Connecting The Dots

A lot has happened over the last year. Santa has been approached by multiple interested parties who are interested in licensing his software for their own projects and holidays, and now he even has a reformed partner who has identified several opportunities for improvements.

Retrospectives can be a powerful tool to help your team identify weaknesses, celebrate successes, and continually improve. They can also quickly become repetitive slogs that serve no real purpose apart from complaining about everything that has gone wrong recently. Join us as we discuss how to make the most of your retrospectives.

Sometimes you need to think outside the box to come up with new, interesting, and innovative ideas to solve tough problems. At Expero, we often call that "exploring the art of the possible."

How can you ensure that your modernization effort will be a success? What even counts as modernization? And how can you tell when it's really needed? Join us as we discuss all these questions and more!

Sometimes we can get so caught up trying to create something beautiful that we forget how vital it is to consider usefulness as well. Join us as we discuss this phenomenon that we call "building the beautiful wrong thing" and how you can keep yourself and your teams from making such a grave mistake.

We all know the feeling of being stuck in a meeting that should have been an email. How can you make sure your meetings are actually beneficial to the whole team and worth the time? Join us as we discuss.

Burnout in the workplace is a serious issue that is often overlooked, seen as normal, or viewed as taboo to talk about. Join us as we discuss what it is, how to identify it in yourself and others, how you can safeguard against it, and what recovery looks like.

We recently gathered together to discuss and debate the pros and cons of Generative AI and how it may or may not fundamentally change how we approach user centric design moving forward. While we weren't originally planning to release this conversation publicly, there were so many interesting points that came up that we couldn't help but share it with the world. Please forgive any audio issues or choppy bits as we did our best to smooth out the recording for you to enjoy. Have questions or thoughts about what we discussed today? Contact us at podcast@experoinc.com or on twitter @experoinc

We've all been there: you underestimate how long that effort should take, realize your approach isn't actually the best in this situation, or maybe even just have a bad attitude during a Monday meeting. How can you move forward and make things right when you realize you're in the wrong? Join us as we discuss. Have questions or thoughts about what we discussed today? Contact us at podcast@experoinc.com or on twitter @experoinc

Join us as we discuss the reasons for and ways to approach the final phase of the product's lifecycle. Have questions or thoughts about what we discussed today? Contact us at podcast@experoinc.com or on twitter @experoinc

Join us as we discuss what it takes to go from a flashy demo or proof of concept all the way to a fully functioning product. Have questions or thoughts about what we discussed today? Contact us at podcast@experoinc.com or on twitter @experoinc

Happy New Year! Join us as we reflect back on everything that happened in 2023 and discuss our predictions, concerns, hopes, and dreams for the year ahead.

We're working with Santa and the 3 Kings again to assess how they can leverage AI to differentiate themselves in the market. Meanwhile, someone else seems to be green with envy and has approached us to repurpose Santa's app for their own purposes.

Today we're talking all about what to do when you find yourself in the middle of a dysfunctional project, and discussing practical tips and methods for how to get your project back on track.

Today we're discussing how to approach conflict in the workplace and how, when handled well, it can actually make projects go more smoothly and enable better collaboration and communication.

Today we're sitting down with several internship facilitators and former interns to hear what sets expero's internship program apart from the rest.

What unique challenges and considerations need to be taken into account when designing for startups specifically? Join us and special guest Dianne Eberhardt from The Design Project as we discuss these and more startup specific questions.

What makes for a good question? What are the factors and considerations you should consider when formulating a question? How do timing and context affect how you should frame your question? Join us as we discuss all these factors and more.

Here at Expero, we recently gathered together and celebrated with our annual Summit in New York City. Join us as we discuss why we value gathering in person whenever possible and share some of our favorite memories from Summit this year.

Join us as we discuss how we approach mentorship at Expero, why we feel mentorship is so important, and various methods and approaches to mentorship that we've found particularly effective.

