To cap off season one Karen Wang, a UX Researcher, and Claire Sontra, an Interaction Designer join me to share a little bit of their journey, discuss the differences and similarities of working in-house vs. in a consultancy, and answer some common questions from folks trying to get into UX. This episode is jam packed with tons of great information and advice and well worth a full listen. TOPICS AND QUESTIONS COVERED DURING THE DISCUSSION Working at a Consultancy & Working In-house What’s different about doing UX Research/Design at a consultancy vs. in-house? What’s similar? What are the pros and cons of both when it comes to UX Research/Design? What advice would you give to those going from in-house to a consultancy or visa versa? Questions from Those Pursuing UX What should I do to get more experience? How do I build my portfolio without getting work? Do I need a higher degree? How can I make my portfolio better? What can help it stand out? What resources should I check out to learn more about UX? What does it look like to work with researchers? What does it look like to work with designers? What's a non-UX skill you think is critical to your work? Any other advice you’d give someone pursuing a career in UX? LINKS Claire Sonta LinkedIn Claire Sonta Portfolio Karen Wang LinkedIn Karen Wang Portfolio Thank you Claire & Karen for being guests on the show! If you want to get in touch or if you have questions about pursuing a UX career please email me at [email protected]. Lastly, thanks to Irene Barber for creating the music for today's episode. Check out her music under the artist name Nearby on Spotify or at nearbymusic.bandcamp.com.

Dylan has been a “creative” ever since he was a kid making art at his kitchen table and building with Legos. He was even exploring the beginnings of digital design through Microsoft Paint. Now he is a thoughtful product designer working through the immensely complex and ever expanding world of digital design. In our conversation Dylan talks about his start in print media, how he grew his skills working on a variety of projects while doing agency work, and how he is trying to think about and unpack how design and UX impact so much more than just the screens we use every day. I’m so inspired by Dylan’s passion to explore that very broad world of digital design, to learn from all those “design pockets,” and to think about how he can apply all he learns to his own design work and career. LINKS LinkedIn Portfolio Ideo Nielsen Norman Group Thank you Dylan for being a guest on the show! If you want to get in touch or if you have questions about pursuing a UX career please email me at [email protected]. Lastly, thanks to Irene Barber for creating the music for today's episode. Check out her music under the artist name Nearby on Spotify or at nearbymusic.bandcamp.com.

Emma is a thoughtful and authentic UX Researcher who I’ve known since her grad school days when she and her team used Blink’s research labs for their usability testing project. I wanted to speak with Emma because of something she posted on her LinkedIn back in the Fall of 2020. She offered up office hours for anyone to book time on her calendar to talk shop or ask questions about getting into UX Research. How cool is that?!? In our conversation Emma shares how she discovered UX, her journey through school, internships, and contract positions, and the power of networking. I really appreciate how she shares about, not only her career journey, but also those interpersonal skills which have enabled her to confidently conduct research and support her partners at New Relic. It was also great to hear more about Emma’s passion for supporting those early in their UX journey through connecting and mentoring. LINKS LinkedIn Thank you Emma for being a guest on the show! If you want to get in touch or if you have questions about pursuing a UX career please email me at [email protected]. Lastly, thanks to Irene Barber for creating the music for today's episode. Check out her music under the artist name Nearby on Spotify or at nearbymusic.bandcamp.com.

Todd and I’s UX careers intersected back in the early days of my time at Blink. He always brought a smile to everyone in the office while also delivering great design work for our clients. I was thrilled to have Todd on the podcast because I knew our talk would be filled with some great insights and lots of laughs. He did not disappoint. In our conversation Todd talks about his cross-country UX journey, developing skills and relationships through consultancy work, and ultimately shifting to in-house design. Todd is another guest to bring up the importance of and the impact of community in UX. I’m very thankful to work in an industry full of people who are open to fostering connections and supporting each other. LINKS LinkedIn Thank you Todd for being a guest on the show! If you want to get in touch or if you have questions about pursuing a UX career please email me at [email protected]. Lastly, thanks to Irene Barber for creating the music for today's episode. Check out her music under the artist name Nearby on Spotify or at nearbymusic.bandcamp.com.

Welcome to UX Pursuit; a podcast dedicated to the unique stories and journeys of UX practitioners – how they got to where they are today, what hurdles they overcame, and what advice they have for those currently pursuing a thriving career in UX. I’m Tim Bridgham; your host and I’m posting this special episode to let you know the show is taking a one week hiatus. We’ll be back next week with a new episode! As I’ve mentioned. we’re approaching the end of season one and our final episode will be a panel discussion with a few UX practitioners. We’ve heard a lot of unique stories and a ton of great advice and tips from our guest so far but I know you still have questions about pursuing a UX career. So send me your questions! Email me at [email protected] and we’ll do our best to answer your questions. You can find UX Pursuit wherever you listen to podcasts. Subscribe now and if you know others pursuing a career in UX, please tell them about the show. Thanks to everyone who’s been listening and sharing the podcast. I’m Tim Brigham, a Senior UX Researcher and this is UX Pursuit. If you want to get in touch or if you have questions about pursuing a UX career please email me at [email protected]. Lastly, thanks to Irene Barber for creating the music for today's episode. Check out her music under the artist name Nearby on Spotify or at nearbymusic.bandcamp.com.

