Thunder Nerds

In this episode we get to speak with Senior UX Designer, Podcaster of User Defenders… THE USER DEFENDER HIMSELF, Jason Ogle. We get updated on Jason’s family’s health and their unfortunate bad luck with stairs and deer attacks, yep.

We ask Jason all about season 2: the fascinating guests and topics that help people change their views on life, their career goals, and the inspiration to take ownership of their own journey.

We also discuss Jason’s upcoming interview with his dad, as he’ll be flying to FL to help celebrate his 80th birthday. His dad is a rocket-scientist, one of the few who can say he was part of every single manned-rocket mission…including the infamous Apollo 11 and 13 missions, all the way to the last shuttle mission before his retirement.

Jason also shared his story from his episode of User Defenders: Cultivating a Creative Culture with Justin Dauer. This is a real life lesson that we can all take to heart and learn from, it is NOT to be missed!

Video Skip Links

* Jason’s family falls down stairs:  https://youtu.be/oF9chYpOfoc?t=1m34s

* What’s next for season 3 of User Defenders: https://youtu.be/oF9chYpOfoc?t=4m56s

* Actionable takeaways from Season 2 of User Defenders: https://youtu.be/oF9chYpOfoc?t=8m44s

* Jason Ogle talks about Adobe XD: https://youtu.be/oF9chYpOfoc?t=10m46s

* Jason Ogle is going to interview his dad: https://youtu.be/oF9chYpOfoc?t=18m7s

* Cultivating a Creative Culture with Justin Dauer: https://youtu.be/oF9chYpOfoc?t=25m53s

* Jason’s own story: Don’t Be Culture-Clubbed: https://youtu.be/oF9chYpOfoc?t=31m52s

Show Links

* Guest: Jason Ogle

* Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/oF9chYpOfoc

* Senior UX Designer at National CineMedia (NCM): https://www.ncm.com @NCMNews

* Host of User Defenders: http://userdefenders.com/

* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonogle

* Twitter: @jasonogle https://twitter.com/jasonogle

* Leaders Eat Last: https://www.amazon.com/Leaders-Eat-Last-Together-Others/dp/1591845327

* Be More of Who You Are with Senior UX Designer and Podcaster of User Defenders, Jason Ogle http://thundernerds.io/2016/11/be-more-of-who-you-are-w-senior-ux-designer-and-podcaster-of-user-defenders-jason-ogle/

* Introverts vs Extroverts in Business with Daniel Ordonez: http://thundernerds.

In this episode we get to speak with the Tampa Bay – St. Pete IRON YARD crew: Holly Valenty, Katherine Trammell, and Angel Murchison. We discuss who the IRON YARD is for and what it takes to engage in the immersion of their program. We then review the history of the IRON YARD: how it got its name, how it started, and how it has grown nationally. We also talk about the flavor of courses, technology stacks, and the fact that you don’t even need to know code before starting their program.

YouTube Skip Links

Meet the the Iron Yard team

Who is the Iron Yard for?

The Iron Yard has a 90% success rate for students in the first 3 months

What technologies will you learn at the Iron Yard

What is the Iron Yard experience like?

Free kids classes at the Iron Yard

The Iron Yard offers technology-focused Corporate Training solutions tailored to your business needs.

The IRON YARD: Our mission is to connect with people pursuing the craft and lifelong adventure of technology and help equip them with the skills they need to both get started and progress throughout their careers. Our hope is that those we journey with are energized to make a difference through their work.

Show Link

* Guest: The IRON YARD

* Watch on YouTube

* Website: https://www.theironyard.com/

* Holly Valenty: Role: Student Engagement Manager

* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hollyvalenty/

* Twitter: @HollllllyV https://twitter.com/hollllllyv

* Katherine Trammell: Operations Assistant

* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ktrammell

* Twitter: @ktrammell95 https://twitter.com/ktrammell95

* Angel Murchison: Associate Instructor

* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angel-murchison-3560b5138/

* Twitter: @httpsMurchison https://twitter.com/httpsmurchison

* CORPORATE TRAINING… For more information on The Iron Yard’s Corporate Training: https://www.theironyard.com/corporate-training

* 2017 COURSE START DATES:

* August 28th, 2017

* October 30th, 2017

* SYLLABUS: You can find our most recent updated syllabus and curriculum  http://downloads.theironyard.com/curriculum-guides/WDCP-Curriculum-Overview.pdf

* SCHOLARSHIPS: Currently we offer a $1,000 https://www.

