Design MBA

Watch the video version of this interview on YouTube


GUEST BIO:
Punit Chawla is an avid Youtube design creator and wants to leave an impact on the world. 

JOIN INDIA'S MOST AFFORDABLE DESIGN SCHOOL:

• Level up your UX/UI skills and by joining DesignWings.in
   

CONNECT WITH PUNIT CHAWLA:

• Connect with Punit Chawla on LinkedIn
• Follow Punit Chawla on Instagram
• Watch Punit Chawla's latest design tutorials on YouTube
   

LEVEL UP YOUR DESIGN CAREER (FREE EMAIL COURSE):

• Learn 7 proven strategies in 7 days to grow in your design career -
  https://levelup.designmba.show/

🫣 Sneak Peek into Figma Files of top designers for FREE:

https://www.sneakpeek.design/
 

Felix is a Product Designer whose purpose is to constantly reinvent the way we experience the world around us and beyond by designing impactful products people love. He has worked with multiple global startups and is currently a full time Design Lead at Gotrade (YC S19). Felix previously co-founded Packdat which was acquired in 2018 and was the former Head of Product and Design at Passpod Indonesia.

JOIN ADPList(Amazing Design People List)

• Find design jobs on ADPList.org
• Sign up as a mentor and help other designers at ADPList.org
   

CONNECT WITH FELIX LEE:

• Connect with Felix Lee on LinkedIn
• Follow Felix Lee on Instagram
   

LEVEL UP YOUR DESIGN CAREER (FREE EMAIL COURSE):

• Learn 7 proven strategies in 7 days to grow in your design career -
  https://levelup.designmba.show/

🫣 Sneak Peek into Figma Files of top designers for FREE:

https://www.sneakpeek.design/
 

Tom has been building tools for the creative industry for nearly a decade. He's currently working on Clover – a notebook that allows creatives to work visually. Before that, he drove product design and strategy for InVision. He joined the InVision team via acquisition of his first startup – Macaw – which built responsive web design tools. Before that he designed tools for Apple and Oracle, was acquihired by Twitter, and helped MIT design and launch edX.

CONNECT WITH TOM  GIANNATTASIO:

• Connect with Tom Giannattasio on LinkedIn
• Follow Tom Giannattasio on Twitter
• Sign up for Clover - the all-in-one notebook for creatives!
   

LEVEL UP YOUR DESIGN CAREER (FREE EMAIL COURSE):

• Learn 7 proven strategies in 7 days to grow in your design career -
  https://levelup.designmba.show/

🫣 Sneak Peek into Figma Files of top designers for FREE:

https://www.sneakpeek.design/
 

Anil Reddy is an artist by heart, designer by soul and an entrepreneur by choice. Anil is the Founder and Design Director of Lollypop.Design, a research driven design studio that is restructuring the way consumers think about the digital experience. From two people working out of a garage, today, Lollypop is 130+ people strong with offices all over the world. Lollypop studio has impacted a billion lives via clients like Myntra, Swiggy etc. Lollypop  has garnered national and international recognition as well as awards.
 

TOPICS:

• Anil Reddy opens up about his difficult childhood and discovering his artistic talents
• How Anil Reddy got his first job as a contract cleaner?
• What drives Anil Reddy to hustle?
• Anil Reddy talks about learning Tamil language just to get design contracts
• Anil Reddy recounts the magic moment of getting introduced to computers and going to New Zealand for masters!
• Anil Reddy shares the struggles he faced while completing his masters in New Zealand
• Why did Anil Reddy leave all the success in New Zealand behind to move back to India and start from scratch?
• Why did Anil Reddy name his design agency 'Lollipop'?
• Anil Reddy recalls the first few projects at Lollypop
• How involved is Anil Reddy in the day to day operations of Lollypop?
• Anil Reddy explains how Lollypop got acquired by Terralogic
• What Anil Reddy learn from his angel investor Dr Devi Shetty(CEO @ Narayana Health)?
• Does Anil Reddy have any regrets over not taking equity from his unicorn startup clients?
• Anil Reddy's advice for designers looking to make their mark
   

CONNECT WITH Anil Reddy:

• Connect with Anil Reddy on LinkedIn
• Follow Anil Reddy on Instagram
• Learn more about Lollypop.Design
   

LEVEL UP YOUR DESIGN CAREER (FREE EMAIL COURSE):

• Learn 7 proven strategies in 7 days to grow in your design career -
  https://levelup.designmba.show/

🫣 Sneak Peek into Figma Files of top designers for FREE:

https://www.sneakpeek.design/
 

Matt D. Smith is the owner and Design Director at Studio MDS, a small independent design studio in Athens, GA. He created the Float Label Pattern for digital input fields, the Contrast app for checking WCAG 2.0 color contrast ratios, and Flowkit for creating user flows inside your favorite design tool. He's currently working on an intensive interface design course called Shift Nudge.He's a proud father of four. 
 

