Redlines

We did it, Redlines listeners… we made it to the end of 2020! In our final episode of this struggle-filled year, we revisit some of our biggest topics from past episodes — and in our first-ever Redlines Awards ceremony, we reveal our choices for the best and worst designs, products, and companies of the year. Thank you so much for joining us each week, and we'll see you in 2021 for Redlines Season 2! Don't forget to say hello in the official Redlines Podcast Facebook Group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/1882996918514138/

Creating your design portfolio may seem like a daunting task, but this week's episode offers some guidance that could give you a clearer sense of direction. There's no need to reinvent the wheel when your portfolio should be following a common structure. We chat about what we typically expect to see when reviewing candidates' portfolios, how overbearing animations and art direction can get in the way, and why explaining your design process is like writing a good script. Also, we react to news of Salesforce acquiring Slack.

As designers, we all want uninterrupted blocks of time where we can focus on being creative. An overload of meetings can interrupt our ability to focus, and it's even more frustrating if those meetings are inconclusive, disorganized, or just plain unnecessary. In this episode, we talk about the art of the meeting — we examine whether a meeting's existence is justified, how to deal with (and reject!) meeting invitations, and how to run effective meetings that are a good use of everyone's time. We talk about constructing agendas for your meetings, keeping the conversation on track, and delegating someone who can take notes of key decisions and follow-ups. Also, we react as Spotify adds Stories to its app and Lufthansa converts economy seats on its planes into lie-flat beds.

Building a minimum viable product is a great way to test a new idea and get some early signals on its potential — but when you're cutting out features and rushing to get an MVP out the door, you could be introducing new risks and dangers to your project. In this episode, we talk about the most important considerations to keep in mind when planning an MVP, the importance of product quality, and how poor execution could doom your great idea to failure. Also, we react to news of Zoom's stock dropping as COVID vaccines emerge, new reports on the environmental impact of lockdowns in the United States, and Disney canceling several upcoming theatrical film releases. For additional show notes, links, and comments, say hello in our official Redlines Podcast Facebook Group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/1882996918514138/

We're joined this week by very special guest Sandra Pallier, a designer at Microsoft and climate activist who graciously answers all our questions around sustainability. Sandra shares insights and principles that designers can keep in mind to develop products that are better for the environment. We examine the positive influence you can have within your company, as well as the behaviors you can change in your personal life to reduce your own environmental impact. We also discuss how Hollywood keeps delivering doom-and-gloom visions of a dystopian future when it could be doing so much to inspire us. Join Sandra at ClimateAction.tech. See all links and articles discussed in this episode at RedlinesPodcast.com. Say hello in our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1882996918514138/

Interviewing potential job candidates is not an easy task. It's up to you to make the candidate feel comfortable, ask the right questions, keep the interview running on-time, and make your company look like a great place to work — that's a lot of responsibility! This week, we reveal our secrets for running a successful design interview: advance preparation, creating the right atmosphere, getting the signal you need, and much more. Also, we react to news of Reddit allowing employees to work from anywhere without changing their salaries, and rumors of an upcoming Windows 10 UI redesign.

What should you do when your design idea exceeds the limits of your company's design system? Is it okay to break the rules? Or maybe you're building a new design system yourself — making neatly organized collections of UI elements is fun and all, but how do you get your entire company to actually adopt your system? We discuss strategies for rolling out design systems and ensuring people use them. Also, we react to news of Jony Ive taking on a design role with Airbnb.

Life isn't easy when you're the only designer on your team. How do get proper feedback on your work? When you're outnumbered by engineers and PMs, how can you ensure that the wants and needs of design don't fall off the radar? We talk about building a design culture as a team of one, and the unique opportunities that solo designers have which their counterparts in larger organizations typically don't. Also, we express our lack of excitement over the new iPhone 12.

There are so many things a UX design mentor can offer: career guidance, portfolio suggestions, interview advice, training on your soft skills, and more. Mentors are awesome, but how do you find one and build a strong, effective relationship with them? This week, we dive into what mentees should know: how to set expectations with your mentor so they can offer the most relevant advice, being respectful of your mentor's time, closing the loop, and how some of the best mentorships are actually with people you already know. Also, we react as Microsoft and Dropbox announce their permanent work-from-home policies and Zoom unveils new platform features.

Several months have passed since our very first episode of Redlines where we discussed remote work. Since then, more and more companies have announced a permanent shift to working-from-home, making it clear that WFH is here to stay. Now, with several months of remote work experience under our belts, we're here to discuss WFH tactics: managing our daily work schedules, finding time to unwind, setting up the right workspace, and more. Also, we react to news of Facebook's Messenger integration into Instagram and major tech companies unveiling new hardware products.

"Anyone can cook" is the famous slogan from the Pixar film Ratatouille. But can anyone be an effective UX designer? Is it simply something you learn, or is it something you're born with? In this episode, we interpret that question and draw comparisons between UX design and art. Also, we react to Amazon's new in-home security drone and the newest version of Origami Studio.