In this episode we get to speak with independent design systems engineering consultant James Stone. We discuss James’s beginnings programming BASIC on his Atari in second grade and how it fanned the flame of his love for design & development. Then we talk about how James is now helping visual brands build online systems, and the narrative of that engagement. We also discuss his array of courses and his mission to bring Design Systems Engineering to enterprises of all sizes. We also talk about James’s contributions to the ZURB Foundation framework and his role as an Adjunct Professor at the School of Visual Arts at Penn State.

About James

My passion is Design Systems Engineering where I work at the intersection of fast-paced design and development teams. Unlike other online course experts, I am an award-winning web designer, a top contributor to the ZURB Foundation framework, and an Adjunct Professor at the School of Visual Arts at Penn State.

For the past 4 years I have worked as a Design Systems Engineer helping agencies, enterprises and startups to build out beautiful, performant front-end code and systems. This course is part of my mission to bring Design Systems Engineering to enterprises of all sizes.

“My goal is to assist web professionals wanting to work in the intersection between Design and Engineering a way to bootstrap their education and career.”

Cite – https://www.jamesstone.com/box-model-aha-moment/

Show Links

* Guest: James Stone

* View on YouTube: https://youtu.be/eg15586XcL0

* Twitter: @jamesstoneco https://twitter.com/JAMESSTONEco

* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesstoneco/

* James Stone Consulting:  https://www.jamesstone.com/

* James’s Featured Articles + Talks: https://www.jamesstone.com/articles/

* Services https://www.jamesstone.com/services/

* Free Email Crash Course: http://designsystemscrashcourse.com

* Adjunct Professor, College of Arts & Architecture: http://www.psu.edu/

* ZURB Foundation Certified Preferred: http://foundation.zurb.com/forum/451-james-stone

* ZURB Foundation: http://foundation.zurb.com/

* Nick Offerman’s book “Paddle Your Own Canoe”: https://www.amazon.com/Paddle-Your-Own-Canoe-Fundamentals/dp/052595421X

* Nick Offerman: American Ham http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3441700/

Helping Visual Brands Build Online Systems with James Stone

https://youtu.be/eg15586XcL0?t=3m13s

Skip Links

Helping Visual Brands Build Online Systems with James Stone

https://youtu.be/eg15586XcL0?t=3m13s

What is a design system?

In this episode we get to speak with Front End Developer Jenell Pizarro. We discuss Jenell’s magical alma mater Hufflepuff and her recent development education at The Iron Yard. We discuss her 12 week experience and the value of learning how to code.

About Jenell

Jenell Pizarro is a developer and teacher’s assistant at Skillcrush. She is an advocate for diversity in tech and is a member of various groups like Lady Developers, a group that champions female developers of all ages. Upon graduation from The Iron Yard, Jenell started Open Code Orlando which seeks to pair senior and junior developers to work on projects together and maintain an open line of communication between juniors and those they look up to as mentors.

Show Links

* Guest: Jenell Pizarro

* Twitter: @nellarro https://twitter.com/nellarro

* Website: https://nellarro-portfolio.surge.sh/

* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenell-pizarro

* CodePen: https://codepen.io/nellarro/pen/QdpeOW

* GitHub: https://github.com/nellarro

* The online coding school with a heart! https://skillcrush.com

* Open Code Orlando: https://www.meetup.com/Open-Code-Orlando/

* Frontend Design Conference: http://frontenddesignconference.com/2017/speakers.php

* The Iron Yard: https://www.theironyard.com/

* Hufflepuff: http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Hufflepuff

* User Defenders: Cultivating a Creative Culture with Justin Dauer https://userdefenders.com/podcast/cultivating-a-creative-culture-with-justin-dauer/

* Homebrew: https://brew.sh/

* Honda Shadow: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_Shadow

* How a Developer Advocate Opens a Brewery, with Brew Wizard Jeff Douglas: http://thundernerds.io/2016/07/how-a-developer-advocate-opens-a-brewery-with-brew-wizard-jeff-douglas/

In this episode we have the honor to speak with the president of Sparkbox: Ben Callahan. We talk a bit about growing up in a military family, and the values that sparked his entrepreneurial spirit. Then we discuss Ben’s thoughts on the process of learning by writing and why everyone at Sparkbox is an author on their site. We also talk about the CodePen redesign project, and how Ben first met Chris Coyier playing banjo in a serendipitous hawaiian evening.

About Ben

President of Sparkbox and founder of the Build Right workshop series, Ben shares his ideas about the web on the Sparkbox Foundry and other leading industry blogs. He regularly works with large brand e-commerce to reconsider their web experiences while consulting to helping them shift their design and development workflows.

He’s also incredibly grateful for the team at Sparkbox as they pioneer new responsive web design techniques and continue to push for great user experiences outside the context of specific devices.

