Episodes
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In the second part of their conversation on Brave UX, Brendan furthers his conversation with Tamara Adlin, President of Adlin Inc. Tamara shares her journey of overcoming challenges like sexism and ageism in the tech space, advocating for user-centered design amidst a disconnect with Web 3 teams. They discuss the misconceptions around venture capital and the need to balance data-driven decisions and intuitive design. Plus, Tamara offers valuable job-seeking advice through her involvement with the "Never Search Alone" initiative, emphasizing a user-centric approach. Tune in for insights on innovation, adaptability, and creating meaningful connections in today’s fast-paced tech landscape!
Highlights include:
00:00 - Introduction to Web 3 and Blockchain03:15 - Tamara’s Reluctance to Engage with Web 308:00 - The 18-Month Confidence Knock12:45 - Disconnect Between UX and Web 3 Mindsets19:30 - Misconceptions About Funding and Success24:00 - The Balance of Data and Intuition in Innovation30:15 - Involvement with the "Never Search Alone" Initiative35:50 - Crafting an Effective Elevator PitchWho is Tamara Adlin
Tamara Adlin is a seasoned UX consultant with over 25 years of experience helping companies create better products. A former UX leader at Amazon, Tamara has worked with top tech enterprises, specializing in startups and Web3 projects for the past 20 years. She co-authored The Persona Lifecycle books and developed the "Executive Alignment in Five Conversations" framework, which helps teams refocus on user needs and improve product outcomes. With expertise in product strategy, UX diagnostics, and leadership alignment, Tamara’s approach drives rapid improvements and long-term success for companies navigating disruptive technologies like blockchain and AI.
"I like to use the metaphor of a 'tornado' to describe the chaos that ensues when executive opinions change rapidly. One moment, you’re moving forward, and the next, everything is flipped upside down. It’s crucial to understand those stakeholder assumptions upfront rather than letting the storm dictate the direction of your project." Tamara Adlin
Find Tamara Here
Tamara Adlin on LinkedInAdlin Inc WebsiteSubscribe to Brave UX
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Brendan Jarvis on LinkedInThe Space InBetween Website -
In the first of a two-part episode of Brave UX, Brendan Jarvis interviews Tamara Adlin, President of Adlin Inc. Tamara Adlin is a thought leader and a seasoned UX consultant with over 25 years of experience helping companies create better products. Tamara reflects on her time at Amazon, lessons from leadership, and her pioneering work with personas. She highlights how executive misalignment can derail projects, emphasizing that personas alone can’t fix underlying communication issues. Tamara introduces her “Executive Alignment in Five Conversations” methodology, a framework designed to align teams and ensure project success. The conversation also touches on the importance of ongoing alignment and how well-crafted personas can be transformative when supported by clear, cohesive leadership.
Highlights include:
00:00 - Introduction and Background05:30 - Tamara’s Journey into Animal Rescue12:15 - The Persona Life Cycle Books18:45 - Alignment Insights from Amazon26:00 - The Importance of a Support System32:30 - Diversity in Tech40:15 - The Challenges of Executive Misalignment46:00 - Executive Alignment in Five Conversations55:30 - Case Study: Zillow1:02:15 - Conclusion and Teaser for Part TwoWho is Tamara Adlin
Tamara Adlin is a seasoned UX consultant with over 25 years of experience helping companies create better products. A former UX leader at Amazon, Tamara has worked with top tech enterprises, specializing in startups and Web3 projects for the past 20 years. She co-authored The Persona Lifecycle books and developed the "Executive Alignment in Five Conversations" framework, which helps teams refocus on user needs and improve product outcomes. With expertise in product strategy, UX diagnostics, and leadership alignment, Tamara’s approach drives rapid improvements and long-term success for companies navigating disruptive technologies like blockchain and AI.
"I like to use the metaphor of a 'tornado' to describe the chaos that ensues when executive opinions change rapidly. One moment, you’re moving forward, and the next, everything is flipped upside down. It’s crucial to understand those stakeholder assumptions upfront rather than letting the storm dictate the direction of your project." Tamara Adlin
Find Tamara Here
Tamara Adlin on LinkedInAdlin Inc WebsiteSubscribe to Brave UX
Liked what you heard and want to hear more? Subscribe and support the show by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts (or wherever you listen).
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LinkedInInstagramTikTokBrendan Jarvis hosts the Show, and you can find him here:
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Missing episodes?
