The UX Hustle

As we're rounding out the end of 2022, now's a great time to think about your 2023 career goals! In this episode, I share some of my recent realizations and applications of goal-setting and how it's been working for me as well as some questions to consider as you're thinking about where you want to put your focus next year. We're talking about: SMART goals, frequency of goals, investing in courses and programs, and a whole lot more!

In this episode, I share my favorite journal prompts to get clear on what might be holding you back from self-promoting at work. You can take a couple of these prompts each day or have a mega-session going through all of them.

In this episode, we talk about self-promotion at work! I share my favorite tips and ways of thinking about self-promotion so that you can get out of your own way, share the amazing work you're doing, and ultimately get recognized for it!

In this episode, we talk about how to set yourself up for success in your next UX role — whether it's your first UX role or a new industry/company/title, this episode is for you! We'll cover the 5 types of questions that I ask my clients as they're stepping into a new UX Career season — and the #1 thing most people forget to do before starting their new role!

In this episode, we talk about the biggest question: How do I get a job in UX. You've taken the courses, gotten the skills, used those skills on some projects, and now you're ready to take your UX career to the next level: Full-time employment. Today we walk through the 6 steps that I use in "Land Your First UX Role" to help people get job search ready and why I suggest using that order — even though it sounds counter-intuitive.

In this episode, we talk about all the ways that you can get the UX skills you need to move forward in your UX career. You've decided that UX is the career path you want to pursue, and now you need the skills and experiences to become a "UXer". We talk about different ways of thinking about the skills you need, where you can get them, and how to stay in the driver's seat of your UX career no matter which path you choose!

In this episode, I talk with UX Writer and UX Portfolio PowerPlay grad, Tiffany Hsia! Tiffany shares about her experience in pivoting her career, finding her niche, and ultimately landing a job in her niche in a pandemic.

Tiffany Hsia is a certified User Experience Designer, UX Writer, and Object-Oriented UX strategist. She recently landed her first content design role at Meta. Previously, she worked for 5 years as a product designer and technical writer for a startup in the automotive service space. Outside of work, she enjoys creating digital art, watching K-dramas, and lifting weights in her home gym.

In this episode, I talk about some of the questions that I ask clients when they're considering a career transition — especially into UX. This is an important phase in your UX journey because it's helping you figure out what information, skills, and experiences you want and need in order to know whether UX is the right career for you or not.

Follow UX Hustle & Amanda on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theuxhustle & https://www.instagram.com/amandamworthington

I'm so excited to share this episode with you where I talk with one of my favorite people, Sarah Kate Hampton. Sarah Kate is one of the most genuine people I know. We met at General Assembly and have stayed close ever since — through jobs, layoffs, new adventures, stand-up comedy, all of it. Sarah Kate's a FORCE in this world — she's always ready to echo back and underline the importance of things and she's always ready to go all the way deep.

Sarah Kate spent 6 years in k12 education first teaching 3rd grade while earning her masters in counseling and then as a high school counselor in rural Georgia. She needed a bit of a switch because the pressure of her job was taking an emotional toll. In between frantically counting credits for failing seniors, writing recommendation letters, and visiting college campuses, she researched UX. By the end of the 17/18 school year she took a leap of faith and submitted her resignation. There have been a lot of changes over the past couple years, and she continues to grow and evolve in her career as a Senior UX Researcher.

In this episode, I talk with Maggie Olson, a business coach for start-up creatives, about the top mistakes or struggles she sees people make when first starting their business. If you've considered breaking out on your own — or even how to break through a "maybe" phase, this episode is for you!

In this episode, Darrin and I talk about what it's like starting a new UX role mid-pandemic. How to make the most of the first few months without letting imposter syndrome eat you alive. Darrin talks about balancing wanting to make immediate impact, while trusting teammates and setting himself up for success.

Darrin is a UX & Product Designer at LaunchDarkly, where he is currently focused on creating experiences that help software developers stay in their flow. Outside of work, Darrin enjoys going on scenic drives in his Miata, and trying to get better at pouring latte art.

Connect with Darrin Lin on Twitter @makeitfancy

In this episode, we're talking about pivoting into UX from architecture. I've been seeing a theme of a handful of different UXers with Architecture backgrounds and Hannah generously offered to share her recent experience! We talk about the unexpected transferable skills that architects bring with them into the UX world — especially for agency life, the imposter syndrome and other challenges to expect when changing careers, and even what to expect once you DO land the job.

Hannah Job just recently switched into UX, and started my first UX job in Jan of 2022. She was previously a Landscape Architect and was in the architecture field for almost 6 years. In early 2021, she decided to make the switch to UX and enrolled in the Google UX Certificate program through Coursera. Now Hannah is working at maxmedia, an agency here in Atlanta that has also been a generous sponsor and host of UX Hustle Summit!

