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Fuego’s podcast series interviews design and product leaders and covers the latest in user experience.
Subscribe to YouTube ChannelOn this Design Leader Insights episode, Alex Smith chats with Farid Sabitov, DesignOps Consultant at EPAM Systems. Over the past couple of years, Farid has focused on design operations, particularly in areas like content design, product design, and design systems. His expertise lies in evolving practices and defining metrics to communicate value within large organizations. The discussion touches on the importance of strategic metrics, particularly in the context of design system adoption. Farid advocates for breaking down silos between design ops, product ops, and dev ops, highlighting the need for collaboration and visualizing the product development lifecycle.
In this episode of Design Leader Insights, Alex Smith interviews Ridhima Gupta, Lead Product Designer at Databricks. Ridhima shares her journey in UX, starting as an architecture student and transitioning into digital design during the rise of mobile apps. She emphasizes the importance of understanding the product, domain, and users when designing in complex spaces. They discuss the challenges of catering to diverse user personas in the ML field and she advocates for designers to diversify their skill sets, including coding and technical aspects, to enhance collaboration with engineers and product teams.
On this episode of Design Leader Insights, Alex chats with J.B. Chaykowsky, Global Design Leader at Intuit. They discuss the transformative impact of AI on the design landscape. J.B. Chaykowsky emphasizes the need for designers to navigate the evolving role of AI carefully, ensuring that they continue to add value in a world where AI democratizes design creation. He also provides valuable advice for designers entering the field today, encouraging them to embrace the 'high minimum' and focus on continuous improvement in their field.
On this episode of Design Leader Insights, Alex chats with Calvin Robertson, Sr Director, Experience Design - Best Buy. Calvin delves into the nuanced challenges of balancing digital and human interactions, especially at a retail giant like Best Buy. The conversation with Alex Smith covers the importance of understanding customers' diverse behaviors and needs while embracing both DIY and assisted shopping experiences. Calvin also shares valuable leadership insights, emphasizing the need for design leaders to empower their teams and delegate effectively.
On this episode of Design Leader Insights, Alex chats with Tommy Geoco, Owner and Educator at UX Tools. In April 2022, he embraced education for design, founding uxtools.co in 2024. Alex and Tommy discuss the changes to the freelance industry, and hustle culture. He advises new designers to gain experience, and encourages content creation as a powerful tool for personal and professional growth. Tommy also shares insights on starting a business, differentiating between performance and value activities, and avoiding burnout.
On this episode of Design Leader Insights, Alex chats with Glen Lipka, VP, Product Design at CrowdStrike. Glen Lipka advocates for improving design education to equip young designers with practical skills and a deeper understanding of the industry. Additionally, Lipka delves into the concept of design fundamentals, using examples from Salesforce and Excel to illustrate the importance of designing for functionality rather than just aesthetics. He encourages designers to envision a better future and leverage their superpower of imagining and illustrating a compelling vision.
On this episode of Where Product Meets Design, Amy Mitchell, Product Director at Dell, shares insights into her journey in the product management field. She discusses the common myth that product managers are merely a barrier between engineering and sales, emphasizing the value they bring in consolidating requirements and facilitating communication. Amy also highlights the importance of providing hope and optimism as a product manager. She advocates for embracing conflict and forming a personal point of view.
In this episode of Design Leader Insights, Abbey Smalley, UX Design Leader, shares key tips for effective cross-functional collaboration in design teams. Abbey highlights the importance of understanding and respecting team members' roles, fostering open communication, and creating a collaborative gray space. She emphasizes the significance of aligned and outcome-based goals, as well as the need for just enough process to ensure quality and efficiency. The conversation provides practical insights for designers and underscores the crucial role of communication and shared goals in achieving success.
On this episode of Where Product Meets Design, Alex speaks with Rafa Flores, who works at 6sense. Rafa provides advice for those entering product management, suggesting mentorship during market booms and strategic analysis of product lifecycles in uncertain economic times. When discussing successful product launches, he introduces a pragmatic 30-60-90-day roadmap, stressing the post-launch phase's critical role. Additionally, Rafa highlights the necessity of early collaboration with UX teams to avoid late-stage conflicts, emphasizing consistent teamwork throughout the product development cycle.
On this episode of Design Leader Insights, Alex Smith chats with Michael Riddering, creator of Dive Club and Founding Designer for Maven. Michael shares his journey from founder to designer and back, highlighting the pivotal role of design in startup culture. Michael offers advice for founders and aspiring designers, emphasizing the importance of tackling the right problems and showcasing hands-on experience with launch days. Explore Michael's perspective on the evolving role of designers in startups, the value of competitive research, and the necessity for designers to contribute to higher-level product strategy decisions.