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This week, I have a candid discussion about the disconnect between UX design education and real-world practice with Joe Natoli. Joe shares insights on why traditional UX education falls short and reveals what it really takes to succeed in corporate environments beyond just following design processes.What if everything you learned about UX design in school was only 40% of what you actually need to succeed in the real world?Joe Natoli brings three decades of experience helping product teams achieve dramatic results through strategic design and UX improvement. In this episode, he tackles the significant disconnect between how UX design is taught and how it's actually practiced in the corporate world. Joe explains that while design schools and bootcamps focus heavily on process and methodology, they often miss the crucial organizational and business aspects that make up about 60% of a UX designer's actual job.Through his work with industry giants like Meta, Google, and various government agencies, Joe has observed that success in UX isn't just about mastering design principles–it's about understanding business goals, building relationships, and navigating complex organizational dynamics. Joe shares practical insights on how designers can move beyond being order-takers to become trusted partners who drive real value for their organizations.This episode is essential listening for anyone feeling frustrated by the gap between UX theory and practice. Joe offers actionable advice on how to succeed in the real world of UX design, where business constraints, organizational politics, and stakeholder management are just as important as user research and interface design.Topics:• 04:13 The Realities of UX Design in the Workplace• 11:06 Understanding Business Goals and Financial Realities• 15:29 - Building Empathy and Trust within Teams• 21:05 - Service Design and Expanding Your Scope• 35:47 - Understanding Responsibility in the Workplace• 37:13 - Navigating Social Media as a Designer• 41:38 - The Reality of UX Work• 44:53 - Introducing the New Edition of the Book• 48:17 - The Importance of Business in UXHelpful Links:• Connect with Joe on LinkedIn• UX 365 Academy• The User Experience Team of One (2nd Edition)---Thanks for listening! We hope you dug today's episode. If you liked what you heard, be sure to like and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts! And if you really enjoyed today's episode, why don't you leave a five-star review? Or tell some friends! It will help us out a ton.If you haven't already, sign up for our email list. We won't spam you. Pinky swear.• Get a FREE audiobook AND support the show• Support the show on Patreon• Check out show transcripts• Check out our website• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts• Subscribe on Spotify• Subscribe on YouTube• Subscribe on Stitcher---Support our sponsors!Ok web designers. Let's talk about the “c” word—creative burnout.You're working on a site for a really big client, but between resourcing, feedback, tight budgets and even tighter deadlines—it doesn't make the cut. Wix Studio helps close that gap, so you can deliver your vision with less friction. Built for agencies and enterprises, you get total creative control over every last pixel. With no-code animations, AI-powered tools, reusable design assets, advanced, intuitive layout tools and a Figma to Wix Studio integration, you can design the way you want to and deliver when you need to.And if you're worried about the learning curve eating into time you don't have—don't be. Wix Studio is intuitive by design, so your entire team can hit the ground running.For your next project, check out wixstudio.com
It's the season two finale and this week's episode goes to eleven, as Joe Natoli joins us to talk about his lifelong passion for heavy metal music. From his earliest exposure to Black Sabbath's Master of Reality at age ten, Joe reflects on the profound emotional connection and sense of identity metal gave him. He shares stories of scouring record stores, trading mixtapes with friends, and devouring music magazines to explore the growing metal scene in the pre-internet era. Joe also discusses the genre's theatrical aesthetics, the thrill of live performances, and the deeper messages in metal lyrics that often get misunderstood. The conversation goes into the diversity of metal's sub-genres, Joe's favorite bands, and his own personal standards for what makes great metal.Guest BioJoe Natoli (he/him) is a UX consultant, author and speaker. For three decades, he's advised, trained and empowered the UX, design and product development teams of some of the world's largest organizations, from Fortune 100 companies to U.S. Government agencies and startups. He has published ten books and is a regular keynote speaker and lecturer at industry conferences and corporate events across the globe. Joe has also taught more than 350,000 students through his online courses and his own UX 365 Academy, in addition to a private coaching practice. Joe's approach to improving product UX and design focuses on addressing systemic and personal dynamics issues across individuals, teams and organizations: fighting impostor syndrome and increasing self-confidence, improving communication and collaboration, addressing fear and dysfunction driving poor management practices and redesigning inappropriate, counterproductive processes. Joe lives in Washington DC with his wife Eli and three kids, and he strives to be the person his dog Rosie thinks he is.LinksThe Hard Volume Experience Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNuc2kcwGbd_iJvc9-4YUKAThe UX 365 Academy: https://www.ux365academy.comJoe Natoli's Give Good UX: https://givegoodux.comJoe on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/joenatoli.bsky.socialJoe on Twitter: https://x.com/joenatoliJoe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joenatoli/CreditsCover design by Raquel Breternitz.
