Designed Today

Dillon Winspear

Designed Today brings you insights to help bridge the world of Design & Business. I’ve centered my career on being the bridge between the “design eye” and the “business mind”. Learn how you can improve your design, branding, marketing, and advertising skills all in one place. In this show, we’ll explore the startup world, flexing the entrepreneurial muscles, from a User Experience perspective. read less
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Episodes

Individual Contributor to Manager (w/ David Hoang) // Ep. 111
Mar 16 2021
Individual Contributor to Manager (w/ David Hoang) // Ep. 111
My guest today is David Hoang, who in my opinion has one of the best Design Twitter accounts. I've been following him for some time and have learned a ton about design leadership in the process. To be able to have him on the podcast today is an absolute pleasure, and you're going to love it.I've mentioned that the Designed Today podcast is changing, and in today's intro, I'll finally give you some details on what that change is going to look like. In short, things evolve. This podcast needs to evolve just like your career is evolving. What does your career evolution look like? Well, you may be nearing an opportunity or crossroads of leadership and management. Does your company provide tracks for both individual contributors and managers? What are the responsibilities that come with each? And how do you know what track is right for you? Today we'll dive into what you need to consider before transitioning from and IC to Manager. Find David:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dhoang2/Twitter: https://twitter.com/davidhoangPlease consider subscribing to Designed Today on any of the popular podcasting platforms.**********************************Ready to join the email list or Slack community, receive your invite here: https://designedtoday.com/community/Designed Today brings you insights to help bridge the world of Design & Business. Learn how you can improve your design, branding, marketing, and advertising skills all in one place. In this show, we'll explore the startup world, flexing the entrepreneurial muscles, from a user experience perspective**********************************Podcast: https://pod.link/designedtodayWebsite: https://DesignedToday.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/Designed.TodayLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dillonwinspear/Twitter: https://twitter.com/dillonwinspear
The Recruiter Dilemma (w/ Joe Taft) // Ep. 108
Feb 23 2021
The Recruiter Dilemma (w/ Joe Taft) // Ep. 108
It's no secret that my feelings towards recruiters are… rough at best. Corporate recruiters have never done me any favors other than escorting me to an interview, which in truth, I could have done on my own. Agency recruiters are another ball of fun. They tend to be a sizable percentage of my LinkedIn connection requests, followed by a surface level conversation where I’m treated like a commodity. Then this episode happened. I can’t say “it's all changed” but understanding is definitely improved. My guest today is Joe Taft, and talented UX Designer with over 5 years of industry experience. Currently, he’s a Senior UX Designer with USAA, but in a past life… he was a recruiter.In this episode, Joe talks about the role of recruiters from both an agency and corporate perspective. We talk about how we can sift through the bad recruiters to find the good ones, the ones that will have your back, and actually help you land a position in the industry. My hope is that after this episode, if you’re between jobs, or looking to get your foot in the door, you’ll know how you can benefit from a relationship with a UX recruiter. Find Joe:LinkedIn: Joe Taft | LinkedInTwitter: Joe Taft (@JoeTaft) / TwitterPlease consider subscribing to Designed Today on any of the popular podcasting platforms.**********************************Ready to join the email list or Slack community, receive your invite here: https://designedtoday.com/community/Designed Today brings you insights to help bridge the world of Design & Business. Learn how you can improve your design, branding, marketing, and advertising skills all in one place. In this show, we'll explore the startup world, flexing the entrepreneurial muscles, from a user experience perspective**********************************Podcast: https://pod.link/designedtodayWebsite: https://DesignedToday.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/Designed.TodayLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dillonwinspear/Twitter: https://twitter.com/dillonwinspear
Soft-Skills: Collaboration (Week 5) // Ep. 105
Feb 2 2021
Soft-Skills: Collaboration (Week 5) // Ep. 105
