UX Pursuit

To cap off season one Karen Wang, a UX Researcher, and Claire Sontra, an Interaction Designer join me to share a little bit of their journey, discuss the differences and similarities of working in-house vs. in a consultancy, and answer some common questions from folks trying to get into UX. This episode is jam packed with tons of great information and advice and well worth a full listen. TOPICS AND QUESTIONS COVERED DURING THE DISCUSSION Working at a Consultancy & Working In-house What's different about doing UX Research/Design at a consultancy vs. in-house? What's similar? What are the pros and cons of both when it comes to UX Research/Design? What advice would you give to those going from in-house to a consultancy or visa versa? Questions from Those Pursuing UX What should I do to get more experience? How do I build my portfolio without getting work? Do I need a higher degree? How can I make my portfolio better? What can help it stand out? What resources should I check out to learn more about UX? What does it look like to work with researchers? What does it look like to work with designers? What's a non-UX skill you think is critical to your work? Any other advice you'd give someone pursuing a career in UX? LINKS Claire Sonta LinkedIn Claire Sonta Portfolio Karen Wang LinkedIn Karen Wang Portfolio Thank you Claire & Karen for being guests on the show! If you want to get in touch or if you have questions about pursuing a UX career please email me at hello@uxpursuit.com. Lastly, thanks to Irene Barber for creating the music for today's episode. Check out her music under the artist name Nearby on Spotify or at nearbymusic.bandcamp.com.

Dylan has been a “creative” ever since he was a kid making art at his kitchen table and building with Legos. He was even exploring the beginnings of digital design through Microsoft Paint. Now he is a thoughtful product designer working through the immensely complex and ever expanding world of digital design. In our conversation Dylan talks about his start in print media, how he grew his skills working on a variety of projects while doing agency work, and how he is trying to think about and unpack how design and UX impact so much more than just the screens we use every day. I'm so inspired by Dylan's passion to explore that very broad world of digital design, to learn from all those “design pockets,” and to think about how he can apply all he learns to his own design work and career. LINKS LinkedIn Portfolio Ideo Nielsen Norman Group Thank you Dylan for being a guest on the show! If you want to get in touch or if you have questions about pursuing a UX career please email me at hello@uxpursuit.com. Lastly, thanks to Irene Barber for creating the music for today's episode. Check out her music under the artist name Nearby on Spotify or at nearbymusic.bandcamp.com.

Emma is a thoughtful and authentic UX Researcher who I've known since her grad school days when she and her team used Blink's research labs for their usability testing project. I wanted to speak with Emma because of something she posted on her LinkedIn back in the Fall of 2020. She offered up office hours for anyone to book time on her calendar to talk shop or ask questions about getting into UX Research. How cool is that?!? In our conversation Emma shares how she discovered UX, her journey through school, internships, and contract positions, and the power of networking. I really appreciate how she shares about, not only her career journey, but also those interpersonal skills which have enabled her to confidently conduct research and support her partners at New Relic. It was also great to hear more about Emma's passion for supporting those early in their UX journey through connecting and mentoring. LINKS LinkedIn Thank you Emma for being a guest on the show! If you want to get in touch or if you have questions about pursuing a UX career please email me at hello@uxpursuit.com. Lastly, thanks to Irene Barber for creating the music for today's episode. Check out her music under the artist name Nearby on Spotify or at nearbymusic.bandcamp.com.

Todd and I's UX careers intersected back in the early days of my time at Blink. He always brought a smile to everyone in the office while also delivering great design work for our clients. I was thrilled to have Todd on the podcast because I knew our talk would be filled with some great insights and lots of laughs. He did not disappoint. In our conversation Todd talks about his cross-country UX journey, developing skills and relationships through consultancy work, and ultimately shifting to in-house design. Todd is another guest to bring up the importance of and the impact of community in UX. I'm very thankful to work in an industry full of people who are open to fostering connections and supporting each other. LINKS LinkedIn Thank you Todd for being a guest on the show! If you want to get in touch or if you have questions about pursuing a UX career please email me at hello@uxpursuit.com. Lastly, thanks to Irene Barber for creating the music for today's episode. Check out her music under the artist name Nearby on Spotify or at nearbymusic.bandcamp.com.

