Design Table Podcast

Nick Groeneveld, Tyler White
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  • Design
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Get a seat at the table and build the design career you want. This podcast is for designers looking to break in, level up, and take control of their careers—whether you're freelancing, climbing the corporate ladder, or just trying to get noticed. Every two weeks, we dive into career fundamentals, design best practices, and the hottest topics in the design community.

  1. 6d ago

    Is AI replacing designers? Not Really. There's A Bigger Danger

    Someone on your team just built a landing page with Claude and skipped you entirely. It used to be a product designer's nightmare, but now... it is called 'Tuesday'. In this episode of The Design Table Podcast, Tyler and Nick get into the question lots of product designers are asking right now. Is AI actually coming for your job? Or is that all social media nonsense? They map out why the risk of losing your job has nothing to do with AI itself. Instead, it comes down to company size and UX maturity, and where you land on that grid decides whether you're a strategic partner or the first person cut when a non-designer thinks they can just 'do the UX in Claude.' They break down why junior designers need political skills that senior designers take for granted, why showing messy work early gets you better feedback than a polished reveal, and why an unmonitored session recording can prove design's value faster than a giant slide deck. Then they answer a listener's question from a medtech intern who was told to use AI to improve his workflow. They unpack what that feedback is really saying, and what it isn't. In this episode you'll learn:🔸 Why should I even go into design is the wrong question to be asking right now🔸 The two part test for reading how seriously your company actually takes design🔸 How junior and senior designers should handle pushback differently🔸 Why showing your messy, unfinished work gets better feedback than the polished version🔸 How session recordings can prove design's value faster than any deck🔸 What use more AI to improve your workflow really means when a manager says it🔸 Why design is still the moat, and why the craft can't be outsourced Chapters:0:00 Is design still a safe career? Setting up the real question2:16 The two lines that determine how seriously your company takes design3:49 Junior vs senior designers, handling pushback and politics6:45 Why showing messy work early gets you better feedback9:20 The dangerous game of skipping design due diligence14:18 Why world changing features usually belong in a dropdown16:21 Why companies that ignore designer judgment are setting themselves up to fail18:37 Session recordings, the fastest way to prove design work matters 19:57 A bank's accessibility wake up call, caught on video23:12 Listener question, use more AI, a medtech intern's performance review26:06 Why shadowing a senior designer beats guessing on your own 29:40 Doing manual design work on purpose to build real craft 34:17 Closing thoughts, design is still the moat Subscribe to The Design Table Podcast https://www.designtablepodcast.com/subscribe Resources to help you level up your design career: Get your portfolio and career strategy reviewed with a Design Table Audit https://www.designtablepodcast.com/products/design-table-audit Download the Product Design Blueprint https://www.designtablepodcast.com/products/product-design-blueprint Join our UX and product design community https://www.designtablepodcast.com/products/ux-and-product-design-community In need of support? Take a look at our resources https://www.designtablepodcast.com/learn More about Tyler and Nick Tyler: https://www.designtablepodcast.com/hosts/tyler-white Nick: https://www.designtablepodcast.com/hosts/nick-groeneveld