Both UX and content professionals routinely find themselves on teams where they are the sole practitioner of their craft. Leah Buley and Joe Natoli recently revised "The UX Team of One" to share their pragmatic take on solo UX practice, deftly balancing the application of human-centered research insights with the need to show the business value of UX work. https://ellessmedia.com/csi/ux-team-of-one/
Joe Natoli is a renowned UX design consultant, advisor, and educator. Now, he's collaborated with Leah Buley on a new edition of her classic book, The User Experience Team of One. That is the subject of our conversation.See full show notes at:https://theinformed.life/2024/11/17/episode-153-joe-natoli/
Leah Buley and Joe Natoli have teamed up to make something great (check out the reviews on Amazon!) even greater. How? Well, considering that The User Experience Team of One: A Research and Design Survival Guide was written more than a decade ago, it was time to revisit the content and make it even more relevant for today's UX teams. After all, times have changed. But the fundamental principles of the original book haven't changed. They are as solid today as they were 11 years ago. What has changed is that the methods have been adapted for the speed of change in today's businesses. Joe says it best: “These methods are shorter. They're simpler. They're more direct in a lot of ways, and they cut to the chase in a way that longer processes don't. I've met plenty of senior people who are throwing up their hands and going, ‘We're doing all the things. Why isn't this working?' And the truth is, they're kind of overworking and overthinking. Everything in this book is practical and direct and gets you from point A to B. I just don't think there's any better way to get there.” What You'll Learn from this Episode: - About Leah's experience as a solo UX practitioner and the inspiration behind the first edition of UX Team of One - How the UX field has changed over the past decade - How the second edition aims to provide comprehensive yet practical UX methods that can be applied in various organizational settings - About the shortcomings of UX boot camps and educational programs - A perspective that balances UX advocacy with business objectives and the reality of corporate politics - How to navigate and thrive in a UX career despite industry challenges, focusing on practical, adaptable methods and tools. Quick Reference Guide: 0:46 - Introduction of Leah and Joe 1:33 - The User Experience Team of One, second edition 6:46 - Large or small team, Leah and Joe's book is comprehensive without being overwhelming 8:58 - Righting wrongs 12:14 - What's new in the second edition – striving to do more with less 15:58 - Break - plug for the Rosenverse 18:20 - The current shitstorm 21:39 - On speed 24:40 - On toolkits. Tools and methods are two different things. 28:16 - Who needs The User Experience Team of One? 30:45 - Leah and Joe's gifts for the audience Resources and Links from Today's Episode: Rick Rubin's The Creative Act https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Act-Way-Being/dp/0593652886 Jakob Bro, jazz guitarist https://jakobbro.com/web/ Confessions of a Pricing Man by Hermann Simon https://www.amazon.com/Confessions-Pricing-Man-Affects-Everything/dp/3319203991 Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe https://www.amazon.com/Bonfire-Vanities-Tom-Wolfe/dp/0312427573 The User Experience Team of One: A Research and Design Survival Guide by Leah Buley and Joe Natoli https://rosenfeldmedia.com/books/the-user-experience-team-of-one-second-edition/
The Creator's Adventure - Course Creation, Entrepreneurship & Mindset tips for Creators
Joe Natoli uses Heights Platform to host his online courses, and he taught over 300,000 students at his UX 365 Academy. In this episode, we explore how great UX design isn't solely about the aesthetic—it's about meticulous consideration, functionality, and alignment with user expectations. Tune in to discover why Joe says good UX doesn't need to be a work of art, and learn how to keep your course lessons engaging, informative, and to the point (5-7 minutes, to be exact!). Learn more about Joe: https://givegoodux.com/
Sunshine Coast Division 4 Councillor, Joe Natoli, who is running alongside his wife for re-election in this month's Local Government Elections, joined 4BC Drive with Peter Gleeson to share his policies and vision for the area.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Aurelius Podcast - Episode 59 highlights with Joe Natoli: - The importance of getting personal to influence decisions - Getting buy in for UX Research from stakeholders and other teams - Soft skills for making a bigger impact with research and insights - How new UX Researchers can bridge the gap in the disconnect between the learning environment and real world situations at big companies
The best bits from Mark and Caroline for breakfast on 92.7 MIX FM
NOW AVAILABLE! Sign up for Joe & Sophia's Udemy course: OOUX Fundamentals! In this super candid conversation, Joe Natoli and Sophia sit down to talk UX process, sketching, creativity, agile, and how OOUX can fit into to all of the above, "meeting you where you are". We'll give you a look into the new course that Joe and Sophia are launching on April 1st, 2023 — a course that targets the fundamentals of OOUX and can get you rocking and rolling in about a weekend. Joe brings his 30+ years in the field of UX to explain to us how OOUX can solve so many of the problems he's seen out in the field. In addition to his consulting work, Joe's THE guy to teach you UX on Udemy. He's taught almost 300,000 students there. And with this newest course with Sophia, he'll introduce them (and hopefully you!) to OOUX and the ORCA process. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ooux/support
Hallo liebe Zukunftsmacher!Es ist keine Prognose mehr, sondern Realität, dass Corona den Niedergang überkommener Geschäftsmodelle beschleunigt und bisherige Rückstände bei der Transformation vergrößert. Um dies zu verhindern erfreut sich in der deutschen Wirtschaft eine neue Innovationsmethode einer steigenden Popularität: Das „Corporate Company Building“. Für mittelständische Unternehmen ist es die effektivste und vermutlich auch kostengünstigste Innovationsmethode. Mit überschaubarem Budget entwickelt man damit konkrete Geschäftsmodelle, gründet zu jedem ein StartUp und testet sie im Markt.Und das alles in einer Geschwindigkeit, zu der die Strukturen und Regeln des Mutterunternehmens nicht in der Lage wären. Diese Innovationsmethode sollten Sie kennen! Eines dieser Startups möchte Euch heute der Gründer Joe Natoli vorstellen. Sein Unternehmen LOOFT entwickelt mit Hilfe modernster Technologien eine intelligente Klimaanlage, welche fensterbasiert heizen und kühlen kann. In Kombination mit dem LOOFT-Komfortservice bietet das Unternehmen außerdem die Garantie, die Nutzung der Klimaanlage durch Datenanalysen maximal zu optimieren. Hört also gerne in die neue Folge und erfahrt von Joe Natoli, wie ein deutscher Mittelständler per Company Building StartUps speziell für den US-Markt gründen kann. Bis dahin: Habt eine großartige Zukunft!Neugierig? Werde Teil des 2b AHEAD Ventures Netzwerks: https://www.2bahead-ventures.com/Möchtest Du mehr über Joe und sein Unternehmen LOOFT erfahren? Hier gehts zu weiteren InfosWerde jetzt Teil der Zukunfts-Community und sichere Dir den exklusiven Probemonat in der Future.me Membership. Hier geht's zur AktionHier geht es zu den Janszky Days! Sichere Dir jetzt Tickets: https://janszky.de/digital/zukunfts-ich/Du interessierst Dich für Innovationsreisen? Dann klicke jetzt hier: https://reisen.2bahead.com/
Joe Natoli has had many titles throughout his career: actor, game designer, educator, full-stack developer and entrepreneur. His passion for delighting people through technology led him to found LOOFT, the world's first world's first cooling and heating comfort service company while working at a venture builder in Leipzig, Germany. Joe brings knowledge of international startups, Silicon Valley and more, having worked with billionaire investor Tim Draper, Draper University, teaching entrepreneurship around the world from Africa to Asia. Afterwards, Joe settled in Europe to put his knowledge to work by forming ventures in the underserved market of Eastern Germany. Joe could be considered the ultimate startup guy, having built, founded or failed over a dozen startup businesses.