Welcome to UX Pursuit; a podcast dedicated to the unique stories and journeys of UX practitioners – how they got to where they are today, what hurdles they overcame, and what advice they have for those currently pursuing a thriving career in UX. I'm Tim Bridgham; your host and I'm posting this special episode to let you know the show is taking a one week hiatus. We'll be back next week with a new episode! As I've mentioned. we're approaching the end of season one and our final episode will be a panel discussion with a few UX practitioners. We've heard a lot of unique stories and a ton of great advice and tips from our guest so far but I know you still have questions about pursuing a UX career. So send me your questions! Email me at hello@uxpursuit.com and we'll do our best to answer your questions. You can find UX Pursuit wherever you listen to podcasts. Subscribe now and if you know others pursuing a career in UX, please tell them about the show. Thanks to everyone who's been listening and sharing the podcast. I'm Tim Brigham, a Senior UX Researcher and this is UX Pursuit. If you want to get in touch or if you have questions about pursuing a UX career please email me at hello@uxpursuit.com. Lastly, thanks to Irene Barber for creating the music for today's episode. Check out her music under the artist name Nearby on Spotify or at nearbymusic.bandcamp.com.

Alanté is a persistent and passionate researcher. This became clear to me after hearing more about her story and learning what drew her to UX, how she pursued her career, and how she strives to be a champion for human-centered design in whatever role she has. In our discussion she also talks about some unique skills necessary for excelling in UX and presents a thoughtful view on the need to get applied experience, whether that's through grad school, a bootcamp, volunteering, or in her case, at an existing job. Alanté's ability to recognize opportunities where human-centered design could be utilized and then to take charge and make those opportunities a reality is very admirable. I'm happy to report that as of March 2021 Alanté is now a User Researcher at Microsoft Mixed Reality, working on products like the Hololens. LINKS LinkedIn Thank you Alanté for being a guest on the show! If you want to get in touch or if you have questions about pursuing a UX career please email me at hello@uxpursuit.com. Lastly, thanks to Irene Barber for creating the music for today's episode. Check out her music under the artist name Nearby on Spotify or at nearbymusic.bandcamp.com.

Julie is a thoughtful researcher with passion for growing and helping UX researchers and leading teams to deliver impactful insights wherever she's working. She was kind enough to give me some helpful advice back in 2017 at a pivotal moment in my UX journey and I was excited to chat with her for the podcast to hear more about her journey. I enjoyed hearing about her journey from cognitive psychology, to market research, to UX research, and then to UX research management. It was fascinating to discover how curiosity is so central to Julie's journey, especially since that is a core value I try to embody in my own UX career. In our discussion Julie also shares about managing research teams and the power of insights storytelling, as well as one of her favorite projects while working at Spotify. LINKS LinkedIn Thank you Julie for being a guest on the show! If you want to get in touch or if you have questions about pursuing a UX career please email me at hello@uxpursuit.com. Lastly, thanks to Irene Barber for creating the music for today's episode. Check out her music under the artist name Nearby on Spotify or at nearbymusic.bandcamp.com.

Last summer I met Brandon when he joined Blink's Seattle office as a part of our summer internship program. Right away I could see his passion for and eagerness to soak up as much UX knowledge as possible. He even moved from Ann Arbor, Michigan to Seattle, Washington to participate in what had to become a “fully remote” internship. In our chat he shares some great insights into UX internships and what he was able to get out of his time last summer. It was great to get to reconnect with him a few months after his internship ended and to hear more about his thoughts and experience as someone who's on the verge of getting into the UX workforce. Definitely some great advice to those who are early in their pursuit of a UX career. LINKS LinkedIn Portfolio The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman Don't Make Me Think by Steve Krug Thank you Brandon for being a guest on the show! If you want to get in touch or if you have questions about pursuing a UX career please email me at hello@uxpursuit.com. Lastly, thanks to Irene Barber for creating the music for today's episode. Check out her music under the artist name Nearby on Spotify or at nearbymusic.bandcamp.com.

