Nodes of Design – Details, episodes & analysis

Stan Rapp is a Ukrainian product designer who currently resides in the US. With 15 years of experience in design, including a decade in design leadership roles, Stan is currently leading a mission-critical design team at Asana. Before Asana, Stan scaled design teams at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and Ford. Stan has won multiple design awards, including SF Design Week, TechCrunch Disrupt, Red Dot, and Innovation by Design from FastCompany. In this eye-opening episode of Nodes of Design, we dive deep into the world of workplace dynamics with Stan Rapp, a Ukrainian product designer leading mission-critical teams at Asana. With 15 years of experience and a track record of scaling design teams at major organizations, Stan offers invaluable insights on navigating power and politics at work.

Discover:

• Strategies for effective conflict resolution
• Tips for navigating office politics while maintaining integrity
• Real-life stories of power dynamics in action
• The impact of company structure on team dynamics
• Future trends in workplace power structures with the rise of hybrid work and AI

Whether you're a design professional, team leader, or anyone looking to advance their career, Stan's practical advice and personal experiences will equip you with the tools to thrive in today's complex work environments. Don't miss this candid discussion on the often unspoken realities of professional life.

Get a Copy of the Nodes of Wisdom: Lesson from 100 Creative Visionaries on Amazon - https://amzn.in/d/02yZPlUj

Thank you for listening to this episode of Nodes of Design. We hope you enjoy the Nodes of Design Podcast on your favorite podcast platforms- Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, and many more.

If this episode helped you understand and learn something new, please share and join the knowledge-sharing community Spreadknowledge.

This podcast aims to make design education accessible to all. Nodes of Design is a non-profit and self-sponsored initiative by Tejj.

We have a truly exceptional guest who has shaped the digital world as we know it. Please welcome Jae Park, a design visionary with over 25 years of experience crafting experiences that resonate with millions. He brings his design leadership to lead new business innovations and build design teams at scale. He seeks to bridge business and technology goals with humanity.

Jae has been at the forefront of innovation, leading design teams at tech giants like Google, Amazon, and Microsoft. His work has redefined how we interact with technology, from pioneering the Echo Show to revolutionizing the way we collaborate with Google Workspace.

Currently, Jae is leading the charge at Ford Model e, where he's building the future of mobility. His focus on human-centered design and sustainability is inspiring a new generation of connected experiences.

Join us as we delve into Jae's inspiring journey, his insights on the intersection of design, and our topic Synergy in Design: Unpacking Collaboration.

We'll be diving deep into the strategies, challenges, and triumphs of bringing together creative minds to build exceptional products.

Today, we'll be discussing topics such as:

• The journey of a designer and advice for those starting out
• The role of collaboration in a designer’s growth
• Building a collaborative environment with diverse teams
• The impact of remote work on design collaboration
• Balancing individual creativity with team dynamics
• Overcoming challenges in collaborative projects
• The future of design collaboration with AI

Get a Copy of the Nodes of Wisdom: Lesson from 100 Creative Visionaries on Amazon - https://amzn.in/d/02yZPlUj

Thank you for listening to this episode of Nodes of Design. We hope you enjoy the Nodes of Design Podcast on your favorite podcast platforms- Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, and many more.

If this episode helped you understand and learn something new, please share and join the knowledge-sharing community Spreadknowledge.

This podcast aims to make design education accessible to all. Nodes of Design is a non-profit and self-sponsored initiative by Tejj.

As a well-known agency founder and design leader, Andy helps companies like Virgin Holidays, John Lewis and Penguin Random House with issues of customer experience, product strategy, and digital transformation.

Andy's role at Clearleft was to set strategy and vision, promote the value of design, and help their clients realise their digital potential. Andy was very active in the company's day-to-day running, managing the leadership team, setting company culture, and looking after the happiness and well-being of 30+ staff.

Andy is a designer at heart, having spent over 20 years in the field. He loves using his design, technology, and human behaviour knowledge to influence product strategy. As such, Andy is in his element when working alongside board members and their management teams.

In his early career, Andy helped pioneer the field of Web Standards through his work, his blog (one of the highest trafficked in the UK at the time), and the publication of his best-selling book, CSS Mastery. Later, Andy helped popularise the field of UX design, setting up the UK's first dedicated UX agency, along with its first and arguably best UX conference.

