Design Review

This week, Chris and Jon give their final episode of the Design Review and talk about the important high points from all the years of conversations. A huge "thank you" to all our fans who have stuck with us over the years. While we won't be making any new episodes, producing this show has meant a lot to us and we hope you will continue to listen to the archives. Feel free to reach out to us on Twitter and find a mentor on Officehoursproject.com! Well... I guess that's it. Bye! Khodahafes and 再見! 

This week, Jon is AFK again and Chris answers a listener question about research, and why it's far more effective to diversify the different types of research activities you do as a design org. It's kind of a mini-episode so we're calling it 104.5. Listen in and enjoy!

This week, Jon is out sick and Chris throws together a bit of an impromptu show to talk about what it's like when you decide to move from a small company to a big company. There's a lot of different assumptions people have about big company life and Chris shares his experience to hopefully give some perspective to those who are thinking about making a change. Listen in to another interesting episode!

This week, Chris and Jon answer a listener letter asking for advice on how to make effective design decisions. Design problems and the subsequent decisions exist on different levels of scale and scope, and this week, the boys discuss all the things you need to know how to make better decisions! Thanks Lukas for your mail!

This week, Jon and Chris talk about the ins and outs of working remotely. We've all had to deal with this in some form and we give you the tips and helpful info that can turn your bedroom table into a remote working powerhouse! Listen in for another insightful episode! (Hadouken!!)

This week, Chris and Jon talk about self-serving design and the products that put customers last. It's not a DIY project... Self-serving design and self-serving products put the main focus on the needs of the business before the needs of the customer. Listen in and learn why this is a risky road to travel down, and discover what you can do about it!

This week, it's episode 100 and Chris and Jon reminisce about the previous 99 shows. Join us for a light-hearted look back over the many years of the Design Review. Here's to another 100 episodes!

This week, Chris and Jon discuss the impact of emotion on product design. This idea that people act rationally isn't exactly true and we talk about the different ways in which emotion impacts our choices. Remember, logic decides, but emotion acts. Listen in for another unique episode!

This week, Jon and Chris talk about ethics and design. It's so important to do ethical things in product design and we discuss how to use ethics to play both defense AND offense! Don't miss another great episode!

This week, Chris and Jon talk about anti-patterns and the impact these kinds of things can have on products. We get into what they are, how they work, and give you some tips on what you can do to minimize their impact, or even eliminate them entirely from your product. Stick around and listen to another great show!

This week, as we roll into 2022, Jon and Chris discuss the hiring process for designers, but from the perspective of the other side. We talk about what it's like for the company interviewing you so that you have a better understanding of the process to help you sharpen your interview skills! Companies typically start hiring at the beginning of the year so listen in for a very useful episode!

This week, while Jon is out sick, Chris talks about the psychology of numerology, and how superstitious beliefs involving numbers can impact product design. Perhaps this topic is better suited as a Halloween episode, but we're here now in December and we don't have a time machine. Enjoy!

This week, Jon and Chris talk about leadership and how designers can lead and take initiative in the workplace. As designers, we often get into a "service mentality", only focusing on doing what people request. In actuality, design plays a key role in product development, and the expertise that designers have is far more valuable than just providing a service. Listen in for another inspiring episode!

This week Chris and Jon talk about virtual social interactions in the metaverse. From online games to more recent social worlds, metaverse products have been around for a while, and Chris shares his insights from working at 2 different metaverse companies. If you want to get the fundamental principles of metaverse UX, listen to this week's episode!

This week Jon and Chris discuss how to improve your 1-on-1 sessions with your manager. Everyone has had a 1:1 with their manager at some point and there are some things you should know in order to make them more effective, and help fuel your growth. We discuss this stuff and more on this week's episode!

This week Chris and Jon continue the series on cognitive psychology, focusing on a dark pattern known as "misdirection". Misdirections take your attention from important things to get you to do things you might not want to do. Later in the show, we give you some helpful advice on how to combat misdirections, and why we need to keep pushing for ethical standards and practices. Listen in for another interesting episode!

This week Jon and Chris talk about best practices for helping yourself be heard by your colleagues. If you've ever struggled with getting a point across, or had difficulty convincing people of your wonderful ideas, we delve into the dynamic relationships between product managers, designers, and engineers, and give you some helpful hints on what you can do to help yourself be heard. Don't miss this great episode!

This week, while Jon continues his incredibly important paternity leave, Chris continues discussing cognitive psychology by going in depth on the "Roach Motel" dark pattern, and explores how usability testing is the right tool for the job. Later, Chris even gives tips on ways to use usability tests as part of the process, and shares insights on how it provides benefits beyond just the immediate needs of the design team. Listen in for another investigation into dark patterns.

This week, Jon is still AFK and Chris continues discussions around dark patterns and how they work. We also give you some tips and ideas on how to handle the situation if this stuff comes up at work. Listen in for a another interesting episode!

This week, while Jon is still away, Chris continues the epic saga of cognitive psychology for designers! This time, he starts with a dark pattern, Trick Questions, and explains the psychology behind why it works. Then later he talks about the things we can do to help combat the use of trick questions based on the kinds of cognitive psychology principles that help us do better design. Listen in for a another interesting episode!