Another beautiful week to chat with the wickedly talented Uncle Mikey. Today's topic of discussion is collaboration. We've danced around this subject over the last few episodes as we've talked about facilitation and articulation, but today we hit the nail on the head to help you improve your collaboration sessions. Listen close to hear how you can improve your ability give and receive critique, as well as how you can build upon others' ideas. Over the next few weeks, listen along and ask yourself the hard questions. Figure out where it is you can make improvements. I bet we will talk about it. At the end of each episode, we will leave you with a challenge. Our hope is that after taking the challenge, you can report back on what you learned or experience. Feel free to drop us a line and share your story. Messages can be received on LinkedIn or Instagram, or via DM on the Designed Today slack channel. We hope to hear from ya.This series came about after a recent LinkedIn post caught some attention and found over 100 comments on the topic. You can see the original post here: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/dillonwinspear_hey-linkedin-fam-i-wanted-to-ask-all-my-activity-6705972662327394304-xEZAPlease consider subscribing to Designed Today on any of the popular podcasting platforms.**********************************Ready to join the email list or Slack community, receive your invite here: https://designedtoday.com/community/Designed Today brings you insights to help bridge the world of Design & Business. Learn how you can improve your design, branding, marketing, and advertising skills all in one place. In this show, we'll explore the startup world, flexing the entrepreneurial muscles, from a user experience perspective**********************************Podcast: https://pod.link/designedtodayWebsite: https://DesignedToday.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/Designed.TodayLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dillonwinspear/Twitter: https://twitter.com/dillonwinspear
Designing for Voice (Lauren Madsen) // Ep. 104
Jan 26 2021
Designing for Voice (Lauren Madsen) // Ep. 104
There are a ton of different niches of design out in the world today, from physical products to digital products, learning products, and even voice products. That last one there is something I wasn't all too familiar with and was excited to have my guest Lauren Madsen come on the show to give us an introduction.Lauren works full time as a conversational AI designer at Rain, a digital agency located here in Utah. While the field is still fairly new and developing, Lauren has provided us with tons of tips and insights into getting started. In this episode, we discuss the process of designing for voice, as well as the parallels between designing for this platform as opposed to other types of products. We also talk about how you can make a jump into this field if you're really digging it. Find Lauren:LinkedIn:  Lauren Madsen | LinkedInPlease consider subscribing to Designed Today on any of the popular podcasting platforms.**********************************Ready to join the email list or Slack community, receive your invite here: https://designedtoday.com/community/Designed Today brings you insights to help bridge the world of Design & Business. Learn how you can improve your design, branding, marketing, and advertising skills all in one place. In this show, we'll explore the startup world, flexing the entrepreneurial muscles, from a user experience perspective**********************************Podcast: https://pod.link/designedtodayWebsite: https://DesignedToday.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/Designed.TodayLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dillonwinspear/Twitter: https://twitter.com/dillonwinspear
Soft-Skills: Facilitation (Week 4) // Ep. 103
Jan 19 2021
Soft-Skills: Facilitation (Week 4) // Ep. 103
This is week 4 of the Soft-Skills mini-series where Uncle Mikey (Michael Curtis) and I dive into the intangible skills that give designers an edge in the journey. Our focus today is on facilitation. Nearly every moment of my day is found in meetings, many of them which I am running or coordinating. Prior to a management role, I'd still say over half my day was in UX focused meetings. With that in mind, it's no wonder designers need to become masters of facilitation. Over the next few weeks, listen along and ask yourself the hard questions. Figure out where it is you can make improvements. I bet we will talk about it. At the end of each episode, we will leave you with a challenge. Our hope is that after taking the challenge, you can report back on what you learned or experience. Feel free to drop us a line and share your story. Messages can be received on LinkedIn or Instagram, or via DM on the Designed Today slack channel. We hope to hear from ya.This series came about after a recent LinkedIn post caught some attention and found over 100 comments on the topic. You can see the original post here: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/dillonwinspear_hey-linkedin-fam-i-wanted-to-ask-all-my-activity-6705972662327394304-xEZAPlease consider subscribing to Designed Today on any of the popular podcasting platforms.**********************************Ready to join the email list or Slack community, receive your invite here: https://designedtoday.com/community/Designed Today brings you insights to help bridge the world of Design & Business. Learn how you can improve your design, branding, marketing, and advertising skills all in one place. In this show, we'll explore the startup world, flexing the entrepreneurial muscles, from a user experience perspective**********************************Podcast: https://pod.link/designedtodayWebsite: https://DesignedToday.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/Designed.TodayLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dillonwinspear/Twitter: https://twitter.com/dillonwinspear
