Design Hires Podcast Nadia Elinbabi

Thought leader & design innovator David Butler has spent years translating design into business strategy and vice-versa. With deep experience in helping organizations move from Web 1 to Web 2, David has worked with some pretty major companies. Hear David’s career story, his thoughts around using design to create transformative shifts in your organization, and learn about what he is currently working on in his own entrepreneurial ventures.
 
Here’s a look at our discussion:
0:01 : David’s career journey
6:30 : Designing with a capital, “D”
12:30 : Creating a framework for innovation & system design 
15:00 : David’s book, Design to Grow: How Coca-Cola Learned to Combine Scale and Agility (and How You Can Too)
17:00 : The decision to move from working at large scale organizations to starting an agency
29:00 : What characteristics David looks for when hiring new designers & career guidance for designers
33:30 : David’s new business for design leaders, Veep
 
Links mentioned in this episode:
Book: Design to Grow by David Butler
David’s LinkedIn Profile
David's Design Agency, SoWhat
FastCompany Article: Masters Of Design 2009: Why Coke’s David Butler Is The Real Thing
 

Bill Kurland, a Lead Content Designer, takes us through his career journey and the things that have shaped him along the way. Nadia and Bill talk about everything - from forming a UX-themed band to the importance of investing in people. Check out this inspiring and funny conversation to learn more!
 
Here’s a look at our discussion:
0:01 : Bill’s journey from music to design
9:30 : Defining your personal brand and finding community 
19:00 : Content design as a form of creative exploration 
23:15 : What Bill is currently working on & how he spends his free time
34:00 : How being a manager has changed Bill’s mindset 
45:30 : How to get in touch with Bill
 
Links mentioned in this episode:
Bill’s LinkedIn Profile
Bill’s Portfolio Site
 

Chris Shepard is a co-founder of Wisiwig, a brand new no-code UI development platform. In this episode, we learn about Chris’ career journey from designer to startup founder, what’s in store next for Wisiwig, and lessons learned along the way. 
 
Here’s a look at our discussion:
0:20 : An intro to Chris, Wisiwig, and the transition from design to building a startup
6:30 : Chris’ experience with the accelerator application process
14:15 : Wisiwig’s goals for 2023
18:30 : How to decide on when to get feedback from users
23:20 : What Chris will look for in future hires at his startup
32:10 : What made now a good time to found a company for Chris
37:00 : How to learn more about Wisiwig & get in touch with Chris
 
Links mentioned in this episode:
Chris Shepard’s LinkedIn
Wisiwig Website
Wisiwig for Chrome
Wisiwig Slack Community
5 Tips for Landing Your First UX Design Role
MassChallenge Accelerator
Wisiwig on Twitter
Wisiwig on LinkedIn
 

Elena Haskins, founder of Cipher Studio and Anele Product Design shares her experience with being a relatively new designer and founding her own businesses early on in her design career. Hear Elena’s wisdom about leadership opportunities for junior designers, apprenticeship opportunities, time management, and much more. Elena also discusses how to get involved in her mentorship program through Anele. 
 
Here’s a look at our discussion:
0:01 : Starting an agency as a designer & the apprenticeship models of the future
3:25 : How to know what to pay junior designers and giving feedback
11:00 : Time management while owning your own business
16:00 : Learning & reusing tactics from past projects and teams
19:00 : Leadership and management opportunities early in your design career
24:50 : Advice for designers considering starting a design business
30:02 : How Elena assesses designers who she is looking to hire
35:00 : How to get involved & in touch with Elena
38:00 : How to set your expectations around bootcamps & setting yourself up for success
47:00 : Spotting good & bad UX as a designer
 
Links mentioned in this episode:
Elena's LinkedIn Profile 
Anele Website 
Anele Resources for Junior UX Designers 
Converge Guide
 

Dan Mall wears many hats - he is a designer, teacher, author, entrepreneur, father, and much more. In this episode, Dan and Nadia discuss different design leadership theories such as how to create psychological safety for yourself and your team, decision making, and how and when to form design principles.
 
Here’s a look at our discussion:
0:30 : What lead Dan to start his own agency and then pivot to his newest venture, Dan Mall Teaches
6:00 : The importance of pricing in design
8:30 : Decision making & choosing between a lot of good options
13:00 : Giving people permission to try things and do their best work 
18:15 : Creating personal psychological safety through taking risks
24:00 : Finding balance while working multiple design jobs
28:00 : Managing/Coaching people for their next job
34:00 : Forming your own design philosophies & principles 
41:30 : How to get in touch with Dan
 
Links mentioned in this episode:
Dan’s Website
Dan’s Book: Pricing Design
Book: The Decision Book: 50 Models for Strategic Thinking
Book: How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk
Dan’s Twitter
Dan’s Instagram
Dan’s LinkedIn
Dan’s YouTube Page

Mark Reilly is an Executive Director of UX at JP Morgan Chase. In this interview you’ll learn about Chase’s expansive design team, the qualities that Mark looks for when hiring designers, open roles, and other amazing opportunities for career growth within the organization. 
Here’s a look at our discussion:
1:00  : Mark’s role and his team at Chase 8:00 : Open roles at Chase and the Design Development Program 17:00 : How to learn more about open design roles at Chase 21:00 : Skills and experiences that make candidates stand out during the hiring process  31:00 : Interview process at Chase 33:00 : Chase’s structure for career advancement & promotion on the design team 42:00 : Closing thoughts & why Chase is a great company to work for as a designer Links mentioned in this episode:
Mark’s LinkedIn Profile Peter Merholz's Book: Org Design for Design Orgs: Building and Managing In-House Teams  Tom Greever's Book: Articulating Design Decisions  Design Hires Podcast: Peter Merholz Design Hires Podcast: Tom Greever Finding Our Way Podcast: 32 Kaaren Hanson - The Intentional Design Executive Finding Our Way Podcast: 24 Jorge Arango - Delving into digital design—craft, teaching, lessons from architecture, standards and certification Chase Careers Site: Roles Filtered by Design Design Development Program Open Roles on Mark's Team
Senior Product Designer - Chase Wealth Management — NYC Lead Product Designer - Chase Wealth Management — NYC Open Roles on Sister Teams in Wealth Management
Product Design Lead – Design Systems — NYC or NJ Senior Product Designer — NYC or NJ Sr. User Experience Designer — NYC, Tempe AZ or Plano, TX User Experience Design Lead — Plano, TX