You can find him speaking around the world (http://lanyrd.com/profile/bencallahan/), rambling on Twitter (https://twitter.com/bencallahan), tinkering with his personal site (http://bencallahan.com/), or splitting wood in his backyard for next winter (https://instagram.com/p/j7r_TqA1MP/).

Show Links

* Guest: President at Sparkbox (Responsive Web Sites & Applications) Ben Callahan

* Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/5mKNjzXvnHU

* Twitter: https://twitter.com/bencallahan @bencallahan

* Website: http://bencallahan.com/

* Lanyrd: http://lanyrd.com/profile/bencallahan/

* Author: https://seesparkbox.com/foundry/author/ben_callahan

* Github: https://github.com/bencallahan

* CodePen: https://codepen.io/bencallahan/

* Speaker Deck: https://speakerdeck.com/bencallahan

* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bencallahan/

* Episode on User Defenders: https://userdefenders.com/podcast/008/

* How do you create something timeless? https://youtu.be/KipX6pt5Mog

* Self Actualization: https://seesparkbox.com/foundry/self_actualization

* Westworld: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0475784/

* Interview with Ben Callahan:

In this episode we get to speak with Interaction Designer at Co-op Digital and co-founder of ManchestersFinest.com, Matthew Tyas. We talk about the value of co-op businesses and the story of Co-operative Group Limited, one of the world’s largest consumer co-operatives, owned by millions of members. The narrative of its latest growth is how it’s gone from a design team of three to a digital team of over 200 in just over a year.

We also discuss the origin of Manchester’s Finest and how Matthew and his friend saw a unique opportunity to service Manchester businesses with an authentic voice.

Then we get into Matthew’s passion for music via Heavy Crates, a UK based record label born from a crew of long time crate diggers, producers, Dj’s and graffiti artists promoting some of the finest new underground Hip Hop from across the world.

About Matthew

I’m an interaction designer and front-end developer from Manchester UK. This means I spend my time sketching and building prototypes to validate user needs, service and journey mapping and building sweet, sweet front-end. Read more https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-tyas-74b24717/

Show Links

* Guest: Matthew Tyas

* Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/DdYsZa0aPjc

* Website: http://matthewtyas.com/

* Twitter: https://twitter.com/matttyas

* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-tyas-74b24717/

* Co-operative Group Limited: https://www.coop.co.uk/

* Co-operative Group Limited design manual: https://coop-design-manual.herokuapp.com

* Co-founder of Manchester’s Finest: http://www.manchestersfinest.com

* Producer: http://heavycrates.com

* How to stop poverty: start a worker-owned cooperative | Jim Brown | TEDxTuscaloosa https://youtu.be/LFyl0zz2yqs

* How cooperative businesses can answer tough business challenges: Julia Hutchins at TEDxMileHigh https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzSw6OsEP9Q

* Dessert Pizza http://www.dogsndough.com/the-food/

* Chris Coyier episode: Down Wit SVG? Yeah You Know Me with Chris Coyier http://thundernerds.io/2017/02/svg-yeah-you-know-me-w-chris-coyier/

* Dave Rupert episode: Windows & Waffles with Dave Rupert http://thundernerds.io/2016/12/windows-waffles-w-dave-rupert/

Spotlight

* Brian: iOS 11 https://www.apple.com/ios/ios-11-preview/

* Frederick: https://www.usertesting.com/plans

In this episode we get to speak with Sr. Experience Designer: Paul Hershey. We talk about the day-to-day tasks of a designer in the gaming industry, and what it takes to get there.

About Paul

I help people create human-centered products that users love. I have over ten years of experience in the field and have worked with the U.S. Army, Infor, Code School, and Pluralsight. I enjoy every stage of the design process from initial research and competitive analysis to building visual languages and analyzing data. I’m on the board for AIGA Orlando and regularly speak about UX at conferences and meetups.

Show Links

* Guest: Paul Hershey

* Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/C51JNlQXvJc

* Sr. Experience Designer at Electronic Arts (EA)

* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulhershey/

* Twitter: @paulhershey https://twitter.com/paulhershey

* Trav and Los: http://www.travandlos.com/74

* School FullSail: http://fullsail.edu

* EA Orlando: http://www2.ea.com/locations/orlando

* Resident Evil 7: http://residentevil7.com

* VR Tools: Mozilla A-Frame: https://aframe.io

* The Last Unicorn: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084237/

* Legend: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089469/

* Alex Grey: http://www.alexgrey.com

Spotlight

* Brian: Dark Chocolate Peanut M&Ms: https://www.amazon.com/Peanut-Dark-Chocolate-Candy-19-2-Ounce/dp/B0029JIFWA

* Frederick: Things 3: https://culturedcode.com/things/

* JD: Final Fantasy 14: http://www.finalfantasyxiv.com

* Paul: Haight-Ashbury San Francisco: http://www.sftravel.com/explore/neighborhoods/haight-ashbury

This episode is sponsored by CodePen

In this episode we get to speak with UX & Product Designer Miguel E. Elasmar.  We discuss the design challenges in Healthcare, and its voluminous array of predefined guidelines. We also ask the question: Should Developers Design? There is so much emphasis on designers coding, yet not enough thought into the professional prerogative of the developer and their perspective. We also get the audio pleasure of having Miguel play Led Zeppelin’s Moby Dick in its entirety.

