New Layer

Making time for thinking and giving yourself space to think about the work you do as a product designer is crucial. But time away from what we often see as the "work" of a designer—the pixels, the prototypes, wireframes—can feel like procrastination. How can designers make more time for deliberate thinking? What does it look like to dedicate part of the design process to simply think and reflect?

Do designers show more value when they go off on their own to solve a problem, or when they include others in their process? It can feel counterintuitive to prove value and skills by incorporating others into your process, but the reality is designers cannot do their best work unless they involve others; early and often in their process. In this episode Jasmine shares her insights and perspectives into what it takes to be a team player in order to do your best work, while Tanner shares his past struggles around working transparently and collaboratively.

In an industry that is growing more every day, how do product designers set themselves apart from the competition? The answer, as Tanner and Jasmine discuss in this episode of the podcast, might be in specializing, looking at niche spaces to work in, and worrying less about how to stand apart and more about how to just do good work. The type of work that energizes you and ensures you're learning and growing, no matter what phase of career you're in.

Burnout is what you experience when everything that fuels you gets used up too quickly. In this episode of New Layer, Jasmine and Tanner talk about what it feels like to have burnout, what typically causes burnout, and the types of things you can do to avoid it. Things like: working to figure out your inner identity, setting appropriate boundaries for yourself, finding mentors or guides to help ground you, and planning vacation or breaks away from work in-advance. To carry on the conversation, reach out to Tanner or Jasmine on Twitter: @tannerc and @jazzy33ca

If you're seeking your first product design job or you twentieth, what exactly should you look for? From compensation and company culture, to responsibilities and job title, what matters most? The answer, as Tanner and Jasmine discuss in this episode, depends on you. Your career ambitions, your skills and knowledge, and where you want to grow as a designer. Listen to hear personal experience and lessons-learned from Jasmine and Tanner's more than 20 years of product design, their suggestions on how to identify what matters most to you, and how to seek out the most important information in any job interview process.

When it comes to your career: how do you set expectations for yourself? How does setting your own expectations for a project differ from that of setting them for a promotion? When it comes to expectations we can often misguide ourselves, much to our detriment. In this episode of the podcast, Tanner and Jasmine chat about lessons they've learned over the course of their careers about how to set expectations and measure career growth without feeling overwhelmed or like you're an imposter.

What are soft skills and why do they matter for product designers? How do you identify what soft skills matter most for a specific role and how do you improve your soft skills? In this episode Jasmine and Tanner discuss soft skills: strong communication, negotiation, prioritization, self-awareness, and more. To set yourself apart from the competition in the job market you need to not only invest in the hard skills to do your job, but also the soft skills that enable you to work better with others.

What makes mentorship valuable, and should everyone have a mentor? In this episode Tanner and Jasmine discuss their experience with mentors throughout their 20+ years of design and why mentorship often doesn't take on the appearance the industry thinks it does. How to find a good mentor, how to ensure the relationship between a mentor and mentee is healthy, and much more in this episode of New Layer.