When he's not running the company or managing our creative output, Andy can be found sharing his wealth of knowledge at conferences around the world like SXSW, An Event Apart and The Next Web. He also curates the UX London and Leading Design conferences. In 2011, Andy co-founded the Brighton Digital Festival, a citywide celebration of digital culture attracting 40,000 visitors and over 190 events. He currently runs an online community of over 1,500 Heads, Directors and VPs of Design, and is a founding member of Adobe's Design Circle. These are just some of the reasons his company has won Netmag Agency of the Year several times, and he's appeared on both the Wired 100 and BIMA 100 lists.

Never happier than when he's diving some remote tropical atoll, Andy is a qualified PADI dive instructor and retired shark wrangler. With a degree in Aeronautical engineering, Andy is currently learning to fly.

In this episode, Andy discusses the essential qualities and skills a successful design leader should possess. He also shares his insights on building and managing a design team, fostering collaboration and creativity, advocating for an organisation's design, and the importance of empathy in design leadership. Andy also provides tips on how to navigate through various challenges while growing on the ladder as a designer leader and how to approach feedback and critique to help your team grow and improve their design skills. Finally, Andy shared his vision for the future of design leadership and the most important skills or qualities for design leaders in the coming years.

Thank you for listening to this episode of Nodes of Design. We hope you enjoy the Nodes of Design Podcast on your favourite podcast platforms- Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, and many more.

If this episode helped you understand and learn something new, please share and join the knowledge-sharing community Spreadknowledge.

This podcast aims to make design education accessible to all. Nodes of Design is a non-profit and self-sponsored initiative by Tejj.

Paavan Buddhdev is a master’s degree at the University of Oxford. In Computer Science and Philosophy, writer and very famous magician turned into a Product Designer working at AND Digital.  Who is passionate about creating magical digital experiences. 

This episode explores how magic can inform our understanding of how humans behave and how it can help design digital products. Also, we had a great conversation on significant similarities between both magic and UX. We can create experiences filled with emotions, storytelling and solve the user problems at the core.

 Takeaways: What is magic in UX, What are the essential similarities, How one can design for expertise beyond screens

Books recommended by Paavan Buddhdev.

• The Best Interface Is No Interface — Golden Krishna
• Refactoring UI — Adam Wathan and Steve Schoger
• Several Short Sentences About Writing — Verlyn Klinkenborg

If this episode helped you understand and learn something new, please share and be a part of the knowledge-sharing community #Spreadknowledge. This podcast aims to make design education accessible to all. Nodes of Design is a non-profit and self-sponsored initiative by Tejj.

"Innovation comes from iteration, measurement and engagement" - Sharif Matar is a director and producer turned UX designer and Mentor. He worked with valuable brands like Chase, GA, Olay, Ford, Marriott, NBC and more. He is passionate about accessibility and helping create sustainable ecosystems that improve life. 

In this episode, he shared a wealth of knowledge that will help designers build accessible products and understand the true definition of making a usable product. We also had a conversation on the ethics side of design. Like how being a designer, we have to advocate for the users rather than make them trapped in the systems using dark UX patterns.

 Takeaways: What is accessibility, What are the WCAG standards, How to make accessible products, Designing with Ethics, Dark UX Patterns

Books recommended by Sharif

Thinking, Fast and Slow Book by Daniel Kahneman

The Best Interface Is No Interface: The Simple Path to Brilliant Technology Book by Golden Krishna

Against Empathy: The Case for Rational Compassion Kindle Edition by Paul Bloom

If this episode helped you understand and learn something new, please share and be a part of the knowledge-sharing community #Spreadknowledge. This podcast aims to make design education accessible to all. Nodes of Design is a non-profit and self-sponsored initiative by Tejj.

We’ve spoken to many design leaders throughout Nodes of Design, but this episode is the first chance we’ve had to talk with someone who comes from the research and innovation side of design. Fabin Rasheed, Design-led, Innovator who worked in the Experience Design space for over eight years with seven patents filed as a primary inventor, four granted of which also he is Officially an Adobe Inventor. He Innovated many things in multiple new technologies like Gesture, Voice, AR/VR, AI etc.  

 Fabin had worked in Corporate and Academic labs, including Xerox Research, Adobe Design Lab and Embedded Interactions Lab. In this episode, he shared his immense knowledge of Mixed Reality and the skill set required to build mixed reality experiences. Fabin shares his creative process and his source of inspiration to innovate and invent. 