CEO Podcasts: CEO Chat Podcast + I AM CEO Podcast Powered by Blue 16 Media & CBNation.co
Joe Natoli has had many titles throughout his career: actor, game designer, educator, full-stack developer and entrepreneur. His passion for delighting people through technology led him to found LOOFT, the world's first world's first cooling and heating comfort service company while working at a venture builder in Leipzig, Germany. Joe brings knowledge of international startups, Silicon Valley and more, having worked with billionaire investor Tim Draper, Draper University, teaching entrepreneurship around the world from Africa to Asia. Afterwards, Joe settled in Europe to put his knowledge to work by forming ventures in the underserved market of Eastern Germany. Joe could be considered the ultimate startup guy, having built, founded or failed over a dozen startup businesses. Website: www.joinlooft.com
Joe Natoli joins the show to talk about his origin story, how he started in design before the internet was a thing. How he jumped into designing for the internet early on and ultimately realized real fulfillment comes from helping people learn. We discuss his passion for helping people learn, how the rules and processes in tech companies can stand in the way of achieving what they want, and about being the Tony Robbins of UX! Discussed Links: https://givegoodux.com/ (GiveGoodUX.com) https://learn.givegoodux.com/ (UX 365 Academy) https://twitter.com/joenatoli (Joe's Twitter: @JoeNatoli)
Joe Natoli joins Dan Brown to talk about dogma in the user experience business, and that the biggest thing missing is... information architecture itself.
This episode is about the best way to learn about UX design and what are the mistakes or gaps in design education. We decided to start this new project called Good Morning UX, an extension of another show called Bom Dia UX, with such special-international guests. Actually, we invited 6 professionals who are references for us and that have so much history in our industry. For this, we invited the Design Veteran, Consultant, Author & Speaker Joe Natoli, who launched five successful online courses with Udemy with more than 200,000+ students, to talk to us about the growth in the UX design industry and the design education in this scenario. What has changed in UX teaching? What is the lack of knowledge in UX design professionals nowadays? Does this growth has been healthy? Follow Joe on these links: https://givegoodux.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/joenatoli/ https://twitter.com/joenatoli https://www.udemy.com/user/joenatoli/ (Courses) Joe's book: Think First: My No-Nonsense Approach to Creating Successful Products, Memorable User Experiences + Very Happy Customers https://amzn.to/3EWuon4 https://givegoodux.com/books/ (free ebooks) Related Links: https://uxmag.com/articles/in-conversation-with-joe-natoli https://medium.com/@joenatoli ----------------------------- This is the Bom Dia UX, a live show produced and launched at the Design Team channel every Wednesday at 7 am, in the Brazilian time zone. ----------------------------- Sign up the channel https://www.youtube.com/c/designteambr?sub_confirmation=1. Listen to the PODCAST (in Portuguese) https://open.spotify.com/show/0yE3kkKCcdPKaMFUfgSED7 Came to membership and have exclusive content https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTkZTDIq25Czsazq2N493Cg/join Follow us: Rodrigo Lemes Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rodrigolemes Twitter: https://twitter.com/rodrigolemes Rafael Burity Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rafaelburity Twitter: https://twitter.com/rafaelburity Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/rafaelburity ----------------------------- * Join us at Telegram * https://bit.ly/3dOea2Y * Access our website * http://www.designteam.com.br
In the second part of a great, two-part episode with UX consultant, teacher, author, speaker, and musician Joe Natoli, we talked about a number of different topics that tie into UX and the web/tech landscape we know today. Misinformation, difficult clients, job interviews, and a host of other topics. Intro/Outro music graciously given permission to use called, "Settle In" by Homer Gaines. Transcripts can be found at: https://toddl.dev/podcast/transcripts/natoli2 Show Notes https://givegoodux.com/ - Give Good UX https://www.facebook.com/givegoodux/ - Give Good UX on Facebook https://twitter.com/joenatoli - Joe on Twitter https://www.linkedin.com/in/joenatoli - Joe on LinkedIn https://learn.givegoodux.com/ - UX365 Academy --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/frontendnerdery/support
In the first part of a terrific, two-part episode with UX consultant, teacher, author, speaker, and musician Joe Natoli, we talked about a number of different topics that tie into UX and the web/tech landscape we know today. "One-size fits all" methods, advice for people starting out their path into UX, toxicity, self-care, and a host of other topics. Intro/Outro music graciously given permission to use called, "Settle In" by Homer Gaines. Transcripts can be found at: https://toddl.dev/podcast/transcripts/natoli1 Show Notes https://givegoodux.com/ - Give Good UX https://www.facebook.com/givegoodux/ - Give Good UX on Facebook https://twitter.com/joenatoli - Joe on Twitter https://www.linkedin.com/in/joenatoli - Joe on LinkedIn https://learn.givegoodux.com/ - UX365 Academy --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/frontendnerdery/support
