This past week, Derek went camping. While he was there he had the opportunity to tour Mammoth Cave. While inside, Derek noticed strata in the rock, created over millions of years.
You may be wondering what Derek’s recent adventure at Mammoth Cave National Park has to do with software architecture. What can Mother Nature teach us about building enterprise software in a more scalable way?
Derek had an epiphany.
These strata are a lot like what many of our enterprise software tends to look like over time. The “MVP” we build first gets stuck under the layers upon layers of code build on top of it over the years. It becomes increasingly harder to modify this base layer the more times pass. Minor mistakes become harder to fix. Tech debt becomes harder to erase.
How can we ensure our enterprise software stands the test of time? How can we ensure our software stays “soft”? How can we ensure the code we write today doesn’t hold us back tomorrow?
Topics:• 04:09 – Derek’s camping adventure• 09:12 – Derek has an epiphany• 11:17 – Things won’t go the way you expect. But what did you learn?• 14:51 – Jeremy’s Deliverance moment• 16:19 – Derek has a second epiphany• 20:54 – How do we keep from creating rigid software strata?• 21:44 – Dan North’s CUPID principles might help• 23:19 – Keep your systems composable
Helpful Links:• Mammoth Cave National Park • 27. CUPID: A Software Love Story with Dan North
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Episode thumbnail by Laura Pluth on <a href="https://unsplash.com/s/photos/camping?
Jul 22, 2021
29 min
In this episode, our brave hero Derek goes solo + 1. He invited his firstborn into the gauntlet of fire also known as the RetroTime interview seat. They talked about the tech that powered school during the pandemic, the dangers of money-grubbin’ video games, and other 8-year-old struggles in 2021. She even put up with a few classic This or That questions. So, we hope you enjoy this deeply personal episode with Derek and his daughter. It’s a dang ol’ hoot!
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Episode Thumbnail by Taylor Heery on Unsplash
Jul 20, 2021
21 min
Now that you’ve built up a solid network, the next step is getting your portfolio and resume together. For a lot of people, this is one of the most daunting parts of the hiring process.
The questions can be overwhelming if you’re new to the design field. Where do you even start? How do you format your resume? How do you get past the ATS bots? What content should you include? How do you build a website? Should you use a template? How do you write a case study?
Kristine Yuen, a design manager at LinkedIn, joins us to talk about how to craft a killer portfolio and resume to get past the ATS bots and recruiters to impress the hiring managers to get a shot at an in-person interview.
Kristine put together a list of portfolios she likes and explains a little bit about why she likes each of them:
* karindevenish.com – Kristine really likes the overall structure of Karin’s Credit Sherpa case study. It’s very thorough and visual. Her favorite section is how she shows her iterations side by side. It really helps comprehend the differences between the variations and makes it easy to follow along in her story.* yangq.design – Yang’s portfolio is a very visual portfolio that uses motion subtly. Particularly, the home page is really well laid out. It catches the attention of the reviewer quickly and it is detailed to understand what the projects are all about.* rbrahmwar.com – Paisool is a well-laid-out case study. It is visually balanced and clear in terms of storytelling. Ridhi mixes her process well with the content that she writes. She also uses a similar family of illustrations that blend well with her visuals in the rest of the portfolio. Also, the solution section at the end is very easy to comprehend the flows within the designed app.* shunweiwilson.com – This portfolio has a wide range of projects that showcase Wilson’s background from UX to industrial design. She likes how he lays it out without taking away the emphasis from his UX work. Additionally, she enjoys his About page. It showcases a nice balance between his professional interests, experiences, and personal hobbies. Additionally, all his links are really easy to find.* rajatbagga.com – Rajat’s portfolio is a visual take on dark mode. I enjoyed seeing the visuals and motion together in his case studies. In particular Vedetarian, the motion adds a lot of delight and helps me understand the intention of his app. Also, his process is light enough to comprehend the steps without going into tons of detail.* kritikakushwaha.com/projects – Kritika’s Spark case study does a really great job of making text look extremely visual. She uses cards and blocking as techniques to balance out paragraphs of text. She also does a good job of balancing out the digital and physical solution of her project, as it emphasizes the UI more.* rachelthinks.design – Kristine’s favorite case study from Rachel’s portfolio is the Google Buzz project. Rachel doesn’t use GIFs or videos of her solution, instead, she uses arrows in the images to show how her app works. It works really well as it’s subtle, clear, and easy to comprehend.
