Happy February!

It’s a brand new month, which means new Build episodes.

If you’re new to Build or maybe missed episodes here and there, know that I’ve previously covered a number of topics related to design like design sprints, product debt, product redesign, accessibility, being a freelance designer, creative confidence, the rise of the design executive office, designing with empathy, and the art vs science of ux design.

It turns out all those episodes weren’t enough, and there’s still a lot to cover!

So this month we’re going back to the theme of design, and start by covering why it’s important to work with a user experience (UX) designer. Given the significant shift to designing user-friendly interfaces, it might feel like I am preaching to the choir. However, some companies still struggle to justify the work of a UX designer. Plus, given how young the field is, it’s continually evolving, and people are always writing in and requesting I cover design :)

People still aren’t sure how a UX designer adds value, how to go about hiring and vetting them, and how they can work with software engineers and product managers effectively.

Just like how software engineering has become more specialized over the years, design has faced a similar change. However, people still grapple to understand the nuances between a graphic, visual, and UX designer.

In today’s episode, we’ll dive into the different types of designers out there. Then talk about some of the myths around user experience design. In next week’s episode, we’ll talk about what UX designers can do to stand out, how companies can go about hiring and vetting them, and how they can work effectively with software engineers and product managers.

To help us out, I’ve invited Sarah Doody who is a UX designer and entrepreneur (formerly based in NYC).

You’ll learn the following from Sarah:

• Benefits of having a UX designer on your team from the beginning
• How to think of user research as an investment
• How to co-design and how it helps handle pushback and the handoff period
• How design-minded companies outperformed S&P 500 for ten years

Here are links to the resources Sarah mentioned in the show and some additional resources to check out:

• Design Value Index
  https://www.dmi.org/page/DesignValue/The-Value-of-Design-.htm
• Slack / Facebook Groups Related To UX
  Designer Hangout: https://www.designerhangout.co/
  With Candles (for junior designers): withcandles.slack.com
  User Defenders: https://community.userdefenders.com/
  UX Careers Tribe: http://www.facebook.com/groups/uxportfoliotribe (this is my group)
  Design X: https://designx.community/slack/
  Mixed Methods: https://www.mixed-methods.org/community1/
• UX Career Resources From Sarah
  UX Portfolio Formula (use code BUILDSHOW for 50% off): http://bit.ly/2t05Ztu
  Free UX Portfolio Blueprint: http://bit.ly/2t04yvp
  UX Careers & Job Interview Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2_D298hAH0&list=PL73Nci5CBE-7OFGFhYawlJh9bYZd-a-b1

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Build is produced by Femgineer (http://femgineer.com/).

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