Enjoy the Vue

Enjoy the Vue

By The Enjoy the Vue TeamTechnology
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Enjoy the Vue episodes

  • Episode 43: What Can Games Teach Us About UI Design? With Felix Park (Part 2)

    Key Points From This Episode:

    • Felix starts with an example of designing a bench explosion and its unpredictable variables.
    • Where to include heavy-handed guidance in a game is usually borne of player testing.
    • Felix believes the number one fallacy of designers in any field is that they extend their personal viewpoint on their design being universal.
    • Focus testing and A/B testing are ways to create accessible experiences in mobile games.
    • Testing doesn’t have to be formal – it can be as informal as asking a friend for feedback.
    • Crunch time and work-life balance: How Felix manages it by keeping to his hours strictly.
    • Part of Felix’s decision to go into internal tools programming was less of an emphasis on meeting very strict deadlines.
    • Onto picks, Ari’s is a little more abstract this week – quit a job you’re unhappy at.
    • Ringo’s pick is the YouTube channel Noclip, which presents various game documentaries.
    • Felix’s picks are cooking meatballs or a non-meat alternative, and learning the open source game engine, Godot.
    • Felix talks about the resurgence of disc versus digital when it comes to installing games.
    • Tessa’s picks are all games: Minna no Gorufu or Hot Shots Golf, The 3rd Birthday, Resident Evil 6, and the Ct.js game editor.

      • Tweetables:

      • “I think the number one fallacy of designers in any field is that the design they've made is understandable and parsable to everyone. They extend their own personal viewpoint on that design as being universal.” — @uhfelix [0:02:52]

      • “When I say testing, I don't explicitly mean like A/B testing or focus testing. It can also be something as informal as like just asking someone else, a co-worker, a friend, family, to just sit down and play your game and have them give their honest feedback. That’s it.” — @uhfelix [0:06:58]

      • “I try to keep to my hours very strictly. It’s a lot of discipline to be able to do that and [it takes] a in your employer to recognize that you do have the boundaries and limits you're setting, and they need to respect that. I don't think I would work for any company that would overemphasize the need to stay at work over actual production.” — @uhfelix [0:08:29]

        • Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

        • Felix Park on Twitter
        • Felix Park
        • Noclip on YouTube
        • Godot Game Engine
        • Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational Game
        • The 3rd Birthday
        • Resident Evil 6
        • Ct.js Game Editor
        • Enjoy the Vue on Twitter
        • Enjoy the Vue

          • Special Guests: Felix Park and Ringo Kim.

          Support Enjoy the Vue

          19 min
        • Episode 42: What Can Games Teach Us About UI Design? With Felix Park (Part 1)

          Key Points From This Episode:

          • Felix introduces himself and what he does as a game designer.
          • Felix explains what it means to be a game designer, using a door in a game as a metaphor,
          • Game development and how it parallels with user experience or user interface design.
          • How Felix strives towards guiding people through an optimal and less frustrating experience.
          • Felix explains what a AAA game is – they are the big-budget, summer blockbusters of games.
          • Hear more about what led Felix to game design.
          • Going into gaming, Felix had some programming knowledge from his HTML coding hobby.
          • How Felix leads a user to make certain decisions, from lighting and UI to manipulating time.
          • Felix defines affordances as what’s possible with an object as expressed through its design.
          • Felix outlines some examples of how game designers include prompts to guide players.
          • Restrictions and repetitions are introduced throughout a game to establish a design language and what the affordances are for the user.
          • Felix explains how he balances high intensity difficulty with ease of play through play testing.

            • Tweetables:

            • “We have to constantly strive to make sure that people are being guided towards an optimal, not so frustrating experience. Unless we do want to frustrate them, in which case that's an entirely different design challenge. The goal is to make sure that anybody can play our games with the minimum amount of direct interference or touch on that”. — @uhfelix [0:05:07]

            • “Games are this thing you just make up in [their] entirety. Down to the very weird, basic, physical elements, you can use all of them to influence people.” — @uhfelix [0:14:54]

            • “Affordance is this concept of how does the design communicate its use to the user? In games, it’s very important because in the virtual world anything is possible. You want to be able to really limit the space of possibility within the player's mind, or else they'll be stuck. They’ll be at a loss as to what to do to progress, or move forward, or to accomplish goals.” — @uhfelix [0:17:57]

            • “If you have a lot of focus on player experience, then that would lead you to integrate more player feedback into that process.” — @uhfelix [0:25:11]

              • Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

              • Felix Park on Twitter
              • Felix Park
              • The Design of Everyday Things
              • Enjoy the Vue on Twitter
              • Enjoy the Vue

                • Special Guests: Felix Park and Ringo Kim.