Take-Aways -  Whats is mixed Reality. What is the toolset needed?  What is the future of design like?  

Books Suggested by Fabin Rasheed

The Alchemist -Paulo Coelho

The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself - Michael Alan Singer

Form+Code in Design, Art, and Architecture - Casey Reas 

If this episode helped you understand and learn something new, please share and be a part of the knowledge-sharing community #Spreadknowledge. This podcast aims to make design education accessible to all. Nodes of Design is a non-profit and self-sponsored initiative by Tejj.

Nelio Barros is a Designer, Entrepreneur, Paraglider pilot and Type Designer of the popular type - Nixin Typeface which is one of the most-backed campaigns on Kickstarter.  

In this episode, Nelio shared his journey of creating the typeface Nixen. We also had a brief talk on breaking the doubt- Typeface vs Font. Thruout the episode, we had a great conversation on how various styles of type and how to get inspiration on choosing the right font for your next major design project.

 Key takeaways - What is type design, making a type and tools required, and choosing the right typeface.

If this episode helped you understand and learn something new, please share and be a part of the knowledge-sharing community #Spreadknowledge. This podcast aims to make design education accessible to all. Nodes of Design is a non-profit and self-sponsored initiative by Tejj.

Nikhil Pawar, a Freelance Motion & Graphics Designer and the founder of Dope Motion- living in a world where design is not an option but a choice to do it. With that in the head, Nikhil disrupted motion graphics and built a network of 215K Subscribers on YouTube. Helping teach creatives on motion graphics across the globe.

In this episode, I talked with Nikhil on what is his process in making such cool animations? We also discussed his creative journey of choosing a tool and excelling in it. Nikhil also shared his opinion on whether a design degree matters or the skills to survive or shine in motion graphics. 

Takeaways: What is motion graphics? The process of Nikhil. The base resources you need to begin your motion graphic designs journey. 

Podcasts Suggested by Nikhil Pawar 

1. School of Motion 

2. The Bless show 

3. The Futur 

If this episode helped you understand and learn something new, please share and be a part of the knowledge-sharing community #Spreadknowledge. This podcast aims to make design education accessible to all. Nodes of Design is a non-profit and self-sponsored initiative by Tejj.

Patricia Reiners has had a fantastic arc to her designing for the future career from working with clients like Adobe, Google, IKEA, Vodafone. Patricia has always sought to design things that are “useful, usable, and magical. Along with the exceptional touch of Storytelling. She also runs a podcast, Future of UX, where she interviews design leaders on Designing for the future. 

In today's episode, I talked with Patricia about what is it to be designing for the future. We also get Patricia’s take on what are the vivid applications of AR/VR. Along with breaking down her way of approach for creating solutions for these mixed reality environments. 

Takeaways: How is it to be like building for the future. What opportunities and challenges are there when designing for AR/VR.How to follow a process along with a different set of tool to proceed. 

Books Suggested by Patricia Reiners

 1. Creative Confidence - Tom Kelley & David Kelley

 2. Design of Everyday things  - Don Norman

 3. Don't make me think - Steve Krug 

If this episode helped you understand and learn something new, please share and be a part of the knowledge-sharing community #Spreadknowledge. This podcast aims to make design education accessible to all. Nodes of Design is a non-profit and self-sponsored initiative by Tejj.

Hey, everyone, I am super happy to announce the episode on "Hiring and Portfolios", a value bomb episode with Elize Todd is finally here. 

Elize became a UX director at a digital marketing agency within one year and a co-founder of a UX design agency within two years. Now, she creates content that helps emerging designers learn how to expedite their careers. Her past clients include Adobe, USA Today Network, Papyrus, and Robert Half. She is also an educator at the general assembly and adobe.

 Elize had shared her experience in reviewing thousands of design portfolios and shared her vision on how a perfect collection should look. We also discussed the practical arrangement of content and the do's and don'ts in a portfolio, along with different ways to show your personality through your resume or portfolio.

If this episode helped you understand and learn something new, please share and be a part of the knowledge-sharing community #Spreadknowledge. This podcast aims to make design education accessible to all. Nodes of Design is a non-profit and self-sponsored initiative by Tejj.