  2. Aug 5

    10 Things Companies Hiring Product Designers Want From You Right Now

    Zero to one product design work. That's the main skill companies are hiring designers for right now. You'd expect Figma knowledge or being 'native' with the latest AI tools to be the main thing, but that's not the case. In this episode of The Design Table Podcast, Tyler and Nick react point-by-point to a breakdown of what companies currently want from product designers according to Tom Scott, recruiter and owner at Verified. The list includes communication skills for designers, ownership, design systems, AI-native skills, and why both the take-home task and the old-school work trial are creeping back into the product design hiring process. They also discuss why the "builder" mindset is better than pure execution as teams get leaner, why design systems are becoming a full-time discipline of their own, and why an app store flooded with AI-generated products is making branding and UI craft more and more important. Finally, Tyler and Nick cover the AI-native skill gap between senior and junior designers, why fractional and freelance design work is booming, and close on the reminder that your career is a vehicle for your life, not the whole thing. Tom Scott on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomscottt/Tom Scott's newsletter - https://verifiedinsider.substack.com/p/design-hiring-observations In this episode you'll learn:🔸 Why communication matters more than craft when presenting your work🔸 The "builder" mindset companies are hiring for over pure execution🔸 Why design systems are becoming a full-time discipline again🔸 How the flood of AI-generated apps is making branding the real differentiator🔸 Why take-home tasks and work trials are both making a comeback🔸 The AI-native skill gap between senior and junior designers🔸 Why fractional and freelance design work is booming🔸 The closing reminder: your career is a vehicle, not your identity Chapters:0:00 - What companies are actually looking for right now2:24 - The "builder" mindset beating pure execution4:54 - Design systems becoming a full-time discipline9:17 - How vibe coding is reshaping the design process12:43 - What junior portfolios need now vs. shipped work15:47 - Why branding is the differentiator in an AI-flooded app store20:54 - Interview processes changing: tasks and work trials return24:11 - The AI-native skill gap between senior and junior designers26:12 - The rise of fractional and freelance design work30:52 - Closing reminder: your career is a vehicle, not your identity Subscribe to The Design Table Podcasthttps://www.designtablepodcast.com/subscribe Resources to help you level up your design career:Get your portfolio and career strategy reviewed with a Design Table Audithttps://www.designtablepodcast.com/products/design-table-audit Download the Product Design Blueprinthttps://www.designtablepodcast.com/products/product-design-blueprint Join our UX and product design communityhttps://www.designtablepodcast.com/products/ux-and-product-design-community In need of support? Take a look at our resourceshttps://www.designtablepodcast.com/learn More about Tyler and NickTyler: https://www.designtablepodcast.com/hosts/tyler-whiteNick: https://www.designtablepodcast.com/hosts/nick-groeneveld

  3. Jul 29

    Live Portfolio Review - Your Hero Section Is Costing You The Interview

    Two seconds. That's how long you have before a hiring manager bounces off your portfolio. Most product design hero sections that time. In this episode of The Design Table Podcast, Tyler and Nick roast real, anonymized hero sections pulled straight from product design portfolios. Examples include the generic portfolio, one that looks like a resume-dump, and the rare ones that work. They break down why "I deliver thoughtful designs, seamless solutions, and creative experiences built for impact" tells a recruiter nothing, why your name doesn't need to be the headline, and how to turn a degree, a hobby, or even a personal reason into the differentiator that makes someone stop scrolling. They also get into productized service messaging, why "curious about X" reads weaker than "expert in X," and the two-line hero Tyler thinks is more than perfect. In this episode you'll learn:🔸 Why generic hero copy makes you disappear into the pile🔸 The "dream job" exercise that instantly sharpens a vague hero section🔸 How to turn your background, education, or a personal story into a real differentiator🔸 Why "curious about X" is weaker than "I'm an expert in X"🔸 How to signal scarcity without lying about your availability🔸 The two-line hero Tyler said needed zero notes🔸 Why a specific niche beats a generic "design partner" tagline Chapters:0:00 - Roasting a generic hero section opener2:00 - Why "thoughtful, seamless, creative" says nothing3:39 - The dream-job exercise for sharpening your positioning5:45 - Nick's pivot into music tech through a personal hook9:31 - Communicating scarcity without overselling12:20 - Why unlimited-design subscriptions can feel like a factory14:11 - The hero section that read like an entire resume15:18 - Turning a Master's in AI into a differentiator21:54 - "Curious about X" vs. "I'm an expert in X"25:19 - Cutting AI-sounding buzzwords like "facilitating transparent communication"27:42 - The two-line hero that nailed it29:43 - Roasting a personal brand hero section33:36 - "Design partner for non-technical SMEs" — niching done right35:52 - Why the hero section is still your most important real estate Subscribe to The Design Table Podcasthttps://www.designtablepodcast.com/subscribe Resources to help you level up your design career:Get your portfolio and career strategy reviewed with a Design Table Audithttps://www.designtablepodcast.com/products/design-table-audit Download the Product Design Blueprinthttps://www.designtablepodcast.com/products/product-design-blueprint Join our UX and product design communityhttps://www.designtablepodcast.com/products/ux-and-product-design-community In need of support? Take a look at our resourceshttps://www.designtablepodcast.com/learn More about Tyler and NickTyler: https://www.designtablepodcast.com/hosts/tyler-whiteNick: https://www.designtablepodcast.com/hosts/nick-groeneveld

  4. Jul 22

    The take-home design challenge is broken. Here's how to survive it anyway.