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In this episode of Brave UX, Brendan Jarvis sits down with Jen Briselli, Co-founder of Topology, to discuss how embracing uncertainty and complexity is essential in design. Jen shares her journey from physics and teaching to strategy consulting, drawing parallels between her love of extreme metal music and her approach to learning and exploration. They dive into the importance of systems thinking, navigating ambiguity, and how designers must embrace the unintended consequences of their work. Jen emphasizes the value of curiosity, self-reflection, and continuous learning as tools for thriving in an ever-evolving world.
Highlights include:
00:00 - Introduction to Jen Briselli and her love for extreme metal music02:31 - Jen's career path and the need to pave your path in design08:11 - Embracing uncertainty and developing a tolerance for ambiguity15:21 - Navigating ambiguity and getting comfortable with uncertainty21:46 - Design as a white-collar or blue-collar field26:56 - Complexity and systems thinking in design31:41 - Embracing uncertainty and chaos in design37:11 - Reconnecting with complexity and the importance of learning42:21 - The importance of teams and organizations learning together46:56 - Learning as the meta superpower for individualsWho is Jen Briselli
Jen Briselli is a multifaceted strategist, researcher, designer, and educator who thrives at the intersection of diverse disciplines. With a passion for risky play and transdisciplinary collaboration, Jen partners with brave individuals to co-create innovative services, experiences, and environments that empower people to live on their own terms. Driven by an insatiable curiosity, she uncovers hidden patterns across disparate domains and uses these insights to enable others. Inspired by the philosophy of R. Buckminster Fuller, Jen believes in unlocking individual potential to create a collective realization for all. She is dedicated to connecting ideas and people in meaningful ways.
"It's become my professional mission to provoke, construct, and sometimes subvert to codesign services, tools, and experiences that enable people to live well on their own terms." Jen Briselli
Find Jen Here
Jen Briselli on LinkedInTopology WebsiteSubscribe to Brave UX
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In this special bonus episode of Brave UX, Nitzan Shaer speaks candidly about the future of UX research, why simulated audiences are a step beyond synthetic, and how UX professionals can leverage them effectively.
Highlights include:
15:12 - What’s the vision you’re building towards with WEVO?22:56 - How would you define the difference between synthetic and simulated research?25:44 - Could simulated research eventually surpass human research in accuracy?34:50 - What does the near future hold for UX research with AI advancements?58:00 - How can simulated audiences help accelerate innovation?======
Who is Nitzan Shaer?
Nitzan is the CEO and co-founder of WEVO, a user research platform that leverages AI to deliver reliable insights to designers, marketers, and product managers—in a fraction of the time that traditional research requires.
Before co-founding WEVO, Nitzan was the co-founder and managing partner of High Start Group, an innovation consulting firm dedicated to helping companies create and launch breakthrough products.
He also led product management, partner relationships, and defined Skype’s strategy for mobile phones as head of the Mobile Phones and Product Group, where the challenges of working with customers across 150+ countries sparked his vision for WEVO.
Complementing his hands-on experience in building and scaling products, Nitzan holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from Technion, Israel’s Institute of Technology.
An active contributor to the broader product and business community, Nitzan has shared his insights on stages such as The Product Podcast, Product-Led Summit New York, and at Harvard Business School.
Find Nitzan here:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nshaer/Website: https://wevo.ai/
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Today, our special guest is Greg Nudelman, a Distinguished Designer at Sumo Logic. In this engaging episode of Brave UX, Brendan interviews Greg about the role of UX in the age of AI. They discuss the potential impact of AI on society, the need for designers to adapt and incorporate AI into their work, and the importance of focusing on customer needs and ethical considerations. They also touch on the challenges faced in design projects and the need for trust and clear goals. Overall, this podcast offers valuable insights on the evolving role of designers and the potential consequences of AI on democracy.
Highlights include:
00:00 - Introduction to Greg and UX forAI01:45 - AI's Potential Impact on Society05:32 - Perspective on the World Our Children Will Live In07:15 - Critique of Education System and the Role of AI in the Classroom10:32 - Shifting Role of Designers in the Age of AI 14:48 - Importance of Shifting Design Conversations18:02 - Training AI Models for Positive Design Outcomes20:42 - Challenges in Design Projects and the Role of Trust24:15 - Designers as Contributors and the Importance of Humility28:05 - AI's Impact on Democracy and the Role of IndividualsWho is Greg Nedelman
Greg Nudelman is a seasoned UX leader with 24 design patents, six featured mobile apps, and five design books in three languages. Known for generating hundreds of millions in design ROI, Greg specializes in crafting AI/ML-powered products that inspire a "When can I buy this?" reaction from customers. A Gartner Cool Vendor™, Greg’s expertise spans UX for AI, Lean Product Design, and DesignOps. He has delivered over 100 executive-level keynotes and workshops in 18 countries, guiding UX teams across biotech, finance, and IoT industries to create innovative digital solutions that surpass business goals and elevate user experiences.