                Support Enjoy the Vue

                26 min
              • Episode 41: From Individual Contributor to Manager with David Ashe (Part 2)

                Key Points From This Episode:

                • Ben kicks things off by saying it’s important not to take manager positions for the sake of advancement in our own careers.
                • David talks about the issue of job titles, and the retention problem that tech companies have.
                • Amal weighs in on the retention problem – it can be resolved by having a good manager.
                • The importance of retention and having a constant feedback culture within organizations.
                • Management is an art, but it is also a science – it’s more complicated than engineers think.
                • Ari weighs in on whether or not she want to shift into a manger role – she says she is torn.
                • While someone can get a PhD in management, managers very rarely do – it tends to be the hot shots that get promoted into the role.
                • It’s rare to find someone with strong technical skills and good people management skills.
                • It’s common to see managers go from IC to manager, back and forth, because of burn out.
                • How manager’s know they are doing a good job: David is trying to ensure that people on his team are improving or getting promoted.
                • Why silence may actually be profound positive feedback that you’re being a great manger.
                • You should have a team that operates effectively without you, not a bottleneck hero culture.
                • Ari believes the most important qualities of a good manager are empathy and understanding.
                • Tessa explains why she wouldn’t want to be a manager again soon, because of the overload.
                • David shares his perspective from when he was an IC, what he needed from his manager.
                • Amal’s picks include TV shows, I May Destroy You and Lovecraft Country on HBO.
                • Ari’s pick is a Netflix movie called Freak Show, a gender-nonconforming coming-of-age story.
                • Tessa’s picks: Malinda Herman, Mike and Maddie on YouTube and a font called cardigraph.
                • David recommends hey.com and Dating Around on Netflix, while Ben’s picks are a book, and a game called Hades.

                  • Tweetables:

                  • “Take the time to invest in your learning. If you are a new manager, take manager training. A lot of companies don't offer it, a lot of companies do. Try to get your company to pay for a formal training. Read books. Find a mentor. You're going to need peer mentors, people that have been doing this job for longer than you within your company. It's also really good to get outside perspective, so you know you're not echo chambering bad management cultures.” — @nomadtechie [0:06:39]
                  • “Unfortunately, if you're a great manager, people may in fact leave faster, because you're going to develop them, and the market is going to scoop them up. You may not have those feedback cycles where, when they leave, they would say that you've been a great manager. But maybe not. Silence might in fact be profound positive feedback, you're being a great manager.” — David Ashe [0:18:17]

                    • Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

                    • David Ashe on LinkedIn
                    • David Ashe Email
                    • David Ashe on GitHub
                    • Amaal Hussein on Twitter
                    • Amal Hussein Email
                    • Ben Hong Email
                    • Square Software Engineering Career Ladder
                    • TINYPulse
                    • I May Destroy You
                    • Lovecraft Country
                    • Freak Show
                    • Malinda Herman on YouTube
                    • Mike and Matty on YouTube
                    • Hey
                    • Dating Around
                    • Nonviolent Communication
                    • Difficult Conversations
                    • Hades
                    • Enjoy the Vue on Twitter
                    • Enjoy the Vue

                      • Special Guests: Amal Hussein and David Ashe.

                      Support Enjoy the Vue

                      36 min
                    • Episode 39: Applying to Speak at Conferences

                      We often touch on the topic of conferences and today we are doing a bit of a deeper dive on the subject, looking at the application to speak at events and more! We start off this episode with some initial thoughts and early experiences that we have had, and the lessons that are quickly learned when you get into the public speaking game. We think about what motivates people to pursue the stressful and sometimes terrifying job of speaking to groups of people, last-minute preparations, and the impetus that presenting gives a process of learning. Throughout this chat there are a host of tips on offer, from avoiding Q & A sessions to accepting topics you do not already understand, so make sure to keep a notepad on hand to up your game! With conferences being such a great place to network, make connections and form important friendships, no matter how you engage with events, we highly recommend at least attending these kinds of gatherings – you never know what might come of it! We finish off this exploration thinking about virtual events, conference call tech, and more, so make sure to listen in with us today on Enjoy the Vue!