    Four hours of unpaid work. Seven rounds of interviews. And then a generic rejection email that reads like it was written by a robot. If you're hunting product design jobs right now, none of the above is news to you. In this episode of The Design Table Podcast, Tyler and Nick have their opinions on the modern design hiring process; take-home challenges, endless interview rounds, and the red and green flags you should keep in mind to figure out if a company is worth your time. They get into why take-home tests rarely test what companies think they're testing, why a whiteboarding challenge is the better alternative, and why paying candidates for their time is the bare minimum. Nick shares his own experience walking away from an unpaid "trial day." Tyler mentions the exact questions he asks recruiters to flush out red flags before he wastes his time on a dead-end process. They also get tactical. How to actually win a take-home challenge if you have to do one. Why a Loom walkthrough can be the difference-maker over a stack of Figma files. And what interviewers are testing when they ask you to present your work. In this episode you'll learn:🔸 Why take-home design challenges rarely test the right thing🔸 The one alternative Tyler would actually agree to🔸 Red flags that should be an instant no🔸 Green flags that mean a company is worth your time🔸 How to actually win a take-home challenge, step by step🔸 Why a Loom walkthrough can outperform your entire portfolio🔸 What interviewers are really testing when they watch you present Chapters:0:00 - Is the take-home design challenge broken?1:29 - Horror stories: stolen work and wasted hours2:01 - Why Tyler refuses to do take-home tests5:37 - The better alternative: a whiteboarding challenge7:39 - Interview rounds are spiraling out of control9:52 - Just pay people for their time12:23 - Take-home test vs. portfolio review: what's actually different?18:06 - The rejection email that annoys us most21:56 - Red and green flags every candidate should watch for25:18 - Green flag: pay transparency and salary bands28:13 - Red flag: AI-generated, outdated job descriptions31:14 - How to actually win a take-home challenge33:32 - The Loom walkthrough that ranks S-tier34:21 - What interviewers are really testing for35:34 - The "if we could dream" trick that makes you stand out37:05 - A disclaimer: we can afford to say no. You might not be able to.39:02 - It's a two-way street. Look for green flags too. Subscribe to The Design Table Podcasthttps://www.designtablepodcast.com/subscribe Resources to help you level up your design career:Get your portfolio and career strategy reviewed with a Design Table Audithttps://www.designtablepodcast.com/products/design-table-audit Download the Product Design Blueprinthttps://www.designtablepodcast.com/products/product-design-blueprint Join our UX and product design communityhttps://www.designtablepodcast.com/products/ux-and-product-design-community In need of support? Take a look at our resourceshttps://www.designtablepodcast.com/learn More about Tyler and NickTyler: https://www.designtablepodcast.com/hosts/tyler-whiteNick: https://www.designtablepodcast.com/hosts/nick-groeneveld

  5. Jul 15

    Do you have to use AI to get a design job? (our listener asks)

    One of our listeners wrote us while being stuck between two things: loving the product design craft and needing a job badly. He likes doing the actual product design work by hand, because that's how he learns and how he gets better. That's how he finds solutions. Yet, every job posting wants you to be "AI native" with a ton of "AI experience." So what do you do? Fake it? Give in? Hold the line and risk staying unemployed? Or something in between? In this episode of The Design Table Podcast, Tyler and Nick answer a real question from a listener: a recent grad, currently out of work, torn between using AI because "everyone else is" and sticking to the hands-on process he actually loves. They dig into where AI helps, where it doesn't, and why using it doesn't have to mean losing your craft. They talk through the difference between using AI in a way that touches your pixels and AI that just clears the annoying stuff out of the way. You know, things like meeting notes, research, and transcripts. Tyler shares how he feeds meeting transcripts straight into Claude to turn messy feedback into a task list. Nick shares how a Figma plugin took a redraw job from hours to minutes, while every design decision stayed within his control. The conversation gets personal, too. Both tell stories on early day jobs they had to do just to get started and why the early, unglamorous grind is not something to skip. In this episode you'll learn:🔸 Where AI actually helps your job search, and where it doesn't🔸 How to use AI without losing your craft or your taste🔸 Why chasing every LinkedIn hot take wastes your time🔸 How to turn meeting transcripts into a real task list with AI🔸 Why the "grind" phase of your career isn't optional🔸 How to find your own path instead of copying someone else's Chapters:0:00 - A listener's dilemma: love the craft, need a job1:07 - AI is a tool, not a threat to your craft3:31 - LinkedIn isn't the job — stop treating it like gospel6:44 - Why a minimum level of AI use is non-negotiable now8:02 - Use AI for the boring stuff, not the pixels8:48 - How a Figma plugin turned hours into seconds14:05 - Feeding meeting transcripts into Claude for real output15:44 - Are you actually having fun as a designer?18:24 - Stop copying someone else's playbook20:04 - Learn to eat shit for a while (Pepsi factory & mail route stories)25:14 - The Darwin trick: fit in first, be yourself later28:37 - Bottom line: use it. It's fine. Subscribe to The Design Table Podcasthttps://www.designtablepodcast.com/subscribe Resources to help you level up your design career:Get your portfolio and career strategy reviewed with a Design Table Audithttps://www.designtablepodcast.com/products/design-table-audit Download the Product Design Blueprinthttps://www.designtablepodcast.com/products/product-design-blueprint Join our UX and product design communityhttps://www.designtablepodcast.com/products/ux-and-product-design-community In need of support? Take a look at our resourceshttps://www.designtablepodcast.com/learn More about Tyler and NickTyler: https://www.designtablepodcast.com/hosts/tyler-whiteNick: https://www.designtablepodcast.com/hosts/nick-groeneveld

