21) Smartphones, cost-savings, and Apple

(00:12:20) Shifting to a society that consumes less

(00:14:16) 4 Case Studies on Circularity

(00:14:36) Recycling plastic waste in the beauty industry

(00:18:14) Leveraging e-waste to build digital equity in Brazil

(00:21:03) Modular headphone subscriptions to reduce waste

(00:22:51) 100% regenerative agriculture with buy-in from shareholders

(00:25:31) Continue the conversation

Colton Schweitzer is the Founder of Kickass UX; he helps graphic designers become UX Designers. In this conversation we chat about Colton's background, starting Kickass UX, and where the UX education industry fall short.

Chapters

(00:00:00) How Colton got into UX

(00:05:55) Creating your own opportunities

(00:07:40) Depression, discovering spirituality, & gratitude

(00:13:50) Sera's grieving & health issues

(00:25:18) Critical thinking and the why

(00:28:27) Kickass UX

(00:35:08) Coaching students who were struggling in a bootcamp

(00:36:25) Teaching graphic designers

(00:38:56) Designers need to understand business and growth

(00:40:00) Picking the right case study

(00:45:05) Free work and value

(00:51:34) Colton's relationship with social media

(00:55:00) Unconscious habits and letting human needs drive the product

(00:57:40) Meditation, manifesting, and visualizations

Where to find Colton Schweitzer:

• LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/coltonschweitzer/
• Kickass UX: https://www.kickassux.com/free-ux-design-course

___________________________________________________________

I'm Sera Tajima, Founder, Climate Tech Advisor & Investor. 🤙

I talk about:

→ Product Growth Strategy (Growth, Design, AI)

→ Climate Tech

→ Venture Capital

⁠⁠⁠Connect for more good energy⁠⁠⁠ ⚡️

Become a sponsor: [email protected]

Kate Kalcevich is the Head of Accessibility and Innovation at Fable. In this conversation we chat representation, intersectionality, and practical tips for accessible design.

Chapters:

(00:00:00) Season 2 and Kate Kalcevich

(00:02:06) Empowering people with accessibility

(00:09:45) You'll never learn if you don't engage

(00:13:43) Good role models and representation

(00:16:06) Kate's career in government

(00:17:04) Fable and their products

(00:18:30) A large portion of the population has a disability

(00:21:44) Consciously create more inclusive products and teams

(00:24:00) Talk to people with disabilities and tips for designing

(00:30:44) Recruiting participants for research

(00:34:00) Integrating accessibility into the day-to-day

(00:38:30) Find purpose, advocate and shape your career

Where to find Kate Kalcevich:

• Kate's LinkedIn:⁠ https://www.linkedin.com/in/katekalcevich/

• Fable: ⁠https://makeitfable.com/

___________________________________________________________

I'm Sera Tajima, Founder, Climate Tech Advisor & Investor. 🤙

I talk about:

→ Product Growth Strategy (Growth, Design, AI)

→ Climate Tech

→ Venture Capital

⁠⁠⁠Connect for more good energy⁠⁠⁠ ⚡️

Become a sponsor: [email protected]