Topics:• 02:20 – What makes a great first impression?
Jul 8, 2021
57 min
We’ve all been there. After having to answer the same silly question again, or having to correct the same person again, or getting the same urgent request at the last minute again, you realize there is no point to any of this. Why are you even trying?
Before you go and pee on your co-worker’s rug, there is still hope.
The path to work nihilism is slow and painful. We all had grand plans and huge, ambitious goals for our careers. None of us set out to be a work nihilist. Like stress, it sneaks up on you. It happens slowly over years, then comes crashing down upon us all at once.
Luckily, we can keep an eye out for some signs that we’re heading towards the dark side and use a few techniques to remind us that what we’re doing really is important, and we are making an impact.
Topics:• 04:24 – How do we end up as work nihilists?• 06:32 – This doesn’t only happen in big corporate environments• 07:46 – Sometimes work Nihilism comes and goes. Why?• 08:15 – Knuckleheads gonna knucklehead• 09:07 – Focus on the smaller things you can control• 10:36 – Knuckleheadednesss is a group affliction• 11:45 – Try to divide and conquer to change a culture• 15:13 – Write down all your accomplishments that day to motivate you• 21:31 – Some things to look out for• 25:48 – What can we learn from The Borg?• 30:03 – When you start to ask “What’s the point of all this?”• 35:25 – What can we delegate so we can focus on what we love?
Helpful Links:• My political awakening | I know I’ve changed• We believe in nothing, Lebowski!• On TikTok, Grimes Pitches Fully Automated Luxury Communism
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Jul 1, 2021
41 min
This might come as a surprise, but your job hunt starts long before your job hunt actually starts. Before you send off your first job application you should be building both your personal and professional network.
Having a solid network will make sure you are meeting the right people and learning the right things. But more importantly, meeting the right people means they are thinking about you long before their job listing is ever posted online.
In short, a solid professional network is the best way to jump start your career and ensure future employment.
We’re excited to kick off the first episode of the Get Hired series by talking with Senior Interaction Designer at SiriusXM, Kasey Randall. Over the last decade, Kasey has used his networking skills to break into the design scene in D.C. and make some serious industry connections, all while staying a pretty swell guy.
This week, Kasey shares his secrets for networking, building your tribe, and how to make sure you are always working towards ensuring you’re employed in the future.
Topics:• 05:53 – Surround yourself with people better than you.• 07:28 – You’re the average of the five people you spend the most time with• 11:06 – Ask the right people the right questions• 15:22 – How do you find the right people to ask the right questions?• 20:47 – Be curious• 21:15 – Don’t overthink it. Just do it.• 23:31 – Don’t reach out to strangers looking for favors.• 23:43 – Do reach out to strangers and ask to chat about their experiences• 24:37 – How do you get over imposter syndrome?• 30:44 – If you move to a new city, jump right in• 31:31 – Networking across borders is becoming the norm• 32:45 – What does post-COVID networking look like?• 34:18 – Kasey’s core principles of networking• 38:54 – Don’t be sleazy and don’t be a jerk and you can fail forward.• 39:17 – What you put out there is a direct representation of you
Helpful Links:• District Creatives• Make America Dinner Again• You’re NOT The Average Of The Five People You Surround Yourself With• Why doesn’t an unbound merino t-shirt smell bad?
About Kasey RandallKasey is an adventurer, storyteller, and design entrepreneur, helping shape how people experience the digital world around them. His intuitive eye for core experience and passion for great design results in truly engaging interactions. Kasey dedicates time to host events and mentor Designers through ADPList, helping UXers sharpen skills, navigate their career, advocate for the user, and slay dragons.