TOPICS:

• 3:13: MDS's journey to getting a ripped physique
• 7:26: What drives MDS(Matt D Smith)?
• 10:45: Why does MDS prefer to operate as a Company of One?
• 16:10: Why did MDS decide to make video courses in the design education space?
• 19:34: MDS explains why he has to be picky and select projects that actually pay money
• 28:32: Why has MDS never had a full time job?
• 31:54: Would MDS consider working full time on creating design courses?
• 34:15: MDS describes the beta launch of his new course Shift Nudge
• 40:07: MDS gets real and talks about the overhead costs of producing a design course
• 43:46: How did MDS beta test the Shift Nudge idea before committing to it full time?
• 45:45: MDS explains how to covercome the fear of not having enough twitter followers, mailing list subscribers etc. to launch your idea!
• 50:07: MDS explains his process from start to finish for creating the Shift Nudge course
• 54:00: MDS  gives advise on how to overcome self doubt, imposter syndrome
• 56:45: MDS talks about collaborating with InVision to create a design course
   

LEVEL UP YOUR VISUAL DESIGN SKILLS:

• Check out MDS's Shift Nudge course!!
   

CONNECT WITH MATT D SMITH(MDS):

• Connect with MDS on LinkedIn
• Follow MDS on Twitter
• Subscribe to MDS's Email List and get notified about new course releases
   

LEVEL UP YOUR DESIGN CAREER (FREE EMAIL COURSE):

• Learn 7 proven strategies in 7 days to grow in your design career -
  https://levelup.designmba.show/

🫣 Sneak Peek into Figma Files of top designers for FREE:

https://www.sneakpeek.design/
 

Tony Daussat is an award-winning designer currently working as a Lead Experience Design Strategist at Bottle Rocket Studios in Dallas, TX.  He has worked with some of the world’s most exacting brands including: Hyatt, KFC, BaylorScott & White, Dave & Busters, Fiesta Restaurant Group, Caesars Entertainment, TripCase, FirstData, and Robert Half, to name a few.

He has started and sold two online companies, and is currently the host of the Liftoff podcast, boasting listeners in 150 countries. He is a guest lecturer at Dallas Baptist University, and his public speaking includes Big Design, HOW Design Live etc. In his spare time, Tony enjoys renovating his home and spending time with his wife and two toddlers.

TOPICS:

• 4:34: How did Tony Daussat get started with podcasting?
• 8:18: How does Tony Daussat come up with new questions to ask famous guests(eg: Chris Doe, Jared Spool) who have done hundreds of interviews?
• 10:49: Starting from contacting a guest to interviewing them - behind the scenes look at Tony Daussat's process
• 15:30: Tony Daussat shares stats for his podcast Experience Design!
• 18:34: Why did Tony Daussat decide to hire a podcast producer to edit his interviews?
• 21:27: Tony Daussat's podcast setup
• 26:58: Tony Daussat explains how to edit a podcast interview - don't try to remove all the "ums", "ahs" etc.
• 34:02: How does Tony Daussat deal with guests who have a terrible audio setup?
• 35:57: Jayneil Dalal opens up about his biggest screwup in his podcasting journey
• 43:54: How does Tony Daussat wing his podcast interviews?
• 49:38: Tony Daussat reveals the secret to being a great interviewer
• 54:03: How does Tony Daussat plan to monetise the podcast?
• 56:45: Shocking news: Tony Daussat will be sunsetting the Expereince Design podcast!
   

CONNECT WITH TONY DAUSSAT:

• Connect with Tony Daussat on LinkedIn
• Follow Tony Daussat on Instagram
• Listen to the Liftoff podcast
• If you are a designer looking to break into the UX world and get a job, check out Tony Daussat's HiredUX course!!
   

TONY DAUSSAT'S PODCAST GEAR:

• Rode Podcaster microphone
• Rode PSA-1 microphone boom arm
   

JAYNEIL DALAL'S PODCAST GEAR:

• Samson Q2U Dynamic microphone
• Bose NC 700 noise cancelling headphones
• Microphone pop filter
• Caseling podcast kit to store all the podcast equipment
• Squadcast for recording the podcast interviews
• Simplecast for hosting and distributing the podcast
• Auphonic for cleaning up the audio automatically
• Descript for editing the podcast interviews
   

LEVEL UP YOUR DESIGN CAREER (FREE EMAIL COURSE):

• Learn 7 proven strategies in 7 days to grow in your design career -
  https://levelup.designmba.show/

🫣 Sneak Peek into Figma Files of top designers for FREE:

https://www.sneakpeek.design/
 

Gary Gattis is a creative interdisciplinary leader guiding people and processes to improve our world. His specialties include growth, operations, and management. He has founded several companies at the intersection of technology and design, and led extremely diverse teams to success. He is currently CEO for Hypergiant Galactic Systems, focussed on integrating Artificial Intelligence with the commercialization of Space. Outside of work he can usually be found buried in a good sci-fi novel.