This week, Jon is once again AFK, so, to change things up, Chris gets into some of the common topics he's encountered while providing mentorship through the officehoursproject.com. Over the past year or so many people have asked similar kinds of questions, and Chris gets into some of the advice he's given and talks about ways you might kickoff your career in Design. Listen in for an inspiring episode!

This week, while Jon is AFK, Chris continues the series on cognitive psychology by talking about differentiation and the Von Restorff effect. Finding unique and interesting ways to make your product stand out is an important skill to develop. But what's more interesting is the fact that there are scientific principles as to why differentiation can be an effective design strategy. Listen in for another great show!

This week, Chris and Jon continue the series on cognitive psychology for designers. We discuss language, and how the principle behind simple and clear words and phrases helps us improve the quality of our work. Later in the show we give you some tips and information on how to use language more effectively. Listen in for another great episode!

This week Chris and Jon continue the series on cognitive psychology for designers. We discuss how cognitive psychology and ethics work together. It's very important to act ethically when designing products and one way to do that is by incorporating these principles in your work. Listen in and learn why these principles of cogpsy can even help you be more innovative!

This week Chris and Jon continue the series on cognitive psychology for designers. This week we discuss a couple principles that were researched separately, but are actually kind of related -- the IKEA Effect and the Sunk Cost Effect. Listen in and learn why sometimes, making people work for it can be more effective than just making things easy to use.

This week Jon and Chris start a new series on cognitive psychology. There are many different key concepts in cognitive psychology for designers to know and we introduce you to some of the more important ones in this series. First up is "Reactance". Listen in and learn about why being too pushy can really hurt your company brand.

This week Chris and Jon talk about all the important stuff you need to know to help you with designing products at scale. The dynamics change a bit when you are responsible for a large audience, and we take you through the high points to help you succeed! Stay tuned to this (admittedly longer) episode!

This week, Jon and Chris continue the Business 101 for Designers series, specifically talking about business metrics! Companies live and die by their KPI's and we discuss the different metrics you should know about to help you collaborate effectively with business partners. Tune in to our continuing series and let us know what you think!

This week, Chris and Jon talk about a topic we love to hate, the visual refresh. Chris goes into why this is an important thing to do, how to do it effectively, and that it can actually be a strategic design task to help you make substantive changes to your product! Tune in for another great episode!

This week, Jon and Chris launch a new series: Business 101 for Designers! Jon and Chris talk about the business models that companies employ so that you get a better understanding of how products make money. Stay tuned for this important series!

This week Chris and Jon talk about information architecture and why it is so important to making products that are easy-to-use. Chris talks about how to incorporate IA into your process, and even different ways to conduct research to help you establish a solid IA based on customer input! Stay tuned for another insightful episode!

This week Chris and Jon talk about survivorship bias, what it is, and a few things you can do about it. Data is incredibly useful for understanding the impact of your decisions. But sometimes, the data you don't have is the key to understanding what you need to know! Listen in and let us know what you think!

This week Jon and Chris talk about the importance of accessibility and the value of being an a11y. When it comes to product design, accessibility is sometimes an afterthought, but it doesn't have to be. Jon gives a bunch of helpful tips and information on what the standards are and how to include them in your process. Listen in to this wonderful episode!

We interrupt our regular broadcast to bring you this special episode. This week, Chris and Jon have a conversation about the tragic events that transpired in Washington DC on January 6, 2021. What happened? What role did design have in this? And what can designers do to address the situation? Stay tuned for a very special episode.

This week Chris and Jon talk about being creative. It sounds like kind of an obvious thing (especially for designers) but Chris was inspired to talk about this after listening to a talk given by the actor, Ethan Hawke (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRS9Gek4V5Q). What does it mean to be creative? Is creativity important? Does any of it matter? How can we all be more creative? We delve into these topics and more, so listen in and get inspired!

This week Jon and Chris talk about how to improve your product design skills when you're working as a solo designer. This is tricky because when you're working as a team of one, it can be difficult to find a sparring partner who helps you grow. So Jon and Chris offer some practical tips on what you can do to level up! 

Episode 69... Nice! This week Jon isn't here so it's just Chris talking about how to reframe enterprise product design. It's a short episode this week to hopefully tie you over till we do a bigger show, when everyone is back from the holiday.

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This week, Chris and Jon discuss the essential stuff you should know to help you be a better communicator at work. Good communication skills helps you be more successful, and we give you some tips on improving your communication skills!

We also got our first voice message and played it on the show. You can leave us a voice message at http://anchor.fm/designreview 

This week Jon and Chris talk about the art of negotiating a job offer, and give you valuable hints and techniques to help you get the most out of your next negotiation. Listen in for an incredibly important episode!

This week Chris and Jon answer a listener question about "how to progress your career once you reach senior designer level". Even if you're not yet a Senior Designer, this is a good introduction to moving forward in your career so listen in and let us know what you think!

This week Chris and Jon talk about the best ways to start a new job on the right foot! Hint: it starts with making a plan. But we share a lot more useful information, so listen in and kick off your next job in the best way possible!