We tend to overestimate the importance or impact of information that readily comes to mind when making decisions. As a result, our choices and judgments may be skewed, and we may overlook other important factors.

What happens when we misuse research data?

The focusing effect can have major implications for our personal and professional lives. It can dramatically influence how we make decisions about our own lives, like career decisions, and it can also have a huge impact on how our teams make decisions.

To explore more about the social comparison bias, don’t miss the full article on the Cognition Catalog!

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Join me every week for insights on a new cognitive bias!

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This week, we chat with career coach Meltem Naz Kaso, who shares a unique framework for overcoming career stagnation. Discover why feeling “stuck” might be an invitation to explore new possibilities and how you can strategically navigate your career.

Are you truly stuck in your UX career, or is it just a phase?

Meltem Naz Kaso is a UX career coach with a decade of experience in both in-house and consultancy roles. Meltem now dedicates her time to helping professionals rebuild their careers with passion and self-awareness. In this episode, we dig into her unique approach, inspired by UX methodologies, to help her clients achieve career clarity.

Meltem shares her journey from being a UX research manager at Glovo to becoming a career coach. She emphasizes the importance of understanding the cyclical nature of UX roles. We discuss the challenges posed by the current job market and explore how adaptability can become a key asset in successfully navigating career transitions. Meltem offers valuable insights on balancing work-life dynamics, especially for those juggling family responsibilities alongside career growth.

We also unpack the themes from Meltem’s recent article in Fast Company, where she highlights the importance of personal branding and networking. Tune in to learn practical strategies for identifying career opportunities and enhancing your skill set to stay relevant in an ever-evolving industry. Don’t miss out on this enlightening conversation that promises to transform your career perspective.

Erica Heinz reveals how mastering soft skills can accelerate your career. She emphasizes the often-overlooked importance of communication, empathy, and collaboration in creating truly impactful experiences.

In a field where tools change regularly, is teaching adaptability more valuable than any specific skill?

This week, we’re joined by Erica Heinz, a veteran UX designer and educator with over two decades of experience. Erica challenges traditional approaches to UX education, advocating for a paradigm shift that prioritizes teaching students how to learn rather than focusing solely on current tools and techniques.

Drawing from her extensive experience teaching at institutions like the Parsons School of Design and the School of Visual Arts, Erica shares insights on cultivating a mindset of continuous learning in UX designers. She discusses strategies for developing meta-learning skills, fostering curiosity, and building resilience to thrive in a rapidly evolving field.

Don’t miss Erica’s practical advice on developing a learning mindset that will serve you throughout your career, regardless of how tools and technologies may change. Whether you’re a student, educator, or practicing designer, this episode offers valuable perspectives on future-proofing your UX career through adaptability and lifelong learning.

This week I'm kicking off "From Chaos to Clarity or The UX Designer's Guide to Thriving in a Low Maturity Team." I know there are a lot of folks out there struggling to get to do work they can be proud of.

The post Introducing: From Chaos to Clarity or A UX Designer’s Guide to Thriving on a Low Maturity Team appeared first on Beyond UX Design.

If you’re just starting out it can be overwhelming. Help can come from all over the place. However, recently mentor platforms have started to pop up everywhere. But is this “speed dating” form of mentorship helpful?

The post 32. Alternate Avenues for Mentorship With Steven Steiner appeared first on Beyond UX Design.

Last week's episode was somewhat polarizing. You either got on board with the boot camp hating or you were disappointed there wasn't more actionable advice. I like to give helpful advice, so I'm fixing that this week.

The post 31. The Missing Pieces of the UX Education Puzzle appeared first on Beyond UX Design.

UX boot camps seem to be getting a lot of flak as of late. Are they teaching the necessary skills? What are the necessary skills anyway? This week Andrew Macdonald joins us to give his perspective.

The post 30. The UX Boot Camp Gold Rush With Andrew Macdonald appeared first on Beyond UX Design.

How do you feel about audiobooks? How do you feel about supporting the show? How do you feel about getting a free audiobook AND supporting the show, all at the same time? Well, you can do it, and I’ll show you how!

The post Get a FREE Audiobook and Support the Show! appeared first on Beyond UX Design.

