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By Mark Baldino
5
99 ratings
The podcast currently has 22 episodes available.
In this episode of UX Leadership By Design, host Mark Baldino speaks with Pablo Stanley. Pablo, a designer and artist, shares his journey from being a graffiti artist in his teenage years to becoming a creative director and founder of multiple companies. He discusses the challenges and triumphs of leading a team of creatives, including the balance between guiding them and allowing them to explore new ideas. Pablo also emphasizes the importance of bringing one's full self and passion to work, promoting work-life integration rather than separation. He highlights the benefits of integrating personal interests and hobbies into the creative process, leading to more motivated and efficient employees. Pablo thoughtfully emphasizes the importance of collaboration, autonomy, and allowing others to make decisions. Pablo also shares his perspective on AI in design, highlighting its potential to unblock creativity and free up time for more impactful work -- while acknowledging the concerns around AI and the need for ethical and legal regulations.
Key Takeaways
Resources & Links
Fuzzy Math: fuzzymath.com
Mark on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markbaldino/
In this episode of UX Leadership by Design, host Mark Baldino speaks with Harry Max, author of the book "Managing Priorities: How to Create Better Plans and Make Smarter Decisions". We discussion the importance of intentional prioritization, particularly in complex organizational settings. Harry explains that while many people think they are good at prioritizing, most struggle when faced with dynamic and adaptive environments. He introduces his DEGAP process model (Decide, Engage, Gather, Arrange, Prioritize), which offers a structured approach to prioritization, ensuring that decisions are made based on the best possible options. The conversation also touches on the challenges of gaining team and organizational alignment and the significance of making prioritization a deliberate and strategic activity.
Key Takeaways:
Chapters
Links:
Fuzzy Math: fuzzymath.com
Mark on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markbaldino/
In this episode of UX Leadership by Design, Mark Baldino, co-founder of Fuzzy Math, speaks with Evan English, Vice President of Design and User Research at American Express. Evan shares her journey from product management to UX leadership at Amex, where she has spent 15 years. She highlights the company's significant investment in leadership training and development, which has allowed her to build a strong design leadership team from within the organization. They discuss the importance of aligning design work with business value, the challenges and rewards of building a mature design system, and the strategic role of information architecture in delivering business results.
Key Takeaways:
Fuzzy Math: fuzzymath.com
Mark on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markbaldino/
In Episode 7 of Season 2 of UX Leadership by Design, host Mark Baldino chats with Mike LaVista, CEO and Founder of Caxy, a digital transformation constancy. They explore the importance of clear goals, change management, and mitigating risks for successful transformations. They also highlight the need to involve customers in the process and consider future-proofing these systems. The conversation emphasizes the importance of building a strong business case, prioritizing pain points, and introducing new features to drive adoption. They explore the importance of legacy app modernization, and the practical steps organizations can take to mitigate risks associated with these transformations.
Key Takeaways:
Definition and Impact of Digital Transformation: Digital transformation involves a comprehensive integration of digital technology into all areas of a business, fundamentally changing how organizations operate and deliver value to customers. Mike emphasizes that it's not just about technology, but also about driving change that enhances business performance and sustainability.
Challenges of Legacy Systems: Legacy systems often pose significant challenges due to their outdated technologies and architectures. Both speakers discuss the complexities involved in modernizing these systems, including the risks of disrupting operational continuity and the difficulty in managing change among stakeholders.
Risk Mitigation Strategies: The discussion highlights the importance of a proactive approach to risk management. Mike suggests that addressing potential pains before they turn critical and involving key stakeholders early in the process are crucial steps in mitigating risks.
Change Management as a Key Success Factor: Effective change management is critical for the success of digital transformation initiatives. Mike points out that organizations must focus on managing both the technical aspects of the change and the people side, ensuring that all employees are on board and aligned with the new direction.
