This week, we talk about how to become a more strategic designer: what should you be doing day to day, or thinking about more often? In The Sidebar, we talk about the downsides of using metaphors to describe the role of designers in building software.
Golden Ratio Supporter:AroundThank you to Around, a better way to video call. The product is designed specifically to make it easier to gather small groups to collaborate in real time, without all the distracting and frustrating interfaces that comes with most video chat software. We love the small floating heads and emphasis on making it easy to work alongside the video call, rather than constantly having to app switch.
You can get started for free by signing up at Around.co!
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Main Topic:Jessica Tong asks on GitHub:
I work at a small startup with less than 15 people and I'm the only designer. Recently, I've had a performance review and my manager, who is the Head of Product has recognised that I am lacking in "strategy skills". I seem to mostly come up with short term ideas. eg. we have a problem regarding X, so i am able to come up with multiple solutions, etc. I've also been to a job interview where they said I was lacking high level, strategy skills. I am unsure as to how to develop this skill and think of my work more in the long term and plan for the long term. My manager has suggested a book called "Good Strategy/Bad Strategy" by Richard Rumelt but other than that, he does not know how to help - probably because he is from a product management background, and I should be developing a UX strategy skills. Do you have any advice, or resources you can point me to where I can grow in this area as a product designer?
Byeee!
324: Interface Design and the Physical World
323: Designing Social Proof
322: Designing App Onboarding Experiences
321: Illustrations and the Side Effects of Free Resources (feat. Meg Robichaud & Ryan Putnam)
320: The Path of a Generalist (feat. Pablo Stanley)
319: Content Strategy and Designing with Language (feat. Jonathon Colman)
318: Death of the Designer Unicorn
317: Designing for Dark Mode
316: The Convergence of iOS and Android
315: Building a Listener-Supported Podcast
314: Beauty, Vulnerability, and Doing Things That Matter (feat. Haraldur Thorleifsson)
313: Design Process Automation
312: Managing a Design Systems Team (feat. Diana Mounter)
311: Visuals in Product Design
310: Work, Culture, and Experimentation at a Product Design Agency (feat. Skyler Balbus)
309: Career Progression for Product Designers
308: Learning Design as a Developer
307: iOS 13 Beta
306: Is Ego Getting in the Way of Accessibility?
305: From Team to Solo Designer (feat. Michie Cao)
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