Alanté is a persistent and passionate researcher. This became clear to me after hearing more about her story and learning what drew her to UX, how she pursued her career, and how she  strives to be a champion for human-centered design in whatever role she has. In our discussion she also talks about some unique skills necessary for excelling in UX and presents a thoughtful view on the need to get applied experience, whether that’s through grad school, a bootcamp, volunteering, or in her case, at an existing job. Alanté’s ability to recognize opportunities where human-centered design could be utilized and then to take charge and make those opportunities a reality is very admirable. I'm happy to report that as of March 2021 Alanté is now a User Researcher at Microsoft Mixed Reality, working on products like the Hololens. LINKS LinkedIn Thank you Alanté for being a guest on the show! If you want to get in touch or if you have questions about pursuing a UX career please email me at [email protected]. Lastly, thanks to Irene Barber for creating the music for today's episode. Check out her music under the artist name Nearby on Spotify or at nearbymusic.bandcamp.com.

Julie is a thoughtful researcher with passion for growing and helping UX researchers and leading teams to deliver impactful insights wherever she’s working. She was kind enough to give me some helpful advice back in 2017 at a pivotal moment in my UX journey and I was excited to chat with her for the podcast to hear more about her journey.  I enjoyed hearing about her journey from cognitive psychology, to market research, to UX research, and then to UX research management. It was fascinating to discover how curiosity is so central to Julie’s journey, especially since that is a core value I try to embody in my own UX career. In our discussion Julie also shares about managing research teams and the power of insights storytelling, as well as one of her favorite projects while working at Spotify. LINKS LinkedIn Thank you Julie for being a guest on the show! If you want to get in touch or if you have questions about pursuing a UX career please email me at [email protected]. Lastly, thanks to Irene Barber for creating the music for today's episode. Check out her music under the artist name Nearby on Spotify or at nearbymusic.bandcamp.com.

Last summer I met Brandon when he joined Blink’s Seattle office as a part of our summer internship program. Right away I could see his passion for and eagerness to soak up as much UX knowledge as possible. He even moved from Ann Arbor, Michigan to Seattle, Washington to participate in what had to become a “fully remote” internship. In our chat he shares some great insights into UX internships and what he was able to get out of his time last summer. It was great to get to reconnect with him a few months after his internship ended and to hear more about his thoughts and experience as someone who’s on the verge of getting into the UX workforce. Definitely some great advice to those who are early in their pursuit of a UX career. LINKS LinkedIn Portfolio The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman Don’t Make Me Think by Steve Krug Thank you Brandon for being a guest on the show! If you want to get in touch or if you have questions about pursuing a UX career please email me at [email protected]. Lastly, thanks to Irene Barber for creating the music for today's episode. Check out her music under the artist name Nearby on Spotify or at nearbymusic.bandcamp.com.

Josh and I’s UX paths have crossed a few times so when I thought about guests for the podcast it was a no brainer to include Josh. He is not only a multi-skilled designer, he’s also a passionate advocate for supporting those who are just entering the UX world. In our conversation he shares about the importance of relationships and how that has shaped his UX career. Additionally, Josh shares the skills he thinks every designer should possess to have a thriving career in UX design; listening, collaborating, and communicating. LINKS LinkedIn Portfolio Thank you Josh for being a guest on the show! If you want to get in touch or if you have questions about pursuing a UX career please email me at [email protected]. Lastly, thanks to Irene Barber for creating the music for today's episode. Check out her music under the artist name Nearby on Spotify or at nearbymusic.bandcamp.com.

I’m really happy to have Tulsi on the podcast. Her journey follows a somewhat common but also uncommon path into UX. In our conversation Tulsi shares about her path from research intern into full-time researcher after trying to re-kindle her passion for UX several years into working as a mechanical engineer. I love what Tulsi has to say about leaning on, and not abandoning, the skills she learned in her engineering background – how she leverages them and using them as a lens into the research she does. Since so many in UX come from different backgrounds, this is an important thing to remember, especially if you’re currently building on your previous career and transitioning into UX. LINKS LinkedIn Portfolio Thank you Tulsi for being a guest on the show! If you want to get in touch or if you have questions about pursuing a UX career please email me at [email protected]. Lastly, thanks to Irene Barber for creating the music for today's episode. Check out her music under the artist name Nearby on Spotify or at nearbymusic.bandcamp.com.