Find Greg Here
Greg Nudelman on LinkedInSumo Logic WebsiteDesignCaffeine, Greg’s WebsiteSubscribe to Brave UX
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Today, our special guest is Abby Covert, Chief Sensemaker at the Sensemaker Club. Join Brendan as he interviews Abby, an information architect, author, and community leader in UX design. Abby shares insights into her work in UX design, the importance of customer feedback, and her journey as an author. They discuss topics such as misdiagnosis, neurodivergent experiences, the evolution of information architecture, ethical responsibility in tech, and effective communication through diagrams. Take advantage of this insightful and thought-provoking conversation.
Highlights include:
0:00 - Introduction and Abby's Accomplishments3:17 - Abby's Experience of Buying a House6:45 - Abby's Book "How to Make Sense of Any Mess"13:01 - Friendship with Christina Wodtke16:56 - Abby’s Work and Life OKRs20:45 - Decision to Become a "Digital Recluse"26:10 - Experience of Being Diagnosed with ADHD37:56 - Abby's Journey in Information Architecture (IA)44:28 - Challenges in Promoting Ethical Responsibility in UX DesignWho is Abby Covert
Abby Covert is an information architect, writer, and community organizer with two decades of experience helping people make sense of messes. In addition to being an active mentor to those new to sensemaking, she has also served the design community as President of the Information Architecture Institute, co-chair of the Information Architecture Summit, and Executive Producer of the I.D.E.A Conference.
Abby is a founding faculty member of the School of Visual Arts’ Products of Design graduate program. She also managed the team that helped Rosenfeld Media start the Design Operations Summit and Advancing Research Conference. Her most proud achievement is coming up with the idea for World Information Architecture Day, which brings accessibly priced education to thousands in their local communities annually.
Abby has written two books for her students. In 2014, she published How to Make Sense of Any Mess, a book to teach IA to everybody. In 2022, she released her much-anticipated follow-up, Stuck? Diagrams Help. She currently spends her time making things that help you make the unclear clear, many of which she makes available for free on her website, abbycovert.com or at accessible price points in her popular Etsy shop, AbbytheIA.
Find Abby Here
Abby Covert on LinkedInSensemaker Club on LinkedInSensemaker Club WebsiteAbby Covert’s Book How to Make Sense of Any MessSubscribe to Brave UX
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Today, our special guest is Whitney Hess, Founder and Executive Coach of Vicarious Partners Inc. We discuss the power of bravery, vulnerability, and personal growth. Discover how to overcome fear, cultivate self-awareness, and embrace failure as a stepping stone toward success. With practical tips and inspiring stories, this podcast is a must-listen for anyone looking to live a more courageous and purposeful life.
Highlights include:
0:00-4:25 - Whitney discusses her perspective on failure04:26-8:17 - Whitney shares her backstory, including living on a sailboat08:18-14:03 - The importance of being present and fully engaged with clients14:04-19:48 - A closer look at the power dynamics in coaching relationships19:49-24:12 - Whitney shares a personal anecdote24:13-29:45 - More on coaching, UX, and the challenges facing the field29:46-33:58 - Whitney’s perspective on the risks of pursuing the management track 33:59-38:20 - Coaching dynamics and the importance of an opt-in relationship43:03-46:26 - Brendan and Whitney highlight the importance of self-reflectionWho is Whitney Hess
Whitney Hess is a coach, writer, and designer on a mission to put humanity back into business. She believes empathy builds empires, and she helps progressive, creative leaders design their careers and accelerate their missions. Her techniques help people gain self-awareness, identify blind spots, navigate obstacles, and bring their whole selves to their work.
Whitney has been a user experience (UX) consultant for over a decade, hired to make technology easier and more pleasurable. She has been recognized for her work with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, Foundation Center, Seamless, Boxee, and WNYC. She is named as a co-inventor on a U.S. patent with American Express.
Whitney is a two-time Carnegie Mellon University graduate with a Master’s in Human-Computer Interaction and a Bachelor’s in Professional Writing and HCI. She is a Certified Integral Coach through New Ventures West and a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) with the International Coaching Federation. She writes on her blog Pleasure & Pain, co-hosts the podcast Designing Yourself, and speaks at conferences and corporations worldwide.
