Product Designer, UX Designer, Game Designer, Public Speaker, Writer, and Creative Technologist
Product design is an ever-evolving role, yet one consistent skill requirement is usually referred to as “craft.” For some designers, craft is a source of delight. But for others, myself included, it can be an immense source of frustration. Craft is a nebulous term. Every company (and every leader) has a different definition. If you have not already done so, you should definitely ask your senior…
Someone recently asked me to share thoughts on how one grows. I thought it was a wonderful question, and it took me a while to form a well-connected answer. Below is an expanded edition of my thoughts on individual growth! I believe there are two main ingredients required for a person to grow: Ingredient 1: Self-awareness Growth requires you to recognize that you are not perfect. You will likely…
Teaching can be an energizing act of service when you’re sharing something you’re passionate about. With over 50 public speaking engagements and 80 design mentees, it’s clear that navigating the world of digital design is something I’m passionate about. Maven , a professional education platform, caught wind of my work and asked if I wanted to set up a course about the individual contributor design…
The way you view the world impacts much of your life — including how you operate at work. In moments of struggle, a change of perspective can help. With a subtle shift, you might be able to reclaim agency and move from a defensive to proactive position. I began thinking about the concept of agency early in my career. After meekly completing an internship where I only did what was asked of me, I…
Good day, fine reader! Hope all is well with you. I’ve been working to figure out a way to connect my blog’s RSS feed to my email newsletter, and I think this may officially be the first time it works. Fingers crossed. Onto the recap… Recent happenings Debug your design interview journey series Late last year, I penned a series of posts covering the design interview journey. The idea came to me…
This post is part of a series about the design interview journey. You can learn more here . The offer stage is the final moment in the hiring process. You’ll first receive a verbal offer, which may include their intent to hire you and a breakdown of your proposed pay. The company will send you a contract to sign once you hash out details like your salary and start date. This is an awesome moment.…
This post is part of a series about the design interview journey. You can learn more here . The onsite is the most crucial stage of the interview process. It’s an exhausting gauntlet — a consecutive series of 30–60-minute interviews with IC designers, your future manager, and other relevant stakeholders. If you’re lucky, you can do this process remotely. And if you’re really lucky, you can spread…
This post is part of a series about the design interview journey. You can learn more here . After you submit your application for a role, the hiring team must evaluate and narrow down the pool of interested talent. Candidates who are noted to be a good fit on paper will be invited to schedule a time to speak with someone at the company. This is usually done by either a recruiter assigned to the…
This post is part of a series about the design interview journey. You can learn more here . Before you start meeting members of the hiring team at your future employer, you’ve got to get noticed by them. This requires you to either submit your information to an online form or get referred by someone who works at the company. I’ve applied to countless jobs throughout my life. If things go well,…
In the year since I started mentoring folks on Merit, I’ve gotten a lot of questions that go something like this: I have been actively interviewing for long enough time that I feel like I should have an offer, but nothing has materialized yet. What am I missing? When someone asks me this, it’s a sign we need to debug their interviewing journey. Debugging is an important part of building products,…