Who says you need to hold a senior leadership role in order to steer your product's direction? In this episode, we talk about how to influence change within your company and make big design-led decisions, even when your job title doesn't include the words "manager" or "director". We share our thoughts on how to find allies within your organization, communicate your vision, measure the success of your efforts, and build a reputation for yourself as a leader — regardless of your job title. Also, we react as Twitter gets taken to court and time runs out for TikTok.

Frameworks like Human Centered Design have been around for ages, but are these methodologies still dependable today? Is it even feasible to apply this process to every project we work on in the fast-moving tech industry? We discuss which parts of the system still hold up and how we've applied these mindsets to our own workflows. Also, we react to Intel's new logo and the latest TikTok US ownership drama.

On this very special episode of Redlines, we're lucky to chat with Elena Walton, a UX designer at Rockstar Games. During our interview, Elena shares insights into how the UX design process is different in the gaming industry versus the "move fast" ethos of the tech industry. We discuss how Elena evaluates the success of a game's UI and how she views the scope and timelines of her work in comparison to places she's worked before. We also chat about the evolution of gaming into new form factors, and more diverse representation in the game dev industry and the games these companies create.

Hindsight is 20/20, and over the years we've learned a lot from our triumphs and failures as UX designers. In this episode, we share some words of advice that will be particularly useful to newer designers in the field. Our discussion covers a range of topics including the irrelevance of grades in design school, why design is only part of the equation for a successful business, the importance of getting your team aligned on a single plan of execution, and why you shouldn't be the smartest designer in the room. Also, we react to reports of Slack negatively affecting discourse at the workplace, and the continued saga of TikTok in the US.

A thoughtfully crafted personal brand can help any UX designer stand out from the crowd. But what exactly is a self brand, and how do you create an effective one? In this episode, we talk about the different factors that contribute to your very own brand identity as a designer, why it all matters, and what you can do to start cultivating your online persona. Also, we react to news of Apple hitting a $2 trillion market cap and Zoom video chat functionality coming to Amazon and Google smart home devices.

Co-workers driving you crazy? Haven't gotten a raise in years? No room to grow your career? This week, we discuss all the reasons why you might feel inclined to find a new job — and how you can try to make things better at your current job before deciding to quit. We offer guidance on how to have tough conversations with co-workers, and how to effectively ask your boss for more money. Also, we react to news stories about historic numbers of people moving out of San Francisco, Apple kicking out Fortnite from the App Store, and an intriguing new feature added to Sketch.

The interview process, demystified! We dive deep into what you can expect throughout a typical UX design job interview, including initial conversations, portfolio reviews, and exercises to test your product thinking skills. We offer tips on how to prepare for a presentation, advice for dealing with a take-home design assignment, and we discuss which questions you should be asking to make sure it's the right job for you. Also, we react to new foldable smartphone announcements and the launch of Instagram Reels, a TikTok competitor.

What will the UX design industry look like in 5, 10, or 20 years? Will our roles evolve to new heights, or is the AI uprising going to slowly take away our jobs? This week, we share our bold predictions for the future of UX design, including major changes to our responsibilities, workflows, and tools. Also, we react to news of a potential TikTok acquisition and the continued efforts of pro sports organizations to utilize virtual spectators.

We've all been there: we come up with a great, groundbreaking, REVOLUTIONARY design idea. We spend days lovingly crafting it pixel by pixel. We keep it warm at night and give it all the nutrients it needs to grow and prosper. And then, when we finally present our beloved creation to our PM and Engineering partners… it all falls apart. For some reason they just can't see what we see, and find a dozen different reasons why we shouldn't build this idea, from budget restrictions to technological limitations. So what do we do then? In this episode we discuss the reasons these misalignments happen, how to negotiate our way around it, and we try to answer the hard question: Maybe it's design that's in the wrong?

Are recent graduates better off taking a design job at a small company or a larger one? We share our own personal experience and discuss the merits and pitfalls of both options, including compensation, job responsibilities, corporate bureaucracy, and opportunities for career growth. Also, we react as Google, Apple, and Microsoft all try to better position themselves as the best platform for getting work done remotely.

It's a question that has been asked for millenia: should designers learn to code? This week we share our own thoughts on the matter, with Aaron as a developer-turned-designer and Omri as a designer with developer aspirations. We discuss how programming knowledge can positively change your relationship with engineering teams, enable self-sufficiency as a freelancer, and possibly even help you in a job interview. Also, we react to news of the imminent death of Adobe Flash and an intriguing new video chat startup.

In our inaugural episode, we discuss the impact of the coronavirus and remote work on our livelihoods, productivity, and well-being. We share how we've adapted (or struggled to adapt) to working from home, and dream up better solutions for designing products and connecting with co-workers from afar. Also, we react to news of major tech companies spinning up permanent remote work policies, and ponder the upsides and downsides of these moves.