Transparency & Communication (w/ Freelance Designer Jeremy Mura) // Ep. 102
Jan 12 2021
Transparency & Communication (w/ Freelance Designer Jeremy Mura) // Ep. 102
New year, new you, right? How about some money in your pocket, how does that sound? If you’ve not started your freelance career, then what are you waiting for? Sure it can be intimidating, but tell me what new thing isn't. On the show today, I’ve got Jeremy Mura, a contract designer from Down Unda joining me to talk about how you can improve your communication skills with your contracted clients. Jeremy has been freelancing for years and on top of that, he’s been diligent in helping designers upgrade their design skills. You might be one of his 60 thousand Instagram followers or his 20 thousand youtube subscribers. Or maybe you’re one of the 35 thousand students who’s taken one of his skillshare courses. Serious clout for someone who made the jump into design not too long ago. All this to say, you can do it too. Find Jeremy:Instagram: Branding & Design | JeremyYouTube: Jeremy Mura - YouTubeSkillshare: Join - SkillshareFree Course Link (20 available)https://skl.sh/30nDjfdPlease consider subscribing to Designed Today on any of the popular podcasting platforms.**********************************Ready to join the email list or Slack community, receive your invite here: https://designedtoday.com/community/Designed Today brings you insights to help bridge the world of Design & Business. Learn how you can improve your design, branding, marketing, and advertising skills all in one place. In this show, we'll explore the startup world, flexing the entrepreneurial muscles, from a user experience perspective**********************************Podcast: https://pod.link/designedtodayWebsite: https://DesignedToday.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/Designed.TodayLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dillonwinspear/Twitter: https://twitter.com/dillonwinspear
Strategic UX Writing (w/ Content Strategist Torrey Podmajersky) // Ep. 99
Nov 24 2020
Strategic UX Writing (w/ Content Strategist Torrey Podmajersky) // Ep. 99
With the last double-digit episode of Designed Today, I’ve brought on another special guest. Torrey Podmajersky is the author of the best seller Strategic Writing for UX, one of the original UX writing books published by Oreilly, and holds a 4.7 out of 5 stars on Amazon. Additionally, Torrey works as a UX writer for Google and was kind enough to share her time with us today. In this episode, we talk about how every UX designer can become a better UX writer with some basic insights to help frame it up right in your mind. We also talk about typical problems that designers tend to struggle with when they write, and how to overcome them.Find Torrey:LinkedIn: Torrey (Newcomb) PodmajerskyAmazon: Strategic Writing for UXPlease consider subscribing to Designed Today on any of the popular podcasting platforms.**********************************Ready to join the email list or Slack community, receive your invite here: https://designedtoday.com/community/Designed Today brings you insights to help bridge the world of Design & Business. Learn how you can improve your design, branding, marketing, and advertising skills all in one place. In this show, we'll explore the startup world, flexing the entrepreneurial muscles, from a user experience perspective**********************************Podcast: https://pod.link/designedtodayWebsite: https://DesignedToday.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/Designed.TodayLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dillonwinspear/Twitter: https://twitter.com/dillonwinspear
Soft-Skills: Articulating Design Choices (Week 3) // Ep. 98
Nov 17 2020
Soft-Skills: Articulating Design Choices (Week 3) // Ep. 98
This is week 3 of the Soft-Skills mini-series, and we are starting off where both Uncle Mikey and I struggled in the self-assessment challenge from last week. The category of struggle was collaborating in groups, which in and of itself is a huge category of topics. We narrowed in on articulating your design choices and taking your stakeholders along on the journey of your design process.This week's challenge is to record yourself presenting. It can either be in an actual meeting in which you're presenting or record yourself as your prepare to present for your next meeting. Either way, the hope is that you'll come out of it capable of taking a few notes in where you can improve on your presentation skills. Over the next few weeks, listen along and ask yourself the hard questions. Figure out where it is you can make improvements. I bet we will talk about it. At the end of each episode, we will leave you with a challenge. Our hope is that after taking the challenge, you can report back on what you learned or experience. Feel free to drop us a line and share your story. Messages can be received on LinkedIn or Instagram, or via DM on the Designed Today slack channel. We hope to hear from ya.This series came about after a recent LinkedIn post caught some attention and found over 100 comments on the topic. You can see the original post here: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/dillonwinspear_hey-linkedin-fam-i-wanted-to-ask-all-my-activity-6705972662327394304-xEZAPlease consider subscribing to Designed Today on any of the popular podcasting platforms.