Josh and I's UX paths have crossed a few times so when I thought about guests for the podcast it was a no brainer to include Josh. He is not only a multi-skilled designer, he's also a passionate advocate for supporting those who are just entering the UX world. In our conversation he shares about the importance of relationships and how that has shaped his UX career. Additionally, Josh shares the skills he thinks every designer should possess to have a thriving career in UX design; listening, collaborating, and communicating. LINKS LinkedIn Portfolio Thank you Josh for being a guest on the show! If you want to get in touch or if you have questions about pursuing a UX career please email me at hello@uxpursuit.com. Lastly, thanks to Irene Barber for creating the music for today's episode. Check out her music under the artist name Nearby on Spotify or at nearbymusic.bandcamp.com.

I'm really happy to have Tulsi on the podcast. Her journey follows a somewhat common but also uncommon path into UX. In our conversation Tulsi shares about her path from research intern into full-time researcher after trying to re-kindle her passion for UX several years into working as a mechanical engineer. I love what Tulsi has to say about leaning on, and not abandoning, the skills she learned in her engineering background – how she leverages them and using them as a lens into the research she does. Since so many in UX come from different backgrounds, this is an important thing to remember, especially if you're currently building on your previous career and transitioning into UX. LINKS LinkedIn Portfolio Thank you Tulsi for being a guest on the show! If you want to get in touch or if you have questions about pursuing a UX career please email me at hello@uxpursuit.com. Lastly, thanks to Irene Barber for creating the music for today's episode. Check out her music under the artist name Nearby on Spotify or at nearbymusic.bandcamp.com.

Leili is a thoughtful and dedicated UX Researcher and former coworker from Blink. I worked closely with her on my first full-time research project after becoming a UX Researcher and learned a ton from her in those early days doing full-time research. I'm excited to share our conversation with you and think she has some great insights into pursuing what comes your way. Leili shares some great advice and wise words about the value of networking and the proper way of making connections with people in or related to UX! LINKS LinkedIn Thank you Leili for being a guest on the show! If you want to get in touch or if you have questions about pursuing a UX career please email me at hello@uxpursuit.com. Lastly, thanks to Irene Barber for creating the music for today's episode. Check out her music under the artist name Nearby on Spotify or at nearbymusic.bandcamp.com.

Program management; how does that involve UX? Before talking with Savannah I wasn't exactly sure so it was great getting to connect and learn about how she has mixed her passion for development with her passion for UX. I think her enthusiasm for UX and people really comes through in our conversation so I hope you enjoy it. I also appreciate Savannah sharing her very encouraging message that making the transition can be done! I really enjoyed learning more about program management and how she brings curiosity and empathy to her job. LINKS LinkedIn Portfolio Thank you Savannah for being a guest on the show! If you want to get in touch or if you have questions about pursuing a UX career please email me at hello@uxpursuit.com. Lastly, thanks to Irene Barber for creating the music for today's episode. Check out her music under the artist name Nearby on Spotify or at nearbymusic.bandcamp.com.

I first met Dave in grad school and one of the first things I noticed about him was the thoughtful questions he asked during class. It's no wonder he became a researcher! In our conversation I learned more about his extensive design background and how and why he ultimately chose to pursue a research career. I love how Dave talks about leaning into curiosity and bringing creativity to his research process. And I think it's super cool that he's able to do the research and leverage his design background and skills to also talk design! Definitely take some time to check out both of Dave's websites; at davekennedyimages.com and davekennedycreative.com. LINKS LinkedIn Research site Art site Thank you Dave for being a guest on the show! If you want to get in touch or if you have questions about pursuing a UX career please email me at hello@uxpursuit.com. Lastly, thanks to Irene Barber for creating the music for today's episode. Check out her music under the artist name Nearby on Spotify or at nearbymusic.bandcamp.com.