Find Whitney Here:
Whitney Hess on LinkedInWhitney Hess WebsiteWhitney Hess BlogVicarious Partners Inc. on LinkedInWhitney Hess EmailSubscribe to Brave UX
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Today, our special guest is Doreen Lorenzo, Assistant Dean at the University of Texas School of Design and Creative Technology. Doreen discusses the challenges and opportunities in the design industry and shares her insights as a design leader while emphasizing the importance of training and skill development. They also explore her journey from Frog Design to the University of Texas and her passion for education and diversity in design.
Highlights include:
03:15 - Introduction and Doreen's background10:52 - Doreen’s decision to pursue a career in design15:50 - Challenges of managing a large design firm24:59 - Benefits of promoting diversity in the design industry26:39 - Importance of confidence in design31:29 - Doreen's Journey from Frog to the University of Texas44:04 - Doreen’s leadership philosophy and balancing profitability with risk-takingWho is Doreen Lorenzo
Doreen Lorenzo is a successful leader of global creative firms who advises and consults with companies from Fortune 100 to startups on design and innovation issues. The former president of the global design firms Frog and Quirky, she is now the Assistant Dean in the School of Design and Creative Technology at the University of Texas, a co-founder of the mobile video insights firm Vidlet, a board member and advisor of several startups, and a columnist for Fast Company Co.Design.
A recognized thought leader on business and design issues, she speaks publicly about her signature leadership style and the power of empathy to drive business results. Most recently, Texas Monthly named Doreen one of the 15 innovators reshaping Texas, a testament to her innovative leadership approach.
Doreen is an ardent believer in the advantages of “soft skills” like empathy and humor in business. She speaks at industry conferences, at private events, and to the media about her experience using these often overlooked skills to understand and motivate creative people. A driven and successful woman in a male-dominated industry, Doreen also speaks about women in leadership and coaches aspiring women leaders to help them find their own paths to success.
Find Doreen Here
Doreen Lorenzo on LinkedInUniversity of Texas School of Design and Creative Technology WebsiteQuirky WebsiteDoreen’s personal WebsiteSubscribe to Brave UX
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Today, our special guest is Nick Fine, PhD, Principal UX Research Consultant and Strategist at Adaptavist. Nick touches on several topics, including dealing with ADHD, why user-centric design has lost its way, and the impact of economic cycles and AI on the industry. Nick also talks about the need for UX researchers to focus on insight rather than ‘depth’, stating that the goal is to “get the gold and get out.” And that’s just the start!
Highlights include:
00:00 - Guest introduction02:31 - Discussion on ADHD and "Chorus of Bastards"09:15 - Nick's background in hacking and hyperfocus 17:56 - Frustration with the current state of UX23:50 - Future of UX and AI agents30:31 - Making yourself indispensable in UX35:16 - Over-intellectualization of UX research39:31 - The role of managers and leaders in UX44:11 - Conclusion and key takeawaysWho is Nick Fine, PhD
Nick is a user experience researcher and designer with 20 years of experience in digital and over 12 years of experience as a practitioner. He holds a PhD and MSc in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and a BSc in Psychology. He successfully defended his PhD thesis in 2009, entitled “Personalizing Interaction Using User Interface Skins,” where he established a novel means for determining personality type from keyboard and mouse usage and discovered relationships between design elements (color, shape, meaning) and personality type.
By combining academic research skills and HCI knowledge with commercial UX experience, Nick has successfully delivered a number of complex and mission-critical projects, including air traffic control, financial systems, and pharmaceutical R&D. He has led UX on projects for a number of brands, including Coca-Cola, SAB Miller, Jaguar Land Rover, Bentley, EY, Novartis, GlaxoSmithKline, BT, Virgin Media, Camelot, and both the Home and Cabinet Office.
Find Nick Here:
Nick Fine, PhD on LinkedInAdaptavist WebsiteProskin.org WebsiteSubscribe to Brave UX
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Q Walker draws a line between circus and UX, shares their experience of being cyber stalked, and unpacks the IA intricacies of emojis.
Highlights include:
What can designers learn from circus performers?Why did you start researching the information architecture of emojis?Are changes to emojis a form of benevolent censorship?What makes the presentation of the gun emoji interesting?How has embracing your queerness helped you reclaim your bravery?======
Who is Q Walker?
Since late 2023, Q has been the General Manager of The Circus Hub, the centre for circus arts in Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand.
Before joining The Circus Hub, Q was an Experience Lead at PaperKite , where they plied their trade of UX strategy and UX research to helping brands like the All Blacks, Volkswagen, The New Zealand Ministry of Health, and Hell Pizza, to better serve their customers.