Chat GPT has taken the world by storm, and is quickly changing how both professionals and those just now entering the workforce are approaching their day to day work, personal tasks, and career prospects. Join us as we discuss how and why Chat GPT is changing things so quickly, concerns and limitations of the technology, and considerations for using it in professional and personal situations.

Preparing to enter the workforce can be daunting and often comes with numerous questions and unknowns. Where should I apply? How long does it take to find a job? Do I need to start with an internship? What if I don't know exactly what I want to do yet? How can I tell if the company I'm applying at is a good fit? Join us as we discuss all these questions and more.

What does it mean to be “Done” with a project? How do you know if everyone agrees about what “Done” really means? How can you plan ahead and work with your team to make sure you get there and finish on the right note? Join us as we discuss all these questions and more.

How should you go about saying no to your clients in a way that's respectful, clear, and doesn't tank the project? What should you do when saying no isn't a viable option? And what does it have to do with improv? Join us to find out.

Last year Santa approached us to develop an app to replace his outdated physical Naughty & Nice list, and now he's asked us to come up with ideas for a 2.0 update. Join us as we review feedback and criticisms for the initial release and even brainstorm ways for Santa to team up with other gift givers this time of year. Just like last time, this is more of a behind the scenes look at how we could approach this type of project, and it's always more complicated than you'd expect. Have questions or thoughts about what we discussed today? Contact us at podcast@experoinc.com or on twitter @experoinc

What does it look like to start a project off on the right foot? Join us as we discuss best practices, lessons learned, and recommendations for making your next project kickoff a success.

Product thinking is a bit of a buzzword in the business world today, but what does it really mean, and what does it look like to effectively incorporate it into your project? Join us as we discuss all these questions and more.

Join us for a casual discussion about Blockchain and Cryptocurrency, including some of our concerns and predictions for the future.

When it comes to releasing new features, bug fixes, and UI updates, is it better to release everything all at once or to spread releases out over an extended period of time? And what are the risks if you choose the wrong approach?

Distributed teams, whether spread across cities, time zones, or even continents, are an increasingly normal and expected part of the business world today. So how can you still get work done and collaborate effectively within this new framework? Join us as we discuss Expero's remote-first methodology, the need for clear communication, respect, and empathy across multicultural teams, and ways to foster meaningful connection and cooperation whether distributed across the world or interacting face to face.

What does it really mean to be a consultant, and is it really all that different from contracting or working as a salaried employee? Join us as we highlight the key differentiators that make consulting a unique challenge that we enjoy taking on each day.

There's no way around it: user testing is vitally important in software development. So what options do you have when, for whatever reason, you can't speak with end users to validate what you're building? Join us as we discuss these challenges and share some helpful methods we've employed when navigating these constraints.

If we're honest, scope creep affects most if not all projects at some level, but that may not always be a bad thing. Join us as we discuss how to identify and navigate scope creep while also reframing it as a catalyst for good when managing projects of all shapes and sizes.

Today we're discussing some of the questions that arise from the current conversations surrounding ethics and technology. From security and privacy concerns to issues of conscience and ethical training within the tech industry, join us as our tech experts weigh in with their thoughts and questions.

Join us as our expert panel discusses the ins and outs of refactoring. We'll talk through when it's appropriate, lessons learned, risks and rewards, and other helpful tips from our years of experience.

Join us as we discuss the value of estimation and share some helpful methods and tips to consider when estimating time and effort. We'll also discuss some common misconceptions and pitfalls that can creep into the estimation process and how you can help yourself and your team navigate through them.