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                      53 min
                    • Episode 38: Community is Everything: Open Source with Henry Zhu (Part 3)

                      Welcome back to another episode of Enjoy the Vue. This concludes our three-part interview with Babel maintainer, Henry Zhu. Last time, we closed our discussion with what work maintainers of open source projects do that is not straight coding. In this episode, we continue talking with Henry about what do people count as maintenance work versus other tasks that definitely need to get done, but are perhaps less visible to the public eye. Henry also shares his approaches to taking care of himself and the pursuit of serendipity, and we discuss the inclusivity of the open source community, the relationship between in-person communities and open source culture, and we get into our picks of the week, so make sure not to miss this episode!

                      Key Points From This Episode:

                      • Henry opens with the dichotomy between freedom and obligation for maintainers.
                      • Maintainers don’t see certain tasks as maintenance, such as answering user queries.
                      • What Henry does to take care of himself, like sport or playing music, and his musings on what serendipity looks like in an online setting.
                      • Spaces that promote serendipity, and why actively pursuing serendipity is not a paradox.
                      • There are communities like Google Summer of Code that promote open source involvement.
                      • Preferences are shaped through experiences of the communities, so it is important that they be inclusive, particularly for women.
                      • The relationship between in-person communities and open source culture.
                      • Ben’s picks this week include a ukulele, Azul, and Nadia Eghbal’s book, Working in Public.
                      • Veekas recommends Kim’s Convenience and Race After Technology by Ruha Benjamin.
                      • Henry’s picks include Tools for Conviviality by Ivan Illich, and a card game called The Mind.
                      • Tessa suggests Journey, the Reply series, and Conquer Your Critical Inner Voice.

                        • Tweetables:

                        “How do we get people to have a higher sense of ownership so that we can lessen the burden on maintainers?” — @left_pad [0:02:37]

                        “There's an aspect of serendipity involves risk, and involves trust and faith in something, in the future. Me putting myself out there is going to lead to something good.” — @left_pad [0:05:50]

                        “I feel being more intentional, specifically reaching out to people, or getting involved in certain communities is probably better. There are formal versions of this, like Google Summer of Code. We've done that and Rails Girls, Summer of Code, stuff like that. Yeah, maybe we need more of that, instead of this blanket like, ‘Hey, anyone can get involved.’” — @left_pad [0:07:48]

                        “For a tool, we want self-expression from the people that use it and I think coding is – or anything, [Illich] mentions education, and school, and medicine, and coding could be another thing where it's increasingly harder to learn how to code, even though now we have boot camps and stuff.” — @left_pad [0:17:46]

                        Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

                        • Henry Zhu on Twitter
                        • Henry Zhu on GitHub 
                        • Henry Zhu
                        • Hope in Source Podcast
                        • Maintainers Anonymous Podcast
                        • Babel
                        • Google Summer of Code
                        • Rails Girls
                        • Vue Vixens
                        • Working in Public
                        • Kim’s Convenience on Netflix 
                        • Race After Technology
                        • Tools for Conviviality
                        • Journey
                        • Conquer Your Critical Inner Voice
                        • Enjoy the Vue on Twitter
                        • Enjoy the Vue

                          • Special Guest: Henry Zhu.

                          Support Enjoy the Vue

                          24 min
                        • Episode 37: Community is Everything: Open Source with Henry Zhu (Part 2)

                          In the previous episode, we discussed open source with Henry Zhu, core maintainer of the community-funded compiler, Babel. We closed on the responsibilities of an open source maintainer and, in this show, we are continuing our discussion with Henry, starting with what responsibilities do open source maintainers have in terms of shaping the future of the projects that they maintain? Henry also shares his views on governance structures, burnout, focusing on new ideas and making time for side projects, as well as accountability versus ability, the individual versus the group, and free will versus obligation. Tune in today!