**********************************Ready to join the email list or Slack community, receive your invite here: https://designedtoday.com/community/Designed Today brings you insights to help bridge the world of Design & Business. Learn how you can improve your design, branding, marketing, and advertising skills all in one place. In this show, we'll explore the startup world, flexing the entrepreneurial muscles, from a user experience perspective**********************************Podcast: https://pod.link/designedtodayWebsite: https://DesignedToday.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/Designed.TodayLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dillonwinspear/Twitter: https://twitter.com/dillonwinspear
Preparing for a Freelance Career (w/ Freelance Designer Connor Fowler) // Ep. 97
Nov 10 2020
Preparing for a Freelance Career (w/ Freelance Designer Connor Fowler) // Ep. 97
My guest today has made a huge splash in the freelance design world after. After his appearance on the Young Guns show hosted by Chris Do of The Futur, Connor was off to the races designing logos for businesses of all types. But to get himself to that point he had to be prepared. In his own words, learn what worked and what didn't work for Connor as he jumped both feet into the freelance career.Find Connor:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cfowlerdesign/Dribbble: https://dribbble.com/cfowlerdesignPlease consider subscribing to Designed Today any of the popular podcasting platforms.**********************************Patron Spotlight: Cindy RossWebsite: https://www.cindersblock.com/Behance: https://www.behance.net/cindygoodmanrossLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cindygoodmanross/Ready to join the email list or Slack community, receive your invite here: https://designedtoday.com/community/Designed Today brings you insights to help bridge the world of Design & Business. Learn how you can improve your design, branding, marketing, and advertising skills all in one place. In this show, we'll explore the startup world, flexing the entrepreneurial muscles, from a user experience perspective**********************************Podcast: https://pod.link/designedtodayWebsite: https://DesignedToday.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/Designed.TodayLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dillonwinspear/Twitter: https://twitter.com/dillonwinspear
Soft-Skills: So You Think You've Got It All (Week 2) // Ep. 96
Nov 3 2020
Soft-Skills: So You Think You've Got It All (Week 2) // Ep. 96
If you're joining us for week 2 of our mini-series on Soft-Skills, we're going to assume you no longer need to be convinced of the importance of these skills in the workplace. I will take this opportunity however to note that, none of this will matter if you can't honestly assess where you stand when it comes to these skills. All of this will be time wasted if you're not earnestly invested in improving your soft-skills.This stage is going to sting a little bit. If you're doing it right, then you're going to have to face some truths you've either willfully ignored or become blatantly oblivious to. Our challenge to you this week is to take the self-assessment via the link below and reflect on those results. We'll be back in 2 weeks with part 3. Self Assessment: https://www.skillsyouneed.com/quiz/343479Over the next few weeks, listen along and ask yourself the hard questions. Figure out where it is you can make improvements. I bet we will talk about it. At the end of each episode, we will leave you with a challenge. Our hope is that after taking the challenge, you can report back on what you learned or experience. Feel free to drop us a line and share your story. Messages can be received on LinkedIn or Instagram, or via DM on the Designed Today slack channel. We hope to hear from ya.This series came about after a recent LinkedIn post caught some attention and found over 100 comments on the topic. You can see the original post here: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/dillonwinspear_hey-linkedin-fam-i-wanted-to-ask-all-my-activity-6705972662327394304-xEZAPlease consider subscribing to Designed Today any of the popular podcasting platforms.**********************************Ready to join the email list or Slack community, receive your invite here: https://designedtoday.com/community/Designed Today brings you insights to help bridge the world of Design & Business. Learn how you can improve your design, branding, marketing, and advertising skills all in one place. In this show, we'll explore the startup world, flexing the entrepreneurial muscles, from a user experience perspective**********************************Podcast: https://pod.link/designedtodayWebsite: https://DesignedToday.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/Designed.TodayLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dillonwinspear/Twitter: https://twitter.com/dillonwinspear