Show Links

* Guest: Miguel E. Elasmar

* Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/g8eGpwOGsyI

* Website: http://www.miguelelasmar.com

* School: Ringling College of Art and Design https://www.ringling.edu

* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/miguelelasmar/

* Twitter: https://twitter.com/miguelelasmar

* Spotlight:

* Brian: Logitech K750 https://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/k750-keyboard

* Frederick: Fitbit sleep tracking https://www.fitbit.com/sleep-better

* Miguel: Sugru moldable glue https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sugru-Mouldable-Glue-Black-Pack/dp/B007VXJM58

* Favorite Heavy Metal Band: Revocation https://revocation.bandcamp.com/

* Booberry Monster Cereal https://www.amazon.com/Monster-Cereal-Booberry-9-6-Ounce-Boxes/dp/B000S83YAM

This episode is sponsored by CodePen

In this episode we get to speak with Director of Communications, Les Freed. Les shares the story of his start in the tech industry, and how a serendipitous snow storm in West Virginia changed the course of his life forever. We talk about how a few magazines inspired his entrepreneurial spirit in software development and later grew into his own company.  We also talk about Les’s time at CBS News, and his travels across the globe. We even discuss his time chasing Elvis in a helicopter, while Les himself almost left the building.

Show Links

* Guest: Les Freed

* Watch on YouTube https://youtu.be/Yvaj4387OLM?list=PLiuqHIttx0cuS9cKVv7S45NwZ2dZeEssg

* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lfreed

* School: University of Miami: BA in Communications http://welcome.miami.edu

* Les’s books: http://amzn.to/2rO94v7

* History

* CBS News

* Crosstalk Communications

* PC Magazine

* Spotlight:

* Les: HALO TOP Ice Cream  halotop.com

* Brian: Brightech Circle LED USB: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LDXEK3K/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

* Frederick: Flinto: https://www.flinto.com/mac

This episode is sponsored by CodePen

In this episode we get to speak with UI/UX Designer Daniel Ordonez. We get to know Daniel and explore his passion for design, while we also dive into his history in the industry.

From designing brilliant interfaces to leading user testing and compiling meaningful analytics, Daniel brings intense creativity and a strong background in designing great user experiences. His professional experience spans more than eight years and includes leading cross-functional teams, following agile methodologies and streamlining application processes to greatly increase user satisfaction.

Group Topic

Our group topic was Introverts versus Extroverts in the business landscape. In the modern workplace, we are generally in small tight cubes like rats, or the ever-popular open workspace where the walls have been removed. These habitats celebrate the “group think environment”.

In a group dynamic, we can’t help but mirror each-other. We mirror each other’s behaviors, we mirror each other’s opinions, we mirror the people that we like because we can’t help but follow the tribe. In social situations, we tend to copy the behaviors of others, and **some argue** the results are a recursive loop of the same old ideas since we just want to agree with everyone and be liked, loved, and be part of the group. In a culture where being social and outgoing is prized above all else, it can be difficult, even shameful, to be an introvert.

Show Links

* Guest: Daniel Ordonez

* Watch Video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/mRnLoD6KL_o

* UI/UX Designer at Chasm Communications https://chasmcommunications.com

* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielordonez/

* Twitter: https://twitter.com/zlinko411

* Full Sail: Full Sail University: Campus and Online Degrees

* Design Details: https://spec.fm/podcasts/design-details

* Trav and Los show Think to Talk: http://www.travandlos.com/115

* Spotlight

* Brian: Logitech Logitech MX Master: https://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Master-Wireless-Computer-910-004956/dp/B01LXV001A/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1494206058&sr=8-3&keywords=logitech+mx+master

* Frederick: Marketo Conference: https://events.marketo.com/summit/2017/

* JD: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3896198/

* Daniel: Drones: https://www.amazon.com/DJI-CP-PT-000500-Mavic-Pro/dp/B01LZ8QTSU/ref=sr_1_sc_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1494206163&sr=1-1-spell&keywords=mavoc+pro

* Laser Tag: Qzar Laser tag https://www.qzartampa.com