                          Key Points From This Episode:

                          • Henry opens with the incentive to make things more complicated, instead of simplifying them.
                          • Henry’s goal is to help people understand that they have an impact on the language they use.
                          • There are different governance structures in open source – boundaries are necessary.
                          • Cycles of burnout and why developers feel a sense of obligation to open source projects.
                          • From individual contributor to a maintainer role – some things that Henry found useful.
                          • What will change the way we do programming is different ideas, not the same ones.
                          • Henry is giving himself the freedom to think differently and pay attention to side projects.
                          • Balancing accountability and ability – Henry believes he should have freedom of choice, but he also needs to consider external opinion.
                          • The individual versus the group – how to distinguish people with distinct views and stories.
                          • The different types of maintenance work in open source and why roles are helpful.
                          • Just say no – Henry describes the struggle for maintainers and the dichotomy between free will and obligation.

                            • Tweetables:

                            • “Culturally, everyone wants to make their project viral, but then after that happens, it just becomes a burden. I don't want to discourage people from doing open source. Be more real about what the reality is of what you will feel when it happens.” — @left_pad [0:05:50]

                            • “The things that are actually going to change how we're going to do programming is something different, not the same thing.” — @left_pad [0:11:30]

                            • “In open source, maybe we have this good and bad, the whole meritocracy thing, and the whole code is what matters, so why do you care about the person behind it? I think that's good in the sense of it doesn't emphasize people and it shows that it's a group effort. The bad thing in some sense, in terms of funding, would be that the more you make it about the group, the more it feels like no one knows who you are.” — @left_pad [0:17:23]

                            • “The currency of open source is not the code, because you can reproduce that and consume that as much as possible, and doesn't affect maintainers. The thing that you're affecting is their attention and their time. The more people that consume open source, it might mean more people making issues and consuming more time, but it doesn't mean that those maintainers have to do it.” — @left_pad [0:23:46]

                              • Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

                              • Henry Zhu on Twitter
                              • Henry Zhu on GitHub 
                              • Henry Zhu
                              • Hope in Source Podcast
                              • Maintainers Anonymous Podcast
                              • Babel
                              • Enjoy the Vue on Twitter
                              • Enjoy the Vue

                                • Special Guest: Henry Zhu.

                                Support Enjoy the Vue

                                26 min
                              • Episode 36: Community is Everything: Open Source with Henry Zhu (Part 1)

                                Open source software has received both criticism and applause from the tech community all across the world. Today, we’re talking about open source with Henry Zhu, a New York City-based maintainer of the community-funded compiler, Babel. Previously at Adobe, he’s also a host of two podcasts that discuss the lives of maintainers, Hope in Source and Maintainers Anonymous. In this episode, Henry shares some the similarities between his faith and open source, and explains some of the assumptions people have about open source software, why we need to take a step back and reevaluate these assumptions, and why he believes we should be thinking about how to minimize options and make things simpler. After all, open source is about more than just the code. Tune in to find out more!

                                Key Points From This Episode:

                                Henry introduces himself, what he does, and his podcast, Hope in Source.

                                Henry shares a bit more about his podcast and his conversations with Nadia Eghbal.
                                The differences and similarities Henry sees between faith and open source.
                                From code style checker in open source to core maintainer at Babel – the ideas are similar.
                                We need to step back and reevaluate some of the assumptions we have about open source.
                                Henry talks a bit about his co-host Nadia Eghbal’s new book, Working in Public.
                                How to address the issue of over-participation – Henry thinks multiple solutions are needed.
                                Maintaining both public and private personas – Henry says it’s better to have actual dialogue.
                                Communicating in open source, membership, and assumptions about open source projects.
                                Raising funding for open source projects using crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter.
                                Henry believes we should be thinking about how to remove options and make things simpler.
                                Open source is not just about code, it's about other things too.

                                Support Enjoy the Vue

                                24 min
                              • Episode 35: Mobilizing the Web with Mike Hartington
                                Key Points From This Episode:

                                A little bit about Mike's work on Cordova and frameworks for hybrid apps.

                                The birth of progressive web apps and events that preceded this.
                                The Capacitor project — a spiritual successor to Cordova.
                                Understanding the template blocks and web and mobile iterations.
                                Comparing writing in Capacitor with comparable alternatives such as Swift.

                                The shipping process and adhering to design guidelines with Capacitor.

                                The relationship between Capacitor and Ionic — possibilities for integration.
                                App deployment and moving things onto a mobile device.
                                Getting up and running — the ease of entry to working with Capacitor.
                                Learning curves for Capacitor and common pitfalls that Mike has noticed.
                                Privacy and performance constraints for mobile — avoiding unnecessary problems.
                                Debugging web apps and working straight from browsers.

