Cassie McDaniel inspires us to get away from the ‘pick me’ mindset, and to pick ourselves. She challenges us to be willing to kill our darlings so that something better can emerge. She teaches us the importance of knowing our values, but also embracing the fact that they are going to change. She also encourages us to not just do what we’re good at, but do what we enjoy.  Secret Identity (8:27) Origin Story (20:56) Being Mozilla Foundation's Design Director (24:09) Biggest Failure (36:36) Kill Your Darlings (40:24) Design Superpower (52:54) Habit of Success (62:59) Invincible Resource (67:39) Best Advice (70:33)  Check out the detailed show notes and Eli Jorgensen’s astonishing superhero artwork at userdefenders.com/048 This episode is brought to you by InVision Studio (userdefenders.com/studio): The world's most powerful screen design tool Get your FREE audiobook from Audible at userdefenders.com/freebook. No commitment. Cancel in 30 days, and you won't be charged. The book is still yours to keep.

048: Pick Yourself with Cassie McDaniel

Being a great UX designer begins and ends with being a great human. We can't pour an empty cup into another. We can’t lead others where we are not. 

This UX podcast helps UX’ers become the best, most powerful designers (and humans) they can be. Yes, you'll discover how-to’s, but much more importantly you'll discover why-to’s.

Every episode is sure to inspire and equip you on how to better fight for your users and business, and dare I say change the world (even if only for one human at a time) in a much deeper and more tangible way than you ever thought possible.

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Life and career (re)focus this year have brought me to a place where I need to hit pause on this show's production... Keep fighting the good fight, dear Defender! 

Hitting Pause (2022)

Video available on the show notes page at userdefenders.com/080 This is the last episode of 2021. After nearly two years of outlining the content for this episode and nearly two months (at time of writing) of recording and editing, here's everything I know (so far) on landing a job in UX. I hope this content is not only useful to you and anyone you know looking to land their first (or next) job in UX, but I sincerely hope this episode is greatly inspirational and even life-changing for you. I forgot to say it at the end of the episode, so Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Joyous New Year dear Defenders! Take care of yourself and each other, and I'll see you on the other side of this year with more amazing UX/Design content! 

080: Everything I Know (So Far) on Landing a Job in UX with Jason Ogle

Here’s a fun treat I’ve never done before. In this episode I shine the spotlight on listeners Jordan Burke + Joel Ryerson who recently landed their first job in UX! Hear them tell their inspiring stories of their journey getting here while gaining some valuable insights on how you can too! I was blown away at the depth, insight, authenticity and value they both added with their motivational and entertaining stories of struggle and ultimately triumph! Like Jordan says in her awesome interview, we can't do this alone. Looking for community? Find yours at User Defenders: Community (community.userdefenders.com). Check out the detailed show notes including mentioned links and transcript at userdefenders.com/079 This episode is made possible by Editor X. Editor X gives you a wide workspace with total CSS control powered by smooth drag & drop on a platform where every tiny detail has been carefully considered. That means you can let your creativity run wild and build your most creative sites yet. I can keep trying to describe it to you, but you should really go see it for yourself. Visit userdefenders.com/EditorX and discover a new standard in web design

079: Listener Spotlight – Landing My First UX Job

Bob Baxley, a Silicon Valley pioneer, takes us back in time through the history of Silicon Valley and gives us a glimpse into the future of it. Spoiler alert: He's got concerns. He reveals how every little interaction matters and motivates us to be proud enough of the work we do to want to show our friends and family...otherwise, we've got more work to do. He challenges us to challenge the status quo and constantly be looking for ways to improve our work by asking, 'How could this be better?'. He also likens our work to building sandcastles on the beach, causing us to reflect on the brevity and temporal nature of it, and inspires us to make everything we make with our friends (for others) count.  Crash Course History of Silicon Valley (7:52) Love at First Byte: (Re)Discovering the Magic of Computing (14:17) The Beautiful ‘Burden’ of Doing Great Work That We’re Proud Of (21:11) The Question Steve Jobs Was Known to Ask In Design Reviews (24:55) Technology: Wonderful Servant, Terrible Master (26:53) Employing Analogue Tools for Deeper Creativity (34:10) There Are No Rolling Credits for Interaction Designers (52:51) We Need More Designers and Less Roadblocks (54:45) Is There a Growth Trajectory for IC’s Besides Mgmnt? (1:10:01) What’s Your Recommended Path for Design Leadership? (1:21:54) Where is Silicon Valley Going? Do You Have Concerns? (1:27:35) What’s Your Design Superpower? (1:34:28) What’s Your Design Kryptonite? (1:35:19) What’s Your UX Superhero Name? (1:37:41) Habit of Success? (1:38:23) Invincible Resource or Tool? (1:42:37) Recommended Books (1:45:25) What’s the Best Lesson You Learned From Steve Jobs? (1:48:30) Best Advice? (1:53:44) Connect & Keep Up (2:03:16)  Check out the detailed show notes including mentioned links, transcript and Eli Jorgensen's astonishing superhero artwork at userdefenders.com/078 This episode is made possible by Editor X. Editor X gives you a wide workspace with total CSS control powered by smooth drag & drop on a platform where every tiny detail has been carefully considered. That means you can let your creativity run wild and build your most creative sites yet. I can keep trying to describe it to you, but you should really go see it for yourself. Visit userdefenders.com/EditorX and discover a new standard in web design

078: There and Back (and Forward) Again with Bob Baxley

Josh Mauldin shows us how resolving conflict not only makes us better humans, but better designers. He challenges us to approach conflict with a growth mindset and the question, "What can I learn from this?" to help us become less anti-conflict and more pro-resolution. He articulates the difference between healthy and unhealthy conflict and teaches us why healthy conflict is good and even worth pursuing. He reminds us that it all comes back to empathy which does not mean agreeing with someone, but making an active effort to understand where they’re coming from. He also reveals how embracing conflict is the catalyst for building the best teams, the best products, and the best you.  How Long Have you Been Thinking About Conflict Resolution? (4:38) Has Team Conflict Increased Since We've Gone Remote? (9:48) How Can We See Past the Emoji's? (13:53) What Does Your Conflict Resolution Framework Look Like? (18:54) How Does Your Cranky Conclusions Approach Work? (20:53) Conflict Resolution for Leaders (28:14) How Do You Address Conflict with Your Leadership? (32:08) What's the Difference Between Healthy and Unhealthy Conflict? (35:10) How Does Healthy Conflict Create Better Products? (38:28) Is Agile a Double-Edged Sword When it Comes to Team Conflict? (41:20) Design Superpower? (46:13) What's Your Design Kryptonite? (47:08) UX Superhero Name (47:57) Habit of Success (48:36) Invincible Tool or Resource (49:26) Best Advice (54:11) Connect & Keep Up (55:44)  Check out the detailed show notes including mentioned links, transcript and Eli Jorgensen's astonishing superhero artwork at userdefenders.com/077 This episode is made possible by Editor X. Editor X gives you a wide workspace with total CSS control powered by smooth drag & drop on a platform where every tiny detail has been carefully considered. That means you can let your creativity run wild and build your most creative sites yet. I can keep trying to describe it to you, but you should really go see it for yourself. Visit userdefenders.com/EditorX and discover a new standard in web design

048: Pick Yourself with Cassie McDaniel

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