Cassie Eddy is a UX Designer and Researcher at Health Catalyst in Boston. She is also a Certified OOUX Strategist and active mentor in the OOUX Certification Program. In this episode of the podcast, Sophia and Cassie discuss learning to code, the information architecture of Crossfit, and how OOUX can help with combining passions in career and life. LINKS: Join the waitlist for "Fundamentals of Object-Oriented UX - A collaboration between Joe Natoli and Sophia Prater" Connect with Cassie on LinkedIn Follow Cassie on Twitter: @CassieEddy2 --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/ooux/support
In this episode, Amanda and Joe talk about FEAR. Fear of speaking up, fear of looking dumb, and the fear of failure. Joe shares his experience working with hundreds of thousands of UX students and in a number of UX organizations -- showing you how to overcome fear so that you can make a real impact not only as a UX designer but as a person in your own life. This episode isn't just for those of you breaking into UX, but it really speaks to the real life experience and challenges of being a UXer at an organization. So whether you're just starting out, a manager or consultant, or out looking for a new position on the job market, this episode is for you. Joe Natoli is a UX consultant, author and speaker. Everything he does is born from three decades of consulting with and training the product development teams of some of the world's largest organizations. He has taught over 200,000 students through his online courses and is a regular keynote speaker and lecturer at events across the globe. Including! The UX Hustle Summit, Sept 24 & 25, where Joe will be moderating our career path panel! His courses, books, articles and free UX resources are available at givegoodux.com, and his new online school, the UX 365 Academy publishes new training courses, videos, ebooks and more every month; check it out at learn.givegoodux.com. Links Go say hi to Joe on Twitter: @joenatoli Sign up for Joe's free e-book, "THE WAY IT IS: 10 Powerful UX Career Tips": https://givegoodux.com/download-joe-natolis-the-way-it-is-e-book/ Check out all of Joe's resources at https://givegoodux.com Sign up for the UX 365 Academy before prices go up in 2022: https://learn.givegoodux.com Come to the UX Hustle Summit - September 24 & 25: https://uxhustle.org --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/uxhustle/support
Joe Natoli is a UX consultant, author and speaker. Everything he does is born from three decades of consulting with and training the product development teams of some of the world's largest organizations. He has taught over 200,000 students through his online courses and is a regular keynote speaker and lecturer at events across the globe. He recently launched a new online school, the UX 365 Academy, where he publishes online courses, training videos, ebooks and more every month, at learn.givegoodux.com.In this episode, we talked about:Joe's impressive background and what does he doJoe in giving lectures and workshops across the globeHis job as a veteran consultantHow did Joe start in UX?Joe shared some of his life and career advice Joe's UX courses Joe's definition of a “good design”And MUCH MORE!Links:https://twitter.com/joenatolihttps://givegoodux.com/Joe Natoli courses (Enroll now!)
This interview is one I wanted to do for a long time. I can't think of a better way to close season 3 of the podcast. In this episode, I interview Joe Natoli on critical thinking in UX, the problems with prescribed frameworks, and what it's like to work as a UX consultant. See Joe's work at: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joenatoli/ UX360 Academy: https://learn.givegoodux.com/ "Think First" Book: https://www.amazon.com/Think-First-No-Nonsense-Successful-Experiences-ebook/dp/B015DC4SCU/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=think+first&qid=1593558785&s=digital-text&sr=1-1 "Give Good UX Company of Friends" Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/316409165395165/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thewayofproductdesign/message
My guest today is Rajeev Subramanian, who describes himself as the "poster child" for continuous career evolution, and after talking to him I agree with that description. From gigs in sales, marketing, software development, entrepreneurship ventures and of course, design, one thing has remained common over his last 16 years: an unrelenting appetite to understand human behavior and leverage that understanding to deliver value to organizations of all shapes and sizes. And as I think you’ll hear, he is a firm believer in rigorous collaboration and a "what have I done for you lately" approach to his daily work. Here’s my conversation with Rajeev Subramanian — on Making UX Work.Twitter:@rajbajboneLinkedIn:rajeevsubramanianFacebook:rajeev.subramanian.395Instagram:rajbajboneWebsites:InformedXPIf you enjoyed this episode, please check out our good friend and sponsor, Stache Studio — a streetwear clothing brand focusing on quality products with a positive message, inspired by the resilience to turn a negative situation into a positive outcome. The Stache mantra is that even in the darkest times, there is a light revealing prosperity; find your light and let it guide you through the darkness. Visit https://www.stache.studio/ to check out their incredibly well-designed products and learn more!