Q’s career in design started in the United States at Fidelity Investments in 2012, where they worked as a Communications Design Manager and - among other things - used UX and graphic design skills to create data visualisations, interactive reports and web app interfaces.
It was during their time at Fidelity that Q both started and completed a Master of Science in Human Factors in Information Design at Bentley University.
They have also shared their expertise and experiences with audiences at UX New Zealand (more than once) and UXPA’s Boston conference.
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Find Q here:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/q-walker/
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YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/TheSpaceInBetween/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-space-in-between/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thespaceinbetw__n/======
Hosted by Brendan Jarvis:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendanjarvis/Website: https://thespaceinbetween.co.nz/Twitter: https://twitter.com/brendanjarvis/ -
Greg Petroff discusses the practicalities of executive design leadership, why he believes in ‘make to think’, and the ins-and-outs of working with product and engineering.
Highlights include:
How much advocacy for design is too much?Why do you prefer project-based teams over product-based teams?How do you align the engineering, product and design organisations?How have your recent experiences in the labour market changed you?What does effective compromise look like in enterprise software design?======
Who is Greg Petroff?
A 25 year veteran of the design field, for the past 10 years Greg has led significant design organisations at some of the world’s largest and most recognisable companies.
Until recently, he was the vice president and chief design officer of Cisco Secure, where he led the design innovation and transformation of one of the world’s largest cybersecurity solutions providers.
His highlight reel also includes being the chief experience officer at GE Digital, managing director of Google Cloud, vice president and global head of design at ServiceNow, and senior vice president of design at Compass.
One of the early members of our emerging field, Greg is a founding board member of the Interaction Design Association, where he also contributed as the treasurer and as an early conference chair.
A generous contributor to the field, Greg has shared his insights on stages across the world, including at TedX, the Interaction conference, UX Australia, Enterprise UX, and on the most-excellent Finding Our Way podcast.
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Find Greg here:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gpetroff/ X: https://twitter.com/gpetroff
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YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/TheSpaceInBetween/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-space-in-between/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thespaceinbetw__n/======
Hosted by Brendan Jarvis:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendanjarvis/Website: https://thespaceinbetween.co.nz/Twitter: https://twitter.com/brendanjarvis/ -
Ari Zelmanow shares insight into his life as a police detective, how he transformed into a PhD and then UX researcher, and how researchers can become strategic partners.
Highlights include:
What insight did your time as a detective give you into your fellow humans?How do you communicate the value of research to the business?What is the most impactful way to present research findings?Why is it important to associate a level of certainty with research findings?What is the most important thing for researchers to focus on right now?======
Who is Ari Zelmanow?
Ari is he Head of UX Research at Twilio, where he leads the ‘small but mighty’ research and research ops teams for the industry-leading platform that efficiently powers customer engagement, marketing and innovation.
He is also the Managing Director of Customer Forensics, where he helps companies to capture and keep more customers - informed by his time in the research field, and former life as a metropolitan police detective.
Ari has also held a number of senior research roles, including as vice president of analytics, research and insight at Gtmhub, As a UX research manager at Indeed, a director of analytics, research, and insights at Panasonic, and as a UX and Market Research Lead at Twitter.
Complementing Ari’s decade of experience as a police detective and years in the field as an applied researcher and research manager, he holds a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies, a Master of Science in Criminal Justice, and a PhD in Cognitive Psychology.
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Find Ari here:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zelmanow/Personal website: https://arizelmanow.com/Customer Forensics: http://customerforensics.com/Blog: https://zelmanow.medium.com/X: https://twitter.com/arizelmanow
The Influential Researcher course:https://maven.com/interrogate/the-influential-researcher
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YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/TheSpaceInBetween/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-space-in-between/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thespaceinbetw__n/======
Hosted by Brendan Jarvis:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendanjarvis/Website: https://thespaceinbetween.co.nz/Twitter: https://twitter.com/brendanjarvis/ -
Vidya Dinamani shares important strategies for building belief, healthy product cultures, and positive cross-functional relationships.
Highlights include:
How have you increased your chances of your initiatives being supported?How do you determine what is needed for a product org to improve?What do you do when a leader is preventing the product org’s success?How do the best leaders manage the demands on their team’s time?What advice do you have for teams being crushed by their backlog?======
Who is Vidya Dinamani?
Vidya is the co-founder of Product Rebels, a company that has provided world-class and hands-on product management coaching, by tenured product management executives, to over 1,200 product leaders and founders.