TOPICS:

• 2:13: Gary Gattis's experience watching a space rocket launch
• 5:36: How did Gary Gattis design his own college curriculum at UT Austin?
• 10:25: How Gary Gattis got his first job in the industry by cold calling the CEO 30 times?
• 14:55: Why Gary Gattis believes in designing his own luck?
• 20:54: Gary Gattis explains the benefits of hanging out with folks from different generations
• 26:18: Gary Gattis' foray into the gaming world and running the Star Wars Galaxies game at Sony
• 37:40: Gary Gattis explains the process behind designing a game
• 41:01: Gary Gattis's journey of starting Spacetime Studios
• 50:14: What happened after Gary Gattis sent a cold email to Steve Jobs?
• 57:10: Gary Gattis & team raise venture captial from Insight Venture Partners
• 1:00:05: Why was Gary Gattis thinking of selling the company?
• 1:10:10: How Gary Gattis leveraged his network to discover the next big thing to work on and joined Hypergiant!

CONNECT GARY GATTIS:

• Connect with Gary Gattis on LinkedIn
   

MORE COOL STUFF TO CHECK OUT:

• StrengthsFinders 2.0 (Book)
• Hypergiant (Startup)
• Spacetime Studios (Company)
   

LEVEL UP YOUR DESIGN CAREER (FREE EMAIL COURSE):

• Learn 7 proven strategies in 7 days to grow in your design career -
  https://levelup.designmba.show/

🫣 Sneak Peek into Figma Files of top designers for FREE:

https://www.sneakpeek.design/
 

GUEST BIO:
Cassini Nazir is a designer of conversations, curriculum, and interfaces. He is a Clinical Associate Professor in the University of North Texas where he teaches class in design thinking. Prior to joining UNT, he taught interaction design at UT Dallas. He recently served as Designer-in-Residence for the SMU Masters in Design and Innovation program. Previously, he was Director of Design and Research for the ArtSciLab, a transdisciplinary research lab helping the arts, science, and technology communities by pursuing initiatives of societal urgency and cultural timeliness. Cassini holds bachelor’s degrees in English Literature and Economics as well as an MFA in Arts and Technology. 

TOPICS:

• 2:10: How does Cassini Nazir never get angry?
• 5:40: Mechanical vs Biological mindset when dealing with people
• 7:15: Why are some coworkers pain in the a** at work but great to have a beer with?
• 9:23: Conception of time in Madagascar
• 10:59: How to be present in the moment during a conversation?
• 12:58: How does Cassini Nazir overcome networking FOMO at a meetup event?
• 14:54: How does Cassini Nazir teach the art of design conversations to his students?
• 22:05: What is Cassini Nazir's approach to dealing with difficult people?
• 32:53: Cassini Nazir gives advise on how to collaborate with a**holes
• 36:34: Cassini Nazir's book recommendations for designers
• 41:19: Why does Jayneil Dalal track the people he meets in an excel sheet?
• 44:49: Cassini Nazir explains how to find your Cardinal North as a designer
   

CONNECT CASSINI NAZIR:

• Follow Cassini Nazir on Twitter
• Connect with Cassini Nazir on LinkedIn
   

MORE COOL STUFF TO CHECK OUT:

• Collaborating with the enemy (Book)
• Meditations by Marcus Aurelius (Book)
• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Book)
   

LEVEL UP YOUR DESIGN CAREER (FREE EMAIL COURSE):

• Learn 7 proven strategies in 7 days to grow in your design career -
  https://levelup.designmba.show/

🫣 Sneak Peek into Figma Files of top designers for FREE:

https://www.sneakpeek.design/
 

GUEST BIO:
Ryan Burke is an experienced senior sales and business development executive, specializing in scaling early stage companies and driving enterprise level sales. Most recently, Ryan was the Senior Vice President of International for InVision, the leading design collaboration platform used by 4 million people worldwide and 100% of Fortune 100 companies. 