  6. Jul 8

    Is Everything You Design Already Copied?

    Every product. designer has had this thought at some point: "Someone's already built this. Am I even doing anything original?" It creeps in during a login screen, an onboarding flow, a pricing page, and it makes you second guess whether you're actually adding value or just repeating and copying something else. In this episode of The Design Table Podcast, Tyler and Nick tackle a listener question: is it a problem if your designs look like things that already exist? They dig into why copying isn't the same as stealing, why juniors should absolutely study and replicate great work before they try to reinvent it, and why chasing "never been done before" is a fantasy that doesn't hold up in practice. From there the conversation gets very practical. Nick is deep in pricing page work for multiple clients right now, and the two of them break down the psychology behind free trials, forced plan selection, upsells, and smart business strategy becomes a dark pattern. They also get into why product design best practices exist for a reason, why users don't like unfamiliar patterns even when they're technically better, and how uniqueness in product design shows up underneath the surface, in the business logic, the user base, and the tiny decisions you can't see on a screenshot. The episode also covers Dribbble and pattern recognition, why copying UI without understanding UX gets you in trouble with engineers fast, and how prototyping is changing the feedback loop between designers and developers, including a story about a "faster horse" redesign that only became a real breakthrough once a developer challenged the whole premise. Tyler closes it out with a surprising story about connecting Claude, GitHub, and a Mixpanel AI agent to diagnose a UX problem in an afternoon instead of a multi sprint investigation, and how it completely changed the scope of what needed to be fixed. In this episode you'll learn:🔸 Why copying is a normal and healthy part of learning design🔸 Why "nothing new" isn't actually a problem worth panicking over🔸 The psychology behind pricing pages, free trials, and forced choice🔸 Where the line sits between a smart upsell and a dark pattern🔸 Why best practices exist and when it's actually safe to break them🔸 How to use Dribbble for inspiration without copying blind🔸 Why prototyping is closing the gap between designers and developers🔸 How connecting AI tools to real product data can shrink weeks of work into hours🔸 Why the real uniqueness in design lives beneath the surface Chapters:0:00 - Is it bad if your design looks like something else?1:06 - Building a better mousetrap2:47 - Does this apply to designers at every level?4:02 - Why juniors should copy to learn5:48 - Real example: designing pricing pages right now8:00 - One button vs. forcing a plan choice9:59 - Using forced choice to measure intent11:34 - Giving full access during a free trial as an upsell14:02 - Dark pattern or just smart business?15:30 - Full circle: why pricing pages all look the same16:55 - The iceberg model of design17:50 - Why "200 high-converting templates" packs don't actually work20:47 - A quick word from the Design Table community21:39 - Explaining what you do for a living to non-designers24:06 - Using Dribbble for pattern recognition, not one-to-one copying25:33 - Prototyping and the designer-developer feedback loop26:50 - The faster horse problem and the developer's breakthrough idea28:53 - Killing main character syndrome in collaboration31:16 - AI win of the week: Claude, GitHub, and Mixpanel solving a UX mystery36:04 - Wrap up Subscribe to The Design Table Podcasthttps://www.designtablepodcast.com/subscribe Resources to help you level up your design career: Get your portfolio and career strategy reviewed with a Design Table Audithttps://www.designtablepodcast.com/products/design-table-audit Download the Product Design Blueprinthttps://www.designtablepodcast.com/products/product-design-blueprint Join our UX and product design communityhttps://www.designtablepodcast.com/products/ux-and-product-design-community In need of support? Take a look at our resourceshttps://www.designtablepodcast.com/learn More about Tyler and NickTyler: https://www.designtablepodcast.com/hosts/tyler-whiteNick: https://www.designtablepodcast.com/hosts/nick-groeneveld