Future-Proofing Through Incremental Improvement: Both speakers agree that future-proofing business technology requires not only replacing old systems but also continuously improving and updating new systems. They discuss strategies for making incremental improvements that allow organizations to adapt to future needs without extensive rework.
The Role of Leadership in Transformation: Leadership plays a pivotal role in driving digital transformation. Leaders must not only endorse technological change but also foster a culture that embraces continual learning and adaptation.
Connect with Mike on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaellavista/
Mike's Article: The 7 Stages of Digital Transformation: https://www.caxy.com/blog/the-7-stages-of-digital-transformation-in-business
Fuzzy Math: fuzzymath.com
Mark on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markbaldino/
In Episode 6 of Season 2 of UX Leadership by Design, host Mark Baldino chats with Bridget McMullan, Director of Technology Innovation at Elevance Health, about the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI), user experience design, and product management. They dive into the critical role of human creativity and critical thinking in effectively integrating AI into product development and design processes. Bridget shares insights from her diverse background in product development and her teaching experiences, highlighting practical examples of AI applications. The conversation also touches on ethical considerations, potential biases, and the importance of human intervention in AI's development and implementation. Whether you're a designer, product manager, or simply an AI enthusiast this episode explores the transformative potential of AI in creating innovative, user-centered design solutions.
Key Takeaways:
AI and Human Creativity in UX Design: The integration of artificial intelligence in user experience design highlights a unique overlap where AI enhances human creativity, leading to the development of innovative solutions that blend the best of technology and human insight.
Human-Centered Design in the Age of AI: Despite the transformative potential of AI, the core principles of human-centered design remain paramount. This approach ensures that design solutions prioritize user-friendliness, intuition, and ethical responsibility, keeping human needs and values at the forefront.
Ethical AI Use and Bias Prevention: The ethical integration of AI in design practices emphasizes the importance of bias prevention and aligns technological advancements with human values, ensuring that AI serves the genuine needs of users.
Evolving Role of AI in Product Development: Artificial intelligence is increasingly shaping the future of product development, introducing new methodologies that streamline the design process and encourage innovation, thereby transforming how products are conceived and brought to market.
Critical Thinking and Human Insight in AI Implementation: In the implementation of AI-driven solutions, critical thinking and human intervention play crucial roles, ensuring that technology is applied in a manner that is both practical and deeply attuned to user needs.
Navigating the AI Landscape in Design and Technology: As AI continues to evolve, understanding its impact on design and technology becomes essential. This encompasses both the benefits and challenges of AI, highlighting how it can enhance user experiences while also presenting new considerations for designers.
Connect with Bridget on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bridgetmcmullan/
Fuzzy Math: fuzzymath.com
Mark on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markbaldino/
In Season 2, Episode 5 of UX Leadership by Design, Mark Baldino is joined by Pooja Vijay Kumar from Autodesk to discuss the transformative shift from product-centric to platform-centric design. Pooja shares her journey and the strategic importance of breaking down complex systems into atomic elements for better communication and understanding. The episode highlights Autodesk's approach to supporting a myriad of products and features while maintaining a cohesive infrastructure. The conversation offers practical advice for designers, product managers, and technologists navigating the evolving landscape of design. Tune in to learn about the future of design and how to thrive in a platform-centric environment.
Key Takeaways:
Shift to Platform-Centric Design Thinking: The episode underscores the essential transition from product-centric to platform-centric design, emphasizing the need for designers to adopt a mindset focused on creating systems that support multiple products and services. This shift involves breaking down complex systems into atomic elements for clarity and effective communication.
The Role of Strategic Questioning and Business Acumen: Designers are encouraged to ask pertinent questions to grasp the business value of their projects fully. Understanding and articulating the business context of design work is highlighted as a crucial skill for influencing decision-making and asserting the strategic importance of design in achieving business objectives.
Navigating Organizational Dynamics for Impact: The discussion on entering and exiting "the right rooms" metaphorically speaks to the importance of designers positioning themselves in situations where they can significantly impact and participate in crucial decision-making processes. It's about finding the balance between contributing value and seeking opportunities for meaningful involvement in strategic discussions.