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Jun 23, 2021
49 min
We seem to be noticing a trend. There are lots of folks looking to break into the software industry but aren’t sure where to start. There seems to be a lot of people looking for a mid-career change. There are tons of recent boot camp graduates. The good news is software teams are hiring!
Whatever the case might be, not everyone is lucky enough to have industry connections to get one on one advice. If this is you, we’ve got some stuff you might find helpful.
In episode one, we’ll talk about networking with Kasey Randall from Sirius XM. Kasey will talk about his experiences networking, hustling, and finding his design community.
In episode two, we’ll talk with Kristine Yuen, a design manager at LinkedIn. She’ll give us tips on resume writing and help with portfolios. We/ll explore how different UX tracks should approach portfolios and resume writing.
In episode three, we’ll talk to Jay Casteel who works in Machine Learning at AWS. Jay will give us some interview tips and advice on how to ace your interview. Sorry kids, there won’t be any Amazon interview spoilers!
In episode four, we’ll talk to Ray Lemon from GE Aviation. Ray will talk through some whiteboard challenge tips, and we’ll do a whiteboard challenge live on the air to show you what to expect.
Finally, in episode five, Derek and Jeremy will dive into what they do best, cross-functional collaboration. Once you land that job you’ll need to be a great teammate, so we’ll give some advice on how designers, product folks, and software engineers can build a great working relationship.
So keep an eye out on Twitter and LinkedIn for the new Deep Dive Series on getting hired! Stay tuned!
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Jun 18, 2021
4 min
You probably know Dan North as the father of Behavior Driven Development. But if you aren’t following twitter too closely, you may not know that Dan created quite a stir with his rebuttal of the SOLID principles back in 2017. Since then, he’s thought about a different approach using a similarly clever acronym, CUPID. We were fortunate enough to get a sneak peek into CUPID and discuss some of the ideas with Dan.
Dan has spent a lot of time looking not just at his own code, but other people’s code too. One thing he’s noticed is that the best code is the code that is a joy to look at and work with. The best code takes other developers into account when writing their code. They design it so that it’s easy to follow and logical to work on.
Dan’s CUPID consists of five properties of software that make software joyful to work with. CUPID stands for Composable, UNIX Philosophy, Predictable, Idiomatic, and Domain-based.
Composable: Can I use this software with other software? Does my code play well with other developer’s code? Does my code require dependencies that might break another developer’s code?
UNIX Philosophy: Each thing should do one thing well. But don’t over-engineer it and do that one thing too much. Know when to stop.
Predictable: Our code should be predictable in what it does and how it does it. The chances are good that someone else will need to look at your code one day. Keep in mind we’re writing software for other people to come back and read later. Your code should be predictable, readable, and organized in a way that makes reading your code completely obvious.
Idiomatic: Familiar tools are easier to use. How does the rest of the team do it? Does it make sense to challenge these standards? Were decisions made for a reason? Before we have opinions on changing what is there, we need to find out why the team does something the way they do. As Sam Newman says “it’s better to have things be consistently wrong than inconsistently anything.”
Domain Based: Domain is about language– design or written language. The code itself is domain-based, meaning we use the terms that relate to the domain of the app. Make the domain language ubiquitous in the codebase. Additionally, we should structure the code by domain. Keep the code organized so that it makes sense based on what the app does.
Topics• 03:25 – Dan is triggered• 08:22 – Hello CUPID• 12:37 – Centered vs bounded communities• 16:39 – Composable• 20:49 – UNIX philosophy• 24:34 – Predictable• 29:53 – Idiomatic• 35:43 – Domain Based• 49:33 – It’s everyone’s responsibility
Helpful Links• Dan North & Associates• The CUPID Back Story• The SOLID principles• Why Every Element of SOLID is Wrong
About Dan NorthDan is the originator of Behaviour-Driven Development, an agile approach to software development that encourages teams to deliver the software that matters by emphasising ...
May 27, 2021
1 hr
When it comes to the term “MVP,” everyone has a different interpretation of the term. Like it or not, perception is reality. If the term MVP has you stuck, why don’t we use a different term?