What is Accessible Design (w/ VP Laura Silva) // Ep. 95
Oct 27 2020
What is Accessible Design (w/ VP Laura Silva) // Ep. 95
Laura Silva is the VP of Accessible UX Design at Bank of America and shares with us what a day in her life looks like. Her background wasn't always rooted in accessibility, but after a few life events, she felt inclined to help those who are often forgotten. In this episode, you'll learn how you can look out for those with different accessibility needs, whether they be physical or mental, temporal or permanent.We also get to answer a few questions that come in from the audience, which contributed to a great episode. *This episode of Designed Today was recorded a couple of months back in front of a live virtual audience in association with Product Hive.*Find Laura:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lausilvah/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurasilvah/Resources:https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/wcag/https://www.a11yproject.com/checklist/https://webaim.org/resources/contrastchecker/Please consider subscribing to Designed Today any of the popular podcasting platforms.**********************************Ready to join the email list or Slack community, receive your invite here: https://designedtoday.com/community/Designed Today brings you insights to help bridge the world of Design & Business. Learn how you can improve your design, branding, marketing, and advertising skills all in one place. In this show, we'll explore the startup world, flexing the entrepreneurial muscles, from a user experience perspective**********************************Podcast: https://pod.link/designedtodayWebsite: https://DesignedToday.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/Designed.TodayLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dillonwinspear/Twitter: https://twitter.com/dillonwinspear
Soft-Skills: Introduction (Week 1) // Ep 94
Oct 20 2020
Soft-Skills: Introduction (Week 1) // Ep 94
I've got some special for you... Today's introduction is the start of a new mini-series in which my good friend Michael Curtis will be joining me to talk about Soft Skills, and how you can strengthen your own.Over the last few years, I've found Uncle Mikey and I expressing similar thoughts on the topic. It's one of the reasons that we became friends in the first place. Over the last couple years, you've heard me share some thoughts here and there about these soft skills, also known as 'interpersonal skills', or umbrellaed under the term 'Emotional Intelligence'. Today marks the start of series which we hope will help bring you greater awareness into your own soft skills, and how to improve in the area that needs improvement. After all, studies have shown that only 15% of your workplace success can be contributed to your hard-skills, therefore 85% of what will bring you success in your career can't be found in your classroom curriculum. Over the next few weeks, listen along and ask yourself the hard questions. Figure out where it is you can make improvements. I bet we will talk about it. At the end of each episode, we will leave you with a challenge. Our hope is that after taking the challenge, you can report back on what you learned or experience. Feel free to drop us a line and share your story. Messages can be received on LinkedIn or Instagram, or via DM on the Designed Today slack channel. We hope to hear from ya.This series came about after a recent LinkedIn post caught some attention and found over 100 comments on the topic. You can see the original post here: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/dillonwinspear_hey-linkedin-fam-i-wanted-to-ask-all-my-activity-6705972662327394304-xEZAPlease consider subscribing to Designed Today any of the popular podcasting platforms.**********************************Ready to join the email list or Slack community, receive your invite here: https://designedtoday.com/community/Designed Today brings you insights to help bridge the world of Design & Business. Learn how you can improve your design, branding, marketing, and advertising skills all in one place. In this show, we'll explore the startup world, flexing the entrepreneurial muscles, from a user experience perspective**********************************Podcast: https://pod.link/designedtodayWebsite: https://DesignedToday.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/Designed.TodayLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dillonwinspear/Twitter: https://twitter.com/dillonwinspear