Ryan is also an active angel investor, advisor to multiple early stage startups, and an expert on building remote teams and culture. He is a frequent speaker on scaling SaaS and managing remote teams.Ryan is currently based in London, but will be moving back to the Boston area where he also owns an oyster farm - Plimoth102s.com

CONSULT WITH  RYAN BURKE TO SCALE YOUR REMOTE ORGANIZATION

After helping InVision scale from 30 - 850 fully remote employees and to over $100M in ARR -  making it one of the largest fully remote companies in the world. Ryan is now actively helping remote teams thrive in the new environment. From hiring, communication, culture and tooling, Ryan is helping companies build and manage fully distributed teams. 

https://www.ryanburkeremote.com/

TOPICS:

• 2:41: What led Ryan Burke to pursue a career in sales?
• 5:32: Ryan Burke's earliest experience with sales
• 6:21: What does Ryan teach his kids about sales?
• 7:53: How is sales in the design space different from other fields?
• 11:56: Examples from InVision Sales Playbook
• 15:27: Ryan Burke explains "It's not about closing deals but giving value as a salesperson"
• 18:59: What does Ryan Burke look for in a salesperson?
• 21:16: Deep dive into Ryan Burke's mind when is closing a deal
• 23:07: How Jayneil got an intro to the venture capitalist Vas Natarajan at Accel Partners?
• 25:06: Design recruiters please stop spamming designers with the same copy & paste messages on LinkedIn!
• 28:12: Why designers struggle to sell within an organization?
• 30:29: Ryan Burke's book recommendations for designers
• 31:59: Ryan Burke's favorite failures
• 33:20: Ryan Burke's angel investing deal flow
• 35:26: How does Ryan Burke work with young founders?
• 36:47: Ryan Burke's pet peeves while evaluating new opportunities
• 38:31: Ryan Burke's advice to designers who want to become better at selling
   

CONNECT WITH RYAN BURKE:

• Follow Ryan Burke on Twitter
• Connect with Ryan Burke on LinkedIn
   

MORE COOL STUFF TO CHECK OUT:

• The Power Of Moments (Book)
• The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Book)
   

LEVEL UP YOUR DESIGN CAREER (FREE EMAIL COURSE):

• Learn 7 proven strategies in 7 days to grow in your design career -
  https://levelup.designmba.show/

🫣 Sneak Peek into Figma Files of top designers for FREE:

https://www.sneakpeek.design/
 

GUEST BIO:
Ryan Rumsey is the CEO and founder of Second Wave Dive, where he develops boutique leadership programs for professionals in the digital product and services industries. Second Wave Dive has worked with product, design, and executive leaders from companies like Google, IBM, Lyft, Workday, ConsenSys, Autodesk, and ANZ. Ryan has a hybrid background in interaction design, front-end development, and product management. Previously he led digital product innovation and transformation at Apple, Electronic Arts, USAA, and Nestlé. His life experiences include working on a farm and acting in a Staind music video. Ryan is a dad, partner, and massive fan of the Liverpool Football Club.
 

TOPICS:

• 2:23: Getting hold of a conference room at a co-working space - the struggle is real!
• 3:04: Ryan shares the power of 'Yes And' improv method which he picked up during his time in Hollywood
• 5:31: Ryan's shares his secret to overcoming the lure of job titles and benefits to go do your own thing!
• 7:23: How does a designer go about doing their own thing?
• 8:37: Did Ryan have clients lined up before he started Second Wave Dive?
• 10:26: Inception of the 'Business Thinking Intensive' Course
• 11:46: Business Thinking Intensive elevator pitch
• 13:04: How has Ryan flipped the traditional classroom learning model?
• 15:01: Issues with traditional online learning courses
• 16:55: Time blocking - Ryan's magic weapon to thriving as a one man army!
• 19:30: Prioritizing family over work
• 21:19: Why everyone needs to have a Career Manifesto
• 22:07: How does one self assess their progress in career and personal aspects of life?
• 26:21: Why individuals can work faster than organizations? [Hint: gravity]
• 27:33: How did Ryan get an opportunity to write a book with InVision?
• 29:42: Why  Ryan decided to offer his book for free?
• 30:37: Jayneil getting advice from Ryan on leaving AT&T to pursue his passions
• 33:15: What does Ryan stand for?
   

CONNECT WITH RYAN RUMSEY:

• Follow Ryan Rumsey on Twitter
• Connect with Ryan Rumsey on LinkedIn
• Check out Ryan Rumsey's personal website
   

MORE COOL STUFF TO CHECK OUT:

• Download the  Business Thinking for Designers  ebook for free!!
• Level up your design career by taking the amazing courses at Second Wave Dive!
   

LEVEL UP YOUR DESIGN CAREER (FREE EMAIL COURSE):

• Learn 7 proven strategies in 7 days to grow in your design career -
  https://levelup.designmba.show/

🫣 Sneak Peek into Figma Files of top designers for FREE:

https://www.sneakpeek.design/