In this episode, veteran UX consultant Joe Natoli talks about helping teams overcome day-to-day challenges. He also explains how there’s no such thing as failure — you either win, or you learn. In this episode, veteran UX consultant Joe Natoli talks about helping teams overcome day-to-day challenges. He also explains how there’s no such thing as failure — you either win, or you learn. Topics 00:00 Joe Natoli’s background 01:39 UX across cultures 03:41 Clean theory versus messy reality 07:30 Dealing with backlogs 10:46 UX and Agile 13:58 Questioning processes 16:32 Speaking up about problems 21:22 Everything starts with why 23:37 Avoiding jargon 25:37 Over-reliance on tools, software, etc. 29:04 Working smarter in 15 minutes 31:58 Learning from failure 36:10 Imposter syndrome 40:44 Feel the fear and practice resilience 45:34 Recommended resources 48:03 Q&A session 1:10:12 Joe Natoli at UX Live in London Resources Joe’s website: Give Good UX Joe’s book: Think First: My No-Nonsense Approach to Creating Successful Products, Memorable User Experiences + Very Happy Customers Joe’s Udemy courses Joe’s favorite reads: Anything by Don Norman The Inmates Are Running the Asylum About Face Just Enough Research
Phil’s guest on this episode of the IT Career Energizer podcast is Joe Natoli. Joe is a UX consultant, author and speaker. He has nearly three decades of experience consulting with and training the product development teams of some of the world’s largest organisations. He has taught over 140,000 students through his online courses and is a regular keynote speaker and lecturer at events across the globe. In this episode, Phil and Joe Natoli discuss how dogmatically sticking to processes or methodology can lead to failure. They talk about how reliance on process stops you from thinking about and solving the real problem. Joe explains how mentoring helps him and why he does not mind failing sometimes and likes to be pushed out of his comfort zone. KEY TAKEAWAYS: (5.00) TOP CAREER TIP Dogmatic adherence to process or methodologies, of any kind, is not a good thing. If you are not careful it can end up painting you and the company you are working for into a corner. The real world is messy, so insisting that things be done in a certain order every time is not viable. In the podcast, Joe gives a real world example and demonstrates how inflexibility is disrupting their workflow. (8.03) WORST CAREER MOMENT Joe was working as a consultant for a very large company. His recommendation was to replace a mix of legacy systems with an entire software lifecycle system. Unfortunately, prior to making this decision, he had not been allowed to talk to the guys who were running the current system. When he did he realised that replacing the entire system would send shock waves through the company and cause a lot of damage. In the podcast, Joe explains how he works today to make sure that sort of issue never occurs again. (11.19) CAREER HIGHLIGHT The fact that he has been able to help so many other people to progress their career has been a bit highlight for him. It feels good when someone he taught emails him and tells him they are doing well and thanks him for his guidance and support. (13.12) THE FUTURE OF CAREERS IN I.T The fact that everything chances so fast is exciting. It keeps you on your toes and keeps you sharp. Joe likes to be pushed out of his comfort zone. For those who work in the UX field the challenges continue to evolve. The fact that human beings are so idiosyncratic means that the work is never likely to get boring. AI and machine learning are going to mix things up even more. (15.06) THE REVEAL What first attracted you to a career in I.T.? – Joe always enjoyed designing things and has always had an interest in human nature. He can engage in both these passions through his IT career. What’s the best career advice you received? – His father told him to speak clearly and plainly. Using jargon and technology only confuses people. Joe explains how that advice advanced his career. What’s the worst career advice you received? – Business is business, personal is personal. If you remove the personal part when you create things they won’t be any good at all. What would you do if you started your career now? – Joe would learn everything he could about everything he could. What are your current career objectives? – Right now, Joe is trying to take on less work. He is still trying to master the skill of time management. What’s your number one non-technical skill? – Resilience. At some point things are going to go wrong, it is inevitable. SO, being able to weather those storms is the only thing that will keep you moving forwards. How do you keep your own career energized? – Joe finds that switching off completely, on a regular basis, helps him to stay energised in his career. What do you do away from technology? – Joe enjoys spending time with his family. He is also an artist and musician. (22.54) FINAL CAREER TIP Be willing to be wrong and give yourself space to be wrong. There is no need to put pressure on yourself to always be the smartest person in the room. Nobody knows everything. Just keep trying, accept the fact that sometimes you will be wrong. Give yourself enough time to try again. BEST MOMENTS (5.00) – Joe - “Dogmatic adherence to process or methodologies, is not a good thing. It can paint everyone into a corner.” (12.43) – Joe - “Help others to get past their sticking points. You will be making a positive difference in the world.” (13.58) – Joe - “Don’t fear change. It keeps you on your toes and keeps you sharp.” (16.07) – Joe - “Speak clearly and plainly. Jargon and terminology have no place in communication.” (18.12) – Joe - “You should never stop learning. Learn about culture and people as well as tech.” (23.04) – Joe - “Be willing to be wrong and give yourself to be wrong. Trying and maybe failing is the only way we learn.” ABOUT THE HOST – PHIL BURGESS Phil Burgess is an independent IT consultant who has spent the last 20 years helping organisations to design, develop and implement software solutions. Phil has always had an interest in helping others to develop and advance their careers. And in 2017 Phil started the I.T. Career Energizer podcast to try to help as many people as possible to learn from the career advice and experiences of those that have been, and still are, on that same career journey. CONTACT THE HOST – PHIL BURGESS Phil can be contacted through the following Social Media platforms: Twitter: https://twitter.com/philtechcareer LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/philburgess Facebook: https://facebook.com/philtechcareer Instagram: https://instagram.com/philtechcareer Website: https://itcareerenergizer.com/contact Phil is also reachable by email at phil@itcareerenergizer.com and via the podcast’s website, https://itcareerenergizer.com Join the I.T. Career Energizer Community on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/groups/ITCareerEnergizer ABOUT THE GUEST – Joe Natoli Joe Natoli is a UX consultant, author and speaker. He has nearly three decades of experience consulting with and training the product development teams of some of the world’s largest organisations. He has taught over 140,000 students through his online courses and is a regular keynote speaker and lecturer at events across the globe. CONTACT THE GUEST – Joe Natoli Joe Natoli can be contacted through the following Social Media platforms: Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/joenatoli LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/joenatoli Website: https://www.givegoodux.com YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/c/Givegoodux
It’s part 2 of our lovely dalliance with guest host, Joe Natoli, and he has a lot to share, including how to say no to non ideal clients, how to (politely) ignore your clients requests, and how to stand for the truth of your work. Why is that important for business? When clients come to Joe with a defined problem (and a proposed solution), his first step is to politely ignore their request and ask, “what occurred to make you think you needed this solution? Tell me the story that led you to this moment.” That story is at the core of what needs to be solved. It is a natural human inclination to have decided on a solution by the time you reach out for help – otherwise, why would you call? But the danger is when you have someone who listens and does what you think you need. It’s important to pause and ask diagnostic questions to discover what the real problem actually is. People often don’t know what their actual value is, because no one is asking the right questions and no one is willing to look dumb. Ask the question that is on the tip of your tongue, even if it feels humiliating. Often, the best question is, “have you tried asking?” For instance, if you are writing a proposal and it is hard, you haven’t asked enough questions. Learn to say no to things and clients. Stand your ground for the truth. Hold less tightly to the solutions and more tightly to the core truth. What story do you want to tell? So, that's our story... now, we want to hear yours! Pull up a chair and join the conversation in our Facebook Group: bit.ly/shmsgroup OR... Shoot us an email: talktous@soheresmystory.com Connect with @SHMSpodcast on Twitter: https://twitter.com/shmspodcast Text the word STORY to 345345 to get access to bonus content and weekly episode delivery. Want to support us? Love this podcast? Please tell your friends, post about us, or take a moment to review us & subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to the podcast!