She is also a founding partner of Ad Astra Ventures, a specialist early-stage venture investment firm and accelerator that helps female founders to get funded.
Before founding Product Rebels, Vidya was the VP of Innovation and Design at Mitchell International, where she established and grew a team that was focused on new growth products and the development of an innovation framework, metrics and process.
Vidya also spent a little over a decade at Intuit, where her last role was as the Director of Product & Customer Experience Development for TurboTax.
She holds 9 US software patents. Is a member of both GroupSolver’s and Sash Group’s board of directors. A limited partner of the Neythri Futures Fund. A mentor for Techstars and GrowthMentor. And the founder and lead organiser of Product Tank San Diego.
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Find Vidya here:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vdinamani/Website: https://vidyadinamani.mystrikingly.com/X: https://twitter.com/vdinamani
Product Rebels: https://productrebels.com/Ad Astra Ventures: http://www.adastra.ventures/
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YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/TheSpaceInBetween/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-space-in-between/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thespaceinbetw__n/======
Hosted by Brendan Jarvis:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendanjarvis/Website: https://thespaceinbetween.co.nz/Twitter: https://twitter.com/brendanjarvis/ -
Suj Premachandran shares how Digital Influx brings UX to children, how they integrate Eastern educational philosophy, and the challenge of changing archaic education systems.
Highlights include:
How are you helping children to become creative thinkers and designers?Are some of Digital Influx’s practices too ‘foreign’ for UK educators?How are you bringing design to people of colour through Digital Influx?What inspiration have you taken from non-Western education systems?Why do students create projects related to UN Sustainable Development Goals?======
Who is Suj Premachandran?
Suj is the CEO of Digital Influx, an international, industry-led, and interactive EdTech platform that helps children, teens and adults to develop UX design skills and to think differently about problems, large and small.
Suj is also the Vice President of the recently established Digital Influx Foundation; a US based non-profit that aims to make design education accessible to all children, regardless of their socio-economic background.
Before founding Digital Influx, Suj worked in design recruitment as a senior talent partner for Revolut, one of the world’s first global super apps. And also as a creative talent consultant for product and UX people at Salt in London.
Suj is an advocate for design & UX education at Tech London Advocates, a network of more than 15,000 tech leaders, entrepreneurs and experts across the globe. He is also a member of the Design Leadership Forum.
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Find Suj here:
Website: https://digitalinflux.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suj-premachandran-b630b444/X: https://twitter.com/CEOinflux
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YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/TheSpaceInBetween/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-space-in-between/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thespaceinbetw__n/======
Hosted by Brendan Jarvis:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendanjarvis/Website: https://thespaceinbetween.co.nz/Twitter: https://twitter.com/brendanjarvis/ -
Andy Vitale shares his experiences as an executive design leader, how he’s successfully scaled several design orgs, and why a career in pro wrestling wasn’t for him.
Highlights include:
Why do you create a five year plan for the design orgs you lead?How has Grey’s Anatomy informed the design of your design organisations?Why go to the trouble of helping someone who’s struggling in an interview?How do you navigate the expectations of being the most senior design leader?How do you feel you’ve enabled people on your team to speak to you as an equal?======
Who is Andy Vitale?
Andy is the Chief Design Officer of Constant Contact, an automation platform that helps small businesses to simplify and amplify their digital marketing. In this crucial role, Andy is responsible for providing executive leadership for the design organisation.
A master when it comes to scaling design teams, while at Rocket Companies Andy grew the design team into a multidisciplinary organisation with over 170 people working across design, research and brand.
Aside from his busy day job, Andy is also helping to shape the thinking of future user experience professionals, through his work as an adjunct professor for Kent State University’s Masters of Science in User Experience Design programme.
Andy is the co-host of the Surfacing Podcast where, alongside Lisa Welchman, he engages designers, technologists, and business leaders in inspiring conversations.
He is a member of the Fast Company Executive Board, an Adobe Education Leader, and - believe it or not - he still finds time to mentor designers on ADPList.
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Find Andy here:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andyvitale/Website: https://www.andyvitale.com/Medium: https://medium.com/@andyvitaleX: https://twitter.com/andyvitale
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YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/TheSpaceInBetween/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-space-in-between/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thespaceinbetw__n/======
Hosted by Brendan Jarvis:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendanjarvis/Website: https://thespaceinbetween.co.nz/Twitter: https://twitter.com/brendanjarvis/ -
Ben Sauer shares why designers need to be better presenters, how to keep stakeholders awake and engaged, and what to do when disaster inevitably strikes.