In this episode, I talk with Sarah Gemmell about the importance of prioritizing yourself and your health & wellness in your work-life. Sarah shares her perspective on how to make internal wellness initiatives work for you and how effective programs can help organizations seek and keep talent — while also producing great work.

Sarah is an addictions counselor turned fitness coach who has spent years helping women to get in shape, get healthy, and gain a ton of confidence through holistic, anti-diet culture fitness and wellness coaching. Sarah addresses the exercise, the nutrition, and the mindset in a way that is simple and easy to follow, but also in a way that allows you to actually enjoy your life. After working with individuals and watching the Great Resignation start, it became apparent that corporate organizations needed help to acquire and retain talent, so Sarah began helping organizations to implement much-needed employee wellness initiatives.  When she is not working, she is either learning TikTok dances, exploring outdoors, or with her horses.

Let's take a minute to break down taking care of yourself, what you actually have control over, and the impact of action or inaction.  When you look at your zone of influence you need to focus on your circle of impact and influence because you don't have much control over your circle of concern.  Also, consider the things that you spend worrying or stressing about.  Does the stress lead to inaction? What are you protecting yourself from? 

I also want you to realize the ripple effect you actually have.  You have a ripple effect you may not be aware of right now. When we enjoy work and life we have a certain energy we give off to others, our ripple effect.  In order to enjoy work and life you need to listen to yourself in order to trust yourself. And fill that cup up people.  I laugh at myself for finally understanding that saying.  It's true and you have control over it! Take action as self-care in order to have a ripple effect to enjoy life and attract more business.

Follow UX Hustle & Amanda on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theuxhustle & https://www.instagram.com/amandamworthington

In this episode, I share with you the revelation that I had with worry this past week!  I have always associated worry with showing I really care about the task at hand.  So when I woke up in a panic recently...I practiced associating words like safe, calm, secure, and others.  The result was amazing! I want to encourage you to try this exercise simply with panic or with any other emotion that you may want to change the relationship.

Follow UX Hustle & Amanda on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theuxhustle & https://www.instagram.com/amandamworthington

In this episode, I talk with Rylee June, intuition master coach and business coach for spiritual entrepreneurs. I connected with Rylee through a business mastermind I was a part of in 2021. Rylee and I talk about the technical gap in spiritual entrepreneurship and the challenges her clients face in connecting their tech, staying organized, and maintaining a positive user experience while pivoting online.

Rylee's heart and soul go into her daily devotion and commitment to serve her community, family, and self. Her values are rooted in truth, trust, and integrity and is always open to connection and support others in their self-expansion journeys. Rylee truly believes collaboration and supporting the next soul in line is what we came here to experience together. If your values are infused in community, support, truth, and integrity we're going to get along quite well!

In this episode, we talk about Imposter Syndrome — what is it, what it means (and what it doesn't mean). Plus I provide some tips and tricks for working through imposter syndrome and how to be more kind to yourself if that's what you're experiencing.

In this episode, I talk with Sonya Lewis all about inclusive design and technology in the workplace. After Sonya reached out to me about ways I could improve the experience of Camp Case Study for neurodivergent participants, she's been showing me how to incorporate inclusive design in the communities I'm building and meeting I facilitate. Tune in to this episode to do the same.

Sonya focuses on inclusive research and co-design. Sonya's passion is making inclusive research the norm so that no user feels invisible, unheard or unseen. She's given a voice to users by meeting them where they work, live and play. And, she includes users throughout the design process.

Over the past 15 years, she's improved the lives of people and pets through research with:

• Congress and taxpayers
• Pet adopters and shelter workers
• UX mentors and mentees
• Patients and laboratory staff
• Healthcare providers and allied professionals
• Employees and employers
• US-based and global/remote teams

In this episode, I share my experience having been in 3 different masterminds and just getting back from a mastermind retreat. If you've been wondering "what even is a mastermind? and what does it do?" then this episode is for you.

In today's episode, I talk with Havana Nguyen about how to rock your first UX role. We discuss how to handle a seemingly dysfunctional organization, the importance of mentorship, and how to make the most of being the "newbie" at any organization so that you stand out—in a good way.

In this episode, I share what I've noticed after reviewing 30 portfolios from new UX designers and from working with experienced UXers on their portfolios.

UX Portfolios can be tricky, daunting, and there's a TON of information out there which can feel overwhelming — adding to any imposter syndrome you may be feeling.