In our last episode, Derek read an insightful article by Ardi Karaj titled The Learning Release. In her article, Ardi suggests changing the way we talk about MVPs. She breaks the idea of releases up into two phases: A Learning Release and an Earning Release.
We found this idea extremely compelling. As both of us have worked in software for a while, we’ve seen firsthand how the term “MVP” has been bastardized and has ultimately lost its true meaning. As Ardi says, ask five people what they think of when they think about MVPs and you’ll get more than five answers. Preach!
This week, Derek and Jeremy discuss Ardi’s idea and explore how we might apply some of these concepts to the enterprise software space.
Topics:• 04:52 – Words make a difference to people learning a new concept• 06:21 – If you can’t beat them, rebrand!• 09:19 – We can’t say we’re going to make money if our confidence isn’t high.• 10:18 – Other industries do market trials and focus groups• 13:16 – Derek’s analogy of the day• 15:55 – If your team can’t celebrate changes, you may not be a team• 18:24 – How do we apply this to enterprise software?• 20:28 – Can we separate the learning release from the codebase?• 21:44 – Can the learning release be a beta test with a small subset of users?• 22:44 – Promise knowledge by a certain deadline not features• 23:37 – Instead of monetary benefit, what if the benefit is knowledge?• 25:27 – Don’t be selective with the feedback you get from a learning release• 29:01 – Explore tools to help with your learning release• 31:46 – Be irreverent with how you learn• 33:01 – Make the best of the tools you have
Helpful Links:• Follow Ardi on LinkedIn• Follow Ardi on Twitter• “The Learning Release” by Ardi Karaj• Retro Time After Hours: The Learning Release• Retro Time 06. MVP2
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May 20, 2021
34 min
As much as we try to fight it, unfortunately, perception is reality. The term MVP is thrown around by a lot of people with no clear standard of what an MVP truly is or what it truly means.
Maybe a rebrand is in order. Ardi Karaj has a suggestion: if your team is confused by the term “MVP,” why not call it something else?
Ardi suggests using the terms “Learning Release” and “Earning Release.” This concept is meant to clearly align everyone on the goal of each type of release so expectations are clear and everyone is aligned to the same goals.
Have a listen to this insightful blog post, and stay tuned next time as our heroes dive deeper and give their take on Ardi Karaj’s thoughts.
Helpful Links:• Follow Ardi on LinkedIn• Follow Ardi on Twitter• “The Learning Release” by Ardi Karaj
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May 19, 2021
9 min
Stress and burnout aren’t something a lot of teams talked about pre-COVID. But with all of the loss of life, restrictions, school and office closures, layoffs, and general upheaval from the last year and a half, it’s becoming clear to most that stress and burnout are a major problem for a lot of us.
The trouble with burnout and stress is that it’s not something we usually pick up on until it’s too late. Like the frog in a pot of water that begins to boil, we don’t notice the symptoms until they hit us like a ton of bricks.
The good news is that there are some tactics that we can use to reduce the stress and burnout, specifically at work.
Topics:• 03:44 – What is burnout?• 04:56 – Peter Gibbons is a classic example of burnout• 06:46 – Burnout vs depression• 08:28 – Physical vs emotional damage• 09:36 – Jeremy’s burnout story• 17:07 – Derek’s burnout story• 22:07 – Derek’s analogy of the day• 23:26 – Hussling can give you a dopamine hit• 29:08 – Set the right expectations• 30:12 – Advice for leaders
Helpful Links• Burnout Prevention and Treatment• Is unlimited vacation a trap? It just might be.• How to Implement an Effective Unlimited Vacation Policy• We Offered Unlimited Vacation For One Year. Here’s What We Learned.• Dirty Coast• Shultzilla
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Thanks for listening! We hope you enjoyed today’s episode. If you liked what you heard, be sure to like and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts! If you enjoyed today’s episode, please leave a comment and a five-star review. It helps us out a ton.
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May 14, 2021
34 min
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