Jake is a smart, talented, thoughtful, and hilarious UX Designer. We had a ton of fun talking about his career, the core of UX, his “three C's” for being a good UX designer, and even some great ways he's coping with this prolonged work-from-home life we find ourselves in. I love the way that Jake approaches UX; that it really boils down to solving problems by talking to people. I've had the opportunity to work on a big UCD project with Jake and I can vouch for his authentic pursuit of solving problems. I look forward to the opportunity to work with him again. LINKS LinkedIn Portfolio Thank you Jake for being a guest on the show! If you want to get in touch or if you have questions about pursuing a UX career please email me at hello@uxpursuit.com. Lastly, thanks to Irene Barber for creating the music for today's episode. Check out her music under the artist name Nearby on Spotify or at nearbymusic.bandcamp.com.

Megan was an “egg-zellent” guest - you'll get that reference by the end of the show I promise - and I'm eager to share our conversation. Megan is a talented visual designer that I've been lucky enough to work with on a few projects at Blink. In addition to her design skills she brings a ton of joy and energy to the work she does. Beyond some practical UX advice, we also discussed some general career advice that I think you'll find interesting. I really admire her willingness to work hard and stretch her skills. Hopefully you will pull out some good nuggets of advice. I know I did. Go check out her “Eggzibit” at her website megangreco.com or on her Instagram @meggrecoart. LINKS LinkedIn Portfolio Artwork Thank you Megan for being a guest on the show! If you want to get in touch or if you have questions about pursuing a UX career please email me at hello@uxpursuit.com. Lastly, thanks to Irene Barber for creating the music for today's episode. Check out her music under the artist name Nearby on Spotify or at nearbymusic.bandcamp.com.

I met Lauryl when I was in grad school when she was a participant in our usability testing class project. She was kind enough to help out my team and she has continued to find ways to help UX students or those trying to break into a UX career. We spoke back in the Fall of 2020 shortly after her book I Want A UX Job! came out. Be sure to check out her book or reach out to connect with Lauryl - as she said, I'm sure she'd be happy to chat with you. LINKS LinkedIn Portfolio I Want a UX Job! book Chris Oliver UX Book List Mixed Method Slack Group Thank you Lauryl for being a guest on the show! If you want to get in touch or if you have questions about pursuing a UX career please email me at hello@uxpursuit.com. Lastly, thanks to Irene Barber for creating the music for today's episode. Check out her music under the artist name Nearby on Spotify or at nearbymusic.bandcamp.com.

The field of UX is relatively new but it's been exploding over the past several years. One characteristic of a UX career that is both exciting and frustrating is that there isn't one standard route to becoming a UX practitioner. It's exciting because it means that you aren't limited to just one pathway into the field but it is frustrating because there aren't clear and concrete steps to getting into UX. Six years ago I began my journey and I've been sharing bits and pieces of my own experience at uxpursuit.com but recently I decided I wanted to do more than share just my story. So, I reached out to a variety of UX practitioners to hear about their unique UX journeys and created this podcast. My hope is that, by sharing their stories, I might help and inspire those currently in their own pursuit of a UX career. Join me over the next 15 weeks as I chat with designers, researchers, program managers, and everything in between about how they got to where they are today, what hurdles they overcame, and what advice they have for those currently pursuing UX. I'm your host, Tim Bridgham, a Senior UX Researcher and this is UX Pursuit. Season One Guests: Lauryl Zenobi Megan Greco Jake Lunde Dave Kennedy Savannah Ostrowski Leili Slutz Tulsi Desai Josh Klekamp Brandon Sapp Julie Riederer Alanté Fields Todd Bennings Emma Bulajewski Dylan Moss Panel episode where we discuss your UX career questions. You can find UX Pursuit wherever you listen to podcasts. Subscribe now and if you know others pursuing a career in UX, please tell them about the show. For more information about me or the show please check out uxpursuit.com. You can also reach me at hello@uxpursuit.com if you have questions about the podcast or pursuing a career in UX or if you are interested in being on future seasons of the show. Thanks to Irene Barber, a fellow UXer, for creating the music you will hear on the podcast. Be sure to check out her music under the artist name Nearby on Spotify or at nearbymusic.bandcamp.com.