I’m not going to lie. I screw up. A lot. Screwing up sucks. It sucks for you. It sucks for the other people affected by your screw up. You can own up to it. You can apologize. But it’s not nearly as simple as you might think.

The post 29. Apology 101: The Dos and Don’ts of Saying Sorry appeared first on Beyond UX Design.

A former marine might not be the first thing you think of when you think of a CXO at a fast growing tech company. But you haven't met Andrew Rice. Andrew joins the show to talk about his transition from the military to

The post 28. A Marine’s Mission To Build Creative Teams With Andrew Rice appeared first on Beyond UX Design.

Here's a quick update on Episode 28. I wasn't able to get it out in time. But stay tuned! My recent interview with Andrew Rice is on the way!

The post Quick Episode 28 Update appeared first on Beyond UX Design.

We’ve all had a manager that rubbed us the wrong way. Maybe they were always looking over our shoulders or changed their mind a lot. Is it a clash of personalities? Is it really them? Is it actually us?

The post 27. The Bad Boss Survival Kit: Tips for Dealing With a Bad Manager appeared first on Beyond UX Design.

A couple weeks back, Maigen Thomas received a message from a recent boot camp grad. The message was an opportunity for Maigen to share some tips on how not to use LinkedIn to network when looking for a job.

The post 26. How To Fail at Networking or Just Use Your Damn Noggin With Maigen Thomas appeared first on Beyond UX Design.

Explore the delicate dance between rigidity and flexibility as Tom Greever shares his expertise on fostering team collaboration and stakeholder engagement for UX professionals.

The post THROWBACK: How UX Designers Can Adapt and Thrive with Tom Greever appeared first on Beyond UX Design.

Life is a game. But it’s not a game like you might think. There are no real winners or losers, and you’re not really playing to beat anyone else or make anyone lose. Life isn’t a finite game. Life is an infinite game.

The post 25. Be the MVP in the Infinite Game of Life appeared first on Beyond UX Design.

Meet Bobby Johnson. A former actor, director, choreographer, hospitality professional, gig worker, and home baker. Bobby found his calling during COVID and transitioned to his new career into UX Design in early 2022.

The post 24. Behind the Scenes: An Actor’s Journey to UX With Bobby Johnson appeared first on Beyond UX Design.

What happens when you’re on a team and you have a bad leader? They’re a terrible manager. Maybe even incompetent. You could quit, sure. Usually, the best course of action is to make it work. You need to manage up.

The post 23. Mastering the Art of Managing Up appeared first on Beyond UX Design.

Does your team really understand who is using the tools you are designing? Do your team members throw around "user" without any solid understanding of what those people are trying to achieve?

The post 22. Stop Saying “User” and What to Say Instead with Radu Vucea appeared first on Beyond UX Design.

Do you find that things on your team are constantly changing? Maybe you aren't sure what to tackle next. Maybe you’re having a hard time digesting it all. Perhaps you understand part of the system well, but you’re having a hard time with the bigger picture.

The post 21. Surviving and Thriving In a VUCA World appeared first on Beyond UX Design.

Were you sold some utopian dream about UX design? About how everyone, everywhere understands the value of good UX design? Did you expect everyone to trust your opinion because you're the UX designer?

The post 20. Your UX Boot Camp Might Not Prepare You for Real Life appeared first on Beyond UX Design.

The goal of Kickass UX is to reinvent UX education and provide a more personalized, honest, and accessible learning experience for aspiring UX designers. They believe that traditional UX education doesn’t provide practical skills for students to succeed in the industry.

The post 19. UX Education for a Post-Boot Camp World With Kickass UX appeared first on Beyond UX Design.

How do you feel about tests? If you’re anything like me, your heart starts racing and your palms get sweaty. Regardless of their GPA, it’s safe to assume most people don’t like tests.

The post 18. Stop Saying “User Test” and What To Say Instead appeared first on Beyond UX Design.

Is your team focused on outcomes? Or are you just cranking out feature after feature? This week, Neil Pleasants joins me to talk about how he’s moving his company, Mindful Chef, to focus on outcomes over outputs.

