Fail Faster

Join us in this insightful and inspiring podcast as we dive into the world of product and software design with Jonathan Madera, the VP of Product Design for Data Accent. Jonathan shares his journey from childhood dreams of being a computer animator to becoming a successful designer and entrepreneur. As we delve into the world of data design, Jonathan reveals the challenges of simplifying data access for small business owners and the role of AI in making the user experience delightful. Get motivated and gain valuable insights in this podcast for aspiring designers and creatives!

Gretchen Nash is a Creative Director at Amazon who leads a team of visual, UX, and motion designers to innovate next in class experiences for Alexa enabled products. She has over 15 years of professional creative experience spanning across graphic design, motion graphics, and leading teams to build multi-sensory experiences for technical innovation. Gretchen began her career as a graphic designer who learned interaction design on the job, eventually growing into a leadership role as a UX Creative Director. One of Gretchen's greatest passions is leading teams and building inclusive creative environments that provoke thought sharing and collaboration.

Join us on the Fail Faster podcast for an episode with Jonas Klink, VP of Product and UX Design at Thrive Market. Discover how Thrive Market innovates online grocery shopping to make healthy living accessible, affordable, and easy. Jonas shares his passion for curating a sustainable experience that adds value to the everyday lives of Thrive Market's 1.2M members. He shares the progressive thinking behind the concept of redefining the online shopping experience, the continuous learnings, and the solutions that spring from the intent of creating personalized customer connections. This is a unique episode with valuable advice for e-commerce and subscription enthusiasts from Jonas.

In this episode, we talk with Meytal Markman, VP of Product Management at Rakuten Advertising, who lives in Vancouver, Washington with her husband and two kids. Meytal shares her journey from '90s tech exposure to navigating her current role. Her insights and approach on personal branding, mentoring, and navigating multicultural dynamics in a multinational company are very practical. I got some great actionable learnings from her views on emotional intelligence, public speaking, and building a lasting influence coming from a place of authenticity. There is lot packed in this short episode.

Alan is the Senior Director of UX at EAB. His team curates the next generation college search experience for students as well as 2,500 universities. In the last 10 years, Alan improved the digital experiences for Morgan Stanley, Bloomberg, and ESPN; created new interactions in VR for people to shop, travel, and tour high-end real estates from afar. He is passionate in visual storytelling to make design vision tangible and communication memorable. Outside of work, Alan is a top mentor on ADPList, an avid snowboarder, and a food enthusiast living in NYC.

Joie Chung is a seasoned product design leader based in Austin, TX. With over 17 years in the design industry, she has gained a deep understanding of what makes great user experiences, and how strategic design can drive business growth. Passionate about cultivating the next generation of design talent, Joie is deeply committed to creating environments that foster growth, mentoring future leaders, and enabling her teams to deliver their best work. She has led top-performing teams in both agency and in-house settings, working with a broad spectrum of companies across various industries. Joie approaches design and leadership with empathy, creativity, and a growth mindset. She thrives on collaboration, always seeking to create impactful change and push the boundaries of what's possible. Currently, she is a Senior Director of Product Design at Realtor.com, leading a team building professional tools to facilitate better home buying and selling journeys for everyone.

Jarrett Carter, Associate Vice President, Integrative Learning Design at University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) joins us to share his journey into leading and designing integrative learning experiences. He shares the importance of working together as one team towards a shared goal of creating seamless educational platforms catering to a diverse global population at various stages of their careers and personal learning journeys. Jarrett dives into the approach his team takes as they strive to stay relevant among students spanning various generations. He shares the challenges to solve for when bringing in innovative solutions and his excitement of seeing more Gen AI applications in the upcoming learning experiences at UMGC.

Luis Bustamante, Associate UX Design Director has over 10 years of design experience. He is currently working at AKQA New York in multiple projects since July, 2022. Luis has worked for tech companies like GLOBANT, start ups & agencies like HUGE with clients like Google, Coldwell banker (US), Zaplabs and Provida AFP (Chile). He really enjoys working on UX writing and A11y and is currently exploring AI technologies.

Guy Assedou is the former Chief Product Officer, at BQE Software and Ex-Meta leader. Guy joins us today to bring to surface the role of a good product manager who can keep his team focused with the right mindset and can add a lot of value to the organization. Guy shares the reasons why projects fail and what approaches can minimize failures from the get-go. Guy also shares great tips for successful product roll-outs with tactical examples of how to target healthy adoption. He emphasizes the importance of a strong partnership between the product and design teams, where clear problems and roles are defined towards successful outcomes.

Samip Mehra, Senior Vice President Of Engineering at Synapse, joins us today for a peek at his world. Synapse is a launchpad for Financial Innovation. They are the only regulated embedded finance platform provider that enables companies across the globe to launch feature complete deposit, payment, and credit products at scale. Samip believes that one of the ways of staying relevant is by sharing your knowledge like an open book. He truly believes that leaders are as good as their teams. Investing in your team's happiness is crucial, creating an environment where they commit towards a collective outcome is a great recipe for impactful results. Samip enjoys creating relationships that last. He extended a warm invite to the host to visit his beautiful town and his home in Phoenix, Arizona.