Whether you're a new UX designer wanting help with your case study or an experienced UXer wanting to showcase your expertise, this episode is for you if you're struggling with getting your portfolio the way you want.

In this episode, Amanda and Julie discuss the impact our screens have on our own health AND the health of our users. Julie shares how screen fatigue impacts our bodies and eyes, tips on how to mitigate those affects, and we discuss ways we can keep this in mind with the products we design!

Julie Briggs is a virtual fitness trainer and wellness professional. She is passionate about natural and holistic living, which includes minimizing the negative effects screens have on our lives. She’s appeared on the Dr. Oz Show, speaks at workshops and conferences, and leads certifications for other fitness trainers. Julie is developing a digital course on how to create freedom from screen fatigue, in order to restore your energy and reclaim your life. She offers webinars on-screen fatigue, digital eye strain, and posture, to both public and corporate clients.

Julie also hosts the podcast “Author Your Life,” which is about making bold moves and big life changes. "Author Your Life" explores what it takes to go after your dreams, begin a new chapter, and rewrite your story.

I don't know about you but 2021 was a LOT. Looking back, I'm pretty dang proud of all that we've accomplished. This was my first full year in business on my own, our 4th UX Hustle Summit, AND we relaunched this podcast. With all the successes of 2021, there were also some challenges. In this episode, I share the highs and lows and lessons I learned that I'm bringing with me into 2022.

In this episode, Amanda shares what a personal brand is and how it can help you in your UX career. Then she shares the process that she's used to develope her own personal brand and how it's impacted her career — both in corporate and within her own business.

Feeling like you need to make a change or make a decision, but aren't sure how to start? In this episode, Amanda shares the 3 ways she leaps into new decisions so that you can stop the analysis paralysis or self-judgment. Making a decision doesn't have to be a Herculean effort, it can be experimental and even fun!

In this episode, Amanda interviews her fiancé, Will Cloyd, about what it was like when Amanda transitioned her career into UX design — and then later into full-time business. Will shares tips on how to bring your significant other along on the journey of big career moves and the perspective that he brought (and continues to bring) to Amanda's career.

Will Cloyd is a high school English teacher and varsity basketball coach. As he's learned more about UX design, he's challenged himself to design better experiences for his students and players.

In this episode, Amanda and Rob talk about how to develop trust on teams, what to do when you feel like you're not sure what's happening within a company, and setting expectations with clients.

As Vice President of Sparkbox Rob is responsible for the operations and financials of the company. With a background in software development, Rob is always ready to challenge the development process. On any given day Rob meets with prospective clients, works with employees, and continues to evolve the business of Sparkbox.

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In this episode, Vincent and Amanda talk about what it means to be a design leader. Vincent shares what he's noticed in helping hundreds of designers successfully break into the UX industry.

Vincent Brathwaite is a Caribbean American multi-disciplinary design leader, educator, speaker, and husband to Magalie Lachoua. He’s a visionary with a keen ability for assessing an idea’s potential and bringing its possibilities to life. His passion is to build bridges between cultures and unite people by their common thread.

For the past two decades, he has worked to transform communities through disruptive design methodologies. A process he learned by studying Industrial Design at Rhode Island School of Design, Product Design at Strate School of Design (Paris), Product Development at MIT, and Project Management and Data Analytics at General Assembly.

He successfully executed projects for Red Bull, IBM, Caruso Affiliated, Tides Foundation, Diaspora Vibe Cultural Arts Incubator, Morehouse College, the US Dept. of Energy Georgia, and various companies in the social impact space.

He’s taught over 250 individuals UX Design as an adjunct professor at Rhode Island School of Design and lead instructor at General Assembly combined. He's written articles of advanced UX topics for the Adobe XD blog “XD Ideas”.

As a speaker, Vincent has inspired thousands of designers and entrepreneurs at virtual and in-person conferences. Some of them include the UX India Conference, UX Strat Online Conference, DesignOps Summit, Dribble: Hangtime Conference, National Urban League Conference, and TEDx Crenshaw.

In all that he does, Vincent is led by the following core principles; integrity, empathy, kindness, courage, and resilience.

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In this episode, Amanda and Jasmine talk about Jasmine's experience in grad school — why she took that route, how she's using what she's learning at work, and how she's juggling school, work, and life. Jasmine shares how embracing our humanity helps us be better designers, colleagues, and friends. She drops some truth bombs that Amanda honestly needed to hear amidst UX Hustle Summit. And while this episode is being published post-UX Hustle Summit, it was recorded just prior.