                                Skills necessary for the accessibility processes and overlaps with development.
                                The best places to get help and find information on Capacitor and Ionic.
                                Mike's favorite parts of working on Capacitor and the one thing he would change about it!
                                This week's picks; hardware, music, animation apps, and more!

                                Picks of the week:
                                • Tessa
                                  • Scoped Slots episode
                                  • Animation apps:
                                    • - Callipeg (iPadOS)
                                    - Rough Animator (Android, iOS, Windows, MacOS)
                                  • KARE * KANO SOUND TRACKS (Shiro Sagisu)
                                  • Ari
                                    • Logitech G700s
                                    • Mike
                                      • Fall Guys (PS4, Steam)
                                      • r/DIY (Reddit)
                                      • Ben
                                        • Don't Kill My Vibe (Sigrid)
                                        • Fall Guys (PS4, Steam)

                                          • Resources mentioned:

                                          • Capacitor
                                          • Capacitor discussions
                                          • Ionic Framework Forum

                                            • Special Guest: Mike Hartington.

                                            Support Enjoy the Vue

                                            46 min
                                          • Episode 34: Organizing Conferences and Events with Kevin Lewis
                                            Key Points From This Episode
                                            • What brought Kevin to the Vue ecosystem, after struggling with the “magic” of React.
                                            • What Kevin’s day-to-day is like at Vonage when it comes to organizing events.
                                            • Shifting to virtual conferences and events, and how Kevin’s team has gone on to help others.
                                            • Some of the software Kevin has used for virtual conferences, like Remo and StreamYard.
                                            • Women of React was the first remote conference Kevin organized, and he learned a lot!
                                            • Event organizing versus remote conferencing – how Kevin started his career and what he thinks is lost when an event goes virtual.
                                            • Typical things Kevin sees conference organizers get wrong, from access points and WiFi to food, networking, and plants in the audience.
                                            • Scheduling – planning breaks, based on content of the conference, facilities, and buffer time.
                                            • It’s your responsibility as an event organizer to make sure that speakers feel respected.
                                            • When it comes to Q&A sessions, Kevin has some tips fro making sure it’s moderated well.
                                            • Kevin asks the panel what makes an event good for them as attendees – Ari says the hallway track or time between talks is vital.
                                            • Ben says he appreciates guidance for newer attendees on after parties and dinners, etc.
                                            • Tessa’s feedback includes structured activities for attendees to mingle, like bowling.
                                            • A firm structure for events and locations seems like a low barrier to entry, but it’s crucial.
                                            • Over-communicating is critical! Your audience needs to know if things in the program change.
                                            • Single-track versus multi-track conferences – it depends what you’re trying to achieve.
                                            • Selecting speakers – Kevin reacts to Ben’s story of a conference with a blind CFP survey.
                                            • Kevin talks about BarCamp London and the simple concept of an unconference.
                                            • The CFP or talk selection process, and Kevin’s take on it for an event like You Got This.
                                            • Keynote spots are a way to course-correct if your lineup isn’t diverse or goes off the rails.
                                            • The value of a mentorship program for first-time speakers to encourage and support them.

                                              • Picks of the week:

                                              • Tessa
                                                • Emma (Comic)
                                                • 킹덤 (Kingdom) (Kdrama)
                                                • Ari
                                                  • Stateless (Netflix)
                                                  • Kevin
                                                    • YouGotThis (Conference)
                                                    • EventHandler (Newsletter)
                                                    • Ben
                                                      • VueConf Toronto
                                                      • Connect.Tech

                                                        • Resources mentioned:

                                                        • Vonage API Developer Platform
                                                        • Women of React
                                                        • VueConf US 2020
                                                        • Adulting.Dev
                                                        • DevConf
                                                        • BarCamp London
                                                        • humansconf
                                                        • Remo
                                                        • StreamYard
                                                        • Kingdom of the Gods by Kim Eunhee & Yang Kyungil
                                                        • Distant Sky by Yoon Inwan & Kim Sunhee

                                                          • Special Guest: Kevin Lewis.

                                                          Support Enjoy the Vue

                                                          45 min

                                                        About Enjoy the Vue

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                                                        Enjoy the Vue is a Vue.js podcast bringing you panel discussions, guest interviews, and much more to keep you up to date on what's happening in the Vue and tech communities.