What if Santa approached you to build a naughty or nice list application for him? Where would you start? What questions would you ask? Why did he approach you to begin with? We spent way more time than we should have thinking through all of these questions so you wouldn't have to. So pour yourself some eggnog, kick back by the fire, and join us for a peek behind the curtain to see how such a simple idea can quickly get out of hand. Have questions or thoughts about what we discussed today? Contact us at podcast@experoinc.com or on twitter @experoinc

Machine learning and artificial intelligence are often subjects of heated debate around privacy, ethics, sustainability, job security, and sometimes even world domination. So how can data scientists, designers, and developers navigate that very real tension to build systems that are both trustworthy and trusted by their users? Join us as we discuss some of the concerns and solutions to these questions. Book recommendation by Dr. Graham: Army of None: Autonomous Weapons and the Future of War Learn more about machine learning solutions with Expero: experoinc.com/tag/machine-learning Have questions or thoughts about what we discussed today? Contact us at podcast@experoinc.com or on Twitter @experoinc

Imposter Syndrome, or put more simply, feeling like you're not as skilled or capable as everyone else around you, affects more people than you may think. It can quickly turn from a passing thought to a constant worry, affecting your mental health, productivity, work relationships, and many other aspects of your career and personal life. Today we're focusing on this common sentiment to discuss not only how to deal with it, but how to turn it into an opportunity for growth and career development. Have questions or thoughts about what we discussed today? Contact us at podcast@experoinc.com or on Twitter @experoinc

Today we're discussing the sunk cost fallacy - what it is, why it matters, and what to do when you find yourself or those around you buying into it. Have questions or thoughts about what we discussed today? Contact us at podcast@experoinc.com or on Twitter @experoinc

New technology options are abundant and diverse. How do you know when it's time to try something new or stick with what you know? How will these decisions affect your team as a whole? What do consultants consider when making these calls? Join us as we discuss all these questions and more. Have questions or thoughts about what we discussed today? Contact us at podcast@experoinc.com or on Twitter @experoinc

This week we're joined by Expero's Co-Founders to talk about what running a consulting firm is really like. We'll discuss the unique challenges and opportunities that consulting offers, why attracting and keeping talented people is so vital, and how to punch above your weight to win big deals with big customers. Have questions or thoughts about what we discussed today? Contact us at podcast@experoinc.com or on Twitter @experoinc

Our own mental health is an important yet often overlooked part of our lives that affects everything we do. Burnout, anxiety, and stress often plague the world of consulting and require a proactive strategy to combat. Join us as we discuss how to foster a company culture of respect, openness, and care toward mental health needs as well as some of the strategies Expero has implemented to better support and care for employees. Have questions or thoughts about what we discussed today? Contact us at podcast@experoinc.com or on Twitter @experoinc Resources: • Suicide prevention hotline: 1-800-273-8255 • 911 for life threatening emergencies (note: suicide prevention and mental health providers will use 911 as a last resource if they are unable to diffuse the situation). • 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or Live Online Chat with the National Suicide Prevention network, where you can talk to training professionals. Can provide crisis counseling and mental health referrals. • 1-800-662-HELP for Substance Use and Disorder Issues. • 1-877-SAMHSA7 (662-4357) SAMHSA is a Government Administration under the US DHHS, tasked with helping to provide referrals to mental health providers, and can act as a crisis hotline. • State, county, and citywide hotlines (vary by state/county). • Some states provide COVID-19 Crisis Counseling hotlines, Veteran Crisis hotlines and Teen crisis hotlines.

How does the UX design process change when your users are experts in their respective fields? Join us as we discuss the complexities of designing software for a subject matter expert rather than designing software for your parents and why it matters to take those differences into consideration. Have questions or thoughts about what we discussed today? Contact us at podcast@experoinc.com or on Twitter @experoinc

Clearly communicating design needs and goals between UX and development teams can be difficult to navigate. Join us as we discuss best practices, tips and recommendations, and lessons learned from our experiences in the world of consulting. Have questions or thoughts about what we discussed today? Contact us at podcast@experoinc.com or on Twitter @experoinc

Join us for the inaugural episode of Connecting The Dots, a podcast by Experonauts. Today we're discussing Proof of Concept software - what it is, how to approach developing it, mistakes we made in the process, and lessons learned over our years of experience in consulting. Have questions or thoughts about what we discussed today? Contact us at podcast@experoinc.com or on Twitter @experoinc