Jasmine is a UX Lead based in Atlanta, GA with a passion for design, diversity, and creating experiences that are pleasant for all people. She currently works at Ernst & Young on their XD Practice team. She is also a student, working on receiving her Masters degree in Human Computer Interaction from DePaul University. In her free time, Jasmine enjoys traveling the world (pre-COVID), rock climbing, reading, video games, spending time with her dog Mugen and obsessing over K-Pop sensation, BTS.

Links

Go say hi to Jasmine on Twitter: @jasmineinux

In this episode, Amanda talks about the 3 ways you'll future-proof your design career at the 2021 UX Hustle Summit.

She's also offering a discount for listeners!

In this episode, Amanda and Joe talk about FEAR. Fear of speaking up, fear of looking dumb, and the fear of failure. Joe shares his experience working with hundreds of thousands of UX students and in a number of UX organizations -- showing you how to overcome fear so that you can make a real impact not only as a UX designer but as a person in your own life. This episode isn't just for those of you breaking into UX, but it really speaks to the real life experience and challenges of being a UXer at an organization. So whether you're just starting out, a manager or consultant, or out looking for a new position on the job market, this episode is for you.

In this episode, Amanda and Alex talk about the power and importance of your story. Alex walks through his process of the Transformation Story Arc so that you can show up more authentically inside and outside your career -- and even use those stories to land that next role if you're feeling like there's more for you out there. Stay tuned for singing, laughing, and lots of story-telling.

Alex believes when you tell your story you change the world. As an actor, youth pastor, and public speaker for more than 20 years, he knows firsthand how powerful storytelling is when it comes to personal development, business strategy, and cultivating empathy in our world.

Now, with his Transformation Story Arc, Alex helps entrepreneurs create a clear message that connects with their audience and changes the world.

Alex has coached TEDx Speakers, bestselling authors, and 7-figure coaches to find the WHY rooted in their signature story. He has a Masters in Theological Studies, is a husband of 16 years, and dad to three Gen Z kids in Toronto, Ontario.

In this episode, Amanda and Charli talk about Charli's experience as a Creative Director and hiring manager at ConvertKit. Charli shares tips on how to stand out when job hunting, how she manages her design team, and how she's used her content creation to future-proof her career.

In this episode Amanda and Chad talk about what Chad's learned from his own experience of breaking into UX design and helping students at General Assembly. They discuss the power of mentorship, networking, and interview tips -- and ways to be more successful in a job hunt and find your way in this expansive industry.

Chad grew up believing in the inherent worth of human life. Regardless of a person's skill level, ability or contribution to the world, they have value. People matter, and the creation of products and services should reflect that. This drives much of how he interacts with people in his life and his work, with varying degrees of success.

For the standard background: He holds a BFA in Media Arts & Animation, Boasts 10+ years of Customer Service experience, has both received and imparted UX education, and is currently working for Cisco as a Sr UXer.

He is a runner without the runner's body, cat owner, giraffe lover and spends a lot of time in his kitchen cooking things he tries to share instead of eat all himself, also with varying success.

Go follow Chad on Twitter: @mynameis_chad

In this episode, we welcome back Sophia Prater to the UX Hustle Podcast. Sophia and Amanda geek out about all things object-oriented UX (OOUX), talk about entrepreneurship -- shifting from consulting to facilitating to her own certification course, and what it takes to commit to your vision for your business and career. Sophia also gives us a sneak peak at the talk she'll be giving at the UX Hustle Summit all about using OOUX to future-proof your career.

Sophia Prater is founder and lead UX designer at Rewired and the chief evangelist of object-oriented UX. Sophia teaches her OOUX methodologies at conferences, within companies, and through her OOUX Certification Program. She is the host of the OOUX Happy Hour meetup and the OOUX Podcast.

Sophia has brought the complexity-untangling magic of OOUX to companies such as Facebook, Mastercard, Macy’s, Credit Karma, Hubspot, Intercom, Delta Airlines, CNN, and many more.

Sophia lives outside of Atlanta in the beautiful North Georgia mountains, the wine country of the Southeast United States, with her husband and business partner, Luke.

Enjoy!

In this Episode, Amanda and Cassie talk about designing your career and reputation through all the twists and turns that life, tech, and design bring you. We talk about the privileges allotted to working in tech and the responsibilities that brings. And how to make an impact by using your design skills for good.

Cassie is a design leader at Webflow, working to build an ambitious, creatively-empowering web authoring tool. In the past she has served as Design Directors at Glitch and the Mozilla Foundation and has worked in healthcare, run her own design studio, and given talks in many corners of the tech industry. She founded Women && Tech, brought Creative Mornings and Hacking Health to Toronto, founded an event and workshop series called Paris Lectures, and now admins the Orlando Designers Slack. Though she lived in Canada for ten years she was raised in Central Florida and is happy to be back home where she lives with her husband, two daughters, and cheeky cat, Earley.