  7. Jul 1

    You Are Not Behind: A Mental Health Check for Product Designers in 2026

    Every new product design AI tool feels like a deadline. You have to use it or you're left behind. That's what you read on social media at least. In this episode, Tyler and Nick have perhaps their most important talk of the Design Table Podcast so far: the anxiety of constant updates, managers demanding you become a '10x product designer', and how the product design community's mental health under a lot of pressure. They discuss what's causing burnout for product designers on the job hunt, comparison culture, the disappearing joy of problem-solving, and why "you're not behind" might be the most important sentence a designer hears all year. What we cover in this episode:🔸 Why chasing every AI update is partly self-inflicted (and social media's role in it)🔸 How to reset your baseline instead of just shipping faster🔸 Why constant context-switching between AI tasks is spiking anxiety🔸 What gets lost when problem-solving disappears from the job🔸 Why "just prompt it" misunderstands what AI can actually replace🔸 How to say 'no' to unrealistic AI mandates without losing your job🔸 The catch-22 of job hunting as an "AI-first" designer🔸 Why 'build it and they will come' fails regardless of how you use AI🔸 A real message of hope if you're burned out or stuck right now You don't have to master every tool the moment it drops. You have to solve the right problem, ship something people actually use, and give yourself permission to take a break. That's the product design job. Always has been. SUBSCRIBE TO THE DESIGN TABLEhttps://www.designtablepodcast.com/subscribe LEVEL UP YOUR DESIGN CAREERGet your portfolio and career reviewed: https://www.designtablepodcast.com/products/design-table-audit Join our UX and product design community: https://www.designtablepodcast.com/products/ux-and-product-design-community Download the Product Design Blueprint: https://www.designtablepodcast.com/products/product-design-blueprint All resources in one place: https://www.designtablepodcast.com/learn MORE ABOUT TYLER AND NICKTyler: https://www.designtablepodcast.com/hosts/tyler-whiteNick: https://www.designtablepodcast.com/hosts/nick-groeneveld

  8. Jun 24

    "Go Fix It Yourself" (The Best Thing A Senior Developer Told Me)

    Product design is becoming more collaborative, more technical, and a lot harder to control. In this episode, Tyler and Nick talk about what happens when your design work stops being “yours” and starts becoming a shared thing across designers, developers, PMs, stakeholders, AI tools, and codebases. We get into the emotional side of design work too. Why product designers get protective, why feedback can feel personal, and why letting go might be one of the most important skills designers need to build. What we cover in this episode:🔸 Why designers get emotionally attached to their work🔸 How to collaborate without losing control of the design quality🔸 Why developer and PM ideas should not automatically feel threatening🔸 The value of visual QA and why polish is not just “nice to have”🔸 How design documentation helps protect decisions when teams move fast🔸 Why designers need to think in skills, not just roles🔸 What merge conflicts taught Nick about becoming more technical🔸 How AI helps, but still cannot replace communication and decision-making🔸 Why over-communicating might be the most underrated design skill right now The big theme: collaboration is not about everyone doing your job. It is about knowing when to let people contribute, when to bring the designer back in, and how to protect quality without protecting your ego. SUBSCRIBE TO THE DESIGN TABLEhttps://www.designtablepodcast.com/subscribe LEVEL UP YOUR DESIGN CAREERGet your portfolio and career reviewed:https://www.designtablepodcast.com/products/design-table-audit Join our UX and product design community:https://www.designtablepodcast.com/products/ux-and-product-design-community Download the Product Design Blueprint:https://www.designtablepodcast.com/products/product-design-blueprint All resources in one place:https://www.designtablepodcast.com/learn MORE ABOUT TYLER AND NICKTyler: https://www.designtablepodcast.com/hosts/tyler-whiteNick: https://www.designtablepodcast.com/hosts/nick-groeneveld

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About

Get a seat at the table and build the design career you want. This podcast is for designers looking to break in, level up, and take control of their careers—whether you're freelancing, climbing the corporate ladder, or just trying to get noticed. Every two weeks, we dive into career fundamentals, design best practices, and the hottest topics in the design community.

Information

  • Creator
    Nick Groeneveld, Tyler White
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    58
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Nick Groeneveld, Tyler White
  • Show Website
    Design Table Podcast

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