The post 17. From Outputs to Outcomes with Neil Pleasants appeared first on Beyond UX Design.

You landed the job. You have a sweet title. You’re making a ton of money. You start tomorrow morning. What do you do? Joining a new team can be a stressful situation. But joining a team doesn’t have to be stressful.

The post 16. Playing the Game or How To Join a New Team appeared first on Beyond UX Design.

This week, we explore how UX Designers can become more informed about their business and build stronger relationships with stakeholders. ÌníOlúwa Abíódún shares insights on developing business empathy, mastering 1:1s, and influencing without authority to create more impactful solutions.

How can UX designers transform their roles from creative executors to strategic partners?

In this episode, I sit down with ÌníOlúwa Abíódún, a principal product designer working in growth at Gen Digital. With a fascinating background that includes law, fashion design, and UX, Ini brings a unique perspective to the conversation about how designers can become more business-savvy and influential within their organizations.

We dig into the concept of “learning the business” and what it truly means for UX designers. Ini shares insights on cultivating business empathy, understanding company objectives, and fostering strong relationships with stakeholders across various departments. We examine the power of one-on-one meetings, the necessity of overcoming our egos as designers, and strategies for influencing without authority.

Whether you’re a junior designer looking to make your mark or an industry veteran aiming to increase your impact, this episode is packed with actionable advice and thought-provoking ideas. Don’t miss out!

The terms neurodivergent, neurotypical or neurodiverse might be new to you. But we’ve been working with a neurodiverse group our entire careers. Introverts, extroverts, thinkers, feelers, etc. We hear talk of "the spectrum" often, but are these problems to be fixed, or might these folks have valuable insights that us “normies” would have never considered?

The post 15. Neurodivergence and Team Diversity with Amanda Howard appeared first on Beyond UX Design.

You’re obsessing over how much you’re impressing the recruiters. But are you so worried about impressing the company that you’ve missed the fact that they should also be working to impress you?

The post 14. Do Your Homework Before You Accept the Offer appeared first on Beyond UX Design.

If it hasn’t happened to you yet, an unexpected layoff will hit you at some point. You have to be ready for the inevitable. This week, Kasey Randall offers his advice on how to handle it, what to do, and how to move forward.

The post 13. Navigating the Inevitable Layoff With Kasey Randall appeared first on Beyond UX Design.

What gets you out of bed every morning? Are you excited about making healthcare safer and more secure? Maybe you’re passionate about democratizing investment opportunities for the masses.

The post 12. Have You Considered Enterprise UX Design? appeared first on Beyond UX Design.

Twas the night before UX-mas, when all through the page, Some things were still moving, cuz’ we’re still in the design stage. So next time you have an impromptu review meeting, Have your user research ready or you might take a beating. We wish you the best and a fantastic site,
Merry UX-mas to all, and to all a good night!

The post ‘Twas the Night Before UX-Mas appeared first on Beyond UX Design.

Do you love Behind UX Design? I mean really love Beyond UX Design? Do you want to help keep the show ad free and and independent? Do you have an extra $3 laying around? You can become a patron!

The post Help Keep the Show Independent and Ad-Free appeared first on Beyond UX Design.

It seems like you’ve got the perfect offer. The mission aligns with your values. The problem space sounds challenging and exciting. The money is right. There’s just one catch. You’ll be on your own. Do you take the job?

The post 11. Is a Solo Design Role Right for You? appeared first on Beyond UX Design.

This week we have my first guest, Jeff White, a 20 year UX veteran working on products like Alexa at Amazon. Jeff didn't agree with my thoughts on "UX/UI," so today we get a second opinion from an agency perspective.

The post 10. UX? UI? UX/UI? with Jeff White appeared first on Beyond UX Design.

How well do you know the people in your organization? Can you name 5 or 10 people outside of your team? Do you know what they do or why they are assigned to various roles? Do you know how it impacts you?

The post 09. Don’t Stop Networking After You Land the Job appeared first on Beyond UX Design.

How do you build a ship? You could draw up some blueprints. You could find people to gather wood, hand out tools. You could bark out orders all day long. Or, you could teach those same people to long for the sea.