Highlights include:
Is how design is presented more important than the design itself?How do you help stakeholders to relate more powerfully to design work?What is the Goldilocks Zone and how can designer’s find it quickly?Why can it be useful to show stakeholders design work bit-by-bit?How do you deal with difficult people when presenting design work?======
Who is Ben Sauer?
Ben is an independent product and design strategist, coach, and trainer, helping companies to craft the vision for their products, and to inspire better internal processes and practices.
Drawing on over 20 years of experience, he has written and spoken about strategic storytelling, voice UI design, and how slowing down can help organisations to speed up. And his insights have been put to use at organisations such as NASA, Amazon and the BBC.
Ben’s most recent mission is helping designers to become more influential by becoming more confident communicators of their work. That’s why he’s recently published a book called “Death by Screens”, a practical how-to guide for presenting high stakes design work.
Before becoming an independent consultant, Ben worked at Babylon Health, where he was first a Director of Design and then a Director of Product. There, he led a large team of over 100 designers, clinicians, data scientists and engineers.
He has also been a Senior UX Designer at Clearleft, the world-renowned and perhaps first UX design consultancy in the United Kingdom.
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Find Ben here:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bensauer/Website: https://bensauer.net/X: https://twitter.com/bensauer
Death By Screens: How to Present High-Stakes Digital Design Work and Live to Tell the Tale - https://bensauer.net/deathbyscreens/
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Follow us on our other social channels for more great Brave UX content!
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/TheSpaceInBetween/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-space-in-between/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thespaceinbetw__n/======
Hosted by Brendan Jarvis:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendanjarvis/Website: https://thespaceinbetween.co.nz/Twitter: https://twitter.com/brendanjarvis/ -
Aylin Uysal shares her story of leading enterprise design, the reality of being an exec and a parent, and how patience and perseverance have served her well.
Highlights include:
Why is it important to have a good grasp of the details as a senior design leader?How do you know when you haven’t got the work-parent balance quite right?What changed at Oracle to enable the culture to significantly support design?How do you work across Oracle to ensure that users’ experience great design?Why can’t business apps be as simple and delightful as consumer apps?======
Who is Aylin Uysal?
Currently the VP of User Experience for Cloud Applications at Oracle, Aylin is at the forefront of design at one of the tech industry's most established companies, helping its customers to see data in new ways, discover insights and unlock endless possibilities.
During over two decades at Oracle Aylin has held several senior leadership roles, serving previously as a Senior Director of User Experience, a Director of Applications User Experience, and as a Senior Manager of HCM User Experience.
Before her long-standing tenure at Oracle, Aylin was a valued member of the design team at SAP, where she was a lead designer. She also made her mark as a senior designer at Silicon Graphics, a legendary Silicon Valley icon.
Originally from Turkey, Aylin graduated from Middle East Technical University with a Bachelor's in Industrial Design. She further honed her craft, obtaining a Master of Fine Arts from San Francisco's Academy of Art University.
Aylin's influence is not just corporate; she's been celebrated as one of the top thirty influential Turkish-American women by Turk of Amerika, she is a board member of the TUSIAD Silicon Valley Network, and is credited on 8 US patents.
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Find Aylin here:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aylinuysal/X: https://twitter.com/aylinuysal
======
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Follow us on our other social channels for more great Brave UX content!
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/TheSpaceInBetween/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-space-in-between/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thespaceinbetw__n/======
Hosted by Brendan Jarvis:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendanjarvis/Website: https://thespaceinbetween.co.nz/Twitter: https://twitter.com/brendanjarvis/ -
Monal Chokshi shares the lessons learned from growing three UX research orgs, what makes research impact a reality, and reflects on the next step in her career.
Highlights include:
What do you wish you knew about management before becoming a manager?What do researchers leaders need to do to increase their impact and influence?Did you become a manager to have more influence on product decisions?What do you look for in a company when deciding whether to apply for a job?What is the right way to socialise and influence partners with insights?======
Who is Monal Chokshi?
Until recently, Monal was a Senior Director and Head of Research & Insights at Dropbox, the company behind the cloud-based file storage and synchronisation service that helps over 700 million people, in over 180 countries, keep life organised.
At Dropbox, Monal led an organisation with researchers embedded in teams working across the company’s diverse range of products. As well as a centralised research team that contributed to Dropbox’s strategic direction through foundational research.
Before joining Dropbox, Monal was the Head of UX Research at Lyft. It was here that her visionary leadership enabled the discipline to grow from just her, to over 30 researchers, design strategists, and research operations specialists, working across all of the company’s products and services.