We have a guest host today, and he has a great (2-part) story about finding the right work, making the invisible visible, and helping humans find new results from their systems. Why is that important for business? Our guest host Joe helped us explore a lot of topics in this 2-part conversation, including: Finding what you are skilled at doing, even if no one supports you Sometimes we need “not that” people in our life, so we can discover what we want by having to fight for it. That you don’t have to march in straight line with 1000 other people; you can actually stop people from doing what everyone else is doing, but for a living! When you want to fix a problem, it’s helpful to be clear on what you are doing now before you change it. Look for the fear or the unmet need. When someone is tightly controlling something, there is a reason. You can’t ignore a problem just because the proffered solution doesn’t work. Forget about the recipes you know and the things we are good at that you want to automatically apply. If you’ve been doing something the same way and getting the same unwanted result, you have to stop doing what you are doing. Ask what you need out of a meeting, instead of having one because you think you need a meeting. Obstacles that get in the way of good end result are very rarely peoples’ abilities, skills and experience. It is the stuff in the periphery that creates the obstacles. What story do you want to tell? So, that's our story... now, we want to hear yours! Pull up a chair and join the conversation in our Facebook Group: bit.ly/shmsgroup OR... Shoot us an email: talktous@soheresmystory.com Connect with @SHMSpodcast on Twitter: https://twitter.com/shmspodcast Text the word STORY to 345345 to get access to bonus content and weekly episode delivery. Want to support us? Love this podcast? Please tell your friends, post about us, or take a moment to review us & subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to the podcast!
Welcome to Joe Natoli’s UX School of No B.S. Class is now in session. Joe reveals that there’s no limit to how far any UX’er with a healthy dose of grit and resilience can go. He puts jargon in a choke-hold, then proceeds to drop-kick it in the privates! He inspires us to be like Tom Hanks in “Big”...never afraid to ask questions for the betterment of the people and project. He motivates us to apply for any job we truly want, especially when we feel unqualified for it. He also teaches us how leaving a legacy should never start with one foot in the grave, it starts right here...right now! What Do You Like to Do When You’re Not Working? (7:42) What Inspired You to Pursue a Career in This Field? (10:34) How Do You Get an Entry Level Job That Requires 3-5 Years of Experience? (34:28) What Is It About Jargon That Drives You Nuts? (47:31) One Definition of What UX Is (1:01:15) What Value Do Older UXers Bring to the Table? (1:08:16) UX Advice for Juniors in the Field (1:13:15) The One Thing You Wish You Knew When You Started (1:17:32) If You Had One Word for Folks Trying to Get into UX, What Would That Be? (1:20:16) Check out the detailed show notes including mentioned links, transcript and Eli Jorgensen’s astonishing superhero artwork at userdefenders.com/062 This episode is brought to you by Adobe, makers of XD. Try it FREE at userdefenders.com/xd Fight for User Defenders! userdefenders.com/patreon
How fun! After some ideas, feedback, and exploration we've settled on a name for the podcast - yew! And this week Laura laid out some UX writing fundamentals (from a biz perspective) and what you should know/consider if you're thinking about entering the field or you're already in, but trying to find your feet. If you have any questions don't forget you can reach out to either of us directly and we'll be happy to chat - this stuff is our jam! Resources were mentioned in this episode: Laura's FREE UX Writing course: www.lauraluck.com.au (OK, so this one wasn't mentioned, but you should totally get your hands on it!) Joe Natoli: www.udemy.com/user/joenatoli UX Books: Simple and Usable - Giles Colborne Don't Make Me Think - Steve Krug Content Strategy - Kristina Halvorson UX Blog: https://uxplanet.org Digital marketing podcast worth listening to: Digital Deep Dive - Luke Chapman & Lachlan Kirkwood Marketing book worth reading: Contagious (Why Things Catch On) - Jonah Beger
My guest today is Jason Ogle, who describes himself as a passionate user defender — fighting for users who are victims of bad design decisions. He's an influential podcaster whose amazing USER DEFENDERS podcast is continuing to inspire and equip an audience of hungry, ambitious designers and UXers. Jason believes in failing early, and learning often. And as you’ll hear, every one of those failures has only pushed him to bigger, better and more incredible things. Jason Ogle, as the podcast title suggests, truly has a gift for turning a mess into a message. Twitter:@jasonogleLinkedIn:Jason OgleInstagram:highgrownWebsites:User Defenders PodcastUser Defenders Online CommunityIf you enjoyed this episode, please check out our good friend and sponsor, Stache Studio — a streetwear clothing brand focusing on quality products with a positive message, inspired by the resilience to turn a negative situation into a positive outcome. The Stache mantra is that even in the darkest times, there is a light revealing prosperity; find your light and let it guide you through the darkness. Visit https://www.stache.studio/ to check out their incredibly well-designed products and learn more!