Enjoy the show!

Links:

Go follow Cassie McDaniel on Twitter: @cassiemc

In this episode, Jessie and Amanda openly discuss the ups and downs of associating UX to your personal identity and an all-in mindset. After burning out in a past tech career and diving into UX head first, Jessie and Amanda talk about the challenges of giving our career more meaning and the pressure we put on ourselves. As Jessie's dove into her love for poetry, she talks about what she's learned through the creative process and how it relates to her UX career.

In this episode, Amanda talks about what to do when you're feeling overwhelmed, overworked, or just in a messy place. After coming back from a holiday weekend, it can feel like you need another vacation right away. Amanda shares what she's doing to combat this feeling and ultimately design a sustainable way of working for the long term.

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In this Episode, Amanda and Varun discuss how to implement Research in a way that is sustainable, valuable, and ethical. We talk about ways to research with cross-functional partners, the power of saying "I don't know" and acknowledging the implicit bias and challenges that come with research, annnnd Amanda talks about her UX wrestling persona.

Varun is cofounder and Head of Research at Apple & Banana where he believes that everyone can do fruitful research. Varun has spent his career immersed in psychology, technology and design at organizations like Facebook, Unitedhealth Group and Best Buy, along with rising startups across the country. When he’s not sharing perspectives, collaborations and applications of fruitful research, he can be seen teaching his dog how to roll over, going for bike rides and playing Last of Us 2.

Enjoy the show!

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Denise Nicole Francis is an Atlanta based Sr. Product Designer at a well-known Customer Relationship Management corporation with a focus in User Experience Design. Formerly a designer at The Weather Channel | An IBM Business, and a Visual and Creative Designer with Grammy award winning singer/songwriter India.Arie (who she still moonlights with as a designer) she still believes that her past ventures as an Architect with various Atlanta-based Architecture firms, shaped who she is today.

In this episode, Amanda and Denise talk about work/life integration, maintaining passion for the arts through creative outlets outside of work, and the benefits of community groups within larger corporations.

Enjoy!

LINKS:

Follow Denise on Twitter & Instagram: @denisu81

Amanda Worthington is a UX Researcher and Designer with a background in civil engineering. She is organizing the third annual UX Hustle Summit, the world's only virtual UX career conference, and she has signed-on to become the next host of the UX Hustle Podcast. In this episode of the podcast, Sophia's final episode as host, Sophia and Amanda discuss the importance of daily affirmations, how the lines between work/life balance have become blurred over the past year, the overwhelm of opportunity in the UX field, and the importance of sanitizing your conference ball pit in a post Covid world. Enjoy!

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Tara Codrington is a Web Project Specialist with the Government of Alberta, Canada. She began her career in television, but followed her knack for breaking down complex problems into the online world, where she discovered a passion for accessible design and inclusive writing. In this episode, Sophia and Tara discuss defining who your project really serves, guerrilla user testing, and advocating for those who can't advocate for themselves. 

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This episode is a little different! Sophia will take you through the basics of OOUX and the ORCA process. Then, together, we will take an example project through the first round of ORCA, the Discovery Round. Grab a pen and paper and get a hand-on lesson in this awesome way of kicking off your UX design efforts.

GET YOUR DISCOUNTED SPOT FOR THE OOUX WORKSHOP:

https://oouxsummerschool.eventbrite.com?discount=UXHUSTLELOVE

LEARN MORE ABOUT GETTING OOUX-CERTIFIED:

Kamilah Benjamin is a creative director and UX designer at Statefarm Insurance, a freelance brand design consultant, a leader and mentor in debt management, healthy living, and decluttering. And if that wasn't enough, she spends her free time practicing photography, designing typography and doing floral arrangement. In this episode of the podcast, Sophia and Kamilah discuss how to navigate corporate acronym overload, the importance of mindset while living amid the sometimes abrupt changes of the post-Covid world, and how to keep all the details in high complexity UX projects from falling through the cracks. 

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Angel Banks has worked as a product manager and UX designer. She's also a speaker and organizer for the Atlanta tech community where she works to ensure an inclusive environment for the marginalized and underrepresented in tech. In this episode, Sophia and Angel discuss making the tech industry safe and inclusive for all, whether UX designers should learn to code, and job hunting as a woman of color.

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Angel Banks

In this episode of the podcast, Sophia gives updates on all the changes happening: in her business, in her personal life, and in her mind.  You’ll also be the first to get the scoop on Cohort 3 of the Object Oriented UX Certification Program.

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