A generous contributor to the community, Monal has shared her insights at popular events, such as at UX Live’s UXR Conference, and on podcasts like the UX STRAT Podcast, Noam Segal’s UXR Conversations, and UserZoom’s UX Peditious.
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Find Monal here:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monal/X: https://twitter.com/MonalChokshi
How to Succeed as a UXR Manager: https://youtu.be/JhjCOljQDHA
======
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Follow us on our other social channels for more great Brave UX content!
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/TheSpaceInBetween/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-space-in-between/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thespaceinbetw__n/======
Hosted by Brendan Jarvis:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendanjarvis/Website: https://thespaceinbetween.co.nz/Twitter: https://twitter.com/brendanjarvis/ -
Jakob Nielsen addresses some of the criticism he’s faced, calls on UXers to urgently adopt AI, and shares why he believes the commoditisation of UX is a good thing.
Highlights include:
Are you surprised by how much you’ve offended some people?Why do UXers need a greater sense of urgency about adopting AI?Were the hiring practices at your previous company elitist?What is the state of UX today and where is the growth potential?Will AI impede our ability to develop our professional judgement?======
Who is Jakob Nielsen, PhD?
Jakob is the founder of UX Tigers, the website and associated substack he uses to bring his 41 years of UX knowledge and experience to the world, in what he has described as a plainspoken, hard-hitting and not bowing to orthodoxy kind-of-way.
Before founding UX Tigers, Jakob was the co-founder and principal - for 25 years - of a rather well known UX consultancy, the Nielsen Norman Group.
His other notable roles include being a distinguished engineer at Sun Microsystems, and a member of the research staff at Bell Communications Research - one of the world’s top three HCI labs in the 1990s.
Jakob is known for many other things, among which are being the founder of the discount usability movement, the foundational 10 usability heuristics for user interface design, and the eponymously named Jakob’s Law of Internet User Experience.
He is the holder of no less than 79 United States patents and the author of 8 books, including the best-selling “Designing Web Usability: The Practice of Simplicity”, “Usability Engineering”, and the pioneering “Hypertext and Hypermedia”.
In 2013, Jakob received the Lifetime Achievement Award for HCI Practice from ACM SIGCHI and in 2024 he was named a “Titan of Human Factors” by the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.
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Find Jakob here:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakobnielsenphd/Website: https://www.uxtigers.com/
======
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YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/TheSpaceInBetween/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-space-in-between/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thespaceinbetw__n/======
Hosted by Brendan Jarvis:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendanjarvis/Website: https://thespaceinbetween.co.nz/Twitter: https://twitter.com/brendanjarvis/ -
Justin Dauer shares how he conquered his ego to become a better designer, why he’s left executive design leadership, and how unfulfilled designers make bad products.
Highlights include:
Has digital visual design become a little bit boring?Why is humility the most important trait for a designer?What made you realise you were done with in-house design leadership?Why is it unacceptable for design leaders to ‘coast’ in their careers?How have you’ve been able to reach a high level of professional fulfilment?======
Who is Justin Dauer?
Justin is the Founder of Anomali by Design, a consultancy specialising in design strategy, product design, and engagement. Through Anomali, Justin helps organisations to develop their design leaders, so that they in turn foster healthier processes, methods, and cultures.
Before founding Anomali, Justin was the Vice President of Human-Centred Design and Development at bswift, a tech company owned by CVS Health, that transforms the way millions of employees perceive and engage with their benefits.
Justin also spent a number of years as Design Director of Nansen, a Swedish-American design firm. In this role, he established the Chicago office and managed a multi-disciplinary team of designers, front-end developers, and UX architects.
He is the author of two celebrated books on design. His first, the beautifully illustrated “Cultivating a Creative Culture” was published in 2017, with a second-edition released in 2020. His latest book, “In Fulfillment: The Designer’s Journey” was released is early 2022.
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Find Justin here:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pseudoroom/Website: https://anomalibydesign.com/X: https://twitter.com/pseudoroom
Books:
In Fulfillment: The Designer’s Journey - https://www.in-fulfillment.com/
Createive Culture: Human-Centered Interaction Design & Inspiration -https://www.the-culturebook.com/
======
Liked what you heard and want to hear more? Subscribe and support the show by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts (or wherever you listen).
Follow us on our other social channels for more great Brave UX content!
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/TheSpaceInBetween/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-space-in-between/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thespaceinbetw__n/======
Hosted by Brendan Jarvis:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendanjarvis/Website: https://thespaceinbetween.co.nz/Twitter: https://twitter.com/brendanjarvis/ - Show more