This episode is very special with a very special guest. Joe Natoli shares insights from his many years of UX consulting experience. We also discuss a rather important topic of product ownership inside product development organizations. Turns out "Product Owner" is a very important role and we talk about it in detail. This episode should be very insightful for folks like me who for a long time have been searching for the right career track within product design but were afraid to end up going in a wrong direction due to the fear of the world we live in where everything is labeled. Hope you guys enjoy this episode. I had a blast and I learned a ton from this conversation. Would love to hear your feedback! You can find everything about Joe at GiveGoodUX.com. He's also on Twitter @JoeNatoli. Thank you so much for tuning in!
My guest today is Peter Kaizer, a UX designer and developer with over 20 years of professional experience. What’s particularly interesting is that Peter started his career making things with his hands, namely what he calls "functional pottery."That's an altogether different kind of user experience — but as you'll hear, this approach and experience absolutely informs the digital products that he creates. The result is an emphasis on things that are both highly functional and beautifully designed. Peter describes himself as creative, collaborative, curious, opinionated and optimistic. He is all that and more, my friends; you're going to enjoy this one.Twitter:@pdkaizerFacebook:pkaizerLinkedIn:pdkaizerInstagram:pdkaizerWebsite:peterkaizer.comIf you enjoyed this episode, please check out our good friend and sponsor, Stache Studio — a streetwear clothing brand focusing on quality products with a positive message, inspired by the resilience to turn a negative situation into a positive outcome. The Stache mantra is that Even in the darkest times, there is a light revealing prosperity. Find your light and let it guide you through the darkness. Visit https://www.stache.studio/ to check out their incredibly well-designed products and learn more!
Creating a positive user experience is very important, but it should not — in fact, can not — trample on your business goals. Even the greatest user experience in the world isn t worth it if the cost will cause you to be unprofitable. Listen to Site Success: Tips for Building Better WordPress Websites below ... Download MP3Subscribe by RSSSubscribe in iTunes Important links from this episode: Try StudioPress Sites Sites Weekly Newsletter Subscribe to Sites on Apple Podcasts @JerodMorris on Twitter How User Experience Design Pays Back to the Business The Transcript Jerod Morris: Welcome to Sites, a podcast by the teams at StudioPress and Copyblogger. In this show, we deliver time-tested insight on the four pillars of a successful WordPress website: content, design, technology, and strategy. We want to help you get a little bit closer to reaching your online goals, one episode at a time. I m your host Jerod Morris. Sites is brought to you by StudioPress Sites — the complete hosted solution that makes WordPress fast, secure, and easy without sacrificing power or flexibility. For example, you can upload your own WordPress theme, or, you can use one of the 20 beautiful StudioPress themes that are included and just one click away. Explore all the amazing things you can do with a StudioPress Site, and you ll understand why this is way more than traditional WordPress hosting. No matter how you ll be using your site, we have a plan to fit your needs — and your budget. To learn more, visit studiopress.com/sites. That s studiopress.com/sites. Welcome to Episode 10 of Sites. Last week we discussed content, continuing our series on content strategy by discussing how to know exactly what content to deliver to convert more prospects. This week we move on to design, and once again we are going to feature some simple, brilliant insight from Rafal Tomal, our lead designer at Rainmaker Digital. You have surely heard about UX design — the UX stands for user experience. It won t surprise you to learn that Rafal believes creating a positive, intuitive, useful experience for users of your website is important. BUT It s important to note that doing so should not, in fact, can not, trample on your business goals. Because even the greatest user experience in the world isn t worth it if the cost will cause you to be unprofitable. That s simply an unsustainable formula. Let s dive in and talk about that more now, with this reading adapted from Rafal s blog post How User Experience Design Pays Back to the Business. What does it really mean when we think about designing for better user experience? We often talk about readability, usability, how it should work, and how it should behave. We focus our attention around the users, their problems and needs. We test, research, optimize, and repeat. It s all correct but there is one more big point that it seems like we sometimes forget. UX design — the UX stands for user experience — is not there just to serve users needs but also to serve business needs. Joe Natoli in his book, Think First, calls it a value loop : value loop: creating something that delivers value to users, so that value also comes back to the product s creator in the form of increased use, efficiency, or good old fashioned dollars and cents. So, you have to constantly keep thinking about the business needs when designing for user experience. You should really look for that sweet spot between both worlds. Ok, it all sounds pretty good in theory but how does it translate into real life situations? Let s look at some examples. It s always a good idea to bring in real examples because that puts all the ideas into some perspective that you can easily relate to. I ll try to make it quick and simple, but of course some of these may be way more complex than it sounds. Example 1 So, let s say you re designing a web app. Designing an effective user onboarding process can be the easiest example to show how UX can benefit both the users and your business. User onboarding can be an email sequence, a guided tour, or just a simple welcome message explaining some features of your app. Actually, it can really be anything that can help users to be successful in using your product. For users it can be a huge time saver, and provide an overall good experience since they feel welcomed and guided through the process. It means better retention for your business and fewer support tickets to answer. Simple, right? Example 2 Another example could be designing access to your customer support. The goal is clear: to help solve a user s problems as fast as you can. If you were looking just from the user s perspective then probably giving quick and easy access to your support team would be the best solution. You could add a live chat and always have someone available 24/7 whenever your user has a question. You could add a Get Help link at the top in your navigation and everywhere around the site so it s easy to find it and file a support ticket. However, this could kill the business because the support cost would skyrocket. You need to find a solution that helps your customers while still being cost effective. That s where the real challenge is. So, your solution could be adding a knowledge base with tutorials, guides, and frequently asked questions. You could help users find answers for their problems on their own to limit the need to contact the support team. The challenge here is to make sure that such a knowledge base is frequently updated, comprehensive, and that it s all supported with an advanced search functionality. Then you can keep optimizing and improving it, so users can find answers faster while maintaining a lower volume of support tickets. If executed well, it would be a win-win situation with benefits for both users