Innovations in Platform Content Design: Pooja Vijay Kumar shares insights into the unique challenges and approaches in platform content design, including crafting language and metaphors that anchor user experiences. This involves a sophisticated understanding of data models, concepts, and the transition from legacy systems to more granular, data-centric approaches.
Future Directions in Design: The conversation points towards the future of design, stressing the importance for designers to equip themselves with platform-centric thinking, strategic questioning, and an understanding of business value to navigate the evolving landscape of technology and design effectively.
Connect with Pooja on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/poojavijaykumar/
Pooja on ADPList: https://adplist.org/mentors/pooja-vijay-kumar
Fuzzy Math: fuzzymath.com
Mark on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markbaldino/
In Episode 4, Season 2 of "UX Leadership By Design," Denise Tilles discusses the critical role of product operations in scaling businesses and enhancing product development. She underscores the necessity of integrating product and design teams with a strong emphasis on leveraging data and research operations to drive impactful business results. Denise targets a broad audience for the book, including product managers, VPs, CPOs, and CEOs, to emphasize the universal benefit of adopting product operations frameworks. Key insights include the essential nature of operationalizing product teams, the significance of data in refining product strategy, and the importance of cross-functional collaboration for effective operationalization.
Key Takeaways:
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Background
03:13 Discovering Product Operations
04:26 Defining Product Management
05:29 Target Audience for the Book
08:14 When to Operationalize Product Teams
10:36 The Role of Data in Product Operations
18:09 Overlap and Collaboration with Other Ops Teams
22:03 Aligning Design and Product for Operationalization
23:45 The Importance of Research Ops
26:00 Collaboration between Design and Product
28:23 Talue of Product Operations
Fuzzy Math: fuzzymath.com
Mark on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markbaldino/
Welcome to Episode 3 of Season 2 of UX Leadership By Design. In this episode, Mark speaks with Mollie Cox, Director of Product Design at Fleet.io and Adjunct Professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Mollie shares her career journey and the connection between her early career, playing hopscotch, teaching, and leadership style. She emphasizes the value of teaching practical skills. Mollie also discusses the concept of radical softness, using our emotions as a strength and not a weakness. She also explains how she carves out time for growth and mentorship within her design team, aligning individual goals with organizational goals. Mollie's commitment to designer growth is evident in her approach to leadership and mentorship. All leaders can learn a tremendous amount from Mollie's leadership style and ethos "Grow my people".
Takeaways
Topics covered
Links
Fuzzy Math: fuzzymath.com
Mark on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markbaldino/
The title says it all -- we cover a ton in Season 2, Episode 2 of UX Leadership By Design, as Mark Baldino talks with Shan Shen, a Principal UX designer at Custom Ink. Shan shares her background in design and her transition to a leadership role as they discuss the challenges designers face in a remote work environment and the importance of creating support systems. Shan shares tips for designers and leaders in navigating difficult situations and emphasizes the need for designers to understand the language of business and focus on delivering value. We'll say it again -- value is the love language of business.
Takeaways
Topics Covered:
Links:
Fuzzy Math: fuzzymath.com
Mark on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markbaldino/
Welcome to Season 2 of UX Leadership by Design. In this episode, we talk to Bryn McCoy, a seasoned UX design leader, who shares her journey from a maker in tech to a design leader. Bryn emphasizes the importance of collaboration between product and design teams, addressing challenges in the tech industry, and the need for innovation in times of uncertainty. Bryn also highlights the significance of maintaining creativity and motivation within teams and stresses the importance of personal and cultural growth. The episode covers various topics including the transition from making to leading, collaboration strategies, and maintaining team motivation amidst challenges, ending with recommendations for further resources.
Takeaways
Topics Covered
Links:
Fuzzy Math: fuzzymath.com
Mark on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markbaldino/
The podcast currently has 22 episodes available.
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