The post 08. Inspire With More Compelling Stories appeared first on Beyond UX Design.

Harness LinkedIn’s true power: authentic connections. UX veteran Ronnie Battista shares insights on building meaningful connections and leveraging the platform effectively without succumbing to content creation pressure.

The post 103. Meaningful Relationships Over Useless Likes with Ronnie Battista appeared first on Beyond UX Design.

Are people interrupting you in meetings? Do they question or dismiss your ideas? Maybe your team ignores you. It might be time to take a look at how you are perceived by your team. You may have a delivery problem.

The post 07. Speak With Confidence. Make Your Voice Heard. appeared first on Beyond UX Design.

What’s more important than designing great software? Not winning awards or getting the most dribbble likes. The thing that’s more important than designing great products is delivering great products.

The post 06. Delivering Better Products Through Better Relationships appeared first on Beyond UX Design.

You hear influencers talk about “leadership” all the time. You might say "Hey I just want to do great work!" Given low UX maturity today, you can’t do great work without the skills that make a great leader.

The post 05. On Leadership appeared first on Beyond UX Design.

When you hear someone say “UX/UI” do your eyes roll into the back of your head? When I hear people say this it tells me one thing: They don’t understand the real value a UX Designer can bring to a team.

The post 04. How Do You Define UX? Does It Matter? appeared first on Beyond UX Design.

UX design can be an incredibly rewarding career, but it’s not for everyone. This career is often challenging, especially if you’re in an organization with low UX maturity. It’s not always sunshine here in UX land.

The post 03. Why Are You Chasing a UX Career? appeared first on Beyond UX Design.

How many resumes have you sent out without receiving any responses? Does it feel like you’re sending your resume into an HR black hole? It's time to change your strategy. It's time to stop applying and start connecting.

The post 02. Stop Applying. Start Connecting. appeared first on Beyond UX Design.

Are you a recent design grad? On the hunt for the latest design trends, best practices, or tips on whatever the tool du jour is. I don’t have those things, but I do have something that will be just as valuable in your UX journey.

The post 01. Welcome to Beyond UX Design! appeared first on Beyond UX Design.

We believe you're more than a designer, because there's more to UX than design. Beyond UX Design will fill in all gaps from school and teach you the soft skills you need to be a successful and effective UX designer.

The post This Is Beyond UX Design appeared first on Beyond UX Design.

This week we explore career reinvention with Ricardo Brito, a former UX designer turned career coach. We discuss how designers can leverage their skills beyond traditional roles and strategies for breaking free from the "gilded prison" of tech industry salaries.

The post 102. A Designer’s Guide to Career Reinvention with Ricardo Brito appeared first on Beyond UX Design.

In this special Halloween episode, we follow a UX team at TechNova as they face their most challenging stakeholder yet: Mr. Deville, a literal demon bent on creating the worst user experience possible. The team must use their UX skills to save their project and their souls.

The post Design Byte: The Tale of the Stakeholder From Hell appeared first on Beyond UX Design.

There’s no shortage of “leadership” advice on the internet. Everyone is talking about growing the next generation of leaders. But if everyone becomes a leader, will there be anyone willing to follow?

The post THROWBACK: The Unsung Role of Followership with Dr. David Leitner appeared first on Beyond UX Design.

This week Debbie Levitt, author of "Life After Tech", joins us to discuss the importance of planning for a future beyond tech. Debbie shares her own journey of self-discovery and planning for her own life after tech.

The post 101. Life After Tech: Redefine Yourself and Discover New Work Opportunities With Debbie Levitt appeared first on Beyond UX Design.

Dive into the mind of a UX hiring manager as Mitch Clements reveals what really catches his eye. From networking strategies to portfolio tips, Mitch offers his perspective on what it takes to stand out in a competitive field.

The post 100. The Entry Level Paradox: Breaking Into UX with Mitch Clements appeared first on Beyond UX Design.

In this unfiltered episode, I chat with my good buddy and fellow designer Hang Xu about our shared experiences with mental health. We explore how our personal struggles have shaped our approach to life and work.

The post 99. A Candid Conversation about Mental Health With Hang Xu appeared first on Beyond UX Design.