and the business. You have to sacrifice a little bit on both sides but it s all good as far as you find the middle ground. Of course, keep in mind that every business is different. In some cases, providing accessible support can bring so much value to customers that it would pay back to the business in a long term and cover such a level of customer support. I m not giving any final solutions here, just some examples. Want an example about how good UX design can impact sales? That s coming up next. How about increasing sales? There are many examples of how good UX can help you increase sales based on how you design your sales page, shopping cart, checkout page, or even your service questionnaire form. I like looking at the bigger picture when designing websites. How do users behave on your website and what are they looking for? What path do they take from the moment they enter the site to when they purchase your product? Let s imagine designing a new home page for a company that sells some digital products. The current home page displays some of the most popular products with a prominent Buy Now button and a secondary learn more link. A false assumption could be that if you put the Buy Now button right in front of your users, they just cannot miss it. If you start watching your users behavior, you may realize that they actually wander around your site, read more about the product, and look for some specific information before they re ready to purchase the product. The more expensive the product the more information it needs, of course. So, your redesign could put more information on the home page, and link to product sales pages with all the features, screenshots, social proof, and the actual call to action somewhere in the middle of the page and at the bottom of the page. That way your users can easily get all the information they need to make a purchase decision (benefit of users), and the business gets more sales, a higher conversion rate, and better customers (fewer refunds since customers are better educated about the product). And all of this can be done just by observing the users, enhancing their experience, and providing them with what they really need instead of trying to force them to walk a completely different path. Again, in some cases, your user testing could show something completely different. It could appear that users are so well-educated about the products you re selling that they don t need to learn more about it and are looking for the fastest way to purchase it. That s why it s so important to learn more about your users, their needs, and their behavior on your website. You should never make any assumptions based on someone else s research or testing. I think it s worth remembering that user experience design wouldn t really make any sense if it didn t give value back to the business. It s also work that is never truly finished, because you can keep measuring, optimizing, testing, and iterating new solutions. Fortunately, it s time that you shouldn t classify as being well spent, but instead well-invested. This was a reading the was adapted from Rafal Tomal s blog post How User Experience Design Pays Back to the Business. Now stick around this week s hyper-specific call to action is coming up. Call to action For this week s call to action, I m going to suggest you do something that I, myself, try to do on a somewhat regular basis. That is: go through your purchase and user onboarding processes as a user. Sign up for an account or purchase a product just like your user would and experience exactly what they experience. Pay attention to things like: How is the purchase process? Is it intuitive? Does the thank you page set the right tone and provide useful information for what to do next? Does the timing of your onboarding emails make sense? Do they provide timely value? Does any part of the process throw you off guard or not make sense? It can be really easy to set an onboarding process and forget about it, and think we ve gotten it all right so we don t need to test it. But challenge your own satisfaction in this regard. Go that extra mile for your customers and potential customers to be sure that the user experience you re giving them is a good one and, crucially, that it also makes sense for your business. Is there an opportunity to upsell on the thank you page? Is there another offer you could work into the onboarding autoresponder? Are there places where you can offer help at a critical time that people will appreciate and that will increase customer satisfaction and loyalty? That could lead to more referral business. So do that. And keep it simple, don t overwhelm yourself. Do it for one product, one onboarding sequence. Take notes as you go. And then make improvements. As Rafal said in his piece, You can keep measuring, optimizing, testing, and iterating new solutions. Take this opportunity to do exactly that. Okay — coming next week, we re talking technology. And this is another topic that isn t necessarily fun or sexy — in fact, it s kind of scary — but it is absolutely paramount to the sustainability and success of your site: security. Don t miss that discussion. That s next week, on Sites. Finally, before I go, here are two more quick calls to action for you to consider: Subscribe to Sites Weekly If you haven t yet, please take this opportunity to activate your free subscription to our curated weekly email newsletter, Sites Weekly. Each week, I find four links about content, design, technology, and strategy that you don t want to miss, and then I send them out via email on Wednesday afternoon. Reading this newsletter will help you make your website more powerful and successful. Go to studiopress.com/news and sign up in one step right there at the top of the page. That s studiopress.com/news. Oh, and I should mention, we occasionally include special offers in these emails too — stuff that isn t otherwise marketed publicly. So if you like StudioPress products, keep your eye out for special deals in your Sites Weekly email. Again, it s studiopress.com/news. Rate and Review Sites on Apple Podcasts And finally, if you enjoy the Sites podcast, please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts (formerly known as iTunes), and consider giving us a rating or a review over there as well. One quick tip on that: to make the best use of your review, let me know something in particular you like about the show. That feedback is really important. To find us in Apple Podcasts, search for StudioPress Sites and look for the striking purple logo that was designed by Rafal Tomal. Or you can also go to the URL sites.fm/apple and it will redirect you to our Apple Podcasts page. And with that, we come to the close of another episode. Thank you for listening to this episode of Sites. I appreciate you being here. Join me next time, and let s keep building powerful, successful WordPress websites together. This episode of sites was brought to you by StudioPress Sites, which was awarded “Fastest WordPress Hosting” of 2017 in an independent speed test . If you want to make WordPress fast, secure, and easy — and, I mean, why wouldn t you — visit studiopress.com/sites today and see which plan fits your needs. That s studiopress.com/sites.
Last week we caught up with Joe Natoli, known as the instructor of the very popular UX Fundamentals online course. We spoke about UX strategy, careers, success, and the value of making mistakes. For full episode details, including links and transcript, see: https://uxmastery.com/ux-mastery-podcast-7-ux-strategy-with-joe-natoli/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/ux-mastery/message
We talk with Joe Natoli, enterprise UX consultant and author of the new book, Think First: My No-Nonsense Approach to Creating Successful Products, Memorable User Experiences and Happy Customers.